Kylie
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An update to my Classics Challenge:
August has mostly been a good month for reading; I've been reading classics all month long so I've gotten a few out of the way (see earlier post for my ratings).
For starters, I finished One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I read Carmilla by J Sheridan Le Fanu for the Comparative Reading Circle before moving on to Peter Pan by JM Barrie, which I read after giving up on the audio version.
Then came Anne Of Green Gables by LM Montgomery, which I read for the August Reading Circle and thoroughly enjoyed; I will definitely be reading more of the Anne... series in the future.
Things took a slight turn for the worse with Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence, which I was catching up on for the July Reading Circle, before decidedly picking up again when I read Diary Of A Nobody by George Grossmith .
I'm hoping my luck will hold out as I am now reading The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. I believe this has received high praise on BCF by other members, and as I've already read and loved The Day Of The Triffids, I'm sure I'll enjoy this one too.
With the exception of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, all books I've read so far have been ebooks on my iPod, so it's a nice change to be holding a solid book (The Midwich Cuckoos) in my hands again.
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Diary Of A Nobody
George Grossmith (ebook on iPod)
Rating: 9/10
Published: 1892
Number of pages: 174
ISBN: 0792833278
Summary (taken from amazon.com):
'Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see - because I do not happen to be a `Somebody' - why my diary should not be interesting.' The Diary of a Nobody created a cultural icon, an English archetype. Anxious, accident-prone, occasionally waspish, Charles Pooter has come to be seen as the epitome of English suburban life. His diary chronicles encounters with difficult tradesmen, the delights of home improvements, small parties, minor embarrassments, and problems with his troublesome son. The suburban world he inhabits is hilariously and painfully familiar in its small-mindedness and its essential decency.
Comments:
This is an excellent, light and amusing read. I wouldn't say it's laugh-out-loud funny, but it certainly had me smiling a lot, which is quite a feat.
Charles Pooter is a loveable and slightly old-fashioned, bumbling character, whose diary chronicles his life over the period of a year or so. He's a middle-class man who enjoys a pun (while the puns themselves are not uproariously funny, his reactions and elatedness at thinking them up are pretty amusing).
He (usually) enjoys the company of his friends, Gowing and Cummings (the objects of one of the best puns in the story), but is sometimes indignant at their behaviour, as well as at the behaviour of certain other characters and visitors to the household.
Even the short summaries of the diary entries at the beginning of each chapter are entertaining: 'Make the acquaintance of a Mr Padge. Don't care for him. Mr Burwin-Fosselton becomes a nuisance.'
This is such a good read, and one that I think I'll re-read quite often. I was originally going to give this a rating of 8 but it crept up to 9 while I was writing this review and remembering how thoroughly enjoyable it was. Very highly recommended!
Started: 21 August 2007
Finished: 21 August 2007
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I noticed that - it seems to be most often when someone's having a bit of an inner dialogue - almost like the character is talking to themselves. It feels like they're reassuring themselves that something is so. Surprisingly, I quite like this tactic on this occasion - usually it would drive me round the twist!
I didn't mind the repetitiveness on these occasions for the exact reason that you mention, Kell.
I didn't particularly enjoy this book overall. I've put a more lengthy review on my reading blog, but my points there are mostly summarised in the questions below.
1. Who was your favourite character and why?
Mellors. He was the only one I could begin to comprehend. He was basically a decent, simple guy (and too good for the likes of Connie!).
2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?
I disliked all the rambling dialogue and thoughts of the pompous 'intellectuals'. The scenes with Connie and Mellors were OK (that would be all their scenes, not just the raunchy ones!) :eek2:
3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
First book by DH Lawrence. I have Sons and Lovers on my TBR pile and I'm hoping I enjoy it more than Lady Chatterley's Lover!
4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
See the first sentence of Q2
It wasn't the ideas I struggled with, just the long-winded way in which they were written.5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Not particularly! But I'm glad I read it anyway because it's an important book in the history of literature, and now I understand why a bit better.
6. Was this a good Reading Circle choice?
Yes, I think so. It's interesting to see how almost everyone else loved this book and I didn't
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Lady Chatterley's Lover
DH Lawrence (ebook on iPod)
Rating: 5/10
Published: 1928
Number of pages: 400
ISBN: 0143039617
Summary (taken from Kell's Reading Circle blurb):
Constance Chatterley feels trapped in her sexless marriage to the invalid Sir Clifford. Unable to fulfill his wife emotionally or physically, Clifford encourages her to have a liaison with a man of their own class. But Connie is attracted instead to her husband's gamekeeper and embarks on a passionate affair that brings new life to her stifled existence. Can she find a true equality with Mellors, despite the vast gulf between their positions in society? One of the most controversial novels in English literature, Lady Chatterley's Lover is an erotically charged and psychologically powerful depiction of adult relationships.
Comments:
I was a bit disappointed in this book for a few reasons. The first being that I never really got a clear picture of any of the characters. It was probably just me, but I felt there were contradictions all over the place when they were being described (and it was throughout the whole book, not just the beginning). One moment Clifford seemed to be strong and the next moment weak (physically, not mentally). If the physical description of him was supposed to be symbolic of his mental strength, I didn't find it to be very effective. I couldn't like Connie at all; Mellors was perhaps the only character I had any real understanding and liking of.
I also found the text a bit too repetitive for my liking. I'm not referring to the parts where a single phrase or word was repeated - I could handle that. My problem was where whole ideas were repeated and ruminated over ad nauseum. I like a bit of deep conversation in a book, particularly when it concerns the state of humanity, but the long passages of dialogue and thoughts bored me to tears in this book.
The beginning was very drawn out and not particularly interesting, however, it seemed to pick up a little around the time that Connie and Mellors were first meeting, before becoming boring again. It then seemed to be in a big damn hurry to finish.
There were a couple of redeeming points: the descriptions of the woods were nice, although it would have helped the ol' imagination if I'd actually heard of any of those particular plants before! I mostly enjoyed the scenes between Connie and Mellors (not just the sex scenes!), except when Connie was being clingy and demanding over and over that Mellors tell her they'd be together and that he loved her.
At least the ending was somewhat of a surprise to me. I've seen a movie adaptation of this and I'm sure it ended differently (
Connie staying with Clifford while Mellors went to work at the pits)
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I'm glad I read the book, if only so I can better understand its importance in the history of literature, but I'll not be reading it again.
Started: 13 August 2007
Finished: 20 August 2007
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Before I joined here I never really looked twice at modern fiction; not because I wasn't interested - just too busy reading classics.
Now I've been inspired to try authors that I would never have looked at before, such as:
Margaret Atwood
Michael Chabon
Wilkie Collins
Mark Haddon
Daphne du Maurier
David Mitchell
Maggie O'Farrell
Of all the authors listed above, I've still only read Atwood, but I at least have the others sitting on my shelves and will be diving into them sooner rather than later.
I've also found BCF handy because I'm 'pushed' along to read certain books. For example, I had Lady Chatterley's Lover on my TBR pile and wanted to read it but because it wasn't high up the list, realistically I knew it would be years before I got to it. When it was chosen for the reading circle, I got the nudge I needed to pick it up.
Also through the reading circle, I got to read Carmilla (which I'd never heard of, but loved), Black Beauty (which I didn't love, but at least I've read it and I don't regret it), and Anne of Green Gables (which I loved and will be reading the rest of the series as a result).
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My first thought was that I had ruptured an artery, and was bleeding to death, and should be discovered, later on, looking like a second Marat, as I remember seeing him in Madame Tussaud
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According to my notes, I have 233 books TBR. This covers almost my entire book collection (I suspect the actual total would be around 245, but then you can't really count the reference books so it'd still be around 233).
This also doesn't include ebooks, which I reckon would push the total up to around 400-500.
As happy as I am to have so many books to look forward to, I sometimes get a bit daunted ('when will I ever get to read them all?!!') and wish my TBR pile was around 60 or something. :eek2:
I'm so nice knowing that there are other people like me out there
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I was hooked on Jane Austen after reading Pride and Prejudice. I got Emma and a new copy of Pride and Prejudice (the original was second-hand and fell apart when I read it) for Christmas last year and I went and bought the rest of her books.
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However, I've also found that he repeats himself quite a bit, especially in a descriptive paragraph. Has anyone else noticed this?
I started reading this book recently and have had a bit of trouble getting into it (may be due in part to tiredness so I've been reading only a little at a time before I get sleepy).
I've also found it repetitive in parts and some of the lengthy dialogue and rambling thoughts have bored me a little, but I'm persevering and starting to enjoy it more (Connie has started wandering in the woods and has found the hut).
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Just as I was leaving for work today, I took delivery of a book I won on eBay:
Margaret Atwood: Alias Grace
I was a bit worried about what condition the book would be in because there was no photo and it was described as 'good', so I was pleasantly surprised to find the book in almost brand-new condition! I only had a quick glance through (enough to note that it's quite lengthy!) before I had to leave for work.
Looking forward to reading it after the reviews on here, although I probably won't get to it for a little while yet.
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I'm so glad you enjoyed To Kill A Mockingbird Liz. This is one of my absolute favourite books. If you haven't already seen the 1962 movie with Gregory Peck, I would highly recommend it. It's about as faithful an adaptation of a book as you'll see anywhere.
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Three months ago I'd read 28 books, with 32 on my shelf to be read and a further 97 that I want to read.
As of today, I've read 35, with 56 on my shelf to be read (looks like I've been buying a lot of books!) and a further 130 that I would like to read.
Do you intend on completing the whole list one day Kell? I don't have any particular target in mind, although those figures above seem to add up to around 20%, and I'd be happy with that as a goal
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Ah, yes, there they are:
#6 Of Mice and Men
#7 Harry Potter series
I haven't heard of most of the books on that list. I hate to see To Kill A Mockingbird being banned/challenged. I think this is such an important book because of the way it portrays the injustices suffered at the time. Maybe it was banned because it was too sympathetic towards them.
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Her Noddy books were supposed to portray homosexuality (Big Ears and Noddy shared a bed sometimes) and they were supposed to be racist because of the Golliwogs.
I used to have a lot of Noddy books and loved them. I don't even remember them sleeping in the same bed!
We used to have biscuits here called Golliwogs. They were sold like that for many years until they were pulled from the shelves for obvious reasons. They eventually came out again, looking exactly the same but, needless to say, they're not called Golliwogs anymore! (They're called Scalliwags.)
I'm actually surprised there aren't many more books on the list - I know the Harry Potter books have caused quite a controversy, for one thing. And Of Mice and Men is also missing.
You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.-Ray Bradbury
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I finished reading Anne of Green Gables a few days ago, and I'm going to cheat and copy part of my post verbatim from my reading list:
I found Anne to be a simply enchanting character, and wise beyond her years. I love her way of looking at things, and the pleasure that she takes in everyday things that other people would take for granted. I especially like that she didn't lose that aspect of herself when certain events took place.
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Anne Of Green Gables
LM Montgomery (ebook on iPod)
Rating: 8/10
Published: 1908
Number of pages: 320
ISBN: 0451528824
Summary (taken from librarything.com):
Anne, a mischievous, red-haired, eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.
Comments:
I once saw a mini-series of Anne... but didn't remember much of what it was about, which was good because it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book.
I found Anne to be a simply enchanting character, and wise beyond her years. I love her way of looking at things, and the pleasure that she takes in everyday things that other people would take for granted. I especially like that she didn't lose that aspect of herself whenever bad things happened.
I'll definitely be reading the following novels (and re-watching the mini-series). I can't wait to see what Anne gets up to next!
Started: 8 August 2007
Finished: 10 August 2007
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The classic vampire reading did inspire me to look up the vampire myth on wikipedia.
I did the exact same thing
I also looked up vampire literature because I'm interested in reading more, particularly other stuff written around the same time as Dracula and Carmilla. -
Peter Pan
JM Barrie (ebook on iPod)
Rating: 8/10
Published: 1911
Number of pages: 230
ISBN: 1566197139
Summary (taken from wikipedia):
It is a story of a mischievous little boy who won't grow up. Peter Pan, a fierce swordfighter, spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the island of Neverland as leader of the Lost Boys. The story features some fantastical elements, one of them being that Peter has the ability to fly, and his friends include a fairy named Tinker Bell. In addition, a crocodile that has swallowed a ticking clock stalks the pirate leader, Captain Hook, Peter's nemesis.
Comments:
This is an utterly magical tale of young boy without a mother who is the leader of the lost boys and lives in Neverland. He convinces three children to fly from their nursery and join him so that the girl, Wendy, can be mother to the lost boys.
Putting aside the sexism, which I guess I have to make allowances for seeing the time it was written, (Wendy does nothing but cook, clean and sew), it's a very enjoyable and imaginative romp. There are a lot of little touches that I loved, such as Mrs Darling tidying up her children's minds, and Peter losing his shadow.
All I knew of Peter Pan before I read the book was what I'd seen in a movie called Hook. I had no idea Peter was so arrogant or violent (all those little kids murdering people!) and I was expecting Tinkerbell to be a sweet little thing. Some rude shocks there! Highly enjoyable and recommended. Now to watch the Disney version.
Started: 7 August 2007
Finished: 8 August 2007
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Carmilla
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (ebook on iPod)
Rating: 8/10
Published: 1872
Number of pages: 152
ISBN: 1587155958
Summary (taken from Amazon.com):
A chilling tale of the un-dead, Carmilla is a beautifully written example of the gothic genre. The story takes the reader into the dark, mysterious world of a girl and her family tormented by visitations and nightmares. While the continual reoccurrence of a beautiful woman, unknown, yet familiar, meanders through the lives of the characters, to the very heart of the story, the precise use of language emphasises and heightens the images that the book presents and sends the reader spiralling towards its bloody conclusion. Said to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's gothic masterpiece 'Dracula', Carmilla stands out as a classic horror masterpiece.
Comments:
I thought this was a wonderful book and can easily see why it was the inspiration for Dracula. It's beautifully written and the descriptions of the 'schloss' and the surrounding countryside are simply mouth-watering. Having said that, I did struggle a little with the style of writing at times - I like to be challenged though!
It was always going to be interesting to read this book because Dracula became an immediate favourite of mine the first time I read it. This one stood up well, although it was perhaps lacking in some respects; because it is so much shorter than Dracula, I feel that the story and characters weren't developed as fully and I was left with some unanswered questions at the end.
One thing that surprised me a little was the graphic nature of Laura and Carmilla's relationship - I didn't expect the writing to be so risque coming from that time period! I think in this respect Carmilla was more graphic than Dracula.
I would highly recommend reading Carmilla, particularly if you have read and liked Dracula. The differences and similarities are interesting to note.
Started: 4 August 2007
Finished: 6 August 2007
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I love Scrubs, although there are only repeats on at the moment. I also love That 70s Show; I know it's been cancelled but we're still a couple of series behind. The only other show I bother to keep up with is House, which is brilliant.
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I saw these in a Borders store recently. I was drawn to them in the shop because they were shrink-wrapped and had white covers and a sticker. I think it's an interesting idea but I would never buy one myself. I'm not very artistic and I would never be happy with my work so I'd be afraid to look at it afterwards
And what if you made a mistake that couldn't be rectified?! It would be ruined!Ooh, just saw Alice in Wonderland. If I was going to have a go at any of them, Alice would be it. There's so much you could do with that one.
Would you buy one Liz? If so, which would you choose?
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This is a subject that really interests me - what novels did you read that sparked your research off, Kylie? I want to read more fiction set in Australia, so I'd be grateful for any tips!
There's a great Australian classic called For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke. It's a brilliant book and really sad. It's out of copyright so can be downloaded here, although it's a fairly long read. There are a lot of historical writings on that page that might interest you.
There's also another one I loved called The Men that God Forgot by Richard Butler. An intriguing point to note is that both books are based, in certain parts, on actual events, and the content overlaps just a little in the books (it's interesting to see the differences in the minute details).
I think they're really the only two fiction books I've read regarding the early settlers. Since then I've read two non-fiction books consisting of diary entries and letters from a variety of people; I reviewed both on my reading thread (posts #14 and #16). I also have a non-fiction work called The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes on my TBR pile, which is supposed to be really good (although it's very lengthy!)
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I've finished Carmilla, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Not as much as Dracula, but still very much; they're both beautifully written. Thanks for introducing me to Carmilla Kell!
I'll have a go at answering these questions. I tried not to read your responses first, Kell, so I wouldn't be too influenced by them. (Don't expect my answers to be as eloquent as Kell's though!)
How do the portrayals of vampires in the two novels hold up to one another? In your opinion, is one character more strongly/weakly written, and in what ways?
From what I recall of Dracula, I think the Count was more repulsive to Jonathan Harker than Carmilla was to Laura. I think Harker was wary from the beginning whereas Laura was too innocent or naive to notice anything. This made the character of Carmilla far less scary and threatening.
I noticed some similarities in the
methods used to dispose of vampires, but also a couple of subtle differences, for example, in Dracula I believe the corpse reduced to ashes by itself, whereas in Carmilla the head had to be burnt and the ashes disposed of. Also, when the coffin was opened in Carmilla, the body was laying in several inches of blood.
How do the styles of prose compare? Are there major similarities/differences in the way the stories are told?
I think Kell has already pointed out that both stories are told in the first person. Dracula is told through letters and diaries by multiple characters and Carmilla is told by Laura, around 8 years after the events took place. And of course both vampires have nobility behind them: Dracula is a Count and Carmilla is a Countess.
Both stories are beautifully written and set in Gothic castles in remote countries. I particularly loved the descriptions throughout Carmilla - how I would love to visit/live in a place like that described in the book (without the vampires, of course). I'd love to see a faithful movie adaption of Carmilla.
Did you enjoy one novel more than the other? Which was it and why? Was there a particular part of either one that really stood out for you? Were there any parts you struggled with and why?
I enjoyed Dracula more. Being a much longer book, the characters and story were able to be developed more fully. I had a couple of unanswered questions at the end of Carmilla, such as
Who exactly were all the people who accompanied Carmilla at the beginning? Were they members of the Karnstein family? Were they vampires too? Where did they go hurrying off to all the time?
I was also puzzled by a couple of reactions to events that took place in the chapel.
Laura noticed the similarities between her story and that of the General's daughter but didn't seem to piece it together. Why was she relieved when Carmilla turned up? Surely she must have known by then what she was! And why didn't her father react when the General tried to attack Carmilla with the axe? I know he was standing 'some little distance' away but I would have thought he was near enough to hear the disturbance. And then the general doesn't mention anything about it until the Baron turns up! It was as though it never happened.
I struggled a little with the style of writing in Carmilla sometimes but I thought it was beautiful all the same
And as for any parts that stood out: probably the ending of Dracula stood out for me. It was wonderful and I cried!What do you think each novel says about society at the time they were written?
At the time that these books were written, clearly there was a lot of superstition and paranoia where vampires were concerned!
Did you find either of the novels particularly graphic in any way? How do those scenes compare to graphic scenes in more modern novels that you have read?
I suppose both books are tame by today's standards but I found Dracula, in particular, to be pretty scary. This wasn't necessarily because of the graphic nature of any particular scene, but more because of the brilliant way in which tension was built up throughout the book. There was a slight build-up of tension in Carmilla, but not as much; again, I think this is in large part due to the shorter nature of the book.
I was a little surprised at the graphic nature of Laura and Carmilla's relationship - I didn't expect the writing to be so risque coming from that time period! I think in this respect Carmilla was more graphic than Dracula.
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Reading about Australia has given me much more of an interest in learning about the early settlers and the colony. I've bought a few books on this subject now. I've also been driven to look up more info on different places that I've read about in Dracula and The Count of Monte Cristo.
After reading A Tale of Two Cities, I realised how little I knew about the storming of the Bastille, so I looked that up too. I tend not to go hunting for more books on the subject though (I have too many already!) Usually I'm just after a bit of further information, and I find that wikipedia will satiate my appetite.
Have your 'tastes' changed since being a member here?
in General Book Discussions
Posted
That's exactly right Poppy! You can never be to old to enjoy good story-telling as far as I'm concerned.
I never read many of the classic children's stories such as the Wind in the Willows when I was young, but I look forward to reading them as an adult. This year alone, I've re-read Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, and read (for the first time) Black Beauty, Alice Through The Looking-Glass, Peter Pan and Anne Of Green Gables.
I've also bought The Chronicles Of Narnia (never read before), I Am David and The Secret Garden (to re-read), and I'll be chasing up plenty of others.