Posted on June 7, 2007 in Books
Almost everyone can name at least one author that you would love just ONE more book from. Either because they’re dead, not being published any more, not writing more, not producing new work for whatever reason . . . or they’ve aged and aren’t writing to their old standards any more . . . For whatever reason, there just hasn’t been anything new (or worth reading) of theirs and isn’t likely to be.
If you could have just ONE more book from an author you love . . . a book that would be as good any of their best (while we’re dreaming) . . . something that would round out a series, or finish their last work, or just be something NEW . . . Who would the author be, and why? Jane Austen? Shakespeare? Laurie Colwin? Kurt Vonnegut? – Booking Through Thursday
I love so many authors. Of course, I would like another Jane Austen, Shakespeare or Kurt Vonnegut. I also really like Leo Tolstoy, John Steinbeck, Edith Wharton, Oscar Wilde, and E. M. Forster. I think I could enjoy works from any of the above.
Posted on June 5, 2007 in Books
This is my fourth of Forster’s six published novels, and this was his first published. I think I can say he is one of my favourite authors even if I do find his characters often silly and irksome, but realistically so. I think I enjoyed this book less than all the others I’ve read of his so far because it was hard to find anyone to sympathise with since everyone was typically supercilious as they often actually were in that time. Philip reminded me of a middle class Leonard Bast, but I think I warmed to him at the end. The only other character I liked was Caroline Abbott. I liked Gino, but he was more of Forster’s archetype for a handsome lower-class Italian at times. Even if Gino was not as dimensional, Forster shows his knack for differences between people in class and nationalities. While reading, I laughed once at the silliness of these people because of the irony, and their realism. I’m more amused and irked rather than irritated by Forster characters. He’s also got a thing for melodrama at least once in the novel. The ending in this book was dramatic, but it allowed for a couple of the characters to mature and shine though. All in all, not my favourite of Forster and I can see how this was his first. I do like it simply for being written by him because he often writes what I feel about society and people sometimes. I’ll give a report of the movie when I see it as well.
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An update on the 1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die, I’ve actually read 72 books from the list (73 now that I’ve finished the above). Wow, that’s a lot of books that I missed when scrolling at top speed at midnight. I’m debating about what I should I read next since I’m not quite in the mood for Watership Down yet. I’ll just rewatch Northanger Abbey now and watch a movie afterwards.
Posted on May 21, 2007 in Books, Musings
I’ve been attracting some literary links while surfing lately.
TwitterLit – Updated twice a day on the various Twitter accounts with the first line of books. A very good way to get book recommendations if you’re a Twitter addict as I’ve recently become. Can be also used via email or a RSS reader.
Buyafriendabook.com – Buy a friend a book for four designated weeks a year, or just give them a book to share the literary karma. It’s like Bookcrossing (which I seemed to have given up on years ago), but more direct.
What is Stephen Harper Reading? – Canadians may only get the humor in this. Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi has decided to send a book to the Prime Ministre a book every two weeks with a letter on the choice. The image of PM Harper reading The Death of Ivan Ilych almost discombobulates me. Image does not process.
Publisher makes lite work of classics – An article from The Times Online about a publisher that is making shortened versions of classics for “convenience”:
Tolstoy, Dickens and Thackeray would not have agreed with the view that 40 per cent of Anna Karenina, David Copperfield and Vanity Fair are mere “paddingâ€, but Orion Books believes that modern readers will welcome the shorter versions.
Padding, right. This is not a new concept, and it could be helpful if you’re doing a book report about a book you don’t want to read. Goodness knows I didn’t enjoy every single moment of Vanity Fair. Though, if you want to know what happens or some literary insight, there’s Cliff Notes, Spark Notes, Wikipedia, and a lot of other choices. Someone in the article is quoted as saying that they hadn’t read Anna Karenina because it is long and finds these light versions “a breath of fresh air”.
I guess this is alright if you just want the plot, but reading has always been more than that for me. Altering or changing the books by 40% is sort of alarming. Sometimes, long books reveal a lot more than “padding”. I also think it’s completely subjective of what should or shouldn’t be taken out from a book based on some unnamed criteria they have. Do I think some of the classic authors padded? By the Dickens, yes. That does not mean it ruins my experience; sometimes there’s a lot of literary brilliance in the padding… if you like that sort of fun wordplay.
The thing is, no one is forcing you to read these classics. If you don’t like DC, AK, VF, or even Jane Eyre (which they are also book dieting), don’t read. Most of my friends are not bibliophiles, and I know lots of people who don’t like classics. Read what you like. Nick Hornby writes in one of his criticisms that we should all just read what we like and shouldn’t be forced or pressured into liking what we read. All because a book is a classic, a Pulitzer prize winner, or on the New York Times Bestseller’s list does not make it good, fun or even worth your time. Life is too short to read to books you don’t like. I just like spending my ethereal existence with long classics.
Posted on May 9, 2007 in Books
Something About Me Reading Challenge involves picking five books that relate or represent yourself. On August 1, you pick other books from the list of other participants and hence, a discussion begins of books chosen. This is my first reading challenge, and I think it’s a pretty interesting one to begin with. I joined the Harry Potter Read Along a few weeks ago too and that starts next month in preparation for HP7.
This is my list for “Something About Me”. This was difficult to say the least. These are books that I’ve read, but I wish I had more choices that were more overt about who I am. I just want to read more after making this list. I also avoided repeats from other participants’ lists.
Continue reading →
Posted on May 8, 2007 in Books, Movies
I’ve had this book for awhile, but I was about averse to starting it thinking it was long. Partly because I read Emma last November, and it took me awhile since it was November and Emma is the longest of the Austen books. My copy of NA just looked long, and it did not take me long to read. I liked it even though Cathy was a bit silly in the middle with her over reactive imagination. She is naive, but not so irritating as other characters named Catherine (hello, Wuthering Heights). Mr Tilney amused me with the teasing. Now, NA is Austen’s satire and mocking of gothic novels which makes the novel a bit meta in the nice way. I don’t think NA is nearly as enjoyable or satisfying as Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice (my favourites), but it’s light, quick, and moved adequately enough.
This ITV Jane Austen season adaptation is my second from the season. I previously saw Persuasion which I enjoyed for all its cheesy ending. A lot of people find this to have been the best of the three adaptations, and I can see why because it was fun and witty. Andrew Davies adapted it, and he really is one of the best at adapting scripts having done the 1995 P&P, Wives and Daughters (two of my favourite period dramas) and the upcoming Sense and Sensibility. He seems to have a lot of fun with NA because it was very charming with added fantasy scenes. I also thought the casting was good on this; I enjoyed the ITV Persuasion for a similar reason. I really liked JJ Feild as Mr Tilney; he doesn’t look conventionally handsome in pictures, but he lends himself well to the character. I remember watching a young Felicity Jones in The Worst Witch and Weirdsister College. I found her amiable and sweet in this, and both had nice chemistry too. So, I’m two for two now for the JA season. I’ll have to watch Mansfield Park now to see if I like that too, but I haven’t and don’t plan on reading MP for awhile. Though, I’m already predisposed to Billie Piper. I’ll have an excuse to see JJ Feild again in The Ruby in the Smoke (by Philip Pullman), also starring Piper, which I plan to read and watch sometime in the near future.