All Spaniards, we discovered, knew two English expressions. One was "O.K., baby"
... the other was a word used by the Barcelona whores in their dealings with English sailors, and I am afraid the compositors would not print it. ~ George Orwell
Day 06 - A book that makes you sad
Isabel Allende, The House of Spirits. I'm very hit-or-miss when it comes to sprawling multigenerational family sagas with political overtones, but this one was definitely a hit. This is the kind of magical realism I lap right up: The narrative has a dreamlike quality, lending a sense of inevitability to the tragedies that unfold, and it walks the line between "literary" and "pulp" fiction. (OTOH I struggle with, say, Borges or Garcia Marquez, because every time I read something of theirs I have to go back and reread at least three times because I'm afraid I missed something, some imagery, some nuance.) I get annoyed with some of the characters, especially towards the beginning, but in the end when Alba and Jaime take a bunch of kids on a picnic to bury the guns ... oh, my heart, Jaime. (And I don't just say that because his name is Jaime btw.) This story breaks your heart because you already know how it's going to end. Because even though it's set in a nameless South American republic-turned-dictatorship, you know that "the Poet"=Pablo Neruda and "the Candidate"=Salvador Allende, and you know there will be no happy ending for them, much less for the dreamers and the revolutionaries and les collaborateurs of the ill-fated Trueba family, ay ay ay.
Day 07 - Most underrated book
George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia. Obviously this book is not underrated in an absolute sense, but I do recommend it over both Animal Farm and 1984. It's an amazing piece of journalism, as well as offering a ton of insightful commentary on the Spanish Civil War. And Spanish regional politics has always been a pet subject of mine.
Orwell was a lifelong socialist and as a volunteer in the POUM (Partit Obrer d'Unificació Marxista / Workers' Party of Marxist Unification) he believed he was joining the fight against fascism. And Franco.The reality was obviously a bit more complicated, and to his credit Orwell doesn't fall into the trap of "I'm a foreign journalist who's spent x years in this country, and therefore know what I'm talking about." He recognizes the limitations of being a foreigner, and the book is suffused by his sincere admiration and affection for Spain and for Catalunya. For a really epic Spanish Civil War story, try The Forging of a Rebel (1941), the autobiography of Arturo Barea, translated into English by his wife Ilsa.
Day 08 - Most overrated book
Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things. IDK, I think my expectations were too high? I just could not get used to the prose, it read as extremely choppy to me, and then I didn't care for any of the characters. Or the ending.
Day 01 - Best book you read last year - Joe Abercrombie, Best Served Cold.
Day 02 - A book that you've read more than 3 times - Garth Nix, Sabriel
Day 03 - Your favorite series - George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire
Day 04 - Favorite book of your favorite series - George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy - Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle
Day 06 - A book that makes you sad - Isabel Allende, The House of Spirits
Day 07 - Most underrated book - George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia
Day 08 - Most overrated book - Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
Day 09 - A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 10 - Favorite classic book
Day 11 - A book you hated
Day 12 - A book you used to love but don't anymore
Day 13 - Your favorite writer
Day 14 - Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 - Favorite male character
Day 16 - Favorite female character
Day 17 - Favorite quote from your favorite book
Day 18 - A book that disappointed you
Day 19 - Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 - Favorite romance book
Day 21 - Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 - Favorite book you own
Day 23 - A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't
Day 24 - A book that you wish more people would've read
Day 25 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 - A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 - Favorite title
Day 29 - A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 - Your favorite book of all time
*The reason I have a Liverpool icon is because I think (hope, pray, dread) that I am being sucked into football fandom. Which is HUGE. I really don't need another fandom right now. But the boys are so pretty! And the frequency with which they get caught in compromising positions in front of the cameras, they practically slash themselves!
Day 06 - A book that makes you sad
Isabel Allende, The House of Spirits. I'm very hit-or-miss when it comes to sprawling multigenerational family sagas with political overtones, but this one was definitely a hit. This is the kind of magical realism I lap right up: The narrative has a dreamlike quality, lending a sense of inevitability to the tragedies that unfold, and it walks the line between "literary" and "pulp" fiction. (OTOH I struggle with, say, Borges or Garcia Marquez, because every time I read something of theirs I have to go back and reread at least three times because I'm afraid I missed something, some imagery, some nuance.) I get annoyed with some of the characters, especially towards the beginning, but in the end when Alba and Jaime take a bunch of kids on a picnic to bury the guns ... oh, my heart, Jaime. (And I don't just say that because his name is Jaime btw.) This story breaks your heart because you already know how it's going to end. Because even though it's set in a nameless South American republic-turned-dictatorship, you know that "the Poet"=Pablo Neruda and "the Candidate"=Salvador Allende, and you know there will be no happy ending for them, much less for the dreamers and the revolutionaries and les collaborateurs of the ill-fated Trueba family, ay ay ay.
Day 07 - Most underrated book
George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia. Obviously this book is not underrated in an absolute sense, but I do recommend it over both Animal Farm and 1984. It's an amazing piece of journalism, as well as offering a ton of insightful commentary on the Spanish Civil War. And Spanish regional politics has always been a pet subject of mine.
Orwell was a lifelong socialist and as a volunteer in the POUM (Partit Obrer d'Unificació Marxista / Workers' Party of Marxist Unification) he believed he was joining the fight against fascism. And Franco.The reality was obviously a bit more complicated, and to his credit Orwell doesn't fall into the trap of "I'm a foreign journalist who's spent x years in this country, and therefore know what I'm talking about." He recognizes the limitations of being a foreigner, and the book is suffused by his sincere admiration and affection for Spain and for Catalunya. For a really epic Spanish Civil War story, try The Forging of a Rebel (1941), the autobiography of Arturo Barea, translated into English by his wife Ilsa.
Day 08 - Most overrated book
Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things. IDK, I think my expectations were too high? I just could not get used to the prose, it read as extremely choppy to me, and then I didn't care for any of the characters. Or the ending.
Day 01 - Best book you read last year - Joe Abercrombie, Best Served Cold.
Day 02 - A book that you've read more than 3 times - Garth Nix, Sabriel
Day 03 - Your favorite series - George R.R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire
Day 04 - Favorite book of your favorite series - George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy - Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle
Day 06 - A book that makes you sad - Isabel Allende, The House of Spirits
Day 07 - Most underrated book - George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia
Day 08 - Most overrated book - Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
Day 09 - A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 10 - Favorite classic book
Day 11 - A book you hated
Day 12 - A book you used to love but don't anymore
Day 13 - Your favorite writer
Day 14 - Favorite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 - Favorite male character
Day 16 - Favorite female character
Day 17 - Favorite quote from your favorite book
Day 18 - A book that disappointed you
Day 19 - Favorite book turned into a movie
Day 20 - Favorite romance book
Day 21 - Favorite book from your childhood
Day 22 - Favorite book you own
Day 23 - A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't
Day 24 - A book that you wish more people would've read
Day 25 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 - A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 - Favorite title
Day 29 - A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 - Your favorite book of all time
*The reason I have a Liverpool icon is because I think (hope, pray, dread) that I am being sucked into football fandom. Which is HUGE. I really don't need another fandom right now. But the boys are so pretty! And the frequency with which they get caught in compromising positions in front of the cameras, they practically slash themselves!