Poor, poor Gloucester!
Brutally blinded by the batty sisters, and betrayed by his bastard boy... rough night. When I saw this on stage it was CRAZY! Goneril went bonkers and poor Albany was horrified over in the corner-- but the rest was all a kind of mob mentality where you just follow what everyone else is doing because you don't want to be next!
I love the rants of Poor Tom (Edgar)-- he's my favorite character because he is so tender to his father and the king, and he is so innocent of any wrong in the play (like Cordelia). He didn't do anything to deserve his brother's wrath (that we know of)-- and he's willing to risk death by helping is father and the king. Love that guy!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Franny and Zooey-- a totally different J. D. Salinger
I started reading Franny and Zooey on Sunday because I thought it was short enough to read in the few days that I have left before school starts. I LOVE J.D. Salinger... I've read The Catcher in the Rye about 10 times... not exaggerating! I used to read it every year over Christmas break. That's a love or hate book. Some people just do not like that style of writing, and therefore dismiss it. I, however, love it and wish to build Salinger a shrine.... ok... that's a bit much.
Franny and Zooey is A LOT different. I still really like it, but it is not anything like Catcher in the Rye. This book is really funny at times. I was reading at Starbucks today, for example, and I literally laughed out loud and had to put my hand over my mouth. Yes... people looked at me. I don't care. I was wearing a t-shirt that said I survived the zombie uprising... it's not like they were going to take me seriously anyway, right? :)
I'm not finished yet, I've got about 70 pages to go-- planning on cranking those out tomorrow. But it's super good. It's a dark humor that I really like. I would compare it to Kurt Vonnegut who is friggin' hysterical!
I love how when he writes he almost sounds like he's praising people until you really listen to what he's saying. On the first page of the book he's talking about a bunch of college guys standing around and says that they were "talking in voices that, almost without exception, sounded collegiately dogmatic, as though each young man, in his strident, conversational turn, was clearing up, once and for all, some highly controversial issue, one that the outside, non-matriculating world had been bungling, provocatively or not, for centuries." I only wish that I could insult people with such elegance! :)
One of my favorite lines so far in the book is when the narrator is talking about the family-- they had zillions of kids, all who were super smart and appeared on some radio show. Salinger writes, "Public response to the children was often hot and never tepid. In general, listeners were divided into two, curiously restive camps; those who held that the Glasses were a bunch of insufferably 'superior' bastards that should have been drowned at birth, and those who held that they were bona-fide underage wits and savants, of an uncommon, if unenviable, order."
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!
A great read! The first section is a bit slow, but it picks up after a while! Can't wait to finish it.
Franny and Zooey is A LOT different. I still really like it, but it is not anything like Catcher in the Rye. This book is really funny at times. I was reading at Starbucks today, for example, and I literally laughed out loud and had to put my hand over my mouth. Yes... people looked at me. I don't care. I was wearing a t-shirt that said I survived the zombie uprising... it's not like they were going to take me seriously anyway, right? :)
I'm not finished yet, I've got about 70 pages to go-- planning on cranking those out tomorrow. But it's super good. It's a dark humor that I really like. I would compare it to Kurt Vonnegut who is friggin' hysterical!
I love how when he writes he almost sounds like he's praising people until you really listen to what he's saying. On the first page of the book he's talking about a bunch of college guys standing around and says that they were "talking in voices that, almost without exception, sounded collegiately dogmatic, as though each young man, in his strident, conversational turn, was clearing up, once and for all, some highly controversial issue, one that the outside, non-matriculating world had been bungling, provocatively or not, for centuries." I only wish that I could insult people with such elegance! :)
One of my favorite lines so far in the book is when the narrator is talking about the family-- they had zillions of kids, all who were super smart and appeared on some radio show. Salinger writes, "Public response to the children was often hot and never tepid. In general, listeners were divided into two, curiously restive camps; those who held that the Glasses were a bunch of insufferably 'superior' bastards that should have been drowned at birth, and those who held that they were bona-fide underage wits and savants, of an uncommon, if unenviable, order."
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!
A great read! The first section is a bit slow, but it picks up after a while! Can't wait to finish it.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Wow... people buy this crap?
Ok... I hope not to offend here... but wow... I can't believe people pay hard earned money on some of the crap that is out there in the world!
I was tutoring someone this summer in reading, and so I allowed her to pick out a book that she wanted to read, and we would read it together... She chose Don't Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel.
So... to give you some idea-- here are a list of other books written by Mrs. McDaniel:
When Happily Ever After Ends
Baby Alicia is Dying
The Girl Death Left Behind
Letting Go of Lisa
Till Death Do Us Part
Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever
Too Young to Die
Time to Let Go
... and the list goes on and on... over 60 books published in the last 15-ish years. And they are almost exclusively about teenagers dealing with death. I don't advocate the use of Wikipedia for actual research... but this is a blog for Pete's sake... here is what the wikipedia article says about her books, "Her characters have grappled with cancer, diabetes, organ failure, and the deaths of loved ones through disease or suicide." Whew... and you guys criticized Bronte for being depressing!
Wow... I read it, that was an accomplishment. And I have to admit, I got a little choked up at the end when the boy died. But oh man! Talk about terrible dialogue, MASSIVELY predictable plot line, and so much cheesy love crap I almost couldn't stand it. I'm pretty sure I threw up in my mouth about a dozen times! "Oh, Luke! I love you so much and you're the star quarterback for our high school. You can't get sick! Don't leave me!"-- ok... so I made that quote up, but it's really bad!
Now, having been all critical and English-y about it all-- it sells like frozen ice-pops in a heat-wave! This woman is probably loaded and has a million houses all over the world. So, more power to her, but let me tell you, that is 3 hours of my life I'll never get back!
I was tutoring someone this summer in reading, and so I allowed her to pick out a book that she wanted to read, and we would read it together... She chose Don't Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel.
So... to give you some idea-- here are a list of other books written by Mrs. McDaniel:
When Happily Ever After Ends
Baby Alicia is Dying
The Girl Death Left Behind
Letting Go of Lisa
Till Death Do Us Part
Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever
Too Young to Die
Time to Let Go
... and the list goes on and on... over 60 books published in the last 15-ish years. And they are almost exclusively about teenagers dealing with death. I don't advocate the use of Wikipedia for actual research... but this is a blog for Pete's sake... here is what the wikipedia article says about her books, "Her characters have grappled with cancer, diabetes, organ failure, and the deaths of loved ones through disease or suicide." Whew... and you guys criticized Bronte for being depressing!
Wow... I read it, that was an accomplishment. And I have to admit, I got a little choked up at the end when the boy died. But oh man! Talk about terrible dialogue, MASSIVELY predictable plot line, and so much cheesy love crap I almost couldn't stand it. I'm pretty sure I threw up in my mouth about a dozen times! "Oh, Luke! I love you so much and you're the star quarterback for our high school. You can't get sick! Don't leave me!"-- ok... so I made that quote up, but it's really bad!
Now, having been all critical and English-y about it all-- it sells like frozen ice-pops in a heat-wave! This woman is probably loaded and has a million houses all over the world. So, more power to her, but let me tell you, that is 3 hours of my life I'll never get back!
Sons and Lovers-- the end
So... all in all a good book. I can't say it's one of my favorites, but I did enjoy the realistic nature of the characters. I hated Paul for all of his "my mommy is the only woman in my life" and for taking women for granted in general. But I have to say that I surprising liked the relationship that he had with a very unlikely friend. At first I thought it was way too unrealistic that they would be friends, but the more I thought about it, the more it actually made sense.
D.H. Lawrence is a very talented writer and had a great way of phrasing things amazingly well. At one point, about midway through the book, he's describing the night sky and says, "Orion was wheeling up over the wood, his dog twinkling after him, half smothered. For the rest, the world was full of darkness, and silent, save for the breathing of cattle in their stalls." I really got a great mental picture of this English countryside with cows and the sky so amazingly bright above it. I just love those lines.
I would suggest it as a read, most definitely. Well worth the 400+ pages!
D.H. Lawrence is a very talented writer and had a great way of phrasing things amazingly well. At one point, about midway through the book, he's describing the night sky and says, "Orion was wheeling up over the wood, his dog twinkling after him, half smothered. For the rest, the world was full of darkness, and silent, save for the breathing of cattle in their stalls." I really got a great mental picture of this English countryside with cows and the sky so amazingly bright above it. I just love those lines.
I would suggest it as a read, most definitely. Well worth the 400+ pages!
Monday, July 25, 2011
I am a slacker
I am still in about the same place in Sons and Lovers as when I blogged the last time. Shame on me! Boy, I don't know about the rest of you, but this summer has been CRAZY busy! Whew! I'm bound and determined to finish the book before school starts, but that means I've got some serious nights of reading ahead of me. Wish me luck.
Also, a wee bit of an update on The Help-- I got four free tickets to see a pre-screening of the movie! How cool is that? I'm going this evening with Mrs. Gee and two former AP students (Carly- who has read the book- and Karissa). Should be loads of fun! I hope that the movie lives up to the book as much as a movie can! I'll do another blog (probably tomorrow) about the movie and let you know if it's worth seeing. Speaking of movies worth seeing-- Any opinions on Captain America for those of you who may have seen it? That's another one I really want to go to if it's any good.
Peace out, yo!
Also, a wee bit of an update on The Help-- I got four free tickets to see a pre-screening of the movie! How cool is that? I'm going this evening with Mrs. Gee and two former AP students (Carly- who has read the book- and Karissa). Should be loads of fun! I hope that the movie lives up to the book as much as a movie can! I'll do another blog (probably tomorrow) about the movie and let you know if it's worth seeing. Speaking of movies worth seeing-- Any opinions on Captain America for those of you who may have seen it? That's another one I really want to go to if it's any good.
Peace out, yo!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
This is a very good book! I like the mix of tragedy and dry humor-- though I'm a bit confused at what the story is "about"-- initially I thought it would be about a woman having an affair (a popular D.H. Lawrence theme), but then the woman got older and it was more about her sons (which makes sense-- the title and all), but then it started talking about the daughter.... and so far there aren't any lovers! :)
However, I'm only about halfway through the book. It is quite good, and I'm enjoying it... I'm just a little lost as to where the story is going.
However, I'm only about halfway through the book. It is quite good, and I'm enjoying it... I'm just a little lost as to where the story is going.
Monday, June 27, 2011
My Quest to Read the Top 100 Books of the 20th Century.... Dubliners by James Joyce
Terrible
Awful
No Good
Very Bad
Book!
I. Hate. This. Book.
Ok.... hate may be a little strong, but holy freaking cow, this book was bad. I really have almost no idea why this book is the top book. That's right, folks, it's listed as the top book of the 20th century! SERIOUSLY???
Here are my guesses why it ranked top:
1. Joyce wrote in stream of consciousness.... meaning, there are not clear, linear thoughts... just random stuff. And that was new for Joyce's time. New always gets high acclaim (even if it's not very good).
2. Allusions-- holy cow! Joyce, for all the faults of the novel, was very intelligent! He really knew his Shakespeare, his Homer, and other famous novels of his day as well. So, I can see that Joyce showing off his amazing literary knowledge might win him best book of the century.
Bascially, the book (all 657pgs) was about one day. ONE DAY. UNO.... however you say day in Spanish...
b.o.r.i.n.g.
There were literally about 120 pages of these people arguing which was Shakespeare's best play... JEEZE!... and I even like Shakepseare and I was bored out of my mind. I have to admit that I skimmed about 60 pages of that. I really don't care if King Lear out ranks Triolous and Cressida! I don't! UGH! Luckily, since it didn't make a lot of sense, I spend through it. I'm sure I probably missed some profound literary meanings... but at this point. I DON"T CARE! I'm just glad to be done with the book! So currently, of the top 100 books of the century, I've read the following:
1. ULYSSES
by James Joyce
2. THE GREAT GATSBY
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN
by James Joyce
4. LOLITA
by Vladimir Nabokov
5. BRAVE NEW WORLD
by Aldous Huxley
6. THE SOUND AND THE FURY
by William Faulkner
7. CATCH-22
by Joseph Heller
8. DARKNESS AT NOON
by Arthur Koestler
10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH
by John Steinbeck
13. 1984
by George Orwell
15. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
by Virginia Woolf
16. AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY
by Theodore Dreiser
17. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER
by Carson McCullers
18. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE
by Kurt Vonnegut
19. INVISIBLE MAN
by Ralph Ellison
20. NATIVE SON
by Richard Wright
24. WINESBURG, OHIO
by Sherwood Anderson
25. A PASSAGE TO INDIA
by E.M. Forster
28. TENDER IS THE NIGHT
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
31. ANIMAL FARM
by George Orwell
33. SISTER CARRIE
by Theodore Dreiser
35. AS I LAY DYING
by William Faulkner
36. ALL THE KING’S MEN
by Robert Penn Warren
39. GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN
by James Baldwin
41. LORD OF THE FLIES
by William Golding
45. THE SUN ALSO RISES
by Ernest Hemingway
49. WOMEN IN LOVE
by D.H. Lawrence
54. LIGHT IN AUGUST
by William Faulkner
55. ON THE ROAD
by Jack Kerouac
58. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE
by Edith Wharton
64. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
by J.D. Salinger
65. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
by Anthony Burgess
67. HEART OF DARKNESS
by Joseph Conrad
68. MAIN STREET
by Sinclair Lewis
69. THE HOUSE OF MIRTH
by Edith Wharton
74. A FAREWELL TO ARMS
by Ernest Hemingway
79. A ROOM WITH A VIEW
by E.M. Forster
88. THE CALL OF THE WILD
by Jack London
91. TOBACCO ROAD
Awful
No Good
Very Bad
Book!
I. Hate. This. Book.
Ok.... hate may be a little strong, but holy freaking cow, this book was bad. I really have almost no idea why this book is the top book. That's right, folks, it's listed as the top book of the 20th century! SERIOUSLY???
Here are my guesses why it ranked top:
1. Joyce wrote in stream of consciousness.... meaning, there are not clear, linear thoughts... just random stuff. And that was new for Joyce's time. New always gets high acclaim (even if it's not very good).
2. Allusions-- holy cow! Joyce, for all the faults of the novel, was very intelligent! He really knew his Shakespeare, his Homer, and other famous novels of his day as well. So, I can see that Joyce showing off his amazing literary knowledge might win him best book of the century.
Bascially, the book (all 657pgs) was about one day. ONE DAY. UNO.... however you say day in Spanish...
b.o.r.i.n.g.
There were literally about 120 pages of these people arguing which was Shakespeare's best play... JEEZE!... and I even like Shakepseare and I was bored out of my mind. I have to admit that I skimmed about 60 pages of that. I really don't care if King Lear out ranks Triolous and Cressida! I don't! UGH! Luckily, since it didn't make a lot of sense, I spend through it. I'm sure I probably missed some profound literary meanings... but at this point. I DON"T CARE! I'm just glad to be done with the book! So currently, of the top 100 books of the century, I've read the following:
1. ULYSSES
by James Joyce
2. THE GREAT GATSBY
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN
by James Joyce
4. LOLITA
by Vladimir Nabokov
5. BRAVE NEW WORLD
by Aldous Huxley
6. THE SOUND AND THE FURY
by William Faulkner
7. CATCH-22
by Joseph Heller
8. DARKNESS AT NOON
by Arthur Koestler
10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH
by John Steinbeck
13. 1984
by George Orwell
15. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
by Virginia Woolf
16. AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY
by Theodore Dreiser
17. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER
by Carson McCullers
18. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE
by Kurt Vonnegut
19. INVISIBLE MAN
by Ralph Ellison
20. NATIVE SON
by Richard Wright
24. WINESBURG, OHIO
by Sherwood Anderson
25. A PASSAGE TO INDIA
by E.M. Forster
28. TENDER IS THE NIGHT
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
31. ANIMAL FARM
by George Orwell
33. SISTER CARRIE
by Theodore Dreiser
35. AS I LAY DYING
by William Faulkner
36. ALL THE KING’S MEN
by Robert Penn Warren
39. GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN
by James Baldwin
41. LORD OF THE FLIES
by William Golding
45. THE SUN ALSO RISES
by Ernest Hemingway
49. WOMEN IN LOVE
by D.H. Lawrence
54. LIGHT IN AUGUST
by William Faulkner
55. ON THE ROAD
by Jack Kerouac
58. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE
by Edith Wharton
64. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
by J.D. Salinger
65. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
by Anthony Burgess
67. HEART OF DARKNESS
by Joseph Conrad
68. MAIN STREET
by Sinclair Lewis
69. THE HOUSE OF MIRTH
by Edith Wharton
74. A FAREWELL TO ARMS
by Ernest Hemingway
79. A ROOM WITH A VIEW
by E.M. Forster
88. THE CALL OF THE WILD
by Jack London
91. TOBACCO ROAD
Not too shabby... but I've got a LONG way until I read all of them! Next on the list, #9: Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence!
THE READER’S LIST
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