Slaughterhouse 5, book review. (Kurt Voonegut)

Hmm!
If you're looking for a war novel where a time traveling optometrist is abducted by aliens for their zoo, then I might have found just the book for you!
Set in the 1940s, 50s, 60s . . . you get the idea, the story of Billy Pilgrim going from 1940s war torn Europe - Dresden to be precise - where he is a complete idiot and totally out of his depth (he doesn't even have shoes or a gun), to being a successful optometrist and fairly wealthy - assisted by his father-in-law along the way - interspliced with a trip to Tralfamadore as a zoo specimen, could be considered interesting but in reality it's just plain weird.
Billy Pilgrim has had his share of good luck in life like, when he was in the thick of the allied firebombing of Dresden during World War II and survived (the estimates on how many died there varies but at least 25ooo perished, which puts some perspective on things), and he's had some bad luck, too; he actually knows exactly when and where he is going to die and can't do anything about it so, happily (maybe reluctantly would be a better word), he plods on.
I found very little 'anti-war' about this book (I say that because I've seen it referred to as an anti-war novel several times), but appreciate that when it was written it could well have come across that way.

This is a short book so there's not a lot of depth to any of it but with the author actually having been in the war, in Dresden, that part, along with when he visits an old war buddy, feels realistic but, when he's kidnapped and taken to Tralfamadore along with Montana Wildhack - so they can procreate in a Zoo there - I couldn't help but wonder if the author had run out of things to say, didn't want to go into the war in any more detail (for personal reasons maybe), or just couldn't be bothered, so made up the Tralfamadore bits.

If he'd left out the Sci-fi part and concentrated more on Billy Pilgrim's life, before, during and after the war, the novel would have been better in my opinion, even if his pre and post war life was mundane.

Parts of this book are narrated, too, which is confusing and might catch you out at first, and added to the fact that Billy Pilgrim's life isn't interesting, the alien abduction childish and weird, the timeline hopping around, which baffled me to the point where I had to go back and retrace my steps a few times, I started wondering whether to just give up and read something else.

Maybe it's because I go in cold on books, doing little to no research before I dive in, so don't know what to expect or maybe it's because this book is boring but, to summarise, if you like your books quirky and slightly baffling then this will certainly please but for me it just didn't work.

Two stars for, Slaughterhouse Five then and another American classic I'll have to add to my, 'Why don't I get on with American Literature,' pile! 😔

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The Kite Runner, book review. (Khaled Hosseini)

This is a first time read for me and I am well aware of how much has been said and written about this book over the years (over eighty-two and a half thousand reviews on Goodreads alone when I last looked), so I will do my utmost not to replicate and bore you with the same, and so . . . shocking as it might sound, I liked this book but preferred both, A Thousand Splendid Suns (blog post 22/09/19) and, And the Mountains Echoed, which in a way is a good thing.
Too many times have debut novels defined an author, outshining what followed, an extreme example of this being Harper Lee and her own belief that she could, or would, never be able to better her sublime, To Kill a Mocking Bird and so, wrote nothing else until very late in life, which I think was a real shame.
So, the huge hit that was The Kite Runner, has not, in my opinion defined the author, but it is a most excellent beginning to his trilogy of books based in and around Afghanistan and the troubles it and its people have gone through over the last fifty years or so. It is a book about fierce loyalty and friendship, jealousy, envy, fear, hope, death and possible redemption, and is a book about people.
There isn't a single character in this book that steals the limelight, in my opinion, all it seems are equal, be it our main character Amir and his best friend and fellow kite runner, Hassan, Amir's father, Baba or his best friend, Rahim Khan, Amir's wife, Soraya, Hassan's father Ali, even Hassan's mother seems to have influence over the narrative beyond the few pages on which she is mentioned which I liked, and the ability of the author to create a cast that occupy the same time and space but with such opposing storylines but all on equal footing, I thought was clever, whether intended or not.
This book is also about hypocrisy; secrets and lies.
Some big, some small, but, as usual I suppose, it is the big ones that shape the story and those in it, following them to the next village, town, country or halfway around the world, and those secrets have consequences, consequences that again, shape the people they impact, giving peace to some, death, family, hope and a future unimaginable to others.
Hosseini's writing is brilliant throughout and has a way about it that elicits multiple emotions, sometimes even on a single page, and I praise him highly for that - the chapters that deal with the 'changing of the guard' shall we say, when Baba's influence and power is no more and he and Amir have to make for Pakistan, had my heart in my mouth, whereas the chapter where Hassan takes a beating and more, and Amir is too scared, to cowardly to intervene, (which comes back to haunt him, of course), made me both angry and sad and then there's the euphoria that Hassan and Amir feel when flying their kite and running it down, which I wish could be bottled.

Well, I'm glad that I've now read all this author's books, albeit out of sequence and can highly recommend them - as long as you are aware that they are gritty and don't pull any punches - and eagerly await whatever he comes up with next.
Four stars then and well worth investing your time.

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Mad Mike's writing blog, book of the year 2021

Welcome again dear friends, book bloggers and avid readers alike, to my annual book of the year post. As usual, this post is not about books written or published this year, it's about books I have read this year, and with this being the year of the re-read, there might be some old favourites, too. I won't bore you with a big long list of all my reads from 2021, for that you can check out my historic posts or look at Amazon/Goodreads for my reviews; so without further ado:-

Kicking things off at number five with a punch in the face is, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. This is not a short book but it's a page turner, feeding you just enough information to keep you guessing and speeding through, and I liked the characters - although there did seem to be a rather high proportion of weirdo's to non mentally challenged people in this book - and when it gets violent it gets seriously X rated violent, so it's definitely not a book for the faint hearted. Highly recommended though, for it has depth and intrigue and to all those who like books with grit, mystery, multiple characters and with a good dose of back-story, you'll love it. (Full review shortly).

My number four is Clive Barker's sublime, Weaveworld. (07/04/2021 post) "Barker's writing throughout is a triumph, from character believability to the mystical worlds he creates, and although slightly dated in some aspects, the book is simply superb. There is horror and destruction, death and pain but there is love and hope, too and in the cold snow blanketed hills and vales at the end, when good faces evil, you get the feeling that only a truly excellent book can give . . . the feeling that you just don't want it to end," I said back in April. Its been near thirty years since I first read this book and I've fallen in love with it all over again. Pure escapism and highly recommended.

In bronze position then, is the third instalment of one of my all time favourite authors, Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. (04/02/2021 post) 'The Prisoner of Heaven is written in the same beautifully menacing but somehow witty prose that led me to attributing the first two books in this series with top honours and possesses the same, must-keep-reading-whatever-the-time-is-because-I-just-can't-put-it-down, style that will have readers up well into night, early in the morning and late for their Zoom meetings. A fantastic read then,' I told you all back in February and I suspect it always will be.

So, the runner up spot goes to the all-time classic and must read, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. (27/o6/2021 post) “Opening with one of the most famous lines in literary history, Du Maurier writes with such skill and passion throughout that even when we encounter the mundane, those elements of daily life . .  you are still enveloped in the scene . . . and it is this skill, along with her amazing ability to create tension out of nothing, like the change in the weather, a thunderstorm with no rain, Maxim de Winter confessing his crime two thirds of the way through the book but leaving Rebecca's secret, the fate of Maxim and Manderley to the end, that elevates the author and this novel to one of the best I have read,” I said at the time, and I stick by that now more than ever.

And the winner, my book of the year 2021 is the epic (albeit short), All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. (13/11/2021) "If you have no interest in history, war, death et al, I won't hold it against you, but put those prejudices aside and buy, download and read this book because no other fictional book I've read has ever taken me closer to understanding just a smidgen of what people went through when they fought during World War I," I said back in November and I felt so passionate about this book then, and still do now, that I believed it should be part of our school curriculum (if it's not already), so that every child in this country can learn what not to repeat in the future.

Don't forget to search my blog for your favourite authors and books and if I haven't read them, message me with your recommendations.

Stay safe everyone, get your jabs and we'll do it all again in 2022. Happy New Year to you all.

All Quiet on the Western Front, book review. (Erich Maria Remarque)

Well . . . What can I say?

Some of you will already know that I like history, mainly around the World Wars admittedly but not exclusively, and so, over the years I have read numerous books about the mechanisation of war in Europe and around the globe and the pain and suffering it brings, both immediate and long term, but never has a fictional book bought me so close to tears as this one.

The writing here is simply off the chart, placing you in the middle of the rat infected trenches, no-man's land, lying in a crater next to the parts of your friends that have just landed next to you because they weren't quick enough or didn't hear the shell falling and you did, and it is as close to any factual book I have read on the subject at describing the true horror, the camaraderie, elation, yes, elation, fear, loneliness and both physical and emotional torment that the men in this war (and women), endured.

I first heard of this book many years ago, and let's be honest, lots of you would have heard the phrase, 'All Quiet on the Western Front' but only when I chanced across this copy in David's of Letchworth Garden City, did I acquire it, and that's a shame really because I should have read this book before now and so should you; all of you.

If you have no interest in history, war, death et al, I won't hold it against you, but put those prejudices aside and buy, download and read this book because then, like me, and particularly at this time of year in England, no other book I've read will take you closer to understanding just a smidgen of what people went through when they fought for freedom during World War I.

I feel so passionate about this book right now - I finished it about two weeks ago but got Goosebumps again as I wrote this post - that I believe All Quiet on the Western Front should be part of our school curriculum (if it's not already), so all children can learn what not to repeat in the future.

There's also a very modern message within the horrors of this book, the message of mental health; how we can't hope to understand what stabbing a man with a bayonet and then listening and watching him for hours as he gradually succumbs, can do to ones mind, let alone the hunger, the cold, the lice, being shelled for days at a time, but that we can have a steadfast resolve to try, and then do our utmost to listen and help.

Star rating for a book like this? I'll leave that up to you to decide if you read it.

_{Don't forget to search my blog for your favourite authors and books and if I haven't read them, message me with your recommendations.}

A Thousand Splendid Suns, book review. (Khaled Hosseini)

I've heard much about this author, how authentic his books are, compelling even - on the cover of this very book is a quote from, Isabel Allende, which simply reads, Unforgettable - and even for someone like me, who has a shockingly bad memory, I have to agree.

Unforgettable.

I know little about Afghanistan's history but by reading his book I feel my eyes have been opened. Yes, I knew the Russians invaded and of course I've heard of the Mujahideen and the Taliban, who dispersed so many civilians during their occupation, but through this work of fiction, through the eyes of this incredible author, I feel I've grasped a little of what it must have been like for those who lived and died, endured lose and torture during those dreadfully long years.

The book centres around two young women from very different backgrounds who both find themselves married to the tyrant, Rasheed, who beats then, chastises them and favours his second child over his first, simply because he is a boy!

And the two women, Mariam and Laila, not only do they have to endure the beatings and his mood swings but also his unwanted sexual advances, but over time (Mariam is unable to bear children, having had many miscarriages over the years, whilst Laila gives birth and raises her daughter in their shared house) and with the common goal of protecting themselves from their husband, an alliance is formed; an uneasy one at first, but their love for the child and each other soon grows.

With the Russians gone there is celebration, but it is short-lived. The war might be over but the spoils are not so easily split and so, the Mujahideen fight amongst themselves and with shells raining down and bullets flying, Kabul is once again under siege.

Women can no longer learn, be seen, having to hide beneath full-face burkas, and are assaulted if caught without male chaperones. As time passes, the Taliban's grip on the country tightens and Rasheed's frustrations grow, until the women are forced to take drastic action!

To be able to weave the delicacies of love and passion, for life and one another, for the children they have borne or grown to love, into a story of such depravity and desolation, of loss and grief, is a true testament to this author's writing, and so I don't hesitate to recommend this book to all and can with hand on heart say that it is one of the best I have read so far this year.

Four big fat lovely gold stars for, A Thousand Splendid Suns then. Enjoy.

Finest Years, Churchill as Warlord. (Max Hastings)

Well this was an interesting read. 

Not fast paced but interesting all the same. 

For example, who knew just how many mistakes one of the most famous men in history made, during his tenure as PM throughout World War II? 

Who knew how little the Americans were prepared to assist Britain, during our darkest hour?

Who knew how bad our armed forces performed through much of the conflict, compared to their Russian and German counterparts?

Winston Churchill, as we all know, was an exceptional orator, and from the moment he took his place at the PM's table, he inspired a nation with his speeches, some of which are as famous today as they were 70 years ago.

What he wasn't, was a military tactician. It didn't help that he had an army from the dark ages, using tactics from a different age. We shouldn't forget that the French army, (the largest in the world at the time), offered little resistance to Hitler's Wehrmacht during the battle for France, either.

The biggest shock for me though, was just how unhelpful and capitalistic America was when their supposed ally was in dire straits. How Churchill kept his head and continued to chip away at the then President and not just throw his toys out of the pram, underlines just what a great leader he was. 

How he kept his temper when our once enemy, turned ally, Stalin, started dictating the pace through 1944-45 and the Americans jump to his tune, is again, a mark of the man. A lesser man would have had a spat with the President, kicked off at the Russian, and who knows where that would have left Britain. 

Talking of capitalism, America had no intention of entering a war to assist an ally, (Britain and France declared war on Germany remember, when they invaded Poland [our ally] along with Russia, not for money, or profit, but because it was the right thing to do. America on the other hand, only entered the war when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, and even then they continued with their lend lease agreement, which virtually bankrupted Britain by the wars end to the tune of £3 billion.  

A great ally then!

As usual, Max Hastings has done his research impeccably here, we have Russian diplomats with their opinions of Churchill, (not often favourable) Americans profiteering to the detriment of their ally, Churchill's highs and his many lows, his good side and his bad, but overall, this book gives the reader an in depth and probably as truthful a picture of the great man himself, Winston Churchill, as you are ever likely to read.

Four stars for this one then - it needed more pace to get five - but that is not a slur on the author, he did everything he could with the historical facts.

A fantastic 'Catastrophe'. Max Hastings does it again.

Well, Max Hastings' latest book Catastrophe, makes for horrific reading.

He takes the reader through the years that lead up to the 'Great War' as it was called at the time, and how just a few people in power, made the decisions that would end the lives of millions. 

The book looks at both the eastern front as well as the western conflict, it charts the inadequacies of the leading generals and how their incompetence lead to such devastation over the first few months of the conflict. On one day alone, 27,000 French men died, 27,000! This tally doesn't include the injured or the German, British, Russian, Austrian, Hungarian or any of the other nations that were fighting that day, just the French. 

The book finishes at the end of 1914, so if as a reader you want to know what happened throughout the war, you will need further reading, but if like me, you just want to find out how it all went so disastrously wrong, this is up to Max Hastings' normal high standard, and you won't be disappointed. 

A solid four stars.
Inspiration for the day goes to all those thousands of men and women who helped the wounded, lonely and bereaved during and after this dreadful catastrophe.