Fatherland by Robert Harris

Incredible.

Fatherland is a crime novel taking place in the mid 1960's Berlin. Hitler is still alive and won the war.

The plot follows police detective Xavier March, and his investigation of the death of a high-ranking Nazi.  Soon March realizes that he is in the middle of a political scandal in which senior party leaders kill a certain group of people. He's supposed to be taken off the case.

However, March meets an American journalist, Charlie Maguire, who knows the case from a different angle. 

After both travel to Zurich together to check out the bank account of one of the victims, they uncover the missing details behind the murders.

Now though the plot may sound kind of interesting (which it really is!), it's the whole set up of the novel that gets the reader. Harris creates a Germany, a Berlin and a completely new history without going nuts on the amount of creative possibilities, but with a lot of research and sense. It's even more awesome if know Berlin and which areas of the town he's actually talking about.


The novel really does create an impression of Nazi Germany if Hitler had won the war. It also shows how European countries and in fact the rest of the world deal with it (or not). It shows how people live and fear, and you're never 100% sure if they follow their leader because they want him or because they have to. It also creates a new level to the question of knowing. 


And because the whole novel is so amazing, the end is almost too good to be true.

Love in the Time of Cholera by G. G. Marquez

My World Book Night give away.

Listen to this while you're reading ... but only if you like Shakira.

The story follows Florentino Arizo around for most of his life. Fermina is the woman he loves since he is very young. She decided against him and married a Doctor. So Florentino fills his live with other women (loads of them). He never forgets Fermina, never stops loving her. When her husband dies in a rather comical accident Florentino sees a chance for his dream love to become true. 

The awesome thing about the story, other than being unbelievably sad and romantic, is that it manages to follow him for more than 50 years. It shows his live and how it and the world around changes. The impact he makes on women, the impact he makes on their husbands, his work and his pain. Even though 50 years sound really long for a novel ... it never gets boring. There is just so much happening in his life (and of course you also want to know if they manage to get together in the end) so it's a relatively easy, but also really interesting read.

Let me know if you want a copy ... I have about 45 of them lying around. The copies are of course for the world book night. But living in Aberdeen there will be no major event ... so it won't be the easiest thing to get the books to people.

(Btw. if you have seen the movie and thought it was super dramatic and screamy and girly, don't be scared. I love the movie because of all the above factors, but the book is a lot better.)

The Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser

Scary.

When Janek wakes up he can't remember a thing. His name, his age, what happened last night all taken away by the booze. Then he finds his wife drowned in the bathroom.
Of course everyone thinks it was him. There are no other traces. Off he goes to the mental ward of a hospital. Where he gets killed a little later. Looks like he wasn't wasn't the killer after all. Who was it?

It's scary, because many of us have woken up without a trace of memory from the previous night. It's scary because of the injustice done by the police. Haha, the same could happen to you!

I kind of wish there would be a little more explanation in the end. I love how the story turns against any suspicion the reader has. However it doesn't make 100 % sense because Nesser only spend about 5 pages on explaining who did what and when. Still a great and easy read for the weekend.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Wow.

Room is the story of Jack and his mom. Together they live in a room. This room has a locked door, a skylight, a TV with Jack's friends in it, and other stuff you need for living. Jack knows that TV is not real, and so is everything else, except him and his ma. He is five years old and has never left Room.

Jack is telling us the story starting at his 5th birthday. Everything changes when he turns 5. His Ma 'unlies' that the world outside is not unreal and that they have to try to get outside. They create a plan together so Jack can get outside Room. Into the outside world.

I'd love to write the rest of the story but that would take a lot of awesome reading experience for you away, so I'll just leave the story where it is now.

The way Jack narrates the story we get an insight into the mind of child, that has never met other people, never played on a playground, never went to the shops, has never walked bare food through the grass. The way he writes about his life in Room shows the worth of love he has for his ma. And even though one might think, that this isn't a story for the tearful reader ... it is. It is a story for everyone. It's not over dramatic (although it is very exciting and tense at times) nor is it overly sentimental. It's funny and sad at the same time.

Room is one of those books one can read within a day. It's hard to put down, and it's an easy read as well (once you're used to Jack). If you have to spend a week reading on it (like I did, thanks exam time), it's a book that doesn't shut up. You keep thinking about Jack and his mom. About the changing relationship within those 5 years. About her change when she got Jack after being in Room alone for 2 years. What happens when they get out? He's never seen daylight and she just has to re-adjust. Will she still love him once she is outside?

And the most important question. How much does this novel relate to reality? Emma doesn't say anything about her inspiration for the book, but I am pretty sure it's inspired by the Fritzl case. Did you ever ask yourself what it would be like for those children? They have never seen the world. Room put those imaginations into a book. And did great work.

It's a very inspiring story. It's well written, has lovely characters and is also super interesting. So go, and get reading.

Sharing project

Right, I kind of want this to be a little more interactive than it is now. (I know, with all the zillion readers I have ... ) So here's the plan:

Version A: You email me your address and the wish book (which is one of the book I reviewed here) and I'll send it to you. For free. And you then, in return comment your opinion of the book underneath mine, in the comment section. And then give it to a friend (or if you didn't like it, you 'forget' it at the train station).

Version B: Now this version is a lot bigger and will take a looooot more time to actually work. I'll put my read and reviewed books into Oxfam bookshops. Now first stupid thing is that there is only one in my city. I could also forget them in the bus, planes, train stations ... not sure that would speed it up. Anyway, every book that is put out there will have a little note with the blog address and a 'please tell us what you think and pass the book on' note in it.

I hear you asking: What's the point? The point is to make me rich and famous with my blog and genius idea. Besides that it gives you guys the possibility to form and post an opinion, and help other readers to decide if the book is worth reading because there are more then my valued opinion. Or if not, you could get a free book.

But before this all starts I'd like you to tell me if you like the idea. So if you do, put an x in the comments, re-tweet it or let me know on facebook. If you even want to tell me which of the plans you favor - how awesome are you.

Enough of me now, I better get back to my exam revision.

Bus vs train vs plane

I had this discussion with mum the other day ... where is it best to read?

When I went to school my way there was about 20 minutes by train. Homework? Read a paragraph for class? All done on the train.
After school I used to live about 45 minutes by train away from work. That meant 1 hour and 30 minutes of reading time every day. 5 days a week. I read so many books. Les Miserable took me week (well train and bed reading together), some books were finished within a day. I loved that! Absolutely. (Also wish I'd had this blog already)

Then I moved to a smaller town, where I cycled 30 minutes to work everyday. Well, over the reading. Not so many books anymore. I however still loved reading on the train on the way to the family.

Now I moved countries and also into a much smaller town. I can walk to university within 20 minutes. I also have to take a 3 hour bus journey to the airport (or 2 1/2 with the train). And the almost 2 hour flight home. And do I use those journey hours wisely? Nope. For somewhat reason I can't concentrate when I'm in the bus. Or train. All I do is sit there and stare out of the window even at night time. It is very rare and a massively good book (in fact, the last was 'Disgrace') that I spend all the time reading. But as soon as I get into the airport I start reading. I sit there, next to the boarding door and read. Walk into the plane and continue.

So how did I unlearn reading on the way? What's better about the landscape (I know by heart)? Weird. My mom is still traveling to work by train. About 30 minutes each way. Lots of books read ... and some forgotten on the train.

A Place of Execution by Val McDermit

My favorite crime novel ever! Well ... maybe not ever ever, but certainly my favorite by Val.

A child is missing. Missing in a tiny town with weird tiny town inhabitants who are not very helpful for the investigation. Is it murder? Possibly. Why? What happened? And what is the motive?

The atmosphere created is creepy but wonderful. You have the English countryside with all it's up and down sides, the village with all it's rumors and who doesn't like who because of what, just to see that they all stick together in the end. You have the detective and his team (I didn't really like anyone in particular in the team ... not sure if that was how she had intended it) working their mind off ... and you have a revelation about the history of the characters every now and then.

The case is rather frustrating. Not only for the detective, but as well for you! It took me forever to 'solve the case'. I had everyone in my suspicion, outsiders, insiders, everyone. And whenever I thought I got it, I turned the page ... and changed my mind. (And I'm normally pretty good in solving the cases before the detectives! Honestly! So good, I think I should go to join the police!)

I love Val McDermit novels. So far I've read 4 of them (and there are about a zillion) but this is the best! It's my recommendation when ever somebody asks me for a crime novel.

So. If you like crime novels. Go and get reading. Val McDermit it is.