books of summer 2015.

I have had an unusual good reading summer. I read nine books in July, and two on my four day long Glaswegian holiday. I had planned to write a post for each book, but I have been struggling with one post for weeks; so I’m going to sum up my summer reading quickly, which is somewhat a shame as some of these books has deserved a post of its own. Oh well.

Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin (2012)

Tags: young adult fiction, usa, queer, love, state of the nation, historical novels,

What is it about: A young girl spends the summer at a lake resort in Minnesota to escape a possible polio outbreak and her father’s ptsd. Away from her mother’s watchful eyes she is able to do birdwatching the way she wants, and then she finds love – forbidden love.

What’s the verdict:  As a book for teenagers, it’s probably good. For me, it was either too many things put into one book or not detailed enough. And all the birdlike observation became too much.

Alamut by Vladimir Bartol (1936)
 Tags: slovenia, historical novels, 1001 books, war and travel, not impressed, state of the nation,

What is it about: Sayyiduna is the religious leader for the Ismailis in the fortress of Alamut. In order to make his soldiers obey him, he decides to give them a taste of paradise with the help of drugs and a garden filled with beautiful girls, food and drinks.

What’s the verdict: I was really into the book for the first few chapter, then it downhill from there. Too much religious philosophy for my liking. Maybe I would have paid more attention if I had known that Alamut and Sayyiduna were real.  I think I’ll blame the reader and not the book.

the Crossing (1994) and Cities of the Plain (1996) by Cormac McCarthy
 Tags: usa, war and travel, state of the nation, books you should read

What is it about: The second and third books in the Border trilogy. Cowboys and horses crossing the Mexican border in the early 1940s.

What’s the verdict: As in all previous McCarthy books I’ve read, violence is ever present and I always feel covered in at least one layer of dirt while I read his novels. The Border trilogy is a great read.

Morvern Callar by Alan Warner (1995)
 Tags: uk, sex drugs and rock’nroll, books you should read, war and travel, family and self, crime and mystery, books into films, 1001 books

What is it about: When Morvern comes home from work and finds her boyfriend dead on the floor, what does she do? Call the police? Nope, she goes out, gets drunk and have a threesome (possible a foursome).

What’s the verdict: I loved it! Morvern is a real quirky character and although her actions aren’t really explained, it is interesting to follow her around in the small Scottish village and on crazy package holidays. The only thing I really didn’t really like was the ending, so I was happy to discover that there’s a sequel, which has of course entered my wish list.

the Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota (2015)
Tags: man booker prize, uk, war and travel, family and self, books you should read, state of the nation

What is it about: Illegal and legal Sikh immigrants to United Kingdom. The reasons why they decided to leave India and how they make a living in the UK.

What’s the verdict: Another great novel set in India. If you like Indian writers, this is right up your ally. And the topic is really important right now. Another author I’m glad to have discovered.

Summer’s over and I’m glad I got to read as much as I did, but I’m still 3 books behind schedule on my 50 books a year challenge at Goodreads.  Right now I’m reading 3 heavy books at the same time (Moby Dick, A Brief History of Seven Killings and Jazz) and it feels like I’ll never finish any of them. Still I don’t want to give up on them as they are all good, they are just heavy and slow. I guess I have to be patient and take the time.