Word of the Day: Boulevardier

Word of the Day: Boulevardier

Definition: (n) a man-about-town
Manuscript Related Sentence: Known as 'The Itinerant Hand', Douze was also something of a boulevardier, popular especially with swashbuckling teenagers and giggling women.
Other Sentence: I like the word 'boulevardier' because it is French like my all-time favorite word, 'parapluie'.

These words are getting more and more ridiculous. 39 hours.

Word of the Day: Alpenglow

Word of the Day: Alpenglow

Definition: (n) a reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains
Manuscript Related Sentence: The soft summits on Emsger still had an alpenglow, whose color cast a somber light over the island's demise.
Other Sentence: As a traveling, nature-driven aesthete, I look for wonders like alpenglows in the places I visit.

"Alpenglow." What a beautiful word! And yes. One of those words that's kind of like...like you'll never hear it spoken ever, and rarely seen written, but somehow it strikes you, and you'll want it to become more popular regardless. Yes, "alpenglow" falls into that category.

Book Journal: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Aunt Rachel would be proud.


Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Oh god! Okay, this book was great, but the thing is, the book is about 1000 pages long (mine was 1024) and the movie is really just as good and fantastically well-cast so you could watch that and be happy too. But really you should try and read this book. It is an incredibly rich portrait of Antebellum South, which of course I really like because despite my increasingly sparse use of the word "y'all" and my sheer, unadulterated love of New England I am in love with a great deal of Southern culture and Gone with the Wind shows such a fantastic scene of how romantic and charming life was back then--barring of course the inhuman love of slavery. But the big parties, the barbeques, the neighborly love, the dresses, the accents--it was so lovely to read, and even lovelier was the parallel of Scarlett O'Hara, Ashley Wilkes, and Rhett Butler to the slalom of the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction. The symbolism is beautiful and true, not esoteric, and great because of that; that Scarlett perfectly blends the Old South (represented by Ashley Wilkes) and the new progression (represented by Rhett Butler) is so enchanting to read. Despite her shrewd, selfish nature, you root for her; you also really want her to love Rhett Butler the way you want Elizabeth to love Mr. Darcy. Just sayin'. I'll also throw in Rochester and Jane for good measure.

The 1000 pages swim by easily in a tide of detail, action, nostalgia, and forward-thinking ideas, and how vivid and rich the culture of Antebellum and postwar South is painted by Mitchell is one of the best things of all. This really is one of the best American novels ever written and anyone would be remiss to not attempt a read of this fantastic book.

9/10

Book Journal: The Clan of the Cave Bear

As mentioned in my post on The Far North by Marcel Theroux, I have this weird obsession with cold things: auroras. Snow. Ice caves. The Arctic Circle. THE ICE AGE.

And then I found this book!

So apparently Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children books have been around since the early '80s and the writing in the first book--the one I'm reviewing--is kind of indicative of it (she definitely reads like a stuffy old 1980's librarian or something and I the omniscient point of view never is my favorite) but it is still really awesome speculative alternate history and I LOVE alternate history, especially when it is imaginative and magical as this!

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

Okay, so, a great deal of why I chose this book is in the prelude above. I was at Eagle Eye Bookshop--the fantastic used bookstore near Emory's campus that, while at times sort of difficult to maneuver through (and they never have Mario Puzo!), has an incredible amount of diversity in its shelves. I was telling Beth how I just like settings in the far north and would love to read a book set there, preferably a more fantasy/sci-fi/historical book and THEN I saw Auel's newest book on sale. They had some of the succeeding novels in Auel's series but not the first one, so imagine my sheer joy when I went to a 10-days-and-counting Border's (sniff) in Boston and found almost all of Auel's books for 90% off--I got the hardcover for 4$. It was beautiful. Even if I will really miss Border's...

So anyway, back to the book itself. Auel's writing isn't mind-blowing, but her details speculating the forever-elusive society of the Neanderthals of Europe (this takes place at the margin of Eastern Europe and Asia) are really, really engaging--the genetic memories, the languages, the rituals, etc. The book was about 460 pages and could have been one hundred less, but it was still very entertaining. I look more forward now to Ayla (NOW I GET THE EXCELLENT REFERENCE) as she ventures out of the Neanderthal clan. She's a Cro-Magnun after all. We'll see what her adventures are. This wasn't as engaging to me as Martin's stuff but it's not a wholly fair comparison. If you can get back the omniscient POV (for some reason it bothers me), the occasional too-heavy details, and some of the fluff that comes from minor characters, it's a really engaging read. You like Ayla despite her very obvious Mary-Sue shades, and you really do root for her, especially because all the Brons and Bruns and Grogs and Norgs of the world spit on her blonde hair and blue eyes.

I bought The Valley of Horses, the sequel to it, and will read that soon; hopefully it will push me to finish up this 6-book series that has spanned some 30-odd years in the making.

Book Journal: A Game of Thrones

I kicked fiction BUTT this long Labor Day weekend traveling up to New England and resting by the 12-mile New Hampshire coast and the North End of Boston. Like legit! I read probably 1500 pages. What a good weekend across the border!

And I'll kick it off with an incredible book:

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

WHAT AN EPIC BOOK. Oh my Gosh! George R. R. Martin knows how to produce a fantastic story. Despite the leagues of characters, the "straight into the deep end" approach he has into his entire new world, and the sophisticated level of politics that goes on through the pages (inspired by, after all, the War of the Roses), A Game of Thrones is accessible, devour-able, and completely engrossing. It's also realistic; characters come and go because of the actions of others; they are tricked; they are prideful; they are fortunate; they are interesting.

Martin also shows the POV of many different characters from different sides of the same coin. While the Stark family is clearly the protagonist (though Tyrion Lannister might be the most favored) and the Lannisters are the most defined antagonist, we still are able to see the deep, dark history that weaves all these families together and understand why these characters are doing, saying, and acting in such ways.

My favorites in a vivid and highly developed cast of characters are Jon Snow, Eddard Stark, Arya Stark, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenarys Targaryen. I hate the Lannisters. And the fat king who died. But beware; Martin kills off characters as quickly as he introduces new ones. Here's hoping I don't get too attached to one, or else it'll be like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix all over again...

The books are reminiscent of the scope and design of The Lord of the Rings, only without the tradition-starting slew of immortal elves, orcs, Saurons, Gandalfs, etc. Magic exists but it is mythical and mysterious; only a select few can use it, and it certainly doesn't seem all that helpful yet. There are undead ice-men walking around north of The Wall but no signs of orcs; there are direwolves but no elves yet; and hopefully it will pretty much stay that way. In addition, Martin's writing is far more accessible than Tolkien's. To be far, I did love The Hobbit, but I read all of The Fellowship of the Ring and about a third of The Two Towers before I had to shelve the series. Maybe I'll get back to them but for now I'm going straight to A Clash of Kings.

9/10