tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21118710282451176332024-02-06T22:28:28.430-08:00Book Views"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog its too dark to read" Groucho MarxRhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-14269502106457369822012-02-22T01:23:00.003-08:002012-02-22T01:34:29.731-08:00Death at Pemberly by P D JamesOh dear. What happened here? I'm not sure what to say.<br /><br />I ordered this book for my new Kindle and opened it with glee. I only started to read Jane Austen a few years ago and have been continuously delighted with every book. She is witty, clever, a great tale teller and wonderful at developing characters that are so real and memorable. P D James - not so much. I don't really understand why she felt the need to use Elizabeth and Darcy as her characters. I understand that she is a huge Austen aficionado and that those characters are out of copyright and fair game but....<br /><br />The book actual fails. There is no interesting anything. I didn't enjoy the people even though we know exactly who they are - she didn't bring forth any of their characteristics already established. The setting was dull. The story lagged for so long I lost interest. The ending is predictable and ho hum. <br /><br />Oh dear. I hate being mean to a 91 year old legend but she shouldn't have done it.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-38495850046687906112012-01-27T15:42:00.000-08:002012-01-27T16:25:24.972-08:00Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Peregrines-Home-Peculiar-Children/dp/1594744769">Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children</a> is a hard one. I absolutely love the format. The story is a simple but clever one - well, if you like Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters type of stories, which I do. The eccentric Grandfather of a troubled young man is killed in very mysterious circumstances. Jacob - the young man - goes on a quest to uncover the mystery behind his Grandfather's last words to him and this takes him to a remote island off the coast of Wales and a house that was destroyed in WWII. I'm going to leave the description of the story there because I hate to reveal any little part of a novel - I never even read the dust jackets anymore. <br /><br />The format of the book is the clever part. Handsome - sorry - <a href="http://www.ransomriggs.com/">Ransom Riggs</a> has gathered together a collection of old vintage photographs which he includes into the book as reference and illustration points. I suspect that the parts of the story that seem out of place and jagged, are there because he tried to form the telling around some really interesting photo that he just couldn't leave out of the book. The story doesn't run completely smoothly and the author's editing is obvious in parts. If the photos were removed the reader would have a hard time putting 2 and 3 together to make 5. But the photographs ARE there so the story works. <br /><br />I also had a bit of a time picturing the main character Jacob. He felt more like a 13 year old boy to me, than a 16 year old. He is awkward at times and over confident at others. There is just a bit too much of a contrast between the two parts to get a clear picture. <br /><br />This is a playful story which beats too much of its own moral values down the reader's throat. It's like trying to slip that bitter medicine in with the ice cream - you can still taste the bitter medicine. I enjoyed the ice cream parts very much. It is not published as young adult fiction but I think it probably should have been.<br /><br />I have read that Tim Burton will be making the film (Hooray) and that they have a very good scriptwriter to adapt it - Jane Goldman - who wrote one of the X-Men screenplays (Hooray again). The film could turn out fantastic and I hope so. And they already have the basis for the filming in the photograph collection in the book.<br /><br />I look forward to the next Ransom Riggs novel and I hope he improves with age. Apparently he will be writing a sequel. Let's hope he doesn't find a cairn and disappear into a loop somewhere.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-86369316483734482152012-01-25T01:17:00.000-08:002012-01-25T02:03:27.288-08:00Competing BooksMy books are competing with each other and it is driving me spare. First Book One siddles up next to me and whispers sweet nothings in my ear, so I pick it up, caress its spine and gently open it up. For a while it has all my attention and keeps me interested. Without warning and with no prompting on my part another Book comes flirting into my life. Book One is abandoned with no more thought than a bookmark and Book Two has captivated me. Book One sits there in plain site, forlornly, making me feel completely guilty so I pick it up again and start the affair all over. Book Two screams at me that I mustn't be so fickle. I must make a choice between the two and stick to it. Book Three is hiding just behind the alarm clock and springs out at me as I set the time for an early rise and being the irresolute reader that I am, I start to read a third novel. All this time my Kindle is patiently waiting in my bag for me to toss aside these old fashion paper models, come to my senses, and read the e-book novel I have been promising myself for years. <br /><br />They argue, they interupt each other and I am not a good arbitrator. I am stuck between covers and don't know which page to turn. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/kdpg/graphicnovels/habibi/">Habibi by Craig Thompson</a> won the first round. The graphic novel of a fictional islamic world in which two children find each other only to go their separate ways, unwillingly, lead lives of desperate desperation, and come together again to find an uneasy love. This is a terrible story which is superbly illustrated. It is so hard to read at times but it is so worth continuing along the journeys of these worthy people. Please do yourself the favour of reading this novel if you ever get the chance. <br /><br />Now that Habibi has been read it has traveled far away from me and is in the arms of another lover. Stephanie Plum snuck in there with <a href="http://www.evanovich.com/">Explosive Eighteen</a> as a quick non-committed relationship. It is the same as all the others in the series, good for a one night stand. <br /><br />Now it is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWrNyVhSJUU">Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</a> by <a href="http://www.ransomriggs.com/">Ransom Riggs </a>that has me in bed early for the past few nights, and lingering in the mornings as well for some fun in the sack. I think I am in love but, I'm sure, it will also be a short affair. This book is wonderful fun and I'll tell you why when it has finally been spent and leaves my bed like all the others before it. <br /><br />I am having a long distant relationship with Patrick White and his Aunt's Story right now - it is on the floor. Its not that I don't love it, I do, deep down inside. Its just that it is so serious and I feel like a little fun and light reading.<br /><br />University starts up in a couple of weeks and then it will be all work and no play for this girl. I am actually looking forward to being involved again. It will be my last literature class and I mean to stay completely true to the syllabus for at least the next 6 months so all the little affairs will have to be put on hold until the next semester break. I'm sure they will still be sitting there ready to tempt me when I get back.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-63313988220403550972012-01-05T00:07:00.000-08:002012-01-05T00:32:04.719-08:00Empire of the Summer Moon by S C GwynneI wouldn't presume or pretend to know anything about the Native American plight, either in the past or now. I have read a bit about the history of the Americas and some about indiginous Americans. They didn't have it easy, needless to say. The Native North Americans were proud and strong until they were cut down by the white man - mostly by diseases and displacement. There is something about their history that draws me. I have been to a lot of historical places - Little Big Horn, Puebloan site in New Mexico and Colorado, Indian Nations in Montana, Wyoming, and Washington State. I've seen all the tourist stops and bought jewelry. That makes me interested but not knowable. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6FyjO3-XZQ">Empire of the Sumer Moon</a> is subtitled Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the most Powerful Indian tibe in American History. It is a book rich in all things Comanche. This book is set around the kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker and the rise of her son Quanah. Well, that was the most interesting part for me - I remember seeing<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pIeL2Iz1jY"> The Searchers</a> (the movie was based on the story of Cynthia Ann) with John Wayne and Natalie Wood when I was just a kid and really loving it. It is a great account of the state of affairs in the mid 1800s through to the early 1900s. The warrior tribe, the US military debacles, the love of a mother for her child and a son for his mother, the decimation of a proud nation. This book has it all.<br /><br />It is also an easy to read story full of emotion and character. <a href="http://www.scgwynne.com/">Gwynne</a> has done his homework and is not afraid to announce it but that doesn't detract from this good account. If you are interested in Native American History at all this is one you should read.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-28463531833689676612011-12-31T19:05:00.001-08:002011-12-31T19:22:02.037-08:00Heat and Patrick WhiteThere is something about the heat today that doesn't like me. Usually I'm OK until it hits 35 degrees and it is only 30 right now. So I am in my bedroom with my really old evaporative air conditioner on, sitting on my bed, with my computer, my knitting, my book and my dogs - they are not on the bed but beside it. We are all happy and lazy and snoozy. It is the first day of the new year and I am happy to see it in right - reading. <br /><br /><a href="http://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Aunt_s_Story.html?id=pvnq43tq7jIC&redir_esc=y">The Aunt's Story</a> is such a treat. It is intellegent and seductive. Im on page 76 and I have alread gathered a crop of words and lines to feed me. I just read the most delightful passage:<br /><br /> "Because he had to make some motion to hold up the darkness that was pressing down. It was too big. When Frank Parrott was on the road, droving, or for some reason overtaken by darkness, he could not scrape together a few sticks quickly enought, to make a little fire, to sit against.<br /> 'You forget,' he said. 'It's so long between dances you forget to buy a new pair of shoes. I remember at Singleton, in the autumn, there was a ball, an' these damn shoes pinched so bad I took them off after supper and danced on my feet.'<br /> Frank Parrott laughted. He laughed a tthe vision of himself. He had lit his little fire."<br /><br />That, to me, is brilliance. And Patrick White has littered these little gems throughout the story. I don't even need to be on my toes to catch them. They are right there for the taking. Where else in this world of ours can you find diamonds and pearls without digging or diving? In books! <br /><br />I'm not going to get ahead of myself (never do that, ahem) but I think this may be my Patrick White year.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-85505704032758105452011-12-29T14:30:00.000-08:002011-12-29T15:07:21.428-08:00My own personal Summer ChallengeOh - that's just silly calling it a Challenge - with a capital C no less. In fact, it's silly to give my reading life any sort of title at all and summer is 1/3 over anyway. And since when do I have to challenge myself to read anything? OK - changing the title of this post to 'What should I read next' - way more comfortable with that!<br /><br />To make a short story long, I was speaking to a friend of mine who lives in Melbourne and she and her husband were going to start reading <a href="http://www.oup.com.au/titles/secondary/english/novels/oxford_worlds_classics/9780199535675">Ulysses</a> by James Joyce again for the third time. They read it aloud to each other in the evenings because telly is 'so boring this time of year". My friend is an artist so she has a decent attention span and her husband just likes to sit still and be calm. She is no super intellectual (she is smart though), nor his he (he's smart too), but if they can read it - so can I. <br /><br />This is the 2nd time I have picked up this novel and had a go. Last time I didn't hate it but I can remember saying to myself that Joyce just made things up, like words and phrases, and pops them into the conversation as if everyone knows what he means. He waves his hand, turns his head and ptoshes us if we challenge (there's that word again) him. Joyce is so uber-confident in his writting. I dug into the bookshelf and found my copy - it is huge. I thumbed thru it and found that of the 950-odd pages almost 250 of them are notes, appendices, introductions (there are two!) and various other explanatory thingys. I can manage a 700 page novel no worries. I'm now on page 11 and already more than a little confused but determined.<br /><br />I picked up the <a href="http://www.themonthly.com.au/">Monthly</a> Summer Reading Special the other day and there is a wee little story about Manoly Lascaris, the partner of Patrick White. It was a sad little piece and it led me to youtube to watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j02E06UFOcg">Patrick White</a> sitting on his front porch doing an interview for his Nobel Prize win. He said that one of his two favourite of his own novels was The Aunt's Story. Hey, I have that book too. I've never read Patrick White which I consider a great downfall of mine. I bought The Aunt's Story when I was going to read it for a little book group I was in but we never did - can't remember what happened. So another dig into the bookshelf uncovered a pristine, never read copy. AND less than 300 pages. <br /><br />Now, the number of pages in a book mean absolutely nothing to me usually. But I have a bit more than two weeks before I have to go back to work and a bit more than four weeks before the next university term starts so I don't want to put myself into the position of having to choose between university and literature! Literature usually wins to the downfall of my grades!<br /><br />I am 31 pages into The Aunt's Story and it has got me, so Patrick White is my book of choice for "What should I read next?" after the dishes are done and the grass is mown. I'm excited.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-22737918921385379802011-12-29T02:09:00.000-08:002011-12-29T02:24:48.512-08:00Double Shadow by Sally GardnerNope, sorry, didn't work. And believe me I am sorry. I love <a href="http://www.sallygardner.net/">Sally Gardner's</a> other books - <strong>I, Coriander, Red Necklace and Silver Blade</strong> and would recommend them without hesitation to anyone interested in Young Adult period novels. They are clever, engaging, and intellegent well-researched stories set in 17th century London and 18th century France. They have interesting characters and intriguing plots.<br /><br />Double Shadow had none of this. Sorry - the character of Ezra was easy to connect to and like and his family was equally likeable. But the other characters were lifeless and bland. The plot was convoluted and the settings were vague and uninviting. I'm not going to tell you about the story because any telling on my part would ruin the little bit of tension that is there if you do decide to read it. I listened to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz01JfaBFV4">Sally Gardner</a> say that she had to dive deep to bring out this book. I wish she hadn't gone so far and had kept things just a little simpler. I love action and curiosity in middle reader's fiction but this is just plain confusing and 'hmm - so what!' <br /><br />Please read her earlier novels and you will love Sally as much as I do. I will forgive her this one because her first three were really great. I hope she gets back on track with her next. Sorry!Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-12891659418313864082011-12-22T02:36:00.000-08:002011-12-22T03:18:42.876-08:00Maphead by Ken JenningsI get recommendations for books to read from the <a href="http://www.elliottbaybook.com/">Elliott Bay Book Company</a>, which is a fabulous book store in Seattle. It has been my favourite book store for years. I have blogged about it many times and have sent lots of blog friends there. It has moved from its original location in Seattle's Pioneer Square to Capital Hill but it still has its original charm (good lesson for people who want to move their business and still keep their original customers - keep the ambiance the same!). Anyway, the shop recommended a book called <a href="http://www.elliottbaybook.com/book/9781439167175">Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks</a> by a Seattle author named Ken Jennings.<br /><br />Ken Jennings is a famous Jeopardy champion. He was on for a long time and won a lot of money (over 2 mil). My mom can remember watching him and she said that he annoyed her quite a lot. But he has written an anything-but annoying book. Maphead is gorgeous. Maphead is funny and full of trivia-type facts. Maphead is indulgent and clever. Maphead is for map lovers. Duh!<br /><br />Do you love perusing maps and dreaming of far off places? Does your atlas have pride of place in your book case or on your table? Do you look up every place you have ever heard of on Google Maps? Do you have maps hanging on your walls (ours are on the walls of the loo)? Are you a maphead? Well, even if you are not you will like this book. It is a comprehensive and easy to read book about maps and geography. <br /><br />In this book Jennings talks about geography illiteracy in the US - school students don't know where their own states are on a map and don't know that France is a country. He talks about the cool maps that are kept in the <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/">Library of Congress</a> that no one knows about. He talks about how maps shape governments, cultures and social systems. He talks about map collecting and geography bees (like spelling bees only held by the <a href="http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/puzzlesquizzes/quizyournoodle-geography-bee/">National Geographic Society</a>), he talks about people who draw fantasy maps and <a href="http://geocaching.com.au/">Geocaching</a> and many more interesting aspects of map love. It is kindof nerdy but so clever and funny. It's personable and written with a subdued enthusiasm. Jennings is obviously obsessed but he reins it in for the writing of this book - I bet he doesn't in real life. I bet he goes on and on and there is a lot of eye rolling and searching for ways to get away from the crazy map man!!<br /><br />I loved it and have sent it to my brother and a couple of friends. As it says on the inside blurb in the book "If you're an inveterate map lover yourself - or even if you're among the cartographically clueless who can get lost in a supermarket (I am both of those things - are they exclusive?) - let Ken Jennings be your guide to the strange world of mapheads". Do yourself the favour of reading this book. You will laugh and I bet it won't take long till you are either telling someone else they should read it or telling someone some map trivia you learned from Ken Jennings.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-59762191688364225552011-12-21T01:34:00.000-08:002011-12-21T02:00:14.937-08:00The Fifth Day of ChristmasI'm sitting here alone, in my living room, Christmas tree lights blinking and stormy clouds outside my window. I miss my family, some of whom are in the states right now. I look forward to having Christmas with them in the coming years here, where it's warm and lovely on the day. My son, right now, is wrapped up in a winter coat and hat when all he wants is to grab his surfboard and head out for some waves after present opening on Christmas Day. My grandson knows who Santa Claus is for the first time and doesn't especially like him. He has a 'Gaga' (that's his name for me and now it's stuck) who lives in the computer. I long to give him a cuddle and hold him on my lap while I read the Night Before Christmas to him. <br /><br />I don't really care about Christmas. I like it enough but it's awfully forced for too much liking. To me it is a day to spend with my sons - only one this year but he'll do - and eat good food, special food, that we wouldn't have the rest of the year. It is a time to talk to family and old friends. It is some time away from work and school to reflect on life and get some of those 'Isn't it a Shame' (I didn't have more time) things done. It's my time to go to galleries and exhibitions, movies and out for lunches.<br /><br />I am sentimental over old Christmas years. I miss my Dad and other good friends and family memebers who have passed away - Dad loved Christmas for the same reasons as I like it - food and family. But as lonely as I feel, as sad as I am that I only get to Skype with my family, I also feel incredibly lucky in my life. I have health, safety, love, freedom, hot water and a toilet, hope, money, food, my eyes, the internet, quiet, independence, books, a creative mind, music, and an open mind. Lucky. I will not take any of these things for granted in the future. I will revel in the fact that I can have a shower every day, go for a walk with no fear, drink clean water, read Salmon Rushdie and speak my mind. I will pay attention and be merry. I will drink a glass of eggnog and toast my good fortune.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-26584661545558545072011-12-19T14:42:00.000-08:002011-12-19T15:12:38.508-08:00Places to Read Of Human BondageW Somerset Maugham. That is a great name. I would like to be named Somerset. It instantly recalls summer afternoons lazing on the lawns of some great old mansion, drinking Gin with ice cubes clinking against glasses, and a lazy game of badminton or lawn tennis happening vaguely over there (dimissive languid wave of my hand in a far off direction). <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/351">Of Human Bondage</a> has none of that scene in it. It's a classic so I'm sure most people have read it or at least heard of it. I read it when I was quite young - the title was enticing. But I didn't remember any of it, really. It came on my Kobo as a free download so I read it again. It took me months to finish it - not because it isn't great - it is - but because other 'things' kept popping up like university classes, work, and other books. Finally, it is done. And now I miss it.<br /><br />Of Human Bondage has been discussed enough times that I don't need to critique it in any way. It is the story of Philip Carey - a man with a whopper of a tale of woe. As he limps his way through life he paints in Paris, he attends medical school in London, he falls obsessively in love with Mildred (a thoroughly despicable character) and also falls in and out of all kinds of fortune. It is a completely readable novel written in 1915 and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading classics. Maugham's language is impeccable and his descriptions of landscape and personality is divine.<br /><br />This novel took me quite a while to read (and I want to make this clear again - it was great and would be easy to read in a couple of sittings if life hadn't made me get up so often) and also, as I said, it is on my e-book reader which I tend to take with me when I am off on an adventure instead of carrying a big book, (long sentence - take a breath now) I read it in several places. I read it in bed, in my garden on the porch swing which isn't on the porch, at the kitchen table and in the living room. I read it at the bus stop, in coffee shops, in the movie theatre lounge, in the library and a little bit at work (only in my breaks, ahem!). I read it in Hyde Park in Sydney, at the Circular Quay, in the Botanical Gardens and at the NSW Art Gallery. I read it at the YWCA and at a posh hotel in the Southern Highlands.<br />There wasn't one place where this novel wasn't suitable for a little read. I think because the novel itself is set in so many interesting places it lends itself to be read in so many interesting places. And, yes, even I can make romance out of sitting on a wooden bus stop bench.<br /><br />I love all kinds of books but classics make me feel connected. I love the fact that thousands of people, in many countries, in almost a hundred years have read this books. I love that we are all connected by a common experience and that I would have something to talk about with every one of them. I could go back to 1920 and have a lively discussion with someone about Maugham's style. And I hope that in 50 years I could sit down in my old porch swing and have that same lively debate.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-48094253283904288072011-12-14T23:32:00.000-08:002011-12-15T00:16:54.445-08:00ProfundityIf you tick the box that says 'reading' when you fill out a survey about your pastimes then you probably love characters - fictional or historical. I love a good character. I love to fall in love with, hate, or mistrust a cleverly designed protagonist. <br /><br />Some readers love certain characters so much that they re-read books to re-live their lives with them. Many can't wait for Elizabeth Bennet to say to Darcy 'From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry' over and over again. <br /><br />I love to follow the adventures of certain characters - one of whom is Stephanie Plum. I just read Smokin' Seventeen. I started reading these <a href="http://www.evanovich.com/">Janet Evanovich</a> books with One for the Money in 1994 - so that's what - 15 years ago. These are fast paced, sexy, hilarious books - light but great fun. I've just seen that someone is finally making these into a movie - I'll wait and see.<br /><br />I have also just finished another book called <a href="http://womenofletters.com.au/">Women of Letters</a>. This is a nice book. It would be a great present. These are short, little letters. These are clever letters. These are silly letters. These are indulgent letters. This is a nice book. <br /><br />Last week I read <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316057561.htm">Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell</a>. I really loved loved loved Winter's Bone. Outlaw Album is a book of short stories. They are dark and bleak stories. Woodrell seems to tap into the lower socio-economical culture and find little nuggets of treasures there. The stories are not all easy to read - a couple of them are quite hard to understand. The one that stands out most for me is about a woman who works in Rehab at a prison who visits the parents of one of her clients who is in prison for murder (I think). He has written a book of poetry about his criminal life which is very good and selling well. The prison board will let him out if his parents will take him back into their house but they refuse. I can't quote this book because I don't have it anymore but his father says something like 'tell him he has got all the poetry off of us that he is going to get' as he closes the door against the counselor. Woodrell is very good at spinning a tale and his economy of words is wonderful. There is nothing in these stories that doesn't absolutely need to be there. But they are depressing and sad. <br /><br />So I am ready for something profound now. Something with great thought, deep, and full of insight. I am ready for another novel that takes concentration and commitment. I have time over the Christmas break to sink my literary teeth into a meaty book that I can consume and will sustain me. I need to find this novel so if anyone has any suggestions let me know. I have a couple of books sitting on my night stand that have no profundity but will keep my mind occupied until the great novel of my Christmas reading presents itself to me.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-68241077574251676642011-12-02T17:30:00.000-08:002011-12-02T18:00:36.917-08:00Something strange happenedI have had a really hard three weeks. Some terrible things happened and amidst it all I had to write a critique paper for my poetry class. I didn't do very well. I got some nice comments from my very academic professor but the substance just wasn't there. Needless to say my head wasn't in the game and my batting average took a dive. I got a Credit for the class - my first one! Up till now I have been getting Ds and HDs. Don't get me wrong - I deserved a C (well, he gave me a C+ but the plus sign falls off on my transcript). And to tell you the truth, I'm happy with the C (+) for the paper I wrote. <br /><br />The problem is - I now really love poetry. Cripes! I'm one of those people now. I picked up the Nobel Prize for Literature 2011 book just now - The Deleted World by Tomas Transtromer (by the way there should be a .. above the 'o' in Transtromer but I don't know how to do that on my computer (and it's fun to say his name with a Swedish accent!)). Tomas is an highly acclaimed Swedish poet who looks like a poet. He's oldish, craggy, serious and grey haired. He looks like the kind of man who would reluctantly invite you in for a cup of tea that his wife would make and sit and stare at you for the minutes until the tea was served. He would sip his tea while you and his wife made small talk about how beautiful their house was until he stopped you mid sentence to ask you what you wanted. When you told him you admired him and wanted to talk about his poetry he would shake his head and retreat into it. But finally once he learned you were a budding poet and serious about it he would say he had nothing to teach you that life couldn't do a better job of and just to write for 7 hours a day. I can just hear him - "poetry is hard work, it's a struggle, it has to be done with discipline and concentration."<br /><br />And Heart! His poetry speaks of deep feelings in few words. His poetry is grey and cold on the outside and fiery and direct under all the coverings. His poetry catches your breath like a blast of artic wind. His poetry is written on the snow only to be read when the spring thaws arrive. <br /><br /> Through those dismal months my life was only sparked alight<br /> when I made love to you.<br /> As the firefly ignites and fades, ignites and fades, we follow the flashes<br /> of its flight in the dark among the olive trees.<br /><br /> Throughout those dismal months, my soul sat slumped and lifeless<br /> but my body walked to yours.<br /> The night sky was lowing.<br /> We milked the cosmos secretly, and survived.<br /><br />Is it possible that 8 lines can take a person from the most depressed state to one of love and survival? Simple words. Words we all understand. Words that paint a picture without oils or pastels. Words that sculpt a story without bronze or marble. Words that, even in translation, will last in my English thinking mind for a very long time. Is poetry the highest form of art? I don't think there are platforms that artists sit on when being judged - like at the Olympics - the Bronze medal goes to Sculpture, the Silver to Painting and the Gold to Poetry!<br /><br />Transtromer weaves magic into his words. He writes words that get in at a cellular level. And now I am one of those people who walk around with poetry in my cells, and I feel better for it.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-7716957609373337242011-11-28T03:02:00.000-08:002011-11-28T03:47:30.572-08:00EngageThis afternoon I went to my local public library to return overdue books (bad borrower) and pick up some books that I had placed on reserve. I read a lot of book reviews and often reserve any that might interest me if my library has them. I have about 30 books on reserve right now and today I checked out 10 of them. I pulled them off the shelf and sat down at a table that was nearby and occupied by a man who looked to be in his late 60s. He made a comment about how I was going to read all those books in the three weeks that the library let me have them for. I said it was a problem that I really didn't have a solution for except that I would take them home and do my best. <br /><br />Normally, I would have left the conversation there and tottered off to the check-out line. But I have decided that I am starting early with my 2012 New Years Resolution to engage more. This man had a kind face and was obviously up for a chat as he had started it so I looked at him openly. He said 'what are all these books?"<br /><br />So I took them, one by one, from my pile and told him what they were. The first was a book called Maphead. This book was recommended by a book store in Seattle called Elliott Bay Book Company which is my favourite book store in the world. They have a book review section on their website which is written by the staff of the book store and this one was highly recommended, written by a Seattle Author who was a famous winner of Jeopardy - Ken Jennings. I love maps and will read any book about map making. The gentleman nodded his head and said he approved of this book.<br /><br />I guess I should tell you that this man was from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. We talked a little about how it was hard to be away from our countries of birth but that both of us were more than happy to have that hardship. We talked about politics and he was very smart. He said something very interesting about Australian politics that I had never heard before - he said it doesn't matter one little bit who is our Prime Minister - that Australia is a rich country, a lucky country and whoever is running it will not screw that up too badly. He said that he thought Malcolm Turnbull would be a good PM but would not be liked because he was a millionaire and Australian's like a battler as their leader. Interesting.<br /><br />Anyway, the next book off the pile was one about Annie Leibovitz. He shook his head and said she was not an important photographer, that she only got a name because she took photos of celebrities. I said I was interested in her life not her photography, so much. I said that Ansel Adams was my favourite photographer and a look came over his face as he nodded. "For art to be good it has to speak to you and Ansel Adams sings great arias", he said. I felt my throat close a little as he sighed and looked towards my pile. <br /><br />The next was a book called Women of Letters curated (I love that) by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire. He approved when I explained this was a book about writing letters to and about women. The next two books were knitting pattern books and they were passed over as little interest to him although I explained I was very excited to take them home and dream of things I could make. He smiled indulgently.<br /><br />The next was a beginers Ukulele book. I just bought a good ukulele and need to learn some basic playing skills. I got a little nod for that one but clearly he didn't care. The next was the new book by Daniel Woodrell of Winter's Bone fame. I am really looking forward to that book.<br /><br />Finally came The Best Australian Poems 2011. Well, he lit up like Christmas tree lights. "Poetry is the highest form of Art" he said. "You can learn almost all you need to know about how to be a good human being from poetry and history". I told him that I had just finished a university poetry class and I found out that I really enjoyed reading poetry and that earned a big smile.<br /><br />We talked a little more about life and love. He told me about his life in Asia and about his studies as a young man in history and his many years of teaching history at university. He was a truly lovely man and I feel enriched and inspired by my half hour conversation. <br /><br />So for 2012 (but starting now) my aim is to engage with people, art, music and poetry. I have a tendency to tuck myself up in my home and shut out the world. I go to work, classes, see friends occasionally and talk to family overseas weekly. But most of my time is spent in solitude and I have grown to like this. This won't change but when I do meet someone like this lovely man from Pakistan I will endevour to engage in conversation and learn.<br /><br />I will post about all these books in the next few weeks. I am really looking forward to reading them all now that my studies have finished for the summer. I like to tell people how I find books that I have read but mostly people are not as interested as I am, but I can engage on this blog with anyone interested to read my thoughts. I love writing about books and life. And I am fortunate that I have an outlet to do it. Lucky me.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-21984285875360296992011-11-12T14:51:00.000-08:002011-11-12T15:09:59.680-08:00The ScreamI finally 'get' The Scream - that silent painting by Munch. I have a secret I can't tell. It's a bad secret I wish I didn't know. I can't do a thing about it and it's making me hurt like I've only known a few times. I walk around my house saying things like 'I can't stand it anymore' and 'I don't know what to do'. The whole thing is far out of my hands but it is still hurting me deeply. And I am afraid. I am afraid that something worse will happen and I didn't tell. It is a bad position to be in.<br /><br />Why do we tell deep and dark secrets to others? It makes us feel better to share. If a situation is out of control and we keep it inside it is sure to explode and spread our dirty little secret like body parts blown up by a hand grenade. So when we share the pressure valve releases. But the person who is now our secret keeper is in a dire place. They are a passive holder of information over which they have no power. They are the carer of information that can no longer fit in any container. They have to carry it around draped on their own back like a shawl made from iron chains. <br /><br />I feel heavy and scared. I am trying to cope with a knowing that, now, I cannot share. I am screaming at the top of my lungs with no air to push it out. Secret Keeper is not romantic as in the fairytales of old. It is a lonely place, a dark cave, a frustration, a shame. It is a Silent Scream.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-76543462488539270282011-11-08T02:48:00.000-08:002011-11-08T03:14:47.733-08:00Cookies and RollsMy kitchen smells like chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls. <br /><br />Yesterday was hot. It was 30 degrees centigrade so I made yeast rolls. They rise so beautifully in the heat that it is worth turning on the oven for a while to bake them. I use an ancient recipe for these rolls and though my mother tells me that a bit of custard powder in the cinnamon mixture is really good I won't change my ways. I have been making these rolls for years. I mix hot milk, butter and eggs with flour, sugar and yeast and magic happens. After rising I punch the dough down and spread it out to receive the cinnamon, butter and sugar before rolling. But here is where I change things up if I feel like it. Yesterday I cut up some fresh pecan nuts and dusted them with a wee bit of chilli. They were rolled into the dough with the cinnamon mixture and the surprise was waiting to be sprung. I drizzled them with powdered sugar and milk when they were still hot. Sometimes it is a bad idea to wait until things cool down to put on the icing. Like love and heat - they mix so well together sometimes to make indescribable pleasure. Just like my rolls. I shared them and they were oohed and aahed and yummed over. My pleasure in sharing was immense. They linger in smell and memory.<br /><br />Tonight was cold. Chocolate chip cookies felt right tonight. I put on my oldest, fondest apron over my pajamas and stirred the mixture with my 40 year old wooden spoon. I try new recipes for chocolate chip cookies all the time. I know the right proportions of butter and sugar and flour for these cookies so I know I will not fail. When a recipe says to use less butter than I know is right I do not try it. But the addition of a different sort of chocolate or something like peanut butter is worth a try. Some have worked well and will be baked again and some not as good - all have been eaten. I adore the feeling of rolling the cookies in my hands, patting them down a little with my fingers and using my granny's hand crochet pot holders to slip the cookie tray into the oven. The smell of cooking cookies is divine. The chocolate and vanilla combine to make me weak at the knees. When I was a girl I used to put a little pure vanilla extract behind my ear before I went to school and I was often followed around by boys, smelling the scent of the comfort of their own mother's kitchens, or imagining me as a wife who would bake them wonderful deserts after they married me. I was told this exact thing several times so I am not imagining it. <br /><br />Now as I lay myself down to sleep, only a few meters from my kitchen, I can still smell the lingering wonderfulness and I am sure it will offer up sweet dreams in my sleep tonight. Tomorrow I will delight my friends with tasty bits of love. I may need to bake a cheesecake soon. Or make a chocolate torte. No special occasion better than the fact that it will be Thursday.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-77713009521624037622011-11-06T21:03:00.000-08:002011-11-06T21:07:31.757-08:00LightEven the smallest light can be seen in the darkness. <br /><br />The sky leans on me and it is heavy. I long for the night so I can spread the mass of dark across my prone body. I lie down and sleep under my weighty blanket – my light covered and snuffed. <br /><br />I’m happy to be alive but the burden of carrying the air, moving the air, supporting the clouds is a severe responsibility. I am serious about it and never think about other things like fun and laughter, both of which jiggle and whorl my world and tilt it sideways. <br /><br />Eyes down. Feet firm for balance. No spilling allowed. Cry over spilt atmosphere. The sky can’t go back into the cup once out. <br /><br />The night’s receiving blanket torn to shreds with the dawn. No longer able to hold the baby of innocence.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-29158392485394906072011-11-03T01:59:00.000-07:002011-11-03T02:42:09.206-07:00Poetry and a left-over storyI've been reading poetry. I'm taking a poetry class at uni this term and I've been reading mostly Australian poets and some English. At first I was flummoxed. Poetry is too hard and I didn't really care. But as I've progressed I've learned the posture of reading it. It is almost physical - well, not even almost - it is physical. <br /><br />To read poetry:<br /><br />You have to sit down. There is no lying in bed for reading poetry or lying on the beach. You must sit in a straight-backed comfortable chair. <br /><br />You must have good lighting and your reading glasses. I don't know about you but if I don't have my reading glasses on I tend to rely on recognition of words rather than reading the words. Poetry is not natural writing. The word that follows this one is not often the word you think it is going to be. That sentence will make sense to some people. I can see some of you nodding your head. <br /><br />You must be prepared to move your lips while reading - or read out loud. There is a rhythm to reading poetry that is almost impossible to duplicate in your head alone. There is a theatrical quality that needs an audience - even if it is just the dogs or the dust balls under the couch. Your mouth needs to read it along with your eyes.<br /><br />You must give yourself time to read slowly and carefully. There is great pleasure in slowing down long enough to let good poetry sink in and mean something to you.<br /><br />And I also think it is important to dress for poetry. I think winter is the time to read most poetry. Something warm on your feet, a big sweater or blanket around your shoulders, a hot cup of tea on the table next to you. But this is just me!<br /><br />I've been reading Peter Reading and Frances Webb. Auden and Les Murray. I have also been reading Immanuel Kant and Edward Said for the same class. Deep stuff. <br /><br />And the light bulb moment has finally happened. I get it. Well, I get it a little. There are still poets that I think are pretentious and snobby. But there are some, now, that I admire greatly. I will, from now on be a bit of a poetry reader. It feels like an indulgence that I will partake in when the mood hits me. I hope it hits me often.<br /><br />I have also been writing a little - not poetry - stories. I am enjoying it more than I can put into words right now. What I would like to share on this blog is my left-over stories. These are little 'things' that I write around my bigger stories. When I sit down to fix a story I need to get into the mood so I start writting just anything to get the juices flowing - like warm ups. These are just little thoughts and silly things but I am going to leave some of them here, with you - but only the ones I really like. <br /><br />The first one comes from some valuable feedback I got recently, that there was an abundance of the word 'she' in one of my stories. She did this and then she did that - that sort of thing. Before I went in to see if I could re-word these lines I wrote this:<br /><br />She<br /><br />I wonder where to put the 'she'? There are too many of them and every time I take one out I don't know where to put her. I have taken to writing 'she'on post-it notes and sticking them on the wall next to my desk, but I don't think it does her justice. She is a complex character, full of life and vitality, wierdness and wonder. A post-it note will not do for a grave marker, especially a yellow one! So, I'm think of ways to express my gratitude for this little bit of her life which I have created on paper. I don't know if she existed before I wrote her down but I suppose, if I'm going to get all psyco-analytic, that she is part of me. If someone, a doctor, took part of me out, I would put it in a glass jar of formaldahyde. I wouldn't do the same for a part of my best friend though, so I don't think it is appropriate for her either. I could write all the 'she' lines in my journal to memorialize them. I could just let the 'shes' float off into the ether with no recognition. But, after careful thought, I'm going to write each 'she' I remove from my story on a purple post-it and at the end of my piece, when I feel safe that it is finished, I will cremate the 'shes' and scatter the ashes under the Chinese Elm. She will be a little bit of fertilizer for the elegant tree once I water her in.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-82264810750044205242011-11-01T01:20:00.000-07:002011-11-01T01:46:28.582-07:00The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWittThe Sisters Brothers. If the Coen Brothers don't make a movie out of this they are crazy. I know they love westerns - kooky western that is. And I have a cast - well, most of the cast, already picked out from their past films and favourite actors. <br /><br />Hermann Kermit Warm, a gold prospector in California, is being sought by a couple of assasins - the Sisters Brothers - because he has made a discovery that could change the face of gold panning in the 1850s - William H. Macy. It's a really good scientific discovery and you will love it. <br /><br />Charlie Sisters - Ryan Robbins (Henry on Sanctuary) loves to drink and loves to kill. He is a psychopath who wants to be in charge of his life, his brother's life, and every life that he is hired to kill and every one who gets in his way. He is hyperactive and unpredictable. <br /><br />Eli Sisters - Josh Brolin - is the big, lumpy, softhearted, but still a killer, younger brother who is having an identity crisis and really just wants to lose weight and settle down with a woman. <br /><br />There are a bunch of other memorable characters - least of whom would be Frances McDormand as the fatal mother.<br /><br />Did I say this is a western? Who writes westerns?<a href="http://patrickdewitt.net/"> deWitt</a> is a Canadian and kind of geeky looking. And boy can he write. Call this Cowboy noir, or true west tour de force, or just call it good, dirty fun. It's violent in a surreal sort of way. It's one of those that you cheer for the bad guy and don't really care when the good guys go down in a swamp of purple poison. Put this on your Christmas reading list only if you love Coen films - and if you do you are in for a good, ass-kicking, LMAS fun time.<br /><br />This is Patrick deWitt's picture on his website bio!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNldKvQ61AvzwRY05bQeHNRBnPrA6BsOkt0XU_iQoooBZhTSb8GZ5Apsql2RvgUtIy4jLafjMUSrF2Vxfm6cfYr8AvVcUVlRbYkrVPbkVP1RgK62tfjraljB6kOc9gspXXHBBlo9xFVc4/s1600/dewitt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNldKvQ61AvzwRY05bQeHNRBnPrA6BsOkt0XU_iQoooBZhTSb8GZ5Apsql2RvgUtIy4jLafjMUSrF2Vxfm6cfYr8AvVcUVlRbYkrVPbkVP1RgK62tfjraljB6kOc9gspXXHBBlo9xFVc4/s320/dewitt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669945363720004690" /></a><br /><br /><br />Hmm - maybe Quentin Taratino would be better at making this film? At any rate - someone will, I hope.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-11715744167903018332011-10-18T04:08:00.001-07:002011-10-18T04:08:48.694-07:00Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi KaneharaI don't know much about Japanese culture – especially the youth culture – but what I have read in other novels like Murikami and conversations I have had with people who have lived there. None of these prepared me for Snakes and Earrings. This is a novella written by Hitomi Kanehara in 2003 and it won the Akutagawa Prize, the Japanese literary prize, in that year. It was translated by David Karahima a few years ago and has since been made into a movie – I've watched some of it on You Tube.<br /><br />It is hard to write about this book. As I said I don't know much about the Japanese lifestyle. We all know about geisha and Japanese food, bowing and tea ceremonies. But I think it is a very oppressive culture in many ways. There is an honourable way to act and a facade to put on in most situations. A friend told me that the Japanese don't teach their children history at school. The fact that teenagers rebel in such bizarre ways doesn't surprise me much. I have seen pictures of Japanese kids who dress up as a lifestyle – Barbie Girls and Gothic Lolitas. So, maybe, although this book is fiction it is based in real life. I don't think the sex and violence in this book is gratuitous – I think is is just indicative of a real problem that is happening in this small country which is losing its traditions to drugs, alcohol and violence. Sound familiar?<br /><br />As for the writing – well, it is immature at times but so what. Maybe it loses something in the translation, as they say. But it definitely paints a picture that will stay with me for a long time. The story hits a chord and packs a punch. There is something special in the way the Hitomi takes the focus off of the alcoholism of the main protagonist until it is almost too late for her. All of the self mutilations, the tattoos and the violent sex are just a diversion from the fact that this little girl's life is falling apart and she has no where to go but into deeper trouble or into death. <br /><br />This isn't a masterpiece by any sense of the word. This is a book that tells us a story about culture and loss of identity. It makes me want to know more about these characters. It isn't for everyone and most people I know will be put off by the incidentals. I don't mean that as a lessening of the horror of killing and violent sex, but that is not what this story is about. Like I said, it is a deeper portrayal of the huge cracks in a society and how it is the youth of that society that are falling into them.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-42369832767812924892011-10-07T21:50:00.001-07:002011-10-07T22:14:06.161-07:00The Sense of an Ending by Julian BarnesI imagine myself being approached in a dark alley by people holding objects. As I get closer to them I ask "What's that?" They hold up the books I have read lately and say "These? These are books." I stare at them and smile just a little. "Those aren't books..." and I pull <a href="http://www.julianbarnes.com/">The Sense of an Ending</a> from my back pocket I sneer - "This is a book!"<br /><br />Every word, every word, every word makes sense and sings a little tune. This is a wonderful book. I love it. Julian Barnes has written some delightful books but this one is a masterpiece. It's only 150 pages so easily read in one sitting but one needs to take it slow to appreciate every nuance of his writing. <br /><br />I can't stand it - I have to quote.<br /><br />"I remember, in no particular order:<br /> - a shiny inner wrist;<br /> - steam rising from a wet sink as a hot frying pan is laughingly tossed into it;<br /> - gouts of sperm circling a plughole, before being sluiced down the full length of a tall house;<br /> - a river rushing nonsensically upstream, its wave and wash lit by half a dozen chasing torchbeams;<br /> - another river, broad and grey, the direction of its flow diguised by a stiff wind exciting the surface;<br /> - bathwater long gone cold behind a locked door.<br /> This last isn't something I actually saw, but what you end up remembering isn't alwasy the same as what you have witnessed."<br /><br />These are the first lines of this wonderful story. It's about a life, a life of Tony and all the people he knew in his past and present. I said a couple of books back, that there are books in which the plot doesn't matter - it is the words that matter, the elegance of the writing, the honesty of the construction - This is one of those. But, we get to have an engaging story as well. Often I say I wanted more from a short book but this was exactly the right length for this story. Nothing was extraneous, nothing was left out. <br /><br />The Sense of an Ending is about Tony but its also about memory, recollection and how we treat those memories in our lives. There is poignancy and humour. At one point early in the book, Tony talks about his sexual exploits, or lack of them, in his youth - that there was still a reluctance to 'go all the way' amongst the girls who were experts in 'feelings'. "You may say, But wasn't this the Sixties? Yes, but only for some people, only in certain parts of the country."<br /><br />Barnes is brilliant and eloquent. I guess you can tell that I loved this book. I want to sleep with it under my pillow for a few more nights even though it is finished. Reading a book like this makes me feel more enlightened and smarter. I guess that is as good an endorsement as any I could give.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-4611403070421255602011-10-07T03:08:00.000-07:002011-10-07T03:38:27.913-07:00Before I Go To Sleep by SJ WatsonI write this blog for myself, mostly. I know there are a couple of people that read it but mostly it is just a way for me to express myself about the books that I read. This isn't scholarly critique or anything that I would hand in to my university professor. But I truly enjoy writing these entries. I can just let go and say whatever I feel with focus. So, I love this blog whether anyone else reads it or not - this is me.<br /><br />Now, about <a href="http://www.sjwatson-books.com/">Before I Go To Sleep</a>. Well, em, I'll just say up front - it's not my cup of tea, or my bit of chocolate, or my walk in the park. It's a psychological thriller that's really only thrilling at the end. There is a long first part that sets the scene. The poor woman in this story has forgotten her whole life every morning when she wakes up in a strange house, with a strange man next to her in bed. That's enough of a freak out. But soon the reader realizes that there is something else wrong. I'll give SJ some props here - she picked a really difficult premise to set a mystery around because to the protagonist everything is a mystery. She does a pretty good job too. It's just a little to contrived for me. <br /><br />I would suggest this book for book groups - it would be great to discuss the mechanics of the writing. I have several friends that would really like this book. It's different and interesting. So please, if you liked Room by Emma Donoghue then you will like this book. They are the same speed and have the same feeling. I just prefer something with a bit more guts. Julian Barnes - here I come.<br /><br />Oh, and you must go to the link I put in for the book - there is a great little promo video.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-36937367548976875252011-10-05T00:02:00.000-07:002011-10-05T00:37:23.448-07:00Game of Thrones by George R R MartinThis is why I like to read the book before I see the movie. Well, I don't really like to see the movie much, after I've read the book because I am more than often disappointed. But, back to the point... I loved this mini-series. It was beautifully filmed, wonderfully cast, the story line moved along at a good pace, and it is a good story. It is a medievil fantasy and for someone who has never read fantasy, I have been doing a good job of reading it this year. Go figure. Anyway, this book is full of adventure, intrigue and treachery. The characters are well rounded and easy to picture and identify with. There are old people and young people, there are good people and evil people. There are bad guys to boo at and one little girl who will steal your heart.<br /><br />But, as I was saying, I saw the mini series first and it spoiled the book. I struggled through the 750 pages, not because it was bad writing - it is not, it is good writing. I struggled because I knew what was going to happen and the writting isn't the kind that..... let's see how I can put this. There is a kind of book where the story isn't the most important thing. There is a kind of writing that is so lovely that the author could be writing anything and it would enthrall the reader whether they were interested in the story or not. Murakami comes to mind. That guy has written some wild, out there stuff but the emotions he captures in his excellent writting makes every odd story a pleasure to read. Martin doesn't do that. It's good fun to read and it's a compliment when I say that the writing doesn't get in the way of the story, but I won't read it again. And I think the thrill of reading this kind of book is to see what happens to these characters that you have grown fond of over the last few hundred pages.<br /><br />So as I put down this first in a series of five books (I think) I do want to know what happens to them. I think the mini series was such a success that they will make the next book too. Now, I have a little dilemma. Do I read ANOTHER fantasy book before it comes out on TV or do I just wait and enjoy the show without knowing the story? I'm going to read a couple of real books now and see how I feel later. If the books call to me in a few weeks, well, I have the second book here on the shelf. If I can let it go then I won't worry about it and just watch it on TV. B won't be happy if I don't read them all first, but who said I have to make my friends happy by reading books that they love. Hmm - I do that! I think the books I love will make others happy so what am I saying?<br /><br />Here's my plan - first: Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, second: The Absolutist by John Boyne, then we'll see. I have some poetry and short stories to read in there too. Can I leave Winterfell, Daenerys and Arya to their own fates, for too much longer, without knowing what happens? I'm not sure.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-61088874422388716052011-09-21T20:27:00.001-07:002011-09-21T20:27:51.565-07:00Jamrach’s Menagerie by Carol BirchI almost never read book reviews, either before or after I read a book, if I know I am going to read the book anyway. Take the Man Booker short list, for instance. Every year I try to read as many of them as I can and always the winner. I don’t care what anyone else thinks of these books. I don’t care what the book sellers think of the books (although they always say nice things so they can sell them). I don’t care what the NY Times thinks of these books. I’m going to read them anyway, so why spoil a wondrous adventure by reading what someone else thinks before I even get there. Now, this may seem a bit of a contradictory attitude from someone who writes a book view blog – and it is. I’m happy to tell you all what I think about a book, and I’m happy to hear what you think after I have read the book, but I just don’t usually ask for advice from strangers. I don’t think you should either so... let’s be friends.<br /><br />Carol Birch has written an interesting book. I love the premise which is taken from a couple of real life situations. She did some homework and added some inspiration and made a story worth telling. Did I say this is a 2011 Man Booker short list book? It is! I opened it with excitement in my heart. I read about a little boy in the mid 1800s who is full of life. I read about a time that was hard and dirty in England. I read about a man who had a menagerie of wonder. It was all good and I was loving it.<br />Then I read about a ship that sailed to exotic places seen through the eyes of an innocent. I read about a friendship that felt real and people who were full of conundrums. I read about the wonders of being at sea and landing on foreign places, also full of wonder. I read about a hunt for a dragon.<br /><br />Then I read – oops, not going to tell you this part. I’ll just say that the next part was hard going. It made me feel insane. I wanted it to end. I didn’t like it. I got scared and tired. It spun me around but it wasn’t spitting me out, it was holding me in there for too long. I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was tied down and it wasn’t pleasant. OK, enough! I’m not sure whether this was genius or crap and it will take me a while to make up my mind. Thank God I don’t have to do it right now. Birch writes with authority and conviction and that won points with me. It all feels authentic and I appreciate that. I’m just not sure.<br /><br />When that part did finally release me, melancholy stepped in. Living with the past isn’t always an easy thing to do, and this was my favourite part of the book. It’s tender and sweet (mostly) and I have an enormous amount of empathy with the last 50 pages or so of this novel. And these characters will stay with me for quite a while. As I said, the main character in this novel is based on a real boy’s account of his traumas. Poor lad! Birch brings him back to life in the character of Jaffy in a way that is commendable. I won’t read this again (I hardly ever do re-read a book even though I often say I would) and I won’t recommend it without reservations. I’ll be interested to see how it does in the Man and I will read her next book as well. Carol Birch has just gone on my reading list.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-68699676982678839932011-09-16T19:12:00.001-07:002011-09-16T19:17:55.443-07:00Caribou Island by David VannI don't know if I was influenced by my first David Vann novel <i>Legend of a Suicide</i> but I waited to start Caribou Island until I had a whole day to devote to this book. I remembered having to put down <i>Legend</i> at one point and feeling like I was walking around with a chain wrapped around my leg dragging something heavy behind me. I knew that book was waiting for me at home and I knew I had been foolish to ignore it for more than a few minutes. Legend rewarded me greatly for not leaving it lying fallow for long. <br /><br />Caribou Island started out with a silent scream. There was a tension like a wire vibrating in the wind, not stopping any part of the world but distracting, there in the background. And, again, I didn't know if I was predetermining a disaster or if Vann was just this clever. There was a great little story happening in Alaska, a place I am familiar with. I spent some time there so I know the colours, the cold, the wet, the moss, the wood. I fit into his fictional world very well. But still there was that damned humming coming from somewhere, not distracting me enough away from the story but always there. <br /><br />This is a story of ordinary people. They are flawed like all of us. But they are living in a dramatic landscape that serves the purpose of overwhelming their petty foibles – snow that locks them into inaction, storms that keep them still and inactive, summer mosquitoes that distract them from their thoughts of leaving. So they settle for less than they are worthy of. They live lives of incompleteness and dissatisfaction. David Vann is an expressionist in the best way. He describes the landscape, the inhospitable north, and the ordinary, everyday crap better than most. I'm not going to tell you what happens in this book and I don't want to spoil the wonder of reading it for the first time but I have to share a few lines that, I hope, will tempt you. <br /><br />“She always imagined the opposite: her mother in a fit of passion, distraught at losing her husband to another woman, unable to imagine her life without him. But what if she simply hadn't felt anything anymore, after losing everything? That was a new possibility, something Irene couldn't have guessed. And it felt dangerous. You could end up there without having noticed the transition at all.” <br /><br />“Without her footsteps, no sound. No wind, no moving water, no bird, no other human. This bright world. The sound of her heart, the sound of her own breath, the sound of her own blood in her temples, those were all she would hear. If she could make those stop, she could hear the whole world.” <br /><br />I guess I have a Kantian-like hubris because I want everyone to love what I love. I often don't take personal preferences into consideration when it comes to literature. I argue (often alone, in my head) with people who don't enjoy the books that I think are essential to being a human being. So, for this book view I will leave it at this – I loved this book.Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2111871028245117633.post-3068861520092861482011-09-03T02:54:00.000-07:002011-09-03T02:59:29.728-07:00The Last Werewolf by Glen DuncanSimile – noun – a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is a rose”.
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<br />Lots and lots of similes – nouns – distracting and annoying, as in “similes are like mosquitoes because they buzz around you and you want them to go away”.
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<br />OK – there is my stubborn opinion and prejudice again. I can't help it. When something annoys me, well, it just annoys me. It just makes me crazy. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan was a little, no, a lot like that – too many similes amongst other things.
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<br />I know, I watch the ABC's First Tuesday Book Club too, and most of them enjoyed it and found it intellectually stimulating. I agreed with them for the first few pages. Interesting character in Jacob Marlowe and great name for a sophisticated, intelligent werewolf. I assumed he was handsome, well dressed, well read and clever. He has an offsider who is willing to go to vast lengths to make sure he survives, a vampire clan after him, a man who has enlisted an army to kill all occult phenomena especially werewolves, and a Lone Rangerette who wants to save him for her own villainous reasons. There is someone else who enters late in the piece but we'll keep that a secret just in case you want to give this one a go. Whatever else I am, I am not a spoiler of surprises – I know how to keep my mouth shut.
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<br />As I was saying, in the beginning I thought this was going to be a great read. Full of Kant-like philosophies on the meaning and meaninglessness of life right alongside bodice ripping sex scenes and descriptions of wolf-eating-human scenes. Not for the squeamish. But pretty soon I felt like I didn't know what I was reading. Is this a dime-store paperback werewolf story or a treatise on the value of life? The dichotomy was too much for this supernatural loving reader. Nope, didn't cut it.
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<br />Now, I have been happy with Sookie Stackhouse silly vamp stories (Charlaine Harris needs to give it up though because now they are just getting stupid) or the deeper Sergei Lukyanenko vampire novels. I have also loved some philosophical novels – Rand, Orwell, Woolf (no pun intended), Tolstoy – but Duncan gets the two confused and by mid book you can feel it. Which is it going to be? Unfortunately neither ends up working very well. The flow is not there. One minute you are in the adventure, sex and murder and the next you are reading a diatribe (with lots of similes) on the longing and disappointment and the regrets of a life long lived.
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<br />Werewolves live two lives – one as a savage beast and one as an ordinary walking-around person. Duncan writes as if he has two persona as well but I didn't know which one to believe and unfortunately neither came across as very authentic. This book was written to be a movie script right from the start. In fact there was even some music written to read the novel by - <a href="http://www.antiquebeat.co.uk/thelastwerewolf/">http://www.antiquebeat.co.uk/thelastwerewolf/</a> - and it's been done before so many times. The unhappy outsider who...no, I have to stop there or I'll give it away. Just think Blade meets Kate Beckinsale. Even the last chapter feels like a Sarah Connor voice over.
<br />Rhondahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14278904278215835398noreply@blogger.com0