BookJumper
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*sniffle* I auditioned to be in "The Taming of the Shrew" back at Liverpool Uni. Sadly though acting in front of people makes me nervous and I muddled it up and I never did get a part, not even a tiny one...
... *brightens up* but last term I got to do acting workshops on the Globe Theatre stage - I know it's not the actual stage Shakespeare wrote for (unlike the stage in the new Cavern Club - the Club is new and in the wrong location, but the stage is the original one the Beatles played on!), but a girl can dream, no?
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I'm not even tempted to go for some of the tragedies, like King Lear or Macbeth
... why is that? (Just plain curious, sorry.)
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I actually quite like "Sandman" - but then I like Neil Gaiman's writing in general so I guess that helped. Particularly "Seasons of Mist" I enjoyed; its portrayal of Lucifer Morningstar vs. Dream was profound yet epic.
The only other one I've really appreciated is James O'Barr's "The Crow" - which is about 10 times as nightmarishly depressing than the already nightmarishly depressing film.
I wouldn't class them as novels as such, there's not enough actual words in them I feel; I'd say more like comics with a higher-class of writers?
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I have just completed the "critics" survey. On a side note, I actually enjoyed "Bridget Jones' Diary" very much, but then I don't consider it chick lit. Though it does have the Mr. Right/Mr. Wrong/Bezzie Mates ingredients and the feel good factor, its style and wit put it on a level chick lit isn't.
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Short books can still be life-changing... Richard Bach's "Illusions" is just over 100 pages, and one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. Guess that, like LoopyLoo, my problem is one of price: I didn't have a problem buying three promising but very short books on my last spree as they were all discounted at 2.99 - so less than half the price of books at least twice as long, which is fair enough - but I do have a problem with high-street bookshops trying to charge me the same for books of 100 and 1000 pages.
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From someone who's besotted enough with the Bard she's doing a whole M.A. in Shakespeare (!!), some favourites and least favourites, with film recommendations where appropriate, just off the top of my head 'cos I need to run off to uni for my Hamlet monograph module:
Favs:
King Lear: as my B.A. professor put it, "so what do we think? bleakest play ever written?" and it is. Combines the best elements of tradegy and history though, the villains are deliciously villainous - prepare for a love/hate relationship with vile Edmund, who gets all the best lines - and the ending is heartbreaking. Don't miss the 1998 RSC version, directed by Trevor Nunn, with Ian McKellen as King Lear, it's magnificent. Personally I found Peter Brook's 1971 b/w "masterpiece" a bit dull and uncommunicative.
Hamlet: We all know this one, so straight to the film reccomendations: if you like dramatic landscapes and "wow" soliloquy delivery, look no further than Laurence Olivier; if you're after every word that was written for that play ever, even though they never appeared in the same version, check out Kenneth Branagh's interesting version; if you want a modern version, with great bits and terrible bits, which will make you think, the 2000 film with Ethan Hawke is for you. Don't bother with Zeffirelli (otherwise a stunning director, do make sure you see his Romeo and Juliet), for he made the mistake of casting Mel Gibson, who speaks "To be or not to be" like he does "Freeeeeeedom" in Braveheart (don't get me wrong, I love Braveheart, just the skill is not transferable).
The Merchant of Venice: Revenge or justice? Religious intolerance: do two wrongs make one right? These the questions at the heart of one of Will's most complex plays - four hundred years on, critics are still divided on whether Shylock is a hero or a villain, how's that for multifaceted? Please go out this instant and borrow, see, acquire the stunning version with Al Pacino as Shylock, plus Jeremy Irons and Ralph Fiennes for good measure.
Least Favs:
The Tempest: I never really "got it"? Felt slightly silly when my classmates where discussing the postcolonial interpretations of the play and I was like, wha? But probably it's me that's slow.
Othello: a really layered, powerful play; with the villain Iago getting some amazing speeches - then why don't I like this? It's too well-written, I think; too realistic in its portayal of jealous domestic violence. It makes me uncomfortable.
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I have a big pile of unusual postcards collected on my many travels (I've got a couple from a Sicilian catacomb museum with clothed mummies on them, for example), and usually use those. When none is to hand I try to remember the page number, forget, and end up getting really annoyed the next time round when I realise I've just re-read a chapter...
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Aha, Discworld novels! I've been wanting to read more since I read the first one. Meh.. nevermind.
... why nevermind?
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Hello and welcome to Giulia's Swap Shop, where you may trade books you no longer want for books you do.
Preferred currency: Speculative Fiction (Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror - I enjoy the likes of Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Clive Barker) although I will consider other stuff too so if there's anything you want in the list that follows just give me a shout and show us what you've got.
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I picked this up in Watertone's because (like "The End of Mr. Y") it is a really handsome edition of a book with a really good premise. Problem is, I had to give up on "Mr. Y" about a hundred pages in as I found that the occasional crude scenes and language jarred with the otherwise profound topic - before I waste my money on another book I won't finish: am I likely to have the same problem with "The Gargoyle"?
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I made my universally acclaimed (well, by the one other person who's had it so far, but he's had it often!) mild meatball curry with thick noodles and a nice salad.
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It's a shame you live in Australia, actually - I've got a spare copy of "Lost in a Good Book" (somehow, in my amazing intelligence, managed to buy two) in search of a good home...! Hope you can get your hands on it soon, it's the best Fforde I've read so far.
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To be honest, I have tried touching "Twilight" (with a bargepole, obviously) and couldn't get past chapter two. I was looking for some good fantasy to read instead of "Twilight" & Co. but maybe my quest is not yet at an end. The strip was amusing, by the way - and thank you for your time and opinion.
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Ps love the name but then I would I'm biased
my Sunday name is Julia 
... i might be silly and foreign but - what's a Sunday name
?Cheers all for the welcomes!
Giulia
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... the authorities for being such an inopportune...
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So all I have to do is: buying english books from the net
the bright sight is they're cheaper than italian ones
If you live in a big city such as Milan, Hoepli has a vast original language section. Feltrinelli's isn't as huge, but there's usually something worthwhile to pick up, especially classics and new releases!
Hope that helps.
Giulia
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Has anyone read Wendy Alec's "The Chronicles of Brothers" series ("The Fall of Lucifer", "Messiah")? The premise (none other than how Lucifer fell from heaven and evil was born, etc.) interests me a lot; my favourite poets include Milton and Blake and I thoroughly enjoyed Anne Rice's "Memnoch the Devil".
Problem is, reviewers can't seem to make their minds up; half say it's the best book ever, the other half say it's rubbish and I don't know what to think!
Help?
Cheers.
Giulia
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Depends. I usually read the book first; then, if I consider the book's theme/background/author worthy of my further attention (i.e. if the book wasn't a waste of my time, or completely self-explanatory), I will read the introduction.
Giulia
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I've been known to cry at sad endings, because they depress me, and happy endings, because happiness makes me go all mushy. I am a hugely sensitive person and - given believeable characters who make me root for them - I will well up for their successes and failures. In particular, there's one book I've read a fantastillion times, which has never failed to make me cry once:
"The P
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Hi Giulia, what a beautiful name!
Aw thank you! And thanks everyone, you're making me feel right at home. Am all warmed up and cosy now.
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Oooh, difficult yet intriguing thread. Let me see.
1. "Les Miserabl
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Echo - Indeed, it is pronounced like "Julia" - it's just the Italian spelling. I also have an English middle name and a Polish surname to confuse matters further.
Lucy - when you can, get "Lost in a Good Book" (it's the second in the series), it's truly splendid. Doubly more so than the first, which is quite a feat.
Giulia
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My dear people,
The name's Giulia - but as you might find that difficult to spell/pronounce in your head, you can call me BookJumper (have to admit stealing that name from the realm of Jasper Fforde's excellent "Thursday Next" series, my main reading project of the moment).
In fact, I don't mind what you call me; what's in a name? and all that. Just wave, say hi, give us a hug. Or a nice cup of coffee, I like those - I would, I'm Italian. If you prick us, do fountains of coffee not come out?
You might be able to tell I like Shakespeare. I also happen to like quite a lot of writers of the subsequent four hundred years; though sometimes described as picky, I don't really ask much from a book: a good story, compelling characters, love and respect for language and and a satisfying ending.
In return, I give it all the love due to a friend for life.
So, in conclusion, hello. Nice to commingle with like-minded souls at last; where have you people been all my life?
Comics And Graphic Novels.
in Graphic Novels
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Nou, for I didn't know it existed (!!!) *takes fervid notes* thank you thank you.