Noll's 2010 Reading List

[Nollaig]

Andrea reckons it's great, I got it on her recommendation, and if you go to her reading thread you'll find a review. I'll let you know when I start it

[vodkafan]

Andrea reckons it's great, I got it on her recommendation, and if you go to her reading thread you'll find a review. I'll let you know when I start it

 

Thanks .

[~Andrea~]

So, what I'm up to at the moment (and I know nobody cares, )

Course we do

 

Andrea reckons it's great

 

[Nollaig]

Course we do

 

Awww thanks

 

Okay I finally finished The Art Of Racing In The Rain. I'm slightly mixed about it. On one hand it's very easy to read, some parts are really sweet and intelligent, it's really insightful about racing (even though I have no interest in the sport, it's much more focused on the passion of the sport than the technicalitie) and it's quite well written. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting - I thought it was going to be about the dog. The dog is just the narrator and occasional commentator - and yes he's a massive character with a distinct voice and personality, but it wasn't his story he was telling as such - it was Denny's. I didn't mind this, I loved Denny, but the story was completely not what I was expecting.

 

What puts me off it is, somehow, a lack of substance in the face of rigid structure. The ending felt rushed and forced (complete idiocy of the final 4 pages not withstanding). Key parts of Denny's story were skipped because the doggy narrator wasn't present - personally I felt that was a lame way out of researching those scenarios. I know the dog couldn't have been there, but because SO much attention was given to the dog's fabrication of events it really felt like an anti-climactic cop-out. It was very predicable in places, and though I didn't see those last 4 pages coming, it was only because I never thought the author would write something so silly. The whole book is about aspirations and journeys and knowing what's around you right NOW - rather than leave the story in solid motion it's cut off by a completely speculative fantasy. I really did not like the ending.

 

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, I got through it in three days despite no mojo and there's definitely enough sentiment and substance to make it worth one read.

 

^That's not a proper review, I know, I'm just jotting down thoughts for future reviewing reference.

Edited April 13, 2010 by Nollaig

[Mac]

^That's not a proper review, I know, I'm just jotting down thoughts for future reviewing reference.

 

It seemed like a good account of your thoughts, though!

[Nollaig]

Lol thanks Mac

 

Today I bought 'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ' by Phillip Pullman. Oooooh, says I.

[chesilbeach]

Philip Pullman was interviewed on Sky Arts The Book Show last week talking about this book, if you're interested ... http://thebookshow.skyarts.co.uk/authors/453974/philip_pullman.html

[Nollaig]

Ooooh nice one Chesil, thank you!

[Nollaig]

Okay, little updates:

 

I finished Dawn Of The Demontide by William Hussey. I got through the second half pretty quickly actually, it's quite easy to read. It didn't really stand out for me as being an amazing book though - I'd put it on a par with his second novel The Absence. It's probably just that nothing he writes will appeal to me as much as his first novel, because I loved that one so much.

Either way, it's a pretty good little story, some really likeable characters (characterisation being one of his key talents), and while utilizing a range of clich

[BookJumper]

Coffee with Oscar sounds delightful, I might have to hunt that one down thanks for the heads up Noll.

[poppyshake]

Yes, I don't even know what it's like but I want to read it already

[Nollaig]

I just finished it, it's very short but a very pleasant read

 

I'm currently working my way through Oscar's complete short stories and poems I've not read a load of these, so it's a real treat! It has his critical essay, The Portrait Of W.H. too.

[BookJumper]

... is it the book-length W.H. Noll?

[Nollaig]

@Giulia: It's not book-length.... It's 24 pages of small print long. According to my book, it was printed individually in July 1889, rather than as part of the short story collection Lord Arthur Savile's Crime etc. which wasn't published until 1891, but which wikipedia attributes W.H. to. So I don't know if it's the one from the Arthur Savile collection or not, but I don't see why it would be printed seperately with a different date, when each of his short story collections are otherwise printed in my book, in order, under their original groupings.

 

***

 

Since I last posted, I finished said collection of Oscar Wilde's stories and poems in prose, and I LOVED them. Some of them are truly brilliant, and I think my favourite quote comes from the prose poem The Doer Of Good, in which 'He' sees those He has healed squandering their newfound health. The last man he encounters is weeping.

 

'And He went towards him, and touched the long locks of his hair and said to him, "Why are you weeping?"

And the young man looked up and recognised Him and made answer, "But I was dead once and you raised me from the dead. What else should I do but weep?"'

 

Oh Oscar. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, as CaliLily might say.

 

***

 

I also finished The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. Didn't think much of it to be honest. Would heartily recommend buying it second hand or cheaply online if you absolutely must (like myself) read it by virtue of it being by Phillip Pullman.

 

Currently reading:

Possession - A. S. Byatt

- What can I say? Beautiful book, beautifully written, a complex, involved gem for the researchers and historians of literature among us. Complete with fictional Victorian poets, their journals, letters, articles, quotes and entire poems and short stories. Byatt is one talented missy, and I can't wait to read more of her works (of which there is an abundance.)

 

When Rooks Speak Of Love - Hilary Dixon

- I'm reviewing this for Solidus Press, and I've only just started, but it's another nicely written book. It's one of those 'If Nobody Speaks Of Remarkable Things' kind of, 'if-it-was-a-movie,-it'd-be-an-indie-movie' books which treads the fine Banville line between artistry and pretentiousness. So far, I think it's falling on the artistic side.

Edited May 5, 2010 by Nollaig

[BookJumper]

You see (pulls information of of dissertation-shaped hat ), W.H. was first published as a short story written for a journal; the much longer, revised version didn't see print until the 20th century because supposedly the manuscript went AWOL during the auction of Oscar's things at the time of his arrest. For ages I have been trying to find a Complete Works of Oscar which included the longer W.H.; sadly, to no avail.

 

'a complex, involved gem for the researchers and historians of literature among us.' - I must say, this does sound rather like my cup of tea !

[Nollaig]

I seeeee! When it was finally printed, was it a stand-alone or was it in some kind of complete works? I'd be quite interested in getting my hands on a copy myself - I'm no Shakespeare expert but I studied enough of his works in college to be intrigued by Wildean speculation about the object of his poetic affection!

 

And I reckon you'd love Possession, based on what I've read so far, which is about half. I just read a chapter of... *checks* 3o letters of correspondance between Christabel (my new favourite name) LeMotte and Randolph Henry Ash, and I got completely caught up in them. And, what with said characters both being poets, they write beautifully.

[poppyshake]

I'm glad you enjoyed Byatt's Possession. I think you will enjoy The Children's Book a lot as, reading your summary of Possession, it sounds fairly similar.

I must read Possession, it's on my shelf, but library books are dictating at the moment and because I found The Children's Book quite daunting, I've not been in a hurry to start it. There was lot's that I enjoyed about The Children's Book though and she does write quite exquisitely.

[Nollaig]

These sorts of heavy historical fiction novels are my favourite books, when done right. They are to a standard 300 page fiction what a slap up meal in your favourite fancy restaurant is to popping down to the 'old faithful' local chippy for me.

 

Also, I've gathered together all my recent purchases and am determined to read these before anything else. So, these 10 books MUST be my next reads:

 

Possesion - A. S. Byatt (In progess)

When Rooks Speak of Love - Hilary Dixon (In progress)

The Children's Book - A. S. Byatt

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafr

[BookJumper]

It was printed as a standalone in 1921; my bibliography sez:

 

Wilde, Oscar, ed. by Holland, Vyvyan, The Portrait of Mr W.H. : The Greatly Enlarged Version Prepared by the Author After the Appearance of the Story in 1889 but not Published (London: Methuen, 1958 [1921]).

However, there's been Complete Works published since then, including the 'official' Collins one, so do not ask me why I cannot seem to find the text of the standalone ever reproduced in a CW. It's no longer than Dorian Gray, or one of the plays... .

[vodkafan]

- I'm no Shakespeare expert but I studied enough of his works in college to be intrigued by Wildean speculation about the object of his poetic affection!

 

.

 

It was Gwyneth Paltrow I saw the film

[BookJumper]

XD ROFL - don't get Giulia started on the historical inaccuracy of that film that said, I really couldn't have cared less; it's one of those films that pushes all of your emotive buttons so well that it makes you shelve reality for as long as it lasts, and maybe a bit longer.

[Ooshie]

I have the novel Flowers for Algernon waiting to be read too, I'll be interested to hear what you think of it. I read a (very) abridged version of it in a book of short stories when I was a child, and was very moved by it.

[Nollaig]

It was printed as a standalone in 1921; my bibliography sez:

 

Wilde, Oscar, ed. by Holland, Vyvyan, The Portrait of Mr W.H. : The Greatly Enlarged Version Prepared by the Author After the Appearance of the Story in 1889 but not Published (London: Methuen, 1958 [1921]).

.

 

Awww it was edited by his son. I love anything by Merlin, his grandson, because of the familial tie. Anything edited by Vyvyan would be slightly more awesome again.

 

I just googled the title, and there's lots of individual copies of it.... between 94-104 pages.... that doesn't sound like a long version does it?

 

It was Gwyneth Paltrow I saw the film

 

Hahaha

[BookJumper]

W.H. is a short novel, but a novel nonetheless as far as I was able to ascertain, all CWs of Oscar reprint the journal short story, which is significantly shorter.

[Nollaig]

Grrrr. Do want long version.