Haley's Book'd Lists

I Don't Get It...

Created by Haley - Updated on December 06^th 2021

I hope I'm not the only one that has picked up a book, settled down for the night to read, opened it up and... just did not click with it. I want to read it! I want to enjoy it! But sometimes the book's just so much smarter than me. These are books that I want to read, or have read, but left me feeling more confused than anything else.

Station eleven : a novel

Mandel, Emily St. John, 1979-

From the Publisher

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production. Jeevan Chaudhary, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur's chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside as life disintegrates outside....

My Thoughts

So many people I know enjoyed "Station Eleven," and I thought I did too! But, after the smallest bout of introspection, I realized that I have no earthly idea what the point of it actually was.

The fifth head of Cerberus : three novellas

Wolfe, Gene.

From the Publisher

Far out from Earth, two sister planets, Saint Anne and Saint Croix, circle each other in an eternal dance. It is said a race of shapeshifters once lived here, only to perish when men came. But one man believes they can still be found, somewhere in the back of the beyond.

My Thoughts

Gene Wolfe has been called "the Melville of science fiction" and many know of his great rambling works and unreliable narrators. I was introduced to Wolfe by his "Solar Cycle" books, but even then everything he says goes over my head. But, I so desperately want to understand and finish the fantastic stories I know he's created.

Snow crash

Stephenson, Neal.

From the Publisher

A part-time hacker, information-scrounge, and delivery boy for Uncle Enzo's Cosa Nostra Pizzerias, and full-time Metaverse (virtual reality) samurai named Hiro Protagonist (one of the best names since Billy Pilgrim!), is slowly drawn into a mystery involving a virus program called Snow Crash, which is claiming not only the computers but the minds of hackers the world over, including Hiro's best friend. Who is behind all this, and what it has to do with Sumerian mythology and the hard-wiring of...

My Thoughts

Futuristic hackers, virtual reality samurais, and pizza deliveries makes "Snow Crash" sound like the perfect book for me. But, for some reason, my brain absolutely short circuits when trying to digest this novel. Maybe one day I'll get a brain update and be able to finally finish it.

Gardens of the moon

Erikson, Steven.

From the Publisher

The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

My Thoughts

The "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series is everything an epic fantasy wants to be. Sprawling character list, fascinating setting, other worldly villains, mysticism and intrigue, and 10 lengthy tomes. So, why did it take me eight years to finish the first book, despite enjoying many aspects of it? Who knows... Brains are dumb.

1Q84

Murakami, Haruki, 1949-

From the Publisher

An ode to George Orwell's "1984" told in alternating male and female voices relates the stories of Aomame, an assassin for a secret organization who discovers that she has been transported to an alternate reality, and Tengo, a mathematics lecturer and novice writer.

My Thoughts

I like things that are little odd. A little out of place. Somewhat unsettling. Uncanny valley type deals. But, 1Q84 is all of that wrapped in a confusing cultish chrysalis that had about five false endings. While I managed to finish this book, it left me wondering what and feeling like I could have used all the time I spent reading and re-reading all 928 pages in a more beneficial way.

The Player of Games Iain M. Banks

Banks, Iain M.

From the Publisher

The Culture - a human/machine symbiotic society - has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh. Jernau Morat Gurgeh. The Player of Games. Master of every board, computer and strategy. Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game...a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his...

My Thoughts

When my husband first told me about the "Culture" series I was fascinated (especially by their ship nomenclature), but like many books in this list, it suffered a similar fate. I have tried to read this instance of the "Culture" series time and time again and every try, I reach a certain point and I just stare off into space.