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Thursday, July 31, 2003

The Collector of Hearts: New Tales of the Grotesque by Joyce Carol Oates

The Collector of Hearts: New Tales of the Grotesque by Joyce Carol Oates: normally I love anthologies and enjoy reading them greatly, but this one was an exception.

I've mentioned before that while I don't mind "vague" stories - stories where you don't really know what's going on, who the people are, or why they're there - full books of them always are tedious for me to make my way through. Unfortunately, most of the stories is The Collector of Hearts were of the vague kind, so I didn't really enjoy the book and couldn't wait for it to be over.

There were some good stories in it - notably "The Sky Blue Ball," "Death Mother," "Schroeder's Stepfather," "The Sepulchre," "The Sons of Angus Macelster," "The Affliction," "Unprintable," "Valentine," and "The Crossing." Mostly these stories had less of a vagueness to them and I felt it easier to connect to the characters.

All in all, not a bad book, but not really recommended unless you're a fan of the short story or of her.

(Finished on June 27, 2003 for Zuly’s Reading Room.)

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Wednesday, July 30, 2003

The Fab Five

Christine reminded me about something I've been meaing to blog about since the weekend - Bravo's new show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

The concept is that five gay men, each a guru in one area (fashion, grooming, food and wine, culture, or interior design), help a straight man each week accomplish a mission - one guy needs to get ready for a gallery opening, one wants to get his place nice so his girlfriend will move in.

Steven and I have been totally loving it - especially the cool intro. The guys getting remade are great sports about it, which is cool. The Fab Five are also really funny, especially Carson, the fashion guru.

I highly suggest checking it out. And if anyone knows who sings the theme song, let me know. I can't find the answer anywhere.

.: 141 words at 01:43 AM in Media Consumption :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (33) :.

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Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling: the fifth, and longest, installment in the Harry Potter series.

This book was very different from the previous books in the series. Lots of moodiness from Harry (of course he is a fifteen year old boy; which of them are not moody?), far more injustices and horror than the previous books, and a general darkness that the other books just did not have.

Despite all of this (and the death of a major character, though I won't say whom), I still enjoyed this book and would come home from work and just read for a while.

Lots of readers have said, however, that they don't feel that this book was on par with the rest of the series and I do agree. Lots of the "magic" (pun intended) that the other books have really wasn't here - almost like Rowling's writing style had changed in between books. I think a lot of it had to do with the subject matter and the darkness of this book compared to the previous, but I did miss that certain something.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book simply because by this point, I am so wrapped up in the characters that there is no way I simply cannot find out what is going on with them in their world.

(Finished on June 27, 2003 for Zuly’s Reading Room.)

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Monday, July 28, 2003

Slip Up

So, today I went to the mall to do some returns (eyeshadows that weren't quite like the one I'm looking for), peruse the bargain books at the B. Dalton (picked up Schindler's Ark and Batman: No Man's Land for under $9.00), and grab some Chik-Fil-A for some lunch.

I started to leave, feeling pretty good about my excursion, when suddenly I'm falling. I was walking in the food court and someone had spilled some of their water and not bothered to clean it up.

I landed on one knee and then fell forward onto my palms, snapping my silver mesh bracelet which gouged my wrist a little. I also scraped up my knees a bit and now I'm feeling really sore.

The thing that pissed me off the most, though, was that I was holding a Coke to take back to work and when I fell it spilled all over my new books and, worse of all, my new Burberry bag that I just adore.

There were several people, though, that hurried over to help me and I found it so very kind of them. Two Elizabeth Arden ladies were on their lunch break and they helped me up and one of them went and got me another Coke. A little boy stopped and helped move my bags out of the way and several other people got napkins and the cleaning lady to clear up the mess. They were all so nice and I appreciated their help so much.

I called my mom to see how to get the stain out and she told me to go and report it to the customer service people. They called a security officer out and he wrote down my information and then seemed a little confused what to do next. I told him I thought that the people who saw it happen might be over there, so we went back to the food court. A nice elderly couple who saw the whole thing, acted as witnesses for me.

After that we went to the building manager's office where a few brusque ladies "helped" me out. They kept saying that since the mall is private property they can't promise anything. Really, the only reason I went through this to begin with is because I don't want to have to buy a new purse if the stains won't come out. I just bought the damn thing. Seems that the least they could do would be pay to get my purse cleaned (that is if it can be cleaned). And it seems that they could have been at least a little bit friendly to me.

Steven said he'd look at it tonight and see if he could get the stains out, so I'm crossing my fingers. My feet and back are definitely sore, so I think it's time to go lay in the nice, cool bed.

So much for a pleasant lunch!

.: 487 words at 07:05 PM in Fish Tales :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (8) :.

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That sucks Kymberlie. Hope the stain comes out and I hope your scrapes heel up quick!

Posted by Nicole at July 28, 2003 07:47 PM

You poor thing! I did that the other day... I was walking in the middle of a rain storm and fell into this giant puddle of water and mud! Thank God I was on my way back to the hotel to change anyway...

Posted by Adelle at July 28, 2003 08:22 PM

Aw, that sucks! What kind of fabric is it? My Mom is the amazing master of getting out stains, and I would be happy to ask her.

Just tell Steven to stay away from it with the nailpolish remover... ;)

Posted by Christine at July 28, 2003 09:06 PM

I'm glad you have no broken bones! I hope the stain comes out and that you are doing ok.

Posted by Susan at July 28, 2003 10:07 PM

I'm always mortified when something like that happens. I fell twice on wet floors in the restaurant I used to work at.

I hope you get your purse fixed. If the mall refuses to help, you could always threaten to sue :)

Posted by theresa at July 28, 2003 10:31 PM

well at least you know there are three nice people out there willing to helped you out. glad your alright.

Posted by john at July 29, 2003 01:59 AM

damn, girl! when you fall, you fall. glad you're ok, though. i hope they pay not only for your purse, but the ruined books...

Posted by mikey at July 29, 2003 02:36 PM

I'm sorry you were hurt by that fall.

I can't believe that the brusque women at the building manager's office didn't offer to replace the purse, pay for cleaning, and repair/replace your broken jewelry and damaged books! Not so much as a nicety (well it would be *nice* if they did it out of niceness, but that's a longshot these days), but more as self-defense to a liability claim!

Very weird comment about "since the mall is private property they canâ€™t promise anything". Seems like that would make them MORE liable...at least to me.

Get well soon, take a warm bath for your back *S*
Sherri

Posted by Sherri at July 30, 2003 03:25 AM

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Buried Bones by Carolyn Haines

Buried Bones by Carolyn Haines: another Delta mystery that's just as good as the first.

Once again we're back into Sarah Boothe's Souther world, but this time she's trying to solve the murder of one of Zinnia's most wonderful men - Lawrence Ambrose, an author who's secrets lead directly to his demise.

Once again, we have Jitty the ghost haunting both Sarah Boothe and Dahlia House, but it a good motherly way. We also have the convoluted relationship between Harold and Sarah Boothe that seems to never be able to decide which way to go. Tinkie and Chablis are even back and more fiesty than ever.

As I said about Them Bones, the characters are just so real and wonderful that you can't help but get sucked into the book. This one may be a bit more darker than the first, but it's still a great read and I can't wait to get the next book, Splintered Bones.

(Finished on July 9, 2003 for Zuly's Reading Room.)

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Them Bones by Carolyn Haines

Them Bones by Carolyn Haines: another fabulous female detective series. You just can never have enough books like these.

I completely loved everything about this book from the hot, steamy men to the dead, but very much alive and kicking, ghosts. The characters were great and while I suspected at first that they were going to be very generalized Southern belles and tough but sensitive Southern men I was pleasently disappointed. The people in this book are just that - people. They seem real and like individuals that I could know.

Another wonderful thing about this book is its Southerness, perfectly expressed by how much Sarah Boothe cares for Dahlia House and for the traditions that her life encompasses.

Let's not ignore the fact that this is a mystery - and a pretty darn good one at that. I had no idea who was going to show up at the end of the book and was pretty surprised at what happened.

All in all, highly recommended period no matter what background you hail from.

(Finished on July 2, 2003 for Zuly's Reading Room.)

.: 184 words at 12:44 PM in Zuly's Reading Room :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

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The Lovely Bones: A Novel by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones: A Novel by Alice Sebold: I tried to tell some friends who came over this weekend why exactly this book was so good, but it seems hard for most of the people to get past the fact that this books is by a girl who has just been raped and murdered by a family friend as she watches down on her family from Heaven. Of course, her heaven has the high school that she went to with the wonderful architecture that she loved so, but they never have to go to class and their textbooks are Vogue and Seventeen.

Susie watches her family try and come to grip with the sudden hole that she has left in their midst. She can't influence them, but she cannot tear herself away from them either.

What moved me most about this book was the way that the characters - from the boy who gave Susie her first kiss to her sister to her little brother to the girl who felt her soul leaving this earth to her killer - were intertwined. The story's biggest impact on me was simply the way that one must learn to let go - not forget, no - but let go when a tragedy like this has occurred.

Sebold writes with a clear voice that makes all of the people in her book incredible real and alive. I can't help but worry for her family as they try and stay together. I can't help buy worry about Ray, the boy who kissed her - will he be able to move past almost having her?

Oddly, though, George Harvey, the man who killed Susie was never much in my mind. I think it was because I loved her family so, that as long as he wasn't near them to do harm, he didn't really matter much to me.

Despite the morbid tone to the idea of this book, this book does not ever come close to being morbid. In fact I found it full of promises, light, and hope and I hope that everyone will take time to read this amazing novel.

(Finished on July 19, 2003 for Zuly's Reading Room.)

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Didn't know if you knew this, but Alice Sebold also wrote a book called Lucky: A Memoir that recalls her own rape and subsequent struggle with recovery.

Posted by Justin at July 28, 2003 09:37 AM

I enjoyed The Lovely Bones, despite the fact that it was about a depressing subject. I loved the way it followed all the people who thought about Susie. I was thankful that they got the death out of the way at the beginning and then talked about different ways people cope with the death of a loved one. Glad you enjoyed it as well =)

Posted by Nicole at July 28, 2003 10:52 AM

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time. My shoddy library close to my apartment never has it, so I think I'm going to have to resort to home delivery. I just want this, Lolita, and Reading Lolita in Tehran. That's not too much to ask, is it? ;)

Posted by Crankydragon at July 28, 2003 11:54 AM

I really liked this book as well but it was hard for me to stick with it, I cried alot while reading it. I'm glad I finished it though.

Posted by Carla at July 28, 2003 01:10 PM

that book has been on my wish list forever and I still haven't bought it! I guess I'll have to once I finish the book I am currently reading!

Posted by MishMish at July 28, 2003 03:07 PM

I'm glad you liked it. I couldn't get into it at all... I think it was the style of the book. I never did finish it. Maybe I'll try it again sometime.

Posted by Zuly at July 28, 2003 03:15 PM

That was an amazing book. I'm usually more into sci-fi/fantasy, but definitely worth taking time out to read. It evoked a number of emotions as you almost feel what this girl is going through.

Posted by kimmie at July 28, 2003 04:47 PM

I got the book in a Christmas gift exchange and I literally could not put it down. I think I read it in about a day and a half. I was worried that the premise about her being in heaven could end up being super-cheese, but I thought it ended up working really well. I also loved the way that the different characters' stories intertwined.

Posted by angela at July 29, 2003 05:00 PM

i also enjoyed The Lovely Bones. I still havent read Lucky, i need to. I finished the Lovely Bones in 2 days, i couldnt put it down. Does anyone know how to contact Alice Sebold? like, an email address or something. if you do email me or post a message here, thanks.

Posted by Iris at August 25, 2003 02:29 PM

I read this book too. I read it in a bout 9 hours straight!! I am currently reading Lucky, but once you read the Lovely Bones it is hard to read the other one, Well for me it is. This book helped me think of how everybody has to cope with things, they just have to be worked through! from things as small as running a mile and not feeling the pain, the regret, to knowing that you will someday die, and not feeling the pain or regret there to.

Posted by Crystal at August 28, 2003 06:14 PM

I too, read The Lovely Bones first, and couldn't put it down, then I saw Lucky advertised and rushed to order a copy, and read that straight through.
Alice is a fantastic wtiter, I just want to know when is her next book being published?
Although I love reading, I wouldn't describe myself as a person who normally gets excited enough to want to analyse writings or critique them.
Unlike my husband who is a writer and has just finished his MA in writing!
Have you seen the reading group questions about the book?
I'm hooked!...Alice don't stop writing, you are a gift to women everywhere, and a challenge to provoke people's understanding of power misused, crisis and recovery and the complexities of legal systems.
A wounded healer has much to offer...victory instead of victim.

Posted by melanie morgan at September 24, 2003 05:27 AM

I work in the local courthouse as a mental health worker...I found The Lovely Bones, read it in 7 hours straight, time only to pee, and have lent it to many others at work. Fabulous work Alice Sebold

Posted by Susan Cook at September 30, 2003 06:00 PM

I have just finished reading The Lovely Bones and it has really touched me...i'm still crying!!! Wonderful book.

Posted by Audrey at October 22, 2003 03:52 PM

Please let me know if anyone has a way to email Alice Sebold. I am having a book discussin group, the local high school is now involved, and this can be a big event. Anyone?

Posted by laura at October 27, 2003 02:28 PM

i also need to find a way to contact alice sebold. I read this book and was thinking....it would make a good movie wouldnt it?

Posted by lindsay at March 7, 2004 12:41 PM

I am in 9th grade i read the book and even tho the topic was disturbing to me at first i warmed up to the book after 3 chapters! i LOVED it! the ending was my favorite i hope alice continues to write!

Posted by Hillbaby at April 8, 2004 05:10 PM

I just finished The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and like many of you, I was very emotionally and physically moved by it's poignant story and gentle message about families and letting go of tragedies/traumas. There were many very special resonances for me as I grew up in the same area as the location of the story, and am the same age as the author, and could find many similarities in 'susie's' family life and language of expression and my own. I am hoping to find a place of contact or email address of the author and will keep posted for more of her writings. Brilliant writing, Alice!

Posted by frnchpink at April 16, 2004 04:49 PM

i've heard alice is writing a new novel all the time! so, let's hope we can soon read a new book from her! i've also read this book (allthough in finish) and i really liked it!! brilliant!! :)

Posted by ida from finland at April 25, 2004 11:16 AM

Hey everyone!! Just finished Lovely Bones while traveling....i couldn't put it down. I wanted to agree with Lindsey--would love to make it a movie. Some of the shots would be really spectacular

Posted by Michelle at July 1, 2004 12:46 PM

Posted by Sebastian Uda (sebastian68@yahoo.com) on March 01, 2005 at 14:12:54:

I discover a novel that deals with the 9-11 events at:

http://www.hugosantander.com/novels_archivos/ntm.html

Any clue where I can get the complete text?

Fiodor

Posted by Fiodor at March 1, 2005 02:47 PM

i loved this book. it was awsomw to the max times ten..... thousand that is !!!

Posted by the paulanator at March 20, 2005 04:58 PM

this book was nice, but i didnt like how she crammed everything into the end of the novel. It seemed like she realized she had to do all of these things to get the ending she wanted and just crammed it into the last 50 pages or so. If she didnt drag on the middle of how everyone was coping and then kind of gradually add everything on, then that would have been better. However it was well written and an intriguing plot and easy-to-relate-to characters.

Posted by Jess at April 30, 2006 01:33 PM

however, despite my last comment in sebold's defense i must say that this was a great topic to write about and make people [girls mostly] more aware about the horrors of rape. For that i tip my hat to her

Posted by Jess at April 30, 2006 01:35 PM

I had really enjoyed reading the book entitled â€œthe lovely bonesâ€. From the very instant I opened the first page, I felt empathy for the character. It was very pleasurable, and I would recommend it for someone to read!

Posted by at May 23, 2006 09:19 PM

this book was definitely one of my favourites. i just bought lucky and am looking forward to reading it.

Posted by carly at July 20, 2006 04:02 PM

Awww, I'm only in 7th grade and read the book. I dunno why, but I fell in love with it. T_T I cried at the end with what happened with Ray and Susie. The lovely bones is the best book ever!

Posted by Reeny at October 15, 2006 04:46 PM

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Books of Blood (Volumes One to Three) by Clive Barker

Books of Blood (Volumes One to Three) by Clive Barker: I hadn't reread any of Clive Barker's books in quite some time, so when a co-worker and I ended up discussing some of his short stories, I had to immediately re-purchase the Books of Blood and immerse myself back into Clive Barker's world.

These stories are extremely visceral and it's easy to see why the term "splatterpunk" was coined with this type of writing in mind. His stories are very graphic and seem to have an underlying theme behind them - even though something horrible may be incredible horrible (a pig that speaks with a dead boy's voice, for example), these events are still awe-inspiring in the truest since of the word and the way that the human mind reacts to them can be widely different than one would expect.

To me, Barker's stories herein (and in most of his other work), the world exists with a veil that can be drawn away at any time. When I got done watching The Matrix for the first time, I was struck with the similarities between that world and the worlds that Barker creates.

Truthfully, I didn't enjoy all of these stories as much as I did when I read them probably a little over ten years ago. However, many of them were still as strong and as moving as they were then. The best of these are "The Book of Blood," "The Midnight Meat Train," "In The Hills, The Cities" (probably my favorite story of his ever), "Dread," "Hell's Event," "Jacqueline Ess: Her Last Will and Testament," "The Skins of the Fathers," "Son of Celluloid," and "Rawhead Rex."

If you like your stories strong and disturbing this collection is for you. If not, may be best that you skip, but you'll never know until you try.

(Finished on July 27, 2003 for Zuly's Reading Room.)

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Sunday, July 27, 2003

Blogathon 2003

This year's Blogathon is over and the grand total for donations is astounding. 432 participants raised $92,790.95! Isn't that incredible?

Donations are being taken for another 48 hours, so if you haven't donated already, please condisder doing so. Wouldn't it be great if the $100,000 mark could be broken?

Goddess Magazine's group blog managed to raise $255, slightly more than a quarter of Erika's goal. You can sponsor us here. We'd really appreciate it!

.: 76 words at 02:04 PM in Participation :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (4) :.

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Off To Bed...

I'm off to bed, but I wanted to let everyone know that they're doing a wonderful job on this Blogathon stuff! Good night and good luck to all!

.: 28 words at 03:05 AM in Love Notes :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

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Saturday, July 26, 2003

A Bear of a Different Color

Another great image from MSNBC's Week in Pictures!

Pelusa, a 14-year-old female polar bear, sticks her paw through the bars of her cage July 21 at the Mendoza Zoo, northwest of Buenos Aires. Normally white, Pelusa turned violet after veterinarians administered a medicine to treat her for a skin condition. Her veterinarians said her coat should turn normal again within a month.

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More Blogathon Pimping

Since today is the Blogathon, I thought I'd post all the people that I'm supporting this year. I've added a few more that I decided to post today including the one that I'm helping with. Please go visit these sites, send them some encouragement, and support them if you can!

Erika of Snazzykat is blogging for Goddess Magazine which gives young girls the chance to speak in their own voice about what interests them. (I am blogging for this, so please sponsor if you can.)
Lynda of So Very Posh is blogging for Good Mews, a non-profit, cage-free, no-kill cat shelter.
Blogging For Books! is blogging for Books for a Better World which seeks to enfranchise, to empower, and to motivate children in developing nations by establishing libraries and scholarship programs.
Faith of Oxymoronic is blogging for Precious Pugs Rescue and Adoption, an all volunteer, non-profit rescue organization dedicated to helping pugs.
Michele of A Small Victory is blogging for Magen David Adom, Israel’s equivalent to a Red Cross Society.
Ioma of Ioma N'Tora.com is blogging for Kent Animal Shelter, a private, not-for-profit, no-kill humane society that provides a haven for homeless, abused, and abandoned animals.
Christine of The Passionate Ailurophile is blogging for PawSafe Animal Rescue, a no-kill, non-profit animal rescue.
Rannie of PhotoJunkie is blogging for AIDS Committee of Toronto, a community-based, charitable organization that provides support, HIV prevention and education services for people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS.
Dawn of Strokes . Of . Genius is blogging for Book Aid who works in partnership with organizations in developing countries to support local initiatives in literacy, education, training, and publishing.
Brandy of Digital Daydreaming is blogging for First Book, a national nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.
Daphne and Jaun of Villa Santiago are blogging for American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers, that provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
Pam of Southern Blog is blogging for Alzheimer's Association, a world leader in Alzheimer's research and support.
Mary of Rant-O-Rama is blogging for Denver Dumb Friends League, a private, non-profit organization in Denver that helps find homes for animals.
Joni of Joni Electric is blogging for Adopt-a-Cat of Houston, a grassroots, no-kill cat shelter here in Houston, Texas.
Chemical of Blue Calx is blogging for WaterAid, an organization that provides safe domestic water, sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people.
Wendy of Two Dolla is blogging for PFLAG which promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through support, education, and advocacy.

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Books By Women

I just posted my first real post over at Snazzykat: Blogging for Goddess Blogathon site. The direct link to it is here.

Go take a look and add your own books to the list!

.: 35 words at 03:30 PM in Participation :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

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Friday, July 25, 2003

Friday

It's Friday, we have friends over, and the drinking has begun.

Last night Steven's Mercedes was vandalized when he left it at the movie theater for a while. Apparently, Mercedes mirrors have some kind of blinking system that makes the mirror go for $1,300 or so. Sucks, huh? Anyway, he was thinking today, after helping a disabled man in a wheelchair with his groceries, that nothing in his life is that bad. Kind of makes you think, huh?

.: 78 words at 08:56 PM in Daily Ramblings :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

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Thursday, July 24, 2003

One More To Sponsor

I know I was going to stop sponsoring sites for Blogathon, but I couldn't pass this one by.

Joni (another Houstonian) is blogging for Adopt-A-Cat of Houston where she got her beautiful cat Sunny.

Love cats? You a Houstonian? This would be a great cause to sponsor.

.: 50 words at 02:41 PM in Participation :: Link :: Pings (1) :: All the Voices Say... (2) :.

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Blogathon to Support Goddess

Erika has decided to have a group of bloggers participate in this weekend's Blogathon for Goddess Magazine.

Goddess Magazine is a project that she's very involved in that gives young girls the chance to speak in their own voice about what interests them.

It's a fabulous program, so I offered to blog this weekend. You can find us during the Blogathon here.

Please consider sponsoring this incredible program. They are hoping to raise $1,000 to pay the girls for their stories, so every dollar helps.

.: 87 words at 10:58 AM in Participation :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

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Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Lancome Color Focus - Help!

I had this great eyeshadow by Lancome from their Colour Focus line (it's what I'm wearing on my lids in this picture) that has some how gone missing. I've looked everywhere and even bought a bunch of shades on eBay that I hoped would be it (alas, none of them are).

What I'm looking for is someone who might now what this damn color is. I know it's been discontinued, but it was this great matte brown/cedar color that actually had glitter in it. I think it may have been called "Home."

Anyone used to work for Lancome? Anyone who has this color at home? It's driving me crazy that I can't figure out what it is!

Update: It turned out to be the color Take.

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Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: I was excited when I was able to borrow this book from a fellow Book Crossing member. I kept thinking, "Tragic, gothic romance. Should be right up my alley!" Unfortunately, I found it not to be.

I know that I've liked other books from this time period (Jane Eyre and Madame Bovary for example), but I found Wuthering Heights to be extremely difficult to get into. I also had a rough time keeping track of the characters and their relationships to one another as well.

To me, I think the biggest problem was that I didn't really like any of the characters. By having no particular character to root for, it became a laborious task to continue with the book. However, around page 200 or so, I finally found a character that I could sympathize with and like and I felt that the book picked up and managed to draw me in since I did want to see how it ended. I don't know, though, if slogging through the first part of the novel made it worthwhile.

(Finished on July 17, 2003.)

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Wuthering Heights:

Fantastic song by Kate Bush!

Great movie with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon!

Hardest book to read. Ever!

Posted by Buzz at July 22, 2003 07:07 PM

I absolutely agree with you. The basic premise is so good, it breaks my heart that the book itself is so poor.

Posted by Somewhat at July 22, 2003 11:11 PM

I remember having to read that way back in AP 12 English. My teacher said it was one of 'literature's greatest romances'. I have to this day yet to figure out where on earth she got that idea. I trudged through it and found nothing enjoyable. And I agree with you... it was that I couldn't even find a minor character to like.

Posted by Rebecca at July 23, 2003 02:33 PM

I was forced to read this book at school when I was about 14.

Unlike the other reviewers above though, I liked it. Or more than that, it put into words what I felt, or feel, that love is.

Yes it is difficult. It is a story (by the narrator) about a story (mainly by Nelly) about other people, mainly Cathy and Heathcliff.

Yes, perhaps the characters are not all that likable. Especially Heathcliff.

Also, the book was originally published serialised in a magazine. And it seems to me that the second half of the book, other than its conclusion, were written to keep the paychecks coming in. The second half is a refrain, a echo, at best a reitteration of the first half, that is not all that relevent to the main story. The film adaptations skip the second half and for good reason.

So what is good about it?

Well...first of all the definition it gives of love, which is: When you really love someone, you are that person. Here are the best lines of the book, for me.

Cathy about Heathcliff, and her future whimpy husband Linton (not knowing that Heathcliff is listening)

"I love him (Heathcliff): and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because
he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and
mine are the same; and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from
lighting, or frost from fire" (p.73).

"Every Linton on the face of the earth might melt into nothing, before
I could consent to forsake Heathcliff" (p.74).

"My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I
have watched and felt each from the beginning; my great thought in
living is himself. If all else perished and he remained, I should still
continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the
universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it.
My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it,
I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff
resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight,
but not necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always in my mind:
not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself" (p.74-5).

Then later, before Cathy dies, she says
"I'll not lie there by myself: they may bury me twelve feet deep, and throw the
church down over me, but I won't rest till you are with me. I never will!" (p.116).

"I wish I could hold you, till we were both dead! I shouldn't care what you
suffered. I care nothing for your sufferings. Why shouldn't you suffer? I do!
Will you forget me? Will you be happy when I am in the earth?" (p.145).

Heathcliff to Cathy before she dies.

"You teach me now how cruel you've been--cruel and false. Why did you
despise me? Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one
word of comfort. You deserve this. You have killed yourself. Yes, you may
kiss me, and cry; and wring out my kisses and tears: they'll blight you--they'll
damn you. You loved me--then what right had you to leave me? What right
--answer me--for the poor fancy you felt for Linton? Because misery, and
degradation, and death, and nothing God or satan could inflict would have
parted us, you, of your own will, did it. I have not broken your heart--you
have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine. So much the worse
for me, that I am strong. Do I want to live? What kind of living will it be when
you--oh, God! would you like to live with your soul in the grave?"

"I forgive what you have done to me, I love my murderer--but yours! How can I?"

Then of Cathy when she has died -

"Why, she's a liar to the end! Where is she? Not there--not in heaven--not
perished--where? Oh! you said you cared nothing for my sufferings! And I pray
on prayer--I repeat it till my tongue stiffens--Catherine Earnshaw, may you
not rest as long a I am living! You said I killed you--haunt me, then! The murdered
do haunt there murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered on earth.
Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad! only do not leave me in this
abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I cannot live without
my life! I cannot live without my soul!"

And eventually, Cathy came back from the
dead and meets Heathcliff.

Hence the Kate Bush song.

"Heathcliff, it's me Cathy, I have come home now."

And another thing... It also perhaps points out a problem of love. Love has two elements.

1) We love those that we identify with, that we are as in "I am my Heathcliff."

2) We are at the same time attracted to that which we are not.

The tragedy, that Cathy chose to marry this other guy, Linton, with his cash and upper-class charm, inspite of the fact that she said "I am Heathcliff" is one which is going on all the time.

Don't get too freindly with a girl! She will marry someone else instead! And ladies too, vice versa.

Cathy and Heathcliff's love is incestuous. They were brought up as brother and sister. They played together, they dreamed together. They were each other. They were too close.

If Kate Bush liked it, it can't be bad.

Tim

Posted by timtak at September 2, 2003 08:42 AM

I absolutely adored the book.
It broke my heart.

Posted by Katrina at July 6, 2004 09:18 PM

We are in the process of reading this book adn doing a report on it now. I am currently in Highschool and I have no idea where to begin. If I would have taken an intrest in the novel this would not be so difficult. The novel to me seems like a 19th centurl soap opera and thats what it was probably intended to be (Due to its original print in magazines.) Many of the females, in our class like it becasuse they can relate. But as for the males we are just doing it to get by. I dont know what to do about my Analayis. My thesis is on "The effects of relationships on the characters in Wuthering Heights" Thats were it ENDS if anyone can help me i would appreciate it.

Posted by Marcus at August 18, 2004 07:29 AM

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Neuromancer by William Gibson

Neuromaner by William Gibson: rarely have I had a book disappoint me as much as this one has.

This book won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Philip K. Dick - the first novel to ever win all three sci-fi awards. It coined the term cyberspace. And yet, I found it incredibly uninvolving.

I think my main problem with the book is that when it started out, I felt slightly lost - like I was in a country where they spoke English, but the English was a little different from my own. This made me try and fit it into stories I already knew creating an amalgamation of Strange Days, Johnny Mnemonic (also written by Gibson), and The Matrix. I appreciate the fact that by not explaining the past or the present to the readers Gibson presents the novel like it is an accepted reality. I believe, though, this is why I never really was able to get into either the stories or the characters. Trying to get the simple, everyday concepts ("What the hell is a coffin? Why's he sleeping in it?") made it more of a task to read the book in turn making it harder to accept the characters and understand their motivations. I just desperately wanted it to end so I could move on to something else.

Let me say, however, that there is definitely wonderful stuff in this book - hell, the first line is great. It probably gets better with each read since more will make sense from the get-go, but my frustration and disappoint with the book will probably cause me never to give it another go.

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I've been looking for this one at a used book store. I hope I am not as disappointed. Check out Theodore Sturgeon's "More Than Human". A fantastic Sci-fi read...not to the end just quite yet but so far an A+

Posted by Monkeyspit at July 22, 2003 05:47 PM

I also liked Neuromancer, but just because it's an amazing thought, an AI that knows it exists, it's kinda cool.

I have been a huge fan of cyberpunk stuff for awhile though, and so when I went into the novel, I wasn't really lost in it...I could find my way around, and could ask where the nearest bathroom was:)

Posted by Brian at July 22, 2003 09:50 PM

I didn't mean "I also" I meant to say "I actually liked Neuromance"

Posted by Brian at July 22, 2003 10:35 PM

Neuromancer was my first book for Zuly's summer reading list, and I too was disappointed by it. I was able to appreciate the novel for it's influence on modern computing, but it was so hard to figure out what they were talking about half the time that I really didn't enjoy it.

Posted by theresa at July 23, 2003 10:31 AM

Interesting to see another, should I say generation?, to discover Neuromancer.

I must say that I was completely taken away by the book and thus my view is certainly not unbiased. Here it is anyway:

It DOES get better with each read. Not giving it another one may be a big mistake.

Posted by blitcz at July 25, 2003 02:18 AM

I read Neuromancer before I'd been on the internet (pre '97). At the time, I thought it was very cool.

I'd be curious if I'd think differently of it now, since so much technology has happened since I read it.

I also enjoyed Dydeetown World, Altered States (movie), Freejack (movie), Strange Days (movie), and the Matrix series [1][2]. That should tell you about the sci-fi's I enjoy *S*

Posted by Sherri at July 25, 2003 02:26 PM

"What the hell is a coffin? Why's he sleeping in it?"

I'm pretty sure these "coffins" can be compared to the rooms at capsule hotels (a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22capsule+hotel%22">Google).

Posted by Sherri at July 25, 2003 05:56 PM

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Zuly's Reading Room

I forgot to mention it, but I joined Zuly's Reading Room a few weeks ago.

Basically, it's to keep track of how many books you read during the summer. I was going to do my reviews at BiblioBlog, but since I still have ten more books to review before I even get started on the five I've read already this summer, I thought I'd do them here and then post them over there as I catch up.

Anyway, the whole point of this rambling post is that you're going to see a book review (probably today) under the "Zuly's Reading Room" category, and I wanted to let everyone know what it is and encourage you to go sign up yourself!

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Monday, July 21, 2003

Blood and Swash!

I was browsing through Lists of Bests a few weeks ago and started thinking about one of the movies I had checked off as watched - The Ghost and Ms. Muir. I thought about it and realized it was the tv show I'd seen, not the movie, so I did a quick search on the TiVo, found it, and recorded it.

I finally watched it last week and I have to say I can't remember a movie I've enjoyed more in quite some time. Gene Tierney was so strinkingly gorgeous and so high-spirited (pun intended). For a woman at the turn of the century, she was gloriously free and independent. Rex Harrison was also wonderful as the salty Captain Gregg. I couldn't help but laugh everytime Lucy (or Lucia, if you prefer) said blast, much to the shock of those around her.

The movie is both a love story and a fantasy and absolutely a must see. Don't let the fact that it's in black and white put you off - the characters are strong, the writing both witty and touching, and the story wonderful.

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Sunday, July 20, 2003

In Memory of Pam - The Denver Dumb Friends League

While at Lisa's, I took a look at who she was sponsoring for the upcoming Blogathon. That lead me to Rant-O-Rama and after reading Mary's hearfelt dedication of her donations to to Pam, a volunteer at the charity she's blogging for, I couldn't resist sponsoring her. Please go read Pam's story and give if you can.

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Vacationing Kitty Lover

Christine is out of town for a few days, so you can catch me guest posting over at her place until Wednesday. Feel free to swing by over there and read what the other guest posters have had to say!

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Saturday, July 19, 2003

Colorful Fish

I subscribe to MSNBC's Week in Pictures. The images are always breathtaking and I highly recommend signing up for their notification list.

This week one of the images was of multicolored parrotfish in an aquarium. I literally went, "Wow!" when I opened the picture up. I had no idea that parrotfish could be such a wide variety of colors! Isn't it great? (Click for bigger version.)

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