The Book Recommendation Corner

Okay. Time for another Vernian adventure.

Okay, so this one is a bit of a difficult pill to swallow. Don’t get me wrong, the whole adventure is amazing! And at some points I really had to take a deep breath from how much fun I was having ... But oh my god, Axel, I want to hit him so bad on the nose.

The entire narrative is in the first person, and ... to put it mildly, I’m not that fond of the first person narrator....

For those about to go forth into this book, I want to advise - patience. It’s a very slow read, and I had entire pages full of annotations because of the technical terms (which was fun), but also notes on how much I want to strangle the narrator ... 

But seriously, highly recommended for any true avid reader! This showed me that despite slow-going narratives, the story is very gratifying and lovely.

Tons of natural descriptions, a lot of science-y calculations and terminology, amazing sequences of fauna and flora ... LOVE IT!

And falling in love with an enigmatic Icelandic giant named Hans doesn’t hurt either.

Just take a deep breath and plunge into the centre of the earth (see what I did there? XD)

Stay safe!

Side note:

Before i dive into this delicious recommendation, I just want to apologize for being absent for so long ... Work has been crazy these past few months, and I’ve been reading nonstop (YAY!) ... But now I’m back (with a vengeance ... kidding!) and ready to recommend even more amazing books!

Wow. Just wow. Fascinating from start to finish.

Okay, full disclosure: Before starting to read the book, I have seen the most recent film adaptation by Kenneth Branagh, but ... and I swear this is true, even though it’s silly to my own ears - I can’t remember who the killer is!

So I did read the entire thing.

And oh my freaking goodness.

This is just diving into a whole different realm, back to the past, exploring human psyche, nature and class ... Just lovely!

Full of little French quirks (written by an English lady, so that’s funny), lots of twists and turns ...

I’m not going to embellish. I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone who’s going to embark on this wonderful adventure.

All I can say is, if you’re ever going to start reading Agatha Christie (like I’ve done since I finished this one), this is the perfect starting point to her wonderful world.

Stay safe everyone!

Hey guys. Whew. That was a long wait.

This book is killing me ... Yes, I’m still reading it.

I love it. Don’t get me wrong, but so far Tolkien is testing my patience. His ability to tell stories in overlapping timelines is magnificent, but it’s breaking my brain. Maybe because it’s been a while since I’ve been on a reading marathon and need to get into the groove ...

Anyhoo, let’s sum this up.

I love love love love the following characters: Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Pippin, Merry, Gandalf, Treebeard, Quickbeam and Sam.

Sam most of all.

Frodo is a pain in the butt.

Saruman is Voldemort. I can’t sum it up any better.

And Gollum (I refuse to call him by his given name) can go rot in Dol Guldur. UGH.

Also, I’m pretty sure Tolkien just opened a botany dictionary at some point and just inserted random names into the story ...

Overall, it’s worth a read to get into the groove of the whole trilogy (it’s much more action-packed than I thought it would, and the poetry is relatively brief), also it has some moments that had me go ... whoa! I can relate! And some weird instances where I wanted to fling the book across the room in frustration because ... GAAAAAAH.

Now let me tell you why I’m glad I actually took the time to read this one.

I know, I”m rambling.

Okay, so I live in Israel, and know Hebrew. When I was 12 I was dragged to see the movie without having any idea of what was going on ... I had nightmares about Gollum and couldn’t stand it ... I then tried to read the book in Hebrew (still, The Two Towers without knowing The Fellowship of the Ring existed, smart, right?)  because my English wasn’t very good back at the time and I fell asleep during Treebeard’s poetry. 

I literally fell asleep on the book. In the school library.

So this book is a redemption for me.

I’m really happy I got it and decided to push through and read it.

Highly recommended for those who are still on the fence about this one. Go forth and read!

Stay safe everyone!

Kids: wait, why are you reading on the train? Won't you get bored? Why not watch a video on the computer or your phone or iPad? I would die of boredom if I had to read.

Also them: wait. You read for fun? That's impossible. You only read a book when it's for school.

....

Keep in mind those kids are in the seventh grade.

Alright. So I can’t believe it took me this long to actually sit down and read this masterpiece. But I’m kind of glad I read it in this era ... in a minute I’ll explain why.

Okay, so basically everyone with a pulse and a brain and a functioning education knows the story of Around the World in Eighty Days, a stuck-up Enlgishman named Phileas Fogg and his funny French servant Passepartout travel around the world in eighty days on some weird ass bet, they are followed by a detective, rescue a pretty Indian woman from death, and traverse the world.

What you don’t know is that it is seriously detailed, to the point where you’re like, wait, did Jules Verne actually do the trip on his own? Because the levels of details cannot be otherwise known.... but nope, the guy just sat in a dingy flat in France and did a LOT of research to make this story so believable.

SIde note. As they go through the US they go through Great Salt Lake and meet Mormons .... now I saw Book of Mormon back in 2018 and all I can think about is that damn hilarious musical while they were there ... it was so funny!

Also, Verne’s choices of names for various characters Fogg and Passepartout meet along the way are hilarious - a bayliff named Mr. Oysterpuf and a cute elephant named Kiouni. I mean, that is just the most precious thing in the world.

Word of caution about the writing style - at the beginning Verne gives very length explanations to set the scene and sometimes jumps between time-points in the plot, so read carefully and don’t be alarmed. As you move on, it becomes much more fluid and you actually feel like you’re reading an adventure book from this era (when it was originally written in the 19th century, WHAT?!)

To put it mildly, everyone needs to read this book. Forget the movie adaptations. Nothing beats Jules’s description of the characters, the scenery, the machinery, the culture ... I just love him.

And if you find anything offensive in there ... “[they] were copiously served in Lilluptian dishes by negroes of darkest hue.’ .... Remember that that was the 19th century, and to Verne negroes were basically a foreign concept (I think ...) and racism was the norm, unfortunately. But rather take to heart that he used a Gulliver reference <3

Kay? So read this. You won’t regret it.

As always, be safe, keep reading, and don’t forget that books wlil always be there for you #keeponreading

Again, the next rec will take some time .... it’s a big one and I’m in a difficult week at work, so apologies ahead of time.

Holy Bilbo Baggins!

Sorry, I just didn’t think “wow” was sufficient to descrsibe my feelings on reading this. I just can’t put it down!

Okay, so I have seen the movies (all three) several times. When I was 13 I tried reading the second one (that was the only one available at the school library), and I actually fell asleep. Granted, it was in Hebrew and that language is just so fanciful that it made my head hurt, but still ... since then, I’ve given up the endeavor of ever trying my hand at it.

But then I went through college, and saw the hype surrounding Tolkien... and I tried again, but it was too lengthy ... so I gave it up .... and then I gave it one more shot.

Now.

Oh my goodness gracious, why did I not read it before the movies?! Again, my intro was Two Towers rather than Fellowship at the beginning ....

The Sunday Times wrote: “The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and those who are going to read them.”

Truer words cannot be spoken.

To those out there who are still on the fence about trying your hand at such an epic adventure from one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century, DO IT!

The movies have dropped out such adorable and important charracters and moments ... I just can’t get enough of Tom Bombadil! Just ... read it, please!

And even though I knew what was about to happen because of the movies, I was still hooked and rooted to my seat, anxious to see what was going to happen next.

Tolkien was a genius, and everyone in the world should give him a try. Even if  it’s a third or fourth try.

Because let’s be honest here, he is a lengthy writer. He spends pages upon pages describing a scene or a thing or an event that can be surmised in about half or more of what he wrote. But it’s so good! I’ve devoured it in a week!

#KeepOnReading

Okay, so this was a whirlwind. I think I might need a few days to recover from the genius of it.

This is such a classic.

I’ve been wanting to read this for a while, but haven’t had the time or found it in my local boostores... I’m only familiar with the animated short by Walt Disney - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad .... not a good intro into this lovely world created by Grahame.

To those unfamiliar with this literary gem, here is a little taster:

It’s a lovely fantastical story about a group of animals living on the riverbank of an English countryside - mainly, a Mole, Water Rat, Badger, Otter and a maniacal yet loveable Toad. It tells their adventures and deals with the human invasion of Nature, and includes wild adventures involving carts, motor cars, Weasels, and a washerwoman.

As a literary scholar (not really, I have a BA in English Literature and Linguistics), this was a bit of a challenge. As opposed to James Joyce who needs a refresher course in punctuation, someone had to tell Grahame that too many commas confuse the hell out of the average reader and make it impossible to understand some sentences.

The imagery makes everything come to life, the Animals’ personalities are just too cute to describe (I’m trying not to have any favorites, but, come on...) and the interactions are just hilarious ... how come Toad doesn’t learn from his mistakes?!

If you have any comments, notes, or favorites in this adorable little tale, I’d be happy to read them in the comments!

Welcome to my little slice of heaven.

Books and reading are my life. If I don’t have a book on me, something is definitely wrong. 

I’m a school librarian at the end of my studies, and with a little time freed up, I’ve decided to give back to the community by writing recommendations to every book I finish.

If you have any book recommendations of your own, I’d love to read them in the comments and take them into consideration - just beware that my current ambitious list contains over 400 titles ... YIKES!