Saturday, September 10, 2011

On My WishList (#15)


On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.



Under the skin by Michael Faber

(Goodreads)

In the opening pages of Under the Skin, a lone female is scouting the Scottish Highlands in search of well-proportioned men: "Isserley always drove straight past a hitch-hiker when she first saw him, to give herself time to size him up. She was looking for big muscles: a hunk on legs. Puny, scrawny specimens were no use to her." At this point, the reader might be forgiven for anticipating some run-of-the-mill psychosexual drama. But commonplace expectation is no help when it comes to Michel Faber's strange and unsettling first novel; small details, then major clues, suggest that something deeply bizarre is afoot. What are the reasons for Isserley's extensive surgical scarring, her thick glasses, her excruciating backache? Who are the solitary few who work on the farm where her cottage is located? And why are they all nervous about the arrival of someone called Amlis Vess? 

The ensuing narrative is of such cumulative, compelling strangeness that it almost defies description. The one thing that can be said with certainty is that Under the Skin is unlike anything else you have ever read. Faber's control of his medium is nearly flawless. Applying the rules of psychological realism to a fictional world that is both terrifying and unearthly, he nonetheless compels the reader's absolute identification with Isserley. Not even the author's fine short-story collection, Some Rain Must Fall, prepared us for such mastery. Under the Skin is ultimately a reviewer's nightmare and a reader's dream: a book so distinctive, so elegantly written, and so original that one can only urge everybody in earshot to experience it, and soon.

Random Thoughts

I hadn't heard about this book before I read about it at The Book Whisperer (a great blog that I read every day). Just read the synopsis! It sounds like a creepy and disturbing read - which I like!


 The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

(Goodreads)

Lincoln Rhyme was once a brilliant criminologist, a genius in the field of forensics -- until an accident left him physically and emotionally shattered. But now a diabolical killer is challenging Rhyme to a terrifying and ingenious duel of wits. With police detective Amelia Sachs by his side, Rhyme must follow a labyrinth of clues that reaches back to a dark chapter in New York City's past -- and reach further into the darkness of the mind of a madman who won't stop until he has stripped life down to the bone.

 Random Thoughts

I have seen the movie and it was ok, but what I'm truly ashamed of is that I've always wanted to read a book by Deaver but haven't done it yet. His books seems fascinating to me and I wonder why I haven't tried his books yet.

This is a short list, sorry about that. I always want a lot f books but didn't want to bring them all in one list. 
What's on your WishList?

9 comments:

  1. great picks, I hope you get hold of them soon!

    Also did you change your background? I like it! :D

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  2. Hi Raimy-rawr

    Thanks:)
    I did change my background a few days ago. I needed something new. I'm glad you like it. I hope it doesn't look too childish. I was worried about that:)

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  3. I haven't heard of these books before but they look interesting. Great post! New follower!

    On My Wishlist

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  4. Great picks! I hope you can get these books soon! New follower!

    On My Wishlist

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  5. I'm wishing for the first volume of a manga series a friend recommended to me. Please come which series I'm wishing for.

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  6. New follower here!

    Very intriguing choices. I'll definitely have to check them out.

    Here's my Wishlist

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  7. Moonlight Gleam: Hi new follower. Nice to meet you!:)

    Hey Tia: Thanks for following. Nice to meet you!:)

    Hi Aeicha. Nice to meet you!:)

    Thanks for lovely comments everyone and I want to wish my new followers welcome!

    Have a nice day!:)

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  8. She was looking for big muscles: a hunk on legs She has a good taste.
    I haven't read Michael Faber before but may be I'm going to look for his books. The title of the short-story collection sounds intriguing too.
    My Wishlist

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  9. I haven't read Michael Faber's book either but it looks very interesting and the plot seems exciting to me:)

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Thanks for leaving a comment:-)