QUICK HITS - 2012 Top 10 Books and Top 5 Misses

In my third full year of my reading journey, I completed 42 books in 2012.  I have now reached 134 total books read, averaging just slightly under my one book per week target for this past year. Nonetheless, only 5 books (including 2 re-reads) achieved my highest rating in 2012, the same number as in 2011. On the opposite end, all 5 Misses were truly bad, all scoring in the RED zone (5 rating or lower).   NOTE: where applicable, I have included existing capsule reviews in previous posts.

Top 5 – Masterpieces (Rating 10/10):

#100   Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov, 1955                          RATING:  10.0

Having viewed the two film adaptations of this controversial novel (my first 100 book milestone!), I was admittedly unprepared for the shock of the first person account of Humbert Humbert’s plot to seduce a 12 year old girl.  But not for the reasons you may think.  It is not pornographic; in fact Nabokov ensures that the most salacious thoughts/acts are masked in artistic prose.  Nonetheless, the novel takes one into the mind of a pedophile, and Humbert almost convinces the reader that his actions are justifiable. ALMOST, but we are not deceived by his erudition, social standing and command of language(s). Absolutely frightening even in light of the proliferation of graphic Criminal Minds/Law & Order SVU TV shows.  The ending is satisfying, but overall it is a sad tale about loss and no one emerges unscathed. Disturbing and complex.  (FULL REVIEW is coming soon)

#99  The Book Thief  - Markus Zusak, 2005                RATING:   10.

This Australian novel was a recent selection by my wife Guylaine for our ‘Four Chicks & a John’ Book Club.  For me it was a re-reading of the novel that I purchased while on work in Sydney in 2008.  The second time around allowed me to focus on the structure and literary techniques utilized to deliver such an emotional wallop by the final pages.  The setting is a common one, Nazi Germany just before the wartime atrocities. What is different is that the Narrator is Death, and the main characters are Germans in a small town, many of whom do not agree with Hitler’s policies.  The title refers to a young orphaned girl and her relationship with her foster parents and neighbors.  Death is portrayed as a sympathetic figure and is touched by the various encounters with Liesel, the Book Thief.  A stranger come to Liesel’s home, and disrupts their lives forever. A MUST READ! (LINK to Book Thief QUOTES)

#98  On the Road - Jack Kerouac, 1957                      RATING:   10.0
This book has been described as life-changing, so I must say I had reservations when I began to read this classic account of the post-war US Beat Generation. Upon finishing it, I now wish I had read this novel as a young man!!  It captures vividly the youthful yearning to move, get on the road and explore the world. Perhaps with all the travel at my age and stage, I am trying to make up for lost time?  This novel is not just a buddy road trip story we see too often depicted in the movies.  In addition to the spirit of experimentation (sex, drugs, & jazz music) that predates the Hippie movement, the novel further explores the nature of friendship, God’s existence, and death.  In the end, it reminds us of the absolute joy of being alive and present in the moment. (LINK to FULL REVIEW)

#116  The Stranger - Albert Camus, 1942                      RATING:   10.0

I must admit that I was apprehensive re-reading this 'strange' French existentialist novel, as I was profoundly affected in a negative manner the first time due to this bleak and depressing tale of an outside who lives on his own terms. That was then. Today more than 20 years later, I see Camus accurately describing today's isolated and disaffected Modern Man. To Camus, who endured atrocities of WWII, life appears absurd and without meaning. In that scenario, anything goes. Who would have guessed that Camus was also describing our current Internet Age? (LINK to FULL REVIEW)

#125  Slaughter-House Five - Kurt Vonnegut, 1974             RATING:   10.0

My first foray into Vonnegut, I must say this unique non-linear book is magical.  Full of whimsy, time travel offsets the horrors of war (bombing of Dresden). With the recurring "So it goes" when bad or strange things happen. And a mysterious title that is strikingly appropriate.  A complex narrative that forced me to re-read the opening chapter immediately after finishing the novel (the beginning starts at the end, got it?).  Believe it or not, this sequence makes perfect sense; an infinite loop, stuck in time like Groundhog Day.  One of a kind writing that benefits from re-reading! 

Next 5 – Near Masterpieces (Rating 9-9.5/10):

#123  Autumn of the Patriarch - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1975       RATING:   9.5

Marquez does it again! Delivers the account of a Caribbean dictator entirely in stream of consciousness!  I mean ENTIRELY as in 255 pages!  A tour-de-force literary flexing of the muscles. Only Marquez would venture into this uncharted territory.  There are no punctuation, few periods, with words running on page after page with no breaks, save six 'chapters'. But what a story!  How often is one given such open access to the mind of a ruthless tyrant who instills terror in order to maintain solitary power? Voyeuristic, audacious and shocking at turns, this is literature at it's finest. Freud would have recognized this man's venal appetites and basic instinct to survive.

#103   A Hero of Our Time – Mihail Lermontov, 1840                RATING:  9.5

What an incredible gem of a discovery!  I had never heard of this Russian author, but a bright green used $2 paperback copy translated by non other than Vladimir Nabokov caught my attention.  What I learned is that ‘A Hero of Our Times’ is considered the first major novel in Russian literature, a chief source for the great masterpieces of later 19th century.  I did see themes & styles that clearly influenced Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Turgenev.  The story seems oddly modern, with the immoral, bored but headstrong “nihilist’ youth struggling to find meaning in life. The title is ironic since Pechorin is an anti-hero who destroys hearts and friendships at will with little remorse. The narrative style and five part structure (non chronological) is highly sophisticated.  Brilliant story-telling with passages and quotes that linger for a long time.  In the Preface, the author warns that the public’s reaction and disbelief to a man being so bad as Pechorin is perhaps “because there is more truth in this character than you would desire there to be?”  Too bad Lermontov lived as passionately as his character; he died in a duel at age of 26 resulting from a trivial quarrel with a fellow officer.

#107  For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway, 1940          RATING:   9.0

I was just about ready to throw in the towel after investing 250 pages in Hemingway's longest major novel, but then all of a sudden, the action and intensity heated up without pause until the final of the next 200 pages!  The setting and theme chosen were grand in scope - the story of a motley crew of of guerrilla freedom fighters defending the Republic from the fascist forces during the Spanish war.  But nothing much happens in the first half of the story.  American Robert Jordan has a mission to blow a crucial bridge in support of the anti-fascists, but all they do is talk, talk, talk about it rather than taking any definitive action.  Hemingway's trademark short, terse prose appears missing in action here, as the dialogue is repetitive and rather boring.  But I realize at the end that it was all by design.  Even in actual warfare there is much time spent waiting, talking and worrying about the next strike and ultimate outcome.  Then the shit hits the fan, all hell breaks loose, and best laid plans run amok. Which is exactly what happens in the final 200 exhilarating pages of this masterful novel.  The ending packs an incredible punch.  

#113  Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1864        RATING:   9.0

What an opening line from one of the first existential voices to be heard; 'I am a sick man....I am a wicked man. An unattractive man. I think my liver hurts."  Such brutal honesty from the Underground Man, the Outsider, the Social misfit.  Disaffected man.  Sound familiar? This writing heralded a new form of Realism, which has become Dostoevsky's signature. We are drawn in to this novella to understand the inner-life of the unnamed narrator. What caused him to become so bitter? As the story unfolds in two distinct sections, we begin to gleam the world around him. A early introduction into the psychological genius of Dostoevsky during the time of imperial Russia.

#96  The Castle – Franz Kafka, 1926                             RATING:  9.0

Kafka’s great last unfinished novel is another staggering and surreal exploration on the themes of alienation, bureaucracy and helplessness.  The main character is simply named K., a land surveyor who attempts to get to the elusive Castle to fulfill his job.  Well, nothing is that obvious in Kafka’s nightmare vision.  The theme of this novel has been widely debated and discussed.  To me, it revisits the searching for God theme and never leads to a definitive answer (perhaps because it is unknowable or perhaps because we are unworthy).  Thought provoking with images that linger.

Top 5 Misses – Big Disappointments (Rating 2-5/10):

#119  Night Circus - Erin Morgenstein, 2011                            RATING:   2.0

An Indigo Bookstore "Heather's Pick," this fantasy novel is dull, dull, dull!  If not a Book-club selection, I would have given up after a few opening chapters. Instead I suffered through the mindless plot about rival Sorcerers Apprentices in a duel to the death. 'Twist' is that boy and girl fall in love and find a way to get around the death sentence. Turns out black magic can come in handy! Really I couldn't make this up if I tried.  What to do when you have zero interest in the plot or characters? Relish reading the major works of a literary master, such as Marquez, which I did.

#108  The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho, 1993                             RATING:   3.5
Since it's initial publication in Portuguese in 1988, the Alchemist has been published in 71 languages in over 160 countries selling 65 million copies. So what is the appeal?   I honestly don't know!!  This book is simplistic and dangerous, in my opinion.  Is it a fable, allegory, self-help book, or comic strip? Each reader will need to decide.  As for me, I really tried to keep an open mind the second time around.  Although I am not as repelled by the ending this time (simple message that your true treasure lies under your feet) I was very tired of the overused mantra, "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it." But what really bothers me is the purely unbelievable passages - the boy outwits desert bandits by metaphysically turning himself into the wind, and carries on deep philosophical talks with the sun.  Really, I couldn't make up this New Age stuff!  I hate to admit it, but this book gets worse as one gains experience and common sense. 

#130 Jonathan Livingstone Seagull - Richard Bach,  1970        RATING:   4.0

Another Re-read best left alone and forgotten.  I didn't quite get the message the first time.  "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, call me an idiot."  What a bunch of New-Age (before the term was popular) dribble! This is equivalent the 'the Little Engine that Could' and that is the problem. Except otherwise reasonable-minded Adults were reading this little book and made it a runaway bestseller. The focus on self-perfection doesn't bother me, but really, the highest order is to appear instantly anywhere in the Universe, because "you have already arrived". Enough said! 

#126 The Public Image - Muriel Spark,  1968                      RATING:   4.5

This novel by the author of 'Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' held a lot of promise. A satire on the celebrity obsessed culture we take for granted as omnipresent. Alas, the plot failed to capture my interest. The characters were self-absorbed, but did not resonate. They appeared cartoon sketches. A disappointment given the fascinating premise. Perhaps that was the problem. High expectations!

#128 Night Flight - Antoine Saint-Exupery,  1931                RATING:   5.0

I was expecting more of 'Petite Prince' magic in the author's early novel, but it turned out to be a realistic depiction of the early days of aviation, when taking a Night Flight to deliver mail was perilous. The thin plot-line just doesn't hold up in today's advanced Space Age. The story seems quaint, a relic to by-gone age.  Not necessarily bad, just not very captivating. Oh, and a death occurs. Surprise!

REVIEW: The Stranger by Albert Camus

Title:          The Stranger                                    

Author:       Albert Camus
Book # :     116                        

Type:          Novel

Genre:        Existentialism                    

Year:          1942

Publisher:    Penguin                     

Country:      French Algeria         

Language:   French                                

Translator:   Stuart Gilbert                    

Media:         Paperback

Pages:        120

Rating:         10 

I must admit that I was apprehensive re-reading this classic of existentialism, as I was profoundly affected (in a depressing manner) when I first read this novel in my 20's. Back then I found the protagonist STRANGE and his world view to be bleak and depressing.      

Perhaps it was the scary absurd notion and central theme of this book that life has no meaning. In a God-less universe, how does one live?  With no rules whatsoever.  Everything is permissible, including killing another human being for no justifiable reason. Blaming it on the sun just doesn't make any sense!

However, even though there are no 'rules' or guiding principles per say, and in such a world any behavior is seemingly allowable, one must be willing to pay the consequences for one's action.  In the 'Stranger,' the price paid is of the worst kind!  I was very very depressed after reading this book.  Existentialism to me did not offer a positive or even viable philosophy!  Nonetheless, I realized this novel was unique, one-of-a-kind, portraying life in a new albeit harsh light. 

This is the primary challenge with the novel.  The principle character Meursault is completely unlikable. He has no purpose in life, drifting from work to play on the beach.  He appears distant and displays very little emotion. In fact, he is on trial for this deficiency.  In the end, he is convicted NOT for killing an Arab repeatedly in cold blood (made famous by the Cure song), but for not crying at his mother's funeral. He is deemed a threat to society and punished accordingly.

That was then.  Today, more than 20 years later, I have a very different perspective. Camus was way ahead of his time.  He is writing about the new Modern Man who has lost his way.  In this era of fierce Individualism and Reality Show freaks, Meursault would hardly register.  He is accurately describing disaffected narcissist nihilistic hedonist Youth in our age of Internet, Twitter and Facebook.  Even though Camus was describing conditions following Nazi Germany's atrocities on humankind and the senselessness of life, today technology has made us all 'comfortably numb.'  Too many headlines abound today of young teenagers perpetrating heinous crimes or murder for no justifiable reason.  For me, it started with 'wilding' murders in New York city in the 80s.  What a shame! 

I understand Meursault much better today than I did more than 20 years ago. He found meaning for his existence in the purely physical world - his love of nature, cigarettes, sex. The sun is seen as a force that causes him great discomfort (mother's funeral,  blinding reflection off knife on the beach) and ultimately leads to his downfall.   I now feel pity towards him rather than revulsion.  A life without purpose is hollow and empty.  Despite all the modern distractions, people are very lonely and screaming for attention and love.   In the words of Socrates many many years ago, "the unexamined life is not worth living."