Slade House is the first book that I started and finished reading this year. I actually finished another book, City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte, last February but I started reading that last year. I can't recall the last time I finished reading two books in the same year so I'm really happy that I am able to read a bit more.
I actually became interested in this novel when I picked it up from a shelf in Fully Booked and read through blurbs published at the back of the book maybe a couple of years ago. What caught my attention was what Anthony Doerr said: "A Dracula for the new millennium, a 'Hansel and Gretel' for grownups, a reminder of how much fun fiction can be" That piqued my curiosity but since I felt that I didn't have time to read books back then, I didn't get it yet. A few months later, I was still really thinking about it so I decided I should go out and get it. Unfortunately, on my next trip to Fully Booked, I realized I didn't write down the title. I tried searching online for a book that was like a Hansel and Gretel for adults since that was what I could remember from the blurb. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a correct hit online. Luckily, after racking my brain as hard as I could, I somehow suddenly remembered that there was 'Slade' in the title, then I immediately remembered Slade House. I was absolutely impressed at myself for remembering. :) After that, I decided to get it.
Slade House is the first non-classic fiction book I read that didn't exactly have a happy ending, for lack of a better term. I don't really want to spoil the story further so I will just leave it at that. As my friend Lala told me, the book must be good if it affected me that much. And it really is good. Different chapters were written from different points of view and always in the first person, and that made the storytelling a lot more engaging and the horror more real. You could really feel the emotions, confusion, hope, and fear of the character from whose perspective the story was written. The author, David Mitchell, also wrote Cloud Atlas which was made into a film back in 2012.
I gotta say that I am really happy that I am getting to read a lot more now. Part of it is just the comfort and relaxation provided by sitting at a cafe enjoying coffee while reading a book. Part of it is enjoying the slow and deliberate way a story unravels when reading and how I find myself turning the pages more quickly as I get closer to the end. Part of it is also the way reading stimulates the brain. And I guess part of it is knowing that I have a lot more time for myself now if I am able to read. I got four books from my friends last Christmas and I have one more that purchased for myself a few years ago. I'm hoping I get to read at least a couple of them before the year ends.
I actually became interested in this novel when I picked it up from a shelf in Fully Booked and read through blurbs published at the back of the book maybe a couple of years ago. What caught my attention was what Anthony Doerr said: "A Dracula for the new millennium, a 'Hansel and Gretel' for grownups, a reminder of how much fun fiction can be" That piqued my curiosity but since I felt that I didn't have time to read books back then, I didn't get it yet. A few months later, I was still really thinking about it so I decided I should go out and get it. Unfortunately, on my next trip to Fully Booked, I realized I didn't write down the title. I tried searching online for a book that was like a Hansel and Gretel for adults since that was what I could remember from the blurb. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a correct hit online. Luckily, after racking my brain as hard as I could, I somehow suddenly remembered that there was 'Slade' in the title, then I immediately remembered Slade House. I was absolutely impressed at myself for remembering. :) After that, I decided to get it.
Slade House is the first non-classic fiction book I read that didn't exactly have a happy ending, for lack of a better term. I don't really want to spoil the story further so I will just leave it at that. As my friend Lala told me, the book must be good if it affected me that much. And it really is good. Different chapters were written from different points of view and always in the first person, and that made the storytelling a lot more engaging and the horror more real. You could really feel the emotions, confusion, hope, and fear of the character from whose perspective the story was written. The author, David Mitchell, also wrote Cloud Atlas which was made into a film back in 2012.
I gotta say that I am really happy that I am getting to read a lot more now. Part of it is just the comfort and relaxation provided by sitting at a cafe enjoying coffee while reading a book. Part of it is enjoying the slow and deliberate way a story unravels when reading and how I find myself turning the pages more quickly as I get closer to the end. Part of it is also the way reading stimulates the brain. And I guess part of it is knowing that I have a lot more time for myself now if I am able to read. I got four books from my friends last Christmas and I have one more that purchased for myself a few years ago. I'm hoping I get to read at least a couple of them before the year ends.
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