I have been gone for a couple of weeks, school has been very busy. I've been having a hard time with juggling school and all of my reading for my groups. I have been tacking the Count of Monte Cristo, and I am way past the deadline nor did I read Pride and Prejudice (although I have already read it) so I will have to get through the readings and keep my other ones on time. School and reading 1400 page books does not mix well!
But anyway, I have just finished reading Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by C.S. Lewis. A book of whimsy. It really is a children's book and I really wish I still had the imagination of a child because I wish I could fully understand the book. Youth is wasted on the young. To me, reading the book was like speaking to a young child. There really is no rhyme or reason as to how things come about, it is really lots of action that happens and you have no idea how any of it all came about. It definitely has more of a linear story line than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but still very one scene happens, then the next, but really no cohesiveness. I realize it was one of the style of writing of the times so I suppose it would make sense. It is a short story, only 80 or so pages. It really is a whimsical book, I really wish that I was a child so that I could fully appreciate the story. Alice is such a wonderful character, a wonderful child and I really wish I could connect with this character. Definitely read this book to a child, as I am much sure they will appreciate the book much more than I wish I could. On to the next!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Map of True Places
The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry is not a book on the 1001 Book List, but I got for free (also signed) and read it as part of the book discussion for this month for one of the book clubs I am in. This is definitely a change of pace from what I have been reading, very heavy books and it was nice to go back to some of the chick lit. However, this book definitely touched me, especially with the relationship between the main character Zee and her father Finch. Finch is suffering from Parkinsons, and he has kicked his boyfriend Melville out of the house and this leaves Zee, who is becoming a successful shrink in Boston, but is unsettled at the suicide from one of her patients, to take care of her ailing father.
Their relationship made me cry, as my grandfather only recently passed away from lukemeia and watching a loved one suffer and there is nothing that you can do is so hard to go through and I felt as if I was reliving it all over again. Same thing between Finch and his home aide Jessina. Jessina reminded me of my grandpa's CNA at the Veterans Home. There is one scene in the book where Jessina is dressing Finch and another where she is baking him cookies and I cried as well. It was so vivid and so real. It is interesting to note that Barry's father passed away from Parkinsons so this really is coming from the heart, from someone who has been there.
The book was a good read, though there are plenty of spots where I was left unsatisfied, especially with Zee's fiance Michael, who leaves her. Also, the relationship that occured between Hawk and Liliana was a little to unbelievable to me. However, I do recommend this book, definitely enjoyed the imagery and the writing style.
On to the next, The Red Tent. Which also isn't on the list, but the one after, The Count of Monte Cristo is!
Happy Reading
Their relationship made me cry, as my grandfather only recently passed away from lukemeia and watching a loved one suffer and there is nothing that you can do is so hard to go through and I felt as if I was reliving it all over again. Same thing between Finch and his home aide Jessina. Jessina reminded me of my grandpa's CNA at the Veterans Home. There is one scene in the book where Jessina is dressing Finch and another where she is baking him cookies and I cried as well. It was so vivid and so real. It is interesting to note that Barry's father passed away from Parkinsons so this really is coming from the heart, from someone who has been there.
The book was a good read, though there are plenty of spots where I was left unsatisfied, especially with Zee's fiance Michael, who leaves her. Also, the relationship that occured between Hawk and Liliana was a little to unbelievable to me. However, I do recommend this book, definitely enjoyed the imagery and the writing style.
On to the next, The Red Tent. Which also isn't on the list, but the one after, The Count of Monte Cristo is!
Happy Reading
Monday, June 7, 2010
A Passage to India
I just completed A Passage to India by E.M. Forster over the weekend. This book has definitely been one of the more difficult reads since I just could not get into the story. I kept getting lost in the wordiness of it all and struggled to get through. However, irregardless of the wordiness, the novel had a great message. It took me until I reached the end of the novel to fully appreciate what E.M. Forster was yapping about the entire length of the novel.
The novel is set in the British ruled India, in the early 1900s. Aziz is the main character, a physican working with his British boss. He is the central character whose image is tarnished by Miss Quested, who has come to India to become engaged to Heaslop, who is a magistrate in Chandrapore where the action happens. Miss Adele Quested is accompanied by Heaslop's mother, Mrs. Moore. These two ladied "befriend" Aziz and beg him to take them to the Marabar Caves.
This is where all of the trouble occurs. While entering one of the caves, Adele thinks she is assualted by Aziz, where he is later arrested but ultimately the charges are dropped because Miss Quested states she has been mistaken and will not testify against Aziz. While the trial and the result of it are some of the big actions in the novel, I chose here to discuss the racism that predominates the novel.
Everyone in this novel is racist. Aziz is a Muslim and thinks little of the Hindu Indians who he refers to as dirty, primative, stupid etc. The English are prejudice to all both Muslim and Hindu, and are also prejudice to their own if they become to "Indianized". One of my favorite characters, Mr. Fielding, tries to bridge the two worlds, as he wants so badly to be friends with Aziz, regardless of the trouble that has been caused due to Adele's accusations. However, Aziz tells him they can never really be friends until the British pull out of India. That scene tore my heartstrings. I wanted just as badly for them to be friends, but you can understand why. Forster really showed that everyone is racist, even amongst their own people, and the the ruling party cannot be true friends to the subjects, as their will always be issues. There were scenes throughout the novel where there were misunderstandings between the Indians and the English because they did not understand their customs or meanings. It was sad to see, as the Indians were just as racist to the English as the English were to the Indians.
Ultimately, thinking about the novel after I finished, I like it better. As in, I truly enjoyed the message of the book but the wordiness, definitely did not love.
The next book I am reading now is not on the 1001 Book List, but I'll probably review it anyway since I have to read it for one of the book reads. It's call The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry and I am enjoying it so far.
Until next time, happy reading!
The novel is set in the British ruled India, in the early 1900s. Aziz is the main character, a physican working with his British boss. He is the central character whose image is tarnished by Miss Quested, who has come to India to become engaged to Heaslop, who is a magistrate in Chandrapore where the action happens. Miss Adele Quested is accompanied by Heaslop's mother, Mrs. Moore. These two ladied "befriend" Aziz and beg him to take them to the Marabar Caves.
This is where all of the trouble occurs. While entering one of the caves, Adele thinks she is assualted by Aziz, where he is later arrested but ultimately the charges are dropped because Miss Quested states she has been mistaken and will not testify against Aziz. While the trial and the result of it are some of the big actions in the novel, I chose here to discuss the racism that predominates the novel.
Everyone in this novel is racist. Aziz is a Muslim and thinks little of the Hindu Indians who he refers to as dirty, primative, stupid etc. The English are prejudice to all both Muslim and Hindu, and are also prejudice to their own if they become to "Indianized". One of my favorite characters, Mr. Fielding, tries to bridge the two worlds, as he wants so badly to be friends with Aziz, regardless of the trouble that has been caused due to Adele's accusations. However, Aziz tells him they can never really be friends until the British pull out of India. That scene tore my heartstrings. I wanted just as badly for them to be friends, but you can understand why. Forster really showed that everyone is racist, even amongst their own people, and the the ruling party cannot be true friends to the subjects, as their will always be issues. There were scenes throughout the novel where there were misunderstandings between the Indians and the English because they did not understand their customs or meanings. It was sad to see, as the Indians were just as racist to the English as the English were to the Indians.
Ultimately, thinking about the novel after I finished, I like it better. As in, I truly enjoyed the message of the book but the wordiness, definitely did not love.
The next book I am reading now is not on the 1001 Book List, but I'll probably review it anyway since I have to read it for one of the book reads. It's call The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry and I am enjoying it so far.
Until next time, happy reading!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Revisting Gone With The Wind
So, last night I couldn't sleep. I couldn't sleep and thereore I was thinking. I kept thinking about Gone With The Wind. I must admit my posting on it wasn't the best, I couldn't verbalize what I wanted to say and I think a day off from the book really got me thinking. I had mentioned in my previous blog that I really wish I could write a paper on Ashley and Rhett but I don't need to. I've had them both in my lives.
Scarlett bothered me greatly. She annoyed me,especially concerning Ashley and Rhett. I will say that there were certain points in the story that I wanted her and Ashley to be together, even after we are introduced to Rhett. However, we all know that her and Ashley were never meant to be and Rhett really was the love of her life. I totally relate to Scarlett, as much as I hate to say, I do, just as I can imagine that a lot of people have/could/do.
I had my own Ashley, back when I was in highschool. I thought I loved this guy and for a good 3 years chased him around thinking that we were going to be together "officially". I let him use me, even though I know Scarlett never really had Ashley, and got tossed around. I cried, I missed opportunities with other people because I thought I loved this guy. Last night, thinking about it, I was in love with an idea of who I thought this guy was. I never really loved him, I loved who I imagined he could be. Alas, I never really understood it until now. That's what I love about books, it gives you a sense of escapism but makes you open your eyes about your own life.
As for Rhett, he is my boyfriend. Now, my boyfriend is not a drunk or a womanizer but like Rhett, he knows exactly what I am going to say, what I am going to do and possibly knows me better than I know myself. Although I try to prove him wrong, he is usually right and he is perfect for me. I couldn't ask for a better man who takes care of his woman and loves her unconditionally.
Thank you Gone With The Wind for finally letting me shed some light on a prior relationship that went kaput, one that never was or will be. And thank you for making me appreciate my man even more.
And now I am struggling through E.M. Forester's A Passage to India. STRUGGLE!
Scarlett bothered me greatly. She annoyed me,especially concerning Ashley and Rhett. I will say that there were certain points in the story that I wanted her and Ashley to be together, even after we are introduced to Rhett. However, we all know that her and Ashley were never meant to be and Rhett really was the love of her life. I totally relate to Scarlett, as much as I hate to say, I do, just as I can imagine that a lot of people have/could/do.
I had my own Ashley, back when I was in highschool. I thought I loved this guy and for a good 3 years chased him around thinking that we were going to be together "officially". I let him use me, even though I know Scarlett never really had Ashley, and got tossed around. I cried, I missed opportunities with other people because I thought I loved this guy. Last night, thinking about it, I was in love with an idea of who I thought this guy was. I never really loved him, I loved who I imagined he could be. Alas, I never really understood it until now. That's what I love about books, it gives you a sense of escapism but makes you open your eyes about your own life.
As for Rhett, he is my boyfriend. Now, my boyfriend is not a drunk or a womanizer but like Rhett, he knows exactly what I am going to say, what I am going to do and possibly knows me better than I know myself. Although I try to prove him wrong, he is usually right and he is perfect for me. I couldn't ask for a better man who takes care of his woman and loves her unconditionally.
Thank you Gone With The Wind for finally letting me shed some light on a prior relationship that went kaput, one that never was or will be. And thank you for making me appreciate my man even more.
And now I am struggling through E.M. Forester's A Passage to India. STRUGGLE!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Gone With The Wind and other relationships gone KAPUT
FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY
I finished Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Good Luck with the reading if you ever decide to. I struggled with the last 100 pages until I had 30 pages left. Then the action started all over again and then I was engrossed once more.
This book is almost 1000 pages long and it is an easy read, as I have stated before but it does just keep going and going. Scarlett O'Hara is an infuriating character but she is so real because we all know a Scarlett O'Hara in our lives. I cannot fault Mitchell on her character development because it was damn good. I wish I had read this novel during school because I would have loved to write a paper on the love triangle (in Scarlett's mind) between Ashley, Rhett and Scarlett. When she FINALLY realizes that she is in love with a memory that is Ashley and really loves Rhett, I wanted to bitch slap her and say "DUH, Scarlett, you ignorant slut!" (Thank you Michael Scott). And when she also comes to the realization that Melanie was her only real friend, that was a DUH moment (ignorant slut). While I loved to hate Scarlett, she was the only one who had any gumption to seize the day and do something even after the world she had known was destroyed.
One of my favorite parts of the book was after Scarlett returns to Tara and she is foraging for food for the family. She is struggling with her load and she declares that she will never from this forth go hungry ever again. I loved the imagery and totally envisioned the scene so vividly.
I have a lot of issues with the book in terms of the historical information. I feel that Mitchell glamorized a lot of the confederacy and from reading it seems as if she used a lot of what she was told by others. I appreciate the view point of a southerners' perspective of the Civil War, but too much glamorization and ignoring of the facts. Mitchell obviously was no fan of Uncle Tom's Cabin, as she jabs at the book multiple times.
Now the question remains whether I should see the movie. But to quote Rhett Butler, "My dear, I don't give a damn". After reading the novel, not sure if I want to sit through a 4 hour movie and be disappointed.
Next book I am reading is for the 1001 Book Club, A Passage to India. Much shorter then GWTW, hopefully it's a good read.
Until next time!
I finished Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Good Luck with the reading if you ever decide to. I struggled with the last 100 pages until I had 30 pages left. Then the action started all over again and then I was engrossed once more.
This book is almost 1000 pages long and it is an easy read, as I have stated before but it does just keep going and going. Scarlett O'Hara is an infuriating character but she is so real because we all know a Scarlett O'Hara in our lives. I cannot fault Mitchell on her character development because it was damn good. I wish I had read this novel during school because I would have loved to write a paper on the love triangle (in Scarlett's mind) between Ashley, Rhett and Scarlett. When she FINALLY realizes that she is in love with a memory that is Ashley and really loves Rhett, I wanted to bitch slap her and say "DUH, Scarlett, you ignorant slut!" (Thank you Michael Scott). And when she also comes to the realization that Melanie was her only real friend, that was a DUH moment (ignorant slut). While I loved to hate Scarlett, she was the only one who had any gumption to seize the day and do something even after the world she had known was destroyed.
One of my favorite parts of the book was after Scarlett returns to Tara and she is foraging for food for the family. She is struggling with her load and she declares that she will never from this forth go hungry ever again. I loved the imagery and totally envisioned the scene so vividly.
I have a lot of issues with the book in terms of the historical information. I feel that Mitchell glamorized a lot of the confederacy and from reading it seems as if she used a lot of what she was told by others. I appreciate the view point of a southerners' perspective of the Civil War, but too much glamorization and ignoring of the facts. Mitchell obviously was no fan of Uncle Tom's Cabin, as she jabs at the book multiple times.
Now the question remains whether I should see the movie. But to quote Rhett Butler, "My dear, I don't give a damn". After reading the novel, not sure if I want to sit through a 4 hour movie and be disappointed.
Next book I am reading is for the 1001 Book Club, A Passage to India. Much shorter then GWTW, hopefully it's a good read.
Until next time!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
One Hundred Years of Solitude and a little bit of Gone With The Wind
I finished One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez on Friday. I must say, I did enjoy the book, but I do not believe that it is my favorite of his novels. I enjoyed The General in His Labriynth more, maybe because it was my first Garcia Marquez book, or that I enjoyed the plot more, but still this book was good. It was definitely a challenge to keep up with all of the Jose Aurelio's and the Segundo's and whose child was whose. One of the more "weirder" I guess you could say or the more less acceptable behavior was the odd relationships between the aunts and the children. For example, towards the end of the book, you have the young Aureliano Babiliona falling in love with his aunt Amaranta Ursula and basically forces himself upon her while her husband Gaston is in the other room and she let's him! This type of behavior is quite rampant and I was aghast at the behavior! I kid, but I am pretty sure my eyes were wide open at some passages of the book!
I loved the magical realism in Marquez's novels, to me they add a dash of romanticism to his novels interwined with the magical events. When Remedios the Beauty flies off into the heavens, I wasn't sad, but loved that she did sort of fly off into the heavens, as if she was always meant to. One of my favorite characters was the patriarch of the family, Jose Arcadio Buendia. He was ridiculed by his friends and family a like, was enchanted by the "magic" of the gypsies and was always trying to conquer alchemy. I was sad when they tied him to the tree and there he was for so many years talking to ghosts of the past.
Overall, I felt a sense of sadness within the book, that the family was all around cursed, and the men for whatever reason kept going to Pilar Tener! The family itself created their own demise, by the decisions and actions they chose and it was sad. You wanted them to prosper and succeed and when it seemed like they were going to, like those red ants which seem to me represented destruction and the fate they could not overcome, those rainy days kept coming until they were all ultimately wiped out. I recommend that everyone should read this, it definitely is a sad but good read.
Right now I have begun Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, the novel of the south. While the book itself is a breezy enjoyable read, I can't help but not believe that these Georgia plantations owners were just so kind to their slaves. It is as if Mitchell is romanticising these southern slaveowners. While I am sure there were kind slaveowners who didn't whip their slaves, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that not everyone was like that. Mitchell ignores a lot of the truths and chooses to idealize the actions of the soliders of the Confederacy. I am only 300 pages in and there is a lot more novel to go, but we shall see what else Mitchell chooses to ignore/romanticise. Maybe it's because I am a damn yankee but you can't blatanly ignore truth and facts and create wonderful fiction.
Until next time!
I loved the magical realism in Marquez's novels, to me they add a dash of romanticism to his novels interwined with the magical events. When Remedios the Beauty flies off into the heavens, I wasn't sad, but loved that she did sort of fly off into the heavens, as if she was always meant to. One of my favorite characters was the patriarch of the family, Jose Arcadio Buendia. He was ridiculed by his friends and family a like, was enchanted by the "magic" of the gypsies and was always trying to conquer alchemy. I was sad when they tied him to the tree and there he was for so many years talking to ghosts of the past.
Overall, I felt a sense of sadness within the book, that the family was all around cursed, and the men for whatever reason kept going to Pilar Tener! The family itself created their own demise, by the decisions and actions they chose and it was sad. You wanted them to prosper and succeed and when it seemed like they were going to, like those red ants which seem to me represented destruction and the fate they could not overcome, those rainy days kept coming until they were all ultimately wiped out. I recommend that everyone should read this, it definitely is a sad but good read.
Right now I have begun Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, the novel of the south. While the book itself is a breezy enjoyable read, I can't help but not believe that these Georgia plantations owners were just so kind to their slaves. It is as if Mitchell is romanticising these southern slaveowners. While I am sure there were kind slaveowners who didn't whip their slaves, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that not everyone was like that. Mitchell ignores a lot of the truths and chooses to idealize the actions of the soliders of the Confederacy. I am only 300 pages in and there is a lot more novel to go, but we shall see what else Mitchell chooses to ignore/romanticise. Maybe it's because I am a damn yankee but you can't blatanly ignore truth and facts and create wonderful fiction.
Until next time!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
1001 Books
I decided to turn this blog into my literary journey of trying to read the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It all started interestingly with MENSA, you know, those "wicked smhat" people who have only geniuses in their group. There was in article in Newsweek I believe (haha, yes Newsweek still has some journalistic stories) that gave the top internet sites that MENSA chose. Interested in what they heck MENSA would think were awesome sites, I saw the website www.goodreads.com, a place where you can discuss books with others and discover new ones.
I definitely needed this, let me tell you. I have been on an Agatha Christie kick for the past couple of months now, with no end in sight. I have no strayed into any other genres or authors except for Alexander McCall Smith, who writes The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.
I am so glad I have good Goodreads. Those at MENSA got it right. (Fun Fact: James Woods is part of MENSA. They've got JAMES WOODS!) Anyway, you can join groups on goodreads and I joined some awesome groups, all with different topics and one of them happens to be 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.
So, here begins my journey. The first book that I read which you have until May 15th to read (you get a whole month) is The Rainbow, by D.H. Lawrence, which I have completed. I have already had some lively discussions on the book, so I will post my comments and feedback on the novel shortly, as I will do with other books that I will be reading that happen to be on the list. Other books that I am reading from other book clubs, such as The Next Best Book Club and The Victorians, also have me reading books from the 1001 Books, which is good, because I can kill two birds with one stone!
I hope by joining me on my journey, you might also be compelled to start reading some different books you never would have ever read. I am glad that I found Goodreads. I love discussing with others my point of view and I love reading awesome books!
Right now I am currently reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I will post a progress report shortly as well!
I definitely needed this, let me tell you. I have been on an Agatha Christie kick for the past couple of months now, with no end in sight. I have no strayed into any other genres or authors except for Alexander McCall Smith, who writes The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.
I am so glad I have good Goodreads. Those at MENSA got it right. (Fun Fact: James Woods is part of MENSA. They've got JAMES WOODS!) Anyway, you can join groups on goodreads and I joined some awesome groups, all with different topics and one of them happens to be 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.
So, here begins my journey. The first book that I read which you have until May 15th to read (you get a whole month) is The Rainbow, by D.H. Lawrence, which I have completed. I have already had some lively discussions on the book, so I will post my comments and feedback on the novel shortly, as I will do with other books that I will be reading that happen to be on the list. Other books that I am reading from other book clubs, such as The Next Best Book Club and The Victorians, also have me reading books from the 1001 Books, which is good, because I can kill two birds with one stone!
I hope by joining me on my journey, you might also be compelled to start reading some different books you never would have ever read. I am glad that I found Goodreads. I love discussing with others my point of view and I love reading awesome books!
Right now I am currently reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I will post a progress report shortly as well!
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