I forgot to post last night and I would feel ashamed leaving this blog on a non-final note so I am going to make one last post.
I finished Nikolski on Thursday and I was not at all impressed. It was a light novel, and while that was nice after trying to decipher Hemingway, I wouldn't say that it was even worth the read. I can see how it merited some Canadian writing awards, because the writing in itself has no obvious flaws. It's well-written, flows well, and is filled with quaint metaphors and coincidences. However, there's virtually no plot to the novel. Sure, it's cool that that three characters are so closely related and are completely oblivious to it. But if that's all there's to the novel, then it'd be better as a short story. The ending is also a huge let down. It's trying to leave it undetermined as if this will provide a "deeper meaning", but it just looks like the author didn't know how else to end it.
I also failed my attempt at finishing David Copperfield, but that's okay because I am convinced I'll go back to it sometime this summer.
Overall, I'm really glad I followed through with this hermit reading experiment. I took a lot away from it:
1- I found that some time away from my phone and Facebook was all I needed to feel some much needed isolation. My family isn't the type that goes camping, or ever stays on an island in a cottage just to relax. We always have a purpose, even it's a recreational one such as seeing every possible touristic sight in every city we ever visit. So maybe that's why I've been feeling so crowded lately, because while I've been on vacation, I still hadn't gotten the chance to just relax by myself.
2- Apparently all I need to motivate myself to read instead of watch TV is to tell other people about my goals. Even if it's just a few friends, or my non-existent blog readers. So I have set a new goal for myself: I am going to read one book per week for the rest of this year. Whether it's a busy school week or a week on holidays, I'm not going to allow any excuses. One book a week. I'm going to reflect on all of them in a new blog. This blog will be on Wordpress and won't be up right away as I actually want to put some time and effort into this one.
3- I had an awesome week.
Much love to anyone who actually took the time to read this,
Niyousha
Saturday 6 August 2011
Friday 5 August 2011
Day 5-Teghan
First of all, I would like to say that Nikolski is an amazing novel. I read it in January and was thoroughly impressed.
Anyway, this post is being written from my iPhone, as my little sister is hogging the computer and my laptop has no charge. So please excuse me if it is short or unsatisfactory.
So this is the last day of this experiment, and I have to say that I enjoyed it immensely. Lately I haven't had much time to just sit and read, and I almost forgot how good it feels just to get lost in book after book. That being said, I also chose to pursue two classics in a row, and despite my passion and love for them, I found it to be tiresome.
I read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne for my last novel, and was not overly impressed. Not that it was bad in any way, but it wasn't particularly interesting.
The premise of the story is that a young woman named Hester Prynne has an affair while her husband is away at sea and gives birth to a child named Pearl. She is besmirched for her sins and embarrassed in front of the whole town, made to wear a red "A" on her wardrobe for Adultery. She lives in exile with the child in a small cottage beside the town and makes her living as a seamstress. This is where the novel takes a downward turn (for me at least). The rest of the novel is spent trying to figure out who Pearl's father is, what Hester's husband is doing to get his revenge on Hester and how Pearl grows up. It was well written and lyrical, but still not one of the best books I've ever read. If I had the choice, I would have chosen something more modern for my last novel.
Well, I guess this is my last blogpost! Thanks for reading (if anyone actually did) and I hope you enjoyed our babble :)
-Teghan
Anyway, this post is being written from my iPhone, as my little sister is hogging the computer and my laptop has no charge. So please excuse me if it is short or unsatisfactory.
So this is the last day of this experiment, and I have to say that I enjoyed it immensely. Lately I haven't had much time to just sit and read, and I almost forgot how good it feels just to get lost in book after book. That being said, I also chose to pursue two classics in a row, and despite my passion and love for them, I found it to be tiresome.
I read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne for my last novel, and was not overly impressed. Not that it was bad in any way, but it wasn't particularly interesting.
The premise of the story is that a young woman named Hester Prynne has an affair while her husband is away at sea and gives birth to a child named Pearl. She is besmirched for her sins and embarrassed in front of the whole town, made to wear a red "A" on her wardrobe for Adultery. She lives in exile with the child in a small cottage beside the town and makes her living as a seamstress. This is where the novel takes a downward turn (for me at least). The rest of the novel is spent trying to figure out who Pearl's father is, what Hester's husband is doing to get his revenge on Hester and how Pearl grows up. It was well written and lyrical, but still not one of the best books I've ever read. If I had the choice, I would have chosen something more modern for my last novel.
Well, I guess this is my last blogpost! Thanks for reading (if anyone actually did) and I hope you enjoyed our babble :)
-Teghan
Thursday 4 August 2011
Day 3 & 4: David Copperfield vs. Nikolski
Before I begin my blog, I would first like to say that I find it extremely strange that Rhiannon is reading Wuthering Heights (Teghan's favorite book) and Teghan is reading Dorian Gray (my absolute favorite) and none of this was planned. Unless of course, they planned this while I was in hermitude and it is all just a great conspiracy behind my back.
...
Anyways. I didn't blog last night because I was extremely disappointed in my own progress with David Copperfield, perhaps it wasn't advisable to read two classics in a row, specially since Copperfield is such a dense one. I started it on Tuesday and continued to read it on Wednesday but have barely managed to get halfway through (I am currently on page 312 out of 765 pages of tiny print). For the moment, I will blame my slow advancement on the fact that I overslept and worked for 7 hours last night, as I don't want to read too much into it.
Today, I decided to take a break from immensely dense classics and moved on to start reading Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner. I've been waiting to read this one in french, but since I can't seem to be able to find the original french version anywhere, and I was AT the library for 7 hours anyway, I decided to just go ahead and read it anyway.
However, I'll go into a detailed report of Nikolski tomorrow, since I have almost finished it and feel like I can better judge it once I've read all of it. I am not to sure about finishing David Copperfield tomorrow, so I'll just give my half-way report on it now:
As with all Charles Dickens novels, I always begin to question if he just dragged them a little too long because he either really enjoyed long novels, or because he got paid per segment written. Either way, needless to say that the book does not leave anything out from the minute David Copperfield is born until...well I don't know, I have only just reached his youth at page 312.
It's not to say that the writing is anything short of wonderful, or that the descriptions don't create spotless images in your mind;nonetheless, the lengthiness of it certainly does stifle the plot here and there, and it certainly did send me fleeing to a lighter novel (Nikolski). I won't lie, don't read it unless you have the patience for classics.
Personally, I love classics. As Teghan already knows, if I could talk like people do in classic novels, in that long, drawn out sort of way, I definitely would. I still do, despite raised eyebrows and such. However, even with my attitude towards classics, David Copperfield is a long one. So far, I am enjoying how facts that seemed insignificant in the first few chapters are coming back and becoming suddenly relevant. I'm also, as always, loving Dickens' wonderful choice of words in every single sentence. It's certainly not the type of book you can breeze through, but I think that if I stick with it, it'll be worth the patience.
So, I'll write again to review Nikolski once I've finished it, and I'll do my best to finish David Copperfield as well, so as to reach my goal of three books.
Wish me luck!
-Niyousha
...
Anyways. I didn't blog last night because I was extremely disappointed in my own progress with David Copperfield, perhaps it wasn't advisable to read two classics in a row, specially since Copperfield is such a dense one. I started it on Tuesday and continued to read it on Wednesday but have barely managed to get halfway through (I am currently on page 312 out of 765 pages of tiny print). For the moment, I will blame my slow advancement on the fact that I overslept and worked for 7 hours last night, as I don't want to read too much into it.
Today, I decided to take a break from immensely dense classics and moved on to start reading Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner. I've been waiting to read this one in french, but since I can't seem to be able to find the original french version anywhere, and I was AT the library for 7 hours anyway, I decided to just go ahead and read it anyway.
However, I'll go into a detailed report of Nikolski tomorrow, since I have almost finished it and feel like I can better judge it once I've read all of it. I am not to sure about finishing David Copperfield tomorrow, so I'll just give my half-way report on it now:
As with all Charles Dickens novels, I always begin to question if he just dragged them a little too long because he either really enjoyed long novels, or because he got paid per segment written. Either way, needless to say that the book does not leave anything out from the minute David Copperfield is born until...well I don't know, I have only just reached his youth at page 312.
It's not to say that the writing is anything short of wonderful, or that the descriptions don't create spotless images in your mind;nonetheless, the lengthiness of it certainly does stifle the plot here and there, and it certainly did send me fleeing to a lighter novel (Nikolski). I won't lie, don't read it unless you have the patience for classics.
Personally, I love classics. As Teghan already knows, if I could talk like people do in classic novels, in that long, drawn out sort of way, I definitely would. I still do, despite raised eyebrows and such. However, even with my attitude towards classics, David Copperfield is a long one. So far, I am enjoying how facts that seemed insignificant in the first few chapters are coming back and becoming suddenly relevant. I'm also, as always, loving Dickens' wonderful choice of words in every single sentence. It's certainly not the type of book you can breeze through, but I think that if I stick with it, it'll be worth the patience.
So, I'll write again to review Nikolski once I've finished it, and I'll do my best to finish David Copperfield as well, so as to reach my goal of three books.
Wish me luck!
-Niyousha
DAY 4-TEGHAN
Hello again.
First of all, I would like to say that I am very proud of Rhiannon for reading Wuthering Heights, because it is my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE BOOK in the entire world and everyone tells me it sucks, which it doesn't.
ANYWAY. I have finished The Picture Of Dorian Gray, as scheduled. I have to report that I was extremely sad to see Dorian fall farther into a life full of despair as the book given to him by Lord Henry becomes his sort of bible. I also was disappointed with the way he acted with Sybil, by only judging her from the outside, making her feel special and then destroying her dreams.
The book became increasingly dark as it went on, and I found myself even more engrossed. 18 years pass and Dorian is still beautiful and youthful, while the portrait that Basil painted shows the signs of his aging and true personality. I find this an extremely creepy concept and somehow I get the impression that when this book first came out, it wouldn't be called an appropriate topic. In fact, I just looked it up and when it was first published in "Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine" in 1890, it was decried as immoral. Oscar Wilde later added a preface describing it as philosophy and art and it was then more accepted. You feel deep remorse for the way Dorian turned out but also sympathy because he truly is a better person deep down. The major theme I found here was the superficiality of society for the reason that it prizes beauty above all else, because even though Dorian is speculated about and there are rumors circulating, he is never really ostracized as he is beautiful.
I won't reveal the ending because I'm sure that would not be appreciated, but I will say that it involved Sybil's brother James Vane, Dorian's own guilt, and the portrait. It was very metaphorical and I enjoyed it so much that I reread the last chapter. Nerding it up over here.
Alright. So, last book to read before Friday. I've decided on The Scarlet Letter, because I bought it a while ago (coincidentally at the same time as I bought The Picture of Dorian Gray) and never got around to reading it due to school. I figured now would be an excellent time. I'm about to pick it up right now, so I'll check back later.
Bye!
-Teghan
First of all, I would like to say that I am very proud of Rhiannon for reading Wuthering Heights, because it is my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE BOOK in the entire world and everyone tells me it sucks, which it doesn't.
ANYWAY. I have finished The Picture Of Dorian Gray, as scheduled. I have to report that I was extremely sad to see Dorian fall farther into a life full of despair as the book given to him by Lord Henry becomes his sort of bible. I also was disappointed with the way he acted with Sybil, by only judging her from the outside, making her feel special and then destroying her dreams.
The book became increasingly dark as it went on, and I found myself even more engrossed. 18 years pass and Dorian is still beautiful and youthful, while the portrait that Basil painted shows the signs of his aging and true personality. I find this an extremely creepy concept and somehow I get the impression that when this book first came out, it wouldn't be called an appropriate topic. In fact, I just looked it up and when it was first published in "Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine" in 1890, it was decried as immoral. Oscar Wilde later added a preface describing it as philosophy and art and it was then more accepted. You feel deep remorse for the way Dorian turned out but also sympathy because he truly is a better person deep down. The major theme I found here was the superficiality of society for the reason that it prizes beauty above all else, because even though Dorian is speculated about and there are rumors circulating, he is never really ostracized as he is beautiful.
I won't reveal the ending because I'm sure that would not be appreciated, but I will say that it involved Sybil's brother James Vane, Dorian's own guilt, and the portrait. It was very metaphorical and I enjoyed it so much that I reread the last chapter. Nerding it up over here.
Alright. So, last book to read before Friday. I've decided on The Scarlet Letter, because I bought it a while ago (coincidentally at the same time as I bought The Picture of Dorian Gray) and never got around to reading it due to school. I figured now would be an excellent time. I'm about to pick it up right now, so I'll check back later.
Bye!
-Teghan
Wednesday 3 August 2011
Day 3: A post by Rhiannon
Hello world! My name is Rhiannon and so far I appear to have failed the blog writing shenanigans. Hopefully this will put me back in good graces. Many developments in my life have caused me to be lame on this front, one of them being Anderson and the other my room being refurnished.
BUT I am here and have finished reading my book and so will now discuss it with you.
Yesterday evening I finished the Hound of the Baskervilles by A.C. Doyle, a popular Sherlock Holmes classic that I quite enjoyed. As always, Holmes is sharp and cracking cases with vigorous gusto. I'm not a newcomer to Sherlock's adventures as I have read "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of the Four", but I have to say I especially liked this epic.
After a mysterious murder of Charles Baskerville of Baskerville Hall, Holmes and Watson are hired to investigate what seems to be the work of an ancient family legend. There is said to be a gigantic hello hound who roams the moors, intent on murdering the Baskerville family. Set on an extremely creepy terrain (which has A LOT of quicksand) Watson is sent out by himself to investigate, while Holmes remains in London. What follows is rather interesting, if I do say so myself.
I really enjoyed this novel because I feel that Watson developed quite a bit as a character, especially being away from Holmes' genius. He began to think for himself, while using Holmes' methods to deduce his own outcomes. The unique thing about the Sherlock Holmes novels is that while they are about Sherlock's adventures, the narrator (John Watson) never really gets the spotlight.
A.C. Doyle himself has been quoted to say that Watson was quite a bland, humourless fellow. It seems to me that this iconic character really has taken a life of his own. Watson is quite subtly humorous at times especially when Holmes is around and manages to describe everything in the most minute detail as to make a perfect narrator. I argue that Watson is not only a narrator, but a fundamental part of Holmes. Not only is he kind and understanding of the human condition, but he is a flush character to Holmes, putting his genius in higher contrast. And as much as I love Sherlock (which is A LOT more that most teenagers), I have to wish that he would let Watson take the appreciation he so rightly deserves. Next to anyone else, Watson would most definitely be the hero.
While I enjoyed the Hound of the Baskervilles, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, especially if you've read other Holmes novels and found them a touch slow. A.C. Doyle seems to enjoy finishing everything with a ridiculously long monologue, filling in the points that Holmes has not yet revealed. While they are interesting, I don't think I really retained any information or had any moments in those last few pages where I was astonished by his genius. It does start to wear old after the first two books.
If you haven't read Holmes though, I would recommend reading this one. Not only do you get a grasp of the classic characters, but you have an intricate mystery to puzzle over. While it isn't a profound novel, I am as always exceedingly grateful to A.C. Doyle for the creative spark he brought to so many people in the form of Sherlock Holmes.
This morning (Day 3) I commenced Wuthering Heights. Feeling vaguely wary because of my dislike for Jane Eyre (for some reason I was getting them mixed up, good grief), I proceeded to read. I'm really enjoying it, and only about 20 pages in so far. Usually with classics I have to push myself past a boring beginning, but I find the writing so well done that no effort is required. It is beautifully descriptive and the narrator is so analytical and observant that I'll probably just hole up in my room the rest of the day and finish it. The humour is such that I can chortle heartily along with it and feel rather sophisticated because I used the word chortle.
This wraps up my blogging for now, but I look forward to getting back and report my enjoyment of Wuthering Heights tomorrow.
Geronimo!
~Rhiannon
BUT I am here and have finished reading my book and so will now discuss it with you.
Yesterday evening I finished the Hound of the Baskervilles by A.C. Doyle, a popular Sherlock Holmes classic that I quite enjoyed. As always, Holmes is sharp and cracking cases with vigorous gusto. I'm not a newcomer to Sherlock's adventures as I have read "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of the Four", but I have to say I especially liked this epic.
After a mysterious murder of Charles Baskerville of Baskerville Hall, Holmes and Watson are hired to investigate what seems to be the work of an ancient family legend. There is said to be a gigantic hello hound who roams the moors, intent on murdering the Baskerville family. Set on an extremely creepy terrain (which has A LOT of quicksand) Watson is sent out by himself to investigate, while Holmes remains in London. What follows is rather interesting, if I do say so myself.
I really enjoyed this novel because I feel that Watson developed quite a bit as a character, especially being away from Holmes' genius. He began to think for himself, while using Holmes' methods to deduce his own outcomes. The unique thing about the Sherlock Holmes novels is that while they are about Sherlock's adventures, the narrator (John Watson) never really gets the spotlight.
A.C. Doyle himself has been quoted to say that Watson was quite a bland, humourless fellow. It seems to me that this iconic character really has taken a life of his own. Watson is quite subtly humorous at times especially when Holmes is around and manages to describe everything in the most minute detail as to make a perfect narrator. I argue that Watson is not only a narrator, but a fundamental part of Holmes. Not only is he kind and understanding of the human condition, but he is a flush character to Holmes, putting his genius in higher contrast. And as much as I love Sherlock (which is A LOT more that most teenagers), I have to wish that he would let Watson take the appreciation he so rightly deserves. Next to anyone else, Watson would most definitely be the hero.
While I enjoyed the Hound of the Baskervilles, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, especially if you've read other Holmes novels and found them a touch slow. A.C. Doyle seems to enjoy finishing everything with a ridiculously long monologue, filling in the points that Holmes has not yet revealed. While they are interesting, I don't think I really retained any information or had any moments in those last few pages where I was astonished by his genius. It does start to wear old after the first two books.
If you haven't read Holmes though, I would recommend reading this one. Not only do you get a grasp of the classic characters, but you have an intricate mystery to puzzle over. While it isn't a profound novel, I am as always exceedingly grateful to A.C. Doyle for the creative spark he brought to so many people in the form of Sherlock Holmes.
This morning (Day 3) I commenced Wuthering Heights. Feeling vaguely wary because of my dislike for Jane Eyre (for some reason I was getting them mixed up, good grief), I proceeded to read. I'm really enjoying it, and only about 20 pages in so far. Usually with classics I have to push myself past a boring beginning, but I find the writing so well done that no effort is required. It is beautifully descriptive and the narrator is so analytical and observant that I'll probably just hole up in my room the rest of the day and finish it. The humour is such that I can chortle heartily along with it and feel rather sophisticated because I used the word chortle.
This wraps up my blogging for now, but I look forward to getting back and report my enjoyment of Wuthering Heights tomorrow.
Geronimo!
~Rhiannon
Day 3-Teghan
Day 3-Teghan
Sorry for the lack of post yesterday! (This comment directed at Niyoushi) I was busy moving and unloading boxes, my mother wouldn't let me have time on the computer. By the way, I miss you, Hermit.
I've now finished The Bishop's Man, which as I explained before definitely worth reading. Even though I don't believe in god, I learned a lot about how the church system works in modern times such as these and the author taught me things about my own country as well. It was a brilliantly composed piece of writing and it seemed as if everything was in it's right place. I found that it held the most magic for me when the author described the beaches of Nova Scotia as people. The characters are quirky, imperfect and sad in their own ways but you can't help but hope that they work out whatever underlying problems seem to haunt them. I won't give away the ending, but I will say that it was wrapped up in an unusual and intriguing way that left me satisfied.
Now onto my second novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It's a classic I've always heard good things about and thought about reading, but never got around to it. Last winter I was encouraged by Niyousha to pick it up, as it really was worth my time. I began reading it and then unfortunately found that I had no time what with homework and school projects. I had finished up to chapter two by the time this happened and the book was left on my shelf.
I've decided it's time to finish what I started and pick up the book again. I don't like having books that are unfinished sitting in my room, as it makes me feel guilty about not reading them.
Six chapters in to The Picture of Dorian Gray, I knew the book was something unique. It was most certainly not conventional, and didn't work in the way that most classics did. The characters were absolutely ridiculous, but in a way that made you shake your head and laugh. One of the main characters, Lord Henry (Or Harry) is the dimmest and oddest character I've ever come across. He gives advice to Dorian Gray that no one should ever take and that doesn't make sense. He makes me laugh as well as exclaim in frustration. The one quote that really describes his philosophy in life is one that I bookmarked for the specific intention of blogging it:
"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."
Dorian, the main character, is a different story. I think he truly has the potential to be a good person and rise to his full potential, but he is too busy being corrupted by Lord Henry, young and impressionable. He has fleeting romances, deep realizations and numerous epiphanies throughout the book (Or at least the beginning).
So far it's an amusing book that I'm deeply enjoying reading, and looking forward to finishing!
-Teghan
Sorry for the lack of post yesterday! (This comment directed at Niyoushi) I was busy moving and unloading boxes, my mother wouldn't let me have time on the computer. By the way, I miss you, Hermit.
I've now finished The Bishop's Man, which as I explained before definitely worth reading. Even though I don't believe in god, I learned a lot about how the church system works in modern times such as these and the author taught me things about my own country as well. It was a brilliantly composed piece of writing and it seemed as if everything was in it's right place. I found that it held the most magic for me when the author described the beaches of Nova Scotia as people. The characters are quirky, imperfect and sad in their own ways but you can't help but hope that they work out whatever underlying problems seem to haunt them. I won't give away the ending, but I will say that it was wrapped up in an unusual and intriguing way that left me satisfied.
Now onto my second novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It's a classic I've always heard good things about and thought about reading, but never got around to it. Last winter I was encouraged by Niyousha to pick it up, as it really was worth my time. I began reading it and then unfortunately found that I had no time what with homework and school projects. I had finished up to chapter two by the time this happened and the book was left on my shelf.
I've decided it's time to finish what I started and pick up the book again. I don't like having books that are unfinished sitting in my room, as it makes me feel guilty about not reading them.
Six chapters in to The Picture of Dorian Gray, I knew the book was something unique. It was most certainly not conventional, and didn't work in the way that most classics did. The characters were absolutely ridiculous, but in a way that made you shake your head and laugh. One of the main characters, Lord Henry (Or Harry) is the dimmest and oddest character I've ever come across. He gives advice to Dorian Gray that no one should ever take and that doesn't make sense. He makes me laugh as well as exclaim in frustration. The one quote that really describes his philosophy in life is one that I bookmarked for the specific intention of blogging it:
"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."
Dorian, the main character, is a different story. I think he truly has the potential to be a good person and rise to his full potential, but he is too busy being corrupted by Lord Henry, young and impressionable. He has fleeting romances, deep realizations and numerous epiphanies throughout the book (Or at least the beginning).
So far it's an amusing book that I'm deeply enjoying reading, and looking forward to finishing!
-Teghan
Tuesday 2 August 2011
Day 1 & 2: The Sun Also Rises
After 1 full day of being a hermit, I started and finished my first book yesterday: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
I managed to post a video about it last night right around midnight but did not get around to blogging about my first day. Yesterday went really well, I wasn't bored at all (partially because it was sunny and I love lying on the grass and reading in the sun) but also because I really enjoyed my first book.
I chose The Sun Also Rises from my list of Must-Read Classics because I think the title is stunning and captivating. However, I had no idea what the book was remotely about when I picked it up at the library, nor when I started reading it. Right away, I fell in love with Hemingway's writing style. I've never read anything of his before, and I was reasonably impressed. Each of his sentences are either insanely abrupt and plain or the run-ons so feared by English teachers. Yet put together, they somehow sound perfect.
However, after a few pages, I was put-off by the cryptic way in which the story was told. So little is written and yet I knew there were a million implications that I was missing. So I fled to Google and looked up Ernest Hemingway. I would strongly suggest this if you're going to read his novel, it makes everything a little less vague. Hemingway served as a volunteer ambulance driver for the Italian Red Cross during World War I, where he was seriously injured within a few weeks. He recovered in a hospital in Milan, and it was there that he had a romantic relationship with a nurse. All this is extremely relevant to the novel as Jake Barnes, the narrator, has become impotent due to an injury in the war, and he's hopelessly in love with Brett Ashley, a nurse he met in the hospital.
While the characters in the Sun Also Rises are all fictional, it helps to be able to put it in context. Hemingway was also good friends with Gertrude Stein who referred to Hemingway's Post World War I generation as "a lost generation". This novel portrays exactly why they were a lost generation as it shows how Jacob and his group of friends and acquaintances have all misplaced their moral values after having spent the beginning of their adulthood at war.
The novel is in no sense action-packed, but I began to appreciate how Hemingway could imply so much through so little words, and display such intricate relationships. Sometimes I felt that the minute to minute descriptions dragged on for too long, but they allowed me to feel as if I was there, in that era, in their European Cafes and drinking their Pernod. Overall, the writing is gripping in an unexpected manner.
I won't give away too much about it. It's not your classic romance novel, though it does revolve around the loss of values of love. The characters are not lovable but you will feel their pain, and you will pity them. And best of all, it's a history lesson in the most engaging fashion.
Read it, it's worth your time.
I chose The Sun Also Rises from my list of Must-Read Classics because I think the title is stunning and captivating. However, I had no idea what the book was remotely about when I picked it up at the library, nor when I started reading it. Right away, I fell in love with Hemingway's writing style. I've never read anything of his before, and I was reasonably impressed. Each of his sentences are either insanely abrupt and plain or the run-ons so feared by English teachers. Yet put together, they somehow sound perfect.
However, after a few pages, I was put-off by the cryptic way in which the story was told. So little is written and yet I knew there were a million implications that I was missing. So I fled to Google and looked up Ernest Hemingway. I would strongly suggest this if you're going to read his novel, it makes everything a little less vague. Hemingway served as a volunteer ambulance driver for the Italian Red Cross during World War I, where he was seriously injured within a few weeks. He recovered in a hospital in Milan, and it was there that he had a romantic relationship with a nurse. All this is extremely relevant to the novel as Jake Barnes, the narrator, has become impotent due to an injury in the war, and he's hopelessly in love with Brett Ashley, a nurse he met in the hospital.
While the characters in the Sun Also Rises are all fictional, it helps to be able to put it in context. Hemingway was also good friends with Gertrude Stein who referred to Hemingway's Post World War I generation as "a lost generation". This novel portrays exactly why they were a lost generation as it shows how Jacob and his group of friends and acquaintances have all misplaced their moral values after having spent the beginning of their adulthood at war.
The novel is in no sense action-packed, but I began to appreciate how Hemingway could imply so much through so little words, and display such intricate relationships. Sometimes I felt that the minute to minute descriptions dragged on for too long, but they allowed me to feel as if I was there, in that era, in their European Cafes and drinking their Pernod. Overall, the writing is gripping in an unexpected manner.
I won't give away too much about it. It's not your classic romance novel, though it does revolve around the loss of values of love. The characters are not lovable but you will feel their pain, and you will pity them. And best of all, it's a history lesson in the most engaging fashion.
Read it, it's worth your time.
Monday 1 August 2011
The Bishop's Man
Hello again!
The first book I will be reading is The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre. It is a Canadian Fiction #1 National Bestseller and won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction. So as you can see, these are the reasons it attracted me.
I'm doing my blog post early in the morning as unfortunately I am not able to commit to be a hermit as Niyousha is so courageously doing, as I am currently in the middle of moving. I won't have time to blog later in the day, so now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
I started reading The Bishop's Man at 5am this morning (August 1st) so as to not be disturbed by my chaotic family and am now a little more than halfway through. At first, I wasn't too keen on it, as it is about a priest named Duncan MacAskill in Nova Scotia who is sent to punish and break bad news to other priests who have broken the holy law of celibacy. Not only this, but he deals with the harsh reality of priests who are involved in sexual abuse towards children. I myself don't believe in god, but have no objection or disgust towards religion in any way. But being non-religious, the subject of the book wasn't one that particularly caught my interest.
This being said, the part that I was enjoying was the setting. The author described the wind swept fields and damp beaches of Nova Scotia with an authentic feeling of really having been there. It was my own country of Canada, and though I have never been to Nova Scotia, I felt myself become familiar with the places and phenomenons Linden MacIntyre was describing. The seasons changed just like they do here in Vancouver, which was coincidentally mentioned more than once, and the summers seemed to reflect the ones I remember.
It is well written and well planned out, but just a little bit slow for my liking. And as I said before, the subject isn't something I usually like to read about.
But as I progressed through the book, my opinion began to change. I began to feel emotions for the unique characters in the small town depicted, began to want to know what would happen next, and wanted to know who was behind and what triggered the suicide of a young boy. I especially felt towards the aging priest, Duncan MacAskill, who had just recently taken on a Parish for the first time, and was dealing with the ghosts of his past in Honduras as well as new temptations presenting themselves here and there. Some of the best parts in the books for me are when the author takes us back in time to the 1950's when Duncan was just a young boy, still deciding on whether to become a priest or not, and his romance with a young Latino belle named Jacinta. I watched him come to harsh realizations I had already suspected, and have yet to see him come full circle, as I still have a little less than half the book less.
My verdict so far is that it is not the BEST book I have ever read, but definitely worth picking up.
-Teghan :)
The first book I will be reading is The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre. It is a Canadian Fiction #1 National Bestseller and won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction. So as you can see, these are the reasons it attracted me.
I'm doing my blog post early in the morning as unfortunately I am not able to commit to be a hermit as Niyousha is so courageously doing, as I am currently in the middle of moving. I won't have time to blog later in the day, so now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
I started reading The Bishop's Man at 5am this morning (August 1st) so as to not be disturbed by my chaotic family and am now a little more than halfway through. At first, I wasn't too keen on it, as it is about a priest named Duncan MacAskill in Nova Scotia who is sent to punish and break bad news to other priests who have broken the holy law of celibacy. Not only this, but he deals with the harsh reality of priests who are involved in sexual abuse towards children. I myself don't believe in god, but have no objection or disgust towards religion in any way. But being non-religious, the subject of the book wasn't one that particularly caught my interest.
This being said, the part that I was enjoying was the setting. The author described the wind swept fields and damp beaches of Nova Scotia with an authentic feeling of really having been there. It was my own country of Canada, and though I have never been to Nova Scotia, I felt myself become familiar with the places and phenomenons Linden MacIntyre was describing. The seasons changed just like they do here in Vancouver, which was coincidentally mentioned more than once, and the summers seemed to reflect the ones I remember.
It is well written and well planned out, but just a little bit slow for my liking. And as I said before, the subject isn't something I usually like to read about.
But as I progressed through the book, my opinion began to change. I began to feel emotions for the unique characters in the small town depicted, began to want to know what would happen next, and wanted to know who was behind and what triggered the suicide of a young boy. I especially felt towards the aging priest, Duncan MacAskill, who had just recently taken on a Parish for the first time, and was dealing with the ghosts of his past in Honduras as well as new temptations presenting themselves here and there. Some of the best parts in the books for me are when the author takes us back in time to the 1950's when Duncan was just a young boy, still deciding on whether to become a priest or not, and his romance with a young Latino belle named Jacinta. I watched him come to harsh realizations I had already suspected, and have yet to see him come full circle, as I still have a little less than half the book less.
My verdict so far is that it is not the BEST book I have ever read, but definitely worth picking up.
-Teghan :)
Sunday 31 July 2011
But Why?
So first of all, I need to clarify two things that we did not mention in our first post, as well as in our vlog:
1. Another friend of ours, Rhiannon, will be the third member of this blog and you will shortly meet her on her own terms through blog posts and her own vlogs.
2. Despite what it may seem like, our blog is in no way Harry Potter related though we somehow always manage to mention such things in our day to day lives so if you're also fan, that's a plus, but definitely not a necessity.
More importantly though, here's the premise of our blog:
The idea of socially isolating myself and completely devoting myself to books for one week was incited by two particularly bothersome realizations. The first being quite simple, it was the nagging thought of how I don't read enough. As much as I love reading, I never seem to have the time for it. At first I thought that like most of problems, this could be blamed on school. However, summer came around and I still wasn't committing enough time to the forgotten books on my shelf. So I decided that one way or another, I would devout my time to reading again.
The second realization is somewhat irrelevant while still thoroughly relevant at the same time. I noticed that more and more often, I was going through phases- sometimes lasting hours, other times stretching out for days- where I would complain of being so tired of everyone in my life, and just wanting some time to myself. However, I am not exactly what you would call a overly-sociable. Yes, I have friends and family whose company I enjoy, yet I have never been the type to share every hour of every day with friends. So why do I feel so crowded?
After much thought, my first theory is that even when I am sitting alone in my bedroom, I am always connected to friends and family. It might seem that I only spend fifteen minutes browsing Facebook here and there, and every text message I send only takes half a minute of my time; yet because I am constantly in contact with others, I never feel quite alone. While this can be a great thing, I think that when abused, it has become a horrible thing. Not only have I lost the sense of having time to myself, I have also wasted all this time that adds up rapidly in a day.
So I decided to combine the two realizations together: I will read for one full week and I will make the time to do so by being a hermit. So from Monday to Friday, August 1st until August 5th, my cell phone will be off, my Facebook account will be untouched, and my Skype will be unused.
I would appreciate it if you could all read our blog, follow us , and possibly leave comments,when you have a few minutes here and there, so that I will have this sole connection to the outside world.
-Niyousha
1. Another friend of ours, Rhiannon, will be the third member of this blog and you will shortly meet her on her own terms through blog posts and her own vlogs.
2. Despite what it may seem like, our blog is in no way Harry Potter related though we somehow always manage to mention such things in our day to day lives so if you're also fan, that's a plus, but definitely not a necessity.
More importantly though, here's the premise of our blog:
The idea of socially isolating myself and completely devoting myself to books for one week was incited by two particularly bothersome realizations. The first being quite simple, it was the nagging thought of how I don't read enough. As much as I love reading, I never seem to have the time for it. At first I thought that like most of problems, this could be blamed on school. However, summer came around and I still wasn't committing enough time to the forgotten books on my shelf. So I decided that one way or another, I would devout my time to reading again.
The second realization is somewhat irrelevant while still thoroughly relevant at the same time. I noticed that more and more often, I was going through phases- sometimes lasting hours, other times stretching out for days- where I would complain of being so tired of everyone in my life, and just wanting some time to myself. However, I am not exactly what you would call a overly-sociable. Yes, I have friends and family whose company I enjoy, yet I have never been the type to share every hour of every day with friends. So why do I feel so crowded?
After much thought, my first theory is that even when I am sitting alone in my bedroom, I am always connected to friends and family. It might seem that I only spend fifteen minutes browsing Facebook here and there, and every text message I send only takes half a minute of my time; yet because I am constantly in contact with others, I never feel quite alone. While this can be a great thing, I think that when abused, it has become a horrible thing. Not only have I lost the sense of having time to myself, I have also wasted all this time that adds up rapidly in a day.
So I decided to combine the two realizations together: I will read for one full week and I will make the time to do so by being a hermit. So from Monday to Friday, August 1st until August 5th, my cell phone will be off, my Facebook account will be untouched, and my Skype will be unused.
I would appreciate it if you could all read our blog, follow us , and possibly leave comments,when you have a few minutes here and there, so that I will have this sole connection to the outside world.
-Niyousha
Friday 29 July 2011
Greetings, Earthling.
Hola. It's us, the ones you probably laughed at in the video blog. You know, with the mustache? Ya, us. Niyousha (short hair) and Teghan (crazy frizz hair). Anyway, you don't really need to know anything about us besides we are obsessed with Harry Potter and Severus Snape, we're 16 and live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We are probably the coolest people you will ever meet. Kidding, you could probably find cooler people. Like Snape for example, I'm pretty sure he qualifies as cooler than us.
So, this whole thing was Niyousha's brilliant idea, and we have decided to carry it out. 5 days, 3 books (at least) and blog posts from each of us about our experiences and the content of the books. We hope you enjoy our lovely ranting/blabbering and that you decide to join us in the expedition, traversing the galaxy on intergalactic travel to Pigfarts.
If you know where that last line is from...10 points to Gryffindor.
So, this whole thing was Niyousha's brilliant idea, and we have decided to carry it out. 5 days, 3 books (at least) and blog posts from each of us about our experiences and the content of the books. We hope you enjoy our lovely ranting/blabbering and that you decide to join us in the expedition, traversing the galaxy on intergalactic travel to Pigfarts.
If you know where that last line is from...10 points to Gryffindor.
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