TBR Shame Saturday #4

Hello everyone,

It's time for another TBR Shame update. As always, I will include the GoodReads synopsis for the novels mentioned, or for the first in its series, in case it's part of one.

The first book of this week is The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. I've obviously never read this, otherwise I wouldn't mention it here, but I've also never seen the film adaptation. A while back, when I purchased this, I wanted to read it, so I could watch the film. I started it, and then I stopped, for a reason I cannot recall. Need to pick this up some time, but I say that about all of my books.. I'm seeing a pattern here.

GoodReads Synopsis for The Virgin Suicides: 
The haunting, humorous and tender story of the brief lives of the five entrancing Lisbon sisters, The Virgin Suicides, now a major film, is Jeffrey Eugenides's classic debut novel.

The shocking thing about the girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear.

I believe I bought this a year and a half ago, and I remember thinking it sounded so intriguing that I wanted to read it straight away... and then I never actually did that. But this is one of those books that I'll hold onto for a while because the topic of mental illness will always be relevant to me personally. It still seems to be an interesting novel, and I think that I would appreciate it all the same, whether I read it now, or in ten years. In ten years I'll just also think "why on earth did you wait?".

GoodReads synopsis for The Shock of the Fall:
‘I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.’

There are books you can’t stop reading, which keep you up all night.

There are books which let us into the hidden parts of life and make them vividly real.

There are books which, because of the sheer skill with which every word is chosen, linger in your mind for days.

The Shock of the Fall is all of these books.

The Shock of the Fall is an extraordinary portrait of one man’s descent into mental illness. It is a brave and groundbreaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction.

This last one will probably be a shocker to many, as most people seem to have read it. Well, I haven't. I also haven't seen the film yet because I obviously want to wait until after I've read the book. But I never feel like picking it up, and when I do, this horrendous cover just makes me want to throw it at a wall. I'll probably have to learn to ignore the cover at some point. I've made the deal with myself that if I end up liking this, I can buy the nice cover that has Death and the girl dancing on it. I much prefer that one.

GoodReads synopsis for The Book Thief:
It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

And that's it again for this week.
On Monday, I will share my January Wrap up with you, and on Wednesday I'll show you my February TBR!


Love,

Sharon