Tag: Fiction

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

Title: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Author: Robert M. Pirsig
# Pages: 404
Published: April 1974
Rating: 5 stars

I decided to make this my first read of the year after I had to put it aside a year or so ago. It is one of my brother’s favorites, and we have similar reading tastes, so I figured I had to give it another go.

Pirsig uses a first-person narrator to tell the story of a father and son and their summer motorcycle trip across the Northwestern United States. The father contemplates his relationship with his son while they drive, which leads him to a comparison of motorcycle maintenance and science, religion, and philosophy.

This is a brilliant book, one I will definitely read again. It not only made me want to get a motorcycle and take my own trip; it also made me want to learn more about philosophy and re-evaluate my own ideas about life.

Favorite Quotes:

We’re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone.

You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it’s going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it’s always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.

The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.

The Memory Box

Title: The Memory Box
Author: Eva Lesko Natiello
# Pages: 288
Published: 2014
Rating: 4 stars

The Memory Box is Natiello’s first novel. She studied psychology at The State University of New York at Albany, and her insights into the human mind and character allowed her to write an incredible psychological thriller. I couldn’t put it down, and by the end I think I might have had more questions than answers! This is a great book for a book club since it will allow for lively and thrilling discussions. 

The novel begins with a group of soccer moms who, in typical mean girls’ style, spend their spare time Googling each other trying to find out the biggest dirt. Caroline, one of the moms, decides to Google herself to make sure there isn’t anything the other moms can use on her. What she finds is completely unexpected–her twin sister, who she’s sure she just spoke with, died several years prior. How does one forget the death of a twin? The more she digs, the more unbelievable information she finds, and the reader follows her in her journey to discover reality in a world that has been turned completely upside down. 

Caroline’s journey is centered around the loss of her sister and what that loss means. As a twin, I could not comprehend how someone could forget that their womb-mate has died! How much does her husband know? Where are her parents? Why does she think she has regular conversations with someone who is no longer living? How can her entire life be a lie? Read this book to (maybe) discover the answers to these questions and many more!

Favorite Quotes:

“It’s impossible to un-know a secret. Once you know it, you own it. It can’t be returned like a borrowed book. Or burned like a love letter. The click of a mouse won’t delete it from the conscious mind. It’ll stick to the walls of your memory like dried oatmeal to a dish. The secrets you wish you never knew become a burden to lug.”

“[T]he emotional scars of children can take a lifetime to heal. If they do at all.”

The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings

Title: The Way of Kings, Book 1 of The Stormlight Archives
Author: Brandon Sanderson
# Pages: 1007
Published: 2010
Rating: 5 stars

In  The Way of Kings, Sanderson introduces the reader to Roshar, a land only recently brought under the rule of a single king. An assassin who can walk on walls and ceilings kills the king who brought about the kingdom’s unification, so the king’s son and the king’s brother lead the kingdom in war against those responsible for the king’s death.

The war takes place on the chasms, a desert-type terrain that has large ravines that require bridges to cross. The armies aren’t able to make their way across the desert, because enormous storms tear through the land every few days, so they stay in camps and race to fight against the other side as often as possible. 

In Roshar, the men do not learn to read, and their highest form of honor comes from being warriors.  Women are their scribes, as well as the scientists and engineers that create new technology. A person’s worth is measured by the lightness or darkness of his or her eyes. Plants pull away when they’re approached by humans. Carriages are pulled by things that sound a bit like crabs. 

This book tells the stories of the king’s brother, Brightlord Dalinar, and his son, Adolin; the king’s daughter, Jasnah; a young warrior, Kaladin; and a young women trying to save her family, Shallan. 

Favorite Quotes:

“Sometimes the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.”

“To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.”

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
# Pages: 507
Published: 1847
Rating: 4 stars

Jane Eyre was the first novel published by Charlotte Bronte, and it was originally published under Bronte’s pen name, Currer Bell. Charlotte Bronte was a member of a very creative and literary family–she and her sisters published a book of poems in 1846, and by the end of 1847 both of Charlotte’s sisters also had novels published. 

The story is of Jane, is a poor orphan being raised in the home of her late uncle.  Since her uncle has died, she is the responsibility of her aunt who clearly has no love for her niece.  Her cousins are mean to her while they grow up, and they ridicule and look down on her due to her position as a poor orphan. Jane is eventually sent away to boarding school, where the conditions are deplorable but, as happens in so many good stories, she meets a wonderful friend and a wonderful mentor.  Bronte patterned the boarding school after one that her two older sisters attended, both of whom passes away as children because of illnesses contracted at the school.

After boarding school, Jane decides to move on with her life and finds a position as a governess. She finds happiness there and enjoys teaching, spending time with her student, and speaking with her master, Mr. Rochester.  There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, though it ends up pretty much the way you would expect it to.

One of the defining features of Jane Eyre is the Gothic theme that runs throughout the story. From ghosts to secret rooms, Bronte gives the reader everything a Gothic fan could hope for. It’s also fraught with symbolism, which makes it fun for people who like to dissect their literature. 

Favorite Quotes:

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” 

“I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.” 

“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”

“I would always rather be happy than dignified”

A Game for All the Family

A Game for All the Family: A Novel

Title: A Game for All the Family
Author: Sophie Hannah
# Pages: 433 
Published: 2015 in the U.K., 2017 in the U.S. 
Rating: 3 1/2 stars 

This is the first novel by Sophie Hannah that I’ve read, and to be honest, I only read it because it was chosen for one of my book clubs. Hannah is master of the psychological thriller, and she has earned numerous awards for her works. Her books have been published in 49 countries, which allows readers all over the world to enter her slightly twisted narratives.

At the beginning of A Game for All the Family, Janice Merrison has just fled London with her family in search of a calmer, relaxed life. She had nearly gone crazy in a high-paced, high-stress career, and she is looking forward to doing as little as possible each day. The Merrison’s now live in a beautiful country manor in Devon. It seems perfect in every way. 

One day, Janice gets a call that changes everything. Someone who seems to know her says she and her family need to leave the house immediately. Ellen, Janice’s daughter, is suddenly completely different. Ellen starts talking about a friend the school adamantly states doesn’t exist, and she is writing detailed stories about a murder that took place in the Merrison’s new home. Janice’s languid days full of nothing turn into days of frantic research and discovery as Janice does everything she can to save her family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I’m glad it was chosen by my book club so I could be exposed to Sophie Hannah and her twisted imagination. I couldn’t put it down, and though I did guess some of the turns the story would take, there were many I never saw coming. The ending took me completely by surprise, and I found myself sitting there for several minutes thinking “what in the world just happened.” That’s how you always want to feel after a psychological thriller, right?

Favorite Quotes

If there’s an aspect of your life that’s making you unhappy and you can escape from it, why wait?

Worries are pack animals as well as cowards: too flimsy and insubstantial to do much damage alone, they signal for backup. Pretty soon there’s a whole gang of them circling you and you can’t push your way out.