Sunday Links

Check out The Top Ten, a site where famous authors list their favourite books. My favourite entry so far on this site is David Mitchell's top ten list, quickly jotting down a list as "first instincts can be 'truer' than lengthy deliberation":

1. The Duel by Anton Chekhov (1891). David wrote: a novella, I know, but I would save it from a burning house before everything else I've ever read.

2. 1984 by George Orwell (1948).

3. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899).

4. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (1811).

5. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1966).

6. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (1930).

7. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (1749).

8. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges (1964).

9. W, or The Memory of Childhood by Georges Perec (1975).

10. The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki (1943–48).

Wild Card: Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1926).


My top ten? It's on the right. Instead, here's a list of books I am most looking forward to reading:

1. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

2. Ulysses by James Joyce

3. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

4. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

5. Chronicles, Vol. 1 by Bob Dylan

6. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

7. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

8. Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

9. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

10. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

2 Links About Cloud Atlas

Here are two links about Cloud Atlas, one for the book and one for the movie. Can't wait to see this one!

The Book

The Movie

More Cloud Atlas

Magnificent Octopus is getting into the frenzy, by posting this about the upcoming Cloud Atlas movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MrotEnTUt0&feature=player_embedded
Read the whole blog post here.

Getting excited about... Cloud Atlas

If you haven't heard already, David Mitchell's awesome novel Cloud Atlas is coming to the big screen. They have released a trailer that must been seen:

We are all very excited, as you can tell. For another excited review, check out Book Riot here. 

The Best Blog Title Ever

Aside from mine, of course. But seriously, it doesn't matter how good this blog is, I will still laugh every time I read it. And isn't that what blogs are for? Entertainment?

Hungry Like the Woolf 

As a bonus, the blog is good. It is smart and thorough, and features great books and authors, such as David Mitchell and Colm Toibin.   Check it out! And don't forget to be entertained.

Review: Cloud Atlas

June's selection was David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. I did read it in June, I swear! But I haven't posted the review yet. So here it is:
Cloud Atlas is epic. It spans several generations, continents, characters and even civilizations. The structure is six separate story lines, taking place in six different places and time periods, beginning in the 18th century and ending sometime in the distant future. Mitchell weaves the stories together with minuscule threads: a birthmark, a repeated phrase, an artifact, an ideology. The result is a fascinating, complex novel at times pure adventure and at others poignant and tragic. Through it all comes a story of human nature, of civilization, of people. His characters are deep, real, and brilliant. Each story centres on a particular character with ties to the previous character - the composer reads the travel journal, the reporter listens to the composer's work, the agent reads a screenplay about the reporter, and so on. Even though each story can stand independent of the others, it is the connection, or the possibility of connection, between the stories that provides the real fascination. The stories deliver a message about human nature that isn't new: parts reflect Pilgrim's Progress, 1984, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, and so on. It is a narrative pleading for caution and responsibility - beware of excess and greed. It's a green message, essentially, as the Earth loses in all scenarios.
But aside from the potentially overbearing political treatise, the characters are unique, independent and sympathetic. Mitchell writes wonderful prose, as well, which makes for a wonderful read. The novel overall is overwhelming, and certainly epic, but also daring. It is a tough act to tie together such disparate stories, but Mitchell pulls it off. Most importantly, it was immensely enjoyable on several levels, making this a book I would not hesitate to recommend. 8 missing secret documents out of 10.

June's pick: Cloud Atlas

This month, we have a unanimous selection: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. The premise and reach of this novel is ambitious, so prepare for a challenging read, or so I'm told:

"David Mitchell entices his readers on to a rollercoaster, and at first they wonder if they want to get off. Then - at least in my case - they can't bear the journey to end. Like Scheherazade, and like serialised Victorian novels and modern soaps, he ends his episodes on cliffhangers and missed heartbeats. But unlike these, he starts his next tale in another place, in another time, in another vocabulary, and expects us to go through it all again. Trust the tale. He reaches a cumulative ending of all of them, and then finishes them all individually, giving a complete narrative pleasure that is rare."

Looking forward to it.

*Update*: Check out Books Worth Reading for another favourable review.

June Selection Poll

I like to use a theme to select potential book club reads, and for June I was drawing a blank, so I decided upon a British writers theme, based mostly on titles sitting on my bookcase that I have yet to read. So, the list of nominees for the June selection are as follows:

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

I've read Mitchell's Black Swan Green and really enjoyed it, and Cloud Atlas has been up there on my to be read list. Mitchell plays with linearity, telling the story across several generations and through several characters. Its structure is essentially 12 short stories that make up the whole of the novel. Interesting enough to try, anyhow. Here are two views that, in my mind, add to the hype: Reading Matters and this one.

The Believers - Zoë Heller
Zoë Heller is also the author of Notes on a Scandal: What Was She Thinking? that was made into a pretty good movie with Cate Blanchett a few years back. Her latest novel is a "layered and utterly assured study of a family driven by political passion whose personal lives refuse to comply with prescribed ideology." So it's funny and bittersweet and sharp, and brilliant, according to this critic. Sounds interesting!

On Beauty - Zadie Smith
Another modern classic of the British family, Smith's novel was shortlisted for every major award in 2006, winning the Orange Broadband Prize which celebrates female authors. I've read a number of reviews and synopses of On Beauty, and I can only say that it intrigues me more. Her writing is celebrated, the characters are celebrated, the cultural and social issues are celebrated, and, of course, she's celebrated. It sounds delightful.

So there's the three. After researching these three I feel that it is not a question of if I will read them, but in what order. Which will be first? You decide. Poll opens tomorrow.