number9dream

Number9Dream is number 11 for the year. This is one of the last few books that I got for my birthday.. in January.

 If there was ever a time for the universe to tell me to read a book it was now. "Number 9" was in the two books I read prior to this. Sure, one of them was David Mitchell which is kind of how he does things, but the other was Truly Madly Guilty.

In this book you're with Eiji the whole time. Is he dreaming, or not? In the beginning it seems clear but then as you go further into the story the lines get blurred. There are symbols throughout that attempt to keep you in sync with reality and keep the dreams differentiated.

"Dreams are shores where the ocean of spirit meets the land of matter. Dreams are beaches were the yet-to-be, the once-were, and the will-never-be may walk awhile with the still-are."

It read more like Black Swan Green than any of his other books. Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks are still holding it down as my favorites from him. Worth a read, but not something I would find myself actually recommending to someone?

Inception vibes.
Leia

black swan green

I've fallen behind again having just finished #9 for the year. Black Swan Green by David Mitchell is a book I've had on my list for over a year ever since reading Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks.

The story is about Jason Taylor in his thirteenth year. One of the reviews listed it as the UK version of Catcher in the Rye and I can totally dig it. Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books. I even have a tiny hardback copy that I stole from my high school and I might consider it a prized possession. The first thing I have to say is that the issues Jason experiences are more relatable than Holden's since it is set in more recent history, the 80's to be specific. Holden was stuck in the 40's but A) books are supposed to transport you to another time so ultimately it's a non-issue and B) the internal struggles he's faced with are just the same.

 Overall I really, really enjoyed this story but compared to David Mitchell's other works it was not a favorite. I'm hoping that makes sense. If you enjoyed Catcher in the Rye I would recommend giving this story a whirl and head into Kingfisher Meadows and meet Jason Taylor.

There were tons of quotes I loved, but most need the context or characters to be described or explained and felt like it would just ruin it. And all I'm thinking about is the episode of South Park with George R. R. Martin and how he can never finish a story. BUT, this one struck me particularly.

"People'er a nestful of needs. Dull needs, sharp needs, bottomless-pit needs, flash-in-the-pan needs, needs for things you can't hold, needs for things you can."



Read it before Hangman gets ya.
Leia