Posted on February 10, 2008 in Books
In the morning, I read the Saturday Globe and Mail newspaper. I rarely read the newspaper because I get most of my news online or from TV. Unlike my dad only reads newspapers now. like reading the weekend editions because they offer so much more than simple news. I would like to keep it up weekly because I like G&M’s Books section particularly. I said a few posts back that I am not big on book reviews, but reviews provide discovery to new books. I added a lot of books to my library request list as a result. The G&M features a lot of Canadian lit which is something I am not overly familiar with shamefully. Speaking of which, the newspaper told me Anne of Green Gables is turning 100 this spring, and there is already a new tv movie for it. Also, someone has written a prequel to the series.
This afternoon, I finished The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. I read half of it today; it was the only thing I really read this past week. I skimmed a lot of the book, but I didn’t give up since I had to read it for a challenge. I’m sure Eugene Onegin will be a better read this week.
Actually, I think I will peruse V for Vendetta now.
This is only my third Sunday Salon, but I am really loving the whole routine. It allows me to manage a time when I can read even just a little bit and retire my increasingly busy life. I have managed to read and finish a book since I started this two weeks ago.
Next weekend: Onegin as mentioned. Possibly Othello, Life and Times of Michael K., and The Count of Monte Cristo. My TBR pile is obscenely high that I have many choices.
Literary Links:
How can I become a better and more prolific reader? – from Metafilter
Best All-Time Children’s Books – from Zen Habits. I’ve read and loved a lot of the books from this list.
Will cell phones save books? – from ComputerWorld.
Twilight of the books – from The New Yorker. I love the New Yorker; wish I had a subscription. This article looks at what low current reading rates mean, a world without reading, and just how words and language have been throughout history.
The Death of Postmodernism and Beyond – from Philosophy Now by Alan Kirby in 2006. Article asserting the end of postmodernism and how literature is now at what Kirby calls “pseudo modernism”.
Posted on February 7, 2008 in Books
Okay, even I can’t read ALL the time, so I’m guessing that you folks might voluntarily shut the covers from time to time as well… What else do you do with your leisure to pass the time? Walk the dog? Knit? Run marathons? Construct grandfather clocks? Collect eggshells? – BTT
I knit! Except I’m exasperated with the vest I am making and just about to rip a few rows. Anyway, I do fair share of my leisure time knitting. I watch films. Since I’m back to working out, I do that too. I surf the net too much. While I took a lot of photographs in 2007, I haven’t done any major photography in awhile. I’ve been forced to stay away from baking for awhile. Sometimes I go out with friends, but only when the mood strikes.
By the by, Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!
Posted on February 6, 2008 in Movies
A really sweet and wonderful indie film set in Wawa, Ontario, Canada. I did pick this film up based on the fact that it does star Alan Rickman and the critical acclaim. This a quintessential underrated indie film which has excellent acting (by Rickman and Sigourney Weaver as an autistic woman) and a good script that is full of funny and heartfelt moments. It was simply done and straightforward yet well done in its storytelling. The story is talks of loss, guilt, moving on, and living in the present. In a way, it’s a slice of life kind of movie. Maybe not the most original plot or the most exciting, but it does the job especially when you throw in a nice soundtrack. It is quite Canadian with all the actors that I recognise from the CBC and all the beautiful northern Ontario landscape.
Posted on February 5, 2008 in Movies
Sweeney Todd (02 01 08) – Review
Enduring Love (06 01 08) – This was alright. I didn’t really get into it or maybe that was because I was working on my forethought heel. Not fun knitting. The movie was based on a book, and as in many cases, I wish I read the book first because I would have probably appreciated the movie more. It seemed to be always on the edge of some really philosophical and intellectual thoughts, but it didn’t really get there for me. The performances were all fine as I do adore Daniel Craig and Bill Nighy.
Training Day (12 01 08) – Denzel Washington deserved his Oscar just for being so creepy in this. Hey, I can’t believe Ethan Hawke was relevant once. Good only due to Denzel’s performance, but not a rewatch by any means.
The Shadow in the North (12 01 08) – I like both Billie Piper, J. J. Feild and the books. This book probably had one of the best climaxes; the plot is not that great (but not as boring as the fourth book), but the climax and denouemnent were good.
Bad Education (20 01 08) – I seem to going backwards in Almodóvar films. I think I saw the NC-17 version, and it wasn’t really that graphic. I think I like Volver better, but this one has a more complex script. It’s like a gay Sunset Boulevard (or gayer if you prefer).
Posted on February 4, 2008 in Books
My regard for comics is positive for the most part, but I would not venture to say I am an avid fan. Part of is the lack of continuity, and the revisionist and changing nature of characters and stories. I do like a lot of superhero characters and am familiar with most major comic book heroes due to my exposure of the 1990s cartoons. Case in point, I loved Batman: The Animated Series when it first came out in 1992 (ended 1995), and it has remained my favourite version of the Dark Knight. Few animated shows have been that well done or engaging. Kevin Conroy’s Batman will always be my personal Batman. The writing on the show was stellar; it is the reason that I find Batman the most fascinating of superhero characters. He is definitely my favourite from the DC JL gang. The animated series was inspired by the Tim Burton movies which was inspired by this Batman serial written by Frank Miller in 1986.
One of the reasons Batman is fascinating and unique (at least in the DC universe) is his darkness, his humanity, and his lack of superhero powers. He’s a very flawed man with a lot of personal demons. This serial was influential in marking that return to the noir Batman. It’s very well written and illustrated. The plot was fine, but I do not recommend it to people who do not know the character. I did not agree with all of Miller’s takes to the Batverse, but I liked that he created a female Robin. There is some commentary within the panels about the media, public security, civil liberties, obsessions, vengenace, and the grey area of vigilantism. It’s non-canon and there is a sequel, but I do not think I’ll read it. Most of it is that I am too attached to the Batman I know from TAS, and I can’t warm to Miller’s Dark Knight. Maybe I just don’t like Batman when he is old because I was not able to watch Batman Beyond either.
Posted on February 3, 2008 in Books
This week, I started Eugene Onegin and The Last of the Mohicans. The latter is very dry so far; it was not my first choice having heard some very indifferent things about it. Onegin is nice so far because it is a novel in verse. It’s also Russian, and my ardent love of Tolstoy will grow into that for Pushkin (and then Dostoevsky, Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn and Chekhov) soon enough. I haven’t really read that far into either books, mostly a couple pages in each to pass whatever time I was able to scrape up from the busy week.
Today, I had to do some academia which required me to browse and skim through my research books on Zimbabwe. Then I started, read, and reviewed Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller (review up tomorrow). Most of the books I read are from the library, and I become irate when books are vandalised. The copy of TDKR had a couple of panels ripped out. I love libraries and especially my own library system so seeing that was not pleasing at all.
I may have some more time to read this week at least after Wednesday. Have a good week everyone.
Literary Links:
A life of their own – Guardian Unlimited Books
The Usborne Book of the Future – Published in 1979. It’s a trip to the year 2000 and beyond.