Cris' picks

Hello, hello!

This is where I'll be posting some of the books on my reading list, and if you like the sound of them, we could read them together I might also be posting books I've already read and loved, maybe you'll feel inspired

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Pick no. 1: (to read)
"Bringing Down the House" by Ben Mezrich
Do you know the movie "21"? It is made after this book, and I honestly liked the plot of the movie - a story based on real happenings: six mathematically skilled MIT students who win great sums at Blackjack in Las Vegas thanks to their ability to count cards. After watching the movie, I've felt like I want to know a bit more, so I've ordered the book, it's due to be ready for pick up at the bookshop any day now, woohooo!

Pick no. 2: (read)
"Wartime Lies" by Louis Begley
I've only just finished this book (ok, still got like 5 pages to go, no difference xD) and I loved it. Well, not the type of mad "OMGSQUEEE" love, since it's a pretty difficult topic. It's a partly autobiographic story about a Jewish family - most of the plot concentrates on the boy, Maciek, and his aunt Tanya - and they're life in Poland (mostly Warsaw, though) during World War 2. The whole story (except for the last chapter) is told from the boy's point of view, who is aged 6 at the beginning of the war, and it's all about how they survive it with the help of false identities and lies. The writing is fluent and easy to read, and the atmosphere is very credible, and with a lot of tension. My attention towards this book has originally been drawn by our history teacher, who read us an extract of it in class, to give us a feeling about the Warsaw Uprising (August to September 1944), and as I already had it at home by pure accident, I decided it was high time to put it onto my reading list. As you might expect from a book with such a topic, it has some drastic scenes, but they are not the main focus. I can recommend this to anyone with all my heart, be it just as a kind of historic document.

Pick no. 3: (read)
"The Clown" by Heinrich Boell
It might seem weid that I choose this, since it's the very book I've made a presentation about in German calls this year ... alas... xD
The plot is set in the 60s, in West Germany, and the actual plot spreads over just 3 hours, with not much action. *However*, this is not to say the book isn't captivating - it tells the story of the clown by profession Hans Schnier, who has recently lost his job and girlfriend and returns to his home in Cologne, where he calls various people - family, friends, acquaintances. I won't say much more, except: read it, it's an interesting story about a man rejected by society and an insightful glance into that society.

Picks no. 4, 5, 6: (read)
"Witches Abroad"
"Equal Rites"
"Wyrd Sisters" - all by Terry Pratchett
(to read): more Discworld books
Honestly some of the funniest books I've ever read - I couldn't decided which one to pick, so I just went with all three of them! XD They're from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett and if you don't know Discworld books yet, I suggest you buy one right NOW! - they can be read in random order. It's a madly funny and illogical fantastic world that's described there, with a lot of wit and irony and one or more of these books catch your attention, too, I suggest we read them together!