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ESEU PARTEA 2

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ESEU PARTEA 1

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Record Of A Night Too Brief By Hiromi Kawakami

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Record Of A Night Too Brief By Hiromi Kawakami

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This collection of three dreamlike stories is named after the first one in this collection.

It is filled with magical sequences which seem to depict and comment on the circle of life and the idea of soul. There is a search for one's destiny, which keeps the story in motion.

The next story in the series is 'Missing'. Here some people go missing and some shrink without any logical explanation. But underneath all these events lay a different society. Different apparently to ours in their practices, but not much different in the essence. They have a concept of ideal family, what is expected from an individual. A person's mental health isn't given any importance. People don't care about those who become invalid. Nothing really happens at the end, that's the point. The same practices go on and on and on.

The final one is named 'A Snake Stepped On'. In this snakes take human form and plead human beings to join the snake world. People have snakes as wives, partners, foster mothers. But they don't always live harmoniously. They also struggle to break free from their snake's control.

I have not read much of Japanese fiction, but the few I've read have one thing in common: their use of language, which is greatly infused with magic. To that base every writer adds their own uniqueness.

This book felt like a dream, especially the first story. After finishing it I realized that the book felt, indeed, like a breef night.

sequences = a set of related events that follow each other in a particular order

depict = portray in words

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Let It Snow By  by John Green, Maureen Johnson And Lauren Myracle

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Let It Snow By  by John Green, Maureen Johnson And Lauren Myracle

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Let It Snow is a trio of interconnected short stories about the highs and lows of love against the backdrop of a massive snowstorm.

In Maureen Johnson’s ‘The Jubilee Express’, a girl’s holiday plans are derailed again and again. First, her parents are thrown in jail unexpectedly, then her train to Florida gets stuck in the copious snow, and she escapes the chaos of the train by heading to a Waffle House for refuge, where she meets a young man with his own troubles. But as if all Jubilee experienced wasn't enough, she must deal with the apparent disinterest of her seemingly perfect boyfriend.

John Green’s ‘A Cheertastic Christmas’, told with Green’s follows a group of friends trying to get to a Waffle House in the middle of the storm because of the unexpected appearance of a troop of cheerleaders seeking escape from their train. However, their mission to make it to the Waffle House before other invited males, their rivals, and the changing dynamics in their group of three.

In ‘The Patron Saint of Pigs’, Lauren Myracle tells the story of Addie, a girl despondent about the end of her relationship (her fault). But the thing is, Addie could use a serious lesson in putting the needs of others first. It takes a strange customer and a teacup pig to help her find her way.

I don’t tend to read a ton of holiday books but this book (and these authors) really tempted me. Johnson’s story is the most straightforward and is therefore my favorite. Green’s is truly madcap and funny, and I really do love the way he writes. Myracle’s story had too many disparate parts that didn’t quite come together for me, and I felt as if everyone was trying too hard. It was an interesting concept but at one point there were so many characters in the story that I was quite confused.

Let It Snow was a very quick, fun read and it definitely put me in the spirit of the holidays.

backdrop = in the background of

copious = abundant

despondent = loss of hope

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The book opens in the present. Jack and Grace Angel who are married are hosting a dinner for two other couples. He champions battered wives and has never lost a case. Grace serves an extravagant meal and both her and Jack are wonderful hosts. Grace makes sure that everything goes flawlessly. The food is wonderful, she asks all the right questions and answers all questions perfectly. But of course, things aren't always what they seem.

They met about 6 months before at a park Grace frequently attended with her 17 year old sister, Millie. It was one of their favorite places as Millie loves music and there was often a band playing. Millie was enjoying the music and started dancing.  Grace was just about to ask Millie to stop when Jack appeared out of nowhere, dancing with Millie and charming Grace.

Millie has Down syndrome and can be very spontaneous.  When Jack proposes he says he understands that Grace and Millie are a package deal. He proclaims to love Millie and is happy to help take care of her with Grace. Jack really seems like the perfect man. Not just handsome and charming but loving and caring.

Jack and Grace go ahead with the wedding despite the fact that Millie was in the hospital because of a suspicious accident. After that they are off immediately to Thailand for their honeymoon. And the nightmare begins.

The book covers some very difficult topics and can be hard to read about. However, I feel the author did a wonderful job of telling the story in a chilling way, but without going overboard with graphic descriptions. It's hard to explain but it was still just as terrifying and kept me on the edge of my seat.

The characters were very well-developed. Although I questioned some of Grace's decisions, it felt like one of those situations where you couldn't possibly know how you would react unless it was happening to you.

'Behind Closed Doors' was a thrilling read with many twists and turns that left me reeling. A thoroughly engrossing novel that I won't soon forget.

battered = abused

engrossing = interesting

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By the age of sixteen, Maya has already lived a life uncommon to ourselves. Basically unwanted by her parents, she has been raised by her grandparents, Nini and Popo. Nini, a proud Chilean who strangely rarely mentions her life in Chile, is a human dynamo. Popo is an astronomer, a quiet reserved African American.

When her beloved Popo dies, Maya rebels.
Mixing with a bad group of friends, she quickly finds herself in a academy for unmanageable teenagers in Oregon. Two years pass until Maya makes her long planned break for freedom.
After hitching a lift with the wrong type of truckie, she ends up in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas which greets Maya is the ugly and sordid one: populated with drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes and drug dealers.

Arriving broke and desperate, she is immediately befriended by Leeman, a man who gives her a job, a new name and money. But Leeman is a drug dealer and Maya's job is to deliver drugs to his 'clients' and collect the money. He asks nothing of her except her loyalty and her silence. He introduces her to drugs and alcohol and she is soon an addict herself. Ultimately, Maya finds herself being hunted by the FBl, two assassins, Interpol and the police.

Rescued by Nini, she is sent to Chiloe, an island off Chile, to the care of Manuel. An anthropologist currently writing a book, Manuel is the balm to Maya's shattered soul. And Chiloe is the antithesis to Las Vegas: small, peaceful, a true community. Here she learns a quiet solitude, discovers the customs of her ancestors and the amiable Chiloen people, transcribes Manuel's manuscripts and finds a sense of self she has never known. Allende bares the soul of the Chiloen people; their captivating customs, their history, their legends and their myths. This makes for great reading in itself, a wonderful insight into a fascinating people.

I never once found this book boring. It kept me reading late into the night. Not only does she tell an impossibly good story, Allende also relates a grim period of Chile's very recent history. I was charmed by all the characters except one, and especially Chiloe, a place I would now love to visit one day. I urge more readers to find Maya's Notebook. You will be so glad that you did.

dynamo = an extremely energetic person

sordid = dirty

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I don’t get how any reader can say they don’t like classics.

What I need to explain is that this book is excellent, and also a classic. It is very very old but sometimes old stuff is still worth it!

This is not the classic I would recommend that someone start with if they’re looking to get into the genre. It is very slow, and the language takes some settling in. But also this book is a literal gem.

It was published in 19th century England, which is no one’s idea of Progressive Central. But this book is jarringly feminist when the constraints it (and Jane) were working in are taken into account. Jane is an independent woman, and this book from eighteen forty-seven tells her story.

Now, I love Jane Austen books so much, but that’s something not even all her books can say.

Here’s the thing about this book: I love nineteenth century fiction (or what I’ve read of it), but even if you didn’t you’d probably love this book. So much of this is unique, by the standards of then but also even the standards of today. It’s a romance, yes, which is extremely normal. But it’s a romance between two characters who are not conventionally beautiful, which is unbelievably rare.

It’s also not a romance that acts as basically the sole option for its female character. I love Pride & Prejudice, and I of course think Lizzie Bennet is a feminist (and awesome) character,but there’s no way for that book to end, really, that doesn’t include marriage for her. Three of the five Bennet sisters get married over the course of that book. It’s either that or old maid status.

But not Jane Eyre. She does not allow marriage to be the only prospect for her. She goes away and makes a life for herself and then decides whether she wants to follow that path. We don’t even see that in every 21st century romance.

Plus, Jane is an excellent character, and of a type we rarely see. She’s serious and upstanding and smart and moral. She has a strong mind and she doesn’t shy away from that. She lacks the requisite features of today’s female subjects of romance: the quirkiness or the humor or the way she trips and spills the coffee. She also lacks the nineteenth-century version of a lot of those traits. And it is so refreshing.

It is very slow and hard to get into and basically you have to adjust to a whole new reading experience. So I wouldn’t recommend starting off your nineteenth century fiction binge with this book, but it is a must read!

jarringly = in a manner that irritates

requisite = a thing that is necessary for the achievement of a specified end

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I should say first of all, this book makes me feel sad. The book never fails to leave me with this hollow feeling that things could have been so different. When I was a kid, I often wished I could jump inside the TV and warn the good guys not to do something, stop something horrible from happening. This is that kind of book for me.

Some readers don't like Dickens. He's been called "lacking in style", as well as a bunch of other things. Well, I think he's like the Stephen King of the Victorian era. He loves his drama, his characters are well-drawn but sometimes edging towards caricatures, he has a wonderful talent for painting a vivid picture of a scene in your mind but a bunch of his books are a hundred pages too long. I love his stories anyway. And I love his characters.

In Great Expectations, you have the orphaned Philip "Pip" Pirrip who has spent his short life being poor and being bullied by his sister who is also his guardian. You have Joe Gargery, a kind man who also allows himself to be bullied by Pip's sister (his wife). Then you have the infamous Miss Havisham who was abandoned at the altar and now spends her days wandering around her mansion in her old wedding dress, hating men and raising the young Estella to be just like her.

At its heart, this is a book about someone who is given an opportunity to have all their dreams come true, to be better than they ever thought they could be, to be loved by someone who they never thought would look at them. We all yearn for something badly at times. Imagine having the chance to get exactly what you always wanted. Imagine becoming better and higher than you knew was possible. Imagine having all of that and then realizing that perhaps the most important thing you ever had got left behind.

Pip was always my favourite Dickens protagonist because he wants so much and I sympathise with him. I can understand why he does what he does and why he wants what he wants. But the saddest thing is that ambition can make you lose sight of other important things and Pip has a lot of hard lessons to learn along the way.  Essentially, the book deconstructs what it means to be a "gentlemen" and makes a not-so-subtle criticism of a class-based society.

Who are the real gentlemen? The top hat wearing men of London with all their fine china and ceremony? Pip, who gets a chance to become one of them? Or Joe Gargery, the rough-talking blacksmith who even years later tells Pip: "you and me was ever friends"?

There is a powerful lesson in here and I love it. Even after all these years.

infamous = well known for some bad quality

deconstructs = analyse by deconstruction

rough-talking = rude in speech

blacksmith = a person who makes and repairs things in iron by hand

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The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins

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The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins

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Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn's Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn's life unfolds through the decades--revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love--Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn's story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Evelyn Hugo is the most flawlessly written character I have ever witnessed. With influences from Merilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, the author made Evelyn Hugo her own star. Every time I would read about a scene from one of the movies, I was like "Oh, I will watch that movie later.", and then I remembered that she doesn't actually exist. Which made me sad, because all of the content of this book was so interesting. felt like was reading an actual autobiography from a real legendary actress. Evelyn is such a good written character. She is raw, devious, manipulative, scheming, cold-hearted.

I also love the title of this book. Evelyn Hugo really did marry seven men. But this story highlights that there is always more to someone than what meets the eye and what others may perceive. I The truth is that people are more complex, more layered and human.

astounded = shocked

unfurls = unwind

devious = showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals

scheming = involved in making secret and underhand plans

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Carrie was Stephen King's debut novel, and I was still impressed!

The plot was concise with not a lot of fluff, the pacing was great and the characters are highly memorable.
Most people have read Carrie and yet, I still haven't read it until last year.

It's unreal that it's taken me this long to get to this book because i have always been a huge Stephen King fan.
He gives us a flawed and broken character that will be remembered for decades along with multiple movies made about her.

While flipping the pages, I felt her pain and humiliation and it was heartbreaking! The suspense was fantastic and the action is nonstop.

I liked how the book was written in present tense with the day-to-day bullying of Carrie and the perspective of others after hell came to Chamberlain.

There were a few moments in the book that felt a bit dated but it is dated since it was wrote in 1974. I do not judge books harshly that were written 50 years ago with today standards.

Would Carrie White have had a different life if her mother wasn't demented, evil and so nasty to her? I think Carrie would always be special with her telekinesis ability but with the right love in her life, it might not have become so dangerous.

I've seen the movie first, but the book is much more disturbing, intense and there's quite a few differences between the two.

fluff = entertainment or writing perceived as trivial or superficial

pacing = the rhythm

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The Perks Of Being A Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky

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The Perks Of Being A Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky

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As much as people say it, this really is one of my favorite books of all time. It got a lot of press, so many people shun it and say it is overrated and I disagree.

I didn't read this book until last year, when I turned 19.
My cousin gifted it to me, it seemed like a quick read, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Main character Charlie is loveable from the first sentence out of his mouth. There are endless quoteable quotes in this book that had me putting post it all over it so I could write them down later. Charlie has an honest innocence to him yet such an intense depth and intelligent mind that he is quite the multifaceted character.

While the story has its ups and downs, and really, there isn't a very intense plot, the reader is somehow sucked into Charlies head sharing his first kiss, his feelings toward his new friends, his feelings towards literature and music. He is naiive about so many things, and his bluntness made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions. He not only deals with issues like love, but also having a gay friend, dealing with death, and sexual assault, but also sharing his love of music and literature.

I would give this book to every teenage boy and girl I knew. While Charlie isn't exactly a excellent role model, bur he does show that being different is OK and that friends come in all kinds of packages.

shun = persistently avoid, ignore, or reject through antipathy or caution

multifaceted = having many different aspects or features

bluntness = very direct and of saying exactly what you think without trying to be polite

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Stephen King's writing is like coming home for me. There's no doubt, it's my comfort zone. This story is no exception.

A coming-of-age tale with a supernatural twist, Later follows Jamie and his struggling single-mother, Tia. Jamie first discovered his ability when he was just a young boy. He can see things others can't and sometimes it's really scary. But it is an unchangeable part of himself and he learns the rules of it, as well as how best to live with it.

His mother knows what he can do, but she doesn't like to talk about it. It scares her too. She urges Jamie to keep it a secret. However, when she is backed against a wall, Tia asks Jamie to use his ability to help her. This event exposes Jamie's gift to Tia's police officer girlfriend, Liz.

After their relationship sours and the women call it quits, Liz continues circling Jamie like a shark. She knows what he can do and eventually plans to use him for her own gain.
Since this is King, it does go a lot darker than I am letting on, but it's a short story, one best discovered for yourself.

I loved Jamie so much. The narrative is like you are sitting down with him, having a cup of tea, and he is telling you his story. It's natural, heart-warming, occasionally frightening, funny and whip-smart. Also really appreciated the depth of Jamie's relationship with his mother. It was beautifully explored.

King excels at writing complicated familial relationships and that skill is perfectly illustrated here. He also is a master at writing from the perspective of children. Great character work overall, but I always love his younger characters.

Absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves a
horror-based coming-of-age story.

coming-of-age = the age or occasion when one formally becomes an adult

sours = feeling or expressing resentment, disappointment, or anger

quits = to stop, cease

whip-smart = intelligent and able to understand things quickly