The Libertine,
The Star-Spangled Girl,
Dear American Airlines,
Into The Wild,
The Bolter,
Atonement,
Fear and Trembling,
The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture,
That Eye That Sky,
Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse,
Lord of the Flies,
The Tales of Beedle the Bard,
Revolutionary Road,
I Used To Know That,
An Abundance of Katherines,
Poems To Make You Smile
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Read 2010
Read 2010: The beginning of my journey back into the joy of reading again. The list for 2011 is probably going to much, much longer. I can hear you all saying, "yay, tell us more!" Ok... settle down.
Also, I think this Amazon feature is convenient and cool, please don't take this as a massive ad, because it's not. I don't even know how the program actually works, I just like the idea of easily linking books for you to add to your wishlist!
Schott's Original Miscellany, I was amused to see recently that Jenny in Gossip Girl is reading this book the morning after she is attacked by Chuck in the first episode. If it was on Gossip Girl, then you know it's quality. That sounds sarcastic, but I'm totally guilty of loving so much stuff that is featured on Gossip Girl. Though I'm glad I owned this book before seeing it on Gossip Girl. It's a great little read too. I read it cover to cover instead of just flipping through randomly, and I found it quite delightful, full of facts that don't really matter except to the Regency Era version of me sitting in the corner of my mind pretending she is Jane Austen.
The Book Thief, this book will smash your heart.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, so happy I finally read this book after the seeing the film many times and having owned the book for over a year. I was impressed at how closely the film followed the book. I am looking forward to reading more of his works and reflecting on them again when I brush up on more history of that time.
Looking for Alaska, I believe Paper Towns was my favourite John Green novel, though Alaska is most certainly worth the praise that it receives. Quite heartbreaking and frustrating.
Frisco Pigeon Mambo, someone sent me this and it was quite funny. Reading a pigeon's thoughts. I feel like this is one of those books one should read when they are still grotty and 12, however the references are more pleasing when one is older.
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye, Michael was reading The Walking Dead and the series was coming out and so I thought I'd check it out. It was OK. A little awkward at times, but still a great concept. I was impressed how the series was able to stretch out the first issue for the whole season.
Jane, I'm not sure what this is.
GQ/Jan, now this magazine or at least, this issue was good! This was the issue with Rhianna on the cover and they had a page about different lunches you could make and I fell in love. Ripped it out of the borrowed magazine and still have it now. I can't wait to follow their lunchtime instructions.
Glamour/Aug, this magazine was lying on the floor of Michael's room. God know's why. Whatever. Anyway, I wanted to see what a Glamour magazine was like and I wasn't surprised. More sex and other stuff that I find completely trivial.
Deathnote #1, I'd be interested in seeing how this story plays out. It's about a boy who picks up a book that's used by those that control who dies, and he starts using it himself, killing off murders he see's on TV.
Detroit Metal City #1, I bought this for my brother's birthday, but wanted to make sure it was OK first. It's quite funny, but possibly offensive to those who either like light music or dark music. I ended up keeping it and sent James a different present. I give it to him sometime... but I also think I may have left it in New York. Hmm...
Paper Towns, I read this after purchasing a copy at VidCon. I loved the passion around the nerdfighters and though I should properly join the bandwagon and read the book. John Green had also helped me out a bit, just by being nice, during VidCon and so it's my only way I can repay him.
Eat Pray Love, I was quite excited about reading this book. I first saw it in my friends room back in April 2009 and found myself quickly reading through the first few pages and enjoying it. I finished it on a plane on the way back from VidCon, and it was OK. I didn't find her revelations as incredible as others might, because I already had those revelations and I also found her attempt at humour a bit embarrassing at some points. She also seemed to be a bit annoying at times, which means, she must be honest because so many of us are annoying.
And Tango Makes Three, I read this in the Barnes and Noble on 17th St because I know these people! They're charming and amazing and this book is incredible. Recently their work was featured in the Museum of Sex!
the perks of being a wallflower, now being turned into a film. Read this before you see the movie so we can all possibly feel enraged! I'm just kidding, I'm sure they'll create a lovely adaptation. I'm worried about this book. I think I lent it to a friend, it was a used copy, but still, I want it. I could often see myself in the lead character, and I think that's why it resonates with so many people.
Dance Spirit/Feb, oh, you know, just another magazine to make me feel guilty for giving my life's ambition up. I desperately want to get back into dancing, but I need the funds to train and am without right now... still. A great magazine for the younger crowd because DANCE magazine was always far too serious for me when I was younger.
Nylon/Feb, you can't call this a teen fashion magazine, despite the teens in it, because I don't think they could get away with putting ads for cigarettes in it. That's the only thing I don't like, that they've left American Spirit or whatever it's called place ads in it's magazine. I think that's very wrong of them.
Anyway, I love Nylon. I had the Nylon front desk experience before they put a lock on their front door (surely not because of me! haha) and it was amazing. The two girls were so nice and an excellent representation of what the magazine claims to be. I'll subscribe again when I can afford it.
TeenVogue/Mar, I like Teen Vogue. Fashion-wise I find the pieces in this magazine more inspiring than those that are selected for Women's magazine. The articles can actually be quite lame, though, which is disappointing and it's the only magazine that I could possibly trade in my desired life for a life of high-consumerism purely just to fight against the large majority of pointless articles. I'm sure it's not the topics or the age-target, but just the format. The best teen fashion magazine out there though, I've checked. This does treat their audience fairly seriously and is doing it's best to not be totally disney-fied.
Empire/Feb, I think this was a good issue, though maybe it wasn't from 2010. It was an inside look into the films coming out with some amazing pictures from behind the scenes of some classic films. This is a magazine I would subscribe to if I could.
Will Grayson Will Grayson, my very own Advanced Reader's Copy! I was so excited and made John Green feel awkward, because plenty of people get them, but it still meant a lot. I owned Paper Towns but hadn't read it so Will Grayson was my first John Green book (with David Levithan, yes, of course.) It was brilliant and the references were intriguing, and I started another list, but was soon swept into the story once I things started to get really shocking!
Real Simple/Jan, I would borrow these from the lady of the house and indulge in neatness and organization and recipes. I still have some recipes and they are really, really good. I don't like the consumer side of the magazine, but I do appreciate the constant quest of organizing every single possible thing in the Universe.
The Iliad, an epic chore. Yes, there are some really beautifully written passages, which is why the book is totally dog-eared, but it really was a challenge to complete it and I still think Achilles is a whiney bitch.
Have you read these books? What are your thoughts on them?
Also, I think this Amazon feature is convenient and cool, please don't take this as a massive ad, because it's not. I don't even know how the program actually works, I just like the idea of easily linking books for you to add to your wishlist!
Schott's Original Miscellany, I was amused to see recently that Jenny in Gossip Girl is reading this book the morning after she is attacked by Chuck in the first episode. If it was on Gossip Girl, then you know it's quality. That sounds sarcastic, but I'm totally guilty of loving so much stuff that is featured on Gossip Girl. Though I'm glad I owned this book before seeing it on Gossip Girl. It's a great little read too. I read it cover to cover instead of just flipping through randomly, and I found it quite delightful, full of facts that don't really matter except to the Regency Era version of me sitting in the corner of my mind pretending she is Jane Austen.
The Book Thief, this book will smash your heart.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, so happy I finally read this book after the seeing the film many times and having owned the book for over a year. I was impressed at how closely the film followed the book. I am looking forward to reading more of his works and reflecting on them again when I brush up on more history of that time.
Looking for Alaska, I believe Paper Towns was my favourite John Green novel, though Alaska is most certainly worth the praise that it receives. Quite heartbreaking and frustrating.
Frisco Pigeon Mambo, someone sent me this and it was quite funny. Reading a pigeon's thoughts. I feel like this is one of those books one should read when they are still grotty and 12, however the references are more pleasing when one is older.
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye, Michael was reading The Walking Dead and the series was coming out and so I thought I'd check it out. It was OK. A little awkward at times, but still a great concept. I was impressed how the series was able to stretch out the first issue for the whole season.
Jane, I'm not sure what this is.
GQ/Jan, now this magazine or at least, this issue was good! This was the issue with Rhianna on the cover and they had a page about different lunches you could make and I fell in love. Ripped it out of the borrowed magazine and still have it now. I can't wait to follow their lunchtime instructions.
Glamour/Aug, this magazine was lying on the floor of Michael's room. God know's why. Whatever. Anyway, I wanted to see what a Glamour magazine was like and I wasn't surprised. More sex and other stuff that I find completely trivial.
Deathnote #1, I'd be interested in seeing how this story plays out. It's about a boy who picks up a book that's used by those that control who dies, and he starts using it himself, killing off murders he see's on TV.
Detroit Metal City #1, I bought this for my brother's birthday, but wanted to make sure it was OK first. It's quite funny, but possibly offensive to those who either like light music or dark music. I ended up keeping it and sent James a different present. I give it to him sometime... but I also think I may have left it in New York. Hmm...
Paper Towns, I read this after purchasing a copy at VidCon. I loved the passion around the nerdfighters and though I should properly join the bandwagon and read the book. John Green had also helped me out a bit, just by being nice, during VidCon and so it's my only way I can repay him.
Eat Pray Love, I was quite excited about reading this book. I first saw it in my friends room back in April 2009 and found myself quickly reading through the first few pages and enjoying it. I finished it on a plane on the way back from VidCon, and it was OK. I didn't find her revelations as incredible as others might, because I already had those revelations and I also found her attempt at humour a bit embarrassing at some points. She also seemed to be a bit annoying at times, which means, she must be honest because so many of us are annoying.
And Tango Makes Three, I read this in the Barnes and Noble on 17th St because I know these people! They're charming and amazing and this book is incredible. Recently their work was featured in the Museum of Sex!
the perks of being a wallflower, now being turned into a film. Read this before you see the movie so we can all possibly feel enraged! I'm just kidding, I'm sure they'll create a lovely adaptation. I'm worried about this book. I think I lent it to a friend, it was a used copy, but still, I want it. I could often see myself in the lead character, and I think that's why it resonates with so many people.
Dance Spirit/Feb, oh, you know, just another magazine to make me feel guilty for giving my life's ambition up. I desperately want to get back into dancing, but I need the funds to train and am without right now... still. A great magazine for the younger crowd because DANCE magazine was always far too serious for me when I was younger.
Nylon/Feb, you can't call this a teen fashion magazine, despite the teens in it, because I don't think they could get away with putting ads for cigarettes in it. That's the only thing I don't like, that they've left American Spirit or whatever it's called place ads in it's magazine. I think that's very wrong of them.
Anyway, I love Nylon. I had the Nylon front desk experience before they put a lock on their front door (surely not because of me! haha) and it was amazing. The two girls were so nice and an excellent representation of what the magazine claims to be. I'll subscribe again when I can afford it.
TeenVogue/Mar, I like Teen Vogue. Fashion-wise I find the pieces in this magazine more inspiring than those that are selected for Women's magazine. The articles can actually be quite lame, though, which is disappointing and it's the only magazine that I could possibly trade in my desired life for a life of high-consumerism purely just to fight against the large majority of pointless articles. I'm sure it's not the topics or the age-target, but just the format. The best teen fashion magazine out there though, I've checked. This does treat their audience fairly seriously and is doing it's best to not be totally disney-fied.
Empire/Feb, I think this was a good issue, though maybe it wasn't from 2010. It was an inside look into the films coming out with some amazing pictures from behind the scenes of some classic films. This is a magazine I would subscribe to if I could.
Will Grayson Will Grayson, my very own Advanced Reader's Copy! I was so excited and made John Green feel awkward, because plenty of people get them, but it still meant a lot. I owned Paper Towns but hadn't read it so Will Grayson was my first John Green book (with David Levithan, yes, of course.) It was brilliant and the references were intriguing, and I started another list, but was soon swept into the story once I things started to get really shocking!
Real Simple/Jan, I would borrow these from the lady of the house and indulge in neatness and organization and recipes. I still have some recipes and they are really, really good. I don't like the consumer side of the magazine, but I do appreciate the constant quest of organizing every single possible thing in the Universe.
The Iliad, an epic chore. Yes, there are some really beautifully written passages, which is why the book is totally dog-eared, but it really was a challenge to complete it and I still think Achilles is a whiney bitch.
Have you read these books? What are your thoughts on them?
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Replacing Life With Books
As I mentioned in one of my recent posts, my Mum says that you can waste your life reading books.
One should most certainly have their own adventures, but when you are a little burnt out or perhaps a little world weary and desperate for nurture, going on a book binge sounds like a pretty good idea to me.
Which is what I'm doing. I'm bingeing on books. I've been here just over a week and I've already finished three books and am now onto my fourth.
I desperately need to make up time. I bought books during my first two years in Manhattan like one buys drinks for friends, but I didn't have many friends so I, yes, bought books! Hundreds of books! It's too much. It costs too much to buy and it certainly costs to much to ship and the idea of shipping books around the world for the simple aim of READING them seems ludicrous to me. So, before my next journey (hopefully), I don't intend to bring them all with me. I intend to conquer them. To slaughter these writers words page by page, but lapping up the blood of their stories like a true admirer instead of just skim-reading like so many tired souls do.
They say that a book should break your heart as you read the last page, and so far, I'll admit, my heart hasn't really been broken but it certainly has been warmed by Payne, Green and Thompson and surely next by Zuzsak. I'm looking forward to living through these characters for a moment, because I am a little lost, and my next chapter is pinned to a cork board in so many scattered post-it notes.
I look back on how little I've read over the past 3 years (minus forgotten graphic novels and periodicals):
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
American Eve, Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, The Birth of the "It" Girl and the Crime of the Century by Paula Uruburu
Youth in Revolt and
Frisco Pigeon Mambo by C.D. Payne
The Iliad, Homer
Will Grayson, Will Grayson and
Paper Towns and
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (because I didn't know better)
The Walking Dead "Days Gone Bye" by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
and the only other novel that I recognize as having read out of the piles of new books sitting along the wall is Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody. A series I intended to follow but never did. Just seeing it there makes me sad, like a picture I never finished or a photograph of a moment that the memory cannot place.
So what do you do with the books you have read? Especially when you plan to one day only truly own and cherish enough to fit in nap sack (a goal, I know, that will never be realized but a nice goal to aim towards nonetheless, especially when you're tired of owning anything that won't matter when you desperately need the things that do)?
I don't know. Once I have noted any particular delights from The Walking Dead, Frisco Pigeon Mambo, The Iliad and Eat Pray Love, I can easily see myself feeling fine about donating these or giving them away (for I could not bare to ever throw a book in the trash).
I know I desperately want to give away The Tipping Point, for it reminds me of a life that I no longer want to be a part of, but I can't help but fear that I'll slip towards it again some day and need reminding of what works for that life... Fuck it, I can borrow it if I ever venture down those dark avenues again.
OK, out of the books I've listed I'm keeping four, but I'm not going to say which books because it's like Sophie's Choice. What, too dramatic? Never.
"This blog went no where!" a la Brian...
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Kill Flies with Books; Returning to Queensland
Days After New York: 9
Meals Cooked: 2 - Saturday: Pappardelle with Spicy Meat Sauce (only with Penne instead of Pappardelle and Paprika instead of Red Pepper) and Monday: Cottage Pie (filled with frustration because one should be able to cook while angry. Making the Mashed Potatoes reminded me of how I helped make Mashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving in 2009 with Molly, which helped me not be angry.)
Flies Killed: 3 (possibly 4 if the one I whacked with John Green's novel, Looking For Alaska, finally kicked it.)
"God, I'm a murderer!" I exclaimed to my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I watched the fly I had just pelted over and over again with walter swirl down the bathroom sink.
The remorse didn't last long, as I had a plan to stick to and a day to fill up with Unimportance. Read: Distraction: so that I don't realize that I'm not going to be in America any time soon and don't even know if I want to be. Meanwhile, a fly buzzed furiously over my head.
It's been fulfilling to make dinner. To take out the ingredients and line them up and then combine so that right amount of heat cooks for the right amount of time to taste just about right, and I clean as I go, so as to feel like an organized, functioning adult. I've received praise so far, but I don't like going against the recipe, but my Mum is all for it. So whereas my meal might come out as a clumsy one-act, my Mum's own choices in the kitchen would lead to a polished piece, no matter how small the portion. I suppose I will learn this spontaneity, this art, in time.
One of the ways I'm keeping busy is by waking up early, usually at 6 but always before 8:30, and filling my day up with pointless little adventures. Last week it was mainly setting up bank accounts and health care and identification and posting off Christmas packages and this week it's been more about trying to get down to work. Though it has proven difficult. A thousand other things need to be done. Oceans to walk past, mountains to climb, papers to use and then vanquish... Checking ones email thoroughly can take up quite a lot of time too, and I have 7 accounts.
I become overwhelmed, and then I become sad, and so I take any opportunity to go to the shops and walk around with Mum or to walk by the beach or to climb the not-so-far-off mountains.
Other than climbing mountains and wading in it's streams as baby pythons circled around my Mum's partners hand friendly enough but attacked and shied away from his cell phone that was simply trying to capture the moment in terrible resolution, was to see the ballet.
I saw The Nutcracker, but it was different, original, as is always the way with the choreographer, Francois Klaus and his company, The Queensland Ballet. I adored it. I had my binoculars and found great joy in the seeing the expression on the dancers faces, seeing the lines, so long and beautiful up-close and feeding off the dancers energy, hungry for more.
It was nice to see two Second Years performing amongst the rest of the company, who I no longer recognized, apart from the principal, Rachael Walsh. I remembered them from when I was a First Year (and only ever a First Year) and was just happy to see people make it out from the suffocating grasps of adolescence. It seemed like such a breakthrough, even though, in person, I'm sure they haven't changed all that much. Either way, I was still proud to be watching my peers.
Another activity I have been busying myself with is the great task of reading all the books I own. I've finished two since I arrived and am about to finish the third (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson) tonight. The great thing about Queensland is the fairly long commutes on buses and trains. I can begin a journey only half-way through a novel and find myself having to slow myself down by the bus ride home so as to not finish a book on the bus, a very emotionless ending, I'm sure, when you have to try to "keep up appearances" and pretend you're just as sane as every one else while your emotions are spilling out all over the place as the story, your story, your journey, ends.
I'm going to read The Book Thief next. It was recommended to me by a friend Emma back in 2009 (or was it 2008?) and while I was in Santiago, both Emily and Ryan raved about how much they adored it. I hope I too have a similar experience. I will keep my mind open so as to hopefully not ruin it for myself.
With Hunter S. Thompson leaving me tonight, I've only read a total of 7 books this year (more if I count some more graphic novels and maybe the odd little book I may have read and forgotten about). My Mum says that you can waste your whole life reading, but I feel that I've spent a lot of this year living. Throwing caution to the winds and just being in the moment, if we can ever truly live in the moment. I'm happy to give my life to some stories for now, at least for December... at least until this pile is read. I can't keep carrying it around from place to place and I certainly won't leave it behind and I can't just let them sit there anymore.
I have more stories to tell of my time here, but this ending, this sigh of relief as book dust falls on my head, well, I hope you let out a little sigh, too. When one has the luxury of a page to turn, every thing is not as bad as it may seem.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Look At All These Modern Classics That I Have Yet To Read!
LOOK AT ALL THESE MODERN CLASSICS THAT I HAVEN'T READ YET!
Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Beowulf
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Othello by William Shakespeare - seen the theatre version but have never read in full
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - seen many times, started many times, but not yet completed
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare - seen only the film versions, not yet completed
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Authors I should have read: Tom Clancy, Patricia Cornwell, W.E.B. Griffin, Nora Roberts, William Gibson, Robin Cook, Brian Jacques, Catherine Coulter, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ken Follett, Clive Cussler, Eric Jerome Dickey, John Sandford, Terry McMillan...
Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Beowulf
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Othello by William Shakespeare - seen the theatre version but have never read in full
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - seen many times, started many times, but not yet completed
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare - seen only the film versions, not yet completed
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Authors I should have read: Tom Clancy, Patricia Cornwell, W.E.B. Griffin, Nora Roberts, William Gibson, Robin Cook, Brian Jacques, Catherine Coulter, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ken Follett, Clive Cussler, Eric Jerome Dickey, John Sandford, Terry McMillan...
What the hell was the English Department at my school doing? Ah, I can't blame them. Everyone's education is in their own hands. I will simply educate myself as much as I can with the tools and resources that I have.
I still read a lot during primary school and high school, but it was a lot of novels and children's books (and ahem, Harry Potter) and other titles that I can no longer remember. Maybe that is why my spelling is pretty great but my grammar can be quite irregular at times?
Knowing all these smart and productive people online has given me one goal in life: always aim to be smarter. My previous goal was: aim to be less ignorant, but I think they both go hand in hand, and this sounds a lot more positive.
I will come back to this list and cross these titles off as I go. It'll feel great. Anyway, I have to get back to my school, The Netflix Conservatory.
Crack a Book,
Caitlin
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