The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

As a general rule and probably on principal, books that are read at school aren’t a hit with the kids (with the divine exception of To Kill a Mockingbird), so when I was handed the book list for ENG101 several years ago, I did not expect to like any of the foes that I was to be pitted against for a 12 full weeks. 

How wrong was I.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day did not only interest me enough to read the 250 or so pages several times, but also showed me that a novel about the staff of an english country manor could actually be interesting. I know. This might also be due to the fact that Ishiguro is a talented talented man, but that’s just my opinion.

Apologies

As the title suggests, I am apologising for something. It could be a fun game for you (and quite deflating for me) to guess exactly what I am apologising for as I am not too sure if I have readers enough to notice that I have not written in a while, but we’re not going to play this game today. The reason for my apology is that I currently have the black lung and the spare time that I have is spent in bed, sans book. While this means that I have not finished that excellent novel Catch-22, it does not mean that I have been prevented from plugging through a hearty chunk. I am, after all, super reader extrordinaire.

I must also note that Heller’s work is amazing. It is challenging and you have to build yourself up to the right mindset for reading this diving, swiping little bipolar-driven bomber, but it is totally worth it. I will write again soon gang. To the doona I go!

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

It was only a matter of time before I was going to write a rant about this excellent novel. Well. To be more specific, this excellent novel/film/ABC mini-series (and yes, specifically ABC as they are an entity unto itself). To make things easier, let’s just call it a story.

The Pact - Jodi Piccoult

I normally ent a judgin’ when it comes to literature, but Jodi Piccoult just asks for it. Seriously. As a commie at heart, I care not for the superiority complex some can get over their untranslated Dostoyevsky. In fact, I can sometimes be found chowing down on a diet of Mills and Boon, a grassy bit of lawn and a cocktail on a sunny day. Put quite simply, a good read is a good read. Which comes to my point…

On The Road - Jack Kerouac

Ok. I’m probably going to offend the whole reading population in about… a second, so brace yourself - I hated this book.

I know. Get your stones ready. Look. I’ll even get them ready for you… see… this is a nice sharp one. I only deserve it, right?

Currently reading: Catch-22 - Joseph Heller