Missy by Chris Hannan

Book cover taken from Amazon

I think many of us would find a kindred spirit in Dol McQueen. The back cover describes her as a prostitute with an addiction to opium.  She sounds almost exotic and I expected to see a story outside the realm of ordinary. Instead, Dol’s story is of an ordinary human being who loves, hopes, disappoints and get disappointed. From the beginning on the story, we get the sense that Dol is desperate for recognition that she is someone, despite her seemingly jaded outlook on others.  The thought that occupies Dol’s mind is always the wellbeing of her difficult mother who shares the same trade.  Despite appearing to hold on to her current existence, Dol has a dream that she wishes to come true with her mother at her side.  Dol struggles, alongside her addiction to opium to live her life, to keep those important to her by her side. She had to deal with the pull of the heart and mind, affection and reason, hopes and disappointment and regrets. Her story is one told with wit and brilliant play of language that conjures up vivid images and emotions. Hers is such a human experience that colours the myriad of rhymes and reasons for human choices and deeds.  She might be an antihero, nevertheless she is a heroine that would hold your hand in the contemplation of the flaws and struggles that partly define our humanity. A quote from the final pages of Missy;

You always suppose you’re the heroine in the story of your life; the day you discover you’re the monster, it’s apt to come as a surprise.

Three new books for the reading corner that I'm planning to set up at home. Those who read together, thinks together. You get the idea 😊. More things to talk about when you read together right? I picked these thin and very easy to read books so that reading wouldn't be a chore. I hope my reading corner will be popular in the house. 

Mixed Feelings

There should have been more books written about in this blog. To what purpose, you might ask. For me, it is just so that I could remember what a book has made me felt or the lessons it gave me.

Someone very close to me, a few times said, you're reading useless books. Even a colleague once thrashed fiction as useless and not worth his time reading. I was a bit hurt at that time but I said nothing but just gave him a smile and a small 'I see'.

At times, I do doubt myself. I have been shying a way a bit from reading these past few years, as I suspect that I may have used it as a form of escape or a refuge from my problems. Don't worry, I haven't stopped reading but I read much less now. 

I am a bit embarrassed to say that even when reading much less, this week I have finished rereading 3 books. All fiction, two by American authors and another by a Spanish author. I consciously try not to get new books, as reading them would require much more concentration.

Perhaps it's weird that I would reread books but I think it's the same as watching our favourite movies again and again.

Back to escapism, it's true that reading a book is much easier than writing about them. A thoughtful entry in this blog would have taken much of my time and effort. I just prefer to breeze through them and let them take me on an adventure.

Sometimes I think those around me interpret this as I am not interested to mingle or communicate with them. The truth is, when I am engrossed in a book, I tend to forget my surroundings and everyone around me.

That someone close to me had even scoffed at reading in general and even writing, I suspect more as a reaction to me reading too much than a real dislike for reading. I caught them someone working really hard to edit someone's writing and read tons of reading material to help another person with their thesis. 

I am slightly disappointed that we could not read together, or at least talk about the things we read. It's quite sad to see someone pretending to dislike reading just to discourage me?

The lack of storage space have also forced me to buy more ebooks than physical ones. I still much prefer real books though. 

This sums up my reading habits, for now. Just felt the need to let it all out. Will write again soon if I am able to beat that procrastination monster in me.

Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

The Lincoln Lawyer

I got this book from a used book sale. I am a fan of John Grisham so it is not difficult to pick up this book.

The title is intriguing enough and very literal. It's because the main character owns several Lincoln cars, which is prestigious enough during the time the novel is set.

Mickey Haller is a very lovable character despite all his flaws. As his ex-wife put it, its an incredible feat of his, for him to be loved by all his two ex-wives and daughters.

He was a cynical defense attorney who have long abandoned the notion of an innocent client. He encountered a pure evil in the form of a new client whom he initially thought possibly innocent.

He is portrayed as very human with foibles and weaknesses but never shying from his responsibilities and his principles. Despite his weaknesses, he formed more than just working relationships with the people he worked with. 

He struggled to make sure a man he knows is guilty is punished and at the same time free an innocent man he persuaded to plead guilty. Through cunning and his resources as a successful  defense lawyer, justice is finally served, though at a very hefty price. 

A good read for a glimpse into the life of a criminal defense lawyer. 

Memory Man by David Baldacci

Sometimes I wished that my memory would never fail me. Amos Decker is a man with perfect memory.

I was drawn by that premise, how does a man with perfect memory track down the killers of his family? The perfect memory an acquired gift, he is a savant born in adulthood.

Turns out it wasn't easy. As we know, memories can have a funny way of tricking us into believing a distorted reality. Amos Decker could not escape this. Whatever we believe to be true is always viewed through our own tinted lense.

Amos was led through a goose chase with lots of red herrings. He did came out in top (relatively) but not unscathed. I could not guess who the real villain is so you're in for a treat if you love mystery and a lone wolf kind of hero.

This Is Not A Game TINAG

TINAG by Walter Jon Williams

The novel portrays a very believable world of gaming development and seamlessly tells the story of how technology and the smarts of the geeks could have impacted the rest of the world.

It began with the protagonist, a game writer, being trapped in anarchist Jakarta after an economic meltdown. She was just returning from a trip that involved a huge scale ARG (alternate reality game) based in Bangalore. Every attempt to rescue her failed, and each time she was informed about it through her satellite phone. Which makes us wonder if everything was just a huge set up to put the game writer as a player in one of a game like the ones she wrote. In the end, she was rescued by the collective efforts of gamers who played her previous games, via discussion on forums and them asking help from real people that they know.

It was a good start for the rest of the novel, as it provides the reader a miniature of whats happening in the rest of the story. It helps the reader grasp the concept of ARG and its possibilities, and it charts the plot of the novel.

This novel is a thought provoking novel. It entertains the what ifs of the techno-savvy gaming world. Many instances in the novel, the characters are confused whether an event belongs in the make believe world of the game or to the real world. Often, the decisions they take as a result of this misunderstanding, impacted the real world and moved the story along. The technocrats in the story, although were portrayed as very intelligent and belonging to a class of their own, are prone to mistakes and follies as ordinary human beings. Just that theirs has bigger consequences.

Although I sound so like a noob in the above paragraphs, I would still recommend this novel to those who loves a story with smarts. It is a well researched and thoughtful novel. It is as if you are looking through the eyes of a technocrat themselves, not only tech-savvy but very learned and cultured. It is a thriller with brains that is unputdownable.

Jack Reacher

For those who had watched One Shot, I'm sure that you found it very enjoyable. The first Lee Child book that I read was during my college years, a dog eared paperback that I bought from a used bookstore. I fell in love with Jack Reacher right away. The reviews say women wants him, men envy him.

Jack Reacher is someone who put wrongs to rights. He is a modern nomad who doesn't own anything but a toothbrush and the clothes on his back. He traverse the US like a tourist of sort, experiencing the home that he never had the opportunity to live in during his childhood and his illustrious military career. He travels by road, walks, hitchhikes steps on and off buses. Somehow, he always gets involved in one thing or another.

He is the embodiment of justice, meting it out using his powers of deduction, luck and sheer physical strength. That is why Tom Cruise is a really bad casting choice to play Reacher. In the 20 or so Reacher novels, he is described as a 'gorilla', with hands like 'frozen turkey and 'the size of dinner plates'. Often, he had to unbutton first few buttons, so that the shirt fits him. He towers above the crowd, at the same time inconspicuous. A 220 pound man, ripped from shovelling 4 tons of earth a day. So, you can imagine why Tom Cruise is not the right man to play Jack Reacher.

I consider this post a tribute to the character Jack Reacher, whom I admire and enjoy reading about very much. The film One Shot should give you an idea of who Jack Reacher is and those who enjoy smart thrillers would enjoy the rest of the Reacher books.