While I'm avoiding 'Bleak House' I just finished 'Among Others' by Jo Walton. Loved, loved, loved it. Which is odd, because it's really slow and not a lot happens overall; and normally I hate that. In case neither of you has heard of it, 'Among Others' takes place in 1979-1980 and is the story of Mori--yeah, I see what I did there--a fifteen-year-old Welsh girl who gets sent to an English boarding school after her twin sister is killed and she, herself, is crippled. All of which happened when they stopped their mother, an evil witch, from taking over the world.
Relax, you two, these aren't spoilers. All this happens between the prologue and the start of the book proper. The novel is a series of Mori's journal entries in which she describes her life at school, her father whom she just met and her attempts at fitting in.
I guess I enjoyed this book so much because Walton makes Mori so utterly charming and lovable. Walton makes Mori's voice that of a whip-smart, terribly lonely fifteen year old, but that's just the half of it. Mori is so phlegmatic about her situation that one moment you marvel at how strong she is and the next you wonder how much of it is a front. Read it for yourself, it's outstanding.
Source: My local library.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
11-11-11 Challenge Update
I'm not saying that 'Bleak House' is kicking my ass, but I'm coming to the conclusion that this is a novel best suited for reading in installments like it was originally published. And then I read this article that confirmed my suspicions. So, I'm no longer ashamed to be taking my time with 'Bleak House.' I have time to catch up, he said airily.
I'm 118 pages in and not much is happening. We've caught barely a glimpse of the great and all-consuming lawsuit, Jarndyce and Jardyce, that is at the heart of the novel. I don't know if Dickens provides more details about the suit or if it's like the shark in 'Jaws:' the less we see of it, the scarier it is. So far, most of the story is centered on Esther Summerson, an almost impossibly good-natured orphan who is drawn into the world of the lawsuit as a 'Ward of Jardyce.' The purpose of these wards--Esther is one of three--is unknown at this point, but considering we've met an elderly former ward who's since gone mad, I'm not optimistic for Esther.
But I am optimistic that my perseverance will be rewarded.
Note to FTC fucks: 'Bleak House' is from my personal collection.
I'm 118 pages in and not much is happening. We've caught barely a glimpse of the great and all-consuming lawsuit, Jarndyce and Jardyce, that is at the heart of the novel. I don't know if Dickens provides more details about the suit or if it's like the shark in 'Jaws:' the less we see of it, the scarier it is. So far, most of the story is centered on Esther Summerson, an almost impossibly good-natured orphan who is drawn into the world of the lawsuit as a 'Ward of Jardyce.' The purpose of these wards--Esther is one of three--is unknown at this point, but considering we've met an elderly former ward who's since gone mad, I'm not optimistic for Esther.
But I am optimistic that my perseverance will be rewarded.
Note to FTC fucks: 'Bleak House' is from my personal collection.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
I can't think of anything clever for Five
5. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Directed by Jonathan Demme. Written by Ted Tally.
Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine.
I am not a horror movie fan. As a result I've never seen a frame of any of the 'Friday the 13th' or 'Nightmare on Elm Street' franchises. Never had any desire to watch 'Scream,' or any of the various torture porn of the last decade or so. You get the point.
As a result I avoided 'Silence of the Lambs' for at least a year or so after it came out. I finally saw it on VHS after having it recommended to me for the umpteenth time and I really liked it. And over the intervening couple of decades this film kept sneaking up on me. I'd watch it on cable whenever I could, even badly censored for swear words. Eventually I bought it on DVD more of as an afterthought than anything else. Then I'd watch it at least once a year. Then I started a Flickchart account and it shot to #5 fairly rapidly. How often does one of your all-time favorite anythings just tip-toe up on you and nestle into your heart and mind? Not often enough in my book.
Directed by Jonathan Demme. Written by Ted Tally.
Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine.
I am not a horror movie fan. As a result I've never seen a frame of any of the 'Friday the 13th' or 'Nightmare on Elm Street' franchises. Never had any desire to watch 'Scream,' or any of the various torture porn of the last decade or so. You get the point.
As a result I avoided 'Silence of the Lambs' for at least a year or so after it came out. I finally saw it on VHS after having it recommended to me for the umpteenth time and I really liked it. And over the intervening couple of decades this film kept sneaking up on me. I'd watch it on cable whenever I could, even badly censored for swear words. Eventually I bought it on DVD more of as an afterthought than anything else. Then I'd watch it at least once a year. Then I started a Flickchart account and it shot to #5 fairly rapidly. How often does one of your all-time favorite anythings just tip-toe up on you and nestle into your heart and mind? Not often enough in my book.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Six. Six? Six!
6. L.A. Confidential (1997)
Directed by Curtis Hanson. Written by Brian Helgeland.
Starring Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, Russell Crowe, Danny DeVito, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey.
I have a weakness for long films that aren't afraid to take their time. Ditto for films that have complex plots and loads of characters. That's 'L.A. Confidential' in a nutshell. I think it's because these type of films replicate the literary experience better than others and despite the amount of space I'm dedicating to movies, I am more of a book person. And most of my favorite films that fit this description are book adaptations: this film, The Lord of the Rings, Zodiac, The Green Mile, The Right Stuff etc. And even the ones that aren't adapted from books, such as Almost Famous or Love Actually*, feel literary.
*Yeah, yeah, I know. I've only encountered three romantic comedies that I truly enjoy: Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral and When Harry Met Sally. I'm not apologizing, just explaining that rom-coms aren't usually my taste. But those three I really like.
Directed by Curtis Hanson. Written by Brian Helgeland.
Starring Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, Russell Crowe, Danny DeVito, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey.
I have a weakness for long films that aren't afraid to take their time. Ditto for films that have complex plots and loads of characters. That's 'L.A. Confidential' in a nutshell. I think it's because these type of films replicate the literary experience better than others and despite the amount of space I'm dedicating to movies, I am more of a book person. And most of my favorite films that fit this description are book adaptations: this film, The Lord of the Rings, Zodiac, The Green Mile, The Right Stuff etc. And even the ones that aren't adapted from books, such as Almost Famous or Love Actually*, feel literary.
*Yeah, yeah, I know. I've only encountered three romantic comedies that I truly enjoy: Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral and When Harry Met Sally. I'm not apologizing, just explaining that rom-coms aren't usually my taste. But those three I really like.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
The 11-11-11 Project Proceeds According to Plan
Well, my damn PC went down and I'm blogging in safe mode. Yeah, safe mode.
So, I'm going around my library selecting--on the fly--the tentative line-up for the 11-11-11 Project. It is composed of books I already own but have not yet read.
1. Bleak House by Charles Dickens; Classic Literature.
2. Scientist, Soldier, Statesman, Spy: Count Rumford by G.I. Brown, Historical Biography.
3. Arthur & George by Julian Barnes, Historical Fiction.
4. Annals of the Former World by John McPhee, Geology/Travel.
5. A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine, Thriller.
6. The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil, Science.
7. The Annotated Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton ed. by Martin Gardner, Short Stories.
8. The Solitary Vice: Against Reading by Mikita Brottman, Current Events.
9. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers, Contemporary Fiction.
10. Money Mischief by Milton Friedman, Economics.
11. War For the Oaks by Emma Bull, Urban Fantasy.
As we see, I alternated between fiction and non-fiction. Also, only two of these--the Dickens and the McPhee--could be considered doorstoppers, the rest are of moderate length at most. I didn't do this on purpose; I just picked titles that looked interesting. This way I have more time to read all the other books in my collection that I haven't read yet. You don't think I'm only going to read these eleven books do you?
And I suppose you could argue that Dark-Adapted Eye and the Father Brown stories are both mysteries, but from reading Eye's blurb, it really seems that it's more of a suspense story than a whodunit. Besides, finding fiction of different genres was a lot harder than I thought, so I figured that a short story collection from a century ago would differ sufficiently from a psychological thriller from the eighties.
I, of course, reserve the right to alter the line-up if I feel like it.
Should be fun.
So, I'm going around my library selecting--on the fly--the tentative line-up for the 11-11-11 Project. It is composed of books I already own but have not yet read.
1. Bleak House by Charles Dickens; Classic Literature.
2. Scientist, Soldier, Statesman, Spy: Count Rumford by G.I. Brown, Historical Biography.
3. Arthur & George by Julian Barnes, Historical Fiction.
4. Annals of the Former World by John McPhee, Geology/Travel.
5. A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine, Thriller.
6. The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil, Science.
7. The Annotated Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton ed. by Martin Gardner, Short Stories.
8. The Solitary Vice: Against Reading by Mikita Brottman, Current Events.
9. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers, Contemporary Fiction.
10. Money Mischief by Milton Friedman, Economics.
11. War For the Oaks by Emma Bull, Urban Fantasy.
As we see, I alternated between fiction and non-fiction. Also, only two of these--the Dickens and the McPhee--could be considered doorstoppers, the rest are of moderate length at most. I didn't do this on purpose; I just picked titles that looked interesting. This way I have more time to read all the other books in my collection that I haven't read yet. You don't think I'm only going to read these eleven books do you?
And I suppose you could argue that Dark-Adapted Eye and the Father Brown stories are both mysteries, but from reading Eye's blurb, it really seems that it's more of a suspense story than a whodunit. Besides, finding fiction of different genres was a lot harder than I thought, so I figured that a short story collection from a century ago would differ sufficiently from a psychological thriller from the eighties.
I, of course, reserve the right to alter the line-up if I feel like it.
Should be fun.
Monday, November 8, 2010
A challenge for 2011
While I'm getting off my ass and working on the next movie in the series, I came across this article. The writer, Laura Miller, references the 10/10/10 challenge: 10 books in 10 different categories by 10/10/10. Starting on January 1, I'll take the challenge to the next level and pledge to read 11 books in 11 categories by 11/11/11. My first challenge is to think of 11 distinct genres.
Let's give it a whirl: in fiction we have Mystery, Literary Fiction, Steampunk, Historical Fiction, Hard Science Fiction, Comedy, Young Adult, Sword and Sorcery Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Crime Fiction, Legal Thriller, Horror, Chick Lit, Spy Thriller, Magical Realism, Political Thriller.
In non-fiction: Biography, History, Science, Sports, Religion, Inspiration, Self-Help, Psychology, Philosophy, Humor, Politics, Economics, Finance, Business
I guess it all comes down to how you break down your genres. By January 1, I hope to have the full list of books and the order I'm going to read them. I'm toying with alternating fiction and non-fiction, but we'll see how that goes.
Let's give it a whirl: in fiction we have Mystery, Literary Fiction, Steampunk, Historical Fiction, Hard Science Fiction, Comedy, Young Adult, Sword and Sorcery Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Crime Fiction, Legal Thriller, Horror, Chick Lit, Spy Thriller, Magical Realism, Political Thriller.
In non-fiction: Biography, History, Science, Sports, Religion, Inspiration, Self-Help, Psychology, Philosophy, Humor, Politics, Economics, Finance, Business
I guess it all comes down to how you break down your genres. By January 1, I hope to have the full list of books and the order I'm going to read them. I'm toying with alternating fiction and non-fiction, but we'll see how that goes.
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