More books read..
Feb. 8th, 2005 08:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lady_schrapnellClearly this small, snatched moments type of entry is all I'm going to manage (if anything) these days, so I'll see how far I get tonight.
Third book was a course text - Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, which seemed to take forever to finish! I felt rather guilty about first never having heard of the book (or author for that matter) and very much disenjoying it, to discover it was a life-time favourite of a good friend of mine who grew up in Scotland, went to the school GG went to, has read it a gazillion times, etc. etc. The prose style irritated me most, and if his punctuation irritated me, would definitely have driven Dorian round the twist completely! Studying it may be interesting nonetheless, but I hope it can be done without too extensive rereading.
Next was Belin's Hill, by Catherine Fisher, which was surprisingly disappointing, though I couldn't quite figure out why it seemed to miss for me on things she normally does really well. It's one of her 'real world' fantasies, set in Caerleon, with terrifying threats from the past coming into the modern world. Should have been as effective as she usually is at this type of book, and might be for others, but I wonder if the problem for me was the fact that the protagonist's parents had both been killed in a train wreck (he was just out of hospital at the opening of the book), and he and his sister were living with a kindly but not terribly emotionally helpful aunt and uncle (and cousin). As a single mother, that scenario is almost more frightening than any cursing hag come to exact revenge could be... Lent this to a friend, so (when he eventually gets around to it - this was a no-need-to-read-this-decade kind of passing on) will see how it strikes another reader.
Hmmm, going to go 'friends only' for a few books, so not in order any more. Oh yes, another course book was Rebecca, which I'd never read (though like just about everyone else in the English speaking world, or roughly that - I'd seen the film). (Is it as popular elsewhere?) Probably didn't help matters much by reading it when I was ill, but merciful heavens how much I disliked it! Maybe I should avoid spoilers here, so will just say that the major change Hitchcock made to the story was SO needed - I couldn't believe what happened in the book! Yechh. A less romantic book I've rarely read - which will make studying it, and looking at why it's been so popular, and been generally considered a romance, absolutely fascinating.
Oh, but for romantic and fun with it, I reread War for the Oaks in a completely non-sequential way before loaning it to a friend, and then re-reread other bits after (daughter's copy), in order to try to find out why it was called that! It may be a tiny bit close to sappy in parts, and there's certainly too much about clothes (very dated), but it still makes me very happy. Got older daughter an Eddie and the Fey bag for Christmas which she loves!
Before I go out for nightly dog-walk, just have to tell of poor Bell's trauma: she must have got something in her paw I think, as she suddenly spent a night chewing at her foot and by next morning was limping badly. She'd bitten away a spot which was raw - she was so good about letting me put tea tree oil and water on it, and then we fixed up a bandage with what we had in the house (no gauze, which could have been tied on!). I put a gauze pad on, then a sock on top and fixed it with a hair scrunchy - she looked very elegantly delicate in it all, but it only stayed on until we got out the front door, and she limped pitifully all the way. (Didn't want to turn back though, so we kept going!) She's all well now, happily.. and we're off.
Third book was a course text - Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, which seemed to take forever to finish! I felt rather guilty about first never having heard of the book (or author for that matter) and very much disenjoying it, to discover it was a life-time favourite of a good friend of mine who grew up in Scotland, went to the school GG went to, has read it a gazillion times, etc. etc. The prose style irritated me most, and if his punctuation irritated me, would definitely have driven Dorian round the twist completely! Studying it may be interesting nonetheless, but I hope it can be done without too extensive rereading.
Next was Belin's Hill, by Catherine Fisher, which was surprisingly disappointing, though I couldn't quite figure out why it seemed to miss for me on things she normally does really well. It's one of her 'real world' fantasies, set in Caerleon, with terrifying threats from the past coming into the modern world. Should have been as effective as she usually is at this type of book, and might be for others, but I wonder if the problem for me was the fact that the protagonist's parents had both been killed in a train wreck (he was just out of hospital at the opening of the book), and he and his sister were living with a kindly but not terribly emotionally helpful aunt and uncle (and cousin). As a single mother, that scenario is almost more frightening than any cursing hag come to exact revenge could be... Lent this to a friend, so (when he eventually gets around to it - this was a no-need-to-read-this-decade kind of passing on) will see how it strikes another reader.
Hmmm, going to go 'friends only' for a few books, so not in order any more. Oh yes, another course book was Rebecca, which I'd never read (though like just about everyone else in the English speaking world, or roughly that - I'd seen the film). (Is it as popular elsewhere?) Probably didn't help matters much by reading it when I was ill, but merciful heavens how much I disliked it! Maybe I should avoid spoilers here, so will just say that the major change Hitchcock made to the story was SO needed - I couldn't believe what happened in the book! Yechh. A less romantic book I've rarely read - which will make studying it, and looking at why it's been so popular, and been generally considered a romance, absolutely fascinating.
Oh, but for romantic and fun with it, I reread War for the Oaks in a completely non-sequential way before loaning it to a friend, and then re-reread other bits after (daughter's copy), in order to try to find out why it was called that! It may be a tiny bit close to sappy in parts, and there's certainly too much about clothes (very dated), but it still makes me very happy. Got older daughter an Eddie and the Fey bag for Christmas which she loves!
Before I go out for nightly dog-walk, just have to tell of poor Bell's trauma: she must have got something in her paw I think, as she suddenly spent a night chewing at her foot and by next morning was limping badly. She'd bitten away a spot which was raw - she was so good about letting me put tea tree oil and water on it, and then we fixed up a bandage with what we had in the house (no gauze, which could have been tied on!). I put a gauze pad on, then a sock on top and fixed it with a hair scrunchy - she looked very elegantly delicate in it all, but it only stayed on until we got out the front door, and she limped pitifully all the way. (Didn't want to turn back though, so we kept going!) She's all well now, happily.. and we're off.
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no subject
Date: 2005-02-08 12:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-08 02:14 pm (UTC)We think it's Cats Laughing in the pics... (I'm too tired to figure out if that'll work as a reply - if not, I'll fix it tomorrow!)
Poor Bel
Date: 2005-02-08 12:35 pm (UTC)I know exactly what you mean about War for the Oaks, its charm is real and is holding well. And about Rebecca, I did read it, ages ago and seen the movie, oh do spoil me ( does it count if one reads it but does not remember?) more specifically, please!
Re: Poor Bel
Date: 2005-02-08 02:24 pm (UTC)Warning for Rebecca spoilers!
The main thing I couldn't believe is that de Winter killed Rebecca quite intentionally - shot her down in the boat house. With his gun which he'd brought down there. And he tells the 2nd Mrs W. this and she's completely fine with it all - 'oh darling, of course you did (I don't care, it means you really weren't in love with her, tra la la!), and how can I lie to help you dear?' Course, there's a hint that she just might get a tiny bit of a better marriage, which I suppose explains it all (separate beds, and after the revelation there's some line about his kissing her as he's never done before). More blerg.
Oh, in the film R's death was accidental - think she attacked him and conveniently fell out a window or off a cliff or something. But it was definitely accidental. Off to bed (reading Queen of Spells - not impressed so far!) with my fuzzy brain.
Re: Poor Bel
Date: 2005-02-08 04:35 pm (UTC)Re: Poor Bel
Date: 2005-02-11 12:26 am (UTC)Confessions time...
Date: 2005-02-08 04:45 pm (UTC)I've liked the urban fantasy genre for some years now, and this seems like just another entry to the genre, disregarding it's beginning date that puts it earlier than most of the other stufff...
Re: Confessions time...
Date: 2005-02-11 12:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-09 02:00 am (UTC)Is the Rebecca book you've mentioned from Daphne dy Morier? I have it at home, but haven't read it, and never watched the movie...
no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 12:31 am (UTC)