2015 Reading Challenge | Progress Post

A book published this year - The Deadbeat Club by Dietrich Kalteis

You can check out my review here!

Photo Credit: I added text to the original "book sale loot" by Ginny via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

"Wind/Pinball" by Haruki Murakami | Book Review

"Wind/Pinball" by Haruki Murakami

Out of print for almost 30 years, Haruki Murakami's debut novels, Hear the Wind Sing (1979) and Pinball, 1973 (1980) have been newly translated, and are now widely available as Wind/Pinball.

In these stories, we follow an unnamed narrator and his friend, the Rat, as they move through their lives contemplating their loneliness, the purpose of writing, the wonders of pinball, and much more.

Part of what I find interesting about Wind/Pinball, but particularly the first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, is that not much happens. Really, the narrator goes to the bar a lot and talks to his friend the Rat and J, the owner of the bar. By chance, he meets the (never named) girl with nine fingers there and they begin their acquaintance albeit with a rocky start, but then their encounters and discussions result in fascinating and meaningful conversations.

The writing was absolutely beautiful and I found myself enveloped in some of the scenes, especially the more surreal ones. The dialogue is thought-provoking, while also giving us a deep look into the incredibly memorable characters, and enhances the feeling of nostalgia that's present in both novels. I also love that Murakami included so many musical references - it made for such a nice soundtrack while I read and in a way, put me into the characters' frame of mind.

One of the most fascinating things I found in this book was the lack of names. Sure, we get the names of a few characters, but for me, it was the ones whose names I never learned - especially the girl with nine fingers and the twins - that have really stuck with me. It's an interesting example of the fact that we don't need to know someone's name to identify with them or have them make an impact on us.

This was my first venture into Murakami's writing and so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but I found his writing beautiful. As I said, there wasn't much action so if you're looking for something that's just fast-paced, look elsewhere. But if you want to think, this is a great book to get lost in. From what I've read on Goodreads, Wind/Pinball shows hints of the highly acclaimed author Murakami would become. Based on that and high praise for him from one of my best friends, I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

Wind/Pinball is now available at Indigo.

*This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

2015 Reading Challenge | Progress Post

A popular author's first book - Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami

You can check out my review here!

Photo Credit: I added text to the original "book sale loot" by Ginny via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

August Book Haul!

1. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

2. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie

3. Yes, My Accent is Real by Kunal Nayyar

4. You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

You can read my review here!

(Also, I know this was in my June Book Haul as well, but that was an ARC and I just had to buy a finished copy of this one!)

5. Keep Calm and Colour In: A 1940s Colouring Book

(My very first grown-up colouring book!!)

6. The Distracted Preacher by Thomas Hardy

7. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

8. The Dialogue of the Dogs by Miguel de Cervantes

9. The Island of Excess Love by Francesca Lia Block

10. Remember by Eileen Cook

What books did you get this month?

200TH Post!!

Hi everyone! Today I come to you with my 200th post. Wow. I want to say thanks to you all, whether you've recently subscribed or have been with me for ages.

I started reviewing books, movies, and other things as a way of spreading the word about things I love, in the hopes that someone else can find something they love. I hope I've succeeded at that so far.

I also wanted to let you know that there are some changes coming! I've got plans to add a banner and a new profile picture, though I'm not sure exactly when they'll be up.

I'm also introducing a new, TV-related series soon, which I'm really excited about!

Finally, please stay tuned next month for a special announcement...there'll be some cool stuff happening here on nikkitheknack very soon!

Thank you again - I appreciate each and every person who visits this site and reads the things I write.

Photo Credit: "Celebrate" by Matt Reinbold via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

"The Night Sister" by Jennifer McMahon | Book Review

"The Night Sister" by Jennifer McMahon

The Tower Motel has a dark past. In the summer of 1989, Amy (whose family owns the place), Piper, and Piper's sister Margot bonded as they explored the grounds, searching for the mysterious 29th room at the 28-room motel. What they found ruined their friendship.

In 2013, they've all tried to move on and build their own lives. But one day, Piper gets an upsetting call from Margot: Amy's husband and son have been murdered, allegedly by Amy herself. But that's not all...Amy had written a message to them: "29 rooms."

Knowing that only they can find out the truth about what really happened to Amy and her family, Piper and Margot are forced to recall the summer that changed their lives.

First off, I want to say that the opening scene in The Night Sister was so intense and crazy. It really set the scene for the rest of the story. After reading that scene, I wondered how the sense of eeriness could possibly be sustained through the rest of the novel...but I was pleasantly surprised. Throughout, the story retained that creepy feeling that something was "off," and I really value that in a horror/thriller novel. When I had to do things other than read, I found myself constantly wanting to go back to the book and the characters so I could learn what they'd found that affected their friendship so deeply.

The story is told in three different time periods: the 1950's, from Sylvie and Rose Slater's (Amy's aunt and mother, respectively) perspectives; 1989, from the view of adolescent Amy, Piper, and Margot; and in 2013, when adult Piper and Margot are trying to figure out what really happened to Amy.

I really liked the use of Sylvie's letters to Alfred Hitchcock (she admired him and wanted to run away to Hollywood to become his next big star) because the way she writes, the honesty and darkness she writes with, really add to the atmosphere of the novel and make you wonder about Sylvie's secrets.

I also like that we get multiple perspectives, so we get to see several different takes on the same events. It makes us question whether any particular perspective is all true, and whether we're interpreting the events the right way or receiving biased information from the characters.

My only criticism is that the big reveal (no spoilers!) was written in a way where I picked up on the clues and was able to guess what was coming, so the last couple of chapters kind of sputtered out for me.

Having said that, the vast majority of the book was so, so eerie and creepy, which I love. It's definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far!

The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon is now available at Indigo.

*This book was sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Aaaand that's a wrap on Bout of Books 14!

I can't believe it - yet another Bout of Books has already come and gone! I'm pretty happy with my accomplishments this time around, and I think that's partly because I FINALLY set realistic goals for myself.

Total Completed Readings: 1 1/4 novels, 1 graphic novel, 6 comic issues

• Tales of the Night Watchman: Volume One # 1-3, Tales of the Night Watchman presents It Came from the Gowanus Canal, Tales of the Night Watchman presents The Night Collector, Tales of the Night Watchman: Staycation by Dave Kelly, Lara Antal, Molly Ostertag, and Amanda Scurti
• The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks
• (1/4 of) The Deadbeat Club by Dietrich Kalteis
• The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

Additional Readings: 1 novel

• The Hesitation Cut by Giles Blunt

Total Pages Read: 651

Challenges Completed: 4

• Scavenger Hunt
• MASH
• Road Trip
• What to Read Next

How I did with my goals:

• I wanted to read 1 1/4 novels (I'm participating in The Word on the Street's book club, and we're reading The Deadbeat Club over the course of this month) and I did.
• I wanted to read 1 graphic novel and I did.
• I wanted to read 5 comic books and I read 6.
• I wanted to participate in at least 1 Twitter chat and I did not.
• I wanted to participate in at least 3 challenges and I did 4.
• I wanted to make daily progress posts and I did.
• I wanted to read for at least 1 hour per day, and on most days, I did.

Even though I didn't check off every single goal I set, I'm pretty pleased with what I did accomplish. Yay for realistic goals!

Did you meet your goals for Bout of Books 14? Let me know some of your accomplishments in a comment below!

Day 7 Progress | Bout of Books 14

Number of Books I'm Reading: 2

Titles: The Deadbeat Club by Dietrich Kalteis, The Hesitation Cut by Giles Blunt

Pages Read Today: 127

Books Completed Thus Far:

Tales of the Night Watchman: Volume One Number Three & Tales of the Night Watchman: Staycation by Dave Kelly, Lara Antal and Amanda Scurti

Tales of the Night Watchman presents It Came From the Gowanus Canal by Dave Kelly and Molly Ostertag

Tales of the Night Watchman: Volume One Numbers 1-2 & Tales of the Night Watchman presents The Night Collector by Dave Kelly and Lara Antal

The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks

How did you do on day 7? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

Bout of Books Challenge: What to Read Next!

Today's challenge is to "recommend 3 books (and only 3 books) you have read this year that you think should be recognized as something great." It's hosted by Sarah over at Sarah Reads Too Much!

1. You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

You can check out my (gushing) review here! As a person of the internet, Felicia understands. "Understands what," you ask. Everything - your obsession with gaming and being on the internet, the anxiety that comes with talking to people (new and otherwise)...she's very easy to relate to and she's hilarious! And the pictures she includes are just pure gold.

2. One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak

My review for this collection can be found here! This book of short stories pleasantly surprised me, even though I was already anticipating enjoying it because I like B.J. Novak's humour. There's a mixture of funny and touching stories, and I loved most of them. I'll be coming back to this one.

3. The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

Stay tuned - my review for this one will be up on Tuesday! From the opening scene onward, I was hooked on this story and its characters. There's a pervading creepiness from page one, and I wasn't sure how that could be maintained over the course of an entire book, but it happened. So creepy.

What book(s) have you read this year that you think everyone should read?

Day 6 Progress | Bout of Books 14

Number of Books I'm Reading: 2

Titles: The Deadbeat Club by Dietrich Kalteis, The Hesitation Cut by Giles Blunt

Number of Pages Read Today: 145

Titles Finished Thus Far:

1. Tales of the Night Watchman Volume One Numbers 1-2 & Tales of the Night Watchman presents The Night Collector by Dave Kelly and Lara Antal

2. The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

3. The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks

How did you do on day 6 of Bout of Books? Feel free to let me know in a comment below and remember to have fun during the read-a-thon!