Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras. A random read by Mrs B over Christmas

We WILL all be better at blogging this year. We really will. And to kick start the year here are a few words on a thoughtful (and very well translated) novel I read over Christmas this year.

Set in 1970’s Argentina, a young boy is whisked out of school by his parents fleeing to a safe house to escape the new military ruling power. I was expecting a high octane, suspense-filled novel and was at first disappointed by the lack of pace. However, I found it ultimately much more fulfilling as a look at where we look to escape to when reality becomes too painful - all through the eyes of a boardgame-loving, Houdini-obsessed young lad trying to make sense of a world closing in on his family.

Kate's Reading Challenge 2010: Books 20-22

No.20. "The Slap" by Christos Tsiolkas, (Atlantic Books, 2010)

This is the book that everybody seems to be talking about and it's place on the Man Booker longlist will undoubtedly secure a fresh surge of interest. So let's begin by saying it's worthy of all this hype surrounding it...

It begins at a barbecue, friends and family have gathered, too much food has been prepared and as the drink begins to flow, differences of opinon are aired and tempers start to fray. And then a man slaps a (particularly precocious) child - the child is not his own. From this moment the lives of a host of characters are thrown into turmoil as the slap revererates through relationships and tests (some already rather shaky) family ties.

Tsiolkas focuses each chapter on a different voyeur present at the opening barbecue scene, creating an array of utterly believable and wonderfully complex characters. A cast that ultimately leaves the reader grappling with the indecision of who to side with.

I really admired the honesty with which the author portrayed contemporary Melbourne as a vibrant, culturally diverse city that is still struggling to embrace this diversity. Tsiolkas introduces Greeks, Indians and Australians - all with their unique and evolving beliefs about the concept of the family and epitomises these beliefs without falling into the trap of oversimplifying or generalising.

This is a truly remarkable and though-provoking novel that captures with great tenderenss how one brief moment can send lasting ripples through the lives of so many different individuals. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year so far.

Started: July 6th Finished: July 10th

No.21. "Brazil" by John Updike, (Penguin, 2006)

A tragic love story with a good old-fashioned dose of smut!

Brazil begins on the steamy sands of Copacabana beach, where Tristao - a black boy from the slums of Rio - spots wealthy white girl Isabel. From the almost the moment the pair meet they believe themselves destined for one another and both are quick to pledge their commitment to their relationship. However, as their families and complete strangers make repeated attempts to separate the couple it becomes apparent that their being together has condemed them both to a lifetime of fighting for their relationship.

The result is a life on the run, across some of Brazil's wildest landscapes, where Tristao and Isabel's physical differences always eventually prevent them from living the peaceful life together that they so badly crave.

Updike muddles travel, sex, love and some really top quality writing to create a concoction as irresistable as a caprihina! I love the slightly mystical twist near the end of this novel, which seemed to intensify all of the trauma of the lovers's journey in such a simple fashion.

This book made me weep like a baby and swoon like a total girl!

Started: July 11th Finished: July 16th

No.22. "Jezebel" by Irene Nemirovsky, (Random House, 2010)

My first taste of Nemirovsky and probably not the most natural place to begin! "Jezebel" was one of two items found in the safe of Fanny Nemirovsky (Irene's mother) when she died in her nineties. Nemirovsky had a famously troubled relationship with her mother so it seems rather fittting that one of the objects Fanny secretly saved is a novel about a woman whose increasingly volatile relationship with her own daughter leads to her final demise!

"Jezebel" begins in a courtroom, where Gladys - a self-obsessed socialite - is on trial for murdering a young man believed to be her lover. As the case unfolds, more and more witnesses take the stand and we are drawn into the life history of the accused. Gladys is revealed as a slave to vanity as her fixation with her appearance and how it is changing as she grows older leads her to the point of insanity.

Gladys's cruelty is heartbreaking throughout as she continues to turn her back on those around her in a desperate ploy to protect the secret of her age.

This isn't the most dynamic book that I've read this year, but the unfaltering poise of the Nemirovsky's prose has certainly awoken a desire in me to read another of her titles.

Started: July 18th Finished: July 19th

Mr B's Reading Year 2010 - Whatever Happened to the Classics (episode 2)

Zeitoun put me in the mood for some more page-turning reading so I went back to the classics but in "short-boys-classics" mode. Here were the next quick-fire three with very brief assessments:

Book 5 - Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger - No idea, given my obsession with American fiction, how I managed not to read this until now. Still, judging by sales since Salinger's death, I'm not the only one. Anyway I loved it. I can see why lots of people don't mind you. It doesn't go anywhere and Holden is infuriatingly contrary at times. But he's well-meaning and there's such a captivating mix of emotions as you follow his scattergun thought processes and movements for the book's short time frame. I can only imagine (distantly) ho

w fabulous this novel must be if you're reading it as a 15 year old book addicted boy.

Book 6 - 39 Steps by John Buchan - Thoroughly enjoyed finally reading this. I find myself with little to say about it though - it really is just the quintessential British boys adventure story - I preferred the opening sequences and the initial train/highland chases to the later sections. It's dated but

it remains a great recommendation for any teenage boy showing worrying signs of reading ambivalence!

Book 7 - Farewell my Lovely by Raymond Chandler - Genius. Never read Chandler (to my brother-in-law Harvey's disgust). From the moment Marlowe follows

Moose Malloy into a grotty bar in the first couple of pages saying something along the lines of "it was none of my business, so I followed him right in". I was addicted to Chandler's infamous dialogue style. The plot is ridiculously twisty but it's the characters and their conversations (particularly between Marlowe and the many dangerous women he hangs out with) that makes it such a page-turner for me.

Mr B's Reading Year 2010 - Whatever Happened to the Classics (episode 1)

Somewhere along the line I stopped blogging about my year of reading the classics that you'd have thought a bookshop owner had already read. I think it was shortly after I stopped reading them.

Here's what happened......Episode 1.

Still reeling from the miserable experience of reading the first half of Wuthering Heights, my fourth book of the year was a recent book instead of another classic. I read "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers which is a fascinating, compelling and often depressing account of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

At the time of the hurricane the eponymous hero - originally from Syria - was an upstanding member of the New Orleans with an 11-year old building contracting business with an excellent reputation. After sticking out the hurricane in the top floor of his house he took to the deserted waterways that were once the streets of his neighbourhood in a small metal canoe. In those first days after the hurricane he spends his time feeding abandoned dogs, saving neighbours trapped in their homes and checking up on his properties and those of his friends. That is until, whilst making his daily attempt to call home from the one functioning telephone in the area, he is taken into custody by the National Guardsmen who were "helping" "police" the city at that time.

And that's where it gets really ugly. I won't give away the whole sorry saga but suffice to say Zeitoun's incarceration in the hastily constructed bus-station-cum-prison "Camp Greyhound" and then beyond was as long and inhumane as his arrest was sudden and unjust. The story that Eggers has to tell is a shocking and important one and it makes for a gripping read. The style is not overly literary (and there seem to be a few editing glitches in that a number of sentences/phrases are repeated early on) but as a long piece of journalism Zeitoun is superb.

Kate's Reading Challenge 2010: Books 18 and 19

I've just read a couple of absolute stunners!

No.18. "The Financial Lives of the Poets" by Jess Walter (Penguin, 2010)

First up a proof copy of this debut novel due out in August this year. This is very funny and genuinely moving account of an ordinary guy struggling to protect his family and his finances during the recent economic crisis. When Matt Prior's idea for a publication combining financial advice with poetry fails he finds himself jobless and teetering towards repossession of the home he and his wife had always dreamed of owning. Under the impression of some rather strong marijuana (consumed in a bid to re-live his youth) Matt takes some rather drastic and ill-advised measures in order to protect his lot, with devastating results.

Jess Walter describes Matt's downward spiral, in which every frustration leads to yet another terrible decision with a dymanic sense of wit and oodles of surprising sensitivity (I even cried a tiny bit! How embarrassing!). Most of the chapters are introduced by one of Matt's own quriky poems depicting his situation. But don't be put off if poetry isn't usually your cup of tea, most of the poems are prosaical and therefore easy to follow with only scatterings of rhyme.

A really exciting novel from a brilliant new writer.

Started: June 20th Finished: June 26th

No.19. "The Road Home" by Rose Tremain (Vintage, 2008)

You know you're in safe hands with Rose Tremain! This is the third book I've read of hers, each of the three have come from different genres ("Restoration" = historical fiction, "Trespass" = literary thriller and "The Road Home" = literary fiction) proving Tremain to be a literary chameleon, but all share her sophisticated and beautifully controlled style.

In "The Road Home", Lev and Immigrant from Eastern Europe has come to London in search of work to support his stubborn mother and his adoring five-year-old daughter Maya, both of whom he has left behind in his home country. Life in London proves tough, as Lev struggles to find a job which will support his own lifestyle, let alone that of his family. Gradually with the support of Lydia (a fellow immigrant who he meets on his bus journey to the UK), Lev finds his feet; a job, a home, some friends and even a girlfriend. But Lev is still haunted by the life he left behind and frequently dreams of his deceased wife and his lifelong friend Rudi. So when he meets a young man from his homeland who gives him the news he's been dreading Lev's duty to his country and to his family cannot be ignored.

Started: June 26th Finished: June 30th

Kate's Reading Challenge 2010: Books 15 - 17

I've gotten a little behind with my blogging (and more to the point with my reading year - yikes!) so here are my latest three reads:

No.15. "The News Where you Are" by Catherine O'Flynn (Penguin, 2010)

I absolutely loved "What was Lost" (Catherine's debut, Costa Award-winning novel) so I was so excited about Catherine's new book due out in July this year and I'm pleased to say that I wasn't disappointed!

"The News Where you Are" centres around Frank - a regional newsreader who has become a local legend due to the shame-worthy gags he cracks on the nightly news. The real joke of course is that Frank accepts his role as the clown of the local news as a result of his typically english overly-polite manner; which ultimately makes rejecting the writing of needy gag-writer Cyril totally impossible! But Frank's jokey on-screen persona leads him to consider his life outside of work, and to think about the legacy that he will leave behind as the builidings designed by his father (an architect) are gradually pulled down.

Catherine O'Flynn has created a really strong cast of secondary characters including Frank's wonderfully curious daughter Mo, his lively predecessor on the news Phil and his bitter co-presenter Julia. Just like "What was Lost" this novel is funny and tender in a way that now seems signature to Catherine O'Flynn.

Started: May 17th Finished: May 28th

No.16. "The Manual of Detection" by Jedediah Berry (Windmill Books 2010)

A real intriguing and kooky debut novel that reminded me a bit of Jasper Fforde (but a bit more fantastical).

The story begins in a train station, where Charles Unwin, an efficient and humble detective's clerk is taking his daily detour on his route to work in order to spot a mysterious woman in a plaid coat. On one particular morning Charles's little side trip finds him unexpectedly and unwillingly promoted to the role of detective and in his bid to discover the cause of his sudden rise through the ranks Charles becomes embroiled in a tangled and rather strange mystery... Why do the inhabitants of the city keep falling asleep at such odd times? Where have all of the alarm clocks diappeared to? And what has happened to the iluustrious detective Travis Sivart? With only a rather dubious detection manual and a very sleepy assistant to help him, Charles finds himseld in the face of a real challenge.

Each chapter of this cleverly-constructed novel begins with an extract from the aforementioned manual, giving a the book a lovely clarity, which I found essential as the plot became progressively more wacky! I must say that towards the end of the novel the story had become a little bit too fantastial for my taste, but overall this is a really enjoyable, imaginatively put-together novel.

Started: May 29th Finished: June 10th

No. 17. "Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto" by Maile Chapman (Random House, 2010)

Sorry to get a little ahead - this one isn't actually due out until August but when I saw the taglines on the proof which included rave reviews from Audrey Niffeneger and Junot Diaz (author of "Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao") and the comparison to early Ian McEwan I had to read it!

The concept of the book is really interesting: it's set on the top floor of a women's hospital in 1920's Finland, where a group of wealthy "up-patients" are residing with their various minor complaints. All are physically able, most are mentally sound, and they enjoy a life of structured luxury consisting of saunas, nutritious meals and the undivided attention of qualified nurses. The result resembles something akin to a spa or a rehabilitation centre, with women returning to Suvanto on a seasonal basis. Attending to the every whim of these "patients" is unflappable Sunny a nurse from America who struggles with the Finnish language, but enjoys the solitude that her job affords her.

All is calm until the ranks are shaken by the arrival of Julia a fiery Danish dance teacher who refuses to warm to the hospital's friendly atmosphere and Dr Peter Webber who is developing a new surgical stitch and wants to refocus the top floor of Suvanto to house expectant mothers.

In places Chapman's writing is absolutely sublime, she captures the unsual combination of clinical and luxurious so perfectly and holds throughout the novel an understated tension which makes this a really exciting book to read.

Started: June 11th Finished: June 19th

The Big One - England v. USA

But what you really want to know is who we choose to represent England and USA - certainly the two World Cup Nations offering us the widest choice of potential bookish representatives. With the luxury of choice we added a criterion to our decision-making - we tried to pick not just a slim excellent novel but a slim excellent novel with a sporty undertone.

With that, the English choice made itself. The quintessentially English J.L.Carr once wrote a novel of sportsmanship and success against-all-odds. A tale of plucky wannabes somehow clawing their way to unfeasible heights in the beautiful game. "How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup" is that novel and, let's face it, it's looking like we're going to need miracles akin to village teams snatching major trophies to see England progress.

And their opponents? One of the great unsung heroes of C20 American literature, John Fante with his tale of a young man yearning to become a baseball star and so break away from his penniless small-town Colorado existence. A brilliant novella which if the books weren't reliant on the results of their football playing compatriots would be a real contender for victory.

Result: Carr 1 Fante 1. As predicted Fante punches above his weight and Carr proves just a little too sporting.

Mr B's World Cup of Books: Day 2

Day 2 brought the World Cup fever to England, but before we took centre stage, up stepped Greece and South Korea.

Representing Greece for our version of things is one of their leading contemporary novelists Panos Karnezis with his latest translated release "The Convent" (set, confusingly, in a delapidated and remote convent in the Spanish sierra).

Up against him for South Korea, our first bit of slight cheating due to the difficulty of finding an actively translated South Korean novelist. We resorted instead to the excellent Korean-American novelist Chang Rae-Lee. Not his latest which is a little too chunky to devour during half-time breaks, but his 2005 novel, "Aloft".

Result: Rae-Lee 2 Karnezis - 0.

Next up. Argentina v. Nigeria. Four years ago we went with Borges to represent Argentina. But it seemed too obvious to repeat that now, plus we're trying to focus on really slim put-them-in-your-pocket-to-read-at-halftime novels. So this time around it's Adolfo Bioy-Casares with his psychological sci-fi classic "The Invention of Morel".

But he faced a toughie in his opening match. The undisputed champion of Nigerian literature, Chinua Achebe. To ring the changes slightly we steered clear of his masterpiece autobiographical fiction titles "Things Fall Apart" and "Never at Ease" and went for his Booker-prize shortlisted novel of African dictatorship and political upheaval, "Anthills of the Savannah".

Result: Casares 1 Achebe 0

Mr B's World Cup of Books:Day 1

The vuvuzelas blared, a continent united in joy, the World Cup finally reaches African soil, and as the dust settles, two key players line up in the tunnel for the first Mr B's World Cup of Books match-up:
For South Africa, a new literary light taking his place as South Africa's representative ahead of maestros such as Coetzee and Gordimer. Damon Galgut with "The Impostor"

And his opposition representing Mexico: Carlos Fuentes with his latest novel "Happy Families"

Result: Galgut-1, Fuentes-1


And batting for France Muriel Barbery with "The Gourmet" - a must read for any budding foodie centring around an eminent food critic who is desperate to pin down an elusive flavour...

Taking on the mighty Barbery is Juan Carlos Onetti from Uruguay with his novel "A Brief Life"

Result: Barbery-0 Onetii-0

Mr B's World Cup of Books

Four years ago Mr B's opened its doors, sorry "door" for the very first time. The country was in the midst of a baking hot June of World Cup fever.

We decided against displaying the same old football biographies and picture books and instead went for the far more complicated and approach of tracking down a great book from each of the nations competing in the World Cup. And thus the Mr B's World cup of Books was born.

AND NOW IT'S BACK 2010 STYLE

So here's the rub. We have identified a novel to represent each World Cup nation. For the most part they are wonderful novels written by natives of that nation. Occasionally (damn you Paraguay) we've had to be a bit more wishy-washy and choose something set in or about the country in question because a total lack of translated fiction from those countries.

Each day as their footballing counterparts do battle we'll be displaying the literary match up in our shop window. And all 32 World Cup of books titles are on display (not to mention for sale) upstairs in our bibliotherapy room.