The Hunting Gun

Shawn Mooney sent me this book all the way from Tokyo as part of Litsy Valentine's Day book exchange.

Today I picked this book from my sky-high TBR, and I am in love with this author 💖

Exquisite is the one word I'd use to describe this book. Such beautiful prose; so much is revealed in just few pages. The translation work is amazing it's poetic. Imagine reading it in Japanese!

I am going to get this book in Japanese. I have already purchased "Bull Fight" and "Life of a Counterfeiter" from the Book Depository. Inoue stated in his foreword that "The Hunting Gun" and "Bull Fight" are the works that he had strong attachment to. When the author stated it that way, you must oblige.

The Promise of Stardust

Elle was declared brain-dead, and she has an 'Advanced Directives' stating that she prefers to die than surviving with life supports. The complication is that she's 8 week pregnant. So husband Matt is now fighting for her (and the baby's) survival.

The book tells us the story about their relationship, their family, and their dealings with birth and death.

This is not a book that I would choose myself. I've been avoiding stories about death and sickness after reading "My Sister's Keeper" years ago.

Signs Preceeding the End of the World

I'm conflicted about this book. Border crossings between Mexico and the USA always carry dramatic stories, and this is one of them. It's probably the translation; I don't feel the 'emotion' coming out from the story. If I could read Spanish, I'd love to read the original work - I'm sure it's 10x much better than this.

The Secret History

This is my second Donna Tartt after The Goldfinch, but it's actually her first book. Tartt is a master of descriptions. Everything is very fluid and she is very good in describing not only the surroundings, but also the human emotions. I find that her style is much more matured in The Goldfinch; but it's still a joy to read The Secret History.

The Secret History is about a bunch of college students who killed one of them. (This is not a spoiler because that's what she revealed in the first sentence of the book) So yeah, the climax is at the start; and then the story builds up on why they did it, and what happened after. I admit that I got bored on the second half of the book but the ending was oh-so-marvelous! 

I enjoy reading Tartt's work because she never fails to give you treats for sticking with her till the end. The way she describes one of the characters, for example: a lowbrow, pop-psychology version of Sylvia Plath... hahahaha.... that's a nice one!

And also, there is this part where everybody was so solemn during a funeral service, and something that is totally irrelevant popped in one chunky paragraph (pic below). Reading about a funeral service is such a chore, and when I found this para I laughed so hard I had to stop and read it more than twice. Gosh, how I love her writing!

So now I'm waiting for her second book The Little Friend to arrive in my mailbox. I can't wait for another fun ride. 

Donna Tartt is not for everyone. There are polarised reviews on her works, and I'm a fan. I have book hangover now; I think I need a few days to recover from The Secret History before moving on to my next book. 

Interpreter of Maladies

Jhumpa Lahiri is an amazing writer! I don't know why I didn't read her works earlier. I heard about Interpreter of Maladies since ages ago (it was published in 1999!) but I have been procrastinating on it.

I got the book in my mailbox last week and I'm done reading it. Beautiful, gorgeous writings! I was totally carried away.... the stories are so moving I couldn't put down the book.

If you have only one book to buy, I recommend this one. You will be pleased!

PS: I just purchased all books by Ms. Lahiri; I can't get enough of her writings.

M Train

I picked this book because it involves a writer who travels, loves books, and frequents cafe to ponder and write.

Patti Smith is no ordinary person. She is weird and yet enchanting. Who on earth travels the world to visit the graves of her favourite writers/singers/poets? I definitely won't do it. Weird as she is, her thoughts get me thinking. That's why it took me more than two weeks to finish this book. I read a paragraph, found it interesting, and I spent the next few minutes thinking about it.

The Children Act

This book is such a bore! This is my first McEwan and I was expecting something spectacular from him. After all, he wrote Atonement and I heard nothing but praises about his works. 

I have Atonement and Amsterdam in my shelves now, waiting to be read. I was keen but I am now skeptical. I don't want to spend my precious time reading boring literature. I classify him together with authors who "try too hard to impress with words selection but failed miserably".