Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara

I don't know much about Japanese culture – especially the youth culture – but what I have read in other novels like Murikami and conversations I have had with people who have lived there. None of these prepared me for Snakes and Earrings. This is a novella written by Hitomi Kanehara in 2003 and it won the Akutagawa Prize, the Japanese literary prize, in that year. It was translated by David Karahima a few years ago and has since been made into a movie – I've watched some of it on You Tube.

It is hard to write about this book. As I said I don't know much about the Japanese lifestyle. We all know about geisha and Japanese food, bowing and tea ceremonies. But I think it is a very oppressive culture in many ways. There is an honourable way to act and a facade to put on in most situations. A friend told me that the Japanese don't teach their children history at school. The fact that teenagers rebel in such bizarre ways doesn't surprise me much. I have seen pictures of Japanese kids who dress up as a lifestyle – Barbie Girls and Gothic Lolitas. So, maybe, although this book is fiction it is based in real life. I don't think the sex and violence in this book is gratuitous – I think is is just indicative of a real problem that is happening in this small country which is losing its traditions to drugs, alcohol and violence. Sound familiar?

As for the writing – well, it is immature at times but so what. Maybe it loses something in the translation, as they say. But it definitely paints a picture that will stay with me for a long time. The story hits a chord and packs a punch. There is something special in the way the Hitomi takes the focus off of the alcoholism of the main protagonist until it is almost too late for her. All of the self mutilations, the tattoos and the violent sex are just a diversion from the fact that this little girl's life is falling apart and she has no where to go but into deeper trouble or into death.

This isn't a masterpiece by any sense of the word. This is a book that tells us a story about culture and loss of identity. It makes me want to know more about these characters. It isn't for everyone and most people I know will be put off by the incidentals. I don't mean that as a lessening of the horror of killing and violent sex, but that is not what this story is about. Like I said, it is a deeper portrayal of the huge cracks in a society and how it is the youth of that society that are falling into them.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

I imagine myself being approached in a dark alley by people holding objects. As I get closer to them I ask "What's that?" They hold up the books I have read lately and say "These? These are books." I stare at them and smile just a little. "Those aren't books..." and I pull The Sense of an Ending from my back pocket I sneer - "This is a book!"

Every word, every word, every word makes sense and sings a little tune. This is a wonderful book. I love it. Julian Barnes has written some delightful books but this one is a masterpiece. It's only 150 pages so easily read in one sitting but one needs to take it slow to appreciate every nuance of his writing.

I can't stand it - I have to quote.

"I remember, in no particular order:
- a shiny inner wrist;
- steam rising from a wet sink as a hot frying pan is laughingly tossed into it;
- gouts of sperm circling a plughole, before being sluiced down the full length of a tall house;
- a river rushing nonsensically upstream, its wave and wash lit by half a dozen chasing torchbeams;
- another river, broad and grey, the direction of its flow diguised by a stiff wind exciting the surface;
- bathwater long gone cold behind a locked door.
This last isn't something I actually saw, but what you end up remembering isn't alwasy the same as what you have witnessed."

These are the first lines of this wonderful story. It's about a life, a life of Tony and all the people he knew in his past and present. I said a couple of books back, that there are books in which the plot doesn't matter - it is the words that matter, the elegance of the writing, the honesty of the construction - This is one of those. But, we get to have an engaging story as well. Often I say I wanted more from a short book but this was exactly the right length for this story. Nothing was extraneous, nothing was left out.

The Sense of an Ending is about Tony but its also about memory, recollection and how we treat those memories in our lives. There is poignancy and humour. At one point early in the book, Tony talks about his sexual exploits, or lack of them, in his youth - that there was still a reluctance to 'go all the way' amongst the girls who were experts in 'feelings'. "You may say, But wasn't this the Sixties? Yes, but only for some people, only in certain parts of the country."

Barnes is brilliant and eloquent. I guess you can tell that I loved this book. I want to sleep with it under my pillow for a few more nights even though it is finished. Reading a book like this makes me feel more enlightened and smarter. I guess that is as good an endorsement as any I could give.

Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson

I write this blog for myself, mostly. I know there are a couple of people that read it but mostly it is just a way for me to express myself about the books that I read. This isn't scholarly critique or anything that I would hand in to my university professor. But I truly enjoy writing these entries. I can just let go and say whatever I feel with focus. So, I love this blog whether anyone else reads it or not - this is me.

Now, about Before I Go To Sleep. Well, em, I'll just say up front - it's not my cup of tea, or my bit of chocolate, or my walk in the park. It's a psychological thriller that's really only thrilling at the end. There is a long first part that sets the scene. The poor woman in this story has forgotten her whole life every morning when she wakes up in a strange house, with a strange man next to her in bed. That's enough of a freak out. But soon the reader realizes that there is something else wrong. I'll give SJ some props here - she picked a really difficult premise to set a mystery around because to the protagonist everything is a mystery. She does a pretty good job too. It's just a little to contrived for me.

I would suggest this book for book groups - it would be great to discuss the mechanics of the writing. I have several friends that would really like this book. It's different and interesting. So please, if you liked Room by Emma Donoghue then you will like this book. They are the same speed and have the same feeling. I just prefer something with a bit more guts. Julian Barnes - here I come.

Oh, and you must go to the link I put in for the book - there is a great little promo video.

Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

This is why I like to read the book before I see the movie. Well, I don't really like to see the movie much, after I've read the book because I am more than often disappointed. But, back to the point... I loved this mini-series. It was beautifully filmed, wonderfully cast, the story line moved along at a good pace, and it is a good story. It is a medievil fantasy and for someone who has never read fantasy, I have been doing a good job of reading it this year. Go figure. Anyway, this book is full of adventure, intrigue and treachery. The characters are well rounded and easy to picture and identify with. There are old people and young people, there are good people and evil people. There are bad guys to boo at and one little girl who will steal your heart.

But, as I was saying, I saw the mini series first and it spoiled the book. I struggled through the 750 pages, not because it was bad writing - it is not, it is good writing. I struggled because I knew what was going to happen and the writting isn't the kind that..... let's see how I can put this. There is a kind of book where the story isn't the most important thing. There is a kind of writing that is so lovely that the author could be writing anything and it would enthrall the reader whether they were interested in the story or not. Murakami comes to mind. That guy has written some wild, out there stuff but the emotions he captures in his excellent writting makes every odd story a pleasure to read. Martin doesn't do that. It's good fun to read and it's a compliment when I say that the writing doesn't get in the way of the story, but I won't read it again. And I think the thrill of reading this kind of book is to see what happens to these characters that you have grown fond of over the last few hundred pages.

So as I put down this first in a series of five books (I think) I do want to know what happens to them. I think the mini series was such a success that they will make the next book too. Now, I have a little dilemma. Do I read ANOTHER fantasy book before it comes out on TV or do I just wait and enjoy the show without knowing the story? I'm going to read a couple of real books now and see how I feel later. If the books call to me in a few weeks, well, I have the second book here on the shelf. If I can let it go then I won't worry about it and just watch it on TV. B won't be happy if I don't read them all first, but who said I have to make my friends happy by reading books that they love. Hmm - I do that! I think the books I love will make others happy so what am I saying?

Here's my plan - first: Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, second: The Absolutist by John Boyne, then we'll see. I have some poetry and short stories to read in there too. Can I leave Winterfell, Daenerys and Arya to their own fates, for too much longer, without knowing what happens? I'm not sure.