Top 5 Books for August 2011
- Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
This offering from one of Japan’s finest writers is centered around the character of Sumire who is fighting off the affections of K, because she’s unknowingly drawn to Miu. After a business trip to France with Miu and a failed romance in Greece, a spurned Sumire disappears only to return to Japan and acquiesce to K’s advances. With Murakami at the helm this plot is obviously far more surreal than this summary suggests, but if you like blurred boundaries, secret sexualities and a hint of regret, you’ll like this read.
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami is published by Vintage (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- Tales From The Fast Trains by Tom Chesshyre
The publisher behind this book very kindly loaned out a free chunk of chapter one for this month’s book extract, but it’s so good that you guys are getting a review too. Tales From The Fast Trains is one man’s account of a lifestyle change brought about by a lack of love for airport security, hidden airline charges and jet lag. If you’ve ever been tempted to buy that inter-rail pass then this book about fast-tracking it to Lausanne, living it up in Rotterdam and travelling at an average of 200 miles per hour, will make a delightful addition to your bookshelf. The power cut in the Channel Tunnel is particularly entertaining.
Tales From The Fast Trains by Tom Chesshyre is published by Summersdale (paperback; £8.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- After Dark by Haruki Murakami
The second serving of Murakami in this month’s top five is a bite size treat and the 200 pages and bursting at the binding with the author’s trademark, surrealist magic. After Dark takes you to Tokyo when the sun goes down and the settings for so many of the author’s most amazing scenes - from previous novels. Late night jazz sessions, confessions over a steaming hot cup of coffee and the simple act of talking to a stranger are all brought to life in this book, with startling force. Not a great deal happens to the characters Mari or band member Takahashi, but their routine of waiting for the night is thoroughly enthralling all the same.
After Dark by Haruki Murakami is published by Vintage (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- The Secret History by Donna Tart
The first thing that struck me about The Secret History was the slight hint of Cruel Intentions flowing through the characters surrounding our main man, Richard. Running away from California and the cultural-poverty if his family, Richard embarks on an education at an Ivy League New England college, however there are a few surprises in store for him and they’re all related to the five eccentric students in his ancient Greek class. These guys have a secret and it’s a black hole of darkness, manipulation and fear that poor old Richard could never have seen coming. The New York Times got it spot on when they credited this as a mix of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Euripides Bacchae and The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis.
The Secret History by Donna Tart is published by Penguin (paperback; £8.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
I promise this is the last Murakami onslaught for a while but it’s a hell of a title to round off this month’s top five. As you may have gleamed from the title, this is a collection of consequences brought about by the disappearance of an elephant. There’s nothing ordinary about these consequences either and they include among other things, a hold up at McDonalds in response to major hunger pangs and a love affair with a little green monster. It’s escapism set within the finely described boundaries of everyday life and it’s amazing.
The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami is published by Vintage (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
- Rob Savage
