Angury
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Posts posted by Angury
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I was going to make a thread about this book, but noticed this thread. I'm not sure if we're allowed to bump old threads so apologies in advance, but I didn't want to create a duplicate.
Anyway, I haven't read through all of the posts as I'm only a fifth of the way through the book, but I've noticed that a few people found the book difficult to get through at the beginning.
I'm feeling the same way at the moment. I decided to give this book a go after reading through some of Thomas Hardy's poems and falling in love with his style of writing. His writing in the book so far is beautiful, and I've highlighted a few sentences in my kindle which have stood out. However, I'm finding it quite difficult to continue with the novel. The writing is pretty dense, so I can only read a few pages at a time.
Is it worth continuing with the book? I think I'd feel guilty if I gave up, simply because of the poetic style it is written in.. but at the same time I'm sort of trudging along. I've had to take a few breaks and read some Terry Pratchett books just to sustain my interest in reading.
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The BBC announced earlier in the year that they would be increasing programming around books, and yesterday it was announced that they have agreed to a three year partnership with the Hay Festival. Previously, Sky Arts have done a fantastic job broadcasting from the festival, but I appreciate that they are only reaching a limited audience while the BBC coverage will be available to all in the UK, however, I hope that it's easy to catch all the scheduled programmes as they'll be spread across radio and television, and I worry that I'll miss something I really want to see/hear because it's not easy to figure out the scheduling. I also hope they have some decent presenters and interviewers, as in the past, I've seen some promising book programmes let down by the personalities hosting them. Fingers crossed!
This is brilliant news. I had tickets for the Hay Festival to see Stephen Fry this year, but realised I wasn't able to go.
I wish I had Sky Arts, they seem to have some great programs on about books and literature.
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That is incredible. What a lovely way to remember his dad as well.
I use Goodreads for this sort of thing - I have a massive to-read list on there, and every time I notice a good book I'd like to read, I stick it on there so I don't forget.
I know what you mean about wanting to keep a document offline though. I started a word document in January where I would enter the date i finished a book along with a short review. I'm not a fan of ratings (I don't know why, but I feel guilty for giving a book a low rating), so generally a short review of what I liked and didn't like, along with a comment on the writing style would be sufficient for me.
My word document only lasted until the end of January (pathetic I know
) because I gradually forgot to enter new books as I read them. I prefer Goodreads as I always remember to update it - I'm on it almost everyday anyway, and it's become a ritual for me to update my list after finishing a book. I would like to give my word document another go though - it would be interesting to make a graph of the data at the end of the year and see what genres of books I read as the year goes on, as well as the amount.Some of the book logs on this site are incredible to go through as well. It's what inspired me to make that word document of my own.
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I found this to be very hard hitting:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ghUFB2WZD6A
I've also started to gain an interest in Thomas Hardy's works. So far I've enjoyed his poems The Voice and During a Wind and Rain.
Anyone have any further recommendations of his poems?
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I went to see The Love Punch yesterday. It was a fun film to watch - not to be taken seriously and a nice comedy to watch over the holidays. I always love Emma Thompsons acting.
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He's met with the producers and gone through the main plot points to the end, so the show will carry on regardless of what happens with the books (although there's also been talk of it moving to the big screen, so who knows?
).If that were to happen I think I'd stop watching the TV series until the books had been released. In an odd way I'd feel like I was cheating on the books by watching the plot unfold before having read the storyline.
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I've recently been in a dilemma about whether I should read the book before watching the film. I find if I read the novel afterwards, I have the actors faces stuck in my head for each character, and I'm not able to use my imagination as much as I'd like, because I've already seen someone else's version of the story.
Yet if I read the books first then I spend a lot of time sitting in the cinema thinking, "he looks nothing like I expected" or "the left that out?"
I guess there's no true answer. Perhaps it's best to try and view them as two separate entities.
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I started reading the Harry Potter books after watching the first movie, so I think sometimes they can encourage people to read the books if the films are done well. I wonder if the popularity of the LOTR films has led to more people discovering the books.
I would never have laid my hands on the Hunger Game series if it weren't for the films either. I think by having more adaptations of a series, you can create larger fanbases, and almost build a sort of community around the series. The number of fan clubs and forums for the Harry a Potter series is incredible, it has become a brand in itself.
Although I do feel that when adapting epic fantasy series, a TV show (such as Game of Thrones) is a better choice than a film. Otherwise you end up losing out on a lot of detail, which can be important when you're dealing with a whole different reality. Fantasy series tend to comprise of a large number of bulky books, with the author having put a lot of detail into their new world. It can be difficult to condense such epics into two hour movies. There are a number of adaptations out there which don't do the books justice.
I guess the LOTR films managed to get away with their adaptation of the books, but a lot of money was spent on the films and the movies are pretty long themselves.
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Is everyone watching the new season? I loved the second episode!!
Ive been waiting for Jofferys death for a long time. I also think they did a good job of showing Theons downfall, it even managed to evoke some pity out of me.
I'm glad they adapted the books into a TV series instead of a movie. I feel like everything has been perfect so far because they've been able to put in the details that wouldn't have been possible in a two hour film.
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I have an iPad and I prefer using a detachable keyboard when I need to write long posts/emails etc. I mainly bought the iPad because I travel a lot so it's easier to lug along rather than my hefty laptop.
There are some downsides to using the tablet - I tend to have a lot of tabs open at once which my iPad can't handle, and ultimately it is bigger version of the iPhone rather than a laptop. But I find it useful for what it's supposed to do - get me onto the internet in a timely fashion and browse websites swiftly. I also find it helpful that the apps on my iPhone are transferred straight to my tablet, along with any work I have saved.
I know a few people who read ebooks on their tablets. I have tried, but the glare is too much for me. It's like staring at a computer screen for too long, I prefer to relax when reading rather than squinting against the bright light.
Glad you're enjoying your tablet so far. I was recommended to buy one for my studies, but I don't think it gives me a distinct advantage in any form. It's more of a luxury really.
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I seem to be in a minority here as I preferred Looking for Alaska to The Fault in Our Stars, although they were both good books. I liked the character Alaska - I tend to be drawn towards heros who have their weaknesses and personal story to explain what made them the way they are.
Fault in Our Stars is a touching story though. I wouldn't call myself a romantic but the dreary background of death and disease added an endearing spin to their relationship.
I'm not sure whether to give Johns other books a try; they were good books but they didn't really stand out to me.
I'm looking forward to the Fault in Our Stars movie though.
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People claim to do many things "in the name of" love, God, or country. That doesn't make it true.
True love does not do injurious things to the loved one. Because someone claims that doesn't make it so.
Surely whether love is "true" or not is subjective and depends on each individual person? Someone may kill others in the name of true love - who are we to say whether or not their love is true?
I don't believe in true love (or true anything) but I think Heathcliff did seem to love Catherine, in the way he knew best. He never experienced love as a child, so he expressed his love for Catherine in the only way he knew how. Perhaps for him love was synonymous with obsession. I often think those two words go well together.
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I didn't mean to imply that true love was always a beautiful thing.....I know it can be a difficult road at times. Difficult. Not obsessive and destructive.
Haven't seen any of the film adaptations.
You don't think true love can be destructive? People will do terrible things to others, even family in the name of true love.
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I just finished reading this - what a book. I was apprehensive when I began reading because of the novels reputation and its cult following.
I have to quote what someone else said earlier in the thread - I love to hate Heathcliff. He is such an interesting and complex character.
The gritty storyline pulled me in, I felt it unmasked the concept of "true love" and showed how our desires and our need for vengeance can consume our lives. This is the first work I have read by any of the Bronte sisters, and the writing is exquisite. It captures the bleakness perfectly, I felt like shivering every time the harsh winters were described in the book.
I'm not sure how I feel about Heathcliff. On the one hand I hate him for his vengeful nature and loathsome personality.. but on the other hand, my heart went out to him, and I almost began to pity him. Especially in the last chapter.
I have just finished 'Wuthering Heights' and I loved it. I have so far, never read a book with so much emotion and atmosphere within it. It was like being carried along on a whirlwind of torment with the characters.
Although most of the characters within this novel are totally unlikeable, I think that the characters are so complex and interesting, particularly Heathcliff. I felt that in some ways, Heathcliff's treatment is his youth, is the main contributor to his bitterness and anger. However, I can't also help think that this behaviour is just a part of who he is. What does everyone think?I absolutely agree, I think Heathcliff's youth moulded his character and his hatred for everyone close to him. In a way I can forgive some of the things he did because of his childhood, yet some of his actions I feel are unforgivable - particularly how he treated Hareton and Linton. No child should be treated like that.
Years ago I heard a theory that readers that loved Jane Eyre did not care for Wuthering Heights, and I've seen some "proof" of that over the years. I'd not read WH till last year after having read JE multiple times since my childhood. I'm afraid I, again, "prove" the above theory.
I absolutely loved Jane Eyre, identified with her, could immerse myself in the story, over and over again.
I hoped I could feel at least somewhat similarly about Wuthering Heights, but, alas, could not.
To me, Cathy and Heathcliff did not love, they obsessed on, attempted to dominate and ultimately, destroy each other. How can true love be so destructive and obsessive? I don't think that can be called true love. Only my opinion, and since so many disagree with that evaluation, I wonder. But, that's how it affected me, at least.Regarding your last question, I don't think "true love" is always a beautiful thing. I think it can become damaging given the right circumstances - there is no such thing as a perfect emotion. I do question Catherine's love for Heathcliff though.. I don't think such a thing existed for him in her heart.
I've been looking for some adaptations of the novel, and have found quite a few. Are there any in particular that people enjoyed? I watched the trailer for the 2011 film but can't say I was drawn towards it. ITV also did a two-part adaptation which looks more tempting.
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I read His Dark Materials when I was a child and loved it straight away. Oddly enough, I never noticed the religious vibes until I reread it a few years later. I think I used to be very absorbed in the story in books when I was younger, and didn't really look at the bigger picture.
As a kid, the idea of daemons drew me into the world. The idea of having a part of you that existed outside of your body, something you could converse with was magical to me.
I also agree with what someone said earlier, I liked the fact that the ending wasn't the typical "we all live happily ever after" scenario.
Also, the books aren't too dense (as is the case with some of the fantasy series out there) so I feel I can go back to them whenever I want and start all over again.
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I don't understand what you are trying to get across. Of course mass marketing was involved in Harry a Potter - and it certainly isn't the only novel involved. Books need publicity to sell - these days social media can have a huge impact on a books sales, but back when the first few books were released I don't think Facebook had such a role in people's everyday lives. Books, like movies or games need to tempt people with their product so they will get more sales - surely what you have been pointing out is a bit obvious? I don't think many people look at the number of sales of Harry Potter and say - seriously, a marketing was involved?!I fail to see any discrepancy or contradiction but I am bowing out as it is clear that people are unable to discuss a difference of opinion calmly and politely without it being viewed as 'personal' and the rebuttals failing to be anything but defensive responses which add nothing to a discussion. Why is it that people are unable to reply with a well thought out and reasoned response. There are as many, if not more articles defending why Harry Potter is a work of literary genius. How about sourcing some of those to defend your enjoyment of the book instead of reacting with emotion which achieves nothing but to kill the discussion dead? Should that have happened we could have had an interesting discussion.
That's just the way our world is - what's the alternative? Force everyone to read certain books which critics decide are the best books ever written? Can you imagine how dull our world would become?
Regarding your point about the books not being well written, I know very few people who believe the books are written well. But y'know what that's not the only reason people read books. They read them as a means of escape, as a way of realising that you're not alone.Harry Potter isn't just a simple book about magic - it's about school life and the struggles teenagers face during adolescence. Things like bullies, your first kiss, trying to get through tedious amounts of homework, that know-it-all who always gets everything right. It's about life.Even the dementors weren't simply made up - they stemmed from Rowlings own experiences of depression, something I'm sure many people can relate to.
Personally, reading Harry Potter was what opened the door into the world of books for me. It was a book that, as a kid, I could relate to. It want so densely written that I had to grab a dictionary every few minutes.And if people are reading rather than sitting washing TV isn't that a good thing? Imagine how many young kids Rowling inspired to read. Why does it matter what book the kids decided to pick up - what's important is that people are deciding to pick up books for themselves.
If you want to begin a conversation about mass marketing, I think there are far more important points you can talk about instead of what books people decide to read - such as Andrew Wakefields paper on the link between Autism and MMR which was published in a well known journal, the Lancet, despite having little evidence and Wakefield being paid £400,000 for his results, which then led to the measles epidemic in Wales in which one person died. If you're going to talk about mass marketing, I think there are more important issues on hand.
Regarding your point about numerous articles and websites criticising the Harry Potter phenomenon, that is nothing new. Books will always have their criticism especially best sellers.
What about the numerous websites that have been created by fans to discuss the storylines and characters in great detail? Isn't it a good thing that people have become united over a book series?
Here's a list of a couple of such websites:
http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Harry_Potter_fan_websites
Unfortunately, I feel that emotionalism will always get in the way. We are after all human, and therefore flawed.Intelligent discourse is about exchanging ideas and views. Discourse is not about emotionalism. When emotionalism enters, arguments arise and reason does an Elvis. It leaves the building.
pearls of wisdom, Virginia -
I can't say this is a book I enjoyed, but it has stayed with me, even after having read it quite some time ago.
It touches on a topic it find quite thought provoking: are people born evil, or are their personalities moulded through their environment, genetics and relationships?
A similar topic is covered in Nineteen Minutes by Jodie Picoult, and after reading her novel I didn't think anyone could top her on such a subject - guess I was wrong.
As others have mentioned, Shrivers writing style is pretty unique. It's a bit difficult to get into, but id say its worth sticking to.
Although I liked the way the book was set out as an epistolary, I found it difficult to believe that Eva would write in such a manner through her letters. I would imagine them to be get more informal and personal.
I am also interested in the idea of unconditional love as it is something I believe doesn't exist. After finishing the book, it took me a long time to gather my thoughts and figure out who I believed to be responsible for Kevin's actions. Shriver does an excellent job of putting the reader in Eva's shoes and truly empathising with her.
Having had some time to think about it though, I don't think that Kevin was entirely to blame. I think there are certain details Eva didn't share with us, perhaps deliberately, or maybe she just believed they were too trivial and didn't have an affect on Kevin's growth. But I think Kevin could sense, even as a baby, that Eva didn't feel comfortable around him, and that had an impact on how he saw himself as well as his relationships with others. Although Eva tried her best to get along with her son, I don't think you can truly hide such strong feelings, especially with someone who sees you day in, day out. I imagine her feelings showed through her body language and facial expressions, and Kevin unconsciously picked up on the fact that he wasn't wanted. My theory is that he internalised such feelings about himself, and reacted in a similar way.
Not that Eva is entirely to blame.
Frank annoyed the hell out of me - how can you have this wool covered over your eyes for so long when you're living with the kid?!
Although I have to say I did not see the ending at all. Throughout he entire book I had one question in my head - how did Frank react to all of this? I've read a coupe of reviews where the reviewer criticised the ending and said it was 'too obvious.' Maybe I'm just dense, but I didn't foresee it at all.
I did like the ending though - it was obvious that it wasn't going to be a happy ending from the start, but I've started to get a bit sick of all the happy endings I've been reading in other books. It was nice to have something a bit more realistic.
I also like the way the book ended wih Kevin seeming to appear more mature. I wonder if he will begin to regret his actions, and how that will affect his relationship with Eva. That part where we realise that he keeps a photo of Eva really touched me, and I began to wonder why he let Eva live. I'd like to hope that the apathy that he showed towards Eva was just a mask to hide his true feelings for her.
Props to Eva for visiting her son though. I wanted to reach into the novel and slap the kid everytime she visited him in prison and he responded so rudely.
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Anyone read the chapter from Winds of a Winter?
http://www.georgerrmartin.com/excerpt-from-the-winds-of-winter/
I'm still not sure whether to read it, or wait for the book to be released..
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Those books sound interesting, I will look them up.
There is a lovely "short story" here written by a British GP which I thought was very touching:
http://abetternhs.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/loneliness/
It touches on the theme of loneliness and made me wonder how many people go and see their doctor because of it - and how many try to hide that fact in their visits by masking it with other uncertainties?
It's a very touching read if anyone has ten minutes to spare.
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My favourite authors change a lot as I read different books and am introduced to more great writers.
My current favourite authors at the moment though are Vladimir Nabokov, Sarah Hall and Oscar Wilde. I'm going to try and read as much as their work as possible, I find their style of writing so captivating.
So I guess you could say in a sense I'm a bit if a fan girl about those writers. I would certainly be over the moon if I ever got to meet Sarah Hall.
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This was a strange book to read - especially how some of the actions carried out by Frank were explained so matter of factly. When I first read it, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of descriptive language, but thinking about it now, I think a Banks writing style was perfect for the story. It just showed how little empathy Frank had for both animals and humans, making his behaviour all the more unsettling.
The twist at the end was done well, and explained a lot about Franks behaviour.
I always wondered what happened to Eric though. Can something like the maggots scene (which I thought was horrifying, I couldn't stop thinking about it!) go so far as to flick a switch in someone's brain? Eric's personality before and after that incident are almost polar opposites, it made me wonder whether Eric was always predisposed to insanity, or if that was a normal reaction to what Eric witnessed - almost sort of regressing into a childlike state. Sounds like a Freudian explanation.
I don't think its a novel I'll read again, but I think it would be interesting to pick up on the little things throughout the story that hint at Franks secret.
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I've finished reading 1Q84, and I'm unsure how I feel about it.
On the one hand it was a story I was able to dive into from the first page. I loved Murakami's methods of interweaving the characters lives and their stories, leaving little hints that kept my eyes in the book well past midnight when I should have been asleep. I was also transfixed by his writing; he describes all the minute details of his characters lives, which really helped me to get to know them. Aomame and Tengo came alive for me while reading the book.
However, as a trilogy, I feel it went on for too long. The first two books were a fun read, and I kept coming back to the next chapter trying to figure out how everything was connected. By the third book though, I felt exhausted. His descriptions of the characters everyday lives, which had previously opened up his story for me, were now too much for me. At times trudging through the chapters became a chore.
One thing that stood out for me was the theme of loneliness, particularly how the main characters childhoods impacted their future relationships with others. I think Marukami handled this very well, and I was particularly touched by Ushikawa and Ayumi's stories. The idea of different worlds with different moons, and yet the importance of the reality revolving around where you are at that particular point was also an interesting topic.
I can see why Marukami has so many fans. He is clearly a very good writer, and he seems to write about topics that can be thought provoking. However, I think 1Q84 was a bit too much of him for me. I may have off diving into one of his shorter novels, just so I could catch my breath. I don't think I'll be able to touch another piece of work of his for a while. Not that I've been put off him - he is a great storyteller and I would like to continue to follow his work in the future. I just need a break from his work.
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wow! that link to the Sarah Kay spoken word was great! i was in tears by the end of it, and am still a little touched by it. That is what it's all about!
thanks for sharing, meant a lot Angury, you know
Glad you liked it.
This is my favourite spoken word poetry though:
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I noticed Sylvia Plath was mentioned, I also enjoy reading her poetry. Her imagery is wonderful.
I'm also a fan of Anne Sexton, I find her poems to be raw, and about the nitty gritty parts of life.
I've started listening more to performance poetry after listening to Sarah Kay on TED:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JQgz2AhHaQg
I love how her expressions and body gestures contribute to the poem and make it real for the rest of us.
London Film and Comic Con
in General Chat
Posted · Edited by Angury
Thank you for posting this! I've had a quick glance at the authors list, and there are a couple who stand out. I am mainly interested in the creative writing workshops though.
I can't seem to find any information about them on the website - maybe I'm being dense.