Book Review

Review – Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

~ Hanna ~ 11 Comments

Hi,

I’ve been circling around this book for a while and when I was confronted with a three-hour train ride, I decided on buying it. Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres is what people will read if they only get to watch youtube clips of her show because it isn’t broadcast in their country.

Seriously
Image provided by Grand Central Publishing¹
Summary quoted from Grand Central Publishing¹:

I’ve experienced a lot the last few years and I have a lot to share. So I hope that you’ll take a moment to sit back, relax and enjoy the words I’ve put together for you in this book. I think you’ll find I’ve left no stone unturned, no door unopened, no window unbroken, no rug unvacuumed, no ivories untickled. What I’m saying is, let us begin, shall we?

My Thoughts:

In Seriously… I’m Kidding, Ellen takes us on a journey through her world in the spotlight and her innermost weird thoughts. She describes situations that are too strange to be true and more than once makes us laugh out very (!) loud. So be careful if you are in public. Let’s just hope you don’t read on an e-reader or listen to the audiobook. 😉 People can’t see what you’re reading, you know.

Unfortunately, there are chapters in this book that are less fun and, to be honest, quite boring. I had the feeling that those chapters were just there to fill up the pages. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather read a book that’s short and fun than long and boring.

As you can see, I have mixed feelings about Seriously… I’m Kidding. But as this book isn’t a novel, you could just skip the boring chapters as soon as you notice they get boring. I did read them all though. I’d say Seriously… I’m Kidding is a book for the quick laugh on a train, in the bathroom, or waiting for your doctor’s appointment. It’ll be like Ellen is right there with you, if you want to listen to her stories, or not.

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¹https://www.hachettebookgroup.biz/titles/ellen-degeneres/seriouslyim-kidding/9781455547784/

Review – The First True Lie by Marina Mander

~ Hanna ~ Leave a comment

Hello,

It’s the weekend again and I hope you’re enjoying it! In January, I got to read a shocking novel by Italian writer Marina Mander called The First True Lie (Italian title: La Prima Vera Bugia). It will be released in five days, on February 6, 2014. Canongate provided me with an ARC.

The First True Lie
Image provided by Canongate¹
Summary quoted from Canongate¹:

‘They always tell you that you shouldn’t tell lies, but without lies I’d already be in an orphanage.
This, in any case, is my first true lie’
Luca and his mum are like two peas in a pod in their special, fragile world.
Then, one winter morning his mother doesn’t wake up. Luca suddenly finds himself alone for the first time. Terrified of what telling the truth might bring, he decides to keep the biggest secret of his life. Luca goes along to school every day, pretending everything is as it always has been. But he returns home every night to a cold, dark house. So he begins to build a protective bubble with the memories of his mother, the words and stories he so loves – and his cat Blue – against the truth on the other side of the bedroom door.

My Thoughts:

The First True Lie leads us into Luca’s world which, from the start of the novel, mainly consists of the apartment he lives in. Marina Mander created a dull place for Luca’s story to take place. You have the feeling that as days go by, the walls are closing in on the little boy and his cat, the air becomes thicker, the light fades. The author skilfully sets the scene for this horrific plot.

Luca is the main character of The First True Lie. The novel is written from the little boy’s perspective and this is where its weakness lies. It’s written in an interior monologue and Luca’s thoughts often sound too grown-up to be a child’s. While the interplay of feelings like fear, stubbornness, strength and resignation is what makes Luca believable and lovable, certain thoughts leave the reader puzzled.

The First True Lie is a dramatic novel. It’s like a spiral that goes down. The plot is actually quite simple, but the book as a whole has maximum effect. Even though I had some credibility issues with Luca’s character, this haunting novel works out. The First True Lie left me shocked and thinking.

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¹http://www.canongate.tv/the-first-true-lie.html

Review – The Golem And The Jinni by Helene Wecker

~ Hanna ~ Leave a comment

Happy Friday everyone,

I’ve recently finished a wonderful book, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. I heard about it a few months ago and thought that I might read it some time and as soon as I started reading, I regretted that I didn’t pick it up earlier ;). Warning: This isn’t just a novel with magical elements in it, it’s a great take on late 19th century immigration to the U.S.!

The Golem and the Jinni
image provided by HarperCollins¹
Summary provided by HarperCollins¹:

Helene Wecker’s dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.

Struggling to make their way in this strange new place, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their neighbors while masking their true natures. Surrounding them is a community of immigrants: the coffeehouse owner Maryam Faddoul, a pillar of wisdom and support for her Syrian neighbors; the solitary ice cream maker Saleh, a damaged man cursed by tragedy; the kind and caring Rabbi Meyer and his beleaguered nephew, Michael, whose Sheltering House receives newly arrived Jewish men; the adventurous young socialite Sophia Winston; and the enigmatic Joseph Schall, a dangerous man driven by ferocious ambition and esoteric wisdom.

Meeting by chance, the two creatures become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

My Thoughts:

Helene Wecker’s novel about two unusual immigrants is mainly set in New York City around 1900 and she takes you right there. In The Golem and the Jinni, you’ll visit cramped, stuffy tenements as well as stately, airy mansions. You will explore a city that you’ve probably never seen before. Ms. Wecker has a gift for setting. I only wished there would have been a map somewhere in the book to place all the streets and to get a feeling for the distances the characters traveled.

The novel follows the two main characters, a female golem and a male jinni, on their search for freedom and happiness. Chava, the golem, is new to life. She learns fast and adapts to the Jewish immigrant society quickly. Her greatest fear is to hurt someone and so Chava stays wary. Ahmad, the jinni, was free to do whatever he wanted and now he is trapped in human form. His self-conscious and impatient character makes him roam New York City night after night. While Chava wants to be like anyone else, Ahmad only wants to be free again to return home to Syria.

In my opinion, these two main characters are the archetypal immigrants. They are very different from the rest of the people already living in the U.S.. Chava comes to stay and to make a living. She wants to fit in and still has to learn everything to survive. Ahmad is in the U.S. with the goal to return to Syria as soon as he is free again. He resembles those immigrants who came to America to work and make money just to return home again, although lots of them stayed in the end.

As you can see, The Golem and the Jinni is a novel about immigration and different cultures in New York City around 1900, but this book has even more to offer. It is a book about friendship and trust and it’s a riveting read.

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¹http://harpercollins.com/books/Golem-Jinni-Helene-Wecker/?isbn=9780062110831