Thursday, 20 May 2010
Stories Widget
How amazing is that? I found it (okay, so I was linked to it. So sue me) on Neil Gaiman's site, http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Stories:+All+New+Tales/
I have enough books to be going on with at the moment, but I will certainly be looking at this when I have finished my current load.
Friday, 7 May 2010
Something new to read
I went into HMV with my boyfriend the other day, not to get anything for myself, but simply as company as he went to look for the latest Lancashire Hotpots album. As he was at the counter, however, something caught my eye: Moab is my washpot and The Liar, both by the absolute genius that is Stephen Fry. And both dead cheap. As in, below a fiver each. I couldn't resist it: I now have both of them in my possession.
I'll read Moab is my washpot first (I was looking for something to read in the bath earlier, and as it says the word wash, I went for that one). Will let you know what I think when it's finished!
I'll read Moab is my washpot first (I was looking for something to read in the bath earlier, and as it says the word wash, I went for that one). Will let you know what I think when it's finished!
Saturday, 10 April 2010
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets where signs are now in pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant because, in an age of declining births, Offred and other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....
Picture the scene:
Two women in red dresses, white headresses on. Their heads are bowed, and they walk in silence.
This is the way America has become.
Women have had all rights stripped from them. Working in the conventional sense has become illegal, they're not allowed to go out by themselves, and they're not allowed to read. That might inspire something dangerous, a rebellion.
Offred is a Handmaid. Loathed by the Wife of the house (Serenity Joy) as well as the Marthas (the servants), her job is to be a vessel. Her sole purpose for existence is to bear a child for the Wife. If she resists, she'll die. If she fails to become pregnant, she'll be declared an Unwoman and will die.
A frighteningly real look at a dystopian society in which women have become mere objects, I would recommend this book to anyone. Obviously written by a feminist, it's nonetheless evocative, painful, and often very hard to read, but those are the hallmarks of a brilliant piece. Once you get over the abundant commas that seem to be used six or seven times a sentence and the non linear format, then it is easy to appreciate the quality of the writing: lots of the details of the story is left to the reader's imagination, putting them in a similar sort of place that Offred's in: we know everything she knows, and nothing more.
A must read.
8/10
Picture the scene:
Two women in red dresses, white headresses on. Their heads are bowed, and they walk in silence.
This is the way America has become.
Women have had all rights stripped from them. Working in the conventional sense has become illegal, they're not allowed to go out by themselves, and they're not allowed to read. That might inspire something dangerous, a rebellion.
Offred is a Handmaid. Loathed by the Wife of the house (Serenity Joy) as well as the Marthas (the servants), her job is to be a vessel. Her sole purpose for existence is to bear a child for the Wife. If she resists, she'll die. If she fails to become pregnant, she'll be declared an Unwoman and will die.
A frighteningly real look at a dystopian society in which women have become mere objects, I would recommend this book to anyone. Obviously written by a feminist, it's nonetheless evocative, painful, and often very hard to read, but those are the hallmarks of a brilliant piece. Once you get over the abundant commas that seem to be used six or seven times a sentence and the non linear format, then it is easy to appreciate the quality of the writing: lots of the details of the story is left to the reader's imagination, putting them in a similar sort of place that Offred's in: we know everything she knows, and nothing more.
A must read.
8/10
Friday, 2 April 2010
New book
"How about we go into Waterstones?" As soon as he said those magic words, I knew I was doomed to spending money. And I was right. I am now the owner of:
- Sherlock Holmes (the complete collection) - Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
- IT - Stephen King
I'm currently reading 'The Handmaid's Tale' in between doing coursework, so my review for that will be coming along soon.
- Sherlock Holmes (the complete collection) - Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
- IT - Stephen King
I'm currently reading 'The Handmaid's Tale' in between doing coursework, so my review for that will be coming along soon.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors - Roddy Doyle
'The Woman Who Walked Into Doors' is not a read for the faint hearted, or for those who are easily offended: swearing litters every single page, and the descriptions of her life growing up could offend the sensitive reader.
Look past the abundant swearing, though, and you will see a beautifully crafted story. It takes a while to get to grips with - the fragmented dialogue, the repetition, the non-lineararity (is that a word?), the accents spelled out on the page. But it doesn't take too long before you forget all that and you immerse yourself in the world described.
Set in Dublin, Paula Spencer is the main character of the story. A Guard has just turned up at her door and told her that her husband is dead; he got shot by the Police. What follows is her reaction to the news. A trip down memory lane, if you like. We learn about her very hard upbringing, life for a child in poverty, her school. We learn so much about the character that when things get really bad for her, then we want to step into the pages of the book, rescue her from the husband she loves so much.
But there is nothing we can do but read on as the story reaches chapter 25, and finally the reason for the title becomes clear after she tells us just how bad the relationship with Charlo was. How he beat her up. How, on one occasion, he 'tested' her by asking how she had got the black eye that he was responsible for.
There is nothing nice about this book. If you're wanting happy happy rainbows and puppies from the things you read, then this is not the book for you. This is hard, gritty realism, the shit and the good thrown together in a mishmash of broken memories. If you want a beautifully crafted book, well written and with a brilliant story, I would recommend this for your bookshelf.
Look past the abundant swearing, though, and you will see a beautifully crafted story. It takes a while to get to grips with - the fragmented dialogue, the repetition, the non-lineararity (is that a word?), the accents spelled out on the page. But it doesn't take too long before you forget all that and you immerse yourself in the world described.
Set in Dublin, Paula Spencer is the main character of the story. A Guard has just turned up at her door and told her that her husband is dead; he got shot by the Police. What follows is her reaction to the news. A trip down memory lane, if you like. We learn about her very hard upbringing, life for a child in poverty, her school. We learn so much about the character that when things get really bad for her, then we want to step into the pages of the book, rescue her from the husband she loves so much.
But there is nothing we can do but read on as the story reaches chapter 25, and finally the reason for the title becomes clear after she tells us just how bad the relationship with Charlo was. How he beat her up. How, on one occasion, he 'tested' her by asking how she had got the black eye that he was responsible for.
There is nothing nice about this book. If you're wanting happy happy rainbows and puppies from the things you read, then this is not the book for you. This is hard, gritty realism, the shit and the good thrown together in a mishmash of broken memories. If you want a beautifully crafted book, well written and with a brilliant story, I would recommend this for your bookshelf.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Welcome!
Welcome to my brand new blog! As I read almost constantly, I thought it would be a good plan to extend my nook of the Web and have somewhere where I can write reviews about the latest book I have read, adaptations of books into films, and books that I have seen in shops and would like to be reading soon.
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