*100** let's talk books!

I love reading.  LOVE.

When I was young my mum used to tell me off because I read 'too much' and I had to go off to do... 'something else'.  That was her suggestion: stop reading and go do something else.

Helpful, right?... And totally hilarious now that she says the same thing to my kids replacing books with phone.  You're on the phone too much, go and do something else.

History always repeats itself.

(Also my mother has a smart phone, an Instagram account and must have been the 4th person in the world to join Facebook.  Just saying...  

 

The last book I finished was this one:

It was a birthday present and I wasn't sure about it at first.  The writer 'Sasa Stanisic', was born in Visegrad (Bosnia) just like the narrator, and just like the narrator moved to Germany as a teenager refugee during the war.  I don't know how much of the book is autobiographical... I haven't been able to find out.

The story is not linear at all and it took me awhile to piece together the characters and who was who and when the action was happening etc.  I struggled at first, but I was compelled to carry on by the quirky language and in the end I loved it.  Maybe things clicked in my head and I 'got it'... I don't know but I'm so glad I persevered.

The story is loosely based around the time of the  Bosnian war, the narrator is a boy who talks about his family scattered by the war and his town destroyed by it.  Atrocities are mentioned almost in passing so much so that at times I had to go back and make sure that I'd read it correctly.

It's different, the style, the language... all of it.  Different.  I'm glad I was given it.  Worth a try if you fancy something different.

 

Next up (who am I kidding I'm already 50 pages into it is this...

... and love it... let's face it... Bruce is a legend, right?

 

What are you reading at the moment?

Comments

[CJ]

I'm laughing about your comment about your mum. Love reading here too, we all do. There are never quite enough hours available for it though are there. CJ xx

[outi]

I have enjoyed your blog for years for the books, knitting, crocheting and quilting!
Here are a few of my favorite reads this year:The Tiger's wife by Tea Obreht
Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She is Sorry
by F.Backman, Truly, Madly, Guilty by Lianne Moriarty.
Thanks for your blog,

Outi

[Deb]

Like outi, I really enjoy reading your blog. You always have something interesting to say/show to us. My reading this year has been a bit stifled by other things but these are the books I've read so far: Amnesia - Peter Carey, Sweet Boy Dear Wife - Heather Rossiter, Creative Lives (personal papers of Australian writers & artists) - Penelope Hanley, The Monogram Murders & Closed Casket - Sophie Hannah, Burial Rites - Hannah Kent. The pile of books waiting to be read is a longer list and threatens to topple over if I don't get started on it soon. Do you have a special reading spot? I used to like reading in bed. Age seems to have dictated that if I'm in my bed I must sleep. So, after reading lots of first chapters repeatedly, I have decided the armchair with a good window view is much better. Hope you have a lovely day.