Goodreads Monday #8

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren @ Lauren’s Page Turners. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off! Don’t forget to link back to Lauren’s Page Turners and link up to the inlinkz so others can see what you picked!

 The thing about me is, I am an enthusiastic admirer of Vincent Van Gogh. You could catch me staring at his paintings for hours at the National Gallery in London. It is truly magical to be in the presence of his works.

A few years ago I read a fictional recollection of his last days – The Last Van Gogh by Alyson Richman – that I unfortunately didn't like very much. When one day I saw the book below in a bookshop, I realised I'm might not yet ready to give up on fictional Van Gogh novels. I'm determined to own a copy of Let Me Tell You About a Man I Knew someday in the future, and hopefully I'll love it!

Let Me Tell You About a Man I Knew

by Susan Fletcher

 

Synopsis:

No one knows the name of 'the painter' who comes to the asylum in St Remy in the south of France, but they see his wild, red hair and news of his savaged ear soon circulates in the village and comes to the notice of the wife of the asylum's doctor. She feels herself drawn to him and learns that his presence is disturbing - and not just to her either. But back she goes - again and again. Until she is banned, but still she makes her way over the wall, through the garden to talk to this apparently mad and passionate man. And the consequences of her indiscretion, of what van Gogh comes to mean to her, of what it will do to her marriage, her life once she has touched danger and passion will have far reaching effects - both surprisingly catastrophic and tender.

Do you think you'd like this novel? What book did you feature in you Goodreads Monday post?

Review - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Title: The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Synopsis:

Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir's choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, wrenching them far apart. But so strong is the bond between the two boys that Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.

My Thoughts:

It's not easy to write about this book, just as sometimes it wasn't easy reading it. Not because The Kite Runner is a bad book – on the contrary; it is an exceptional piece of literature – rather because the story of Amir and Hassan inlvolves so much tragedy that sometimes I had to put the book down and give myself some time to overcome the emotions it evoked in me.

However, when I wasn't having one of my emotional breaks I read it in big chunks. Mr. Hosseini's writing is definitely the most beautiful of all the authors' I've read this year so far. It's lyrical and touches your soul at the right times. He is amazing at storytelling, I felt I was really involved in the happenings and Amir and Hassan were like friends to me; I cared about them, I wanted to know their fate.

Amir is our narrator. His whole life story unfolds in front of us, from the moment he was born to present day. In the center of his reminiscense there is a boy, Hassan, the son of Ali, his father's slave. Hassan and Amir had an idyllic childhood in Kabul, they did most things together and they were friends despite the difference of their social status.

Then one day something happened to Hassan that shook both of their worlds. Amir blamed himself, since he could have prevented the whole thing and his guilt drove him to make a few terrible decisions that made Hassan disappear from his life.

When the Russians march into Afghanistan Amir and Baba (his father, whose attention he'd always fought for) migrate to America to start a new life. But it's only a matter of time till the past catches up with Amir. When a phone call comes from Rahim Khan, Baba's best friend, Amir learns that at last he has a chance 'to be good again'. And so he flies to Pakistan and visits the ailing Rahim Khan to hear news about Hassan and to make past mistakes right.

Afghanistan's recent history gets animated inside your head while you're spending time with this novel. The difference between the Afghanistan of Amir's early years and the war-ridden country he finds when he returns is striking. It was very sad to read about the destruction that ensued first by the hands of the Russians, then by the Taliban.

Judging by all the things I have told you so far of The Kite Runner you probably think there is not an ounce of happiness squeezed into this tale of friendship and ordeal. It is not true. There are brilliant moments that shadow the sorrowful events even if shortly. Love is a powerful motivator in the story; the love of a loyal friend, the love of a father, the love of a son – it gives strength to the characters to move on and change their ways if necessary. There are so many examples to learn from, so many lessons The Kite Runner gives us. I will not forget this book easily.

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Beginnings on Friday and the Friday 56 #6

 

Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by Rose City Reader and Freda's Voice.

 

Rules: 

Book Beginnings: Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56: Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.

My current read is:

Sawbones

by Melissa Lenhardt 

Synopsis:

Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest in this fast-paced historical debut.

When Dr. Catherine Bennett is wrongfully accused of murder, she knows her fate likely lies with a noose unless she can disappear. Fleeing with a bounty on her head, she escapes with her maid to the uncharted territories of Colorado to build a new life with a new name. Although the story of the murderess in New York is common gossip, Catherine's false identity serves her well as she fills in as a temporary army doctor. But in a land unknown, so large and yet so small, a female doctor can only hide for so long.

 

 

Book Beginning:

  

"I'll have some fresh ones on the morrow."

I pulled on my gloves and donned my slouch hat.

"I do not know when I will be back".

"No, no. O'course. Part of the job, idin't? Not knowin' where you'll be, what you'll be doin'. Hard on a woman."

"No harder than on a man, I assure you."

 

'Fresh ones' as fresh corpses. Our heroine uses her free time to widen her anatomical knowledge in a New York basement. It's clear even on the first page that men don't approve of her being a doctor.

The Friday 56:

"He was injured, my uncle, and Dr. Elliston saved him. Performed surgery out there on the plains with a storm coming. You should have heard Kindle's men sing her praises," Beau said.

Once she puts her skills to use, the hard men of the frontier start to appreciate her, of course.

I feel the author wants to make me like Laura a lot and that is exactly what keeps me from liking her. It is stated so many times that she is a brilliant physician, that she is doing the whole thing to save people, that she is tough... I'm not sure she has any flaws at all, and that makes her a bit too distant for me. 

 

Well, I'm still in the beginning of the novel, hopefully I'll see some charcter development here...

What are you reading this week? Drop a link to your Friday post below, if you like!

February Wrap-Up, March TBR

February went by very fast, and here we are in the spring. Well, Europe is mostly under snow at the moment but never mind, just keep sliding on.

February was a very good blogging month for me and I'm proud of myself for devoting a lot of time to Paradise Found in the past few weeks. I'd like to keep it up because I enjoy writing my blog posts and – above all  – reading, so I can write them, haha.

I appreciate your comments and the support that comes with them. Please, let them coming in March too. Stay with me on the way, guys.


Here is a summary of February on Paradise Found:

I've finished four books:

The Desert Spear (Demon Cycle #2) by Peter V. Brett – Review

The Dark Unseen (Unseen Series #0.5) by Andrew C. Jaxson – Review

Pirate's Curse by Leigh Anderson and Rebecca Hamilton – Review

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (The review is on the way)

Other posts on the blog in the month of February:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – Review 

Showtime #2 – Black Sails

The Longest Book Tag

Favourite places to read 

Some books I've read, loved, but do not own a physical copy of yet 

If a genie were to grant me three bookish wishes...

Weekly memes:

Goodreads Monday (Feb 12, Feb 19, Feb 26) 

Tell me Something Tuesday (Feb 13)

WWW Wednesday (Feb 21, Feb 28)

Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 (Feb 9, Feb 16, Feb 23)

Stacking the Shelves (Feb 24)

Plans for March: 

Probably I'll be reading the following books (in no particular order): 

Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts

The Shipbuilder by Salina B. Baker (I've just realised this book is currently available for free on the author's website. Click here if you'd like to download it.)

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope

For March 16 I have a ticket to watch HamletBatch, an NTLive screening of Hamlet with Benedict Cumberbatch as the Danish prince. I'll make sure to let you guys know how I liked it.

My next review will be of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; you can expect it to be up this week.

How was your reading month? Let me know in a comment below!

WWW Wednesday #6

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words. 

WWW stands for three questions:

 

What are you currently reading?

 

Sawbones

by Melissa Lenhardt

Synopsis:

 

Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest in this fast-paced historical debut.

When Dr. Catherine Bennett is wrongfully accused of murder, she knows her fate likely lies with a noose unless she can disappear. Fleeing with a bounty on her head, she escapes with her maid to the uncharted territories of Colorado to build a new life with a new name. Although the story of the murderess in New York is common gossip, Catherine's false identity serves her well as she fills in as a temporary army doctor. But in a land unknown, so large and yet so small, a female doctor can only hide for so long.

 

I'll be honest: I'm having a hard time getting into this one, but I've only read 10%, which is not much. Anything can happen later, I won't give up on it just yet.

 

 

What did you recently finish reading?

 

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini 

 

 

This book caused me so much pain, and still, I could hardly put it down. 

My review is coming in a few days.

What do you think you'll read next?

Honestly? I don't know yet. I'll give myself a little bit of freedom this time and I'll go for whatever calls out to me when I finish Sawbones :)

I hope you're all having a great reading week, guys!

Please leave a link to your WWW post below, so I can visit your blog later.

Review - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Author: Shirley Jackson

Synopsis:

Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.

 

My Thoughts:

Shirley Jackson's intriguing short novel about a not-just-slightly disfunctioning family sent chills down my spine. This dark and somewhat eerie tale is not so much about a haunted house as the making of one.

The Blackwood family hasn't been whole for a while. Most of its members are dead, simply because they liked sugar on their berries. The ones who live – Constance, Merricat and Uncle Julian – do so in the constant shadow of that unfortunate evening when everything ended... and began.

Being poisoned by arsenic is not a painless way to go they say, but being the talk of the village is not a painless way to live, either. Although the sisters and their uncle are outcasts, they are also the biggest sensation in the village they're trying to stay away from. 

Their dark and scandalous past baffles yet at the same time excites the people. They are local legends of the spooky variation; even children singsong the Blackwoods' sin in the ear of poor Merricat twice a week when she has to do her run in the village to make sure she and her sister won't go hungry up in the house.

Like it wouldn't be enough, one day Charles, their cousin arrives to rekindle old family bonds. He is pushy about matters like their returning into society, and his eagerness to wheedle himself into Constance's confidence unnerves Merricat. He talks too much about the money the sisters keep shut away in a box upstairs. In the end Merricat decides to turn to drastic measures to make Charles disappear from their lives.

The dialogues in the book are brilliant. The information about the fatal dinner comes to the reader in small drops through broken conversations and sentences cut in half. It really is like a jigsaw puzzle that you place together with the turning of the pages.

Shirley Jackson creates a very peculiar atmosphere while describing the three remaining members of the Blackwood family in their isolation. I as reader felt the setting claustrophobic at times, especially towards the end. The deliberate attempt of Ms Jackson to put you in the shoes of the girls works out very well.

I also have to mention the black humour that is sprinkled all over the pages of this quaint story. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is darkly entertaining in its morbidity. The kind of comical quality it represents may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy dark jokes I would definitely give this book a try.

While it only takes a few hours to read the novel, it will stay with you much longer than that. I can only recommend picking it up if the synopsis or what I've just told you about it appeals to you.

Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads Monday #7

 Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren @ Lauren’s Page Turners. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off! Don’t forget to link back to Lauren’s Page Turners and link up to the inlinkz so others can see what you picked!

The following book is intended to be my first ever Christopher Isherwood experience. Now, you have to know that Christopher and his kind – Isherwood's autobiography – has been sitting on my shelf for ages, however I promised myself I'd read a novel by him before diving into that. 

A Single Man is an LGBTQ modern classic about a middle-aged man who is grieving for the love of his life. I expect it to be very emotional but all in all I feel it conveys a positive message to the reader.

I've come across this book many times in second hand bookshops, yet never purchased it, because I always find it with the ugly green Penguin Vintage Classic cover (click here to see). I usually love the cover of these vintage classics; not this time. One day when I'll buy it, I'll buy it with the cover you can see below.

A Single Man

by Christopher Isherwood

Synopsis:

When A Single Man was originally published, it shocked many by its frank, sympathetic, and moving portrayal of a gay man in midlife. George, the protagonist, is adjusting to life on his own after the sudden death of his partner, determined to persist in the routines of his daily life. An Englishman and a professor living in suburban Southern California, he is an outsider in every way, and his internal reflections and interactions with others reveal a man who loves being alive despite everyday injustices and loneliness. Wry, suddenly manic, constantly funny, surprisingly sad, this novel catches the texture of life itself.

What gem do you have on your Goodreads TBR? Please leave a link to your Goodreads Monday post below if you have one, if not, just say hi :)