My top 10 list (2008)

Mine Top 10

1. Mikhail Bulgakov “Master and Margarita”
2. Frederic Beigbeder “Love lasts three years”
3. Paulo Coelho “Alchemist”
4. J. D. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”
5. Gabriel Garsia Markes “100 years loneliness”
6. J. R. R. Tolkien “Lord of the rings”
7. Fedor Dostoevsky “The Gambler”
8. Andy Warhol “The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again)”
9. Haruki Murakami “A Wild Sheep Chase''
10. Theodore Dreiser “The Financier. The Titan. The Stoic.”

Мой Топ 10

1. Михаил Булгаков «Мастер и Маргарита»
2. Фредерик Бегбедер «Любовь живет 3 года»
3. ПаулоКоэльо «Алхимик»
4. Джером Дэвид Сэлинджер «Над пропастью во ржи»
5. Габриэль Гарсия Маркес «100 лет одиночества»
6. Джон Рональд Руэл «Толкиен Властелин Колец»
7. Федор Достоевский «Игрок»
8. Энди Уорхол «Философия Энди Уорхола (от А к Б и наоборот)»
9. Харуки Мураками «Охота на овец»
10. Теодор Драйзер «Финансист. Титан. Стоик.»

"The House on the Strand" by Daphne du Maurier

This book is very different to other books by Daphne du Maurier. It is my third book and with each one I more and more falling in love with her style.

This is a story about travelling in time. Dick Young came to Cornwall, using invitation of his old friend professor Magnus. Dick feeling himself lost in his life, he left his London job without any big reason, his wife wants him to move to New York but he is not very open for this idea. When professor propose him to try his new invention - drug which helps you to travel in time, Dick go into this adventure. With each trip old times attracts him more and more, he falls in love with lady there and he finds his new/old world is matches him much more, then his own reality with family, work and other casual things.

Dick's trips becoming more and more dangerous. His friend-professor suddenly dies, but his can't stop Dick, something holds him in past and with each time for him is more and more difficult to understand where is real world and where is not.

It is no actual final, author give us chance to guess, what happened with Dick in the end, if he found energy to stay in present or his mind will stay in past forever!

I find this book is a certain mix in between "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami and Irvin Shaw novels.

"No Motive" by Daphne du Maurier

Very interesting short story. It kept me involved from the first word until the last one.

Young woman made suicide without any obvious reasons and her husband decided to investigate it with detective's help. During the case, he found out about lost child and other things which blocked her memory. After meeting her son in so many years, her memory back to her and she can't deal with it, she took the gun and killed herself.

One of the best short-detective stories I have been read!

"The Borgia Bride" by Jeanne Kalogridis

This book was suggested to me by one of my friends. In this novel writer describeds life of Sancha of Aragon during her early years in Naples and then in Rome. She got married with son of Pope Alexander "5" and moved from her hometown to the capital. With her move she started to play important role for few people from Borgia family. She went through love, pain and loss. But Sancha as true member of the Aragon family, showed hew strength to everyone who hurts her.

It is not a happy end book but it finishes on positive and with hope for better.

This book is based on some real facts and decorated with interesting story line. I didn't know anything about Borgia family before so for me was very interesting to discover few historical facts about that period.

I can say that this book has pluses and minuses. As its positive sides I can say that story in very interesting, sometimes you just can't stop to read it because every page brings something exciting. Main minus for me is some erotic moments, which wasn't in the right place in this book. Author could describe such things in a more sophisticated way, on my opinion.

As a result, I can say that I enjoyed reading this book and I will be glad to find something similar to read in the future!

Jill Mansell "Mixed doubles"

On the way to Ukraine it wasn't anything for me to read and I found something easy in the book shop.

I don't like "love" novels, it is not my literature type. From this book I expected a little bit more of "Sex and the city" but it became more romantic novel instead.

Story tells us about three ladies who made their New Year resolutions and what happed next. One year long story shows to each girl how to find own way of happiness. Sometimes you need to loose something to understand that you really want it, sometime you need to loose something to understand that you really don't need it and sometimes you just need to believe that love is exists and to follow it with an open heart.

"A French novel" by Frederic Beigbeder

Without any doubts Frederic Beigbeder is my favorite modern author. I read almost all his books and with each one I like him even more. "A French novel" is his first autobiography. Each day of our life is a result of yesterday choices. Our personality it is a result of our childhood. But who is a person, who doesn't remember his childhood, who's first memories only start at age of 15. Frederic tries to find out who is he, when he locked in French prison for a few days, as escape from the reality he starts to remember his life from the beginning. Only when he found a way to that small boy, which always was inside him, he felt that he knows how to find a way to his future.

It is really a good book, book with a soul. Only when you know where was a beginning, you can see the road ahead.

Truman Capote "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

I am hugely fascinated by the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" that is why I have decided to read a book. I can't say that I was very disappointed but I haven't found real connection with my favorite movie.

Firstly this role was written for Merilyn Monroe, which were too different character, compare with adorable Audrey Hepburn.

Secondly book doesn't really have a storyline, it is more like incomplete memories about relations in between Holly and Paul.

Third and the most disappointing for me that the book has totally different final. It is not that romantic happy end from the movie with rain, taxi and the cat. In the book Holly just left New York, to look for her happiness somewhere far away in Brazil.

I think script writers has done amazing job to make from medium standard story such a magnificent movie. And definitely without Audrey Hepburn this movie will not be the one, which millions of people love with all their hearts.