chesilbeach Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 I think my dream job would be cataloguing and organising other people's books - if only people could afford to pay someone to do it! A personal librarian - I can but dream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 I would love that job, too! But consider how neglected your own books would get when you would spend the day organizing other people's lists and libraries, or do you reckon you'd still be happy to do yours, too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 No, it'd be fine! Mine more or less look after themselves now, all sorted and catalogued so I only need to add in new books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 But that's not fair, because you aren't going to be buying any new books for ... well maybe two weeks, so never mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 (edited) It would be very interesting to see how many people used to have no wishlists before joining, and how many books they have accumulated on their wishlist since joining the forum. It's might be a pretty scary thread Interesting. I've gone the other way, and stopped keeping one: it was getting so long as to be meaningless for me. My TBR list covers so many shelves and boxes that there is more than enough to be going on with (double figures as a dream long flew out of the window!), and I don't seem to have any trouble finding a book I want to try if I get into buying. I found that wishlists just encouraged me to buy when I really shouldn't have been. Since it's gone, that side of things has certainly improved (I.e. gone down!). Edited May 15, 2012 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Interesting. I've gone the other way, and stopped keeping one: it was getting so long as to be meaningless for me. My TBR list covers so many shelves and boxes that there is more than enough to be going on with (double figures as a dream long flew out of the window!), and I don't seem to have any trouble finding a book I want to try if I get into buying. I found that wishlists just encouraged me to buy when I really shouldn't have been. Since it's gone, that side of things has certainly improved (I.e. gone down!). That's one helluva courageous way to go about it. But, knowing how many books you own, you are not exaggerating when you say you'll always find something interesting to suit your current mood, just by going through your shelves. However, I could never do without a wishlist. There are so many great titles there I know have to be great reads, and I wouldn't remember them all without the list. And it's not like I can't go through the list every now and then to see if there are books I won't find interesting anymore. Fascinating how differently we we think about wishlists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us by Robert D. Hare Amazon: Most people are both repelled and intrigued by the images of cold-blooded, conscienceless murderers that increasingly populate our movies, television programs, and newspaper headlines. With their flagrant criminal violation of society's rules, serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are among the most dramatic examples of the psychopath. Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between right and wrong, yet they are terrifyingly self-centered, remorseless, and unable to care about the feelings of others. Perhaps most frightening, they often seem completely normal to unsuspecting targets--and they do not always ply their trade by killing. Presenting a compelling portrait of these dangerous men and women based on 25 years of distinguished scientific research, Dr. Robert D. Hare vividly describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists, and other predators who charm, lie, and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? And how can we protect ourselves? This book provides solid information and surprising insights for anyone seeking to understand this devastating condition. Thoughts: A great and fascinating reading, a book that brought back my mojo at least for as long as the book lasted. I've watched quite a few criminal TV shows (true crime and drama) and I've also read a bit on the subject, so at first it all seemed like going through what I pretty much already knew on the subject, but there were paragraphs of real life examples that I found interesting, and I got to read about people I've never heard of before, too. Hare discusses what psychopats are like and whether they are crazy or just evil. That's not an easy thing to determine, because psychopaths can act rationally and disguise their abnormal behavior. They also know that the criminal actions they (might) take are wrong but that just doesn't matter to them, they do not conform to society's rules but instead they can have their own set of rules. Hare is the person who has developed the so-called Psychopathy Checklist which is used to diagnose cases of psychopathy. (Personality "Aggressive narcissism": glibness/superficial charm : grandiose sense of self-worth : pathological lying : cunning/manipulative : lack of remorse or guilt : shallow affect (genuine emotion is short-lived and egocentric : callousness; lack of empathy : failure to accept responsibility for own actions. Case history "Socially deviant lifestyle": need for stimulations/proneness to boredom : parasitic lifestyle : poor behavioral control : lack of realistic long-term goals : impulsivity : irresponsibility : juvenile delinquency : early behavior problems : revocation of conditional release. Traits not correlated with either factor: promiscuous sexual behavior: many short-term marital relationships : criminal versatility : acquired behavioral sociopathy/sociological conditioning (item 21: a newly identified trait I.e. a person relying on sociological strategies and tricks to deceive)). This list is of course discussed in the book. The chapter I found the most interesting was the one where Hare discussed the language of psychopaths, and their hand gestures. (I admit I was so fascinated by some of the things in this book that I started taking notes). Lying is easy for psychopaths, but they still make mistakes, are inconsistent and contradictory in their stories. The reason why some people do not notice these things is because psychopaths can be very charming and persuasive, and the way they tell a story is sometimes so convincing that the actual mistakes they make are not noticed. Psychopaths can also have problems with phrases and they can coin words in weird ways themselves. Here's Clifford Olson (a Canadian serial killer), talking with a journalist. It's not a straight quote because I have a Finnish copy. It's not for people who are easily disturbed, so consider yourself warned. <p>CO: "And then I had annual sex with her."<br></p><p>j: "You mean, once a year?"<br></p><p>CO: "No. Annual. From behind. "<br></p><p>j: "Okay... But she was dead, right?"<br></p><p>CO: "No, no. She was only unconscientious" [he must've meant unconscious]. <br></p><p><br></p><p>CO: "I would have had antidotes [anecdotes] to fill five or six books, enough for a whole trilogy. "<br></p><p><br></p><p>CO had also decided that he would not be made an 'escape goat', no matter what kind of 'migrating facts' might come up. </p> Of course normal people alco make mistakes in their speech, but psychopaths make more of them, more frequently, and they are a lot worse mistakes. Psychopaths are also unable to understand or grasp the meaning of emotional words. For example the word 'death' will likely have negative connotations for a normal people, but to a psychopath it's just a word, like 'paper', 'tree' etc. This has been proven in laboratory tests. Normal people as well as psychopaths were put to look at a screen where words would come up quickly, and then they had to click on a button as soon as they realised the word is an actual word in the dictionary. Normal people will very likely react to emonational words like 'death' more quickly than neutral words like 'paper. However, psychopath took as long with the emotional words as with the neutral words. They had also attached the tested people on an EEG machine, which recorded the eletrical activities of their brain. The records showed that the brain of a psychopath reacted to emotional words in the same way as to the neutral words, whereas the brain wave of a normal person changed a lot more drastically with the emotional words. Psychopaths talk in a weird manner, and they have a tendency to go off-topic. They often change the subject and they have a hard time with phrases and putting clauses in the right order. They don't answer questions made to them and it might sometimes seem they don't even under the questions. There was a lot more to the book, but I think that was enough to give you a taste of what the book is like. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in psychology and criminal psychology in particular! 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 (edited) It would be very interesting to see how many people used to have no wishlists before joining, and how many books they have accumulated on their wishlist since joining the forum. It's might be a pretty scary thread *Raises hand* It's funny though, as I am a big fan of lists. I was taught to do them at a young age because I was born with short term verbal memory loss. A reaction from a drug they gave my mother during labour turned me blue, and they think that's what caused it. But since starting at this forum, I have started writing lists on my iPad, and I have six all up! They are: Books to Check Out - ones I need to read up on more before they go to... Books to Buy - just what it says, books that I would love to own. Series to Check Out - I write the author, name of series, and all the books in said series. Authors to Check Out - mainly ones recommended to me by people on here and about. Books for Library - books that I am not sure I would like to buy, or be interested in completely go here. and lastly Books for Gifts - this one is mainly for my bf, he asked me to give him a list of books so that he may surprise me with them as gifts for special occasions I think he regrets that now though! Which reminds me, I should really update the one on here *adds Without Conscience to wishlist* Edited May 15, 2012 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Three different posts? Wow you are a dedicated collecter It's a good idea though, the more I'm trying to organize my books, the more I've started to think I should have two different posts for fiction and non-fiction. But there are too many sub-genres in non-fiction. For example, I've started a sub-section for (auto)biographies, but it's problematic when I want to keep all books/authors/libraries-related stuff in one place. So I'll have biogs in two different place. And I want to keep my true crime books in one place, but then I want to put all my Australia-related books in one place. It's just too much to handle and I never should've started re-organizing It would be very interesting to see how many people used to have no wishlists before joining, and how many books they have accumulated on their wishlist since joining the forum. It's might be a pretty scary thread Yep three different posts, but they are sorted by year added, got a bit of a thing for reading things in order, didnt know if anyone had noticed I'd love to be able to organise them by genre, but sorting them would be a nightmare, what if a book wanted to go in two different categories? Good luck with your re-organising, I do think you have more books than me so it could take a bit of time hehe I always wonder how much reading bookish people could do if they werent always sorting them into lists? I know my reading time would go up a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 It's funny though, as I am a big fan of lists. I was taught to do them at a young age because I was born with short term verbal memory loss. A reaction from a drug they gave my mother during labour turned me blue, and they think that's what caused it. What a scary story, I'm glad everything turned out fine in the end, apart from the short term verbal memory loss thing. I expect the lists helped you with that? There are a few list fans here but I expect they came to the hobby on their own, and not because of a need. Books to Check Out - ones I need to read up on more before they go to...Books to Buy - just what it says, books that I would love to own. Series to Check Out - I write the author, name of series, and all the books in said series. Authors to Check Out - mainly ones recommended to me by people on here and about. Books for Library - books that I am not sure I would like to buy, or be interested in completely go here. Books for Gifts - this one is mainly for my bf, he asked me to give him a list of books so that he may surprise me with them as gifts for special occasions I think he regrets that now though! Wow I love the way you think! Could I 'borrow' one or two of those lists to my own use? I think I could definitely use a Books for Library -list and maybe Check Out -list. I was just going through my wishlist yesterday, seeing which books are available at the library. I'd save some money if I didn't but all of my wishlist books! And like you, there are some titles there on the wishlist that I might not want to buy, I'd like to borrow and read for free, as they are ones I'm not sure I'll really like, but would like to try out. The last list is the best, though, by far That is so sweet of your BF! He's a keeper Hehe, I hope you enjoy Without Conscience when you get to it. Ivan Milat was also featured in the book, in brief, and hm, maybe some other Aussie. Yep three different posts, but they are sorted by year added, got a bit of a thing for reading things in order, didnt know if anyone had noticed Are you always going for the oldest book in the list? If so, that's shows a lot of willpower! I'd love to be able to organise them by genre, but sorting them would be a nightmare, what if a book wanted to go in two different categories? Good luck with your re-organising, I do think you have more books than me so it could take a bit of time hehe It really IS and WAS a nightmare I had to be really strict sometimes, but sometimes I would just give in to the book's wishes and place it on a couple of different sections. I always wonder how much reading bookish people could do if they werent always sorting them into lists? I know my reading time would go up a lot That is another great question, one that I don't think everyone here is really up for investigating An hour on the forum goes by so quickly, without noticing. Maybe one should always set a timer on, when logging in. Or what do you call those things that takes the time in which you complete a task. Then one could read for an hour and see how many pages one manages. And the a bit of calculation... Maybe we are not ready for this. Think if everyone started abhorring being on the forum because it seriously cuts down on their reading time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) Wow I love the way you think! Could I 'borrow' one or two of those lists to my own use? I think I could definitely use a Books for Library -list and maybe Check Out -list. I was just going through my wishlist yesterday, seeing which books are available at the library. I'd save some money if I didn't but all of my wishlist books! And like you, there are some titles there on the wishlist that I might not want to buy, I'd like to borrow and read for free, as they are ones I'm not sure I'll really like, but would like to try out. The last list is the best, though, by far That is so sweet of your BF! He's a keeper Go right ahead! it's nice to know my list ideas are being used by others I often get the BCF books from the library because I am never sure if I will like what's picked. Then there are the ones that have roughly even good and bad comments/reviews. The authors list ends up being a library job too, I get one or two books and decide if there are any other books of theirs that I would like to check out. They then go onto my books list, so my lists are ever changing. Which is probably why I am so behind on keeping the list on here updated. Edited May 16, 2012 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Good system Devi. I like how organised you are with your lists too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) I'm a big fan of lists as well, and while I have a small wishlist that I carry around with me all the time (just in case I pass a book shop ), I tend to just concentrate on the books I have that are TBR. Because I have so many things to juggle in life that are not reading related as well as the way my brain works, it helps if I have one less thing to keep track of and maintain. You might think a list would help me get organized, but knowing me I'd constantly be checking it and going through the forum, wanting to write everything down, etc. I guess I just figure that these books that others are reading will always be here, on the forum, and I can just come online when I want ideas for new reads . Edited May 16, 2012 by Peacefield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Are you always going for the oldest book in the list? If so, that's shows a lot of willpower! Yep thats what I'm doing at the minute, unless a book comes up for a reading circle or challenge. Or if I'm reading a series and I want the next book I'll buy that, but it will go to the bottom of my TBR. Yes I am VERY strange It really IS and WAS a nightmare I had to be really strict sometimes, but sometimes I would just give in to the book's wishes and place it on a couple of different sections. I don't envy that at all, think it would take me forever to get through all my books, you should hire yourself out as a professional book sorter outer That is another great question, one that I don't think everyone here is really up for investigating An hour on the forum goes by so quickly, without noticing. Maybe one should always set a timer on, when logging in. Or what do you call those things that takes the time in which you complete a task. Then one could read for an hour and see how many pages one manages. And the a bit of calculation... Maybe we are not ready for this. Think if everyone started abhorring being on the forum because it seriously cuts down on their reading time! hehe maybe not such a good idea after all, I wish I could pause time or something and read all I wanted then and have lots of forum time too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 Go right ahead! it's nice to know my list ideas are being used by others Thanks! I'm finally happy with how my wishlist (the new, organized one) looks at the moment, so I'll think I'll keep it like that for a week and then start the new organizing. I think I need a wee bit of break from that I often get the BCF books from the library because I am never sure if I will like what's picked. Then there are the ones that have roughly even good and bad comments/reviews. The authors list ends up being a library job too, I get one or two books and decide if there are any other books of theirs that I would like to check out. They then go onto my books list, so my lists are ever changing. Which is probably why I am so behind on keeping the list on here updated. To me it makes absolute sense to borrow books from the library to see if you like them. I'm sadly just such a bookhoarder that I haven't been able to satisfy all my curiosities with the library selection But I've been really good this year, I've acquired less than 50 books, which is an awful low number when comparing the stats of 2011, for example. But there are of course books on the wishlist I know I simply have to buy because I know I will love them (or at least, will very, very, very likely love), and that I'll want to own. Those are mostly biographies, letters, memoirs, journals and books about books And non-fiction in general. I'm curious to see which authors you want to check out in the future, I'll have to go and investigate your reading log after posting this Oh, and btw, Devi, if you have any great Australian book recommendations, I'd love to hear about them! I'm a big fan of lists as well, and while I have a small wishlist that I carry around with me all the time (just in case I pass a book shop), I tend to just concentrate on the books I have that are TBR. Because I have so many things to juggle in life that are not reading related as well as the way my brain works, it helps if I have one less thing to keep track of and maintain. You might think a list would help me get organized, but knowing me I'd constantly be checking it and going through the forum, wanting to write everything down, etc. Yeah, a list feel a bit restricting and something which one would need to consult all the time, if one starts to take it 'too seriously'. I know I'm very anal (excuse my French!) about my wishlist, I want to keep it nice and tidy, and I usually buy books off the list, but I can also buy outside it. And eventhough I don't remember all the titles of it when I'm at a bookstore, I can definitely remember if a certain book at the bookstore is on the list. It'll ring bells. Thus I don't need to carry the list with me. Only a list where I've scribbled down some of the books I already have on TBR so I wouldn't buy another copy by accident. If I lost that list, I'd be screwed I guess I just figure that these books that others are reading will always be here, on the forum, and I can just come online when I want ideas for new reads. Yep, it's not like it's all going to disappear over night And the people on here never run out of ideas with books to recommend, that is for sure! Yep thats what I'm doing at the minute, unless a book comes up for a reading circle or challenge. Or if I'm reading a series and I want the next book I'll buy that, but it will go to the bottom of my TBR. Yes I am VERY strange Wow, I could never do that! Don't you ever get tempted to just pick up the book you've just bought and start reading it? I don't envy that at all, think it would take me forever to get through all my books, you should hire yourself out as a professional book sorter outer I would if I could However I'm afraid not that many people are hiring for that these days... *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Good system Devi. I like how organised you are with your lists too. Thanks VF! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Thanks! I'm To me it makes absolute sense to borrow books from the library to see if you like them. I'm sadly just such a bookhoarder that I haven't been able to satisfy all my curiosities with the library selection But I've been really good this year, I've acquired less than 50 books, which is an awful low number when comparing the stats of 2011, for example. But there are of course books on the wishlist I know I simply have to buy because I know I will love them (or at least, will very, very, very likely love), and that I'll want to own. Those are mostly biographies, letters, memoirs, journals and books about books And non-fiction in general. I'm curious to see which authors you want to check out in the future, I'll have to go and investigate your reading log after posting this Oh, and btw, Devi, if you have any great Australian book recommendations, I'd love to hear about them! My library is ok, it tends to have little to no books that ever interest me. Most times I have to place a hold on books that I want to read, and these can take awhile to come in. Ours is a small country library so we don't get to see a lot of new books (unless they are placed on hold). Thats why I end up buying a lot of books, but I do do a lot of research and generally feel satisfied with my purchase after I have read it. Don't read my author list yet! I need to update it In fact I will try and update all my lists once I get back from food shopping. Does it matter what genre it is when it comes to Australian authors? I have a couple in mind, one is a YA series and the other is an autobiography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 18, 2012 Author Share Posted May 18, 2012 My library is ok, it tends to have little to no books that ever interest me. Most times I have to place a hold on books that I want to read, and these can take awhile to come in. Ours is a small country library so we don't get to see a lot of new books (unless they are placed on hold). Ah yes, I didn't stop to consider that different libraries have very different selections. I guess I've been really lucky, because the library in my hometown where I grew up was (and is) a really great one for such a small town, and they still have new titles coming in all the time and whenever I visit it I'm astounded how updated it all feels. And the town I now live in is a university town with a lot of inhabitants (on the Finnish scale) so the library has to be decent. Thats why I end up buying a lot of books, but I do do a lot of research and generally feel satisfied with my purchase after I have read it. In a way, it's sort of nice, too, that your library doesn't have the most interesting collection in your opinion, because then you get to buy books, you have a great excuse for it At least if you are a confessed book hoarder and love being one. If not, then it must suck Don't read my author list yet! I need to update it In fact I will try and update all my lists once I get back from food shopping. Sorry, I already looked I promise I will erase all memories of it and take another 'first look' later on Does it matter what genre it is when it comes to Australian authors? I have a couple in mind, one is a YA series and the other is an autobiography. I'm open for all genres, sci-fi and fantasy aren't my strongest points but let's not mind that. I like YA and I'm a big fan of autobios. I actually have one biography of an Australian author, I wonder if you've heard of her? Her name was Eve Langley and she lived in Katoomba, in NSW. She did change her name to Oscar Wilde, though. I haven't read the book yet, but what I've gathered is that she was something else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 I don't think I've ever done this before, but there's always a first. I simply cannot wait til I've finished the book to write some thoughts down. Half-time review of The Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry Blurb: Ted Wallace is an old, sour, womanising, cantankerous, whisky-sodden beast of a failed poet and drama critic, but he has his faults too. Fired from his newspaper, months behind on his alimony payments and disgusted with a world that undervalues him, Ted seeks a few months repose and free drink at Swafford Hall, the country mansion of his old friend Lord Logan. But strange things have been going on at Swafford. Miracles. Healings. Phenonmena beyond the comprehension of a mud-caked hippopotamus like Ted... 'Fresh, filthy, funny and fizzing with ideas.' Ned Sherrin, Evening Standard 'My goodness what fruity language Fry uses! You can feel his enjoyment, and also the huge force of his desire to please you, as you read this.' William Leith, Mail on Sunday 'One of the funniest people writing on either side of the Atlantic... like a combination of Evelyn Waugh and Kingsley Amis but funnier than either.' Publishers Weekly So. I bought this book in 2007. Because it's written by Fry. I had had no idea he'd written any novels, or any other sorts of books for that matter, and I was delighted to find a copy! I started reading a book later that same year but I couldn't get into it at all. I tried one more time, a little later on, but found it impossible to continue reading it. It just didn't grab me. My then BF wanted to borrow the copy, read it and really enjoyed it. But I had my disappointments with the beginning of the novel all too clearly on my mind and I didn't want to pick it up. I didn't want anything to do with it actually, and almost got rid of it on a few occasions. It became a bit of a joke between my ex and I: whenever I couldn't decide what to read next, he would always say 'Well how about The Hippopotamus?'. And I'd snarl. I picked up the book this week, on a whim. This time it stuck. We meet Ted Wallace at a bar, and we find out why the blurb describes him as 'old, sour, womanising, cantankerous, whisky-sodden beast of a failed poet and drama critic'. And we don't necessarily disagree with the portrayal. We also meet Jane, Ted's goddaughter, who has news for Ted and who sends him on a puzzling quest. It is all enough to keep me interested. At Swafford we finally learn the reasons behind the quest, and I have to say, I was beginning to expect to have infront of me a very different kind of novel by Fry than I had anticipated. It wasn't a disappointing feeling per se, just an odd one, and I was kind of expecting to have to take my hat off to him, in being able to deliver to the reader something very unlike him. I even went as far as being reminded of The Bell by Iris Murdoch. Last night in bed I was continuing to read the novel, thinking I might be able to do another 20 pages or so before I would fall asleep. I was cuddling my Kelpie pal Donnie and all was right in the world. And then. It started off as another quirky but surely admirable, adorably anarchistic adventure with David. Something like jamming the ignition of all the cars in the vicinity, placing innocent, beautiful sunflowers in the exhaust pipe. Oh dear me. The boy went into the stable and got all naked. At this point, I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. Surely he didn't need to remove his clothes if all he needed was to talk to the animal and perhaps pat the creature on the head? And now David, why do you need to be at the rear. What's with the stool? If you feel you need to mount the horse, it's best done from the side. No, no no. Vaseline. No! Surely... NOOOOOOOOOOO! Ew ew ewwwwww. I had to stop reading for a second. But I knew. This is Fry. He blindfolded me so meticulously, right from the start. Needless to say, I now realise what David must've done to make Jane go into remission. I just hope there aren't any more sickly animals to learn about!! I give you one brilliant quote: "Oh, yes, the poor poet: pity the poor bloody poet. The poet has no reserved materials, no unique modes. He has nothing but words, the same tools that the whole cursed world uses to ask the way to the nearest lavatory, or with which they patter out excuses for the clumsy betrayals and shiftless evasions of their ordinary lives; the poet has nothing but the same, self-same, words that daily in a million shapes and phrases curse, pray, abuse, flatter and mislead. The poor bloody poet can no longer say 'ope' for 'open', or 'swain' for 'youth', he is expected to construct new poems out of the plastic and Styrofoam garbage that litters the twentieth-century linguistic floor, to make fresh art from the used verbal condoms of social intercourse. Is it any wonder that, from time to time, we take refuge in 'gellies' and 'ataractic' and 'watchet'? Innocent words, virgin words, words uncontaminated and unviolated, the very mastery of which announces us to possess a relationship with language akin to that of the sculptor with his marble or the composer with his staves. Not that anyone is ever impressed, of course. They only moan about the 'impenetrability' or congratulate themselves for being hep to the ellipsis, opacity and allusion that they believe deepens and enriches the work. It's a 'person of dubious parentage' profession, believe me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Great halftime review frankie .. love that passage you quoted .. it's just so Fry isn't it? The book is a bit of a shocker .. I remember nearly falling off my chair I was so startled .. not to say revolted .. I was so far out of my comfort zone I had to get a bus back and you just think then, well! .. anything can happen now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 Thanks poppyshake It's so definitely Fry, I knew I couldn't get away with the review without quoting that part Anything can happen now, yes. But oddly, Fry pulled back (no nasty puns intended!) and then moved on to tell a touching story of the Bienenstocks and how Lord Logan was established as the person he is now. So now I'm thinking, anything can really happen. I'll expect UFOs. Maybe in the style of a play. You know, with act I, II and III. And a pop-up book in the end. A tiny, very slim one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Oh my god we have to do half-time reviews now? Why don't we just go and devote the last half hour hour of every day to review what we have read so far in the last 24 hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 Oh my god we have to do half-time reviews now? Why don't we just go and devote the last half hour hour of every day to review what we have read so far in the last 24 hours Um... What an odd comment, vodkafan. I might be missing the humour? I've read the message five times and it still just sounds odd. It almost sounds like in your opinion I write too much and too often? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Oh no really I was just kidding Frankie. I apologise. I have probably had a sense of humour failure I can't judge what's funny I should have been in bed hours ago. You know I like reading your stuff. Actually the review was interesting. It must have really took a turn to grab you like that. That's what I was thinking. It just came out all wrong. I bet you are are going to order me to bed now ..can I read for 5 minutes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 Apology accepted and thank you for the flowers And yes you ought to go to bed straight away, no reading allowed! 'Tomorrow' is another day to play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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