Tag: reading

Book club: Brave New World/The Girl on the Train

Posted on by Shawshank

Just wanted to drop a quick note to all my book nerds out there. I don’t think I’ll be able to host the Lockup Library Book Club today. It’s just been too hectic here at Shady Acres.

Between helping my mom bake, I’ve shovelled the falling snow twice, cleaned and refilled the pellet stove, and when my mom is done baking, I’ll be taking over the kitchen to bake Crystal’s World Famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake.

She’s going to give it to my dads boss, so this cake will be an international phenomenon.

So hopefully, next week the book club will be back in full force. But I will admit, I’m not too impressed with Brave New World. I don’t know if I have to be in the right frame of mind, or if I’m just not into it. I’ll try to read a little more before I decide either way. I think I’ve gone 100s of books since my last DNF.

Until next week, book nerds!

Book Club: The Girl on the Train

Posted on by Shawshank

Hey book nerds! It’s time for the next instalment of Lockup Library Book Club. A couple of hours late, but better late than never. I originally sat down, thinking I was going to blast through Brave New World, but I really couldn’t get into it today. So I picked up The Girl on the Train.

I’ve never been blackout drunk. I mean, I’ve always remembered what I’ve done. Even if I pass out and throw up in a friends house. I remember it. That way I don’t do it again.

Well Rachel has been blackout drunk a couple of times already, and the police are asking her questions about what she did last Saturday. She can’t remember. She can remember bits and pieces of what she thinks might have happened, but can’t remember exactly what happened.

What has happened is that the woman that she sees from her morning train ride into London has gone missing. And the police are trying to figure out what’s happened. Rachel was seen near by the woman’s house on Saturday, drunk. And seems to be a prime suspect.

I’m intrigued, and also want to know what’s going on. I guess I’ll have to keep reading to find that out! Until next time, keep your nose in a book!

Mr. Pibb and red vines equals crazy delicious

Posted on by Shawshank

It’s been a nice day here. Up early, coffee, and then laying on my bed, chatting with Crystal. She went to go watch a show on Netflix. So I picked up my next book to read, Brave New World. I won’t go in to details (that’s for book club), but I’m really enjoying it. I didn’t want to finish it before next Sunday, so I also started The Girl on the Train. Also very good so far!

Then, so I wouldn’t nap, I scheduled a book post. I have to get more on top of that again, I only have about 7 posts scheduled left.

But all in all it’s been a good Sunday. I’m very excited about going off to SlightlyBiggerTown by myself tomorrow. I’m like a kid before Christmas! I can take my time in the second hand store.

So it goes

Posted on by Shawshank

Welcome back, friends. I’m going to try and do two reviews in one, and to try and remember the books because it’s been a while since I’ve read these books. And they are great books. Good use of dead trees. So it goes.

Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death

Think of Slaughterhouse-Five as a science fiction anti-war book. In it we’re introduced to Billy Pilgrim. It’s about his experiences during the firebombing of Dresden, and after the war. It really grabs me right from the start, because I like the fact that Billy is an unreliable narrator. You are thrown right into the thick of things, because of time travel.

“So it goes”. Every time someone dies, or death is mentioned, the refrain – “So it goes” is said. For me, I believe it just accepting death and what’s happened. You find that you barely even notice that you’re reading “So it goes” after a while. “So it goes” is written 106 times in the book.

I had never read Vonnegut before, I really enjoyed the Sci-fi aspect of the novel. I never had to deal/worry about being drafted into the military, but this book really helped me to begin to understand war, violence, and death associated war. So it goes.

Cat’s Cradle

According to Wikipedia, Cat’s Cradle is satirical postmodern novel, with science fiction elements.

What? Again like the Slaughterhouse-Five, it’s completely foreign to me. It’s a completely different time. Over a generation apart from my time. For me, it was making fun of religion. Sure, there’s other things going on, but on just one reading, religion is what i took away from it.

Bokononism the religion secretly practiced by the people of San Lorenzo. It’s a very complete and well thought out religion. Example:

Pool-pah: a shit-storm, wrath of god.

Both of these books grabbed me right from the beginning, and kept my attention all the way through. It’s cliche, but I seriously laughed, and cried. So go out to the library, bookstore, wherever, and pick both of these up.