Tag: Y-5

Book Four 2013, El Viaje del Elefante

This is the sixth novel I have read of the nobel prize winning author José Saramago and as always he doesn’t disappoint.

 

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It happens to occur that King João III of Portugal decides to give Archduke Maximilian a very unusual wedding gift, an elephant named Solomon.

Based on an actual historical event, Saramago spins a fantastical tale of the journey from Lisbon to Vienna. Throught various countries you witness the strong bond between the elephant and his caretaker subhro and how the presence of this majestic creature touches everyone who comes in contact with.

It’s not best novel I have read of this extremely talented author but is quite interesting, it touches deeply in how some people, including myself, perceive animals as more that simple beasts and how they can change our lifes.

So that’s 4,604 pages down, 45,138 pages to go.

Total Pages 116,184 pages

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Book Three 2013, The Colour of Magic

To tell you the true reading this book was a long thing coming. The first edition I bought consisted of a hardcover edition that contain this book and three more, well it vanish without a trace and mind you it was not a small book . The second edition I bought was the trade-paperback, well one day it was raining really hard and the roof started to leak, exactly over the book. So they say that third time’s the charm, so I decided to read it as an e-book.

 I was afraid that maybe my nook will caught fire , but I had to risk it. 

This is the first novel of the long running series of  Discworld which now has more that 39 books. Written by Terry Pratchett, gentleman and knight of the british empire, it mixes humour and satire with epic fantasy.

It follows the adventure of the incompetent wizard named Rincewind and how involuntarily becomes a turist guide, a new term for the inhabitats of the city Ankh-Morpork, of Twoflower a rich visitor from the Agatean Empire. 

Without know it they become part of a board game played by the gods themselves, this journey takes them across the Discworld. Facing soul-eating demigods, dragons that live in an upside-down mountain, hydrophobic wizards and almost being cast-out of this flat world in order to know the sex of the turtle that’s carrying it.

In all is an amazingly written and funny book. It was worth the time it took to actually read it.

So that’s 4,334 pages down, 45,408 pages to go

Total Pages 115,914 pages

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Book Two 2013, The Sound and the Fury

P1020572I’m going to start by saying that this is the most difficult book I have ever read. It is a true challenge trying to keep up with the narrative and at sometimes even with the time period.

That being said, I found the novel to be breathtaking.

Not following a linear story  you find yourself submerged in the inner thoughts of whomsoever is the narrator of that particular part.

In which you witness the downfall of the Compsons, an upper-class southern family.

The book consist of four parts. Each part, with the exception of the last one, is narrated by one of the Compson boys.The first, and in my opinion the most confusing, is looked through the eyes of Benjy, the youngest and who has diminished mental capacity. The Second part is narrated by the brilliant and tormented Quentin. The Third part is narrated by the money hungry Jason. The last part follows Dilsey, the black servant of the Compsons.

The story revolves around the same episodes, but each is explored from different points of view. This make it almost impossible to make a coherent synopsis of the story. Also, the narrators are not very reliable because they see things different.

Some motivated by rage and false ideals.

Some trapped in their very limited world.

So, if you’re going to read this novel, thread carefully, or you might get lost in the halls of the Old Compson Place.

So that’s 4,160 pages down, 45,582 pages to go.

Total Pages 115,740 pages

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Jonathan Strange,the 3,000 pages and a very long post

After a much deserved break is good to be back.

As you can imagine I have quite a few things to report.

First and foremost I finally finish reading one of my mountain book, “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clarke.

The definition, in my view anyway, of a mountain book is simple, because they are difficult but rewarding reads, just like a hard climb, you may struggle to reach the top but when you get there the view is amazing.

Getting back to the book, it is an amazing fantasy story that intertwines the lifes and magic of two gentleman, Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange, both destined to revive English magic all of this in the ever present shadow of the Raven King, the greatest magician of all time. It uses elements of that period of  history, 19th century England around the Napoleonic Wars, and merges them with an expectional cast of characters, from mad magician to treacherous fairies.

This is one of the best fantasy book I have ever read, it will always hold a place next to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

I also finish reading another book, ” The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: The Alchemyst” is the first of an six book series. It follows the story of twin brothers and how their paths came across the famous alchemyst. They are suddenly thrown into a world of petty magician and dangerous ancient gods. The most impressive parts are when the goddess Morrigan makes her appearance and the stunning presence of Yggdrasill-the world tree-.

In sum both of this books put me over 3,000 pages in Year Five of Lost in a Million Pages.

So that’s 3,338 pages down, 46,404 pages to go.

Total Pages 114,918 pages.

 

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