I'm a Bookworm

image: amazon.ca

I couldn’t stop laughing the entire time I read this book.

The way Stefano Benni writes  is incredibly fun. 14 year old Margherita and her brother, parents and grandfather live in a quiet village and are, though quite eccentric, content and happy. That is, until the Del Bene family moves in next door. The parents, daughter and dog all are wealthy, perfect and a little sinister.

Little by little, the families interact, and Margherita begins to see that the neighbors aren’t exactly what — or who — they say they are. I don’t want to give too much away on this one. I’d just say, read it– you’ll be in stitches!

I definitely want to read more Benni.

–The Reader

Hello fellow bloggers,

I want to ask you for reading recommendations. As you all know, I am interested in books by contemporary authors that deal artfully with modern themes like isolation, consumer culture and the media age.

I’ve discovered a handful of authors that I love, but I want to expand my consciousness. If you stop by my blog, PLEASE feel free to suggest authors or titles you think I might enjoy. I would appreciate it very much!

I look forward to reading your suggestions,
The Reader

[image: twiice.com]

image: digilander.libero.it

I read this book a few years ago, and it definitely deserves a place on this blog. It’s called Jack Frusciante Has Left the Band (in an obvious reference to John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers) and was written by Enrico Brizzi.

The novel examines Alex, an Italian teenager named who feels he is different from his peers, and experiences intense angst during his journey of self discovery. In general, the book  follows Alex in his daily life at school, with friends, and in his free time, recording what he does, where he goes and what he thinks.

In terms of the writing style, I love the way Brizzi gives the novel a definite sense of time and place through his descriptions of exactly what Alex is wearing. Alex is Italian, and dressing is of tantamount importance to Italian men.  In addition, the type of clothes described gives the reader an exact sense of the time period in which the novel was written (the 1990s).

The main theme of Jack Frusciante Has Left the Band is one that is an undercurrent for many of the novels treated in this blog. It’s the boredom with modern existence and the dissatisfaction with a comfortable, middle class, western-style existence. These books make it almost seem as if our current capistalist, democratic lifestyle satisfies  material and physical needs, but leaves spiritual and emotional ones unfulfilled.  Alex understands these principles, and tries to escape the inevitable cycle his parents and elders have experienced through various methods like: making friends that feel the same way,  romantic feelings, art, etc.

Alex and the protagonists inmany other books I’ve read, whether youth, young adults or middle aged professionals, seem to share a feeling of unfulfillment and disengagement with their lifestyle and society. Another thing these characters  have in common is the lack of resolution of this essential dilemma. It might just be the biggest unanswered question of our age.

–The Reader

image: wikipedia.org

This book was an interesting addition to Norwegian Wood, which is the only Murakami book I’d previously read. South of the Border follows Hajime during the course of his life from a 12 year old up to a man in his late 30s. It hilights his various love affairs with Shimamoto (his first crush), Izumi (his first girlfriend, whose heart he breaks), and Yukiko (his wife). His relationships with these three women ebb and flow, and follow him throughout his life.

It’s an interesting read, highly stylised and classy. I found several parallels in this book to Norwegian Wood. These include the middle class, unfulfilled ‘normal guy’ protagonist, the damaged woman he’s in love with, the healthy available woman who he’s comfortable with, but doesn’t want to stay with, and the ambiguous ending as to both the status of his relationships and his happiness.

Although Murakami is widely regarded as one of the best living writers, I don’t feel I relate well with his characters. He definitely captures the complexity of human relationships, and the modern situation of being middle class, comfortable and yet incomplete. However, the protagonists of his books strike me as a little too vacuous and very still. An author like Houellebecq writes about the same themes, but somehow, his isolated characters are engaging. Instead of another traditional novel, I’d be interested to read some of Murakami’s magical realism, like Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

–The Reader