An enjoyable chapter romp through "sunken continents, vanished cities, and the kingdoms that history misplaced" that is ripe for inspiration but occasionally hard to sift through with its overlong paragraphs and lack of geographical organization.
Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms by Dr. Bob Curran
I enjoyed this and it had a lot of nice illustrations, in addition to covering quite a huge scope of these vanished moments in history. The writing left something to be desired. While the research was extensive and Dr. Curran did a good job of drawing parallels from multiple sources, it could have been a bit more broken up and organized, and there were quite a few noticeable typos (not really his fault, but still). Additionally, he has an annoying habit of ending each chapter and each section with a kind of speculative, esoteric statement: "perhaps that was all there was" type things. It didn't jar with the direction of the book--this was less scientific and more holistic of what these places were, and then drew parallels between mythological or folklorish cultures of many people--but it kind of killed it for a bit.
I'd recommend, again, for quick reads with chapters, but I do believe there is likely to be more thorough accounts of these things. Still, there were many different histories I hadn't yet heard, and I noted quite a few interesting things in its pages.
6.5/10
Book Journal WR: History's Mysteries: People, Places, and Oddities Lost in the Sands of Time
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
You'll see a lot of Book Journal WRs of this nature and to be fair, they're all really starting to blend in to me as well. For instance I don't remember much about this except it provided some rather in-depth and less speculative chapters on a select number of stories that stand out amongst a timeline we are familiar with. I read through it quickly and marked a couple of interesting notes.
History's Mysteries: People, Places, and Oddities Lost in the Sands of Time by Brian Haughton
Continuing my foray into esoteric and speculative history, I chose first to read this book (and subsequently took to Amazon.com to purchase a slew of other history (both real and speculative) after finishing it) and found it pretty decent. As with interest in this kind of genre, a lot of it is speculative, but Haughton is perhaps more satiating in his writing: he offers several explanations, many of which are very grounded in certain historical aspects, and doesn't linger on the esoteric nature of these kinds of topics. And also with books like these, it isn't necessary to read through the whole thing; selecting chapters that interest you will certainly give you a decent, 200-level introduction into the topic (I particularly found his chapter on Lyonesse interesting), but because it covers a few topics, people particularly interested in one specific notion should look elsewhere for a more in-depth study.
7/10
I need to find this book. It's with Song of Roland somewhere...
History's Mysteries: People, Places, and Oddities Lost in the Sands of Time by Brian Haughton
Continuing my foray into esoteric and speculative history, I chose first to read this book (and subsequently took to Amazon.com to purchase a slew of other history (both real and speculative) after finishing it) and found it pretty decent. As with interest in this kind of genre, a lot of it is speculative, but Haughton is perhaps more satiating in his writing: he offers several explanations, many of which are very grounded in certain historical aspects, and doesn't linger on the esoteric nature of these kinds of topics. And also with books like these, it isn't necessary to read through the whole thing; selecting chapters that interest you will certainly give you a decent, 200-level introduction into the topic (I particularly found his chapter on Lyonesse interesting), but because it covers a few topics, people particularly interested in one specific notion should look elsewhere for a more in-depth study.
7/10
I need to find this book. It's with Song of Roland somewhere...
Book Journal WR: Song of Roland
My days of no-touch-manuscript are filled with mini writing exercises and a crap ton of "research readings," if you will. Most of this writing research--hence the WR in the title--is me continuing my career of being a dilettante, trying to pinpoint names, places, connections, inspirations, and overall thematics for the many, many worlds I've got to become familiar with. And a crap ton of chicken scrawls in margins of a ton of looseleaf papers I only marginally have a grasp on.
Anyway I read The Song of Roland over my Seabrook vacation. I'd never read it in high school and took to it pretty easily. I had some Penguin version (I think, and I misplaced my copy of it while I was cleaning so I can't confirm, especially now that I don't think it was actually a Penguin version at all) and the translation was pretty good. It's sort of the same as most medieval and pre-medieval epic poems--a lot of battles, a lot of cool men doing brave things, and a lot of sludge you have to sift through to get to the action.
Song of Roland by French Folklore
I'm a fan of these epic old poems and I've read most of them, even if I can't remember exactly what happens in each of them, and most of my memory is extracurricular fantasy (i.e. Beowulf, Gilgamesh, the Odyssey, et. al.). Song of Roland will likely fall into that category eventually but for me, it isn't the details about those stories that are worthwhile. It's really easy to get swept into them because you have to instantly become an audience for those poems--that is, when you read them, you are suddenly an individual of that time--in this case, a young French woman during Charlemagne's rule. And you have to think of context: the Crusades (or the precursor to them) against the Saracens, the good ol' swords that are all-powerful, and the single-minded bravery (or jealously) that is deemed so powerful a motivation. In a modern era of literature that is very introspective, very character-driven and oftentimes very dark, it can be very refreshing to harken back to the hero's journey in one of its earlier forms, and recognize how much we all love to experience that journey with those characters. Look at what are the most popular books, movies, and video games, and tell me they all aren't, ultimately, a quintessential "hero's journey."
Update: it was a Penguin version.
8/10
Anyway I read The Song of Roland over my Seabrook vacation. I'd never read it in high school and took to it pretty easily. I had some Penguin version (I think, and I misplaced my copy of it while I was cleaning so I can't confirm, especially now that I don't think it was actually a Penguin version at all) and the translation was pretty good. It's sort of the same as most medieval and pre-medieval epic poems--a lot of battles, a lot of cool men doing brave things, and a lot of sludge you have to sift through to get to the action.
Song of Roland by French Folklore
I'm a fan of these epic old poems and I've read most of them, even if I can't remember exactly what happens in each of them, and most of my memory is extracurricular fantasy (i.e. Beowulf, Gilgamesh, the Odyssey, et. al.). Song of Roland will likely fall into that category eventually but for me, it isn't the details about those stories that are worthwhile. It's really easy to get swept into them because you have to instantly become an audience for those poems--that is, when you read them, you are suddenly an individual of that time--in this case, a young French woman during Charlemagne's rule. And you have to think of context: the Crusades (or the precursor to them) against the Saracens, the good ol' swords that are all-powerful, and the single-minded bravery (or jealously) that is deemed so powerful a motivation. In a modern era of literature that is very introspective, very character-driven and oftentimes very dark, it can be very refreshing to harken back to the hero's journey in one of its earlier forms, and recognize how much we all love to experience that journey with those characters. Look at what are the most popular books, movies, and video games, and tell me they all aren't, ultimately, a quintessential "hero's journey."
Update: it was a Penguin version.
8/10
Word of the Day: Peripatetic
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Since I'm studying for the GRE (and by studying I mean I am actually studying, unlike last summer) I'm of course working to expand my vocabulary with a slew of both familiar, unfamiliar, and WTH words. I'm taking a different approach now, using my GRE Exam Vocabulary-In-A-Box words and writing down the definitions and an example sentence in a notebook...but my example sentence relates directly and only to my manuscript.
It's making studying not only far better and more manageable, but it's also helping with my off-writing time, developing characters, new ideas, reformatting old ones, etc. As I'm still off duty now, awaiting feedback from my two readers, I also get kind of anxious, and this is a good way to help keep my mind fresh on my ideas without it directly portending to things in my manuscript. So I keep my GRE stuff out to study, my manuscript stuff out to jot down notes and ideas, and my iPod headphones on to the instrumental genre for a nice atmospheric effect.
I even sometimes look forward to studying. Of course that will change when it comes time for the math part.
It's making studying not only far better and more manageable, but it's also helping with my off-writing time, developing characters, new ideas, reformatting old ones, etc. As I'm still off duty now, awaiting feedback from my two readers, I also get kind of anxious, and this is a good way to help keep my mind fresh on my ideas without it directly portending to things in my manuscript. So I keep my GRE stuff out to study, my manuscript stuff out to jot down notes and ideas, and my iPod headphones on to the instrumental genre for a nice atmospheric effect.
I even sometimes look forward to studying. Of course that will change when it comes time for the math part.
Word of the Day: Peripatetic
Definition: (Adj.) Wandering from place to place, especially on foot.
Manuscript Related Sentence: Thierry lives a transitory life as a peripatetic ex-warrior.
Other Sentence: Link from the Legend of Zelda is the prime example of a peripatetic hero, wandering aimlessly to find stuff to beat the bad guy and save the princess.
Definition: (Adj.) Wandering from place to place, especially on foot.
Manuscript Related Sentence: Thierry lives a transitory life as a peripatetic ex-warrior.
Other Sentence: Link from the Legend of Zelda is the prime example of a peripatetic hero, wandering aimlessly to find stuff to beat the bad guy and save the princess.
Book Journal: Water for Elephants
Monday, July 11, 2011
So...I think there's a reason why most of the people who know and love this book are...older.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Okay, let me start off by saying: I liked this book. I did. It's incredibly well-researched; not once do you feel like this is fabricated or a stretch. Gruen really did her stuff, and I admire her for it. The characters are engaging and the environment rich. It was a good book. I am not 100% sure why it is as beloved as it is, and I'll say that now. BUT, it has everything that makes it a good story, and I'll certainly praise it for that.
The story follows this young vet who loses his parents and then his money. Then he runs away and joins a circus. Yes, it's kind of like that. But it's pretty realistic nonetheless. He lucks out because he's educated during the Great Depression/Prohibition, and he meets all these wacko circus people, the most enchanting of which are the midget and August, a schizo who isn't quite as engaging or interesting a schizo as Nathan Landau but come on, that's hardly a fair comparison. Jacob Jakowski is pretty cute as well, and Marlena, though not exactly the greatest female protagonist, is certainly sustainable in her role. I also quite liked the elephant in the story, and while I do believe it was a bit of a wasted opportunity for deeper symbolism and theme, it certainly served as a good indication about the characters of Jacob and August.
I think why older readers enjoy this so much is that there is a powerful element of nostalgia in the book--which, of course, is something I'm tackling in my own draft. I liked how Gruen handled it; it wasn't overly sentiment, and it wasn't nauseating, but it was real and truthful and I liked it a bit. However, it doesn't represent a part of me I can focus on now. Leaving home and being stripped of all they love--it's a story that, on some level, everyone can relate to, including myself, but in this time of positivity and forward-thinking and excitement and hopeful attempt, I perhaps didn't connect with it quite as much as I could have--though that isn't any fault of Gruen's.
I think this may be a case of that rare "the movie is just as good or even better" than the book.
6.5/10
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Okay, let me start off by saying: I liked this book. I did. It's incredibly well-researched; not once do you feel like this is fabricated or a stretch. Gruen really did her stuff, and I admire her for it. The characters are engaging and the environment rich. It was a good book. I am not 100% sure why it is as beloved as it is, and I'll say that now. BUT, it has everything that makes it a good story, and I'll certainly praise it for that.
The story follows this young vet who loses his parents and then his money. Then he runs away and joins a circus. Yes, it's kind of like that. But it's pretty realistic nonetheless. He lucks out because he's educated during the Great Depression/Prohibition, and he meets all these wacko circus people, the most enchanting of which are the midget and August, a schizo who isn't quite as engaging or interesting a schizo as Nathan Landau but come on, that's hardly a fair comparison. Jacob Jakowski is pretty cute as well, and Marlena, though not exactly the greatest female protagonist, is certainly sustainable in her role. I also quite liked the elephant in the story, and while I do believe it was a bit of a wasted opportunity for deeper symbolism and theme, it certainly served as a good indication about the characters of Jacob and August.
I think why older readers enjoy this so much is that there is a powerful element of nostalgia in the book--which, of course, is something I'm tackling in my own draft. I liked how Gruen handled it; it wasn't overly sentiment, and it wasn't nauseating, but it was real and truthful and I liked it a bit. However, it doesn't represent a part of me I can focus on now. Leaving home and being stripped of all they love--it's a story that, on some level, everyone can relate to, including myself, but in this time of positivity and forward-thinking and excitement and hopeful attempt, I perhaps didn't connect with it quite as much as I could have--though that isn't any fault of Gruen's.
I think this may be a case of that rare "the movie is just as good or even better" than the book.
6.5/10
Book Journal: Far North
North Asia?! Tough survival? Imagination? So there! For the most part.
Far North by Marcel Theroux
This book isn't bad by any means. In fact, I'd call it a pretty good parable about what might happen with climate control, even if that notion wasn't quite as drilled into the story as I would have liked. Most people know I've got this weird thing about the Far North/cold tundra areas/Russia and Alaska/the northern lights so this book grasped me solely for that reason, with the climate change aspect a much-enthused bonus. It's similar to The Road by Cormac McCarthy which I have never read but am familiar with, so maybe you can draw your own opinions there?
I read it in a day and it was pretty engaging. The story features an okay narrator, a tough talking, grizzly female (a shocker) narrator named Makepeace who lives alone (due to famine and drought) in this little town, believing she's all that's left, until she spots a plane and tracks it. She gets caught up along the way and has to suffer for it, going into this Chernobyl-esque town and then meeting an old enemy, and then returns. I'd say the book falls a little short on development as a whole, which is the only thing that really kept it from being an earth-shattering, end-of-days tale. The characters aren't so developed; you stick with Makepeace because she's tough and she's tramping through Asia no matter what, but you aren't that engaged with her. The plot isn't so developed; you get the loose threads and you have a story, but there isn't enough emotional drive to what's happened in the world so make it wholly engaging. And that's because the climate change issues aren't developed enough. Could've been a real winner but falls a little short.
6.5/10
Far North by Marcel Theroux
This book isn't bad by any means. In fact, I'd call it a pretty good parable about what might happen with climate control, even if that notion wasn't quite as drilled into the story as I would have liked. Most people know I've got this weird thing about the Far North/cold tundra areas/Russia and Alaska/the northern lights so this book grasped me solely for that reason, with the climate change aspect a much-enthused bonus. It's similar to The Road by Cormac McCarthy which I have never read but am familiar with, so maybe you can draw your own opinions there?
I read it in a day and it was pretty engaging. The story features an okay narrator, a tough talking, grizzly female (a shocker) narrator named Makepeace who lives alone (due to famine and drought) in this little town, believing she's all that's left, until she spots a plane and tracks it. She gets caught up along the way and has to suffer for it, going into this Chernobyl-esque town and then meeting an old enemy, and then returns. I'd say the book falls a little short on development as a whole, which is the only thing that really kept it from being an earth-shattering, end-of-days tale. The characters aren't so developed; you stick with Makepeace because she's tough and she's tramping through Asia no matter what, but you aren't that engaged with her. The plot isn't so developed; you get the loose threads and you have a story, but there isn't enough emotional drive to what's happened in the world so make it wholly engaging. And that's because the climate change issues aren't developed enough. Could've been a real winner but falls a little short.
6.5/10
Book Journal: Sisterhood Everlasting (Spoiler)
I fully admit to being a literary snob but I do enjoy a lot of light reading with engaging, real-life situations, and I remember tuning into Brasheras's Sisterhood series as a teenager. When I saw she had published a fourth (fifth?) one, I grabbed it and finished it in a few hours. Brasheras for me is kind of like the Shrek movies; she started off strong, maintained it in the second book, and then crashed deeply in the subsequent stories, and this path continued it.
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brasheras
It's hard for me to remember what happens in each individual book, and part of that is because of the movies, which sort of combined a lot of their elements. But I do remember two things: 1) Lena and Kostos are meant to be and two) Bridget is kind of annoying. Well those things proved true in this book and they kind of kept me on.
First of all there is a huge spoiler and I'm sorry but it needs to be said: Tibby is dead. There's a red herring leading throughout and it's kind of shocking, but the thing is, this book comes so much later after most people really care about these girls anymore that it isn't that big of a deal. And anyway, it's Tibby...for me anyway, Brasheras seemed to like her least of all (maybe that's why she killed her?) so she never had the same enchantments as her fellow sisters. And I do think that's Brasheras's fault. Bridget was electrifying in that kind of "what the hell are you doing?!" kind of way, and Lena was so interesting with her hot Greek lover, and Carmen was that friend that everyone has and so you loved her anyway. Then there was Tibby. So the death? It's kind of whatever. It isn't until the book ends that you realize it's powerful in a way that shatters their image of a perfect friendship.
Secondly, Carmen is unidentifiable as a skinny New York actress who kind of sucks. So you don't like her anymore. Lena is exactly the same and the resurrected Kostos arc is what kept me interested throughout the entire story. And Bridget is the same too--you know, she acts like a 13 year old, even though she's 30 (?!), and does something kind of epic that you wanna see what happens. If anything the Kostos arc will keep you grounded into this story.
Essentially the death comes early and the rest of it is how the girls deal with it, and then coming to terms about how their lives have arrived at this point, and then at the very end, realizing they won't grow old together, is the emotional heart of it, that unfortunately is missing in a great deal of the body of the book. I blame the amount of years between the books, the movies, and to an extent Brasheras's own treatment of her characters, who she obviously loves and knows well, but for some reason fall short in this installment.
5/10
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brasheras
It's hard for me to remember what happens in each individual book, and part of that is because of the movies, which sort of combined a lot of their elements. But I do remember two things: 1) Lena and Kostos are meant to be and two) Bridget is kind of annoying. Well those things proved true in this book and they kind of kept me on.
First of all there is a huge spoiler and I'm sorry but it needs to be said: Tibby is dead. There's a red herring leading throughout and it's kind of shocking, but the thing is, this book comes so much later after most people really care about these girls anymore that it isn't that big of a deal. And anyway, it's Tibby...for me anyway, Brasheras seemed to like her least of all (maybe that's why she killed her?) so she never had the same enchantments as her fellow sisters. And I do think that's Brasheras's fault. Bridget was electrifying in that kind of "what the hell are you doing?!" kind of way, and Lena was so interesting with her hot Greek lover, and Carmen was that friend that everyone has and so you loved her anyway. Then there was Tibby. So the death? It's kind of whatever. It isn't until the book ends that you realize it's powerful in a way that shatters their image of a perfect friendship.
Secondly, Carmen is unidentifiable as a skinny New York actress who kind of sucks. So you don't like her anymore. Lena is exactly the same and the resurrected Kostos arc is what kept me interested throughout the entire story. And Bridget is the same too--you know, she acts like a 13 year old, even though she's 30 (?!), and does something kind of epic that you wanna see what happens. If anything the Kostos arc will keep you grounded into this story.
Essentially the death comes early and the rest of it is how the girls deal with it, and then coming to terms about how their lives have arrived at this point, and then at the very end, realizing they won't grow old together, is the emotional heart of it, that unfortunately is missing in a great deal of the body of the book. I blame the amount of years between the books, the movies, and to an extent Brasheras's own treatment of her characters, who she obviously loves and knows well, but for some reason fall short in this installment.
5/10
Book Journal: Pillars of the Earth
I finished this 950 page book in 2 and a half days. Need I say more?
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
This book is amazing. There is little else to say. But I'll concede to talking about it because it is just so, so good.
First of all, I had eyed this book for awhile, but usually pulled away for it for two reasons: one, the book sleeve doesn't exactly make is seem that interesting (yes, it is about building a cathedral, but there is so, so much more to it, that that description does it no justice whatsoever). Two, at nearly 1000 pages, its length was simply too much for me to handle in college. Between reading and writing for all of my classes and the haphazard schedule of any college co-ed, I didn't want to start it up, get into it, have to shelve it for a bit, and then go back to it half a year later and start over again.
But now I see the error of my ways. I believe I would have holed up in my apartment for a week straight to finish this amazing book. And what's amazing about it? Simply that Follet, sort of like Rowling, is just a good storyteller, and thus the kind of guy I really look up to. Sure, Maguire and Golden and others have a way with words as well, and one that I hope I can grow into, but the story is where the heart is, and Follet knows it. Follet writes to entertain, which is my goal as well. And he does that well. The villains are heinous, the heroes engaging, the world realistic and well-researched. There is drama, action, romance; there are touching scenes and there are sickening ones. It's just got everything in it! And that's why it rocks!
Not to mention Follet keeps the pace going with crisp, easy, intelligent writing. He eschews the esoteric nature of Maguire for pacing effects and in a case like this it absolutely works. I'll return to this one day, for sure.
9.5/10
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
This book is amazing. There is little else to say. But I'll concede to talking about it because it is just so, so good.
First of all, I had eyed this book for awhile, but usually pulled away for it for two reasons: one, the book sleeve doesn't exactly make is seem that interesting (yes, it is about building a cathedral, but there is so, so much more to it, that that description does it no justice whatsoever). Two, at nearly 1000 pages, its length was simply too much for me to handle in college. Between reading and writing for all of my classes and the haphazard schedule of any college co-ed, I didn't want to start it up, get into it, have to shelve it for a bit, and then go back to it half a year later and start over again.
But now I see the error of my ways. I believe I would have holed up in my apartment for a week straight to finish this amazing book. And what's amazing about it? Simply that Follet, sort of like Rowling, is just a good storyteller, and thus the kind of guy I really look up to. Sure, Maguire and Golden and others have a way with words as well, and one that I hope I can grow into, but the story is where the heart is, and Follet knows it. Follet writes to entertain, which is my goal as well. And he does that well. The villains are heinous, the heroes engaging, the world realistic and well-researched. There is drama, action, romance; there are touching scenes and there are sickening ones. It's just got everything in it! And that's why it rocks!
Not to mention Follet keeps the pace going with crisp, easy, intelligent writing. He eschews the esoteric nature of Maguire for pacing effects and in a case like this it absolutely works. I'll return to this one day, for sure.
9.5/10
Book Journal: Mirror, Mirror
Gregory Maguire has an incredible way with words. Though at times his sentences are overly esoteric, his descriptions, his syntax, his vocabulary are striking, almost magical, and truly aesthetic--in writing, in font, in presentation. This is most apparent in his fairy tale retelling. I absolutely adore his writing style, and note his books Mirror, Mirror and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister as two of my favorite reads. While I am not at all a fan of his Wicked series, these two fairy tale retellings far outweigh my opinions of his stories of Elphaba and Oz.
Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire
An adult retelling of the Snow White fairytale, set in Renaissance Italy and incorporating real-life figures like Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia, Mirror, Mirror is a poignant and well-written examination of beauty. The shifting perspectives, the scope of characters, even the marginally unsustainable belief that Don Vicente would go search for a sprig from the Tree of Life (this somehow jarred more than the notion of the earthen gnome-dwarves living in Montefiore) make this an enchanting read.
I don't believe this is quite as strong as Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, which I believe is far and away his best. As stated, Maguire's writing is beautiful--and sometimes too much so. When he falls too deep into trying to paint his words on his paper canvas, it can be very difficult to define what is actually happening in the scene or where it takes place, let alone pull a theme from it. Still, it is only so often that occurs, and for the most part, I was deeply involved in the medieval world he created.
While I wouldn't recommend this before Confessions, I would suggest someone read this to get a glimpse of Maguire's prose and his masterful command of perspective. Adult retelling of fairytales can be extremely hit or miss, and Maguire has done a good job with this one.
8/10
Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire
An adult retelling of the Snow White fairytale, set in Renaissance Italy and incorporating real-life figures like Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia, Mirror, Mirror is a poignant and well-written examination of beauty. The shifting perspectives, the scope of characters, even the marginally unsustainable belief that Don Vicente would go search for a sprig from the Tree of Life (this somehow jarred more than the notion of the earthen gnome-dwarves living in Montefiore) make this an enchanting read.
I don't believe this is quite as strong as Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, which I believe is far and away his best. As stated, Maguire's writing is beautiful--and sometimes too much so. When he falls too deep into trying to paint his words on his paper canvas, it can be very difficult to define what is actually happening in the scene or where it takes place, let alone pull a theme from it. Still, it is only so often that occurs, and for the most part, I was deeply involved in the medieval world he created.
While I wouldn't recommend this before Confessions, I would suggest someone read this to get a glimpse of Maguire's prose and his masterful command of perspective. Adult retelling of fairytales can be extremely hit or miss, and Maguire has done a good job with this one.
8/10
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