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Ruth - 2014


Ruth

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I like the idea of not buying books, but it would have to be a small time frame like six months. I don't think I could last a year.

Edited by Devi
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Great review - another for the wishlist based on such a good recommendation! :)

 

Thanks - it really is definitely worth reading.  I'm going to the Martin Luther King Jr. Museum later this year, so I really wanted to read it before then.

 

Imlike the idea of not buying books, but it would have to be a small time frame like six months. I don't think I could last a year.

 

Based on my current buying habits, I'm not sure I can even last six days!  :blush2:

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Emma, by Jane Austen

 

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This is not the first time I’ve read this book, but it is the first time I’ve read it since I started blogging about the books I read, and so I haven’t written a review of it before.  I LOVE this book, and will say from the outset that I doubt I can do it the justice it deserves (so you just ought to read Emma for yourself!)

 

Emma Woodhouse is a spoiled, snobbish, but ultimately well-meaning young woman, who – wrongly – believes herself to be a talented matchmaker.  She has no interest in marrying herself, as she would never want to leave her widowed, worrisome father, but she is determined to make couples among her friends.  She  decides that the local vicar, Mr Elton, would make the perfect husband for her naive young friend Harriet, and sets about getting them together; a plan which rapidly turns into a disaster.  Meanwhile, the whole village of Highbury is excited by the arrival of two visitors – Frank Churchill, the son of Emma’s friend Mr Weston, and who enjoys a flirtation with Emma; and Jane Fairfax, an elegant and quiet young lady – the niece of Miss Bates, a kind-hearted but (to Emma anyway), somewhat wittering villager.  As the story proceeds, secrets are revealed, relationships are put  under the microscope, and Emma learns a lot about herself.

 

So that’s the bare bones of the plot. There’s more, lots more, but I’m reluctant to reveal it, and anyway Emma is so much more than just it’s plot.  What I really love about it is the humour – because this is really a very funny book – and the insight into human nature.  Each character is so well drawn and described – from the insufferable Mrs Elton, with her inflated sense of her own importance, to the kind-hearted and indiscreet Mr Weston, and even the lesser characters, such as Emma’s sister’s husband, John Knightley, with his dislike of social interaction, and irritation at well, most other characters, you do feel like you know these people.

 

Emma herself is precocious, judgemental, sometimes unkind, and often completely obtuse to what’s happening right in front of her, but for all that, I still really like the character.  She displays unending kindness and loyalty towards her father, where many would get annoyed or exasperated with him, she is able to recognise her own flaws, and she is charitable towards the needy in her village.

 

I cannot talk about this book without mentioning Mr Knightley.  He is Emma’s brother-in-law (his brother is married to her sister), and good friend, as well as often the voice of reason and conscience.  He is also my favourite Austen hero – I’d take a Knightley over a Darcy every time.  Mr Knightley is compassionate, sensible, honest, and very fond of Emma, but certainly not afraid of telling her off when she behaves in a way that is beneath her.

 

For all of these reasons and many more, Emma is not only my favourite Austen novel, but also one of my very favourite books of all time.  I wholeheartedly recommend it.

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This book is on my TBR (in a big Jane Austen omnibus), I hope to get around to reading it eventually (I feel I want to try at least one Austen book). Great review :)!

 

 

Emma sounds great, Ruth . I need to read it myself at some point .

 

I'll be interested in hearing your update on the MLK memorial . I'd love to go there myself someday !

 

I hope you both love Emma as much as I do.  It is one of my very favourite reads, and one that I try to re-read every few years.  I honestly think it's the easiest to read of all of Jane Austen's novels, although Pride and Prejudice is wonderful too (and Persuasion, although that one is more melancholy in tone).

 

Julie, I'm really looking forward to the memorial.  We are also going to the bus stop where Rosa Parks caught the bus in Montgomery, and became a part of the civil rights movement.  I'll no doubt take loads of photos, and I'm sure that some will make their way onto here :D

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I hope you both love Emma as much as I do.  It is one of my very favourite reads, and one that I try to re-read every few years.  I honestly think it's the easiest to read of all of Jane Austen's novels, although Pride and Prejudice is wonderful too (and Persuasion, although that one is more melancholy in tone).

Isn't it funny how we all experience books differently - I find Emma the most difficult to read of all the Austen books, in fact, I've only managed to complete it once. I've started many times, but have given up part way through as I found it so difficult to read, and eventually had to put my determined hat on in order to make myself carry on. I know Austen purposely made Emma a heroine you shouldn't like, but I found most of the characters unlikable, making it difficult to invest in the story as I had no-one to want to know.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rich: The Life of Richard Burton, by Melvyn Bragg

 

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Despite being acknowledged as an excellent actor both on stage and in films, Richard Burton is largely remembered for his tempestuous marriages to Elizabeth Burton, and his enormous capacity for alcohol.  Melvyn Bragg’s excellent biography delves into his life, to reveal that there was far far more to Burton – that he was a highly intelligent and thoughtful man, a voracious reader, that he was plagued by guilt over his children, and generous to a fault.

 

Burton’s notebooks (essentially a diary) which he started during his life with Elizabeth Taylor were released to Bragg by Burton’s widow Sally, and here they appear (albeit abridged) for the first time in print.  After describing Burton’s tough but loving childhood and adolescence, and marriage to first wife Sybil, Bragg wisely lets his own writing take a back seat to Burton’s words, as he reproduces large sections of the notebooks.  (It is worth noting that the notebooks have since been released in their entirety as The Richard Burton Diaries; I have a copy of this and intend to read it very soon, but Bragg’s biography is useful in that it provides context.)  I thoroughly enjoyed reading Burton’s words – he was incredibly witty (I laughed out loud on several occasions, particularly when he described social situations), certainly wry, and often melancholy.  

 

The biography is clearly meticulously researched, and while Bragg is never sycophantic, he is always respectful of his subject.  What I did find unusual at first, was that in many ways, it was also a study of Burton the man.  Bragg would offer his own opinion as to Burton’s motivations for certain actions, and it felt as if he was trying to understand certain events in this very interesting life, rather than just relate them.  However, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the book, and actually demonstrated the author’s great interest in his subject.

 

The book was written with the collaboration of many of Burton’s family and friends, and refreshingly, does not just focus on the more scandalous areas of his life; it concerns itself equally with Burton’s Welsh family, his career, his life after ‘the Elizabethan period’ and of course, his premature death at a time which tragically came at a time when he seemed to have his life back on track.

 

It’s a thick book – 600+ pages – but so well written, and so very interesting, that I found myself reading huge chunks at a time.  Anybody interested in Richard Burton, or indeed in acting in general, should certainly read this – I strongly recommend it, and will definitely be keeping it to read again in the future.

Edited by Ruth
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  • 4 weeks later...

The Three 

 

Isn't it funny how we all experience books differently - I find Emma the most difficult to read of all the Austen books, in fact, I've only managed to complete it once. I've started many times, but have given up part way through as I found it so difficult to read, and eventually had to put my determined hat on in order to make myself carry on. I know Austen purposely made Emma a heroine you shouldn't like, but I found most of the characters unlikable, making it difficult to invest in the story as I had no-one to want to know.

 

Ooh, I've only just seen this post (had my head stuck into The Three Musketeers for a while!)  Yes, I always find it interesting how one person can love a book, while another person loathes it.  The first time I read Emma, I liked it but I didn't love it.  Persuasion used to be my favourite Austen book, and I do still love it.  But after reading Emma a second time I enjoyed it a lot more, and now I reread it every few years, and it's become my favourite.  A lot of the characters are unlikeable, although Mr Knightley will forever be my favourite Austen hero :)

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The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas

 

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Everybody knows the story of The Three Musketeers and their friend D’Artagnan, right?  Well, if you’re like me and you were basing your knowledge  upon the various screen adaptations of the story, then you may be amazed by how much of the story – and the characters – that you don’t know.  D’Artagnan, a young man from the Gascony area of France, who goes to Paris with the aim of joining the King’s Musketeers.  After a few initial misunderstandings, he becomes firm friends with the melancholy Athos, the rambunctious Porthos, and the foppish Aramis.  The book follows their adventures as they become embroiled in trying to stop the evil machinations of Cardinal Richelieu, who is determined to bring down Queen Anne, wife of King Louis XIII.

 

The book was a delightful and action packed adventure, full of humour, fighting and romance.  I was surprised that there were chunks of the storyline that didn’t actually feature D’Artagnan or the musketeers, and also by the fact that, unlike the screen adaptations, the four servants of the main characters featured almost as heavily as the main characters themselves, and were very instrumental in the musketeers’ plans and actions.

 

The plot moves on very quickly, and there are LOTS of twists and surprises, but despite this, Dumas still found time to establish each main character’s personality.  It’s fair to say that at times they act in a less than gentlemanly manner, but despite this, I still found myself regarding each character with affection.  It is also, in parts, a very funny story (there is one particular scene where D’Artagnan visits Aramis, who is constantly planning to leave the musketeers to become a man of the cloth, and finds him in consultation with a curate and Jesuit superior, which had me laughing out loud all the way through).

 

The seductive but evil Lady de Winter, and Cardinal Richelieu are a substantial part of the story, playing the two main villains, with ‘MiLady’ always trying, and often succeeding to stay one step ahead of the musketeers who seek to bring her down.

 

Overall, this is a hugely entertaining romp through Paris, and I believe that everybody should read it at least once.  For me, it’s a keeper, and one I intend to re-read at some point.

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The Three 

 

 

Ooh, I've only just seen this post (had my head stuck into The Three Musketeers for a while!)  Yes, I always find it interesting how one person can love a book, while another person loathes it.  The first time I read Emma, I liked it but I didn't love it.  Persuasion used to be my favourite Austen book, and I do still love it.  But after reading Emma a second time I enjoyed it a lot more, and now I reread it every few years, and it's become my favourite.  A lot of the characters are unlikeable, although Mr Knightley will forever be my favourite Austen hero :)

 

Interestingly, while I really didn't enjoy Emma, I did like reading Mr Knightley's Diary by Amanda Grange.  She basically writes the Austen novels from the point of view of the male characters in diary format.  I've read a few books inspired by the Austen novels over the last few years, and these have been quick, easy, but fun reads, and I would say worth a look for an Austen fan.

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Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed the book :).

 

 

Great review, Ruth!  I haven't read it yet, but you make me even more determined to do so!

 

Also, Love your review of the Burton book.  Sounds like a must-read, for sure. :)

 

Thanks :)  Pontalba, the Burton book was brilliant, especially if you are a fan (but even if you're not, he had a fascinating life, so still worth reading).  I do love Richard Burton, and the book was honest but very respectful.  It made me cry at the end, as biographies of people who are no longer with us often do, despite the fact that I know how the book is going to end.  I was the same when I read an excellent biography of Paul Newman  :blush2:

 

 

Interestingly, while I really didn't enjoy Emma, I did like reading Mr Knightley's Diary by Amanda Grange.  She basically writes the Austen novels from the point of view of the male characters in diary format.  I've read a few books inspired by the Austen novels over the last few years, and these have been quick, easy, but fun reads, and I would say worth a look for an Austen fan.

 

I hadn't heard of Mr Knightley's Diary, but I'll look out for it :)  I do have Mr Darcy's Diary, by Maya Slater, and Longbourn by Jo Baker, which tell Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's POV and the staff at Longbourn's POV respectively.  I also have Joanna Trollope's updated Sense and Sensibility, but I think I'll have to give Austen's original S&S another read before I try that one.

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Running Like a Girl, by Alexandra Heminsley

 

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In the first part of this funny, moving and frank memoir, Alexandra Heminsley discusses how and why she started running, and – more importantly – how and why she continued to run, despite occasional setbacks and bouts of self-doubt.  She talks about how it brought her closer to family members, and made her feel better about herself, and along the way describes some of the races she has participated in.

 

The second part of the book is given over to hints and advice to other runners, or people who are thinking of taking up running, whether as a casual hobby, or a serious enthusiast.  The book also talks about the history of women’s running (and boy, did that chapter open my eyes; after reading about the journey that Joan Benoit Samuelson took to become the first female Olympic marathon winner, I watched some of the footage on YouTube, and was filled with admiration and tears).

 

While Heminsley’s own story is very entertaining and inspiring, the second section of the book is very useful to new runners, offering tips on buying running trainers and equipment, and what you will need if you take part in a big race.  It also highlights injuries that can be caused or aggravated by running, and the best ways to deal with them, and debunks many myths surrounding running.

 

As a fellow runner, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and identified with many of the feelings that the author described.  Heminsley is very engaging and relatable, and also very funny.  I don’t think you would have to be a runner to appreciate this book, but I am pretty sure that after reading it you would want to pull on your trainers and go for a trot around the block.

 

I would recommend this book for everyone, but particularly people with even just a passing interest in running.

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Too Much Information, by Dave Gorman

 

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These days, everyone is trying to tell us something, and as a result, we have trained ourselves to filter out the things that don’t interest us (click onto another website, fast forward through the adverts, change the channel).  Dave Gorman casts his witty eye over the dross and nonsense that comes to us via the internet and certain news media, and asks what’s really going on?  And why do we accept so much junk as just a normal part of life?

 

As ever, Gorman is entertaining and amusing, and this is a really easy book to read (I read it in one day, on a long flight).  But as well as all the humour – and yes, I laughed out loud several times – he does make some serious points. There are 40 chapters, so far too many to describe, but he talks about why a particular newspaper (it’s the Daily Mail, surprise surprise) doesn’t seem to know what ‘matching’ means in it’s numerous articles about couples, or parents and children wearing matching outfits; why television hosts always ask the same questions; why does the internet think Julia Roberts is Jesus? and so on.  He also looks at some of the seedier parts of the internet, such as mass spamming on Twitter, people being paid to advertise on Twitter (but surreptitiously, so that others are not supposed to realise that they’re advertising) etc.

 

Most of the chapters are a few pages long – a few are just one page – so it’s an easy, quick read, which will not only have you laughing, but also nodding along in agreement.  Definitely recommended.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sounds interesting, Ruth! Great review :).

 

Thanks :) 

 

Great reviews Ruth! I really must read The Three Musketeers soon. I need to stop time for a decade or so and just READ. The Dave Gorman book sounds intriguing as well, you've had some good reads recently :D

 

Thank you :)  Yes, I've been lucky and read some crackers lately.  I love it when you get a run of good books like that.

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Hatchet Job, by Mark Kermode

 

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For anyone not familiar with Mark Kermode’s work, he is the Chief Film Critic for The Observer newspaper, he presents The Culture Show on BBC2, and he is part of ‘Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review’ programme on BBC Radio 5 live.  In this book, he talks about his role as film critic, and more specifically, the role of a film critic in today’s world, where the internet allows pretty much everyone to be a critic about pretty much anything.  And you don’t need to have any specialist knowledge or qualifications to be an internet critic.  (I’m well aware that as a blogger, I’m one of these people that he talks about – I’m not particularly qualified to write about books or movies or theatre, but I do anyway, although I don’t claim to offer anything other than my own opinion, for whatever that’s worth.) So with the growth of blogging, tweeting etc., the role of progressional film critic has come under some threat.

 

Kermode eloquently  makes the case for the necessity of professional film critics in such a world – he certainly convinced me, although to be fair, I agreed with his point of view in the first place.  He also discusses how advertisement posters for films have now started using quotes from Twitter users as endorsements, and points out the obvious problems with this.  For all this though, Kermode does seem to want to embrace the internet and the rise of online bloggers, is also quick to point out the advantages of it – both to himself and to others.

 

The book is very well written and engaging, and often very amusing too.  Each chapter is about a specific point relating to the main theme, but Kermode often goes off at tangents, and uses lots of anecdotes to illustrate what he’s saying – at the end of the chapter, everything ties up nicely.

 

Overall, if you like Mark Kermode’s film reviews, you will like this book.  If you don’t know anything about Mark Kermode or his film reviews, there’s a strong chance you will like this book.  I don’t think you even need to be particularly cineliterate to enjoy it –  my basic knowledge of any film extends as far as whether or not I enjoyed it.  I started reading the book on a long flight, and usually when I’m flying, I end up listening to music, watching a film, or trying to sleep.  However, I found myself not wanting to do any of those things, and instead just wanting to keep reading.  So for me, this was definitely a winner, and I would recommend it.

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Thanks for the review, I have a copy of this and one of his other books, It's Only a Movie. I really must get round to reading one of them soon as I often agree with his opinions and I love his radio show with Simon Mayo.

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Yep, I pretty much agree with absolutely everything you've said about Hatchet Job, Ruth.  I love reading Mark's books, he writes exactly the same way as he talks, and I love his humour.   :D

 

Thanks, both of you :)  It was the first book of his I've read, but I went out and bought all his others, because I liked it so much.

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