Ove, Wonder and Murakami over the Weekend

I highly recommend the book 'A man called Ove'. It's about a man who outwardly appears rough and tough but has a heart of gold as seen by his interactions with his neighbours and even the cat. He's the kind of man from our father's and grandfather's generation. You don't see men like that these days. There's of course a lot more to this story than i'm letting on but i dont want to give away too much of the story. JUST READ IT to feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

WONDER
'Wonder' by R.J.Palacio is about a little boy with a facial anomaly that causes people to stare at him. He is home-schooled until class 5, then introduced to regular school. The book takes us through the perspective of August( the boy), his sister, and friends who surround him-- how he navigates school, bullying, and not only coming to terms with being 'different' but also recognizing his own worth. Friendship and the need to be kind forms the crux of this wonderful story and I'd recommend to everyone.

MURAKAMI'S 'HEAR THE WIND SING'
I'm a huge Murakami fan but his first novel, 'Hear the wind sing' was a bit of a disappointment. The unnamed narrator spoke about his previous three girlfriends, how one of them committed suicide, how he met up with his friend 'The Rat' , about the writer who inspired him and other conversations centered in J's bar. This is the first of the Rat trilogy and frankly I'm not exactly waiting with bated breath to read the other two.

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CARTHICK'S UNFAIRY TALES BY Carthick Blurb A damsel in distress. An evil dragon. A concerned father seeking a savior to rescue his daughter. A hero galloping off to the rescue – a knight in shining armor. Now THAT is stuff of fairy tales. But what if the father’s real concern is for the dragon’s hoard; What if the damsel’s reason of distress is the marriage proposal by her pompous and vicious savior; and what if the story is told by the horse who bears not only the overweight knight but also his heavy, shining armor all the way to the dragon’s lair and back, facing certain death in the process? What if there was more – much more – to all your favourite fairy tales than met the eye? This book chronicles not one but seven such unfairy tales – tales told by undead horsemen and living cities. Tales of mistreated hobgoblins and misunderstood magicians. Tales of disagreeable frogs and distressed rats and bears baring their souls. Once you read these ...

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