Entry #3: "The Diving Pool: Three Novellas"

"...I don't really understand couples at all. They seem like some sort of inexplicable gaseous body to me--a shapeless, coloress, unintelligible thing, trapped in a labratory beaker...And she seems quite peaceful, as if she's wandered off into a deep, cold swamp..."

--from "The Diving Pool"

Ogawa, Yoko. Translated by Stephen Snyder. The Diving Pool: Three Novellas. Picador: New York, 2008.

Genre: Psychological Suspense/Mystery/Japanese Fiction

For Further Info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoko_Ogawa

http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/014_05/2073

Subjects & Themes: manipulation; mental torture; inexplicable rage; reality vs. dream; hallucination; secrets; confusion & control; discontent; instanity & emotional break-downs; nothingness; interior & exterior storms; nothingness & the notion of the great abyss; alienation & the elusiveness of memory; the complex dichotomy of our human appetite; and life's enigma.

Reading Reaction:

In a word: weirdo-rama. Beyond that, thoroughly creeped out, yet equally fascinated. The author's writing style is deceptively simple (makes one wonder how it reads in its native Japanese) and before you know it, you've become nsnared in one enticingly abysmal realm...But, don't be turned off, for I was impressed enough to convince my library's adult services head to add it to our collection.

Suggested Read-a-Likes (otherwise known as more seriously disturbing reads for the wanna-be seriously disturbed):

1. Blindness by Giovanni Pontiero (1997).
2. Ghostwritten: A Novel by David Mitchell (2000).
3. In the Cut: A Novel by Susanna Moore (1995).
4. The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman (2002).
5. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1946).
6. Misery by Stephen King (1987).

Suggested Related Reads (more murder, mayhem, & madness--in Japan):

1. All She Was Worth by Miyabe Miyuki (1996).
2. The Bride's Kimono by Sujata Massey (2001).
3. Ring by Koji Suzuki (2002).
4. The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi (1998).
5. Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami (1997).
6. The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe (1964).

Musical Accompaniment: Enya (the darker stuff). Or, if hankering for a heavy vibe, try So Many People by Neurosonic. It, too, takes some serious deciphering.

Entry 2: "The House of Paper"

"Books change people's destinies" -- from The House of Paper

Dominguez, Carlos Maria. The House of Paper. Orlando: Harcourt, 2005.

Genre: Contemporary (International) Fiction [and, arguably, adult fable/modern parable].

For brief author bio., visit http://www.pen.org/author.php/prmAID/28

Subjects & Themes: academia; bibliomania; loneliness vs. aloneness; missing persons; sex; human relations; authentic vs. pseudo friendships; inward journeys & outward travels; language vs. reality; gluttony & greed; need for fulfillment; history; life's vocation; time for contemplation.

(My) Reading Reaction:

Dominguez had me snickering from the get go, because, let's face it, we bibliophiles can get a little hoity toity when it comes to the (questionably) artificial intelligence spawned via our literary loves. We know it. We revel in it. So, too, does the abovementioned author. Hence, the beauty of the book. That said, despite it's brevity (A mere 112 pages! Whoopie!) there were times when the story seemed to drag. Then again, maybe I'm just not a fan of the adult fable, preferring instead tales with a bit more meat & a mite more bite than such whimsy is apt to provide. Overall, however, it still earns a thumb's up--at least in my book. For, the writer knows his craft & he wields his weapons well. And, as for Jon Stewart-esque mockery...What can I say? I'm a fan.

Suggested Read a Likes (if you're bonkers for books & the like--or otherwise obsessed):

1. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Grueber (2007).
2. The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster (2002).
3. The Scroll of Seduction by Giocanda Belli (2006).
4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2004).
5. The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield (2006).
6. Zahir: A Novel of Obsession by Paulo Coelho (2005).

Suggested Related Reads (if you're somewhat bookish, slightly bonkers, &/ or like to up the ante with a little intrigue...):

1. The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad (2003).
2. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (2005).
3. How to Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Wood (2004).
4. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (2005).
5. The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco (2004).
6. Night of the Radishes by Sandra Benitez (2003).

Musical Accompaniment: Beck's Loser (repeat only if in the mood for additional self-flagellation).

Literary Itinerary (aka: My Reading Map), Entry 1: "Becoming Abigail"

"A human being alone is a thing more sad than any lost animal, and nothing destroys the soul quite like aloneness." -- from Becoming Abigail

Abani, Chris. Becoming Abigail. New York: Turnaround, 2006.

Genre: Contemporary (International) Fiction

Subjects & Themes: obsession (danger of); loneliness/isolation; self-discovery vs. self-destruction; search for home; family, love, & loss; ties that bind, ties that break; history; oppression; racism, sexism, & rape; power vs. subjugation; hope; and, the thwarted attempt to come-of-age.

"I cannot in good conscience recommend Chris Abani's "Becoming Abigail" without providing the potential reader with due warning: The experience will leave you ravaged, and you'll never again question the power of words to move and sway. Years from now, you may not remember the precise nature of the story (if it be imprinted upon you at all) but you will most definitely recall the saccharine taste it left dormant in your mouth, the inescapable after-taste of a bittersweet emotional eclipse...Becoming Abigail defies description and opposes literary categorization; it exists without beginning, merely with a definitive end. It is a short body of work with passages so painful they require a speed read--like ripping off a band-aid. It is fragmented thoughts that unite in cohesive whole...Becoming Abigail contradicts all logic, yet somehow it rings truer than anything I've ever read...It is a literary experience as it should be

--so good, it hurts."

**Review excerpt courtesy of The Madison Times, July 28-August 3, 2006, by Anna Taylor (that'd be me) provided as means of sharing my immediate reaction to the abovesaid novella.

Other Books by Abani:

1. Masters of the Board, 1985.
2. Graceland, 2004.
3. The Virgin of Flames, 2007.
4. Song for Night, 2007.

Poetry:

1. Kalakuta, 2000.
2. Daphne's Lot, 2002.
3. Dog Woman, 2004.
4. Hands Washing Water, 2006.

Author Website: http://www.chrisabani.com/

Suggested Related Reads (if you fancy another African setting):

1. Skinner's Drift: A Novel by Lisa Fugard (2006).
2. Beasts of No Nation: A Novel by Uzodinma Iweala (2005).
3. Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o (1977).
4. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee.
5. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1904).
6. The Madonna of Excelsior by Zakes Mda (2004).

Suggested Read a Likes (if you crave a sadly hopeful & hushed ominous aura w/ flawed, but strong central characters):

1. Veronica by Mary Gaitskill (2005).
2. Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson (1993).
3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1932).
4. The Lover by Marguerite Duras (1984).
5. The Hours by Michael Cunningham (1998).
6. A Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee (1999).

Recommended Background Music: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata--on repeat.

"Take Two"

Turns out my final hurrah wasn't so much finale as an extended hiatus. Per (a new) professorial request, we shall now turn our attention to the wonderful world of Reader's Advisory--already a personal passion (some might say compulsion) so it'll be interesting to see how this all turns out. Please note: fellow bibliophiles, you are welcome here!

That said, instructions from the higher-ups are to create & utilize the Reader's Map format. Alas, 'til last week, I'd heard hide nor hare of such a contraption...A slight kink in the plan? That would be my own personal brand of proven spatial dyslexia. What does this mean? Well, it means many things (obviously), a number of which even I myself remain not privy. However, it is certainly safe to assume that the process shall be one of trial & error, continued evolution, involve a lot of tinkering, and probably more than a few "Oops!"

Oh, yeah, it will also be linear and literary.

(Kind of like Nancy Pearl's Book Lust @ http://booklust.wetpaint.com/page/Reading+Itineraries and

Maureen O'Connor's @ http://wordsworthyreadingpaths.pbwiki.com/
but nearly so professional, nor so cool!) :)

In other words, no flashy graphics and no flow-charts--just simple, straight-up prose.

At any rate, welcome to my world--a humble abode where simplicity is key, books are the bomb, and we're more than happy to let the words speak for themselves...

So, let the fun begin, shall we--and feel free to supply 2 cents if ever it strikes your fancy.

A "picture" of me, in case you're curious

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95269263@N00/2144267714/

"Every work of art is an uncommitted crime." -- Theodor Adorno

Proof positive that you can meet a lot of interesting cats within the walls of your local library. (FYI: A reference to the artist, not my days-gone-by 20 something self).