Tag Archives: Read-along

Bookish Talk

Announcing the ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ Read Along

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Something Wicked This Way Comes button

This is what happens when you talk-up scary books on social media. A read along is born! Sandy and I were talking about our Summer of King reads and scary books in general and somehow this book came up. I think I was looking up the scariest reads ever and Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes was on the list. I remember jotting down a few others as well but this one, this one I have NEVER read.

When I read the blurb for the book I immediate saw, small town, a carnival/circus like setting,  Halloween Eve and thought…YESSSSSS. Plus, for you busy folks, it’s a short read. (300 pages give or take depending on what version you pick-up).

Details:

-Hosted by Ti (Book Chatter) and Sandy (You’ve Gotta Read This!)

-The read along begins on October 1, 2014 and ends on October 31, 2014 (Halloween, muahahaha!)

-This read along will take place mostly on Twitter using the hashtag #EnterTheRingmaster. Use the hashtag to share your thoughts while reading. Search for that hashtag on Twitter to see what readers are saying.

-The book is short and broken down into three sections but with my Kindle version I don’t have page numbers so for those who want structure, here are some guidelines:

  • Finish Section 1 (Chapters 1-24) by Friday, October 10th
  • Finish Section 2 (Chapters 25-44) by Friday, October 24th
  • Finish Section 3 (Chapters 45-54) by Friday, October 31st

-On each of those dates, I will try to post a little update on the blog for anyone who’d rather chat there.

Sound like fun? I believe the book cover is being redesigned, at least, all of his other books have been redesigned so give yourself some time to either buy a copy or order it from the library so that you will have it for October. Right now, the Kindle version is very reasonable.

Sign-ups

If you have a blog, click on Mr. Linky below, otherwise just leave me a comment.

Book Review

Review: Sputnik Sweetheart

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Sputnik Sweetheart

Sputnik Sweetheart
By Haruki Murakami
(Vintage Books, Paperback, 9780099448471, 2006, 224pp.)

The Short of It:

In true Murakami fashion, all of the elements are here. A love triangle, a mysterious protagonist known only as K, a beautiful setting and buckets of ennui.

The Rest of It:

It’s no secret how much I love Murakami but this book seemed the most balanced to me. The characters are strange and deep, in the way they usually are but not overly so and the conflict presented, happens to be something any reader can relate to.

Sumire, is this deep, untouchable writer-type who has the talent to write, but can’t seem to effectively gather her thoughts into anything more than just a few words on a page. She’s frustrated and shares her angst with her male friend, known only as K. He sees her potential but at the same time is blinded by his passion for her. Sumire is not interested in K as a lover. Instead, she meets an older woman by the name of Miu, and falls in love with her. Miu shares a very special friendship with Sumire, but does not want to be her lover. This rejection, throws Sumire into a deep well of despair and when Sumire goes missing while vacationing with Miu in Greece, Miu calls K to help find her.

So. Much. Angst. Oh, how I love angst!

These characters are torn between love and passion. They love each other and have passion for one another but the feeling is not mutual. As hard as this is for K, his concern over Sumire outweighs his frustration over the situation. He drops everything to find Sumire and in the process, realizes that some alternate universe exists and that the world as he knows it, will never be the same.

The beauty of this book is the writing itself. It’s delicate. Like taking tiny, measured tastes of a delicious pastry. So many people ask me which Murakami to read first. I am always torn because it really depends on your mood at the time, your tolerance for ennui and angst, etc. But this one would be great for anyone wanting to give Murakami a try. His books can be sexually explicit, but this was tame in comparison and the tone, mild.

Out of all of his books, this is one of my faves. I read this with a couple of other readers for #readingsputnik and it was just what I needed to jolt me out of the reading rut I was in.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.