fairywhispers's "Books I Recommend"

If you read any book this holidays, make it The Road. Set in a future America, after some unknown apocalypse, it is the story of a father and son – ‘each other’s world entire’ – trying to move south to warmer climes. Starving, exhausted and constantly alert for roaming cannibalistic brigands, it sometimes seems as though they are sustained by love alone.

The language in this novel is beautifully evocative and the complete absence of quotation marks adds to the haunted quality that permeates the book. The characters inherently believable – who among us could not empathise with a father trying to shield his son from the horrors of a world gone mad?

Sad, depressing, despairing and all too believable, The Road nevertheless manages to end on a hopeful note. This is a definite must-read!

Stephen King never fails to creep me out and this book is no exception. Told in a combination of present day and flashback, it takes a little while to figure out what’s going on, but this simply adds to the ominous quality of the story. I found it difficult to put this book down and there were several places where I actually jumped. Duma Key is technically well written, in King’s characteristic style and the characters are truly alive. This is a wonderful, frightening novel and readers will not be disappointed.

If you can accept or ignore the premise at the end, The Taking is an excellent book. A very clever take on what armageddon could be like, it starts out with a creepy, eerie quality that leaves us a little uncomfortable. After a while, the truly weird terrors begin. In an era where we have been fed a steady diet of alien invasion movies, this book seems all too feasible, making it all the more terrifying. In my opinion, this one of Koontz’s best works. Not a book to be read at night or during a thunderstorm, The Taking should, nevertheless, be on everyone’s reading list.

Being a Stephen King fan, I began this book with high hopes, and I was not disappointed. This is by far the best vampire novel I have read. The story begins with a general air of foreboding, building like a thundercloud until the thrills burst upon us, continuing right to the end. I jumped a few times while reading ‘Salem’s Lot (that will teach me to read Stephen King during a lightning storm!) but I was unable to put it down until I finished. This is definitely one of King’s better tales.

Wow. This book was way better than the movie. I can definitely see why it has gone down as a classic. Written in a quaint language and style, which serves to add to the adventure feel of the story, The Three Musketeers is an enthralling and entertaining read. The general feel of this novel is that of the fairy tales and adventure stories of childhood, yet it is interesting enough to hold the attention of an adult. Despite already knowing the general storyline, I found I was unable to tear my eyes from the pages of this book. I didn’t even put it down for meals! I would love to obtain a copy of this story for my permanent collection, and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

I am Rembrandt’s Daughter is a charming book about Cornelia van Rijn, daughter of Rembrandt van Rijn. Raised by a famous painter, alive during the years of the plague and living with a strict class system, the life of this woman must have been interesting indeed. This book puts forth one woman’s thoughts of what Cornelia’s life might have been like.

Written in first person, with periodical diary excerpts, this is a lovely story that had me hooked from the beginning. The author has a light, easy-to-read style that makes this book a pleasant experience. Irrelevant to the story, but I also love the soft canvas-style cover!

This is the third Jodi Picoult book I have read and I was not disappointed. I love the way Jodi writes in first person, jumping from character to character and from past to present. This can be confusing for those unused to her style, but life is rarely linear and the different perspectives enhance our understanding of the story, allowing us to empathise with different characters and preventing us from pre-judging behaviour.

Nineteen Minutes is an emotional look at the lead up and aftermath of a columbine-style school shooting. Picoult, however, has her shooter survive, allowing us to explore the effect of this event on the lives of the shooter and his family as well as those of the victims. It is often easy to lay blame when such a tragedy occurs, so easy to forget that the shooters family are as much victims as anyone else.

I found this book very scary. We cannot protect our children from being bullied, and we cannot always know what they are thinking or feeling. It is frightening to think that our children could have been any one of the characters in this book – the bullies, picking on those more sensitive than themselves; the girl pretending to be someone she is not, in order to fit in; the shooter himself – and we would be none the wiser.

I definitely recommend this book to parents, teens and anyone who finds themselves quick to judge on the basis of a news story alone…

Shadow Warrior is written in a relaxed, conversational style that is very easy on the eyes. The story of how David Everett went from one of the military’s elite to Australia’s most wanted is an interesting one. Each step was a logical progression from the one before until he found himself on the run from the law and out of contact with his family and friends.

While I found some of the war chapters a little repetitive (war is like that sometimes), the plight of the Karen is a sad indictment of Australia’s political and social conscience. One can forgive David much of his behaviour with the knowledge of the reasoning behind it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and informative book to read and the reader is left feeling sympathetic to David’s plight. I would definitely recommend this to a friend.

What a brilliant idea! If only I’d thought of it first…

If you have ever found yourself thinking these words, then you’ll love this book! This is the story of an ordinary guy who managed to trade up from one red paperclip to a house (yes, a house!) in just fourteen trades. Written with style and not a little humour, One Red Paperclip details the incredible journey Kyle travelled in order to fulfil his dream of owning a home.

Where most of us would have thought it couldn’t be done, Kyle took the plunge, making some incredible trades and having a lot of fun along the way. This is a highly amusing and inspiring book and I encourage everyone to read it.

I was kind of surprised that a book about the Fritzl’s was published so soon. The author certainly didn’t waste any time! We all saw the news about this poor woman and her children, but the truth is much more horrifying than even the media hype. The nightmare life these people were forced to endure for twenty-four years would have sent many people insane, but Elisabeth managed to survive with enough presence of mind to seize her chance at escaping.

House of Horrors is not an enjoyable read, but it is an informative one. The author has shown sensitivity to the emotional and psychological needs of the victims by refraining from publishing intimate details of the crime (unlike the paparazzi, who insist on imposing on their privacy) and the book is written in a casual style that makes it easy to read.

Whether you are interested in true crime or simply wish to learn about this particular case, this book is worth reading.