The Plane Ride Home with Lemony Snicket

Book: Who Could That be at This Hour
Author: Lemony Snicket
Method: Gift (Matt)
Where: On the plane home from Cancun

I remember receiving the first two books in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events novels.  I loved the whole series (although I never finished it).  They started when I was about 10 or 11, and I read them until I was 19 or so.  I just adored his style of writing and the depressing absurdity in his novels, so when my brother got me this book for christmas, I was so excited to read it.  It was a total nostalgia trip, because Snicket's writing is very stylized and ridiculous, but very enjoyable.
Snicket has mentioned in interviews about people like me who have been fans for years now, and are all grown up, but still reading and loving his novels.  This book made me feel like I was a little kid again, devouring the Series of Unfortunate Events and loving all the twists and turns and crazy characters and staying up until 2am (the scandal) reading and reading and reading and reading.

although now I need crazy intense glasses.  Kids- when mum says 'lights out', don't destroy your eyes reading under the covers.  Although its totally worth it.

xoxo
ellebee

Christmas in Mexico Pt 5 of 5

Book: Norwegian Wood
Author: Haruki Murakami
Method: Borrowed (Matt)
Where: In my hotel room, finished just as my family had left to go get pre dinner drinks

This may have been my favourite book that I read on this trip, but thats hard to say because I loved lots of them.  This book just got right inside me, grabbed my heart and gave it a good twist.  The end of the book was so difficult and sad I remember running to meet my family after I finished it, because I felt like if I didn't get with people I was going to break down and cry.  Its not that its conventionally sad though, its just kind of heart breaking.
Murakami manages to create these characters that are so alive and so real that I felt like I knew these characters after I finished this book.  I also wanted to read more of Murakami's work, although I have read that this is his 'deviation' into linear fiction and that his most famous works, Kafka on the Shore and Wind Up Bird Chronicles are much more obtuse.
I did feel strange that this was the second Beatles influenced book, and second Beatles influenced book that takes place in Japan.  But this and Number9Dream look at Japan from very different sides, and the authors have very different language.
Norwegian Wood is also the kind of book that you just want to read again right away because you can't bear that its over.

xoxo
ellebee