Okay, if you’ve been paying attention, you know that my favorite author is Haurki Murakami. So, naturally a couple years ago, I picked up a book called Shipwrecks by fellow Japanese existentialist Akira Yoshimura. Although Murakami brings to mind authors like Kafka, Yoshimura is really reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, Alan Paton and even Flanner O’Connor. So, when I saw Yoshimura’s name on another book, On Parole, as I was browsing one day on my lunch, I picked it up, even though it was based on a movie, The Eel, that I didn’t really like. I finally got around to actually reading it. And goddammit, what a perfect book. And although I’m not really one to judge a book based on its ending or what kind of twists are thrown at you, Yoshimura ended this story beautifully with a development that was surprising but at the same time felt like the most natural thing in the world. On Parole, just like you’d gather from the title, follows a man from an indefinite prison sentence for a horrible crime through the few years that follow his unexpected parole. Yoshimura carefully examines what we have traditionally come to think of as freedom and imprisonment. He makes a compelling argument that these are states of mind and not a matter of physical restraint. The narrative of our every-man anti-hero (Sorry for the two hyphenateds in a row and also for using the word ‘hyphenateds’ which doesn’t exist.. You’ll live; worse things have happened.) is harrowing to say the least but we have a certain comfort level with this man who may or may not be disturbed, may or may not be a sociopath, and may or may not be capable of remorse. We are asked to think about not only whether or not this man deserves redemption, but whether or not he wants it. Seriously. Buy this book, then buy Shipwrecks. I’m going to have to re-watch The Eel now because unless Shohei Imamura is simply the most incompetent filmmaker ever, I obviously missed something on my initial viewing.
- Location:64112
- Mood:
mellow - Music:Opiate by Tool
I think I liked this one even more than The Other Boleyn Girl. It wasn't as dense, and it didn't take as long to get going. I also liked the narrative switching between Anne of Cleves, Jane Boleyn, and Catherine Howard. Gregory does a good job at flushing out their very different personalities and demonstrating their respective strengths and weaknesses. Of the three, Anne definitely comes off the best, and I found myself most intrigued by her as an historical figure (straight to Wikipedia when I was done!) Also, the thing I think TBI and TOBG do well as a set is to demonstrate the dramatic change in Henry VIII's personality and behaviour from the beginning and end of his reign. How he went from this intellectual, spiritual, golden prince, to an ugly tyrant is endlessly fascinating to me.
Book # 20: Living Dangerously by Katie Fforde
I picked this one up at a used book sale in Edinburgh after having torn through The Boleyn Inheritance faster than anticipated and finding myself without anything to read. It was readable enough, but I definitely didn't love it. It's one of those chick-lit books where all the drama is manufactured, and there's really no good reason why the couple isn't together from page 1. The main characters were also not particularly likable and frequently behaved ridiculously, which didn't help matters.
Prince Caspian is tied with The Horse & His Boy as my favorite book in the series. I'm not sure I can put into words how much I love this story of lost faith, despair, redemption and triumph. Something about the boy king finding out his childhood fairytales are actually real just speaks to me. Maybe it's due to all that time I spent in the wardrobe dreaming, as Caspian did during his childhood, that Mr. Tumnus would show up and lead me through a snowy wood to Aslan.
As it stands, I'd say this deserves 3 out of 4 stars. I'm definitely going to be buying the movie and I hope to go see it again soon, as I missed some dialogue while answering questions from my MIL and Helena.
Ethan loved it, btw, but Helena got bored and fell asleep. Josh is much more disappointed than I am.
Just a couple this time -
32. Glory in Death, by Nora Roberts (Romance, Urban Fantasy) Still loving this series. Although since I recently caught the end of A Time to Kill on cable, in my head Eve's boyfriend's name is "Ro-ark."
33. Broken, by Kelley Armstrong (Romance, Urban Fantasy) I didn't like this one as much as the previous werewolf books for some reason. Still cream of the crop for the genre and I was glad to see more of Jaime, but the story was too convoluted, I felt. I mean, it was incredibly obvious who was going to be the killer. Duh.
34. The Hollow, by Nora Roberts (Romance, Paranormal) Okay, I cracked and read this second book in the Sign of Seven trilogy, even though I will now die of anticipation before the third volume comes out in December. This one focused on Fox and Layla as leads and I must say, I LOVE FOX. Layla is okay, I guess, but Fox is a giant helping of awesome with extra sauce. Also, it felt like they actually got somewhere on fighting the demon in this story and figuring out why it has to be them. I really, really can't wait for the finale now.
- Music:Dear Prudence, Siouxsie and the Banshees
We've got a concert coming up with Richard Marx and Vertical Horizon's lead singer, Matt Scannell in a few weeks. I need to ask them each 5 questions to post on our blog. I'm working on these now, but it occurred to me that since many of you are fans of those acts, you might have some questions you'd like me to ask. These can be either goofy or serious and can cover any topic. Let me know if you have any suggestions!
A very dear friend of mine is battling stage 3 ovarian & breast cancer. Stacie is a mother of three who has spent much of her life serving others. Her previous job, working with mentally challenged children, did not provide her with any health insurance. Thanks to her cancer treatment, she is now facing pretty incredible medical bills, as well as the loss of the income that was used to meet her family's most basic needs.
www.Supportstacie.org was formed to help raise awareness of Stacie's circumstances and provide emotional and financial support. This weekend there is a silent auction and 40-hour chat-a-thon taking place to help raise funds for Stacie.
Please stop by the Chat-a-thon's main page and the silent auction's main page. If you are able to offer any donations or even leave Stacie a note of encouragement, I would personally be grateful beyond words.
Please spread the word on your own LJs, too.
On a more jaded note, I know that there are often internet rumors about fraudulent fundraisers. If there is any doubt whatsoever, please encourage anyone with questions to call me. My real name is Joia Lucht and I can be reached at 847-454-6487. I can offer any verification that is needed.
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angela_o's list. I absolutely loved it. The story was fun and the characters were surprisingly interesting. This was one of those stories where I could see several ways it could've gone wrong, but the author kept a tight grip on her narrative and on her characters. I loved the ending.Book 37: The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough. Several of y'all have recommended this one to me since I mentioned how much I adore The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. What's the story here? Did McCullough deliberately base her story on The Blue Castle? I think I would've liked Missalonghi better if I wasn't comparing it to The Blue Castle the whole time. The book was definitely good and I thought the modified plot was very interesting.
Book 38: Sex, Murder and A Double Latte by Kyra Davis. This is my example of why I should stick to y'alls recs. I bought this one at the Half-Price Bookstore recently, stupidly judging it to be interesting based on its cover. It sucked. Once again, I find myself hoping the author has no connections to anyone I know, as it'd be just my luck to stick my foot in my mouth! But I really was disappointed with this book. The protagonist feels extremely Mary Sue-ish. The best friends are just unbelievable (A black, flaaaaaaaamingly gay hairstylist, a sex shop manager, and a chipper, perky girl who is so sweet and good she can't swear). The plot was out of control with at least 4 or 5 possible bad guys to choose from. Definitely not a rec.
*Using the Rory puppy dog eyes*
Every single one of you have been great thru this whole thing and I would love to thank you all personally.
Here's the official info:
Beginning May 9th at 7pm CDT, Roswell Fanatics is sponsoring a 40 hour chatathon with favorite fanfic authors. The chatathon will be taking place in the Roswell Heaven Chat Room, where every hour a new Roswell Fic Author will be heading up the chat room discussion.
This chatathon is taking place to help collect donations and raise awareness for Stacie’s battle with cancer.
There will be some great authors chatting over the weekend, including: Applebylicious, Angel, Behrsgirl77, Carol000, Cookie2697, Dimensia, DMartinez, Emz80m, Fehrbaby, irish2002, Jezebel_Jinx, JO, Kath7, Kzinti_Killer, LivE, Majesty, majiklmoon, Midwest Max, mockingbird39, Rosdeidre, Roswell Oracle, StargazerUK, Tasyfa, and more! This is a great opportunity to chat with some of your favorite fanfic authors!
Over the next week, we’ll also be holding silent auctions with some great memorabilia that you won’t want to miss out on. Keep an eye out for more information about what will go up for auction soon.
All the info is up on Support Stacie
The Auction stuff is up! Check it out!
- Mood:
distressed
We have eyes and we have nervses
We have tails we have teeth
You’ll all get what you deservses
When we rise from underneath
I read Coraline by the great Neil Gaiman. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Any list of the greatest minds of the 20th century would have to include, along with people like Einstein and Hawking, Dr. Seuss and I am officially declaring Neil Gaiman to be his successor. You can see parts of Seuss, Clive Barker, E E Cummings, Lewis Carrol and Kafka in Gaiman’s work, but it is not at all derivative. His vision is fresh and full of imagination. And it’s a tightrope Gaiman walks, painting genuinely frightening images that are still suitable for children. Coraline is made from the same stuff as nightmares and beautiful fantasies alike. Yes, it’s a kids book, but suck it up and read it anyway because, like The Cat and the Hat, it is also a work of art.
- Location:64015
- Mood: content
- Music:Insineratehymn by Deicide
30. Dime Store Magic, by Kelley Armstrong. I read this a couple of years ago and liked it, but having read the earlier books in the series now, I liked it even more. I think I like the werewolf ones best, but Paige and Lucas are pretty great characters, too.
31. Industrial Magic, by Kelley Armstrong. I liked this one even better than the previous one. Lucas and Paige make a cute couple, and she's far less annoying in this one. And there's less Savannah, which was good. I don't really dislike Savannah, but her teenage-ness gets old after a while. I think a teenager who's been through what she's been through would be a little more concerned for safety and security. She's cute when she's crushing on Adam, though. Oh, I wonder if Adam ever gets a book. I like him, too. Oh, and I liked Jaime Vegas, too.
Now I have to decide whether to get the second book in the Seven Signs trilogy when it comes out tomorrow, or wait a few months so that it won't be such a long wait for the third one - which doesn't come out until December. I think I want it. But I guess I could change my mind and get the next Armstrong book instead. Or I could read that downer of a Picoult that's been staring at me since vacation. Hmm, decisions.
thehouseofjade is celebrating her birthday today!
Happy birthday to another early fandom friend, one of the few I've actually met in person! Linsey is absolutely one of the most talented writers I've ever encountered and is a spectacular repository for unusual bits of trivia, like the origins of 19th century dildos. What a broad!
Page Summary
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50books1year :: maxrenn : #29 (Japanese people are superior) [+0] - 50books1year :: alliebean02 : Allie's 19-20 [+0]
- gioiamia : Prince Caspian [+2]
- 50books1year :: mockingbird39 : Mel's 32-34 [+5]
- gioiamia : Pop Quiz [+6]
- gioiamia : Please Help [+0]
- 50books1year :: gioiamia : Why I should stick to y'alls recs [+0]
- truelovepooh : ALL RIGHTY! FLIST! ATTENTION PLEASE! [+4]
- 50books1year :: maxrenn : #28 [+0]
- 50books1year :: mockingbird39 : Mel's 29-31 [+1]
- gioiamia : Another Birthday Wish [+0]