"The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through The Madness Industry" by Jon Ronson: Review

“Suddenly, madness was everywhere, and I was determined to learn about the impact it had on the way society evolves. I've always believed society to be a fundamentally rational thing, but what if it isn't? What if it is built on insanity?”  
                                            - Jon Ronson The Psychopath Test

Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare At Goats) gets into the topic of psychopaths and madness by being pulled into an elaborate scheme of a psychologist who sends out cryptic messages to some 'intelligent' people all over the world. Jon Ronson is then asked to use his investigational skills as a journalist to solve the puzzle. 
By investigating this story his findings lead him, rather unexpectedly, to psychopathy. Finding this topic very interesting, Ronson decides to pursue it further.
Ronson meets a psychologist who is convinced that many people in high official positions are, in fact, psychopaths and that basically the world is run by a lot of people with psychopathic character traits. 
Further, he visits an inmate in an institution for the criminally insane, who has been diagnosed with being a psychopath, but claims not to be one.  His psychopathy was diagnose with a list created by Bob Hare, who is often considered to be the founding father of researching psychopaths. His list is still used to determine whether someone is a psychopath or not. 
In order to learn more about  psychopaths Ronson participates in a seminar  on how to spot them easily. He also does a lot of research on how psychopathy has been treated throughout the years and how it is still treated today. Leading from nude group therapy to LSD-infused group therapy sessions in prisons. 
He also meets with Scientology representatives, who do not believe in mental illness as such, and therefore also not in psychopathy. 

The fact that he approaches the topic from so many different angles makes it very interesting to read and also gives you the impression that the topic is being dealt with on an objective level. At the same time the whole book also has a very personal touch, because you accompany the author on his journey through the madness industry and he shares his, often, very personal thoughts with you. 
The book is very enthralling and I, personally, absolutely love Jon Ronson's style of writing stories, because they grip you immediately and keep you glued to the pages until the very end.

Although while reading the book you might get the feeling that almost everyone around you, including yourself, might suffer from some sort of mental illness or even be a psychopath. At least that's what happened to me, so be warned ;)

"Holy Cow" by David Duchovny: Review

Holy Cow is the story of Elsie Bovary, a cow, who wrote down her memoirs for the reader (with a little help from co-author David Duchovny).

Elsie enjoys the quiet happy farm life she has lead ever since she was born. It mostly consists of sleeping, eating and spending time with her friends. The only thing she sometimes misses is her mother, who had been taken away years ago. Elsie doesn't know where her mother went but she knows that this was how it always had been, mothers just left after some time and fathers were not really around to begin with. Nevertheless she couldn't be more content with the life she was leading. Up until one day when Elsie and her best friend Mallory realise that they have the sudden urge to meet the bulls who are kept on another part of the farm. So they come up with the plan to escape their stable, by heavily relying on the oldest son's inclination to forget to close the gates due to being constantly distracted by his phone.
When they actually manage to go and see the bulls Elsie is not nearly as interested in them as her friend Mallory is and so she decides she'd rather go down to the farm house and see what is happening there. What she sees when she looks through the window at the TV changes her whole life: the farmers are watching a program about meat production and all of a sudden Elsie's whole world turns upside down.
After she has regained from the shock, Elsie decides to leave the farm as quick as possible. She learns about a country called India, where cows are seen as divine creatures, not eaten and that's her destination.
During her preparations she is joined by Jerry, or rather Shalom, a pig that converted to Judaism and wants to go to Israel, because people don't eat pork there, and Tom, a turkey who cannot fly and who thinks that he'd be save in Turkey, because people there sure wouldn't eat the an animal that is named after their country right? Both of the companions come in very handy during the journey, especially Tom, who can operate the touchscreen of a smartphone with his beak. On their journey the three friends get involved in a lot of adventures, from hijacking an airplane to accidentally reuniting Israelis and Palestinians.

What could easily also be the plot of an animated children's movie turns out to be a delightful story about so much more than just three farm animals making a run for it. David Duchovny's witty writing style and lots and lots of pop cultural references make this book a great choice for some light and funny reading.

"The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce: Review

Harold Fry and his wife Maureen live a very ordinary life in Kingsbridge, Devon.  Recently retired, Harold likes to spend most of his time mowing the lawn or chatting with his widowed neighbour Rex. That is until one day he receives a letter that shall interfere with his daily routine and change his life and his marriage from then on.

The letter he receives is from Queenie Hennessy, a colleague who had worked with Harold in a brewery over 20 years ago. She writes to him to inform him that she has got terminal cancer and that she is currently living in a hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed.While the news do not seem to affect Maureen very much, they shake Harold to the bone. He hadn't seen Queenie in a long time and they never really got to say goodbye to each other, when she disappeared from one day to another. Not knowing what else to do, he decides to write her a letter, expressing his well wishes. 

He tells his wife that he'll just quickly post the letter and be back. He doesn't even take his mobile with him, because why would you if you only go to the mailbox. But when he's at the mailbox, he can't bring himself to post the letter and so he just walks on to the next one and the next and the next until he is almost out of his town. He decides to get something to eat at a garage and talks to the girl who works there. She tells him that her aunt had cancer as well, and that she thinks that believing one can save a person does actually save them. This is what makes Harold decide to walk to Berwick-upon-Tweed to see Queenie and that he will save her by walking. He calls the hospice and asks the nurse to tell Queenie to stay alive because he is walking to her and he also calls his wife and tries to explain that this is something he has to do. 

From then on he is steadily walking northwards, only wearing his yachting shoes and his everyday clothes. He meets lots and lots of interesting people all over the country who tell him their stories and he tells them his. At some point he becomes so famous all over England that he finds himself with a large group of people who want to walk with him to save Queenie Hennessy. The whole "pilgrimage" of his turns into a media event and eventually the other pilgrims even let him behind because they don't think he will make it in time to see Queenie. 

While Harold is walking he reflects a lot on his life, his marriage and his son David, who is often mentioned by him and his wife, but we never encounter him personally. Gradually the stories and traumata of Harold's past are revealed to the reader by dwelling on his memories with him. It soon becomes very clear that the quiet, boring life and marriage is not at all what it seems. I really liked that the story is told through Harold and Maureen's point of view, because that allows the reader to learn much more about both of the characters and their lives, than if one only gets one side of the story. I am a great fan of the book, because it tells such a moving story in a way you don't read it all the time, but truth be told, it gets a bit repetitive at times, especially towards the end. But I guess that also fits the narrative of the story, because walking through a whole country by foot will be a bit repetitive from time to time. Nevertheless I'd recommend it, because it is a very nice read. 

I am not going to spoil what the reader discovers in the course of the story and if Harold will make it to Berwick-upon-Tweed, because I think that by reading the book you go on some kind of journey yourself and it is great to discover everything piece by piece. 

"Good Omens - The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch" by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett: Review

Good Omens is the result of a collaboration between two of the greatest writers of our time, Terry Pratchett (Discworld) and Neil Gaiman (Sandman).
To sum up the whole plot of the novel would be rather too extensive but I'm still going to give it a try.
Basically, it's the story of the apocalypse, but not in any way you have read about it before. The demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale have been living on earth for a few centuries now and they have grown rather fond of it and their lifestyles. Nevertheless they are told by their respective bosses that the Antichrist is about to be born and that he needs to be taken care of, so that he can properly herald Armageddon when he's old enough. Both sides observe the boy growing up, wondering when his destiny will show, since he does not seem threatening in the slightest. Only on his 11th birthday Crowley realizes that he and the satanic nuns might have made a mistake the night the boy was born and that the children seem to have been switched.
From then on it's mainly Crowley running from his bosses and him and Azariphale deciding that they would much rather save the earth they live on. Aside from these two looking for the real Antichrist we also meet Newt Pulsifer, a member of the witchfinder army, who has become aware of some strange things happening in the village of Lower Tadfield, where Adam aka. the Antichrist happens to live. There Newt meets and falls in love with Anathema Device, a descendant of one Agnes Nutter, the very same Agnes Nutter who happened to predict the end of the world.
Crowley, Azariphale and Newt are not the only ones to make their way towards Lower Tadfield, but also the four horseman are on their way to join the Antichrist in bringing about the apocalypse. These four might seem a bit familiar if you are familiar with Pratchett's writing, especially the fact that everything Death says is written in all caps is a feature of Pratchett's Discworld novels.
To see how the grand finale goes down I strongly recommend you pick up the book as soon as possible.

It didn't come as much of a surprise to me that I liked the book as much as I did, because I am a big fan of both Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and even if you haven't read anything by either of the two before, I am pretty sure you will love this book. It is absurd in a way that makes you smile constantly and also very witty, reflecting on society in a way that does not make it feel like it is being shoved in your face.
BBC Radio is also going to release a radio play for Good Omens, featuring some of Britain's finest actors and also featuring the creators Gaiman and Pratchett themselves in a cameo appearance, just in time for Christmas. And as one of the actors who will be in the radio play, Colin Morgan, put it:

"It's a story about the Antichrist. There's nothing more festive than that!"

Camden Stable Market London: The best book shopping experience

So this time I'm not going to talk about a book or film I'd like to recommend to you but a place where I love to do my book shopping whenever I'm in London.
The Camden Stables Market is one of London's famous markets, which is also why you might not want to go there on Saturday or Sunday afternoon since there are going to be lots and lots of tourists roaming around in a very narrow space. However if you find the time to go there, try and visit this little stall at the far back of the underground stable market. The elderly gentleman who owns it loves to talk about books and he always gives me brilliant recommendations based on what I like. He also doesn't mind if you just want to roam the shelves undisturbed for an hour.
You can find almost everything here, from novels, poetry, old travel logs to old anatomy books. Obviously all the books are second (or third/fourth/fifth) hand, but that allows you to find editions you couldn't really get anywhere else. I'm really not one of the people who condemn modern book stores or online stores, because I order my books online or buy them in big chain stores just like everyone else, simple due to availability, but rummaging through the shelves in this little stall while being surrounded by this distinctive smell of old books makes it a completely different shopping experience. I could always stay there for hours and just get lost in looking at all the beautiful books.

This time I only left with the five wonderful books you can see in the picture on the right, but I'll definitely be back next time I'm in town.  If you ever happen to be in London, I strongly recommend that you visit this lovely stall at the stable market and treat yourself with a few of those treasures :-)

"Hector and the Search for Happiness" by François Lelord: Review

"Happiness is a certain way of seeing things" - François Lelord

Hector is a London psychiatrist who has a seemingly perfect life: a perfect job, a perfect girlfriend, following the routines every day. Until one day in the middle of a session with a patient, he is forced to think about the question whether he is actually happy with his life. Since he cannot truthfully answer that question with a clear YES he decides to go on a trip around the world to find out what makes people happy.

His journey leads him from Shanghai, where he befriends a rich business man, to a buddhist monastery, to Africa where he visits an old friend and helps out in his clinic and to many more stops all over the world. He meets a lot of interesting people and gets even more different answers to the question "What is happiness?"His journey ends in America, where he visits his ex-girlfriend, whom he never quite managed to forget. However, she is happily married and a mother now. She makes him realize that she is not what will him happy and she helps him see what he really wants from his life and what has to do to actually live it this way.

Although Hector and the Search for Happiness deals with a rather philosophical topic it is still a very easy read , because it has a very light air to it. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry but most of all it'll make you think about your life and about the question what happiness is for you. At least that's what it did to me. If you happen to be fluent in French you might want to read the original "Le voyage d'Hector ou la recherche du bonheur" since it's usually preferable to read it in the original language. Nevertheless I recommend to read this book no matter in which language. And I also strongly suggest that you watch the recently released movie starring Simon Pegg (Cornetto Trilogy, Star Trek) and Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). It captures the feeling of the book incredibly well and Simon Pegg did an amazing job playing Hector. 

"Life's That Way: A Memoir" by Jim Beaver

Actor Jim Beaver, well known for his roles in Supernatural, Deadwood, Justified etc, published a very personal and honest piece of work in the form of Life's That Way.

Life seems good for Jim and his wife Cecily Adams, both having successful carriers and being the proud parents of little baby girl Maddie. That's when the tragedy strikes the in the life of the young family and Cecily is diagnosed with lung cancer.
To keep friends and family informed about his wife's condition and also as a way of dealing with everything that's happening himself, Jim starts writing a regular e-mail newsletter. Life's That Way is a collection of these very touching e-mails, starting in October 2007, telling everyone about Cecily's condition and ending with an epilogue telling us how life went on for Jim and his daughter after his wife's death.
Reading, how Jim Beaver writes about his wife and life, knowing that those little pieces of extraordinary well written literature are snap-shots of what was actually happening at this point of his life, gives the book an extremely personal touch and I think that it is hardly possible to not be affected by this family's story.
Even though the book is definitely not some kind of self-help book to help you cope with bereavement, reading it did help me personally to deal with a recent loss in my life. Reading Jim Beaver's story and seeing how he copes with everything and stays strong for his daughter is truly amazing and I think that he is a very inspiring person.
If you order a copy on lifesthatway.com you will actually get a copy with a personal message and a signature from Mr. Beaver himself. This little extra combined with how well and with how much emotion the book is written, makes it the most valuable book I own. And considering that Christmas season is almost upon us, I think it'd also make a marvelous Christmas present.

"Mojo" by Jez Butterworth: Review

This review is going to be a little bit different from the others because Mojo is a 1995 play written by Jez Butterworth.
And since it has been one year since opening night I am going to talk about the written play as well as the production that was staged at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London in the Fall season 2013 starring Ben Whishaw (Skyfall), Colin Morgan (Merlin), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter), Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey), Daniel Mays (The Adventures of Tintin) and Tom Rhys Harries (Parade's End).

Mojo is set in the 1950s London nightclub scene. Therefore all the characters have a bit of a shady touch to them. The plot evolves around Silver Johnny, a young singer who is currently employed at the club all our protagonists are working. It is hinted right from the beginning that Johnny is considering to work for another man called Sam Ross. Sweets (Grint), who is responsible for the drug supply at the club and Potts (Mays) know about that, but decide not to get involved for now. This scene is incredibly well played by both Grint and Mays, although the lines are generally rather confusing, whether you read them yourself or see them performed. The energy which both actors deliver in their scenes together is amazing and Rupert Grint did an extraordinarily good job on his debut on stage. Daniel Mays was generally absolutely mind-blowing. I did not really know what to expect, since he was the only one of the main characters I hadn't known before, but after having seen the play I have to say that I have never been more impressed with any theatre performance than his.
The next character we get to know is Skinny Luke (Morgan), who works at the club. Colin Morgan's performance definitely showed that he has already had experience on stage and that he is an extremely good actor in general. Especially because his role as Skinny is very different from his role as Merlin, which he is still most famous for until now.
He complains to Sweets and Potts about how the club owner, Ezra's, son Baby (Whishaw) constantly harasses him. This can be also immediately seen in the next seen when Baby makes a appearance. Both Sweets and Potts seem to really care about him but there is never a doubt about the fact that there's something dangerous about him, which is spectacularly delivered by Whishaw who hasn't been called the greatest actor of his generation for nothing.
The four men decide to have a quiet night and play some cards, but the next scene we are shown has nothing quiet about it. Skinny is tied to a jukebox without his trousers, threatened by Baby with a cutlass while both Potts and Sweets are just chaotically shouting around in the background.
That's when Mickey (Coyle) finds them. He's Ezra's business partner and runs the club with him. Mickey tells the four other men that Ezra has been murdered by Sam Ross' men last night and that they'd probably come for them next. Brendan Coyle did a really great job with Mickey as well, but I have to say that both he and Tom Rhys Harries were not as impressive as their fellow cast.
The rest of the play has got a slight Waiting for Godot vibe about it, because all of the men hide in the club, barricade the doors and wait for the inevitable to happen. In the course of the night they drive each other crazy with fear and not knowing what to do. The only one who seems to keep calm in a very eerie kind of way is Baby. Whishaw's performance was absolutely magnificent, especially one of the last scenes where he just stands there, looking at what has happened (not going to spoil the ending here ;-) ), silent tears running down his face, while keeping a stony expression.

Although the plot of the play is very simple, it is still not that easy to summarize (as you might have noticed). Seeing it performed was an amazing experience because the cast was absolutely incredible. As it is always the case with plays, at least in my opinion,  they are never as good if you just read them. That is true for old classics like Shakespeare and also for modern plays like Mojo. I would still recommend to read it and definitely go see it live on stage, if you ever have the opportunity. You sure won't regret it, trust me!

"Retribution" by Jilliane Hoffman: Review

I'm usually not that much of a thriller reader, but when a friend recommended Jilliane Hoffman's Retribution to me I decided to give it a try and I was not disappointed.
Retribution is the first novel in Hoffman's so-called C.J. Townsend series. It focuses on Miami state prosecutor C.J. Townsend who is one of the best in her field and deals with horrible crimes and crazy criminals on a daily basis. C.J. is known for always keeping her cool even in the face of the most cruel cases, that is until she faces the case of a especially brutal serial killer, whose pattern she recognises because she only barely escaped him years ago. She still bears the scars from that encounter and has tried to block out the horrible memories that come flooding back now that she is faced with her tormenter again. Trying to catch the killer who still tortures her in her dreams without having her colleagues find out about her, C.J. is on the verge of losing herself so deep in that case that the line between what is true and what is not starts to get so blurry that she threatens to lose control completely.

Retribution is definitely one of the most exciting thrillers I have read in a long time and a real page turner. Once you've picked this book up you won't be able to put it down until you're finished, trust me.
Even if you're not usually a fan of thrillers, you should definitely give this one a chance, you won't regret it!

"Noughts & Crosses" by Malorie Blackman: Review

A boy is finally allowed to go to a better school, which he could not do so far, due to his skincolour. While he is more than happy about getting a better education, he is still being bullied, because of the way he looks. Sound like an awefully familiar part of history?
But what Malorie Blackman actually does in her Noughts & Crosses series, is reverse the historical roles.
The Noughts & Crosses series are dystopian novels about a society that has not developed the way our world did. In this world, the African people (Crosses) did manage to evolve much faster in various areas and therefore enslaved the white population (Noughts). This first novel is set shortly after slavery was abolished, but it is still looked down upon the Noughts and they generally live very poorly.
This is the world in which the protagonists of the novel, Callum and Sephy, grow up. Sephy is the daughter of a very important and influencal Cross, while Callum is the youngest son of a Nought family, who's mother works for Sephy's family. So they basically grow up together as children and only later in their lives are confronted with their differences. The story evolves around their friendship and the problems their different social backgrounds bring with them.
The novel follows Sephy and Callum throughout their childhood and teenage lives up until their young adult life. The reader sees how they develop together and without each other.
What starts out as a very basic tale about love and friendship develops into a thrilling, critical and heartbreaking page-turner.

When I first started reading the book I expected it to be a very classical young adult love story set in an interesting dystopian world, but I soon realised that there was much more to this book. Blackman tells the story of a whole society through the eyes of two young people who struggle with their place in it.
While the setting is, of course, fictional, the topics and problems Blackman addresses, like racism, terrorism or prejudices, seem way too familiar while reading.
Although I didn't expect it at first the book really gripped me and I had to read it in one go. One reason for that, apart from the fact that it is absolutely well written, is probably that it doesn't happen very often that a book can surprise me and that a story can turn out completely differntly from what I expected.

"The Maze Runner" by James Dashner: Review

Waking up in a dark box, remembering nothing but your first name and suddenly being pulled out  by a group of strangers in a place you have never been before - Sounds like a nightmare? Maybe, but that's exactly what is happening to the boy Thomas in the James Dashner's  The Maze Runner. The Maze Runner is the first part of a trilogy (The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure) that evolves around the protagonist Thomas and his friends. Dashner has also written a fourth book The Kill Order which is a prequel to the happenings in the trilogy.

Thomas is thrown into this strange world, where he soon finds new friends in the so-called Gladers. He learns that everyone in the Glade has their assigned duty and so he becomes a runner. That means that he runs through the gigantic maze that surrounds the Glade all day long and tries to find a way out together with his fellow runners. He seems to adjust to his life there until another person comes up in the box and this time it is a girl. So far the Gladers had only consisted of a group of boys and the appearance of the girl, Teresa, sets off a chain of events that threatens everyone in the Glade and everything they have built up until then. A brutal race against time begins for the Gladers and by the end of book 1 they learn that the maze has been the least of their worries...

I first heard about The Maze Runner because of the upcoming movie starring MTV Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien. Being also part of the currently very popular Dystopian Young Adult novel genre, I expected it to be similar to The Hunger Games series or the Divergent trilogy. While it is definitely comparable to those series in terms of the genre, I have to say that James Dashner's series adopts a much darker and more grown-up atmosphere in his novels than the others do. Th world of his books is an even gloomier place and everything seems to be more destroyed. The Maze Runner is one of the most thrilling and exciting books I have read in a while and trust me when I tell you that you won't be able to stop before you've read all of them as quickly as possible. Be prepared for a lot of fun and excitement, but also for a lot of suffering and tears. You have been warned!
As for me, I am very excited to see how the movie version turns out, but if they manage to make even remotely as good as the book, there's nothing to worry about ;-)

"Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls " by Matt Ruff: Review

Imagine having breakfast more than 5 times every morning, wearing clothes you can't remember buying or having the taste of cigarettes in your mouth although you don't smoke.
Sounds all rather odd? Exactly! Therefore it has to be the plot of a novel by Matt Ruff. After Fool on the Hill and Sewer, Gas and Electic: The Public Works Trilogy Ruff picks up, yet again, a completely different topic.

Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls is a book about Andrew, who suffers from a multiple personality disorder. With the help of his therapist Andrew managed to organise the personalities in his head into a house where they all live together and where he can let them out seperately when he needs to. This very organised life he has set up for himself threatens to be disturbed when he meets Mouse, a woman at work, who obviously suffers from the same disorder, but has not come to accept it yet. Her various personalities approach Andrew and ask him to help her come to terms with her condition.

I was rather weary when I first read that the book was to be about a protagonist with multiple personality disorder, because in my opinion it is a very difficult topic to approach and has often been simplified and, to a certain extent, also glorified in movies like for example Fight Club (which is an amazing movie nevertheless).
Ruff, though, manages to approach this topic very elegantly and in a sensitive way. He also goes into the depths of physical and emotional abuse that leads to the protagonists disorders, but this is also approached very delicately and in a empathetic way.

Matt Ruff managed once again to combine the element of weirdness with a lot of emotion and humour, like only he can and Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls was without a doubt the best read I've had in a long while. Would definitely recommend!

Finally...

...I could muster up the motivation and the courage to start my this blog.
Basically, I'm a very very fanatic reader and bookworm and I love to talk about it with like-minded peple (if not available my friends just have to deal with with my rants and emotional outburts book usually evoke within me).
What else is there to know about me?
Well, besides books I also love me my movies and TV shows and I often think about how much I could do with the time I spend watching movies, but well, it makes me happy and that's what counts. I might also start another blog dedicated to movies and TV shows, but for now I wanna try this one out :-)
So, if you love books just as much as I do and you care to read what I have to say about some of them, I'd love for you to follow and discuss with me.
I'm reading throughout almost every genre, so sorry if you're not interested in everything on here.
Oh and most importantly if there's a specific book you want to talk about let me know, I'm always thankful for new reading material :-D