34 posts tagged “books”
What's making you smile today?
One thing making me smile is the bag of books I bought today:
Prior to reading War & Peace, I had no idea at all who the characters were or what the plot was. All I knew was that it was really, really long and widely considered the greatest novel evah. After reading it, I can see why the plot and characters aren't quite woven into our collective conciousness like, say, The Count of Monte Cristo. Even people who have never read it could tell you that it's about revenge. Not so with War & Peace.
First of all, there isn't really a linear, vibrant plot like Count. It meanders a bit, which makes it feel more lifelike but doesn't lend itself very well to synopsis. That's not to say that there aren't any exciting, catch-your-breath bits, because there are. Just not quite as many as other novels I've read.
I also understand why the characters aren't quite as well known. It's because there are approximately 20,000 characters. Not really, but there are a whole lotta peeps in this book. It mainly centers around two families (the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys) and Pierre Bezuhov, the weird, bespectacled loner. But all the peripheral characters are wonderfully realized as well, which is a large part of the book's charm.
THIS PART OF THE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.
As soon as I was done reading I rushed online to read others' reviews. I had been waiting for weeks to see what other people thought of the characters and the book in general, so it was nice to break my self-imposed spoiler ban. The only thing I was surprised at was the general sense of disappointment over the first part of the epilogue. True, it did read a little bit like the ending of Harry Potter, with the domestic bliss and all the children named after dead or cherished people. (Although, thank God, the little Russian children got cute names like Petya and Andryusha instead of *snicker* Albus Severus.) But the ending was just so sweet. I liked seeing my characters leading a settled, contented life. I was thrilled to see them all as grown-ups, especially Pierre. Of course he's an excellent father. I was most surprised at how well Nikolay and Marya fit. I always looked at their impending match as being a disaster in the making. They're just so different. I'm glad that poor Marya got the family she wanted, and that Nikolay stands in awe of his wife's spirituality.
This is turning out to be wicked long, and it's just too hot to keep going, so I'm ending now on the note that surprisingly, Pierre was my favorite character by the end. I just like him, the big oddball. I think it's the combination of gentleness, absent-mindedness, and spectacles. Gotta love a guy in specs.
Yes, folks, you heard it here first! I AM DONE WITH WAR & PEACE!!!! I'll post my thoughts sometime soon (finals are kicking my butt) but I enjoyed it. Well, all except part two of the epilogue. First, only in War & Peace would there be more than one part of the epilogue. Second, that last half had no character stuff, just philosophical digression. It took me forever to get through, quite frankly.
Wow, War & Peace is slow going.
I picked it up again after about a month's absence, and found it a bit easier to follow. I'm still only on page 144, which is pathetic for three or four days worth of reading. It's okay, but it hasn't sucked me in yet. I have yet to get into "the zone" where pages fly by and the story engages my whole attention. It doesn't help that the book I have is quite small with tiny print.
People who have read W&P, does it pick up, or is this as good as it gets?
Three Men In A Boat (To Say Nothing Of The Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome- This book took me a surprisingly long time to read, considering the fact that it's only 135 pages long. The thing is, pretty much every line deserved my full attention, either for the funny (and shockingly modern) anecdotes or the deautiful descriptions of the Thames.
The premise of the book is pretty simple: three men (the narrator, J., and his friends George and Harris) decide to take a vacation boating down the Thames. Oh yeah, and they also take J.'s dog, Montmorency. That's it. That's the plot.
The real fun is in the writing and the anecdotes. Jerome reminds me a lot of Wodehouse in that they both use language to make even the most everyday situations amusing. I mentioned before that the situations were shockingly modern. For instance, the book begins with the reason for the boat trip. Basically, J. and his friends are hypochondriacs, checking various medical books and pharmacutical ads to find out what horrible diseases they have:
It is a most extraordinary thing, but I never read a patent medicine advertisement without being impelled to the conclusion that I am suffering from the particular disease therin dealt with at its most virulent form.
I mean, people do the exact same thing today with online sites like WebMD, and this was published over 100 years ago!
There are so many more instances, like the incomprehensible (to J.) tendency of tourists to flock to the nearest graveyard to read interesting epitaphs, or the 34/26/23 pound trout on display at a public house that no less than four people claim to have caught. (Of course, the fish turns out to be paper mache.)
It's a pleasure just to read the chapter descriptions at the beginning:
Mrs. P arouses us.---George, the sluggard.---The "weather forecast" swindle.---Our luggage.---Depravity of the small boy.---The people gather round us.---We drive off in great style, and arrive at Waterloo.---Innocence of South Western officials concerning such worldly things as trains.---We are afloat, afloat in an open boat.
Does that not intrigue you??
Grade: A
As a sidenote, I've heard that there is an audiobook of Three Men... read by a certain Hugh Laurie. I haven't heard it myself, but I imagine it's pretty awesome.
The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy: I felt about this book much as I did about Pride and Prejudice: I liked it, but I didn't love it. I won't carry it around inside me like I do other books. That's fine, but I went in with higher expectations, because I've had friends of mine adore the book and the play. I think part of it was that the other book I recently read about the Terror was so good, or at least spoke to me more.
The biggest problem was that the Scarlet Pimpernel himself was not that engaging, and his daring exploits were talked about rather than seen for most of the book. It did pick up near the end, though, and the last few chapters were quite good. If the whole book had been that engaging I would've liked it better.
There was one thing that I found very intriguing, though, and that was the fact that the story is more or less told from the vantage point of the heroine. It was refreshing to read a story with a human, fleshed-out, prominent woman character. I love old books that feature daring, interesting men, but the women in those stories are almost always bland and are either swoony or Evil. The woman in this story, while occasionally lovesick, is fully human. We get to see her thought processes, her weaknesses, and her ingenuity. It's really quite a treat. Other minor characters are treated similarly. Here's a passage describing how the local innkeeper wishes to shield his daughter from what he thinks are two guests indulging in an adulterous tryst:
[The innkeeper] was all too willing that Sally[, his daughter,] should go to bed. He was beginning not to like these goings-on at all. Still, Lady Blakeney would pay handsomely for the accomodation, and it certainly was no buisiness of his.
Sally arranged a simple dinner...then with a respectful curtsey, she retired, wondering in her little mind why her ladyship looked so serious, when she was about to elope with her gallant.
There are also some amusing observations of human behavior, like the two young English gentleman who, like good Britons, tried to hide their emotions and just ended up looking "immeasurably sheepish".
In sum, it was a nice enough read, but probably not one that I will keep on my bookshelf.
Grade: B
After reading The Knight of Maison-Rouge, I had the urge to read more Dumas, so I carted The Count of Monte Cristo back with me to school. I say "carted", because it's frickin' huge at 1,462 pages long. I've read it before: the abridged version at 13 or so, and the unabridged a few years later. It remains a favorite of mine even though I haven't picked it up in years. I figured that after so long, perhaps I should reread it.
I don't know if I've talked about this before, but I am a horrible rereader. My ex-boyfriend was an avid rereader. He would finish a book and start right over at the beginning. I almost never do this. Sure, I reread favorite parts over and over and over, but rereading a book front to back frustrates me. It's just not my reading style.
Knowing all this, I was a little hesitant to try with CoMC, with, as it turns out, good reason. (Warning: spoilers) I picked it up yesterday and got through the first 20 or 30 pages fine. It was nice to meet Edmond Dantes again, and Mercedes, and Mr. Dantes senior. However...once it got to to plotting of the conspirators, my attention waned. Those nefarious deeds were necessary during the first read, but now that I know the plot, they're boring. So I skipped ahead a little. Why bother forcing myself to read bits that I frankly don't care about?
I skipped through the plots, Dantes' arrest, and Villefort's betrothal dinner. I ended up stopping at Villefort's questioning of Dantes and his talk with his father, Nortier. Villefort is much more interesting than Danglars and Fernand, and Monsieur Nortier is awesome. I forgot that the reader gets the chance to see him before he is imprisoned in his own body.
After that, it was smooth sailing. From Edmond's imprisonment to his escape, I only skipped a few pages, when Abbe Faria was explaining the history of his treasure. It makes me sad to think of Edmond's ruthlessness after his escape from prison, and I don't think the Abbe would've wanted him to act that way. It is interesting to draw parallels between Abbe Faria's "revenge" of witholding information of his treasure from the government out of disgust with humanity and Edmond's more active lust for revenge; and Faria's reconciliation with humanity through Edmond and Edmond's eventual reconciliation through what's-his-name, Mercedes' son. If I'm remembering correctly.
I hope this sustained interest continues! I do plan to continue reading, although some books I ordered last week may slow or postpone it.
I'm heading to Florida (yay warmth!) in a week and a few days, and I'm driving. With my family and the dogs.
What I am asking, nay, begging, in this post, is for some music recommendations. Basically I like songs that make me want to dance. Here are some examples of songs I enjoy:
- Flathead by The Fratellis (which is kind of a redundant name, as "fratelli" means "brothers" in Italian)
- Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might Be Giants
- Pretty much anything by The White Stripes
- Sunny, mellow songs featured in Apple ads, like New Soul by Nael Yaim and 1234 by Feist
- Awesome older songs by The Rolling Stones and such
I have a pretty eclectic taste, but I tend to prefer songs with less digital wizardry and vocal distortion, and I like the lyrics to be semi-clean. Whatever you all recommend will be awesome, though, I'm sure. If you wonderful readers could help me out, that would be awesome!
Also, if any of you are Wodehouse fans, what are some of your favorite books aside from the Jeeves series and the first three Blandings novels?
If you haven't heard about/checked out The Dewey Donation System, please do. It's a great charity drive to benefit several libraries, and it's so much fun to do. You can send money, choose from an Amazon wishlist, or even buy an adorable t-shirt with all proceeds going towards the books. There are super-sweet prizes that you can win, too!
And if you can't afford to give, that's fine. Check it out anyway and spread the word!
Okay, so last night I went to bed at ten to one. I didn't fall asleep 'til closer to two. I wasn't worried about anything, I was just wired.
Maybe it was the small cup of tea I had at nine. Maybe it was the awesome book I've been reading*. Maybe it was the satisfaction of finding two lovely songs** on iTunes. Or maybe it was because House kicked butt last night.
Seriously you guys, it was so good. It felt more on than it has in awhile. The PoTW was insightful without being obnoxious or preachy, and it was lovely to see House care a little bit, to allow himself to be a little vulnerable. The humor was less in-your-face, and I laughed aloud quite a few times. 'Let's Get It On' will never not be funny for me. Wilson was rocking, and is dating Cutthroat!! Eep!
Anyway, that show always gives me a little high, and I can't wait to see it again tomorrow.
*The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield
**'New Soul' by Yael Naim and 'All My Days' by Alexi Murdoch
That stupid writer's strike better end, like, now so the hiatus won't be more than a month or so.
