Books Purchased:
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Kitchen Essays by Agnes Jekyll
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker
Books Read:
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
Indigo’s Star by Hilary McKay
McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy
Previously reviewed: Shades of Grey, Wishful Drinking, The Left Hand of Darkness, McCarthy’s Bar
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers: This novel was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and was reviewed very well, so when I saw it in a bargain books section for $5 I couldn’t leave it there. It’s an unique book, it’s written from the perspective of a young Chinese woman who moves to England to attend school to learn English. She doesn’t know a lot of English when she arrives (the beginning of the novel) and so her writing voice is in choppy, ‘beginner’ English. As her English improves, the writing throughout the book gets cleaner, with a lovely simplicity. She writes about the discoveries she makes about the language, and what things confuse her. It’s a really interesting look into what it’s like to learn a new language by leaving your comfort zone and immersing yourself in it, along with the loneliness and struggles that come from being on your own in a foreign country. As the title suggests, the book is centered around a romance with an English man she meets shortly after moving to London.
44 Scotland Street: This is my first Alexander McCall Smith book, and I liked it. It was originally serialized in a newspaper, so the chapters are very short. It switches perspectives from character to character and back again, and that made for a very quick, fun read. I have the second book in this series out from the library right now, Espresso Tales. It’s still a bit shocking to me how much/fast Alexander McCall Smith writes, and the number of different series he has going right now.
Indigo’s Star: After loving the first Casson family book, Saffy’s Angel, I had to get the second book and continue reading about these great characters. Indigo’s Star was just as enjoyable, and now I’m reading the third, Permanent Rose.
Interesting lists! I thought you had already read ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘The Help’ – haven’t you?
I read an interview by Alexander McCall Smith recently, in which he said that he writes four books every year! Four books!! He must be quite a writer. But his books are fun to read.
Great book piles! I need to read Shades of Grey :D I think I´ll give up on McCall Smith, maybe his writing is just not for me :(