Just a quick note to show I haven't forgotten this blog, I just don't have any proof of address yet, so I can't join the library. Think I might have to go Oxfamming and see if I can find any there. In the meantime, I'm reading a book called 'The Line of Beauty' by Alan Hollinghurst, which was recommended to me by my friend Angela.
I like it, but I'm not entirely sure about it yet. It's about a young Oxford student, newly open gay, discovering himself and his sexuality in London. He is staying with a college friend's family - a very wealthy family, the father of which is a Tory MP. It's not explicit, but there is the constant presence of Nick's attraction to various straight and gay men around him, and a kind of superfluity to the women (apart from the 2 he is staying with). I'll keep going with it, but nothing much has really happened so far...
18 July 2006
13 July 2006
Back to the Challenge...
Well, with the move behind me, I can settle back into my library habit, although I'll have to wait until I get a bank statement or something so I can prove my new address to the library. Meanwhile, I've given you the whole list, now here's my reading list from it:
NOT READ (42)
6, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
10, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
12, Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13, Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14, Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15, The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
17, Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
19, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20, War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21, Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
26, Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
28, A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29, The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
32, One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
34, David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
36, Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37, A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38, Persuasion, Jane Austen
39, Dune, Frank Herbert
43, The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44, The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
47, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48, Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
53, The Stand, Stephen King
54, Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55, A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
58, Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
60, Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
63, A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
67, The Magus, John Fowles
71, Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
77, The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78, Ulysses, James Joyce
79, Bleak House, Charles Dickens
84, Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
88, Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
90, On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91, The Godfather, Mario Puzo
94, The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95, Katherine, Anya Seton
100, Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
TO RE-READ (8)
4, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
8, Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
11, Catch-22, Joseph Heller
16, The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
42, Watership Down, Richard Adams
50, The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
64, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
68, Good Omens, Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
So, that's my 50. I'm not planning on any particular order, as with libraries you have to really take what you can find. I'll try to get started this weekend, so I'll post on Monday to let you know how I'm going :o)
NOT READ (42)
6, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
10, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
12, Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13, Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14, Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15, The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
17, Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
19, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20, War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21, Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
26, Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
28, A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29, The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
32, One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
34, David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
36, Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37, A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38, Persuasion, Jane Austen
39, Dune, Frank Herbert
43, The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44, The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
47, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48, Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
53, The Stand, Stephen King
54, Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55, A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
58, Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
60, Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
63, A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
67, The Magus, John Fowles
71, Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
77, The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78, Ulysses, James Joyce
79, Bleak House, Charles Dickens
84, Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
88, Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
90, On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91, The Godfather, Mario Puzo
94, The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95, Katherine, Anya Seton
100, Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
TO RE-READ (8)
4, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
8, Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
11, Catch-22, Joseph Heller
16, The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
42, Watership Down, Richard Adams
50, The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
64, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
68, Good Omens, Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
So, that's my 50. I'm not planning on any particular order, as with libraries you have to really take what you can find. I'll try to get started this weekend, so I'll post on Monday to let you know how I'm going :o)
12 July 2006
My Top 6 - 'Cloud Atlas'
This was a bit of a funny one - I was recommended this book by Monique, a friend and colleague at Springfield, who didn't like it but thought I would! When she mentioned it, I also remembered someone else I met recommending it as well, so when I was given some book tokens, I bought it. Well, I must say, Monique has excellent judgement, as I loved it!
This is not really like one novel, it's more like 6 short novels which have been opened to the middle and laid flat one on top of the other, then closed again. I don't know if that explains it so say each book has a number, and the first half is A and the second half B, when you read it, the order goes: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, 1B. If that makes any more sense! The stories move in time from the late 1800s to a post-apocalyptic future, and while none directly relate to another in terms of protagonist or even theme, they all connect in some way. For example, the first 'book' is The Pacific Journals of Adam Ewing following an English lawyer who has gone to Australia on behalf of a client, and ends up stranded in the Chathams. The second book, Letters to Zedelgem (sp?) is about a young composer who travels to the Netherlands I think, to offer his scribing services to a very famous composer who is a syphilitic invalid and can no longer compose on his own. Whilst there, this young composer discovers The Pacific Journals... and secretly sells them to a rather shady dealer. For another example, there is a birthmark shared by more than one character, book 3 is then being considered for publication by a minor character in book 4 and so on. In one case, a character from one book is revered as a god by the next!
What amazed me is how clearly and beautifully David Mitchell writes in such a variety of styles. Once you realise the convention (the first book finishes in the middle of a sentence, the only one that does, which I think is to make you flip forward and realise what is going on), it is fun to pick up on all the through-themes, and once you are reading the second halves of each, you see even more. I don't know if it's for everyone, as I know a few people who gave up, not liking the jumping around, but it is a beautiful, thought-provoking novel, and written by a very talented storyteller. I haven't read any of his others yet, but I am planning to, and will be interested to see if they can live up to Cloud Atlas.
By the way, I have changed my blog template as I got a bit overwhelmed by the previous green. Hope I didn't confuse anyone!
This is not really like one novel, it's more like 6 short novels which have been opened to the middle and laid flat one on top of the other, then closed again. I don't know if that explains it so say each book has a number, and the first half is A and the second half B, when you read it, the order goes: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, 1B. If that makes any more sense! The stories move in time from the late 1800s to a post-apocalyptic future, and while none directly relate to another in terms of protagonist or even theme, they all connect in some way. For example, the first 'book' is The Pacific Journals of Adam Ewing following an English lawyer who has gone to Australia on behalf of a client, and ends up stranded in the Chathams. The second book, Letters to Zedelgem (sp?) is about a young composer who travels to the Netherlands I think, to offer his scribing services to a very famous composer who is a syphilitic invalid and can no longer compose on his own. Whilst there, this young composer discovers The Pacific Journals... and secretly sells them to a rather shady dealer. For another example, there is a birthmark shared by more than one character, book 3 is then being considered for publication by a minor character in book 4 and so on. In one case, a character from one book is revered as a god by the next!
What amazed me is how clearly and beautifully David Mitchell writes in such a variety of styles. Once you realise the convention (the first book finishes in the middle of a sentence, the only one that does, which I think is to make you flip forward and realise what is going on), it is fun to pick up on all the through-themes, and once you are reading the second halves of each, you see even more. I don't know if it's for everyone, as I know a few people who gave up, not liking the jumping around, but it is a beautiful, thought-provoking novel, and written by a very talented storyteller. I haven't read any of his others yet, but I am planning to, and will be interested to see if they can live up to Cloud Atlas.
By the way, I have changed my blog template as I got a bit overwhelmed by the previous green. Hope I didn't confuse anyone!
07 July 2006
My Top 6 - 'The Handmaid's Tale'
Anther book introduced to me during my 'Contemporary Women's Writing' paper. Margaret Atwood is a brilliant writer and I have since enjoyed many of her novels, including 'The Blind Assassin', 'Alias Grace' and 'Oryx & Crake'. 'The Handmaid's Tale' is still the one that I remember the best, and would happily read again (and again, and again...)
It follows the ordeals of Offred, the eponymous handmaid, who lives in a world sometime in the future where religion has taken over. She lives in the Republic of Gilead and her purpose is simply to breed - many of the wealthy women are no longer able to conceive, so 'handmaids' are brought in for this purpose. They have sex with the men of the house, but there is no love or passion, simply a mechanical transaction. Any transgression of any rule (and there are a lot), and failure to follow the strict doctrine means certain death for Offred (her name, Of Fred, simply marks her owner). However, as the story progresses, we see Offred grow in resolve, knowledge and strength, egged on to some degree by her male 'owner'.
The end is inconclusive and somewhat irritating, but I found it beneficial to read the book again knowing the ending. It's a bit like the movie Fight Club - once you know the end, it changes everything else.
It's been a while since I read this book, so I haven't been particularly specific or interesting in this post. Needless to say, if you are already an Atwood fan, and haven't read this book, get to the book store/library now! And if you've never read an Atwood, this is a good place to start. Have fun, and happy reading!
It follows the ordeals of Offred, the eponymous handmaid, who lives in a world sometime in the future where religion has taken over. She lives in the Republic of Gilead and her purpose is simply to breed - many of the wealthy women are no longer able to conceive, so 'handmaids' are brought in for this purpose. They have sex with the men of the house, but there is no love or passion, simply a mechanical transaction. Any transgression of any rule (and there are a lot), and failure to follow the strict doctrine means certain death for Offred (her name, Of Fred, simply marks her owner). However, as the story progresses, we see Offred grow in resolve, knowledge and strength, egged on to some degree by her male 'owner'.
The end is inconclusive and somewhat irritating, but I found it beneficial to read the book again knowing the ending. It's a bit like the movie Fight Club - once you know the end, it changes everything else.
It's been a while since I read this book, so I haven't been particularly specific or interesting in this post. Needless to say, if you are already an Atwood fan, and haven't read this book, get to the book store/library now! And if you've never read an Atwood, this is a good place to start. Have fun, and happy reading!
06 July 2006
My Top 6 - 'The Time Traveler's Wife'
Amazingly, this is Audrey Niffenegger's first novel - I can't wait to read her next one. This is a stunningly beautiful book, again in the genre of Magic Realism. I think most people have heard of this book, it's already made it onto several 'modern classic' lists, and as soon as I had finished it I emailed everyone I could think of and told them to read it.
The tale follows the lives and love affair of 2 people - Clare and Henry. What is extraordinary about them is that they first meet when Clare is 6 and Henry is 36, but they marry when Clare is 22 and Henry 30. Impossible you would think, except Henry suffers from an extremely rare chromosomal condition that causes him to time travel, spontaneously and without warning, arriving naked and wary in unknown destinations. As you can imagine, this causes a few problems for their relationship, and some puzzling paradigms for the reader. For example, when Clare and Henry meet in 'real time', she has already met him several times during her childhood, but as he has not yet time traveled to meet her, he has no idea who she is. Clare later gives him a list of dates and times when he time traveled to her, so that the first time he meets her (aged 6), he can give young Clare the list, so that when she grows up she can give it to Henry, so he can give it to her...and so on.
Personally, I didn't find the changes in time too hard to cope with as Niffenegger always lists Henry and Clare's respective ages at the beginning of each section. Therefore, if Henry is 8 years older than Clare, they are in 'real time', anything else and he is time traveling. If you do find it confusing at first, persist, it's worth it. It's an incredible premise and I wish I'd thought of it myself, but I don't think anyone could have written it more beautifully and personally than Niffenegger.
There's an incredibly poignant section where they are trying to have a baby, and I still don't know how I feel about the last bit, but I won't tell you any more, you'll have to read it for yourselves.
The tale follows the lives and love affair of 2 people - Clare and Henry. What is extraordinary about them is that they first meet when Clare is 6 and Henry is 36, but they marry when Clare is 22 and Henry 30. Impossible you would think, except Henry suffers from an extremely rare chromosomal condition that causes him to time travel, spontaneously and without warning, arriving naked and wary in unknown destinations. As you can imagine, this causes a few problems for their relationship, and some puzzling paradigms for the reader. For example, when Clare and Henry meet in 'real time', she has already met him several times during her childhood, but as he has not yet time traveled to meet her, he has no idea who she is. Clare later gives him a list of dates and times when he time traveled to her, so that the first time he meets her (aged 6), he can give young Clare the list, so that when she grows up she can give it to Henry, so he can give it to her...and so on.
Personally, I didn't find the changes in time too hard to cope with as Niffenegger always lists Henry and Clare's respective ages at the beginning of each section. Therefore, if Henry is 8 years older than Clare, they are in 'real time', anything else and he is time traveling. If you do find it confusing at first, persist, it's worth it. It's an incredible premise and I wish I'd thought of it myself, but I don't think anyone could have written it more beautifully and personally than Niffenegger.
There's an incredibly poignant section where they are trying to have a baby, and I still don't know how I feel about the last bit, but I won't tell you any more, you'll have to read it for yourselves.
05 July 2006
My Top 6 - 'Keeping Faith'
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult is a book I discovered all on my own. It had not been recommended by anyone, I hadn’t seen a review of it anywhere and I had never heard of the author before. I had book vouchers to spend for some reason, and I was browsing in the ‘Contemporary Fiction’ section when I found it, thought it sounded good and bought it. I have now read all of Picoult’s novels, and she has since become more well-known and widely read, but this one, Keeping Faith is still my favourite (followed closely by Plain Truth)
I think that’s because, as well as the kind of mystery aspects contained in her other novels, this one contains a large element of Magic Realism, which adds something extra and intriguing which sets it apart from your average John Grisham-type novel.
Basically, the story starts with Mariah, a woman with a young daughter (Faith), whose husband has just left her. We see quickly that Mariah is very needy, devastated by the betrayal, and not coping very well with her life. Her daughter, Faith is obviously affected by this, and begins talking to an ‘invisible friend’ whom she refers to as her ‘guard’. A normal reaction for a small girl faced with big changes at home you would think, but it soon transpires that Faith is actually talking not to her ‘guard’, but to God.
Slowly, through various acts and small miracles, word gets around and ‘pilgrims’ and news crews begin to gather at Mariah’s gate. Her mother comes over to help out, as Mariah can’t cope on her own, but there is another cloud on the horizon. Notorious ‘tele-atheist’ Ian, who travels around disproving weeping Madonnas and Jesus-shaped mould stains, hears of Faith and determines to prove Mariah a fake. When Faith develops stigmata, many people start to believe that this is a version of Munchausen’s-by-proxy (http://sids-network.org/experts/msp.htm). Faith’s father decides Mariah is unstable and opens a battle for custody of Faith which it looks like he will win…
Told from the perspective of several characters, but mainly Mariah’s, this is a story with no bad-guy, where you don’t really know what to believe. Picoult handles the situation diplomatically – she is not interested in making the reader believe that miracles are possible or impossible – what she deals with is the way an ordinary family deals with an extraordinary situation. I was glued to this book from beginning to end, and read it for a second time almost immediately. Highly recommended!
I think that’s because, as well as the kind of mystery aspects contained in her other novels, this one contains a large element of Magic Realism, which adds something extra and intriguing which sets it apart from your average John Grisham-type novel.
Basically, the story starts with Mariah, a woman with a young daughter (Faith), whose husband has just left her. We see quickly that Mariah is very needy, devastated by the betrayal, and not coping very well with her life. Her daughter, Faith is obviously affected by this, and begins talking to an ‘invisible friend’ whom she refers to as her ‘guard’. A normal reaction for a small girl faced with big changes at home you would think, but it soon transpires that Faith is actually talking not to her ‘guard’, but to God.
Slowly, through various acts and small miracles, word gets around and ‘pilgrims’ and news crews begin to gather at Mariah’s gate. Her mother comes over to help out, as Mariah can’t cope on her own, but there is another cloud on the horizon. Notorious ‘tele-atheist’ Ian, who travels around disproving weeping Madonnas and Jesus-shaped mould stains, hears of Faith and determines to prove Mariah a fake. When Faith develops stigmata, many people start to believe that this is a version of Munchausen’s-by-proxy (http://sids-network.org/experts/msp.htm). Faith’s father decides Mariah is unstable and opens a battle for custody of Faith which it looks like he will win…
Told from the perspective of several characters, but mainly Mariah’s, this is a story with no bad-guy, where you don’t really know what to believe. Picoult handles the situation diplomatically – she is not interested in making the reader believe that miracles are possible or impossible – what she deals with is the way an ordinary family deals with an extraordinary situation. I was glued to this book from beginning to end, and read it for a second time almost immediately. Highly recommended!
04 July 2006
My Top 6 - 'Nights at the Circus'
If someone said I could only read one book, over and over again, for the rest of my life (heaven forbid!) I think I would have to pick this one. It's the most magical, amazing book, and although I have since read and enjoyed more of Angela Carter's writing, this book is definitely special.
The story follows an American reporter, Walser, who is trying to find out the true story behind the supposed 'Winged Woman', a cockney girl known as Fevvers. However, during the course of the interview, Fevvers, with the help of her fierce protector Lizzie, not only tells her story, but captivates, intrigues and enchants Walser until he doesn't know what to believe. Bemused and in love, desperate to know more, Walser joins the circus as a clown, and becomes part of a strange, dark and not-quite-real world presided over by an eccentric American Colonel (?) and his beloved and sensitive pig.
Throughout this tale we meet a variety of characters, each with their own triumphs and tragedies, and each adds in some way to Walser's quest. The world is one of magic, tragedy and coincidence, and written in a way that the text will weave its spell around you as deftly as Fevvers weaves hers around Walser. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Interestingly, I saw a production of this at the Lyric theatre in Hammersmith. While it was a good show in its own right, I felt that it did not live up to the richness and vibrancy of Carter's text, and the actress playing Fevvers was talented, but not quite voluptuous and gutsy enough for the role.
Read this book. It's compulsory!
The story follows an American reporter, Walser, who is trying to find out the true story behind the supposed 'Winged Woman', a cockney girl known as Fevvers. However, during the course of the interview, Fevvers, with the help of her fierce protector Lizzie, not only tells her story, but captivates, intrigues and enchants Walser until he doesn't know what to believe. Bemused and in love, desperate to know more, Walser joins the circus as a clown, and becomes part of a strange, dark and not-quite-real world presided over by an eccentric American Colonel (?) and his beloved and sensitive pig.
Throughout this tale we meet a variety of characters, each with their own triumphs and tragedies, and each adds in some way to Walser's quest. The world is one of magic, tragedy and coincidence, and written in a way that the text will weave its spell around you as deftly as Fevvers weaves hers around Walser. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Interestingly, I saw a production of this at the Lyric theatre in Hammersmith. While it was a good show in its own right, I felt that it did not live up to the richness and vibrancy of Carter's text, and the actress playing Fevvers was talented, but not quite voluptuous and gutsy enough for the role.
Read this book. It's compulsory!
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