Rabbit, Run

Original Title: Rabbit, Run (Rabbit Angstrom, #1)

English Title: Rabbit, Run (Rabbit Angstrom, #1)
Turkish Title: Tavşan Kaç (Rabbit Angstrom, #1)
Author: John Updike
Pages: 396
My Rating: 2/5
When I was reading this book...: ... I kept trying to figure out why I wanted to read this book at the first place.

WHY THIS BOOK?
Honestly, I don't know. Maybe because it was listed as a classic in many different lists. Maybe because it was an award-winning book. Maybe because it was one of 1001 books you should read before you die. Maybe because it was banned.

THE STORY:
It is the story of Harry Angstrom (Rabbit) who runs from one unpleasant situation to another, ruining the lives of those he lives behind. He tries to straighten out, but his despair keeps overwhelming him. So he runs, over and over. In short, it is the story of Rabbit is a sociopath, a user of people, a loner who deep down doesn't really believe other people exist in the same sense that he himself exists.

MY COMMENTS:
I, sincerely, do not understand why this book is a classic, why it is chosen as one of 1001 books, why it was awarded so many times. I was really annoyed with the main character and I couldn't find a way to relate with him at all. Many reviewers claim that  John Updike created such a sociopath that any reader can at least partially understand. Well, I don't. I remember myself getting really annoyed and pissed off when I was reading "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger but I liked that book. This one was a failure though.

None of the characters, including Rabbit himself, make sense out of his or her existence at some point in time in the book. Rabbit is never once grounded. All his longing is for the past,or for some immediate temporal gratification in the present. Rabbit's wife, Janice, likewise has no moment that makes sense to her in the overall scheme of things. The same is true of Ruth Leonard, the prostitute. And over against her, is the Reverend Jack Eccles, who would heal Rabbit, but in the end is as confused as anybody else in the novel. Believe me, even summarizing all these is boring itself.

It's a depressing, embarrassing, provoking and sadly, realistic book. That's why it managed to get 2 stars from me instead of 1.

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:
It was my first (and probably last) John Updike novel so I can count it for New Author Challenge.
At least the book title was useful so I can count this book for What An Animal Reading Challenge.
After I bought the book, I saw some negative reviews and decided to include it a book about which I've heard bad things for Semi-Charmed Kind of Life's Summer 2012 Book Challenge.
It is also in my list for The Classics Club.

Jane Eyre

Kitabın Adı: Jane Eyre

Orijinal Adı: Jane Eyre

Yazar: Charlotte Bronte

Sayfa Sayısı: 480

Değerlendirmem: 4/5
Ben bu kitabı okurken...: ... Hafta sonu tatilinde İzmir'e gidip geldim.

NEDEN BU KİTAP?
Geçen sene kızkardeşimin önerisiyle Emily Bronte'den Rüzgarlı Tepe (Uğultulu Tepeler diye de bilinir) okuyup beğenince, kardeşim Jane Eyre'i okuyup okumadığımı sormuştu. Kendisi de o sırada Bilkent D&R'da çalışıyordu part time. Jane Eyre'i okumadığımı öğrenince de bana bu kitabı hediye etmişti.

KONUSU:
Halası tarafından büyütülmek istenmeyen öksüz ve yetim Jane Eyre genç yaşta dini bir yatılı okula yerleştirilir. Yatılı okuldaki hayat şartları hiç de kolay değildir ama genç Jane elinden geldiğince kurallara uymayı başarır. 18 yaşına geldiğinde ise okuldan ayrılır. Edward Rochester'ın evinde Edward'ın kızının öğretmeni olarak çalışmaya ve yaşamaya başlar. Edward ve Jane arasındaki ciddi yaş farkına rağmen birbirlerine aşık olurlar. Sonrasında ise evlenmeye karar verirler. Düğün gününde Jane Edward ile ilgili can acıtıcı bir sırrı öğrenir. Jane'in bu sırrı öğrenmesi ikisinin de hayatını değiştirir.

Jane ve Edward arasında sonrasında neler olduğunu öğrenmek istiyorsanız kitabı okumanız gerekiyor.

DEĞERLENDİRMEM:
Kitabın başlarında sıkılacağımı düşünmüştüm ama hiç de beklediğim gibi olmadı. Her ne kadar Jane'in hayatında olanların büyük kısmı ve Jane'in genel ruh hali kitap boyunca bende bir şeylere müdahale etmem gerektiği ihtiyacını yaratsa da 5 günde kitabı okuyuverdim. Kitabı bitirdikten sonra da okurken yaptıkları beni rahatsız etmiş olsa da hem Jane hem de Edward karakterlerini sevdiğimi fark ettim.

Kitapta hoşuma giden bir başka unsur da kitap boyunca Bronte'nin yazdığı dönemin yazarlarından ve kitaplarından satır aralarında bahsetmesi oldu.

Jane Eyre esasen otobiyografik bir roman. Charlotte Bronte kendi yaşam öyküsünden hareketle romanı yazmış ama benim naçizane tavsiyem Charlotte Bronte'nin yaşam öyküsü kitabı okumadan önce kesinlikle okumamanız. Benim okuduğum versiyon yukarıda kapak resmini de gördüğünüz Antik Yayınları'ndan çıkan versiyon ve kitabın başında Charlotte Bronte'nin yaşam öyküsü var. Ben romana başlamadan okumuş bulundum. Aman siz yapmayın!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Original Title: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Turkish Title: Otostopçunun Galaksi Rehberi
English Title: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Pages: 246
My Rating: 4/5
While I was reading this book…: … I was asked if I was reading the Quran.

WHY THIS BOOK?
Being a late comer to the great world of sci-fi literature, it’s been a must-read book for me for quite some time. I bought the whole series long ago but I didn’t started reading it. Thanks to a book challenge, I read it finally.

THE STORY:
It is the story of Arthur Dent who ends up leaving the Earth seconds before the Earth is demolished. Of course, Arthur didn’t do on his own. Ford Prefect, an outsider who happened to be in Earth at the time to make research for the latest edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, helps him. Arthur and Ford start an adventurous journey through the galaxy. They come across many interesting characters, like two-headed, three-armed Zaphod Beeblebrox, Zaphod’s girlfriend, Trillian, Marvin (the most depressed android ever). If you want to learn about why we die or why we are born, you should read this book.

MY COMMENTS:
It is the funniest, most enjoyable sci-fi book I read till now. It’s a classic and one of 1001 books you should read before you die. It was a perfect summer read for me. I laughed quite a lot throughout the book even though I was reading the Turkish translation. Douglas Adams wrote such a masterpiece that not even a tiny bit of laughter gets lost in translation.

I ended up reading this book as it was published in the year I was born: 1979. I loved the dose of sci-fi content. I liked the sarcasm. From time to time, I got a bit disconnected with some of the characters but it wasn’t a big deal as I quickly found my way. I loved the android with manic depression. Wouldn’t you like it?

It was nice to get away from the regular plots I have been reading lately. It was a nice summer refreshment. An entertaining book I recommend to all (even those who think they wouldn’t like sci-fi).

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:
It was my first Douglas Adams novel so I can count it for New Author Challenge.
This was one of the books I picked up as time travel for WFTM Science Fiction Reader Challenge.
I chose this book for Semi-Charmed Summer 2012 Book Challenge as “a book written in the year I was born”
This book was also in my list for The Classics Club.

A Clockwork Orange

Original Title: A Clockwork Orange
Turkish Title: Otomatik Portakal
English Title: A Clockwork Orange
Author: Anthony Burgess
Pages: 168
My Rating: 5/5

WHY THIS BOOK?
Because it is one of those books that make me think: “Everyone has read this book but me…”

THE STORY:
It is the story of a teenager becoming an adult in a futuristic, criminal world. The teenager, Alex is the lead “droog” in his gang. Alex and his gang do anything violent one can think of ranging from beating people up to killing them, from raping to robbing, etc. Alex and his droogs’ violent nights are the first few chapters. Then, “government intervention” comes into scene. Government claims to find a solution to violence in the society. Alex plays a key role in this intervention. I will leave it to prospective readers to discover themselves how he does this.

MY COMMENTS:
This was the most ultra-violent book I have ever read. There are long descriptions of all sorts of crime. Burgess managed to drag me into the world of Alex where I felt what he had been through. Especially in the second half of the book, I moved with Alex: I cried with him, I felt his horror and pain although he had a really annoying personality. I liked the Turkish translation of the slang used by Alex (My sincerest thanks to the translator).

This is a perfect novel about free will and it is a must read for every lover of modern classic stories. It is not easy to write something new about this book as it has been reviewed by hundreds of readers. It was one of the most enjoyable reads of 2012 for me and I strongly suggest it to all bookworms.

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:
I finished reading it on June 18 so I can count it for Spring Reading Thing 2012.
It was my first Anthony Burgess novel so I can count it for New Author Challenge.
It was dystopian so I can count it for The Dystopia 2012 Challenge.
This was one of the books I picked up as sci-fi modern classic for WFTM Science Fiction Reader Challenge.
I chose this book for Summer Reading Challenge 2012 as “a book from Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels List”
This book was also in my list for The Classics Club.

Ender's Game

Original Title: Ender’s Game (Ender’s Saga, #1)
Turkish Title: Ender’in Oyunu (Ender Serisi, #1)
English Title: Ender’s Game (Ender’s Saga, #1)
Author: Orson Scott Card
Pages: 295
My Rating: 3/5

WHY THIS BOOK?
I don’t really remember how many times people suggested this book to me. Being a sci-fi lover, I had to spare some time for Ender.

THE STORY:
Ender’s Game is set somewhere in the future. An alien race attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed mankind. So as to be prepared for a possible new attack, an international battle school was established in which the world’s most talented children are trained for war. Their early trainings are simulated battles in the form of games in a zero gravity area.
Our hero, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is the most talented, most genius child ever. Ender enters Battle School at the age of six. When everyone is questioning if humanity will win this war against the alien race, Ender grows up fast and develops any skill needed to save humanity.

MY COMMENTS:
The things I liked about this book were fewer than the things I disliked:
The story was told as an internal monologue of Ender himself. This way I was emotionally connected with the main character of the book. I easily followed how Ender dragged himself away from his family and adapted himself to Battle School. The problem for me was I didn’t like Ender.

The author himself stated that he designed the book in such a manner that even those who never read sci-fi feel comfortable reading it. I think Card managed to do this really well. Still, when I checked it with the book lovers around me, I saw that no one was interested in reading it.

The main content of this book focuses on children getting trained for war. The idea of training children for war was so disturbing for me. I didn’t like the conditions in Battle School and the pressure they put on Ender. I was annoyed by the way Battle School students talked, thought and acted like adults although I am well aware of the fact this happens in some parts of the world today. Maybe I was too well connected with the main character that I couldn’t succeed in liking what he went through. I believe those who liked the idea of “adult kids” ended up loving this book. At least, this is what I observed in a good number of reviews in Goodreads.

In short, my failure to like this sci-fi classic was because of the fact that I didn’t manage to read it as a sci-fi book.

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:
I finished reading it on June 12 so I can count it for Spring Reading Thing 2012.
It was my first Orson Scott Card book so I can count it for New Author Challenge.
It was dystopian so I can count it for The Dystopia 2012 Challenge.
It is a book chosen for the U.S. 2012 World Book Night so I give myself 5 points and count it for Semi-Charmed Summer 2012 Book Challenge.
This is a book I had decided to read for WFTM Science Fiction Reader Challenge.
I chose this book for Summer Reading Challenge 2012 as “a banned or contested book”
This book was also in my list for The Classics Club.

The Classics Club

A couple of days ago I stumbled upon Gillian's blog: A Room of One's Own. Then, I couldn't help but notice The Classics Club she started.

If you want to participate, you must dedicate yourself to read 50+ classics for the next 5 years. I think it is a great idea as I'm trying to read classics as often as I could but I never keep track of them. After checking my TBR list and all those unread books sitting on my shelves, I decided to make my list to see if I'll readch 50 books and I did! I must admit it was rather easy as I'm trying to read sci-fi classics (yes, my list includes those) and "1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die". Although my list was around 60 books, I decided to read 50 classics in the next 3 years. (I decided to read one book/author). There are only 3 rereads in my list and 50 different authors. My list includes a few Turkish classics as well.

Start Date: June 2, 2012
Goal Date To Finish: June 2, 2015
Most Looking Forward To: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Most Scared To Attempt: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (Mainly because I'll attempt to read it in English.)
Prizes: I think I'll allow myself to buy more books as a good number of the books in my list are already sitting on my shelves.

THE LIST:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey / Arthur C. Clarke
2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea / Jules Verne
3. A Clockwork Orange / Anthony Burgess (18.06.2012)
4. A Bend in the River / V.S. Naipaul
5. A Passage to India / E.M. Forster
6. A Tale of Two Cities / Charles Dickens
7. Alias Grace / Margaret Atwood
8. Araba Sevdası / Recaizade Mahmut Ekrem
9. Atlas Shrugged / Ayn Rand
10. Atonement / Ian McEwan
11. Bonjour Tristesse / François Sagan
12. Brave New World / Aldous Huxley
13. Charlotte's Web / E.B. White
14. Death of Ivan Ilych / Lev Tolstoy
15. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? / Philip K. Dick
16. Dune / Frank Herbert
17. Ender's Game / Orson Scott Card (12.06.2012)
18. Esir Şehrin İnsanları / Kemal Tahir
19. Felatun Bey ve Rakım Efendi / Ahmet Mithat
20. Fight Club / Chuck Palahniuk
21. Frankenstein / Mary Shelley
22. In Search of Lost Time / Marcel Proust
23. Jane Eyre / Charlotte Bronte (19.07.2012)
24. Life of Pi / Yann Martel
25. Midnight's Children / Salman Rushdie
26. Murder on the Orient Express / Agatha Christie
27. Neuromancer / William Gibson
28. Obabakoak / Bernardo Axtaga
29. Oblomov / Ivan Goncharov
30. Old Goriot / Honore de Balzac
31. One Hundred Years of Solitude / Gabriel Garcia Marquez
32. Painted Bird / Jerzy Kosinski
33. Paradise Lost / John Milton
34. Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austin
35. Rabbit Run / John Updike (07.08.2012)
36. Siddharta / Hermann Hesse
37. Shibumi / Trevanian
38. Slaughterhouse-Five / Kurt Vonnegut
39. The Cider House Rules / John Irving
40. The Color Purple / Alice Walker
41. The Feast of the Goat / Mario Vargas Llosa
42. The God of Small Things / Arundhati Roy
43. The History of the Siege of Lisbon / José Saramago
44. The Hitchiker's Guide to Galaxy / Douglas Adams (07.07.2012)
45. The Name of the Rose / Umberto Eco
46. The Rainbow / D.H. Lawrence
47. The Stranger / Albert Camus
48. The Time Machine / Herbert George Wells
49. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle / Haruki Murakami
50. Tütün Zamanı / Necati Cumalı

Many thanks to Gillian for organizing this!