Berlin Alexanderplatz

If it's true; but Franz, why he's a bit stupid, he let's 'em do anything with him. That's why they threw him out of the car. That's the kind of fellows they are. That's the kind of society he goes with. (Döblin, A. Berlin Alexanderplatz. p. 269. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Continuum, 2004).
       This is yet another book that had been lying in my shelf for some years. It took me long to finish reading it. Sometimes I did not have the determination to sit down to read, some other times the way the book was written made me not want to read it. Most of the time it was the way the book is written. It is too reflective, and the plot is constantly interrupted by these meditations on ghastly thoughts.
       The book is about Franz Biberkopf who is recently discharged from jail and is determined to live an honest life. But he does not manage to live an honest life, all the contrary happens. Throughout the book he sees himself involved in a myriad of cirmes, mostly because he is unable to assess the consequences of his actions and cannot tell between right or wrong. Franz surrounds himself with ghastly people who, in seeing how naïve he is, trick him into committing crimes. This makes me think about how when a person is under a depression spell he cannot see beyond his own feelings and cannot see what the path to solving his problems is. It is not until one is experiencing some calmness that the answer becomes clear, but it is still up to us to take the very difficult decision to change our ways. To leave the path we had been following and decide to make a radical change of course.
       I am not sure I would recommend reading this book. Depression is indeed a serious matter and we should all know what it is and how to overcome it. But perhaps there are better ways to learn about this topic.

Games At Twilight

Games At Twilight is a collection of eleven short stories that elegantly describe everyday life circumstances. Ms Desai's descriptions, though detailed, are spry and engaging. When I finished reading some of its short stories they left me with the impression that nothing elaborate happened. Rather, reading those stories was an opportunity to reflect upon common day-to-day events, to reflect upon one's life.
       When briefly discussing this apparent bareness of content with Heidi Zeigler, she told me that sometimes authors intend to show how life is a string of unmemorable events and that only in specific moments does an epiphany come to us. That only on those rare epiphanic occasions we get the clarity of vision to make a (relatively) important decision. And that these moments are precisely what makes our lives interesting. This sentiment, methinks, accurately describes what Ms Desai achieved in this book.
       Another interesting and important aspect of this book is Ms Desai's graceful and educated use of the language. I quite enjoy reading texts that are rich in new vocabulary to learn. Of course, this is relative to each of our own limits of knowledge. What I meant to say is that I loved delving into my dictionary and learning the meaning of so many interesting words that appeared in this book.
       I highly recommend reading Games At Twilight and am very much looking forward to having the opportunity to read more of Ms Desai's literary creations. Many thanks, Heidi, for introducing me to these worlds.

Half of a Yellow Sun

"Grandpapa used to say, about difficulties he had gone through, 'It did not kill me, it made me knowledgeable.' O gburo m egbu, o mee ka m malu ife."

"I remember."

"There are some things that are so unforgivable that they make other things easily forgivable," Kainene said.

(Adichie, C. N. Half of a Yellow Sun. p. 435. United States of America: Anchor Books, 2007).

       I firstly want to thank Heidi Zeigler for having lent me this fine book. Half of a Yellow Sun is an intense book that tells about the Nigeria-Biafra War. Even though this is not the first book I read that is based in Nigeria, it feels as if this is my first approach to Nigeria's history. Ms Adichie achieves portraying a Nigerian mood, especially by including words in Igbo, that got me quite involved in the story. Her blunt treatment of classism, xhenophobia, and racism certainly reminded me of some unfortunate aspects that also happen here in Mexico.

       One of the things I enjoyed particularly about reading this book is that it taught me about real events in other parts of the world. Each time I have the opportunity to expand my knowledge and undestanding of human history I feel grateful for being aware of more of it. It was harrowing to read about the desolation that comes with war but at the same time it was amazing how Ms Adichie is able to convey these feelings of desperation through her writing.
       Reading this book also reminded me how similar humans are despite our being in different sides of the world. This is something I wish I had more present in my mind.

Dreamcatcher

Some dreams die and fall free, that is another of the world's bitter truths. (King, S. Dreamcatcher. p. 574. United States of America: Scribner, 2001).

       I have had this book on my bookshelf for more than ten years now. I remember being particularly excited to read this book when I saw it at the bookshop in... Was it Texas? I am almost sure it was. But just as Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, it just laid there and never got read until now. It took me months, almost a year to finish reading this book. Because, just as Mr King himself was having a hard time while he wrote this novel - he says so in the author's note -, I was also having an existential crisis while I read Dreamcatcher.

       This must not be Mr King's best novel. In all truth, it was really difficult to read it. Not because it was dense, but because the story per se and the way it was told did not take my fancy. This is the first book of Stephen King that I have read. Perhaps I should have started with some other, more famous book. Maybe It would have been the most appropiate start. But in this world there are no coincidences, only the inevitable. I must say I feel so strained after taking so long in reading this book that it will take me a long while before I give another Stephen King novel a chance. At this moment, all I feel is an immense tiredness.

 

How many bitter truths there are. (King, S. Dreamcatcher. p. 574. United States of America: Scribner, 2001).

Black (The Circle Series)

Although I am reluctant to make even the slightest comparison between this book and China Mieville's The City & The City, it did somehow remind me of Mieville's book because of the topic of duplicity. Alternate realities, a person being on both worlds. This book, however, made me feel like there were many things missing. The diction, the way sentences were phrased, were frequently so childish that it did make me uncomfortable at times.
       What was more enjoyable - to me - was the idea that the protagonist, Tom Hunter, went through two worlds in his dreams. One "dream" was Earth, and the other "dream" was another Earth, not being able to decide whether one of them was fiction and if so which one was the true reality. It was enjoyable because this is how real life is in my mind. At my job I interact with people of whom I do not know their lives, but we still create this reality that we all share at the office but when I am with someone else, say my friends from university, the reality of me being at work might as well be a dream because no one else participates in it neither knows about it. It feels as if we all live different realities and whenever we tell another person of our lives it is no different from telling one of our dreams.
       That was it. The rest was just trivial, immature, and simple. Unlike other books of fiction that I have read, like The Da Vinci Code, I was not enthralled by "Black" and it felt like Ted Dekker did not reread his book to give more detail, or more thought to the way he prashed the dialogues between the characters. Right now, it seems quite unlikely that I will read the rest of the series, but one never knows, the future is surprisingly random.

How To Be a Gentleman

"3. A gentleman always carries a handkerchief, and is ready to lend it, especially to a weeping lady, should the need arise." (Bridges, J. How To Be a Gentleman. p. xv. United States of America: Thomas Nelson, 2008).

       I chose the previous quote because it was the first rule I learnt, and it was thanks to my friend César who told it to me even before I bought this book. Being a gentleman can mean many things, but this book does a good job at teaching good manners. There are, perhaps, some rules that may seem like they do not fit the real world - because they require a massive amount of commitment to being a gentleman and, ultimately, we all fall into errors - but I think we should all strive to follow these rules as a guidance in life to being polite.

       At times, it has funny remarks. This book is an imperative read for every man who wants to live a good life. We should all learn how to behave in society. I highly recommend this book.

Tender Is The Night

"Of course there is," he said impatiently. "Dick sees it's over between you two - it's obvious he has quit. What does he expect you to do?" (Fitzgerald, F. S. K., Tender Is The Night. p. 300. United States of America: Scribner).

        This book at first seemed to me yet another typical story of infidelities and broken love. The more I ponder about it, the more complex it becomes in my mind. Toward the end I was undoubtedly enjoying it much more. Once again it feels like Providence put this book in my life exactly when I needed to read it, though, perhaps this is another trick that my mind is playing on me. Maybe because of my parent's current situation plus my own current existential crisis, the latter related to my going to see a psychoanalyst and a neuropsychiatrist to help me out of this terrible state I am in.
       I am not sure if the story appears too me as sad, rather I feel numb and confused. The third part of this novel overwhelmed me. Right now all I can do is wonder in what state of mind was Fitzgerald in to write this kind of novel? I cannot help thinking of Beethoven, because every time I listen to his music I feel like he is immensely furious. This leads me to believe Fitzgerald was more or less of a sad person, with a permanent depression. This tought is reinforced when I think of the other books of his that I have read: The Great Gatsby and The Beautiful and Damned. Why do we suffer so much in life? I am thankful for having read these books because it has helped me realize that I also suffer too much, and this is not how I want to live my life. We are all going to be dead, so why not try to enjoy this finite time we are alive? It is just so hard to do, though. Being on my own has definitely helped. Meditating, doing the things I enjoy, like playing the piano. My advise is to focus on yourselves, because that is what most people unconsciously do anyway. Find a way to get self-generated happiness, inner happiness that does not depend on someone else. Because you never know when that other person is not going to be there to help you and you need to be able to stand on your own.