tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51842538366576722282024-03-13T16:01:43.825-07:00Bookish InterludesReviews, musings and ramblings on the art of the storyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-25589269828840363382015-01-15T01:28:00.001-08:002015-01-15T01:28:57.522-08:00Elizabeth Peters' glorious Amelia Peabody series<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3sy3-cD13Mo/VLeHxMvIi8I/AAAAAAAAAoM/OH6yWG8yFF4/s1600/6571644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3sy3-cD13Mo/VLeHxMvIi8I/AAAAAAAAAoM/OH6yWG8yFF4/s1600/6571644.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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Question of the day - how come I, with my long-standing archaeology obsession, didn’t discover Elizabeth Peters and the glorious Amelia Peabody before? (Scratches head). There is an upside to my tardiness, though, as I am halfway through <b>A River in the Sky</b>, and I’ve got that delicious tingly feeling associated with discovering a great book for the first time, and the will to hunt down all the others. And there are a lot of them. That’s a New Year’s Resolution I can stick with.<br />
<br />
For those of you who don’t know, <b>A River in the Sky</b> is one of a series of murder mysteries featuring the formidable Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, who reads like a cross between Gertrude Bell and Indiana Jones (you know, if he were female and knew how to speak to servants).<br />
<br />
Peabody, as her equally sharp-tongued husband Emerson, calls her, is the matriarch of a decidedly unconventional clan, who glory in such names as Nefret and Ramses. You could, it appears, get away with a lot in 1910 if you were smart and scholarly and adventurous.<br />
<br />
The plot begins with the arrival of two guests for tea, an event to cause Peabody some misgivings at the best of times, given Emerson’s taste in acquaintances - 'Arab sheikhs, Nubian brigands, thieves of various nationalities and one or two forgers.' The story stretches from the idyllic Kent countryside to the ancient sites and dusty excavations of Palestine, as Peabody and Emerson attempt to stop a dubious fellow by the name of Morley from embarking on a catastrophic excavation. Meanwhile their son Ramses, also in Palestine, overhears something he shouldn’t.<br />
<br />
The book is a delight to read, full of wit and some laugh out loud moments. There are some great descriptions. Mrs Finney, the proprietess of the White Boar, for instance, was “shaped like a cottage loaf, very tight around the middle and very full above and below.” And, so far, I’ve got a soft spot for the biscuit loving Reverend Panagopolous, whose name is, understandably, a challenge, so much so that the other characters take to calling him Reverend Plato.<br />
<br />
There is a bittersweet element to the book, given its setting and the weary realisation that not much has changed. Palestine is still in “a dangerously unsettled region” in 2015 as much as it was in 1910.<br />
<br />
Published in 2010, <b>A River in the Sky</b> is the last in the series (of 19 books, yay!), and some have criticised it as being not up to the standard of the other books. That is always a danger of a long-running series, I think, but if you’re coming to it as a total newbie, like me, it shouldn’t take you long to be totally absorbed.<br />
<br />
So, over to you - what do you think of the Amelia Peabody novels? And do you have any other fun series to recommend? Let me know!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-75962500386052403292015-01-13T15:25:00.000-08:002015-01-13T15:25:13.627-08:00Re-reading The Year of Living Dangerously, by Christopher J Koch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DjHrYRWVo58/VLWpBBhA2pI/AAAAAAAAAns/UqPg1IUFR08/s1600/Koch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DjHrYRWVo58/VLWpBBhA2pI/AAAAAAAAAns/UqPg1IUFR08/s1600/Koch.jpg" height="400" width="258" /></a></div>
<br />
This brought back memories!<br />
<br />
Newbie foreign correspondent Guy Hamilton arrives in Jakarta in 1965, the year of living dangerously. Left adrift by his predecessor, keen to avoid the ‘geriatrics’ ward’ of the Sydney news-room, he is befriended by Chinese-Australian cameraman Billy Kwan, and together they become quite the team. Both hybrids, both outsiders, the tall Anglo-Australian reporter and the dwarf cameraman cover events across Indonesia, a country descending into chaos under the charismatic, eccentric leadership of President Sukarno.<br /><br />Narrated by self-effacing veteran correspondent Cookie, <b>The Year of Living Dangerously</b> is an evocative, thrilling read, bringing a country and a culture to vivid, adrenaline-spiked life. This is the Indonesia of dizzy nationalism, of Konfrontasi, or Confrontation; an Indonesia about to go undergo violent, bloody change.<br /><br />The writing is sharp and thoughtful and occasionally beautiful. Award-winning Australian writer Christopher J Koch brings to life the pressure cooker world of the foreign correspondent, a world full of grand, flawed and sometimes pathetic characters.<br /><br />The book was made into a film in 1982, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson (before he went peculiar) and Sigourney Weaver, along with, most memorably, Linda Hunt as Billy Kwan. Koch co-wrote the screenplay, which received an Oscar nomination, as did Linda Hunt for her extraordinary performance. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role in 1984.<br /><br /><b>The Year of Living Dangerously</b> was an overdue re-read. First bought while travelling in Australia a few years ago, it has travelled well, ending up on my mother’s bookshelf in Italy. She enjoyed it, as did my brother. I read it again when I last visited, temporarily transporting myself from cold Friuli to the steaming streets of Jakarta. It was an absorbing journey, and it always makes me want to write. I should probably read it more often, in the hopes that something of its absorbing prose will rub off!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-31252003514920267982015-01-07T10:02:00.001-08:002015-01-07T10:02:48.437-08:00The Novella and Book to Movie Adaptations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Movies adapted from novels often turn out to be
disappointments. Film-makers have been known to take breathtaking liberties
with their source material, changing the setting, the era, and the characters
in the process. Sometimes this works, but more often it doesn't. Such
impertinence can usually be guaranteed to elicit howls of protest from fans of
the books in question.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you read a book, you have your own movie running in
your head, and chances are when you come to see the film version, it is quite
different from the version you imagined. You can't help but wonder why they
decided to cast that particular actor, and what the hell happened to your
favourite scene? Who thought that was a good idea?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the main problems is that so much has to be cut if the
film version is going to have a reasonable running time. And you can guarantee
your favourite character/scene/dialogue is going to end up on the cutting room
floor. That was my main gripe with the adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's <i>The
English Patient</i>. It was a great film, but I lamented how little the character
of Kip was featured.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Which is why, very often, the most successful film
adaptations use novellas and short stories as their source material. Novellas are notoriously
difficult to define, so let's just say they are longer than a short story and
shorter than a novel. The stories are more streamlined and spare than you
normally find in a full-length novel, their plots less susceptible to movie
interference. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Here are some of my favourite short story and novella inspired film adaptations. </div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
The Third Man, by Graham Greene </h3>
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<br /></div>
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The Third Man is a unique case, in that Graham Greene wrote
the story as a treatment for the film, so the two versions are intimately
intertwined. His close association with the film - he also wrote the
screenplay, with uncredited contributions from Orson Welles, Alexander Korda
and director Carol Reed - ensured the film stayed faithful to his vision. All
the classic Greene elements are there - intrigue, loyalty, betrayal - in a
tense post-war Vienna, enhanced by moody black and white photography and a
catchy score.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, by Stephen King</h3>
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<br /></div>
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Stephen King seems to have cornered the market in successful
film adaptations of his novellas. I also loved the film <i>Stand by Me</i>, which was
adapted from his story <i>The Body</i>. The film version of <i>The Shawshank Redemption</i>
stayed pretty faithful to the original story. </div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
The Dead, by James Joyce</h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This short story by James Joyce, often called the greatest
short story in the English language, was beautifully filmed by the late, great
John Huston. It was his last film, and did justice to a delicate and melancholy
story. </div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad</h3>
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<br /></div>
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A riveting tale of obsession in the Congo in the nineteenth century was transplanted
to the Vietnam War in Francis Coppola's
<i>Apocalypse Now</i>. This adaptation shows that some things can be drastically
changed from book to screen without losing the power of the original. It's
rare, but it happens!</div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
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Do you have any favourite book to film adaptations? </div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-59073267820790114832015-01-02T08:33:00.003-08:002015-01-02T08:35:26.757-08:00Rubicon, by Steven Saylor<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zLblkTUdI2w/VKbIGYND7xI/AAAAAAAAAkE/PEYzkvRdC00/s1600/rubiconcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zLblkTUdI2w/VKbIGYND7xI/AAAAAAAAAkE/PEYzkvRdC00/s1600/rubiconcover.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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I do love a good mystery set in the ancient past. And Steven
Saylor's <i>Roma Sub Rosa</i> series, about the adventures of Gordianus the Finder, are
among the best. Saylor somehow manages to combine a scholar's eye for detail and
accuracy with a fine grasp of storytelling. The books read like an ancient
Roman noir. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Rubicon</b> is the seventh book in the series - somehow I can
never manage to read such things in the right order - and it's a strong entry,
set against the background of the Roman Republic and the increasing enmity
between Caesar and Pompey. Civil war looms. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gordianus the Finder, an ancient Roman private eye, likes to
keep out of politics. Life is much safer that way. But he finds himself
embroiled in events anyway, when a kinsman of Pompey dies in his garden. For
good or ill, Gordianus has earned himself the reputation of 'the most honest
man in Rome', and Pompey charges him with finding his kinsman's killer. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Caesar has crossed the Rubicon, Pompey is preparing to flee
south, and Rome is awash with rumour. Saylor paints a vivid picture, as people
rush to leave the city and fires are lit on Rome's hills to warn of an
approaching army. Despite his best intentions, Gordianus finds himself in the
thick of it, with his son a trusted aide in Caesar's camp, and his son-in-law
taken as hostage by Pompey to ensure compliance. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So he looks for the killer, but first he must find out the
secret the dead man was carrying if he is to save his family.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ending is that rarity in popular fiction - both
satisfying and a genuine surprise. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can expect more Steven Saylor reviews in the coming
months!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rubicon, by Steven Saylor</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Published by Constable and Robinson</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ISBN: 9781841191249</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-33532757999241346002014-12-28T09:01:00.000-08:002014-12-28T09:01:22.391-08:00Desert Queen, by Janet Wallach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5LH49-0Ar0/VKA12IvtFwI/AAAAAAAAAik/w-Vzj5P2KBw/s1600/16172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5LH49-0Ar0/VKA12IvtFwI/AAAAAAAAAik/w-Vzj5P2KBw/s1600/16172.jpg" height="400" width="257" /></a></div>
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A fabulous story, shame about the prose.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Outside of historians of the Middle East, Gertrude Bell is
not a name known to many. Given that she was an adventurer, archaeologist,
diplomat and spy, and a female at that, it seems curious. Perhaps she was
simply overshadowed by T E Lawrence - it would be hard to step out from the shadow
of a movie like <i>Lawrence of Arabia</i>, certainly. Plus, she wasn't one to court
publicity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This may change as a film based on her life is due for
release in 2015, starring Nicole Kidman. While it is unlikely to be a brilliant
epic like <i>Lawrence of Arabia</i> - I've learned to lower my expectations when it
comes to Hollywood biopics - it should give Bell some long overdue attention. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which brings me to <b>Desert Queen</b>. The book recounts her life
from her far from humble beginnings in northern England, the daughter of tycoon Hugh Bell, to her influential position as the person who helped found the state of
Iraq in the 1920s. As that sentence implies, hers was an extraordinary journey.
Young ladies in her situation in Victorian England - she was born in 1868 -
usually confined themselves to doing good works and marrying aristocrats. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bell had other things in mind. The first woman to gain a
First in Modern History from Oxford University, she became by turns,
mountaineer, archaeologist, explorer, writer, spy and diplomat. Her expeditions
across the deserts of Arabia gave her an intimate and nuanced knowledge of the
region's tribes and politics, a knowledge which was put to the test in the
aftermath of World War One when the French and the British set about carving up
the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. It was only in the East that she could
escape the constraints of Victorian and Edwardian society.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The book details all of this, unfortunately in a rather
overblown style. Wallach is partial to outbursts of purple prose, and the
writing gets a bit melodramatic at times, especially when it comes to Bell's
love life. The imperious Bell would surely not have approved. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Including footnotes and index, <b>Desert Queen</b> is a hefty 419
pages, and the florid style makes it seem rather longer at times. I finished
the book feeling Gertrude Bell deserved better. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Written by Janet Wallach</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Published by Phoenix Books</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ISBN: 9780753802472</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-50183974152683371212014-12-12T08:48:00.001-08:002014-12-12T08:48:41.674-08:00Cressida Cowell opens the Christmas Reading Challenge<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RZTqmZSSiE4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
What a fabulous idea. Cressida Cowell, author of the How to Train Your Dragon series of books, has launched the Christmas mini-challenge to get young children reading. An offshoot of The Reading Agency's Summer Challenge, the Christmas version calls on children to take out and read three books from the library between today, 12 December and 6 January, and log their progress on the <a href="http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/" target="_blank">challenge website.</a><br />
<br />
As someone who practically lived in the library from a very young age, I can only say: Bravo! Three books is child's stuff though - a proper bookworm will regard that as merely a taster.<br />
<br />
As Cressida Cowell puts it: “The Christmas holidays are a brilliant time to read loads of books. The
weather is cold, so you can snuggle up in bed and read as many books as
you like.”<br />
<br />
That's the whole point of Christmas, if you ask me.<br />
<br />
Well, that and wine. Probably not for children though. Let them delight in books, and the wine will come later.<br />
<br />
The Summer Challenge has been quite the success. This year 839,622 children took part - a 3.6% increase on 2013. The Reading Agency estimated children borrowed over 18 million books over the summer.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-50330740058580225892014-12-10T01:12:00.004-08:002014-12-10T01:12:54.941-08:00The 2015 Authors A - Z Reading Challenge<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eghz5vSVmTQ/VId1dI28bwI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/sb7-ilfrYv0/s1600/2015-authors-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eghz5vSVmTQ/VId1dI28bwI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/sb7-ilfrYv0/s1600/2015-authors-banner.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm planning to take part in the <b>2015 Authors A - Z Reading Challenge</b>, during which I will try to read books by authors according to their surnames, and try to collect every letter of the alphabet. Some will be re-reads, some will be new, and no doubt some will be 'how do you pronounce that name?'<br />
<br />
The challenge is hosted by Samantha Lin, and you can find out more <a href="http://www.samantha-lin.com/2014/11/2015-authors-a-to-z-reading-challenge-sign-up/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
So, here's my preliminary list. Some letters have a few possibilities, while others are a bit trickier. The challenge runs from 1 January to 31 December 2015, so I'm hoping I'll have time to fill in the gaps!<br />
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A - Apuleius, Isabel Allende, Isaac Asimov</div>
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B - Iain M Banks, Alfred Bester</div>
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C - Tracey Chevalier, Italo Calvino</div>
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D - Philip K Dick, Roddy Doyle</div>
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E - Umberto Eco</div>
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F - Frederick Forsyth</div>
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G - Graham Greene</div>
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H - Robert Harris, Homer</div>
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I</div>
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J</div>
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K - Nikos Kazantzakis</div>
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L - Donna Leon</div>
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M -Hilary Mantel, Marquez, Maalouf</div>
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N</div>
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O - George Orwell</div>
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P - Terry Pratchett</div>
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Q - Qiu Xiaolong</div>
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R - Salman Rushdie</div>
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S - Mary Shelley</div>
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T<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Lavie
Tidhar</div>
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U - Barry Unsworth</div>
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V - Jules Verne</div>
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W - H G Wells, Evelyn Waugh</div>
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X - Xinran</div>
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Y </div>
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Z - Emile Zola, Carlos Ruiz Zafon<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-18803975946259869872014-12-05T00:58:00.001-08:002014-12-05T00:58:25.610-08:00Girl Online, by YouTube star Zoella, is the fastest selling book of the year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWFdPueVzuc/VIDIlzDQ5-I/AAAAAAAAAWs/Fnv311C9CAc/s1600/22510983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="girl online zoe sugg zoella" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWFdPueVzuc/VIDIlzDQ5-I/AAAAAAAAAWs/Fnv311C9CAc/s1600/22510983.jpg" height="320" title="" width="226" /></a></div>
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Not bad going for a book that was only published on 25
November. <b>Girl Online</b>, the debut novel of Zoe Sugg, also known as Zoella on
YouTube, sold 78,000 copies in its first week, making her the fastest
ever-selling debut author in the United Kingdom. Her first week sales have
eclipsed the debuts of J K Rowling, Dan Brown and E L James.
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See, it can be done. </div>
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The rather overwhelmed Zoe told the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/dec/03/zoella-girl-online-zoe-sugg-fastest-selling-book-of-the-year" target="_blank">Guardian</a>: “It’s such
an amazing feeling. I’m so grateful to everyone who has bought a copy of Girl
Online. I love that so many of my viewers are enjoying the book! This year has
been so exciting and this for sure is the icing on the cake.” </div>
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<b>Girl Online </b>tells the story of young blogger Penny and her
trials and tribulations, along with swoon-worthy rock star boyfriend Noah and
supportive parents who don't quite get it. Told that Penny is "about to go
viral", her concerned Dad says: "I thought you looked a bit peaky,
love. Do you want a Lemsip?"</div>
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<b>Girl Online</b> is the first in a two-book deal with Penguin,
with the sequel promised in summer 2015. </div>
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Who knows what it takes to make a literary splash? In this
case, it looks to be a combination of a huge YouTube following (some 6.6 million
at the last count), a sweet and well-written story, good luck and good timing. </div>
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Congratulations, Zoe! </div>
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Girl Online, by Zoe Sugg</div>
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Published by Penguin</div>
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ISBN: 978-0141357270</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-63556536635389064772014-12-03T01:58:00.001-08:002014-12-03T01:58:56.080-08:00The 42 Science Fiction Challenge for 2015<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYLjMgjT7iw/VH7eEUOChYI/AAAAAAAAAVI/oxpREaxilws/s1600/snake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wYLjMgjT7iw/VH7eEUOChYI/AAAAAAAAAVI/oxpREaxilws/s1600/snake.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image copyright Paris Franz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As any science-fiction fan will know, 42 is a significant number.<br />
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I aim to take part in the 42 Science Fiction Challenge in 2015, in which I review 42 science-fiction related items - books, movies, novellas, television, graphic novels - anything related to science-fiction. You can read more about it over at <a href="http://42sciencefictionchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/reviving-42-challenge-for-2015_14.html" target="_blank">42 Challenge</a>.<br />
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This one should be fun, and pretty easy. I love sci-fi, and have a lot of ideas for this challenge. Don't be surprised if I end up with more than 42 reviews on this subject. While this blog is primarily about books, it is really about stories, which can be told in many ways, so I'm not aiming to restrict myself when it comes to format. <br />
<br />
Speaking of challenges, I came across a few others while researching this one, which I hope will give me a lot of ideas to get this blog up and running. That's a relief!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184253836657672228.post-32563428859483689132014-12-01T03:47:00.000-08:002014-12-01T03:47:01.498-08:00A book blog! Why didn't I think of this earlier?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3S3S9jQeSt4/VHxO_EBpSFI/AAAAAAAAAUg/aIl-SgTFtDg/s1600/bookshelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3S3S9jQeSt4/VHxO_EBpSFI/AAAAAAAAAUg/aIl-SgTFtDg/s1600/bookshelf.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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As a book obsessive for as long as I can remember, I really don't know why I didn't start a book blog a long time ago. Still, better late than never, I say!<br />
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Books have always been reliable friends. They may be evolving at a dizzying rate, from paper to pixels and beyond, but they can still be relied on to take us to different worlds, to let us experience the fantastic, the spine-chilling and the funny. From the days of Homer, when a bard would entertain his audience with a prodigious feat of memory, to today's proliferation of books, stories have always been key to the human experience. I suspect, I hope, this will continue, although who knows what form they will take in the future.<br />
<br />
I have been assured that a genre blog is better in terms of gaining an audience, but I'm not sure I can limit myself to that degree. I enjoy many types of books, and I'm pretty sure I'm not that different from much of the reading public. If a book is well-written, thought-provoking and reluctant to let me put it down, chances are I'll blog about it!<br />
<br />
That said, you're unlikely to find any chick-lit on this blog (is that even still a thing?).<br />
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I'm planning a series of posts and ruminations on my favourite books and genres - history, science-fiction, fantasy, mainstream. Stay tuned!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04173392975469796032noreply@blogger.com0