Post Of Cultural Diversions
Sort of like ivysoul I've been trying to keep track of things that I've read this summer. I haven't read so much for pleasure in at least 3 years, and it's been really refreshing, I think.
In no particular order, these are the books I have read lately, that I can remember, and what I thought of them. (cut for atrocious length of post. again.)
1. Definitely my favorite of the bunch was Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind. As you might remember from this post I made a while ago, it nearly killed me. The plot drew me in right away - a library of forgotten books seems like an irresistible haven to me - and the language is exquisite. I wish I could read it in Spanish, as I think it might be even more beautiful in its original language; I know too well how much can be lost in translation. I am recommending it to all my friends as it was such a breathtaking read. That it is 'a love letter to literature' is an indubitable fact, and any lover of literary fiction should definitely have read this book.
2. This summer I finally found time to read the last book in the Vampire Chronicles, Blood Canticle by Anne Rice. I had mixed feelings about this book. I love my vampires, and Quinn and Mona are not my least favorite characters in the chronicles. The Taltos thing, however, creeped me out just a little bit. Lestat is on top form in this book, though tends to get a bit lovey dovey over Rowan . . . I have never read any of the Mayfair Witches books, but I'm not really interested. It was a good book, but not as good as the others of the series that I adore
3. Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a quietly disturbing read. I enjoyed it once I got through the boring beginning where true to general Victorian style the Author takes forever in setting his scene and introducing characters (though, I suppose he does launch straight into the story as well... it is perplexingly slow and quick all at once). This is not a great thriller by modern standards, but it was a good read to get some perspective of vampire lore.
4. I have been meaning to read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova since last summer when I bought it thinking I might have enough time to read it at Uni. This really IS a slow book to start, and only gets really interesting when you're about 3/4 of the way through it - and it is LONG. However, there should be something said for the depth of the book, and how much old Vampire lore it lays bare. The last encounter with Dracula himself is a bit of a let down, and there is no development of character to be spoken of. A decent read, but it should be said that I had to take a break from it 3 times and read 3 other books in the middle of it.
5. Sex and the City - I could never tell whether Authoress Candace Bushnell was writing of herself and real life friends or making it all up as she went along. Anyways, it was not what I expected and was actually quite a depressing, cynical book. The characters are NOT the same as the show we all know and love, except for Carrie, who I like much more in the book than I do in the show. She is somehow a real grown up in the book - in the movie she's like a child in a 30 year old body.
6. One of my favorite afternoons in Helsinki I spent getting sunburned on the steps in front of Tuomikirkko reading Tove Jansson's Comet in Moominland. I don't really need to say anything about this book. It was wonderful to read even at my age and I can hardly wait to read it to my own kids someday.
7. The title of Dodie Smith's novel I Capture the Castle made me fall in love with it instantly. The first sentence, "I write this while sitting in the kitchen sink" made me grin and I think I grinned all the way through it. It's a fairy tale which is some how more real than any other, because these are real people, not pieces of dressed up cardboard living perfect lives. Someone said they didn't like it because of the backstabbing and contrariness at the end, but I loved it all the way through. It makes you feel like a little girl again when you're reading it, and that's a good thing to be said for any book.
8. One of the more disappointing books I read this summer was Margaret Atwood's novel Life Before Man. The only other book I've read by Atwood is The Handmaid's Tale which had a similar effect on me as The Shadow of the Wind. It was just a damn good book. I think her style was wasted on this story, which was full of triviality from the beginning. It wasn't even as feminist as I had expected - maybe a shot of Feminism would have spiced it up a bit. I was bored by it and disappointed, because I know Atwood can blow my mind, and it just wasn't happening.
9. For some reason every summer I try to read a book by Nick Hornby. This is not a concerted effort. It just happens. The only books by Nick Hornby I have ever finished (and liked) were High Fidelity and About a Boy. This summer, I managed to finish How to be Good. It does not, however, follow that I liked it. Just like Life Before Man (Atwood), I found it very trivial. And slightly ridiculous. And it didn't make me laugh like the other two had. I also found it quite sad and bleak, in some ways. However, it must be said that Hornby, as usual, got his point across - people who are too good are just goddamn annoying. If you like Hornby's other work, then give it a try, otherwise, leave it alone.
10. Have you ever seen the TV Show Jeeves & Wooster? It is one of my favorite shows of all time. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are The Shit. I read Right Ho, Jeeves as a filler book that someone loaned to me in Norway when I finished my last one. The funny thing about P.G. Wodehouse's books is that you can actually hear Hugh Laurie acting it out like he does in the show, and there never was a better person to play Jeeves than Stephen Fry. These books are ridiculous and hilarious and I love them so! I have just started another book in the series and cannot find one single bad thing to say about them!
11. A little while ago I watched the movie of Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl. I kept having to actually stop and walk away from the movie because I was so incensed at how much they destroyed the book. I am talking actual destruction. This book . . . I read it in about 2 days. Couldn't put it down. It was scandalous and tense and full of passion. Loved it, every word. For some reason it was so real, you could just imagine yourself living in that court. One of my favorite books on this list, and I really recommend it to anyone, especially if you like historical fiction. I have read other historical fiction and hated it, though, and this I absolutely did not hate. I am working up the emotional strength to read another book by Gregory, but it might be a while yet.
12. I started reading chapter books absurdly early, and I used to be able to sit on the couch all day reading a whole novel from back to front. For some reason I can't do that anymore, but I remember how much I used to love it. I must have read the Anne of Green Gables series front to back at least 5 times by now, but I still love it. I just finished reading Anne of The Island and it really just makes me feel like a little girl again. I used to love it so, because imagining things was my favorite pasttime after reading, just like Anne, and I thought she was the bees knees. Its a nice quiet read, and I'm enjoying mosying my way through the books again. A little hopeless romance never hurt anyone.
All told, I think it's been quite a successful summer, literary-wise. I'm not used to reading so much, but, as said, I've been loving it. It's a breath of fresh air to read things because I want to, not because I have to. Any book recommendations from you guys are always welcome, because I am awful at choosing books to read and end up reading many of them over and over again.
Anyways. That's my list of the summer. I think I did quite well! Maybe when I get around to it I'll list the movies I've watched. ahha.
In no particular order, these are the books I have read lately, that I can remember, and what I thought of them. (cut for atrocious length of post. again.)
1. Definitely my favorite of the bunch was Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind. As you might remember from this post I made a while ago, it nearly killed me. The plot drew me in right away - a library of forgotten books seems like an irresistible haven to me - and the language is exquisite. I wish I could read it in Spanish, as I think it might be even more beautiful in its original language; I know too well how much can be lost in translation. I am recommending it to all my friends as it was such a breathtaking read. That it is 'a love letter to literature' is an indubitable fact, and any lover of literary fiction should definitely have read this book.
2. This summer I finally found time to read the last book in the Vampire Chronicles, Blood Canticle by Anne Rice. I had mixed feelings about this book. I love my vampires, and Quinn and Mona are not my least favorite characters in the chronicles. The Taltos thing, however, creeped me out just a little bit. Lestat is on top form in this book, though tends to get a bit lovey dovey over Rowan . . . I have never read any of the Mayfair Witches books, but I'm not really interested. It was a good book, but not as good as the others of the series that I adore
3. Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a quietly disturbing read. I enjoyed it once I got through the boring beginning where true to general Victorian style the Author takes forever in setting his scene and introducing characters (though, I suppose he does launch straight into the story as well... it is perplexingly slow and quick all at once). This is not a great thriller by modern standards, but it was a good read to get some perspective of vampire lore.
4. I have been meaning to read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova since last summer when I bought it thinking I might have enough time to read it at Uni. This really IS a slow book to start, and only gets really interesting when you're about 3/4 of the way through it - and it is LONG. However, there should be something said for the depth of the book, and how much old Vampire lore it lays bare. The last encounter with Dracula himself is a bit of a let down, and there is no development of character to be spoken of. A decent read, but it should be said that I had to take a break from it 3 times and read 3 other books in the middle of it.
5. Sex and the City - I could never tell whether Authoress Candace Bushnell was writing of herself and real life friends or making it all up as she went along. Anyways, it was not what I expected and was actually quite a depressing, cynical book. The characters are NOT the same as the show we all know and love, except for Carrie, who I like much more in the book than I do in the show. She is somehow a real grown up in the book - in the movie she's like a child in a 30 year old body.
6. One of my favorite afternoons in Helsinki I spent getting sunburned on the steps in front of Tuomikirkko reading Tove Jansson's Comet in Moominland. I don't really need to say anything about this book. It was wonderful to read even at my age and I can hardly wait to read it to my own kids someday.
7. The title of Dodie Smith's novel I Capture the Castle made me fall in love with it instantly. The first sentence, "I write this while sitting in the kitchen sink" made me grin and I think I grinned all the way through it. It's a fairy tale which is some how more real than any other, because these are real people, not pieces of dressed up cardboard living perfect lives. Someone said they didn't like it because of the backstabbing and contrariness at the end, but I loved it all the way through. It makes you feel like a little girl again when you're reading it, and that's a good thing to be said for any book.
8. One of the more disappointing books I read this summer was Margaret Atwood's novel Life Before Man. The only other book I've read by Atwood is The Handmaid's Tale which had a similar effect on me as The Shadow of the Wind. It was just a damn good book. I think her style was wasted on this story, which was full of triviality from the beginning. It wasn't even as feminist as I had expected - maybe a shot of Feminism would have spiced it up a bit. I was bored by it and disappointed, because I know Atwood can blow my mind, and it just wasn't happening.
9. For some reason every summer I try to read a book by Nick Hornby. This is not a concerted effort. It just happens. The only books by Nick Hornby I have ever finished (and liked) were High Fidelity and About a Boy. This summer, I managed to finish How to be Good. It does not, however, follow that I liked it. Just like Life Before Man (Atwood), I found it very trivial. And slightly ridiculous. And it didn't make me laugh like the other two had. I also found it quite sad and bleak, in some ways. However, it must be said that Hornby, as usual, got his point across - people who are too good are just goddamn annoying. If you like Hornby's other work, then give it a try, otherwise, leave it alone.
10. Have you ever seen the TV Show Jeeves & Wooster? It is one of my favorite shows of all time. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are The Shit. I read Right Ho, Jeeves as a filler book that someone loaned to me in Norway when I finished my last one. The funny thing about P.G. Wodehouse's books is that you can actually hear Hugh Laurie acting it out like he does in the show, and there never was a better person to play Jeeves than Stephen Fry. These books are ridiculous and hilarious and I love them so! I have just started another book in the series and cannot find one single bad thing to say about them!
11. A little while ago I watched the movie of Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl. I kept having to actually stop and walk away from the movie because I was so incensed at how much they destroyed the book. I am talking actual destruction. This book . . . I read it in about 2 days. Couldn't put it down. It was scandalous and tense and full of passion. Loved it, every word. For some reason it was so real, you could just imagine yourself living in that court. One of my favorite books on this list, and I really recommend it to anyone, especially if you like historical fiction. I have read other historical fiction and hated it, though, and this I absolutely did not hate. I am working up the emotional strength to read another book by Gregory, but it might be a while yet.
12. I started reading chapter books absurdly early, and I used to be able to sit on the couch all day reading a whole novel from back to front. For some reason I can't do that anymore, but I remember how much I used to love it. I must have read the Anne of Green Gables series front to back at least 5 times by now, but I still love it. I just finished reading Anne of The Island and it really just makes me feel like a little girl again. I used to love it so, because imagining things was my favorite pasttime after reading, just like Anne, and I thought she was the bees knees. Its a nice quiet read, and I'm enjoying mosying my way through the books again. A little hopeless romance never hurt anyone.
All told, I think it's been quite a successful summer, literary-wise. I'm not used to reading so much, but, as said, I've been loving it. It's a breath of fresh air to read things because I want to, not because I have to. Any book recommendations from you guys are always welcome, because I am awful at choosing books to read and end up reading many of them over and over again.
Anyways. That's my list of the summer. I think I did quite well! Maybe when I get around to it I'll list the movies I've watched. ahha.