100 Books in 2011 [10 & 11]
Read: 11
To Go: 89
Book List
1. Happy Ever After - Nora Roberts
2. The Bone Cage - Angie Abdou
3. Unless - Carol Shields
4. No Rules…Just Write - C. Noelle Susice
5. All My Friends Are Dead - Avery Monsen and Jory John
6. The Best Laid Plans - Terry Fallis
7. The Case for Falling in Love - Mari Ruti, PhD
8. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
9. Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evils of Slavery - Quobna Ottobah Cugoano
10. Stig of the Dump - Clive King
11. The Conversations - Michael Ondaatje
Stig of the Dump - Clive King
I have finished one tenth of my challenge! Not bad for not even two months in. Regardless, my tenth book was Stig of the Dump, a children’s book published in the ’60s that was apparently really, really popular (and I can see why). It’s about Barney, an adventurous eight-year-old who, due to sheer boredom, ventures into the chalk pit beside his house one day. There he meets Stig, an industrious caveman who can’t communicate much past grunting and grinning. Nevertheless, a friendship is forged.
At 244 pages full of size-16 font, I knew the book would be a quick read based on those factors and its audience, alone. But when I actually sat down to read it, I found that the fact that I loved it made it an even faster read. Though the story was obviously meant for a set of younger readers, it was a clever and adventurous and, at the risk of sounding cliche, I was always excited to start a new chapter and find out what hijinks Barney and Stig got up to next.
The reader was supposed to like and relate to Barney more, but I found myself drawn to Stig, the big-hearted, intelligent caveman who, more often than not, would do anything to help out or protect his young friend - from intimidating a set of bullies to chasing off a leopard. I liked Barney, too, but I mainly looked forward to hearing from his caveman friend.
I’d recommend Stig of the Dump to anyone, really - no ages barred. You can appreciate it whether you’re eight or 18 or 80, because it is really just awesome.
The Conversations - Michael Ondaatje
Reading week is just so darn useful - I wish every week was reading week; I’ve gotten so much more accomplished than I do on a typical work week. I’ve finished three books for this list and it’s only Wednesday. The last of the aforementioned books was Michael Ondaatje’s The Conversations, a 310 page interview with Walter Murch, a film editor who worked on movies such as The Godfather, The English Patient, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
I didn’t expect to like the book - didn’t even expect to comprehend it, actually, and planned on skim-reading to make it less painful - but I really, really did. I’m hardly what one can call a movie buff, but all the behind-the-scenes information was super interesting, as was reading about the ins and outs of editing film, especially coming from an old pro like Walter Murch. The Conversations was the first nonfiction novel I’ve actually genuinely enjoyed - as well as the first ENG 208 course text I’ve been fond of.
The only thing I had trouble believing was the language used in the conversations; I hate to cast doubt on such articulate, intelligent people, but during the time I was reading the five conversations, I couldn’t help but think, “Did Ondaatje add fancier words to their responses than what was actually said, or buff up the conversation in any way?” Even the most well-spoken of people rarely speak that way all the time, but both Murch and Ondaatje conversed flawlessly. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, it just struck me as bizarre; maybe I’m limited because I live in a world full of slang, chat-speak, and grammatically incorrect colloquial conversation, but it’s rare to come across people who speak with grammatical correctness at all times, and seem to have the general mannerisms of a narrative.
Regardless, the book was excellent and I recommend it to all you film buffs out there - and even those of you who aren’t. The Conversations was really easy to get lost in for hours on end.
And now I have a really strong urge to go watch all the old films they mentioned in the book. Every single one of them.
Next book: The Birth House - Ami McKay
- Kelsey
To Go: 89
Book List
1. Happy Ever After - Nora Roberts
2. The Bone Cage - Angie Abdou
3. Unless - Carol Shields
4. No Rules…Just Write - C. Noelle Susice
5. All My Friends Are Dead - Avery Monsen and Jory John
6. The Best Laid Plans - Terry Fallis
7. The Case for Falling in Love - Mari Ruti, PhD
8. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
9. Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evils of Slavery - Quobna Ottobah Cugoano
10. Stig of the Dump - Clive King
11. The Conversations - Michael Ondaatje
Stig of the Dump - Clive King
I have finished one tenth of my challenge! Not bad for not even two months in. Regardless, my tenth book was Stig of the Dump, a children’s book published in the ’60s that was apparently really, really popular (and I can see why). It’s about Barney, an adventurous eight-year-old who, due to sheer boredom, ventures into the chalk pit beside his house one day. There he meets Stig, an industrious caveman who can’t communicate much past grunting and grinning. Nevertheless, a friendship is forged.
At 244 pages full of size-16 font, I knew the book would be a quick read based on those factors and its audience, alone. But when I actually sat down to read it, I found that the fact that I loved it made it an even faster read. Though the story was obviously meant for a set of younger readers, it was a clever and adventurous and, at the risk of sounding cliche, I was always excited to start a new chapter and find out what hijinks Barney and Stig got up to next.
The reader was supposed to like and relate to Barney more, but I found myself drawn to Stig, the big-hearted, intelligent caveman who, more often than not, would do anything to help out or protect his young friend - from intimidating a set of bullies to chasing off a leopard. I liked Barney, too, but I mainly looked forward to hearing from his caveman friend.
I’d recommend Stig of the Dump to anyone, really - no ages barred. You can appreciate it whether you’re eight or 18 or 80, because it is really just awesome.
The Conversations - Michael Ondaatje
Reading week is just so darn useful - I wish every week was reading week; I’ve gotten so much more accomplished than I do on a typical work week. I’ve finished three books for this list and it’s only Wednesday. The last of the aforementioned books was Michael Ondaatje’s The Conversations, a 310 page interview with Walter Murch, a film editor who worked on movies such as The Godfather, The English Patient, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
I didn’t expect to like the book - didn’t even expect to comprehend it, actually, and planned on skim-reading to make it less painful - but I really, really did. I’m hardly what one can call a movie buff, but all the behind-the-scenes information was super interesting, as was reading about the ins and outs of editing film, especially coming from an old pro like Walter Murch. The Conversations was the first nonfiction novel I’ve actually genuinely enjoyed - as well as the first ENG 208 course text I’ve been fond of.
The only thing I had trouble believing was the language used in the conversations; I hate to cast doubt on such articulate, intelligent people, but during the time I was reading the five conversations, I couldn’t help but think, “Did Ondaatje add fancier words to their responses than what was actually said, or buff up the conversation in any way?” Even the most well-spoken of people rarely speak that way all the time, but both Murch and Ondaatje conversed flawlessly. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, it just struck me as bizarre; maybe I’m limited because I live in a world full of slang, chat-speak, and grammatically incorrect colloquial conversation, but it’s rare to come across people who speak with grammatical correctness at all times, and seem to have the general mannerisms of a narrative.
Regardless, the book was excellent and I recommend it to all you film buffs out there - and even those of you who aren’t. The Conversations was really easy to get lost in for hours on end.
And now I have a really strong urge to go watch all the old films they mentioned in the book. Every single one of them.
Next book: The Birth House - Ami McKay
- Kelsey