This isn't really the sort of thing I usually do, but there is one question in this group of twenty that I saw on Curiosity Killed the Bookworm that I simply had to answer! Why, I hear you cry, don't I just answer that one and ignore all the rest? Shut up, I say to you! I want to plaaaay...
1. Which book has been on your shelf the longest?
So so many, but it's probably Crime and Punishment or something like that (I can't read clever books very easily...)
2. What is your current read, your last read, and the book you'll read next?
Current reads are Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates and Different Seasons by Stephen King. My last read was How to Leave Twitter by Grace Dent, which I LOVED and can't wait to review , and my next read, who knows?! My next Stephen King will be Christine, but other than that I'm really not sure at the moment- possibly A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan because I just got that out of the library.
3. What book did everyone like and you hated?
I definitely didn't like The Virgin Suicides as much as everyone else seems to, as much as I now love Jeffrey Eugenides. Not sure I'd say I hated it though, at least not as much as I hate Grease 2 (my main barometer for things I hate).
4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you'll read, but you probably won't?
Nooo, I will definitely read all the books I tell myself I'll read! If I have to answer, I'm probably going to have to say Walden, because I've tried to read it so many bloody times, and other than that Uncle Tom's Cabin, because I've read the first 50 pages, and let's just say I wasn't too thrilled by it...
5. Which book are you saving for 'retirement'?
Fun question... Probably Crime and Punishment, and War and Peace (which I don't even own yet, but there you go). Then again, I should probably read them while my mind is still agile enough to deal with them, i.e. before I'm about 30.
6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?
To quote Stephen King: "If you have ever done this [turned to the end of the book first], I have three simple words which I feel it is my duty to convey: SHAME ON YOU! It is low to mark your place in a book by folding down the corner of the page where you left off, TURNING TO THE END TO SEE HOW IT TURNS OUT is even lower. If you have this habit, I urge you to break it... break it at once!" Pretty much sums it up. I am a notorious page counter though (counting the pages to see how many there are until the end of the chapter etc), and this sometimes leads to me glancing pages ahead and reading things I really don't want to... Yeah, I should really stop that.
7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper, or interesting aside?
I'm not really bothered either way about acknowledgements, but dedications, especially when they're to a spouse or to the writer's children make me happy. I sometimes imagine the dedications I would write for my various bestsellers that I just haven't written, which pleases me greatly- I'm quite the master of a couple of sentences, just nothing longer...
8. Which book character would you switch places with?
I'm honestly not sure I'd switch places with any book character, mainly because I read books where the characters are not necessarily in good places in their lives/are being chased down by supernatural forces (thanks, Stephen King). That being said, I'd probably switch places with Scarlett O'Hara, and not fuck things up as fantastically as she manages to- with a friend like Melly and a husband like Rhett, why on earth would I need to fantasise about Ashley Wilkes all the time?!
9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?
There are a lot of books that can take me back to a specific time (like To Kill a Mockingbird, for example, always reminds me of doing GCSE English when I was 16) but in a way, every time I read a book, I am a different person, so each time it's kind of a new experience, even though it's the same book. Case in point- The Bell Jar, which I have read 3 times, and each time had varying opinions on, depending on how miserable I am. This is part of what makes reading pretty special, in my opinion anyway!
10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
Hmmm... I have a book that my sister more or less stole from her classroom for me, but other than that I can't really think of any other interesting book acquisitions- Oooh, other than winning them from other blogs! That's the best way to get books!
11. Have you ever given away a book to a special person for a special reason?
I'm not sure I've ever given away any books, but I often give them as presents for special reasons, mainly that I love them so everyone else should too! I also made a reading list for my friend Steph and gave her two of the books from it for her birthday (The Bell Jar and To Kill a Mockingbird) because I'm pretty sure they should be required reading for all people.
12. Which book has been with you to the most places?
I don't think I really have a special travel book that I must read in many places... I do have babysitters club books from the Caribbean, and mainly psychology books from The Strand in New York though! So they've probably travelled the furthest just because of that. Also, I was reading Travels with Charley for about a year, and that went to New York, and to Uni and back home a few times before I finished it, so it's probably that.
13. Any 'required reading' you hated in high school that wasn't so bad ten years later?
No lie, I liked a lot of the reading I had to do in school (To Kill a Mockingbird especially!) but anything I didn't like I haven't revisited (to be fair, I haven't been out of school for 10 years...) I really really hated Pamela in University though, so maybe I should revisit it in ten years to see what I think- I'll do it if someone pays me a lot of money!
14. What is the strangest item you've ever found in a book?
I've never found anything exciting in a book! Except sometimes receipts and stuff that people have obviously used as bookmarks and then forgotten to take out. I did find written in a poetry book in a charity shop a note that said "thank you so much for being my bridesmaid" etc etc, and then felt really sad that someone had given that book away, and obviously couldn't buy it after that!
15. Used or brand new?
The majority of my books are used, but I don't necessarily prefer them- I'll take anything really!
16. Stephen King: literary genius or opiate of the masses?
Mwahaha, the question I wanted to answer... If you've been on my blog ever before, you've probably noticed a fair bit of King worship, and I of course think he's a genius! And, even if he is an opiate of the masses, myself included, at least he's a better one than alcohol or tv...
17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
Tricky one... All I can think of right now (and please bear in mind I'm feverish and sleepy) is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which I thought was slightly better than the book in that it gives you a real representation of what living with ALIS is like, which you don't get quite so much with the book. I also cried a lot more during the film, which obviously means it's better... Also, The Graduate is quite a lot better than the book.
18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
Ahh, so many films to criticise... Harry Potter aside (I'm sorry! But I just can't.), I'm going to have to say The Stand by Stephen King- technically a TV miniseries, The Stand is probably one of the worst things I've watched, ever. And it's not even unfaithful to the book! It's just... really shoddy work.
19. Have you ever read a book that's made you hungry, excluding cookbooks?
Definitely... Chocolat and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have both made my mouth water, and pretty much, if a good sounding meal is mentioned in a book, I'll want to eat it.
20. Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take?
I'll pretty much take book advice from anyone I like, and trust. Frances is one of these people, Jenn is another, and I'd basically read anything that Alley said was good. I'm very trusting and innocent when it comes to book recommendations, I guess, and I truly believe that when someone is passionate enough about something to recommend it, it has to have at least some redeeming features.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Monday, 5 September 2011
Devouring Films: Everything is Illuminated
So, the movie of Everything is Illuminated is very different from the book. Apart from making Jonathan very very odd, they've also taken out all the 'history of Trachimbrod' stuff that I wasn't too keen on anyway, cleaned up the dog (he is just scary rather than stinky in the film), and, possibly most alarmingly, have made Alex's grandfather Jewish, making his 'big secret' very different to what it was in the book. I have big problems with this plot change, but I'll come back to that later. What Everything is Illuminated (the movie) really is is a sort of travelogue of a young American's travels to a strange land, where they can't even comprehend vegetarianism (one of the scenes that I thought worked better in the movie than in the book) and they seem to be stuck in a sort of 1980s cultural world. Many things get lost in translation, guidebooks are completely useless, but in the end, Ukranians and Americans, Jews and non-Jews alike come to some sort of mutual understanding about their pasts and their futures.
While I was reading the book of Everything is Illuminated, two people at work told me that the film was really good, and that I should look out for the scene with the house surrounded by sunflowers. I was mildly interested, and I thought that sounded cool and all, but really, it was stunning. Like the most beautiful place you could think of, and the only way I can now envisage having a garden. It also helped that I really love sunflowers. If I'm totally honest though, I'm not really sure what the significance of the sunflowers was- there's no mention of them in the book, there was no discussion of them or their meaning or origin in the film, so I can only assume they were there because... they look nice? A fair enough reason, really, but it's just a tad inscrutable!
The thing that most baffled me about the movie though, was the way they changed the grandfather's story so wildly, but still had him ending up in the same position. I can't really say too much about it because it's a massive spoiler in both cases, but let's just say that in one case he's definitely not Jewish, and yet in the film he is actually Jewish, but acting as though he isn't. I'm not sure if even that gives too much away, but there is more to it than just that, so I think we're ok. Anyway, in his hidden past in the movie, there is basically no reason for him to do what he eventually does, because he is really guilt-free (unless he feels guilty for turning away from his God, which is possible, I suppose) whereas in the book, the reason for his guilt is a lot more clear, whether or not you would yourself condemn him for his actions. I did just think that this did make the movie implausible in the end, because they could have done something completely different with Alex's grandfather so that he would be able to have a more respectful ending. (If this has given away too much, seriously just come and punch me in the face. I would!)
In spite of this though, I really did find Everything is Illuminated an enjoyable watch, and I definitely wouldn't turn down a repeat viewing of it. Especially viewed as a separate entity to the book, I think it holds its own, whilst not going quite as deep as the book (because movies, in their essential nature, often fail to do so), it does have the advantage of also missing out some of the less interesting (I'm sorry, BORING) elements of the history of Trachimbrod. You win a little, you lose a little. But on the whole, yes I would recommend that you watch it, maybe even before you've read the book so you have nothing to compare it with. Give it a try, then come tell me what you think!
Sunday, 4 September 2011
IMM/ Mailbox Monday
I've been a pretty good girl this week, and have only bought two books- that this is the case is probably helped by the fact that I've been ill since Tuesday (although I did buy one of the books on Tuesday...) and so have pretty much just been in bed since then. There is, of course, still the internet, so I could have done a LOT worse, but I did in fact only buy one book online too. I feel like I need masses of praise for this fact, so please don't hold back in the comments!
The book I bought on Tuesday, which I put entirely down to peer pressure is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a book that has been so thoroughly over-hyped by book bloggers that it had better be the holy grail of YA Dystopian novels, or I am going to be severely disappointed with it! I am pretty excited to read it though, and hopefully it will be as good as everyone claims it is... I am a bit torn about it at the moment, because on the front there is glowing praise from Stephanie Meyer, which makes me shudder a little bit and not really want to read the book, but on the back there's a compliment from Stephen King, and I just don't know how to deal with the disparity of talent that both say this is a good book! So, basically, I'm just going to have to read it for myself and form my own opinions of it. *Sigh* like I don't have anything better to do... (no really, I don't have anything better to do...)
The only other book I got this week was George Orwell: A Life in Letters, so that 1) I can completely over-extend myself for October reading and basically know everything there is to know about Orwell for Orwell October, and 2) because I really love reading other people's letters. I have said on here before that I sort of hate it when people's diaries are published post-humously, but I see letters as being completely different, in that they now belong to the people they were sent to, and you wouldn't put anything in them that you didn't want other people to know anyway. So, yeah, I'm pretty excited to read those anyway, and if Steinbeck's life in letters is anything to go by, they're clearly going to be amazing!
Being ill this week, while severely unpleasant, has allowed me to do much blogging (and I even have posts ready! In advance! Trust me, this never happens...) and also to watch quite a few films since my head is all stuffed up and not always in a reading mood. So there might be a fair few film reviews to come in the next few weeks. This week, however, has been a bit of a mixed bag:
On Monday, I reviewed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and discussed its various merits and negatives, with an inconclusive verdict on my final thoughts about it,
Tuesday was, as always, a day for me to make lists with much excitement, this week discussing the top ten books I want to read this autumn,
On Wednesday, I declared my interest in R.I.P., a reading challenge where I can read many Stephen King books, and maybe scary books by other authors too (are there any other authors?) as well as reviewing The Astronaut's Wife, a film that was only scary in how awful it was.
Thursday saw the announcement of Frances and Laura's unread book club, where me and my friend read books that we both own and yet haven't read yet- so if you own The Golden Notebook and want to read it with us, head over there now and tell me about it!
On Friday, continuing on with my Stephen King Quest, I encountered another man on a quest in The Gunslinger, starting me off for the second time on my journey through The Dark Tower series,
And finally, on Saturday, I revealed my not-so-secret love for Luke from Gilmore Girls, in a list of carefully considered character traits that are all great reasons to love such a man!
And that's what my week looked like! Except, imagine more phlegm and swollen tonsils and temperatures and stuff, and that's what it actually looked like. But online, it was a lot less painful...
The book I bought on Tuesday, which I put entirely down to peer pressure is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a book that has been so thoroughly over-hyped by book bloggers that it had better be the holy grail of YA Dystopian novels, or I am going to be severely disappointed with it! I am pretty excited to read it though, and hopefully it will be as good as everyone claims it is... I am a bit torn about it at the moment, because on the front there is glowing praise from Stephanie Meyer, which makes me shudder a little bit and not really want to read the book, but on the back there's a compliment from Stephen King, and I just don't know how to deal with the disparity of talent that both say this is a good book! So, basically, I'm just going to have to read it for myself and form my own opinions of it. *Sigh* like I don't have anything better to do... (no really, I don't have anything better to do...)
The only other book I got this week was George Orwell: A Life in Letters, so that 1) I can completely over-extend myself for October reading and basically know everything there is to know about Orwell for Orwell October, and 2) because I really love reading other people's letters. I have said on here before that I sort of hate it when people's diaries are published post-humously, but I see letters as being completely different, in that they now belong to the people they were sent to, and you wouldn't put anything in them that you didn't want other people to know anyway. So, yeah, I'm pretty excited to read those anyway, and if Steinbeck's life in letters is anything to go by, they're clearly going to be amazing!Being ill this week, while severely unpleasant, has allowed me to do much blogging (and I even have posts ready! In advance! Trust me, this never happens...) and also to watch quite a few films since my head is all stuffed up and not always in a reading mood. So there might be a fair few film reviews to come in the next few weeks. This week, however, has been a bit of a mixed bag:
On Monday, I reviewed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and discussed its various merits and negatives, with an inconclusive verdict on my final thoughts about it,
Tuesday was, as always, a day for me to make lists with much excitement, this week discussing the top ten books I want to read this autumn,
On Wednesday, I declared my interest in R.I.P., a reading challenge where I can read many Stephen King books, and maybe scary books by other authors too (are there any other authors?) as well as reviewing The Astronaut's Wife, a film that was only scary in how awful it was.
Thursday saw the announcement of Frances and Laura's unread book club, where me and my friend read books that we both own and yet haven't read yet- so if you own The Golden Notebook and want to read it with us, head over there now and tell me about it!
On Friday, continuing on with my Stephen King Quest, I encountered another man on a quest in The Gunslinger, starting me off for the second time on my journey through The Dark Tower series,
And finally, on Saturday, I revealed my not-so-secret love for Luke from Gilmore Girls, in a list of carefully considered character traits that are all great reasons to love such a man!
And that's what my week looked like! Except, imagine more phlegm and swollen tonsils and temperatures and stuff, and that's what it actually looked like. But online, it was a lot less painful...
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Devouring TV: Gilmore Girls, or, Reasons I Wish Luke from Gilmore Girls was my Boyfriend
This post is inspired by a post on Hello Giggles (the sort of awesome blog founded by Zooey Deschanel and friends that you should really check out if you haven't already so you can constantly go 'I WISH THEY WERE MY FRIENDS!') entitled '10 reasons I wish Don Draper was my boyfriend', kindly tweeted at me by Frances, and while I do love and hate Don Draper in equal measures (SO hot, but SO an asshole), I think I know someone on TV that would make a much better boyfriend.
Behold, Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls. Not necessarily the most physically attractive specimen to grace the streets of Stars Hollow (that would be his nephew, Jess) but he's still pretty darn hot, and, most importantly, he's perhaps the TV character that I'm most compatible with in the entire history of television. Let's examine the evidence:
1. He owns a Diner- I can't even tell you how much I love American-style diners (if I find out about one, then I automatically have to go there) but Luke's is the real deal- and really, who doesn't love a man who can cook. I can also envisage the two of us working side by side in the diner and just generally being the awesome couple everyone looks up to and wants to emulate. Yeah, I dream big.
2. He's a man of few words- It's interesting that I find this an attractive trait in Luke, considering that I tend to gravitate more towards people who talk a lot in real life because I am pretty quiet myself. Nonetheless, I find Luke's non-verboseness extremely attractive, and I feel like he's the kind of person I could share long silences with without feeling awkward. Also, I would know that his introvertedness would just be a sign of how lovingly he was thinking about me...
3. He's so grumpy!- I know this isn't normally considered a good thing, but a grumpy little snarl from Luke can keep me amused all day! Because I know he doesn't mean it, and because he gets annoyed by things that would definitely also annoy me, this can only be a sign that we are meant to be together.
4. He's a really good dad- So, this girl shows up at Luke's, takes some of his DNA, and tells him that he might be her father. Instead of ignoring this, or just letting her go, Luke goes to her science fair to find out the results of the DNA test (I'm pretty sure none of the other prospective fathers does this), and when he finds out he is her father, does everything he possibly can to try and be there for his daughter (this includes going on a school trip with a load of science nerds- he's seriously a really good father!) These traits can also be seen when he's dealing with Jess, his wholly undisciplined nephew who comes to live with him, and to a lesser extent with Rory Gilmore too. He's exactly the kind of dude you'd want to mix DNA with (sexy!).
5. He harbours love for you for a really long time- So, on Luke's first date with Lorelai, he shows her this horoscope that she gave him the first time they met, because she told him it would bring him luck and because he was in love with her all that time. If that isn't the sweetest thing you've ever heard then you have no soul, and as long as you don't dwell on all that wasted time, then I think our lives together would be the happiest EVER. Obvs.
6. He's really romantic and just lovely as a boyfriend- So, I haven't seen this episode, but according to Frances, my Gilmore Girls guru, there is one where he makes Lorelai an ice rink because he loves her and she loves snow (there are probably other reasons for this happening too, but like I say, I haven't seen it so I only have the barest details!) From what I have seen anyway, he just seems to be the perfect boyfriend- never too needy or clingy, but still wanting to spend time with Lorelai and just generally let her know that she is loved. And he even puts up with her crazy...
7. He'll elope with you, after he's thought about it for a little bit- So, Lorelai wanted to elope with Luke after she doubted his love for her after he'd discovered he had a daughter and freaked out a bit. He wasn't completely sold on the idea (delivered as an ultimatum, not very cool Lorelai!) but after he'd thought about it for like a night, he decided he was ready. I love this- he's sensible but not too sensible, and impulsive after thinking it through a little bit- what can be wrong with that?!
8. He doesn't take no crap from nobody- This kind of ties in with his grumpiness, but it's more that Luke always stands up for himself (against Taylor and his continual barrage of crazy) and also has the ability to calm Lorelai down when she's being a bit of a fast-talking loon (which is most of the time. But when she needs calming down as well, he's the man for the job!) It makes him a sort of steady influence, pretty much a rock in everyone's lives, which I think is the kind of person you always need around.
I thought I'd be able to think of a lot more reasons than this for my wild, unbound love of Luke, but I really can't. I put this down, not to not loving him enough, but to the fact that what I love about him is his inherent Luke-ness- something which can't necessarily be described in words, but is evident just from watching him wandering around being Luke, and being amazing just as himself. And I think that that, is what true love is guys. Too bad he's a fictional character, and, more importantly as a barrier to our love, lives in Connecticut (I always think of Connecticut as being a really really boring place, kind of the US equivalent of Surrey, where I live. But if anyone wants to put me straight on that point, please feel free to!) But still, Luke- How I love thee!
1. He owns a Diner- I can't even tell you how much I love American-style diners (if I find out about one, then I automatically have to go there) but Luke's is the real deal- and really, who doesn't love a man who can cook. I can also envisage the two of us working side by side in the diner and just generally being the awesome couple everyone looks up to and wants to emulate. Yeah, I dream big.
2. He's a man of few words- It's interesting that I find this an attractive trait in Luke, considering that I tend to gravitate more towards people who talk a lot in real life because I am pretty quiet myself. Nonetheless, I find Luke's non-verboseness extremely attractive, and I feel like he's the kind of person I could share long silences with without feeling awkward. Also, I would know that his introvertedness would just be a sign of how lovingly he was thinking about me...
3. He's so grumpy!- I know this isn't normally considered a good thing, but a grumpy little snarl from Luke can keep me amused all day! Because I know he doesn't mean it, and because he gets annoyed by things that would definitely also annoy me, this can only be a sign that we are meant to be together.
4. He's a really good dad- So, this girl shows up at Luke's, takes some of his DNA, and tells him that he might be her father. Instead of ignoring this, or just letting her go, Luke goes to her science fair to find out the results of the DNA test (I'm pretty sure none of the other prospective fathers does this), and when he finds out he is her father, does everything he possibly can to try and be there for his daughter (this includes going on a school trip with a load of science nerds- he's seriously a really good father!) These traits can also be seen when he's dealing with Jess, his wholly undisciplined nephew who comes to live with him, and to a lesser extent with Rory Gilmore too. He's exactly the kind of dude you'd want to mix DNA with (sexy!).
5. He harbours love for you for a really long time- So, on Luke's first date with Lorelai, he shows her this horoscope that she gave him the first time they met, because she told him it would bring him luck and because he was in love with her all that time. If that isn't the sweetest thing you've ever heard then you have no soul, and as long as you don't dwell on all that wasted time, then I think our lives together would be the happiest EVER. Obvs.
6. He's really romantic and just lovely as a boyfriend- So, I haven't seen this episode, but according to Frances, my Gilmore Girls guru, there is one where he makes Lorelai an ice rink because he loves her and she loves snow (there are probably other reasons for this happening too, but like I say, I haven't seen it so I only have the barest details!) From what I have seen anyway, he just seems to be the perfect boyfriend- never too needy or clingy, but still wanting to spend time with Lorelai and just generally let her know that she is loved. And he even puts up with her crazy...
7. He'll elope with you, after he's thought about it for a little bit- So, Lorelai wanted to elope with Luke after she doubted his love for her after he'd discovered he had a daughter and freaked out a bit. He wasn't completely sold on the idea (delivered as an ultimatum, not very cool Lorelai!) but after he'd thought about it for like a night, he decided he was ready. I love this- he's sensible but not too sensible, and impulsive after thinking it through a little bit- what can be wrong with that?!
8. He doesn't take no crap from nobody- This kind of ties in with his grumpiness, but it's more that Luke always stands up for himself (against Taylor and his continual barrage of crazy) and also has the ability to calm Lorelai down when she's being a bit of a fast-talking loon (which is most of the time. But when she needs calming down as well, he's the man for the job!) It makes him a sort of steady influence, pretty much a rock in everyone's lives, which I think is the kind of person you always need around.
I thought I'd be able to think of a lot more reasons than this for my wild, unbound love of Luke, but I really can't. I put this down, not to not loving him enough, but to the fact that what I love about him is his inherent Luke-ness- something which can't necessarily be described in words, but is evident just from watching him wandering around being Luke, and being amazing just as himself. And I think that that, is what true love is guys. Too bad he's a fictional character, and, more importantly as a barrier to our love, lives in Connecticut (I always think of Connecticut as being a really really boring place, kind of the US equivalent of Surrey, where I live. But if anyone wants to put me straight on that point, please feel free to!) But still, Luke- How I love thee!
Friday, 2 September 2011
Devouring Stephen King: The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
So, a first time reading of The Gunslinger is a little confusing because you literally have no idea what's going on, where it's happening, and have no context to place all this new information within. I guess that sort of describes reading any new book, but it becomes more apparent after you've read an entire series and go back to the beginning, and just think 'how on earth did I get any of this the first time round?' Quite a lot of this teeny novel (it's only 200 or so pages, compared to at least 400 in all the other books in the series) looks at Roland (the aforementioned Gunslinger)'s life pre-quest, and pre-the ultimate breakdown of his home, his world, and possibly even his universe (I'm not too clear on that bit), as well as moving the story forward in useful and interesting ways, and setting it up for amazing things to happen.
Here's the thing though. I feel like, as a stand-alone book and especially the first in a series, I'm not sure it really stands up as an example of what the series is later to become, and I worry that people will read it, find it a bit interesting but not all that much, and then decide not to read on. I mean, I can appreciate the stories from Roland's childhood because I've read Wizard and Glass (book 4) which is set just after the events recounted in this book, and I appreciate the whole thing with Jake a LOT more having read the other books. To be fair to The Gunslinger, I think it does improve as one in a series towards its end, and leaves enough unsolved so that you want to read more, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount that you don't know yet.
Now to discuss a few aspects of the book (and they definitely relate to the series as a whole as well) without ruining anything... Firstly, there is mention in this book, and something that is expanded on much more in The Wastelands (book 3) of the way technology, or more broadly 'civilisation' ruins everything, or at least has in the world that Roland inhabits:
"'But civilisation, you know...'I feel like this is a theme that is extremely important in the entire series, since in a way, Roland is a relic himself of the pre-'civilised' world, and so out of step with it, and yet he is really the only one who can save it (or so we must assume). It's also almost a vision of what happens when technology fails, and who is left to pick up the pieces when this happens (but that might be more of a thing in other books than this one, and oh look, I'm getting ahead of myself!). But yeah, it's definitely something to think about when reading this series.
He trailed off, unable to describe the change inherent in that mechanised noun, the death of the romantic and its sterile, carnal revenant, living only a forced respiration of glitter and ceremony; the geometric steps of courtship during the Easter-night dance at the Great Hall which had replaced the mad scribble of love."
The Dark Tower also introduces us to the terrifying horrors that are the slow-mutants, origins not made completely clear, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the whole civilisation thing that Roland talks about. In a memorable, and truly scary scene in the dark of the inside of a mountain, the Slow-Muties close in on Jake and Roland as they desperately try to escape, and trust me, it's not going to make you any less afraid of the dark, or help your claustrophobia any. More interestingly, and sort of metaphysically scary, is the concept of the magnitude of the universe, and the idea that, as this book suggests, a universe could just be an atom on a blade of grass of another universe, and there could be an infinite number of universes, something which the human mind really can't intuit, and which really does give you a headache to think about (although that could just be the cold talking again.) This universe concept, while offered only as a little snippet pretty near the end of this book, is something that takes on greater meaning exponentially as the series moves on, and could be the most important concept covered in the series as a whole. Or, at least to me it seems this way- you're seriously going to have to read all seven books to form your own opinion on it!
Probably the best thing that The Gunslinger does, in terms of preparations for the rest of the series, is set up the character of Roland so that you are pretty much fully prepared for almost all his future actions. There is really only one thing that one needs to know about Roland- his quest for the Dark Tower is more important to him than all other things, and he will let absolutely nothing stand in his way to reach it. While this may sound formidable and kind of awesome of him, it also displays a single-mindedness that really isn't healthy and means that he has the ability to hurt those he really loves, even though it hurts him too. This is something that is very evident throughout every book, although it is perhaps clearer nowhere than in this book, which can even be seen as sort of an extended character analysis of Roland. But it's also quite a bit more than that.
I hope this has whetted your appetite for this series a bit, and I think it's pretty clear how much I utterly love it. Whenever I see a bad review for any part of this series, seriously, my soul weeps a little tiny bit! It's quite a while until I read the next in the series, but I may become even more complimentary then, especially considering that it introduces my favourite character in the whole series... but, I shall be calm and shhhh until the time to review it comes!
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Frances and Laura's Unread Book Club
So, about a month ago I went to visit my Uni bestie Frances, wherein we had a housemates reunion with our other two housemates, and a generally fab and giggly time all round. Whilst staying in her room, I obviously was transfixed by her bookcase (she arranges her books by colour, it's completely awesome you guys!) I noticed that she had quite a few books that I also had but hadn't read yet. I asked her about them: 'What's The Golden Notebook like?' 'Did you like 100 Years of Solitude?' and so on, until it became apparent that, actually, she hadn't read them either, and we actually owned a lot of mutually unread books.
And so the seed of an idea was planted. To read books that we had neglected, and to communicate with each other about books in a way we hadn't since University ended (and communicating about books back then meant us both going 'Jesus Christ, Pamela is the most boring book I've ever read, I think I'm going to die!' and then skipping the seminar on it anyway to do online shopping instead! Not that that ever happened... ahem.) So, to start off this very exciting endeavour, within which we plan to read one book we both own but haven't yet read every other month, we're starting off with
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
I can't imagine why I haven't read this book yet, other than the fact that it's written by a Nobel Prize winner, which automatically makes it very intimidating, and the copy that I have is also very much less aesthetically pleasing than the above cover (which makes me very shallow, I'll admit, but I do have so many prettier books...) But anyway, Nora Ephron said it's awesome, and that's what we're reading. If you happen to have a copy of The Golden Notebook lying around and you fancy reading it along with us, then please feel free to leave me or Frances a comment, and we'll link up to your review- we'll be posting ours on the 1st October.
You can find Frances here. She's awfully wonderful and hilarious, and wrote this one post about Ugly Betty that everyone should probably read. Go and share the love with her.
And so the seed of an idea was planted. To read books that we had neglected, and to communicate with each other about books in a way we hadn't since University ended (and communicating about books back then meant us both going 'Jesus Christ, Pamela is the most boring book I've ever read, I think I'm going to die!' and then skipping the seminar on it anyway to do online shopping instead! Not that that ever happened... ahem.) So, to start off this very exciting endeavour, within which we plan to read one book we both own but haven't yet read every other month, we're starting off with
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
You can find Frances here. She's awfully wonderful and hilarious, and wrote this one post about Ugly Betty that everyone should probably read. Go and share the love with her.
Gratuitous Christmas picture where we pretend to be reindeer. Would you trust these people to pick out a good book to read/to do anything at all?!
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
R.I.P. VI
Read four books, of any length, that you feel fit (my very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, Ian Fleming or Edgar Allen Poe... or anyone in between.
Hmm, Stephen King, you say? I accept your challenge, says I! There are definitely going to be Stephen Kings in the four (obviously) but I might mix it up a bit by also reading possibly Dracula, maybe re-reading Frankenstein, and I know I have something Poe-ish lying around somewhere. So this is going to be really fun!
Just one thing- I scare really easily, so no one sneak up on me while I'm reading any of these books, ok? Guys? ...Guys? Where has everyone gone..?
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