- bump my head on a cabinet door corner so hard there was instant tears. I want my mummy!!
- put salt in my tea (and it took me a whole minute to realize that was why the tea was salty…I’ll never be able to enjoy English Toffee Tea the same way ever again).
- shampooed my hair with conditionner and conditioned with shampoo and only realized it after I had done it.
- left for class earlier than I had to because I was mistaken on what day it was. I could have slept in for another hour.
The whole morning’s been hazy as a consequence… perhaps I should get my head checked, literally.
The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favourite sword under the sink
I flipped open this book, read this first line, and shut the book quickly. Too much awesomeness too soon!
Let me just tell you, I was strangely giddy about this first line. The contrast there is….thrilling!
This book was like a delicious candy dangling in front of my eyes as I try to eat healthier foods, like organic chemistry (:P). Thanks to Kay from the infinite shelf for enticing me to read it!
Title: The Demon’s Lexicon
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Genre: urban fantasy
Pages: 322
Days to read it: far too long… but only because I do have a life outside of reading 
A week of comfortable reading should have done it.
Synopsis:
Nick is a heartless, arrogant, bad boy with a sword. He and his brother Alan are frequently on the move because pesky things like evil yellow fog, murders of ravens, zombied corpses and other scuttly spies from the Magician Circles in town want their hands on something his mother has. Except that Nick doesn’t really care for his mother’s safety – she hates the sight of him anyway, and the feeling’s mutual. The only person Nick cares an iota about is his brother, Alan, who is nothing like him. Nick’s only humouring Alan by going to school, trying to act normal…tolerating his mother. Alan cares too much, spends too much time worrying about others, wants to help annoying people even if his life is at risk because of it. And Nick has almost had it with these two annoying people in particular that Alan’s taken under his wing. But one thing soon leads to another as they do in exciting books. The local magician circle has got their eyes on this patchwork family of his and Nick inevitably learns a tiny little detail about himself…that explains a lot.
Impressions:
Heeheehee. This book was dark, sarcastic, gritty, heart-wrenching, glee-inducing, and just fantastic! Sometimes when I read something I really like, I start heeheehee-ing because I’m so delighted.
First off, the casual contrasts. Like the one on the first page. Picture this: two young men standing about in a kitchen. One of them’s got a good-natured smile on his face as he makes dinner. One of them’s glaring but fiddling around under the sink. It’s a Thursday night, and dinner’s ready. Even though their mum appears to be an invalid, and therefore the older brother must act like a father and take care of his younger brother, everything in the scene is picture perfect. Then, with a glass-breaking entry, things start streaming into the kitchen, and, always prepared, the two brothers pull out their weapons: a sword for the baleful-eyed one and a gun for the angelic one. After deposing of these Thursday evening intruders, they dust their hands off and manage to salvage the dinner before it gets cold. There are so many instances of these contrasts that just made the story that much catchier.
In this story, England is turned into a country where ancient magicians and even more ancient demons lurk. And there are places like the Goblin Market and the House of Mezentius both of which are creepy in their own ways.
Nick’s emotionally dead character, instead of boring me, actually made me want to read more. And though there were some bits in the story where the plot slowed down (somewhere in the middle, for some reason), the ending just blew all those negative comments away. So now I can’t even think of a specific part of the book where I was feeling less compelled to read it!
These days, urban fantasy is so prevalent. And I absolutely love urban fantasy. The magic is happening in our world – that’s just so neat! But, that doesn’t explain why I love this book so much. That can be explained by the well-thought out scenes, the carefully chosen words; in general, all the story-making details that Sarah Rees Brennan obviously took the time to flesh out properly. The difference in reading experience is tremendous. I was reading the book, not only because the plot ideas presented were so creative and intelligent, but the writing itself was a gem. Every scene was used to its full dramatic advantage. And mixed into it was this element of zooming off on a thrilling, dark adventure full of dangers and curious things, tentative love and self-discoveries. I love when I’m able to trust the writer to not let me down too much!
Apart from the writing itself, you can wholeheartedly read this novel for the great story. I try not to, but, if there’s a mystery involved, I’ll unconsciously hoard hints and clues in the text to try to solve it before the climax. If I’ve solved it correctly, no harm done, I can still enjoy the story. But it is an added bonus if the author surprises me to an even greater level than I expected, which was the case in this book. I thought I had it all figured out, and for a chapter or two it seemed I was right, but by the end I was so pleased that I was wrong! And in a smart, subtle way, too (because if the text did not support the plot twist that would just be stupid)!
I suppose this book could be compared to the TV show Supernatural. But, even though my roommates gush with obsession about that show, I was never really drawn into it. Some of the concepts are similar. Nick and Alan fight demons. I guess those two guys do, too. In any case, this book drew me in on the first page and straight on to the last, in which I blinked a few times and realized it was finished. But I’m not worried, because Sarah Rees Brennan has planned to make Nick and Alan’s story a trilogy. A trilogy! In my opinion, that’s the best. Not too atrociously long like a never-ending series, and not too unsatisfyingly short, like a standalone. And she’s planned this all out in advance, too, which means she had time to put lots of thought into it, as compared to when writers feel compelled to write another book because of fans. Sometimes those books don’t work out so well.
So, I guess apart from some slow bits in the book, I loved the story! I think the guy on the front cover looks like he has too much lip gloss on, but, forcefully ignoring that by removing the jacket cover, the story was a very compelling, addicting read.
Excerpt:
Here’s an excerpt to further tempt you:
Nick was about to tell them exactly what he thought of their babbling and exactly what he would do to them if they didn’t go away at once and never breathe a word of what they’d seen, when Alan moved from the doorway into the light.
“Mae?” he said, his voice incredulous, and then quickly, “Nick, put that sword down!”
Mae said, “Bookshop Guy?”
Nick looked at her, tilting his head and recalling Alan’s wistful speeches on the subject of the pink-haired girl who liked the Beat generation. He put two and two together and came up with the fact that his entire situation was ridiculous.
This was Alan’s latest crush, then.
Nick drew the sword slowly away from the girl’s throat and lowered it until the tip almost but not quite touched the ground, holding himself ready just in case. He let his gaze follow the blade, toward the ground and away from Mae.
“Whatever you want,” he said softly.
Jamie was staring at Alan. “You helped me find Catcher in the Rye today and now you shoot people?”
“He only shot one person,” Nick remarked. “But the night is young.”
So, I guess I’ll put this book under Carl’s R.I.P. Challenge, because I’m seriously worried I won’t have time to read that much from now until Halloween.
Other reviews:
My internet’s really slow for some reason, so I kind of gave up searching for other reivews, but here are a few that I got before getting impatient:
- Anastasia from the Birdbrain(ed) Bookblog: “There are a few problems, such as Mae-the-Mary-Sue, but the twist was very well done, and by the time I got to the end I was having a lot of fun”
- Yan from Books by Their Cover: “It was within the intricate plotline, the evasiveness, the twists and turns that I have come to believe that SRB is a wonderful story teller. I had no idea what she had in mind, when she laid out the small little details, that flew together so smoothly in the end. I am still quite speechless about how well it was executed! Magnificent!”
- Charlotte from Charlott’e Library: “But Brennan only puts in just enough humor to lighten the story without distracting–Nick and Alan’s journey remains dark, and ominous, and completely gripping, in a “character-driven magical violence and suspense” kind of way.”
- kay from the Infinite Shelf: “Now, what to say about the world the author created? Mysterious, dark, and a little disturbing, it is our world filled with mystical beings who, mostly, have no good on their minds. My first thought was Supernatural meets Buffy meets something else that makes it unique. It really was different from the usual vampire or werewolf urban fantasy, and it’s also a book that I wouldn’t hesitate recommending to both boys and girls.”
- Michelle from See Michelle Read: “I really enjoy urban fantasy in general, but this strangely dark and often creepy book contained so much character development and interesting secondary characters that I couldn’t tear myself away.”
- Thea from the Book Smugglers: “Ms. Brennan flips convention through the eyes of a very different anti-hero protagonist. I cannot stress enough how much I loved that Nick was not written as a badass with a heart of gold – NO ONE in this book is what they seem.”
- Kristi from the Story Siren: “This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The plot twists…. totally did not see them coming AT ALL. The foreshadowing is very light, it’s there but you’ve really got to pay attention. Once the big twist is revealed, the story takes on a whole new light.”
Rating: 4.5/5 fever fruits
I was over at Enchanted Serenity of Period Films today, and she posted about the 20 minute film “Butterfly Circus” (watch it here). I admit, I tried really hard not to cry. I knew it was going to be some sort of motivational film, I knew something heart-wrenching but triumphant was going to happen, and that when you do that sort of thing in a movie, you risk going on the lame side and instead of making people feel moved, you might end up making them roll their eyes ever so slightly. I’ve never heard of Nick Vujicic before either, so this was my first time hearing about him.
I watched the film with my brother, and we both sort of share the same taste in films, so I knew he was also going to be skeptical about it, too. But we thought, “it’s only 20 mins, let’s watch it since we’ve procrastinated projects all day anyway”, so we watched it. Scene after scene flashed by, and the creator of the film, Joshua Weigel, successfully made me feel somewhat emotionally connected in the span of 10 minutes. But still, you can imagine me, sitting in front of the screen, with my arms crossed, thinking in my head, “yeah, I get what you’re trying to do.” I totally thought I had it all figured out. Then, at the end of the film – one scene, one wordless scene, and BLAM, all the tears started trickling out, slowly. And then, my brother looked down at me and pointed wordlessly, and I opened my mouth to tell him to “Shut up” (I wasn’t thinking straight ) but then saw that he was wordless because his eyes were a little wet, too.
Then we burst out laughing. Who knew the watching of this little film would become a test to see who could resist crying (he won’t admit it, so typical..). I’m such a cry-baby in private, but when people are around I feel uncomfortable about letting those droplets loose. Maybe it’s from years of watching mum bawl at every little remotely emotional scene out there and teasing her about it. I feel so hypocritical Anyway, watch the movie, it’s only 20 minutes long, and tell me what you think about it! It’s a Doorpost Film Project winner (though I don’t really know what that means to the film community).
Quickly! Must post!
I’m posting this in between classes. I have half an hour! Hence the possible poor quality of the review and the multiple grammatical/typo mistakes…
Last night, I stayed up late to watch the film adaptation of Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle.
It was at around 11:30pm when I started watching it. It was around 2AM when I went to sleep!
It was so hard to stifle my giggles – though I suspect my roommates aren’t so peeved since I saw lights under their doors, too.
Set in the 1930s, Cassandra Mortmain and her family of eccentrics arrive at an old castle, where their father will hopefully be able to write a masterpiece. After 12 years of nothing published, everyone is desperate, especially Cassandra’s sister Rose, who dreams of a better life, of luxuries and love. Cassandra herself vows that she’ll never fall in love. When the landlord americans of their castle arrive, however, her entire life and that of her family whirl completely our of control. Result: lots of giggling moments, lots of touching moments, lots of sad moments, all taking place on a beautiful English Countryside, castle in no-man’s land kind of backdrop.
Cassandra is played by Romola Garai, who I thought played the role to a tee. At least, based on what I remember of the book (I must re-read it!). She was innocent and loyal and helpful and a total romantic, despite being afraid of falling in love.
Rose is played by Rose Byrne. I don’t remember much about Rose from the book, except that she must’ve been very pretty and playful. Despite having forgotten accurately how Rose was like, I love the Rose in the movie. Her character dripped with dramatic flair. Her costume bubbled with eccentricity. It altogether made for some snort-worthy scenes.
Henry Thomas plays Simon Cotton, with the sweet face and the romantic goo-goo eyes. I remember him from Legends of the Fall. And, Marc Blucas plays Neil.
The cinematography was…beautiful, just so picturesque. The music, by Dario Marianelli, was beautiful and subtle and haunting.
There are so many little things that I loved about the movie, and I’m all about the little things sometimes. Like the talk of inheriting a portion of their Aunt’s inheritance, which makes everyone look at the dilapidated wardrobe in the corner of the bedroom. After a moment, Cassie quips, “I hope it’s the door.”
Or having the rich folks over to dinner at the old castle. There is no food, no proper tableware, not even a proper table. Father basically says, “We’ve got doors we can unhinge, don’t we?”
I’m pretty sure I got some tea up my nose during those moments. But, to be fair, if I could’ve hollered healthily at those scenes, such dangerous incidents wouldn’t have happened. But it was midnight. On a school night. Hence the slow suffering snickering.
There are some spoilers after this!
The first scene caught me. Imagine driving up a windy road by a sparkling bay, and there, in the middle of an undulating grass field: an old dilapidated castle that will be your home. It was quite dramatic – the lone tower sticking out, looking haunting and peculiar.
When we meet seventeen year old Cassandra, she’s writing in her diary/journal, and all around her is the usual family havoc: step-mum Topaz, sister Rose and brother (whose name I can’t remember!!??) working with some green scouring powder (?) in the middle of a medieval-like setting. That scene was so lovely and eccentric and funny-worthy. In the middle of this day-to-day normal eccentricity, Cassandra is day-dreaming, and she thinks, “I am never going to fall in love. Life is dangerous enough.”
Then there’s the scene where the two Cotton brothers arrive, and in the rain storm, trying to free herself from constraints of all sorts, is Topaz, naked and exposed to the weather like a mad woman. And when the men arrive into the castle, Cassandra is stark naked as well, in her tub, eating chocolate. And, I don’t remember why, but Rose enters with grand flair, tottering down the stairs like a drunkard. Everyone is so innocent to how crazy they look to these Americans, of which this is probably their first taste of life in England. But, they took it all in stride well enough, with a few moments of awkwardness from the brothers that were misread to be as a result to an electric attraction to Rose.
My favourite scene, and it was around midnight when I choked on my tea, was when Rose and Cassie went to pick up the fur coats from their recently deceased Aunt. They were discussing how hideous the furs looked: Rose’s was bear and Cassie’s was monkey.
On the train ride back, well, by some utterly hilarious coincidence and misunderstanding, the two girls become the prey of a hunting party, mistaken for bears… in England. They caused such a whistle blowing ruckus, and to the mortification of the girls, somehow inspired the hunting instincts of one of the two brothers who immediately launches into a story about the feats of bear hunting.
Okay, got to run. But look – I even put pretty pictures in!
Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Genre: fantasy
Pages: 471
Days to read it: 5
Synopsis: Working for the power-hungry King Randa, Katsa is graced with agility and endurance, qualities that make her a veritable killing machine under her greedy uncle’s rule. From young, she knew to be disgusted with her own image as a bringer of pain and death, yet in her heart, she thrived and thrilled in the pure joy of motion, in her awareness of each kicking spin or precise step, of her boundless energy and skill of weapon-wielding. On secret missions unknown to her King, Katsa and her companions travel across the lands, helping victims of greedy kings, doing her best to atone, through covert actions, for the crimes she had committed under the King’s orders. As Katsa and her companions discover more about a deep-rooted corruption among the Kings of the lands, Katsa slowly redefines herself and her Grace using the instincts of her own heart.
Impressions: First off, one thing that has been bugging me. A person with a Grace has very heightened talents, whether it’s storytelling, archery, cooking or mind-reading. Along with the Grace, Gracelings have two different coloured eyes. Now, here come a whole slew of questions from me: Why are people gifted with Graces? Is it random? A gift from the gods? Is it a direct heritage from a bloodline? Why does it come with two different coloured eyes? Has there ever been a Graceling vs. Normal People war (wouldn’t the Gracelings have a higher chance of winning since they’re pretty much superhuman?)? One thing that I so wanted to know about but never got enough satisfactory answers for was information about Graces in general. I felt that there wasn’t enough background about the idea of Graces in the story. I know that I’ve definitely been satisfied with stories with less information about things like this, but in this case, I really really wanted to know more! I was just so curious about Graces and Gracelings – My thoughts kept straying to thinking about them in general and all the potential stories about them (why do some people have stronger/more heightened graces than others?) instead of focussing on the actual storyline.
One other thing (I’m being crusty so go ahead and throw e-stones at me) that has been bothering me about the story: I love my headstrong, intelligent, beautiful, skilled yet insecure and lonely heroines, I know I do. But something about Katsa didn’t make me like her as much as some of the other heroines I’ve read. Maybe it’s because her strength and beauty are so obviously stated that I wanted to do a little eye rolling thing (Wildcat as a nickname? Wildcat?). It’s not to say I didn’t like her at all. I was just surprised I wouldn’t like her more. After all, isn’t she the girl we all want to read about? That we all want to connect with? Why is it that I wasn’t able to connect with her as much as say, Garth Nix’s Lirael, or Juliet Marillier’s Fainne? I think I may know why. I’m tired of reading the same sort of descriptions. The ol’ chin lifted up in defiance equals “I am tough”. Or the “Why the heck does this person like me? Surely it can’t be because of my haunting beauty – who would like a person with two different coloured eyes? (Nevermind that they’re stunning)”. Maybe it’s just part of where I stand in the reader’s spectrum. After all, I was never crazy about the Tamora Pierce books, and wasn’t she a similarly tough, kick-butt heroine?
I think halfway through the book, I started to like her a little more, probably because her relationship with Po (does anyone else associate this name with a certain children’s television program?) is so touching and sweet, and a moment where we see her opening up to another. And her growing relationship with Bitterblue (why was she named that? She’s bitter and blue? I guess that makes sense…) was very poignant. During these scenes, the description of Katsa was less clichéd and more natural. I usually don’t mind clichés. I’ve seen authors use clichés in such a unique way that they reinvent that cliché. I’m thinking of Neil Gaiman in particular, who likes to poke fun at chichés by using them and turning them around.
Another scene that I enjoyed was the scene where she finds out another possible interpretation of her Grace, and then has to put it to the test so soon afterwards. The writing there was riveting. I guess I like my survival stories. I like how the focus of the story seems so narrowed down to Katsa and her will to survive, and her need to believe in her Grace.
I think Kristin Cashore has a unique writing style. Kind of like how Megan Whalen Turner has that distinct way of describing things that’s subtle and low-key (almost) and yet compacts tons of emotion. Like a painting or a poem can be. The only thing was the plotline…well, aside from inventing the idea of Graces as a gimmick to attract readers, the fantasy world wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I pretty much figured out what was going to happen in terms of the storyline. But, I don’t think Kristin Cashore meant to focus on the storyline so much as the character development? But then again, there was so much left unsaid about King Leck. Why the heck was he so evil?
A question for you: Has there ever been a time when you want to read about a tough, intelligent, beautiful heroine, yet you find that instead of totally connecting with her, you are irritated and annoyed by her? I’m thinking of some other books that I read a while ago, where I had that feeling. I think the heroines I remember and like, tend to be slightly eccentric. They aren’t necessarily admirable in the usual way. Instead, there’s something quirky about them that makes me feel like the author really knows how to make you like a character despite their apparent ditsy-ness (Claidi from Claidi Journals) or remoteness (Lirael from Lirael) or plain grumpiness (Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle).
Excerpt: I keep coming across and noticing allusions to Shakespeare’s “green-eyed monster”. I like this passage. All that angsty emotion and confusion about how she sees herself. You really feel it.
“Katsa picked up her knife and fork, cut into her mutton, and thought about that. She knew her nature. She would recognize it if she came face-to-face with it. It would be a blue-eyed, green-eyed monster, wolflike and snarling. A vicious beast that struck out at friends in uncontrollable anger, a killer that offered itself as the vessel of the king’s fury.
But then, it was a strange monster, for beneath its exterior it was frightened and sickened by its own violence. It chastised itself for its savagery. And sometimes it had no heart for violence and rebelled against it utterly.
A monster that refused, sometimes, to behave like a monster. When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?
Perhaps she wouldn’t recognize her own nature after all.”
Other reviews:
* I got this idea (add little excerpts from other people’s reviews) from Darla D. at Books & Other thoughts *
- Darla D. from Books & Other thoughts: “The fantasy world is a fairly generic one, but the intriguing magic, well-developed characters and the taut pacing combine in a skillfully told story that turned out to be one of my favorite books of 2008.”
- Angie from Angieville: “If you are a fan of Tamora Pierce or Robin McKinley, this one is pretty much a guaranteed home run”
- Graeme from Graeme’s Fantasy: “‘Graceling’ is a strange mixture of things that I just cannot stand about fantasy whilst, at the same time, being another one of those books where (despite myself) I seem to find myself turning the pages and genuinely wanting to know how it ends…”
- Kailana from The Written World: “The best way to sum everything up is to simply say that I loved this book! I essentially read it in one day, so you know that it caught my attention!”
- Lu from Regular Rumination: “96% – Well-crafted and meaningful, a fully engaging fantasy novel. Highly recommended.”
- Michelle from See Michelle Read: “Graceling is an adventure story, a fantasy, a mystery, a political suspense, a romance — it has it all and doesn’t stop for a second”
- Enna Isilee from Squeaky Books: “This book was a delightful fantasy. I found it completely original and fascinating.”
- Thea from The Book Smugglers: “I truly enjoyed reading Graceling for its intriguing premise, its strong characters, and its highly engaging plot. Highly recommended for readers of all ages”
- NotNessie from Today’s Adventure: “A fast paced adventure with a sweet romantic core. Fantastic if you like romance, adventure, fantasy, or just a generally good story. Don’t start this book unless you have several free hours, because you won’t want to put it down.”
Rating: 4/5 days of survival in the wildlands
Extras:
I guess it’s kind of late to put this up, but I do enjoy watching Book Trailers (now that I’ve discovered they actually exist!) Here’s a fan trailer.
I didn’t like the other trailer. Click and you might see why…
Why am I obsessed with finding out other people’s reading habits and other reading activity particulars? I love this meme.
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I love to snack, but I hate getting the book I’m reading dirty. As a result, I’ll have the book propped up (so that crumbs won’t get stuck in it) and away from anything that splashes or leaves gross stains. I’m pretty good at it now. Reading and eating are two things that I love to do at the same time! Oh wait, I didn’t really answer the question. My favourite reading snack: apples and cheese. (I’ve become a careful eater – no apple juice spittle anymore).
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I’m guilty! But I only do it for books I’m reading for Eng Lit. For example, all my copies of the Shakespeare plays are completely scribbled up. BUT, I DO NOT mark books otherwise. It distracts me if I ever want to read the book again. Now that I think of it though, it is kind of neat when you pick up a random library book and there, in some discrete corner of the book, is a little thoughtful comment… but, if the whole book is riddled with it, thoughtful becomes opinionated.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
I use tissue paper! I use one square of toilet paper. Yup. I have tons of bookmarks but I never use them. Instead, I covet them in my bookmark baggie (that’s pinned up on the wall by my bed, ready for me to use one). I don’t dog ear. The pages will get all bent and uneven, and, though I love that look for used books that I pick up, I don’t do it to my new, in-pristine-condition books.
Laying the book flat open?
Yup. Also been guilty of propping it up against things (hey, when you’re eating cereal in the morning, and the table’s full of crumbs, it’s nice to have something like cereal boxes or water bottles to prop it up). I’m lazy but obsessive for reading comforts.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
I prefer Fiction. I do love reading biographies/autobiographies but I live in fiction land primarily.
Hard copy or audiobooks?
I’ve been a hard copy person for ages, until recently, when I listened to John Lenahan read his book Shadowmagic. It was such a great experience that I’ll try another audio book one day.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I read until there’s a natural break. Cliff-hangers result in extra accidents during the day. I’m too busy thinking about “What’s going to happen?” and I don’t watch where I put my feet. (Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating)
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I’m a nerd. Yes I do. I used to even write out a whole list of new words, and I was getting pretty good at using them too. I don’t do it as often these days, but if a word’s meaning is particularly obscured, I’m forced to look it up. I’ve once had an experience of reading an entire passage and thinking I understood what was going on, but when I looked up one or two words, I realize I had the mood of that scene completely wrong!
What are you currently reading?
Demon’s Lexicon. I’m feeling like an ornery swordfighter who is angry at his brother and two annoying people who keep showing up for help.
Check out the first two lines: “The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favourite sword under the sink.” This makes me LOVE urban fantasy. The contrast in the line made me instantly react with a grin and launch into obsessive reading (as a result, I’m halfway through the book by the end of my first day of reading it).
What is the last book you bought?
Uh, I bought a lot. Technically though, it was a textbook for chemistry.
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I can and I do. But if it’s a deeply riveting book, I don’t. Honest admittance: I only read two books at a time if either of them aren’t that compelling to me at the moment. If I get more into one of the books I’ll put the other aside for the time being.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
I like to read in the afternoon. I like to read right before or during lunchtime. My favourite place to read is in the kitchen. Actually, since I live at dorm right now, I like to read in my room. I have an excellent view of trees and mountains and some ocean bits here and there. It’s great. And I lay back and prop my feet over the heater, and lay my head on the cushiony part of my study chair and just read for hours. Then I get back pain. But it’s blissful for a few hours.
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Stand alones. Some series NEVER end. I like to have endings. I like to see, at least, that the author has planned something epic or great for an ending and isn’t just dragging things on because of fans or money. When the story feels like it should end, end it, or else it gets ruined.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
So far I know I’ve mentioned Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom Trilogy and Shade’s Children more than a few times. I cried for both works. I think the stories are just so great. I love all the characters; I love their crazy, difficult lives and their horrifying, dangerous worlds.
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Random! I like to tuck books into random places and then run into them again and reminisce about how great they were. I do have a to be read shelf/pile. But that’s about the only order I have.
Still around folks… just a bit busy (with a smattering of proscratination)! I’m reading a whole lot more of other people’s blogs and not keeping up with my own
I finally got my second huge book haul! I waited a whole extra week to get it, since it was sent home and I live on campus. But, oh, that wonderful feeling! For me? A package? Why, thank you! (proceed with decimation of cardboard box in which the books were nestled)
Thanks to your dedicated efforts at reviewing some of these books, I have spent quite a hefty sum on internet shopping. Then, waiting with increasing impatience for the package to arrive (literally, I waited a whole MONTH, by then, some of the books had already arrived at the local bookstore…*sigh* I am a victim of my own impatience).
Some of the goodies I got:
- Lonely werewolf girl by Martin Millar
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
- Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
- After Dark by Haruki Murakami
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore
- Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliasotti
So lovely! Such intriguing plots and deep thoughts! Such pretty covers for book lovers!
And, also, I won by first book – Prospero Lost! From Graeme, at Graeme’s Fantasy. I checked my email at the wee hours of the morning, just before class, and quietly shrieked with delight so as not to wake any of my roomates up (they’re all lazy bums and wake up 5 mins before class ) Ah, the joy of winning a free book!
So expect a nice, slow, leisurely trickle of book reviews but lots of obsessive comments and blog visiting from me for a while!
Title: Alphabet of Thorn
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
Genre: fantasy
Pages: 314
Days to read it: 3
Suggested Reading Atmosphere: Don’t get distracted or impatient while reading this book. Just enjoy it. Read it for the love of language and storytelling.
Synopsis: Deep in the half-forgotten wings of the underground library, a young girl with ink-stained fingers skilfully translates lost languages from ancient texts. One day, Nepenthe comes across an old tome that no mage from the Mage’s School was able to translate – a tome written in a thorn-like alphabet. To others, the translated story is just another soporific history about the famous heroes Axis and Kane, but Nepenthe finds herself strangely drawn to its language. Even as others begin to worry about her sudden obsession, she feels a strange urge to complete the translation of this alphabet of thorn, to discover… who knows what?
Impressions: I first heard about Alphabet of Thorn from Charlotte’s Blog about heroines who read or spend lots of time in libraries. I immediately thought of Lirael by Garth Nix, of course, and how much I enjoyed reading about her exploration of the hidden and mysterious depths of the Clayr Library. What is it about libraries that makes readers feel so giddy and happy, aside from the fact that there are so many things to read in there? Is it the smell of all those books? To me, I think it’s the prospect of being left alone for a while, in silence, so that you can dream about all the great stories hidden in the paper that are waiting to emerge. I would be one of those librarians that hisses, “Shhh!” to people who talk in libraries. For me, libraries seem to have an air of intrigue and mystery, as if, at night, something strange happens and the world between dream and reality is a little more porous than usual. Maybe I’m romanticizing libraries, but I like to think of libraries in this way. Hours of thoughtful silence with a subtle hum of excitement. I wish my libraries had more tiny nooks and alcoves for readers to hide in and bury their noses in stories undisturbed and undiscovered.
by littlepinkpebble
There is no better example of this out of the world journeying than Patricia A. Mckillip. She has such a nice, lyrical and imaginative storyteller’s voice. My only qualms are that, the words move so smoothly from the page, to my eyes, to the images in my mind, that they don’t stay there. They just go, zip, out the other side of my conscious, leaving only a feeling of the book behind. I don’t remember the stories themselves. I just remember how I felt after reading them. I don’t remember heroes or villains, romances or wars – I just remember, “Hey, this book leaves behind an imprint that kind of reminds me of the ancient sagas or epics of old”. I can’t believe that I could be complaining about a book that reads so smoothly that if I were trying to make a pudding out of it, I’d have no complaints! Reading this book now, though, I find that I’m not feeling as neutral about Patricia A. McKillip’s books as I usually am. I enjoyed The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, The Changeling Sea and Alphabet of Thorn – either my tastes have changed or, I’m betting, I’ve gotten a bit more patient at letting things soak in and just enjoying my reads instead of “Power Reading”.
Even though some of her works haven’t been that memorable with me, I still suggest that if you’re a newbie reader or writer of fantasy, you should try some of her novels. As a person who likes to dabble in writing, I learned lot about the art of painting mental images in your reader’s minds – how to make quiet scenes between two individuals take on epic proportions – how to infuse your stories with subtle humour in surprisingly tacit ways.
Hmm, I guess I didn’t really talk about the book itself in this review. But, how appropriate is that? I think Patricia A. McKillip’s appeal is more than the story itself, but extends to the writing style of all her works. She very subtly works her way into your memory.
Excerpt:
I love this passage because I can relate to it. I find myself yearning for some moments of silence that stretch on until you forget your troubles. Living in a big family, than living at residence, can be the total opposite of that. I’m constantly scouting for silence.
In the morning, before breakfast, she went to the wood.
It was not a conscious decision. She found herself awake early, and restless. The dawn sun spilled gold across the stones around her bed. She dressed herself; no one was awake to stop her. She wandered through side corridors, down narrow, winding stairways no one had used for a century or two, where every arrow-shaped window overflowed with light. That was not far enough. Light drew her farther, past stables, through gardens where she breathed the scents of brine and early roses. The plain, she knew, would be a great, gilded, shinning thing where winds like wild stallions raced from the sea to the end of the world. But when she went through the last of many gates in the maze of walls around the palace, she saw the flapping pavilions, dogs chewing on last night’s bones, servants sleepily poking up their fires and trying to quiet children running half-naked and laughing through the light.
Tessera passed around them, not noticing how wide a berth she had to give her well-wishers just to try to find some place where no one would want anything from her, not a smile, not a word, where the people ended and the empty plain began again.
The wood suddenly filled her eyes, crouching like some dark feral thing on the horizon. She had forgotten that, too, along with the pavilions. It hid itself occasionally, she guessed, which must be why she always seemed to come across it unexpectedly. Lured by light, she had already walked a long way around the pavilions. Now dark, silence, secrecy tempted her, all the mysteries hidden within the wild wood.
Rating: 4/5 civilizations conquered
Extras:
- Here’s a quote from Patricia A. McKilliip on writing fantasy, which I think really captures her style of writing (I prefer this one to the green-eyed one…):
I write fantasy because it’s there. I have no other excuse for sitting down for several hours a day indulging my imagination. Daydreaming. Thinking up imaginary people, impossible places. Imagination is the golden-eyed monster that never sleeps. It must be fed; it cannot be ignored. Making it tell the same tale over and over again makes it thin and whining; its scales begin to fall off; its fiery breath becomes a trickle of smoke. It is best fed by reality, an odd diet for something nonexistent; there are few details of daily life and its broad range of emotional context that can’t be transformed into food for the imagination. It must be visited constantly, or else it begins to become restless and emit strange bellows at embarrassing moments; ignoring it only makes it grow larger and noisier. Content, it dreams awake, and spins the fabric of tales. There is really nothing to be done with such imagery except to use it: in writing, in art. Those who fear the imagination condemn it: something childish, they say, something monsterish, misbegotten. Not all of us dream awake. But those of us who do have no choice. (obtained from this website)
- Here’s a full panorama of Kinuko Y. Craft’s artwork which I love so much! I love it when the cover art actually relates directly to details from the book, and Kinuko Y. Craft does a good job being faithful to the story:
There’s the stag with the fire in its antlers, and the book with the thorny alphabet itself being passed from Bourne to Nepenthe. It’s just so detailed and beautiful!
Other reviews:
For people with huge, over reactive imaginations such as me, it doesn’t take a lot to scare me witless! But, of course, what creeps the heck out of me only makes me want to read/watch it more, even if it’s between my fingers and I miss out on the scariest parts (truly, I can think of much scarier torture/haunting/murder scenes than what actually happens). So, when I saw Carl’s catchy R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril (R.I.P.) Challenge (what an awesome name!), and saw how many people were joining, I fell for the hype and joined up.
Here’s an excerpt from Carl’s blog about the Challenge:
I find that kind of melodramatic fear to be a delicious intoxication, one that makes this time of year an especially enjoying time to be a reader. There is enough bad fear in the world: fear of losing one’s job, fear of the state of the world, fear of failure…the list is endless. It is time to reject that fear, embrace hope, and while doing so embrace the fun kind of fear–the kind that had us sitting around camp fires as children, listening to adults tell us ghost stories. The kind that made you want to stay up past your bed time to peek at the late night scary movie on television.
I love that!
So, I’ve got Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book coming in by mail soon. And I’ve read some of Wilkie Collins’ works (has anyone read Heart and Science?) hence the second pick, The Moonstone. And now that the rain thumps down in buckets through the night, and the fog slinks out of the river for a prowl, and those crackly leaves are starting to skitter across the ground like little creatures (don’t you love that sound?), and things starting to die do so in a flash of blazing color – I can’t deny that Autumn is such a great season for readers. That’s the kind of stuff that makes me want to write or read a story with ambience. Anyway, I’m jumping a little ahead of the weather (it’s not that Autumn-y yet). Can’t wait to read these spookers!
By the way, does anyone have some Gothic-ish novels that they really really enjoyed? I’ve been browsing around but some immediate recommendations would be great!
So I’ve finally got around to watching a movie for the “Period Drama Challenge” hosted by Lights, Camera…History! It’s normally not so difficult for me to make time to watch my favorite period dramas, but just as I make the committment to do so, I got swamped in other tasks. Tonight, though, I thought I’d better get going since I’ve got six movies to watch! And, it’s a rainy evening, so I immediately thought of the 2007 version of Northanger Abbey. I’m putting this one down for the Bonnets and Hessians (the Regency Period) category.
“Perhaps after all it is possible to read too many novels!”
The “scatterbrain little creature” Catherine Morland lives more in her novels than in the real world. When she is invited by Mr. and Mrs. Allen to visit the big city of Bath, she is giddy with excitement. Little does she realize the scandals and adventures of the real world are so much less romantic than those that play out in her daydreams.
The 2007 version of Northanger Abbey is a delight. After watching it for the umpteenth time, I still think it’s one of my favorite on-screen adaptations of a Jane Austen work to date (though I techincally haven’t read the actual book). There’s lots of poking fun at polite society, and teasing of Cathy’s innocent and overreactive imagination.
When Cathy arrives in Bath she is immediately preyed upon by the Thorpes, who push themselves into her life, and push certain novels into her hands, among other things. Bath is a dangerous world of impropriety, flirtation, bold gazes and suggestive looks from all sides. Cathy is accosted with bold comments the moment she steps out of the carriage.
There are plenty of dances and operas that provide chances for everyone to meet and for misunderstandings to happen and be corrected. Of course, everyone must be introduced to each other before any real conversational troubles can begin.
Felicity Jones plays a charmingly naive Catherine who becomes a magnet for trouble when she arrives in Bath. I’ve never read Northanger Abbey (though I plan on doing so for the “Everything Austen Challenge”), but I think she did a spot-on job of capturing the innocent, romantic character of a young country girl who has a certain taste for adventure and a curiosity for the intriguing. I love her sincere expressions of horror, especially during those little episodic incidents at the abbey itself, where she had quite vivid and ‘horrible’ dreams.
JJ Feild, who plays Henry Tilney was as dashing as a Jane Austen man can be. Gentlemanly and delightfully teasing, he and Felicity Jones pulled off such a great on-screen relationship. I’m of a belief that, even if the film is terrible in terms of plot, dialogue, etc.., if the on-screen couple works, it’ll still be a pleasure to watch. Feild exuded a very warm and playful charm yet still manages to uphold enough of an enigmatic aura to fascinate Cathy’s imagination.
Carey Mulligan takes on the role of the flirtatious and scandalous Isabella Thorpe, which I thought she played very well. She brought on the coyness with her fan and her suggestive looks, aimed at the wealthy and handsome. On the other hand, oh!, the horrid horrid Mr. John Thorpe, played by William Beck. He was insufferable. If I were in Cathy’s shoes, I’d be peeved by such a man! Especially how he tricked her so shamelessly. Everytime John was quoted to say, Cathy “was the prettiest girl in town etc..” I was thinking, “God forbid!” He was too bold and manipulative. And, he looks like a toad. Sorry William Beck.
Like most Jane Austen movie adaptations, the cinematics were breath-taking. The vast fields of foggy landscape, with the rooftops of the great houses peeping up. The crazed carriage rides across the expanses of land, the private horse races across dewey fields. Not to mention the adorable vine-ridden cottages, chock full of children running about helter-skelter.
I love Northanger Abbey and it’s outright medieval gothicness. And the mock gothicness of many of the scenes in the movie.
Cue Lightning. Thunder. Darkness. Moany wind.
Hear the organ music, jump at the flickering candles.
“Are you prepared to encounter all of its horrors?” Henry asks Cathy before they enter.
Inside the abbey, the rooms are dark and damp looking, with lots of corners for shadows to bounce off of. What looks like a mysterious manuscript of horrors at midnight becomes a laundry list in the morning. There are unused corridors and locked rooms. The place is eerily quiet, and full of forbidden wings. There were a few scenes that reminded me of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, when Belle sneaks off into the forbidden wing, though Cathy sees a stuffed bird instead of a whole line of creepy gargoyles.
And the music! Lots of suspenseful pieces. In one scene, I giggled at the use of the spooky music that accompanied Cathy’s first dinner at the Tilney residence. One must ensure one reaches for the right spoon… or else. There are horrors both in the corrupt and sinful city of Bath as well as the polite and rigid atmosphere of Northanger Abbey.
Then, like a true Jane Austen movie ending, the man on the white horse arrives at the small cottage where the poor girl lives, and everyone in the household rushes about to make things proper for his arrival. I love the scenes where the family members surround the important guest, who sits uncomfortably on a chair, sipping tea. Everyone stares at him – in hostility? in curiosity? – as he tries to make polite talk with the mother while secretly wishing he could have a moment alone with the girl of his heart.
I just love what the directors did in this movie – especially those exciting interludes of Cathy’s daydreams. This movie really appeals to the reader’s heart in many ways. For me, I’m always thrilled to the bone at the thought of adventure and excitement as Cathy is. But, like Cathy, I live in my own little world and, sadly, don’t really have much experience with the ‘real’ world adventures. This is also why I love ‘The Mummy’ so much. Rachel Weisz plays the naive, absentminded librarian Evy, who has never been on a real adventure before but possesses a world of an imagination. Both Cathy and Evy believe that, through the knowledge gleaned from their books, they know what to do when the real situation comes barreling around the corner. A romantic adventure, full of subtle humor and nice things for your eyes to look at, Northanger Abbey is an amusing story to watch onscreen. If you haven’t seen a Jane Austen adaptation yet, do watch this one!
Other reviews:
