Mr. Peanut

We've all read books and seen movies about the joys of marriage and being love, most of the results being hokey. Only a few are brave enough to expose the destructive nature of marriage, Adam Ross' novel Mr. Peanut being one of them.

When we're first introduced to David Pepin, he's contemplating his wife Alice's death. That doesn't mean he hates her. David is madly in love with Alice. It's just their marriage has hit the skids. It was a doomed relationship from the start. After all, they first met in a college class about Hitchcock.

To achieve a better sense of how frayed David and Alice's marriage is, Ross throws in the somewhat sour marriage of Sam and Marilyn Sheppard as a reference. (In fact, Ross puts Sheppard in the role of a detective, regardless of the fact that Sheppard has been dead since 1970.) It makes the reader ponder over this question: if a person is truly discontent with their marriage, can it drive them to murder? (As a sidenote, I strongly believe that Sam Sheppard was wrongly accused of Marilyn's murder.)

Not since Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? have we seen the dark side of marriage. Once in love now just moments away from filing for divorce (or even murder). This, in my opinion, is pretty ballsy stuff for an author's debut. Seriously not one to avoid.

My Rating: *****

Johnny Got His Gun

Dalton Trumbo is one of Hollywood's most famous screenwriters. Even with his infamy  as part of the Hollywood Ten, his writing always captivated an audience.

His novel Johnny Got His Gun has to be one of the most harrowing things I've read. It's told in the third person, but it's from the point of view of Joe Bonham, a soldier who lost his limbs and face in battle from a bomb. It's very claustrophobic reading.

The story interchanges from Joe's life before getting shipped off and Joe lying in the hospital. It's sad to see him go from a charmed life to being a prisoner in his own body, unable to express what he's feeling.

Johnny Got His Gun is one of those books where no matter how many times you try to stop reading it, you can never put it down. Seriously, it's that good. Trumbo's writing packs a wallop, but it also makes Johnny Got His Gun as something I don't want to read for a very long time. Kind of the same effect Requiem for a Dream had when I watched it.

My Rating: *****

The Stranger

Albert Camus' The Stranger is a different kind of book. It doesn't provide any positive insight on anything that happens to the lead character. The whole novel is one antagonistic view after another.

Camus commonly wrote nihilism and absurdity as themes in his works. In The Stranger, the lead character shows no regards to the way society runs. In fact, I don't think he even remotely cares about society in general. I wouldn't call him self-centered; I'd call him aloof.

Another thing about the lead character of The Stranger that's shown is his lack of emotions. He is blank when he receives news of his mother's death, even blanker when he forms a relationship with a co-worker the day after his mother's funeral. With the events that follow, it's assumed that he's cold hearted. But is he really?

The Stranger is one of those novels that makes you think when you're done reading it. I didn't like it very much because it rambles seeral times. It's still good though.

My Rating: ****

The Thieves of Manhattan

A lot of the books I've been reading are well known by a majority of people. But I've been trying to read lesser known books, mainly ones that have recently been published.

Failed short story writer Ian Minot is fed up with rejections. He meets Jed Roth, who presents him with a manuscript that Ian can claim as his own. But after a little rewriting, Ian finds that the events of "his" book are coming true.

Throughout the book, there are references to authors and their trademarks (trains are called "highsmiths", cigarettes are "vonneguts", "fitzgeralds" and "faulkners" are drinks), literary characters ("gatsby", "golightly", "kowalski") and books themselves ("droogs" from A Clockwork Orange). The Thieves of Manhattan is a really gripping book. It's one of those rare books where you get completely swept up in the actions of the lead character. Definitely a must-read.

My Rating: *****

The Bell Jar

Fiction from time to time has an autobiographical influence on it. Some examples include Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night and Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, but the most prolific example is Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar.

Esther Greenwood shows promise for her future. She won a scholarship to a prestigious college, she gets good grades and she has a skill for writing. But there's something inside Esther that may change all that...

Just from the summary you can tell it's a thinly veiled autobiography of Plath. Esther's slow descent into madness mirrors what happened to Plath. It's also one of the realistic and horrifying things I've read. Plath's dark descriptions throughout make The Bell Jar what it is: a haunting classic on the darkness of the human soul.

My Rating: *****

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Now and then, if you know the lifestyle of some authors it becomes evident in their writing.

Dorian Gray is a handsome and dashing yet vain and morally corrupt man in late-19th century England. A recent portrait of him has extended his vanity, but he notices something odd about the painting...

Man, Dorian's a pompous jerk. Even his charm didn't win me over, I'll admit it. But apart from that, I liked The Picture of Dorian Gray. It took a while for the book to become interesting, but once it did I was hooked. Honest to God, The Picture of Dorian Gray creeped me out to no end.

My Rating: ****

The Great Gatsby

When you think of influential writers, one name that comes up is F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby chronicles the lifestyle of Jay Gatsby and his love for Daisy Buchanan.

Fitzgerald's writing style is very poetic and flowing. The characters, particularly Nick and Jay, are engaging. Thought the first two are a little slow, the third act is shocking. I really got a feel of the 1920's just from reading The Great Gatsby. Made me wish I was alive then.

My Rating: ****

Fahrenheit 451

Dystopia is a common setting in science fiction. Some notable examples among literature are Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Another good example is Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

"It was a pleasure to burn" is what the novel opens with. Guy Montag is a fireman who doesn't put out fires but starts them; he is to burn books and the houses that contained them. He doesn't question his job until his new neighbor, a seventeen-year-old by the name of Clarisse McClellan, opens him to a past when people weren't afraid.

I found the thought of books being illegal somewhat scary (being the avid reader that I am). And having read a few of Ray Bradbury's short stories prior to reading Fahrenheit 451, I knew that the tone in his writing is anti-technology. The descriptions are vivid and the plot is easy flowing. But overall, it's a very impressive novel.

My Rating: ****

Flowers for Algernon

Like I said before, it takes a lot for a book or a movie to tug at my heartstrings. One book that managed to do that was Flowers for Algernon.

Charlie Gordon is a man who was born with an unusually low IQ. He has been chosen to be the test subject of an experimental surgery that could raise his intelligence, something already proven successful with a mouse named Algernon. The experiment's a success with Charlie and his intelligence surpasses that of the doctors behind the whole thing. But then Algernon starts to shows side effects. Will it happen to Charlie?

Oh man, I love this book. When the book starts coming to an end, i honestly felt my heart ache to no end. It's just so tragic. And I love it. It's the most heartbreaking novel I've read in a long time. I recommend it highly.

My Rating: *****

Slam

I really like Nick Hornby's writing style. It's mainly the lead character's point of view on the events going on around him as he voices his opinion of what's going on. Hey, it works.

Sam Jones is normal British teen who likes to skateboard. Well, apart from the fact his mother had him when she was a teenager herself. And history is repeating itself when Sam's girlfriend Alicia Burns finds herself pregnant.

Sam reminded me of High Fidelity's Rob since both are slightly clueless when it comes to women. But apart from that, Sam is a very original character. You really sympathize for him when he's going through hell. Being the same age as Sam and Alicia, I can pretty much see how a situation like that can cause so much stress. So of course I liked the book.

My Rating: ****

The Last Picture Show

Once in a while, I prefer to read the book instead of watching the movie. A good example would be The Last Picture Show.

The novel is set in the one-stoplight town of Thalia, Texas, where Duane, his friend Sonny, and girlfriend Jacy are all stumbling along the rocky road to adulthood. Duane wants nothing more than to marry Jacy; Sonny wants what Duane has; and Jacy wants to get the hell out of Thalia any way she can. Over the course of a year Duane and Jacy make up and break up, Sonny begins an affair with his high school football coach's wife, and the only movie house in town closes its doors forever.

Most people may be more familiar with the movie of the same name, but don't avoid the book. Although sex is mentioned profusely, it's still a very good book.

My Rating: ****

Tuesdays with Morrie

It takes a lot for either a movie or a book to tug at my heartstrings. But a few manage to do so. Case in point, Tuesdays with Morrie successfully hit me in a soft spot.

When Mitch Albom learns that his college professor Morrie Schwartz is dying of ALS, he decides to catch up on lost time. In Morrie's final days, Mitch learns life lessons from his old teacher.

A few books managed to pull my heartstrings (Flowers for Algernon, The Reader), but not in the same way Tuesdays with Morrie did. As the novel progressed, it gets more heartfelt and sorrowful. I just love this book and recommend it to everyone.

My Rating: *****

Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility

I have voiced my opinion on directorial debuts, now onto first-time authors.

Yolanda Sahagun is anticipating the arrival of her older brother Chuy, who is returning from Vietnam. But upon his return, it is evident that the war has changed him.

The fact that the novel is in first person shows more of Yolanda's feeling than if it was in third person. The mood throughout may feel bleak, but Yolanda's optimism manages to keep the book uplifting. Patricia Santana's writing seems typical among first-time authors, but she is very good for a first timer.

My Rating: ****

Mrs. Dalloway

I have managed to catch up on reading the classics. I've read works by John Steinbeck, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, among others. One work I have recently read was Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway.

In post-World War I London, Clarissa Dalloway plans a party to be held at her home. The novel follows Clarissa's day, as well as the day of several other characters. Two others include Septimus Warren Smith, a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and Peter Walsh, a man who still has affections for Clarissa (and vice versa).

I liked the novel, but there were a few flaws I didn't approve of. For starters, the entire writing style was stream of consciousness, a method I don't really like. It felt like Woolf spent too much time in the minds of her characters. I thought throughout the book, "What point are you trying to make?" But if you have an appreciation for English literature, I would recommend it to those that do.

My Rating: ***

The Good German

One of the more common settings for a book or movie is World War II. Why that is I don't know, but it makes for good entertainment.

Nearing the end of World War II, news correspondent Jake Geismar is sent to Germany to cover the Potsdam Conference. His main goal is to find Lena, the mistress he left behind at the outbreak of the war. Along with finding Lena, Jake becomes enthralled in solving the murder of an American soldier.

I thought that The Good German was a good book, but it's rather wordy. I would recommemd it to anyone who enjoys mystery novels and doesn't mind long books.

My Rating: ****

On the Road

Some classic novels I've read I can see why they are considered classics. Others I question their status.

On the Road is about the many travels of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty across America. Throughout their travels, they discover what America is.

One thing I found interesting is that Sal and Dean are actually author Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. The long paragraphs throughout the book are somewhat daunting, but keep in mind that Kerouac wrote the book on one long piece of paper. But nonetheless, On the Road is an interesting read.

My Rating: ****

A Clockwork Orange

I find it weird when a book I've read is considered "controversial". Even more so if it's controversial for a small reason. (The Catcher in the Rye? Really?) But some are very clear on why they have controversy. Case in point, I'm reviewing A Clockwork Orange.

Fifteen-year-old Alex and his "droogs" are typical teenagers; they rape, plunder and beat up anyone in their sights. When Alex is arrested for murdering an old woman, he is sent to prison. After killing an inmate, Alex becomes the test subject of a new rehabilitation method. Upon his release, he is completely unprepared for what comes to him next.

If you've read an earlier post I did, you know this book scared the hell out of me. Why it does, I don't know. But, damn, Anthony Burgess' writing sure left an impact on me.

My Rating: ****

The Catcher in the Rye

Teen angst: a common theme that runs throughout movies, televsion shows, literature and music. One notable example of teenage angst in literature is J.D. Salinger's debut novel The Catcher in the Rye.

Holden Caulfield has been expelled from his school for his poor grades. Instead of going back to his home he roams the streets of New York City, encountering "phonies" along the way.

Salinger definitely hits the mark with making his readers connect with Holden (yes, I'm one of those readers). Unfortunately for Mr. Salinger, his best-known work is associated with many infamous crimes. For instance, Mark David Chapman was found reading a copy of The Catcher in the Rye shortly after shooting and killing John Lennon. Apparently, Chapman identified with the lead of the book so much he wanted to change his name Holden Caulfield. Looks like the connecting with the readers has a negative effect.

My Rating: *****

Carrie

Happy Halloween! Expect a number of horror-related posts today. Perhaps something to watch this evening. But I'll start with a Stephen King novel.

Carrie White has a rough life. She teased at school by her peers and her over-religious mother abuses her at home. Fortunately for her, she has telekinetic powers that nobody knows about.

Stephen King was originally working on it as a short story back in the 1970's, but he didn't like where the story was going so he threw what he had in the trash. It was his wife that convinced him to keep working on the story. Interesting, huh?

My Rating: ****

The Reader

Most people know Bernhard Schlink's novel a little better now since Stephen Daldry's film adaptation came out last year, especially since the movie earned Kate Winslet her overdue Oscar. Anyway, back to the book. I managed to finish it in one day because it was very gripping (but that's the last time I stay up that late to finish a book).

The book is set during late-1950's Germany and the lead is 15-year-old Michael Berg who becomes ill on his way home. 36-year-old tram conductress Hanna Schmitz notices him, cleans him up and sends him on his way. Months later after fighting hepatitis, he visits Hanna to thank her for her help, only to realize he's attracted to her. He visits her again days later and she seduces him, which leads to a secret affair. After months of dating, Hanna disappears without a trace.
Years had passed and Michael is in law school. He attends a trail where women who served as SS guards at a Auschwitz satellite are being tried for allowing 300 Jewish women to die in a fire inside a bombed church during camp evacuation. Much to Michael's surprise, Hanna is one the defendants and he discovers a secret Hanna has been hiding from him.

As I mentioned on my first post, this was one of my favorite books. I liked how it was told from Michael's point of view because you feel his pain when he discovers Hanna's on trial. The romance of Michael and Hanna is very romantic.

My Rating: ****