Sep 8
We have officially moved into the second half of the long list with this next review. Thus far, we’ve only had two real standouts: A Little Life (reviewed by Jen) and The Illuminations (reviewed by Book Worm). Find out if this next one makes the cut. Read more
Sep 7
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré
Published in: 1963
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by: Jen
Find it/buy it here:The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
I don’t typically go in for spy novels because I usually find them overly dramatic with unbelievable plot lines and extensive use of deus ex machinas (one of my literary pet peeves). However, I’ve been wanting to read a book by John Le Carré for a long time, despite the fact that I fell asleep several times while trying to watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (I won’t judge the book by the movie). He has three books on the 1001 Books to Read Before you Die list and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is one of them.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. It was the opposite of all the stereotypes I have about spy novels. Grahame Greene referred to the novel as the “best spy novel I have ever read” and that is definitely true for me (although as I previously admitted, I don’t read many of them).
Alec Leamas who has been stationed in West Germany, is called back to London after the last agent under his command is killed. Leamas returns to England thinking that he will finally be able to “come in from the cold” but when he returns he learns that “control” has other plans for him. Leamas is asked to go on one last mission to help bring down the head of East German Intelligence – the man considered responsible for killing all of Leamas’s agents. What subsequently ensues is a plot filled with twists and turns, yet one entirely believable based on intellectual manipulation rather than action-driven stunt scenes.
Le Carré (born David John Moore Cornwell) was a member of the British Foreign Service from 1959-1964 and described himself as “a writer who, when I was very young, spent a few ineffectual but extremely formative years in British Intelligence.” His background explains why the novel felt so genuine and real — because he was immersed in that life. There are no heroes in this story –No 007 types who save the day attempting a million death defying feats without breaking a sweat with capturing the hearts of busty femme fatales. Leamas is a flawed man who is talented at what he does, but who is entirely human. The lines between good guys and bad guys is blurred if not non-existent. It’s an intelligent story that seems to capture how I imagine really espionage work would be when not scripted by Hollywood.
Want to try if for yourself? You can find it here: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any other recommendations for spy novels?
Sep 6
It’s time for a Summer Challenge update! In each update, we will give an honorable mention to the reader who posts our favorite book-location pairing since time of last update. Keep reading to find out who is in the lead and to get some ideas for your book locations. Read more
Sep 4
Next up in attempt to make our way through the 2015 Man Book Longlist books is O’Hagan’s The Illuminations. Keep reading to see if it is a contender for our shortlist. Read more
Sep 1
Have you ever noticed how some books seem to drive a wedge between people? You check the reviews and find almost no middle-of-the-road ratings. Instead people either seem to love it or hate it. Welcome to the Love it or Hate it post! Each month, we’ll pick one book to review and two contributors will battle it out to convince you to pick it up or throw it out. Last month we discussed American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. The results were close with the “Love its” taking 61%. Many thanks to our reviewers. Nicole D. was our Love it Reviewer and Sashinka was our Hate it Reviewer.
This month’s selection is also on Boxall’s 1001 List of Books to Read Before you Die and Jonathan Franzen, the often controversial author, is out with a new book today! So the question is… do you Love it or Hate it? Continue reading to find see our two reviews. Make sure to vote in our poll at the bottom of the post even if you haven’t read it. Read more
Aug 31
It’s time for our monthly recap! Find out which books were favorites, which were duds, and which ones we plan to read the following month. We’ll end our wrap up with a calendar of book-related events/facts from the Month of August and we’ll highlight our upcoming September content. We’ve also added a list of upcoming book releases for September (scroll to the end for the list).
This month, one randomly selected follower (email or wordpress follower) will win a $10 amazon gift card. Scroll down to see if you are the winner. The prize is only awarded if you contact us with your email address so make sure to check these monthly recaps each month to see if you won! We also want to hear from you so let us know what you read in August and what you look forward to reading in September.
It’s time for a Summer Challenge update! In each update, we will give an honorable mention to the reader who posts our favorite book-location pairing since time of last update. Keep reading to find out who is in the lead, what the prizes will be, and to get some ideas for your book locations. Read more
Aug 28
Next up in on our long list reads is Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread. Find out what I thought about it and where it ranks. Read more
Aug 27
Heather Blazing by Colm Tóibín
Published: 1992
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Jen
Format: Audio narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds
Find it/buy it here: The Heather Blazing
I think Colm Tóibín may be on his way to become one of my new favorite authors. There is something about his writing style that I find very comforting and beautiful. I first discovered him while working my way through the 1001 Books to Read Before you Die list. I loved The Master — a fictionalized portrait of Henry James that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2004. I became equally enamored with my latest selection: Heather Blazing. Read more
Aug 26
Book Worm is breezing through the Longlist books and will have more reviews to come soon. Next up is a book I recently finished: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Keep reading to find out what I thought and where it ranks among the 2015 longlist books we have read thus far. Read more
Nicole Del Sesto
The Reader's Room 