RIP J. D. Salinger

J. D. Salinger has died aged 91. The reclusive author, whose most famous novel is The Catcher in the Rye, hadn't published anything since 1965. However it's believed he didn't stop writing, so it'll be interesting to see what posthumous work is published.
As far as I know (from the newspaper obituary and article), unlike other writers he doesn't seem to have left instructions asking for his unpublished work to be destroyed. Not that that is necessarily adhered to. Kafka asked that all his papers be burnt, they weren't, so we have his later works, Nabokov asked for his unfinised manuscript to be destroyed, instead it is being published.
The Catcher in the Rye is considered a seminal text, a story of teenage alienation and frustration. Holden Caulfield as the ultimate anti-hero, he's unpleasant and self-obsessed. What teenager hasn't sometimes been like that. It speaks to the rebel we all want to be in our teens, the person who wants more than what the 'phonies' can offer us. It wasn't exactly popular on publication, seen by some parents as unsuitable for teenagers, because of its bad language and themes, however some more enlightened people made it required reading, it's still available on most schools' library shelves.

Theo's Odyssey - Catherine Clement

Originally published in French, Clement's novel centres around a sick boy, Theo, and the trip around the world his Aunt Martha takes him on in search of a cure, and an education. Following a series of riddles designed to lead him from one country to another, Theo is met at each stop by a selection of interesting people, from Jerusalem to Egypt, Nepal to Senegal, Brazil to Prague, Theo learns about the different religions and beliefs that make up the world. As he crisscrosses the globe he gains new insight into the beliefs that sustain and nurture, and a cure. His mystery illness fades as he finds out about the many paths to God and makes a multitude of friends across all boundaries. Described as "a superior cousin to the best-selling Sophie's World" (TLS) it does for religion what Gaarder's book did for philosophy, making it accessible and entertaining, as well as educational. Whatever your beliefs, this book is touching and insightful. No wonder it's a bestseller.

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This had been waiting in my 'To Be Read' pile for quite some time. I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to. I loved it. It's a literary mystery, that takes in a selection of genres, from the gothic to romance. Set in Barcelona in the years following WWII, it follows Daniel Sempere as he tries to unravel the mystery of the author Julian Carax and the book Daniel finds in The Cemetary of Forgotten Books, Carax's final novel 'The Shadow of the Wind'. It's well-written and full of fantasticly drawn characters, from the menacing Inspector Francisco Javier Fumoro to the eccentric beggar turned bookshop assistant Fermin Romero de Torres that people Daniel's adventures. The narrative skips back and forth between what happened to Carex, told by the people Daniel encounters, and Daniel's story, full of danger and love. There are riddles and untruths as Daniel and Fermin attempt to unravel the secrets and solve the mystery of Carax's life and those of their own.

The Book of my Heart.

"Few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a place in our memory, to which, sooner or later - no matter how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget, we will return."              

                            ~ The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon ~

 Well there's a few that have really stuck with me, and to which I return. The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge is one. I can still almost see the words in front of me. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier is another. I have no idea why these books stick. I guess they were among the first books to find their way into my heart. What are yours?

The 2 1/2 Pillars of Wisdom - Alexander McCall Smith

I picked this book up out of curiosity the other day, I enjoyed McCall Smith's Ladies No 1 Detective Agency books and wondered what his others were like. This encorporates all 3 novels about Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld (Portuguese Irregular Verbs, The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs & At The Villa of Reduced Circumstances), a Professor of Romance Philology in Germany. His adventures are quite comical, and the stories are light-hearted and gentle, much like his stories about Mma Ramotswe. If you liked the Botswana set stories, then these are probably going to be just as enjoyable. Although I didn't warm to von Igelfeld (apparently it means Hedgehog field, which did amuse me) as much as I did to Precious Ramotswe and co, I did enjoy this book. Happy Reading!

Not your average book...

Ages ago I bought a book that was huge, and weird, and non-linear, and quite frankly odd. I had visited the shop about 4 times before I decided to actually buy the book. It's secondhand, and I was paranoid that someone else would buy it before I got to it. Hence the daily pilgrimage to check it was still there. I should have just bought it the first time I saw it. I was put off by it's bulk, and the fact that when I flicked through it looked a bit bonkers. I'm going to start reading it in the morning. That's right, I obsessed over buying it, brought it home, stuck it on the bookcase and never opened it. So, I decided it was about time. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I'm looking forward to reading it. Review when I'm done.

The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters

Waters' fifth novel is unlike any of her others. Set in crumbling Hundreds Hall, it chronicles the slow descent into a sort of madness of the Ayres family, as told by their doctor, Faraday. He remembers the house's former glory from his childhood and is saddened by it's disintegration, when called one day to treat the housemaid. Slowly he becomes drawn into the lives of the remaining family, and the strange things that happen there. He's not the most reliable narrator, and sometimes it feels as if it would be nice to have another perspective on the curious events at the Hall. Like Waters' other books there is a definite sense of 'the other', of the things people believe and rationalise away most of the time. It's quite creepy at times, and it's never entirely clear whether it's all in the minds of the Ayres' as Faraday believes or if something sinister really is going on. I don't really like ghost stories, but this was nicely done. Waters is one of my favourite writers, her previous books are memorable and worth devouring, as is this.