I've still to write the reviews for three recently finished books, but those should be along shortly... In the meantime I have picked up the next book on my list. There seems to be a theme in my reading lately. Animal farm, the hundred year old man... And now this new book. Unintentional I assure you, but the theme appears to be Russia.
This excerpt is from We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. This isn't just another dystopian novel, this is the first to be written dystopian novel of the major triumvirate consisting of 1984 and Brave New World. I won't say anymore, until the review, except to give you the first chapter, first paragraphs.
Record One
KEYWORDS:
A Declaration. The wisest of lines. An epic.
I am merely copying, word for word, what was printed in the State Gazette today:
IN 120 DAYS, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE INTEGRAL WILL BE COMPLETE. THE GREAT, HISTORIC HOUR WHEN THE FIRST INTEGRAL WILL SOAR THROUGH OUTER SPACE IS NIGH. SOME THOUSAND YEARS AGO, YOUR HEROIC ANCESTORS SUBJUGATED THE ENTIRE EARTHLY SPHERE TO THE POWER OF THE ONE STATE. TODAY, YOU ARE CONFRONTING AN EVEN GREATER CONQUEST: THE INTEGRATION OF THE OF THE INFINITE EQUATION OF THE UNIVERSE WITH THE ELECTRIFYING AND FIRE-BREATHING GLASS INTEGRAL. YOU ARE CONFRONTING UNKNOWN CREATURES ON ALIEN PLANETS, WHO MAY STILL BE LIVING IN THE SAVAGE STATE OF FREEDOM, AND SUBJUGATING THEM TO THE BENEFICIAL YOKE OF REASON. IF THEY WON'T UNDERSTAND THAT WE BRING THEM MATHEMATICALLY INFALLIBLE HAPPINESS, IT WILL BE OUR DUTY TO FORCE THEM TO BE HAPPY...
There's a little more to the paragraph but this is the best bit, and I'm itching to get on with it.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
First Chapter, First Paragraphs
I just finished The 100 year old man, and while I try to compose a suitable review, I thought I'd write the next instalment of First chapter first paragraphs, not least because they're intriguing.
The book is The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen.
And the longer and more carefully I examine all these things, the more clearly and distinctly I know that they are true.
There are 217 pages, the font is large, and the page margins are large too, so I don't think this one will take long to read. In fact before I knew it 40 pages had slipped by in flash.
The book is The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen.
And the longer and more carefully I examine all these things, the more clearly and distinctly I know that they are true.
Rene Descartes
It was snowing the morning I found the dead boy. The island with it's two houses and one church was covered in a layer of white.
Papa was pulling in the fishing nets when I saw a hand between two rocks. It looked like a magic trick; almost as if a bunch of roses was about to appear - boom! There you are, for you - and then applause. But everything was quiet and the hand didn't move.
Looking forward to the rest.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Animal Farm by George Orwell
ISBN: 014118270
This is one of those books that makes me feel like I should be writing a terribly impressive academic style review. That's probably part of the reason why this book only recently made it off my 'should-really-read-one-day' list. I don't know if I thought it would be over my head, or just that it deserved someone more accustomed to interpreting books in a certain way.
Whatever my reasons for delaying, it got chosen in January for March's book club, and that was that. I bought my copy a couple of weeks ago, and was expecting to suffer through it for the sake of the club. Ha!
I had some basic recollections of Russian history from courses I studied years ago, so it wasn't a big stretch. I was expecting something completely different though. I thought that Orwell would be only making slight references and implying loose correlations between the events on the farm and the events in Russia, but how wrong can you be?
It was clearly written, easy to read, and there was no mistaking what was happening, the main characters and who they were meant to portray and how key events in Russia's history happened. The purges, and the 5 year plans came to mind immediately. I love that Orwell refused to pull his punches, and that a publisher was brave enough to publish it. What a loss this would have been if it had not been published.
The about-face I've taken on this has pretty much given me whiplash. I went from thinking this is a book I should read but don't really want to, to thinking that this is a book that everybody must read.
To refresh my memory I went to Wikipedia and found some articles. I can't speak for the accurateness of them, but they were less of a dry read than the introduction in this book. Here are a few links:
Animal Farm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
Five Year Plans - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-Year_Plans_for_the_National_Economy_of_the_Soviet_Union The Purges - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge
Friday, February 22, 2013
First Chapter, First Paragraphs
Advent by James Treadwell
One
A December night 1537
On a wild night in deep winter in the year 1537, the greatest magus in the world gathered together and dismissed his household servants, wrapped himself in his travelling cloak, took his staff in one hand and in the other a small wooden box sealed with pitch and clasped with silver, and stepped out into the whirling sleet, bound for the harbour and - so he expected - immortality.
All but the city's most utterly forlorn inhabitants had been driven from the streets by the bitter weather. The reamining beggars and strays were fully occupied with their struggle to survive until dawn, so the magus walked uninterrupted through alleys of filthy slush. Nobody so much as saw him; any lifted eyes would have been stung by the icy rain, which felt as if it blew from every direction at once. Nobody but one.
I'm reading on, would you?
One
A December night 1537
On a wild night in deep winter in the year 1537, the greatest magus in the world gathered together and dismissed his household servants, wrapped himself in his travelling cloak, took his staff in one hand and in the other a small wooden box sealed with pitch and clasped with silver, and stepped out into the whirling sleet, bound for the harbour and - so he expected - immortality.
All but the city's most utterly forlorn inhabitants had been driven from the streets by the bitter weather. The reamining beggars and strays were fully occupied with their struggle to survive until dawn, so the magus walked uninterrupted through alleys of filthy slush. Nobody so much as saw him; any lifted eyes would have been stung by the icy rain, which felt as if it blew from every direction at once. Nobody but one.
I'm reading on, would you?
Book Club Meeting
I'm sure I shant be blogging about every book club, but this was an interesting one.
The location - The largest (only?) inhabited roundabout in the UK. The Shepherd and Flock pub in Farnham, Surrey. Though half the group must have driven past it many times they didn't know it was there, apparently they drove a complete circuit around the roundabout once before realising how to get on it. So was the Fire Engine that nearly drove through the side of the pub trying to turn around in a space not much bigger than itself. It reminded me of my favourite scene in the first Austin Powers film... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLKR9tCiwvA
A Dark-Adapted Eye had been reasonably well received. There was a lot of puzzled discussion, and even talk of whether or not Vera was Eden's mother (I thought not, but who knows). We all hated Francis. I'd prepared some discussion questions, but totally forgot to take them.
Next months book is Animal Farm by George Orwell. That's rather a small volume, and what I've read so far it's an easy read, though I may have to read a little more around the Russian Revolution to make sure I get all the references. Maybe even get something like the York Notes or other study guide for Animal Farm.
As Animal Farm is such a short book we decided to read something a little longer next time, and chose for April's meeting The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. Having already started it I don't think that will take long to read. It's a much bigger book than Animal Farm, but it's so entertaining and funny I think that will only take a few days to get through.
So I have put it to one side and will read after Animal Farm. But as I can't just read one book at a time )I have a book for bathtime, a book in the desk drawer at work, a book (well, a stack and a shelf actually) in my bedroom and one in my bag, I have picked up Advent by James Treadwell. This was one of my Christmas presents. The first few pages look very promising. I'll have to make it my next First Paragraph's post.
The location - The largest (only?) inhabited roundabout in the UK. The Shepherd and Flock pub in Farnham, Surrey. Though half the group must have driven past it many times they didn't know it was there, apparently they drove a complete circuit around the roundabout once before realising how to get on it. So was the Fire Engine that nearly drove through the side of the pub trying to turn around in a space not much bigger than itself. It reminded me of my favourite scene in the first Austin Powers film... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLKR9tCiwvA
A Dark-Adapted Eye had been reasonably well received. There was a lot of puzzled discussion, and even talk of whether or not Vera was Eden's mother (I thought not, but who knows). We all hated Francis. I'd prepared some discussion questions, but totally forgot to take them.
Next months book is Animal Farm by George Orwell. That's rather a small volume, and what I've read so far it's an easy read, though I may have to read a little more around the Russian Revolution to make sure I get all the references. Maybe even get something like the York Notes or other study guide for Animal Farm.
As Animal Farm is such a short book we decided to read something a little longer next time, and chose for April's meeting The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. Having already started it I don't think that will take long to read. It's a much bigger book than Animal Farm, but it's so entertaining and funny I think that will only take a few days to get through.
So I have put it to one side and will read after Animal Farm. But as I can't just read one book at a time )I have a book for bathtime, a book in the desk drawer at work, a book (well, a stack and a shelf actually) in my bedroom and one in my bag, I have picked up Advent by James Treadwell. This was one of my Christmas presents. The first few pages look very promising. I'll have to make it my next First Paragraph's post.
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