Mark Haddon
Friday Reads
So, with the upcoming holiday, I’m heading to my parent’s home. It’s four and a half hours away on a good day and I’m not really expecting to be able to film, but here’s an update nonetheless.
What I’ve read last week:
Songs of the Earth and Trinity Rising by Elspeth Cooper.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
Upcoming Reads:
I’m about half way through Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and it’s pretty great so far. I’ll probably be done reading it by the end of the weekend and will update with a full review at that point, but WOW!
I’m about fifty pages into Dune by Frank Herbert. I’m really looking forward to dedicating some time to this bad boy. It’s not as long as some other books I’ve read this past month and a half, but it’s dense.
After these two are finished, I’m hoping to read the most recent of Elspeth Cooper’s Wild Hunt quartet. I recieved these three from Worlds Without End in a giveaway and I’d like to finish it while the other two are fresh in my head.
What about you? Reading anything good?
Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
Publication Date: May 2004
Genre: Contemporary/Mystery
Overview: Christopher can’t sleep. When he can’t sleep, he goes outside; he likes the night-time for walking because it’s quiet. But then he stumbles across his neighbor’s dog who is not only dead, but murdered. He then goes about the neighborhood detecting. Christopher is about to find out who killed his neighbor’s dog.
For Fans Of: Jonathan Safran Foer
This is yet another book I feel requires a less formal review. I loved Christopher and could see my brother and friends in him. His worries and straight-forward thoughts and communication were so true to my experiences. Also, I loved his one joke.
More importantly, I think Christopher’s family hits home for families with autism. The truth is most families struggle to cope with autism in all its forms. Abuse, affairs, divorce are all common after an autism diagnosis. Christopher’s family struggles with some very real problems. But Haddon also does a great job of showing the love and dedication that come with autism. The willingness to fight to see the world do right by your family and those you love was so well represented.
Overall, I thought Haddon did a great job showing both the very serious and humorous sides of autism without using the typical savant trope or making Christopher ever less-than-human.
Rating: 5
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Curious-Incident-Dog-Night-Time/dp/1400032717
Book Depository Link: http://www.bookdepository.com/Curious-Incident-Dog-Night-time-Mark-Haddon/9780099470434
lowteabooks.com 