"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides

The central protaganist of the story is Calliope (or 'Cal' as he is later known), who was born a girl but is actually more a guy. This novel is narrated in the first person by him, and details the fascinating and humourous genetic history of the Stephanides family, all three generations of it.

I first saw this book in a bookshop a few minutes before I was due to rush off to watch a movie with friends. Reading the first few had me chuckling, and rather reluctant to leave the book, so the next time I had the chance, I bought the book to read, thinking that I will satisfy my curiousity about the book in the 10-hour to-fro bus ride to KL and back.

I didn't finish it at the bus ride, because I was distracted by clouds, a breathtaking landscape, and most of all, sleep. It took me a couple more readings to finish it, but at the end, I think it's quite a decent book, with its share of humour and sad moments.

Eugenides has a flair for telling a story of such epic proportions (any story that spans several generations in a telling qualifies as 'epic' for me), and I really enjoyed the way he wrote about the fortunes of the Stephanides family, first as an immigrant family in America experiencing all the strangeness of the melting pot culture, then as an all-American family in which the younger generation only knew of their grandparents' beginnings through the eyes of their elders.

Cal's struggles in finding his own sexual identity were quite touching as well. I liked that Eugenides gave play to the fact that Calliope started off wanting to be just any other girl, but finishes off eventually coming to terms with the fact that he is actually more male than female. Of taking time off to find himself, of having the courage, especially, to do so. A coming of age with a twist.

Also interpersed in Cal's flashbacks of his family history are moments of his present life. In his wariness to believe that someone will eventually accept him, and then, when someone really does, I thought it was a very nice ending to a story that starts off because of a deficient gene.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

I've gotten a dig or two by my dear gf who says this looks like chick lit. It does, doesn't it? Such a female friendly cover. I was a little shy about reading it on the train. It wasn't a coincidence that I was carrying notes in my hand as I stood reading in the mrt, conveniently blocking the cover.

I gave a copy of the book to a colleague of mine as well. I told her, via IM, that I read the book and I highly recommended it. Her reply was, "Wait, isn't this chick lit?"

*fumes*

Anyway, I stand by my choice lah. It is a good book, unfortunately Kino stocks Wicked with only this cover version. I came by it because I was curious who this Gregory Maguire guy was, there seemed to be quite a few recommended books by him in Kino, A Lion Among Men amongst the more recent, so I picked up Wicked and had a flip through.

Interesting premise. I was keen to see how Maguire could add a new dimension to a rather one dimensional character, the wicked witch of the west from The Wizard of Oz.

You remember her don't you? Green, ugly, cackled a lot, melted to death?

Well, Wicked is a revisionist story of Elphaba (the witch) - how she grew up, how she studied, how she loved, how she hated, and at the end, how she died. After reading the book, you'll understand how she came to be the witch, but because of the many events leading up to that change, I found myself sympathising with Elphaba, and rather disliking the movie potrayal of her. So, girly cover notwithstanding, I really enjoyed Wicked. 7.5 out of 10.

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

To say I'm a war story fan -- of all genres, running the whole gamut from fiction to non-fiction -- is a bit of an exaggeration, but I've noticed from time to time how much I enjoy stories about a good war being fought and the characters that play a part in it. This is probably one of the ungirly traits a friend recently attributed to me -- my book tastes don't run to chick lit, though I used to read quite a fair bit of romance novels -- but hey, no skin off my back.

I would think the appeal of a story with war as the backdrop lies in its inherently universal themes of struggle, courage, challenge and love. In war, everything whittles down to the bare essentials of survival. War brings out the best and the worst in people. And of course if you buy the classic psychological mumbo-jumbo about cathartic effect and vicarious living, one also likes to read such books because one would rather live it through the safe medium of books rather than be in it.

"The Book Thief" (henceforth shortened to "TBT") is a great book about a German girl's life in WW2 Germany. I wouldn't go into the storyline since I won't be writing too much about it in this review. She steals books from time to time, but I wouldn't exactly label her a book thief. If you like to know more, check out Wikipedia. Or better yet, go read it. It's not a difficult book to read.

By turns humourous and heart wrenching, I really dig the personification of Death and the way he narrated Liesel's story. He narrates from the sidelines because he is never among the living and because it is Death, we are reminded all too often of the story's context -- in between watching Liesel, he collects souls from both sides of the war, a reminder that in death, everyone is equal.

In one of the numerous scenes of death in the book, Death said, "It kills me sometimes, how people die." Words of endless sorrow from the über soul collector, how infinitely sad can that be, because he will quite literally never die.

The denizens of Himmel Street and people of Morching are a colourful cast of characters, if normal folk trying to cope with war's vagaries. Definitely a powerful and touching story, and one of the most memorable I've read for a while.

5 out of 5.

Link to G's review, offering another perspective of the book. Thanks for the recommendation, even if it took me more than half a year to pick it up!

"Dark Moon" by David Gemmell

Dark Moon (henceforth shortened to "DM") is my second book by David Gemmell. I started a few pages of it on the plane on the way to Taipei and finished it on the return leg of the flight from Taipei to Singapore.

Brief plot synopsis: DM is a fantasy story centering around 3 heroes: Tarantino, warrior with 2 souls; Karis, woman general and master strategist; and Duvodas, lyricist with a talent to heal -- and kill -- with his songs. Each have a part to play to save the human race from extinction by the savage Daroth race, a race which Duke Sirona unknowingly releases from the spell they were under for many years.

Were it left to me, I would never have picked up the book, but I did so at sis' urging, and also because I did the unthinkable by not bringing a book with me this time [Sidenote: I usually do, if only because I can only stand so much in-flight entertainment], and sis' book was the only one available. (Why I didn't bring is another story, and this blog is not the place to belabour it). Sensing that she had in me a captive audience (on account of the flight and lack of reading material), she generously allowed me to read the book.

I have to say, and this I say unreservedly, that I was hooked by the story. Gemmell's talent of telling a tale is compelling and he weaves the characters into the plot very well. It is a story of courage, humour and love, of flawed heroes and not so evil villains. In Duvodas' revenge killing of the Davoth's "life nest" (I forgot the exact term) and in his subsequent redemption via the survival of his infant son, one sees hope. In Karis' death (oops, spoiler!) one sees the demise of a good warrior, efficient general and a complex woman who had more good in her than she herself believed.

It is ironically, Tarantino's character that I didn't like the most. From the way the story was written I gather he was meant to be the main protaganist of the story, but I found it a pity that Gemmell did not give more play to his dual personality and the inner conflicts he suffered as a pacifist/ killer. But then again, maybe the storyline wasn't meant to be one in which the spotlight is thrown entirely on him, for DM is a tale of war and struggle, and everyone in the theatre of war is a hero in his own way. Note that you don't have to die to be one though, because for the living, carrying on with life is sometimes the most heroic act of all.

Geek rating: 4 out of 5

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

Fragile Things is a collection of short stories and poetry by Neil Gaiman. The title 'Fragile Things' came about because the author feels that there are many fragile things after all. People break so easily, so do dreams and hearts.

Most of the short stories have an element of the supernatural in them. A lonely boy who runs away befriends a ghost who turns out to be his best companion, the months of the year gather around to tell one another stories, an exclusive epicurean club seeks a rare bird to feast on, you'll wonder what are the limits to Gaiman's imagination.

Reading Fragile Things is like chancing upon an old box in the storeroom, and opening it to find a host of curiosities and wonders. What a book.
9 ninja stars out of 10 .

"The History of Sexuality Vol 3: The Care of the Self" by Michel Foucault

Most people would have come across a mention of Foucault at some point in time, and I guess I'm no different. The first time I encountered this author, it was in a passing remark by my lecturer, who recommended his readings to us. However I never had the "courage" to read his book because I felt that its themes were probably of a depth I was not equal to, to understand.

Recently, on one of my whims, I picked up this book. "Care of Self" is the third volume in Foucault's "Histoire de la sexualité". [Introduction to the book at Wikipedia.org can be found here.]

I finished the book, but I confess that I struggled through many passages of it. Care of Self is basically Foucault's attempt to trace how ancient texts linked sexuality (be it physical, male-male relationships, conjugal relationships) and how it has been linked to the development of one's well-being and the value he sees in himself in the context of society, familial relationships. What comes out from this volume is therefore a thoughtful treatise on how sexuality was perceived through the ages, how it was held as essential in ancient times as a fundamental aspect to one's development of the soul, character and mind.

What makes this an interesting read for me was the fact that during my read, I was conscious at all times of how sexuality was perceived as a critical element in "care of self" vs. the modern and also slightly taboo view of sex, especially set against the modern backdrop of differing religions' view towards the topic. Foucault eventually makes reference to the intermingling of religion and sexuality at the very end, making the point that some ideas that percolated in the ancients' view of sexuality did eventually make its way into modern religion and views.

Also interesting for me is, notwithstanding the intention of the book being an attempt by the author to trace the history of sexuality, I found some ideas pertaining to self-fulfillment and conduct that was definitely worth further thinking about.

I won't say I understood everything, but I'm glad, in coming to the end of the book today, that I finished it!

Geek rating: 4 out of 5

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

I remember what led me to my first Vonnegut book. I was at Kino (bookstore of choice) and was browsing the 'Recommended Titles' section when I saw Armageddon in Retrospect, Vonnegut's posthumous collection of stories. The picture on the back was an old man, a character who lived his life the way he wanted it to be. Someone who cared about the world, yet didn't give a fuck about many other things. That was my interpretation anyway. Take a look at the picture for yourself, then read his wiki page, and marvel at this whimsical man.

Coming back to the book, Cat's Cradle is going to be tough to summarise. I realised that as I was relating the book to my friend, and my convoluted summary did nothing but elicit a puzzled "huh?" from her. The irony is that Cat's Cradle, like all of Vonnegut's works, is written in his trademark crisp & concise style.

So....I'm going to pass on the synopsis of the book for this one. It would take me at least 400 words to get it right, and even then, you might still end up confused. Here's the wiki link instead.
I enjoyed Cat's Cradle immensely, and I'm floored by his crispier than cuttlefish writing and his fun and capricious plot. Good stuff. 8 out of 10 ninja slashes.