I saw this at A Striped Armchair and since I'm not in the right frame of mind for writing reviews I thought I'd give this a go.
One book you’re currently reading: The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenger
One book that changed your life: Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers(tacky self help I know, but it worked!)
One book you’d want on a deserted island: The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll
One book you’ve read more than once: Enduring Love by Ian McKewan
One book you’ve never been able to finish: Anything by William Faukner( but I will, hopefully this year)
One book that made you laugh: The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
One book that made you cry: Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
One book you keep rereading: The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (I think I'm in love with lestat. Lol)
One book you’ve been meaning to read: Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
One book you believe everyone should read: English Passengers by Matthew Kneale
Finally,Grab the nearest book. Open it to page 56. Find the 5th sentence.
I wish to goodness I'd never stepped into this silly land, thought joe a hundred times. Its a good thing the bears are so nice to me.
From the Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. My daughter's reading it.
Saturday, 31 January 2009
Friday, 30 January 2009
Which World Classics Character are you?
You have the characteristics of Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. You are a dreamer with a vivid imagination, someone who thinks outside the box with a tendency to end up in unusual situations.
Hmmm, I think this isn't far off. I know people who know would me would say I' very often in a world of my own anyway!
I saw this at Lynda's Book Blog a few days ago and since I'm having a bad day I thought I'd do this to try and cheer myself up a bit. And it worked! I'm smiling now!
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Saplings by Noel Streatfield
Written in 1945, and the only one of Streatfeild's adult novels still in print, I came to this because Ballet Shoes was my favourite childhood book, and until very recently I wasn't aware she had written adult books too. As an added bonus it fits in well with the World War II challenge. The Wiltshires are a family of four children, Laurel, Tony,Kim and Tuesday.
As with many WWII novels the story centres on the realities of evacuation, but where this differs is that the Wiltshires are a middle class family, not a poor working class family. This is made clear from the start as the family are seen on the beach, with their nanny and governess, as well as their parents. It soon becomes clear though that although the father is very family orientated, the mother puts family life as a clear second to her role as wife and lover.
"He would have gone into the tent to put on his things. When they were first married, or even a few years ago, she would have gone with him. She would not have missed those seconds in the hot tent, the flash of passion that would have come from the closeness of his cool, naked body. But he had got so self conscious, always worrying about what the children were thinking."
Lena does not really take much of an interest in the children's emotional well-being. She is there as quite an aloof mother, playing with the children only when it seems to her it would be a perfect scene of idyllic motherhood. Lena likes to put on a show for others, and to be seen as a perfect, ideal family. She dresses the children nicely, and on occasions where others will see, she makes a great fuss of her children.
"Lena had Kim next to her. He really was a most ornamental child, both in looks and the way he said things. She saw that with charmed smiles the next table were listening. She led Kim on."
However, despite this the children are happy. This contented little unit is shattered when war breaks out and the children have to leave London. They are evacuated to their grandparents house, without Lena, who refuses to leave Alex. From here the novel becomes an examination of how children react to the displacement of war, and deal with loss and grief.
As the war progresses, the children lose more and more of the things that are precious to them, both through the tragedies of war, and the unthinking actions of adults. They are shifted from school to school and from one relative to another during holidays. They lose the presence of their governess as she goes off to assist in the war effort. They all suffer, in very different ways, and the novel finishes with them all in a very delicate emotional state, and we are not assured of their future well being.
Lena must take the brunt of the blame for the suffering caused to the children. Although she could have done nothing about the tragedies caused by war, and the need to move from their London home, she could have provided a more stable base for her children. She failed to understand their real needs and became lost in her own difficulties.
The suffering of children is one of the main themes of this book. The Wiltshires suffer because of war, and their mother's inability to be the stable, caring mother they so desperately need. The children are victims of fate really. In traditional tragedy conventions, they are acted upon rather than having much of a say in their own fate. It is important letters that go missing, overheard conversations, and adult relationships impacting upon them. Even right at the end of the novel it is made clear that the adults have not understood the extent of the suffering the children have endured, with the last line
"We got a lot to be thankful for in this country. Our kids 'avent't suffered 'o-ever else 'as"
I really enjoyed this book. Although it differs in theme from her childrens books, it is similar in that is dealing with childrens emotional states. As well as the psychological issues war can cause in children, I found it interesting to view the evacuation from a more middle class perspective, as this is usually seen in literature with working class children. And finally, I think I need to return to Ballet Shoes to see how it compares to this, and get an adult perspective on the fossil family.
As with many WWII novels the story centres on the realities of evacuation, but where this differs is that the Wiltshires are a middle class family, not a poor working class family. This is made clear from the start as the family are seen on the beach, with their nanny and governess, as well as their parents. It soon becomes clear though that although the father is very family orientated, the mother puts family life as a clear second to her role as wife and lover.
"He would have gone into the tent to put on his things. When they were first married, or even a few years ago, she would have gone with him. She would not have missed those seconds in the hot tent, the flash of passion that would have come from the closeness of his cool, naked body. But he had got so self conscious, always worrying about what the children were thinking."
Lena does not really take much of an interest in the children's emotional well-being. She is there as quite an aloof mother, playing with the children only when it seems to her it would be a perfect scene of idyllic motherhood. Lena likes to put on a show for others, and to be seen as a perfect, ideal family. She dresses the children nicely, and on occasions where others will see, she makes a great fuss of her children.
"Lena had Kim next to her. He really was a most ornamental child, both in looks and the way he said things. She saw that with charmed smiles the next table were listening. She led Kim on."
However, despite this the children are happy. This contented little unit is shattered when war breaks out and the children have to leave London. They are evacuated to their grandparents house, without Lena, who refuses to leave Alex. From here the novel becomes an examination of how children react to the displacement of war, and deal with loss and grief.
As the war progresses, the children lose more and more of the things that are precious to them, both through the tragedies of war, and the unthinking actions of adults. They are shifted from school to school and from one relative to another during holidays. They lose the presence of their governess as she goes off to assist in the war effort. They all suffer, in very different ways, and the novel finishes with them all in a very delicate emotional state, and we are not assured of their future well being.
Lena must take the brunt of the blame for the suffering caused to the children. Although she could have done nothing about the tragedies caused by war, and the need to move from their London home, she could have provided a more stable base for her children. She failed to understand their real needs and became lost in her own difficulties.
The suffering of children is one of the main themes of this book. The Wiltshires suffer because of war, and their mother's inability to be the stable, caring mother they so desperately need. The children are victims of fate really. In traditional tragedy conventions, they are acted upon rather than having much of a say in their own fate. It is important letters that go missing, overheard conversations, and adult relationships impacting upon them. Even right at the end of the novel it is made clear that the adults have not understood the extent of the suffering the children have endured, with the last line
"We got a lot to be thankful for in this country. Our kids 'avent't suffered 'o-ever else 'as"
I really enjoyed this book. Although it differs in theme from her childrens books, it is similar in that is dealing with childrens emotional states. As well as the psychological issues war can cause in children, I found it interesting to view the evacuation from a more middle class perspective, as this is usually seen in literature with working class children. And finally, I think I need to return to Ballet Shoes to see how it compares to this, and get an adult perspective on the fossil family.
Monday, 26 January 2009
Musing Mondays
Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about lending books...
A few weeks back we had a question about borrowing books, this week I was wondering what your policy was on lending books. Do you lend books to anyone? Just friends? Only big readers? How long are they allowed to have them?
I don't really know that many people who ever want or ask to borrow my books! But those people who do borrow books from me can have anything they want, for as long as they want because I know they will come back in the end. My boss will quite often see me reading something at work and ask to borrow it when I've finished it and my sons father(and best mate) borrows a lot of my books. But in both cases the arrangement is reciprocal. In fact Dylan is quite often sent off to his dad's with a pile of books, or comes back to me bearing 'gifts'. Lol.
The only person I don't lend books to is my sister because she loses them! She doesn't read much of the same things as me but she managed to lose ALL my Artemis Fowl books so I had to replace them when it came to Dylan wanting to read them. How you manage to lose 5 hardback books I'll never know! She doesn't ask to borrow my books any more. Lol.
But I would lend my books to anyone that asked. I will assume that they are going to return them until they proved otherwise. Innocent until proven guilty! But if one failed to come back, I don't think I'd lend that person any more.
A few weeks back we had a question about borrowing books, this week I was wondering what your policy was on lending books. Do you lend books to anyone? Just friends? Only big readers? How long are they allowed to have them?
I don't really know that many people who ever want or ask to borrow my books! But those people who do borrow books from me can have anything they want, for as long as they want because I know they will come back in the end. My boss will quite often see me reading something at work and ask to borrow it when I've finished it and my sons father(and best mate) borrows a lot of my books. But in both cases the arrangement is reciprocal. In fact Dylan is quite often sent off to his dad's with a pile of books, or comes back to me bearing 'gifts'. Lol.
The only person I don't lend books to is my sister because she loses them! She doesn't read much of the same things as me but she managed to lose ALL my Artemis Fowl books so I had to replace them when it came to Dylan wanting to read them. How you manage to lose 5 hardback books I'll never know! She doesn't ask to borrow my books any more. Lol.
But I would lend my books to anyone that asked. I will assume that they are going to return them until they proved otherwise. Innocent until proven guilty! But if one failed to come back, I don't think I'd lend that person any more.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Booking Through Thursday
Since “Inspiration” is (or should) the theme this week … what is your reading inspired by?
Oooh, lots of things! Bookshops, the library, recomendations from friends, subjects I'm interested in. And of course all the book reviews I read on everyone elses blogs.
I've got a huge list of books I'd like to read, and a huge pile of books waiting to be read but I don't seem to be able to read to a plan. I'll read one book, which will then open doors to many other subjects that I would like to read about. Then my son might read something that looks interesting, I might find something in the library that just looks appealing. Recently I answered a Musing Monday question about how I felt towards assigned reading at school and that has sent me back to my box of school and university books. I am now inspired to re-read some of the books and authors from here, and to try again with Faulkner, which I really struggled with at uni.
I suppose my reading is influenced by my mood as much as by anything else though. I sometimes find that although I'm inspired to read lots of things, if I'm in a rotten mood, nothing seems to hold my attention for very long. This is when I usually turn to old favourites or magazines in an attempt to try and improve my mood. Luckily this doesn't happen very often!
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
The Museum Guard by Howard Norman
This is a short novel and a quick read, but it is jam packed with big ideas. The book starts with of 9 year old Defoe's parents in an accident. Whilst his uncle Edward heads off to the crash scene, Defoe is left with his wife, Altoon Markham, who calms the child by teaching him to iron shirts. Edward becomes Defoe's legal guardian and he lives in the hotel with him.
Fast forward 20 years and Defoe and his uncle are both museum guards in the Glace museum in Nova Scotia. They both still reside in the same hotel, and appear to be close, although very different. Edward leans towards drinking, gambling, womanising and has a very lackadaisical attitude to work, whereas Defoe is conscientious to the extreme and takes his duties seriously.
All the more strange then that we know from the first page of this book that Defoe stole a painting from the museum. We actually learn this before we learn of his character, thus the rest of the book becomes an observation of how he steals this painting, and for what end?
This is only half the story though. Imogen Linny is the catalyst for everything. She met Defoe at the museum, and they begin a relationship,although this is characterised by a lack of intimacy and Imogen's constant headaches and need to think. She is obsessed with the ennobling aspects of art and spends a long time pondering the phrase "the estrangement and reconciliation of the soul". This leads to a major obsession with a particular painting in the museum, and actually starts to believe she is the woman in the painting.
All this is set against the backdrop of WWII and the rising tide of anti-semitism and fascism in Europe. The disintegration of human reason is displayed both in the approaching horrors from Germany, and the disintegration of Imogen's reason. This is brought to a horrific collision at the conclusion of the book, although the ending is a little ambiguous.
The writing instills a sense of impending doom and melancholy all the way through and the characters, although so odd, are actually believable aswell.
I think that to get a full understanding of this book I will need to read it again with a close eye, but essentially this is a novel about obsession. Defoe and Imogen are both obsessed to a point where it affects their lives, Defoe with Imogen and Imogen with the painting. It also raises questions about art and its relevance to modern society, particularly with ideas of art being a personal experience. It is only what you make it and it effect on you completely depends on how you respond to it.
I think my thoughts here are a bit simplistic but it seems to be the only way I can phrase it after a first read. I will read it again, and I may return to this when I have. But i would recommend this book and I will be seeking out more Howard Norman books.
Monday, 19 January 2009
Scary Fairy Tales???!!!!!!!!!
Apparently many parents are shunning traditional fairy tales in favour of newer books because fairy tales are too scary, or not politically correct enough. I just read about this here and thought I'd write about it to see what other people thought.
As an overview the top 10 stories read and the 10 that parents are reluctant to read are listed below. Don't get me wrong I'm not against newer stories, but I don't think any child has ever been mentally damaged from reading a fairy tale, and as for political correctness, the stories are so obviously set in a distant world so different from our own no child could believe it was a representation of modern life! Hence the 'Once upon a time'.
Top 10 stories we read to our children.
As an overview the top 10 stories read and the 10 that parents are reluctant to read are listed below. Don't get me wrong I'm not against newer stories, but I don't think any child has ever been mentally damaged from reading a fairy tale, and as for political correctness, the stories are so obviously set in a distant world so different from our own no child could believe it was a representation of modern life! Hence the 'Once upon a time'.
Top 10 stories we read to our children.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- The Mr Men
- The Gruffalo
- Winnie the Pooh
- Aliens love underpants
- Thomas and friends
- The Wind in the Willows
- hat a Noisy Pinky Ponk
- Charlie and Lola
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Books we no longer read
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Cinderella
- Hansel and Gretel
- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Gingerbread Man
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- Sleeping Beauty
- Beauty and the Beast
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- The Emperors New Clothes
Ok,ok even 30 years ago, The very hungry caterpillar was my favourite book, so much that my dad still knows it off by heart. Fairy stories can be a little frightening in places. but I don't think we give children the credit they deserve. We could at least give them the option to make their own minds up about whether they like the stories. They are perfectly capable of distinguishing between story and reality and all the stories end 'happily ever after'. I've read the gruffalo to both of my children but I don't think he is any less scary than the wolf in Red Riding Hood. And what on earth is wrong with The Emperors New Clothes and Cinderella? I can only assume its nakedness and the role of women in the home respectively but Please! What does anyone else think?
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