Do you ever just pluck a book from your shelves on a whim? I’ve had Olive Kitteridge for awhile, and when I found out the paperback is going to be released on Tuesday, I dug it out of the pile to see if it could grab me, and I was pleasantly surprised. I’m already over 3/4 of the way through and expect to have the review up by tomorrow or Tuesday. Now I don’t have to feel quite so bad for not having read it months ago…
Also, as I posted yesterday, I’m 2/3 of the way through Dracula on audio, and I’m absolutely loving it! An excellent work of literature that I expect I’ll give 4.5 or 5 stars.
Three more mini reviews from Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories, edited by Roald Dahl. I enjoyed all three!
“The Corner Shop” by Cynthia Asquith
A man goes into a corner shop on a foggy night and finds warmth and kindness from two sisters. So much so that he wants to go back. When he does, the shop is closed, but he finds a mysterious old man who lets him in. He purchases a small object with some curious consequences. This was a good one.
“In the Tube” by E. F. Benson
Just some quotes on this one:
Time indeed! There’s no such thing as Time really; it has no actual existence. Time is nothing more than infinitesimal point in eternity, just as space is an infinitesimal point in infinity. At the most, Time is a sort of tunnel through which we are accustomed to believe that we are travelling. There’s a roar in our ears and a darkness in our eyes which makes it seem real to us. But before we came into the tunnel we existed for ever in an infinite sunlight, and after we have got through it we shall exist in an infinite sunlight again.
Say that a man commits some crime of violence, can we not, with a good deal of truth, say that he really commits that crime when he definitely plans and determines upon it, dwelling on it with gusto? The actual commission of it, I think we can reasonably argue, is the mere material sequel of his resolve; he is guilty of it when he makes that determination. When, therefore, in the term of ‘before’ and ‘after’, does the crime truly take place? There is also in my story a further point for your consideration. For it seems certain that the spirit of a man, after the death of his body, is obliged to re-enact such a crime, with a view, I suppose we may guess, to his remorse and his eventual redemption. [ ] Perhaps he may have done his deed blindly in this life; but then his spirit recommits it with its spiritual eyes open, and able to comprehend its enormity. So, shall we view the man’s original determination and the material commission of this crime only as preludes to the real commission of it, when with eyes unsealed he does it and repents of it?
“Christmas Meeting” by Rosemary Timperley
An older woman and an aspiring young author keep each other company at Christmas. Good, and only 3 pages!
This week’s Weekly Geeks was to get caught up on something. I desperately needed to write some past reviews, and I set a goal for at least getting caught up on 5. I ended up with 7, so although I still need to write several more, I did make progress!
I was first introduced to Clyde Edgerton when I read and enjoyed Walking Across Egypt (4 stars) last year, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. Henry Dampier is a young man determined to make his fortune by door-to-door Bible selling; although, truth be told, he gets the Bibles for free. Still, quite a few customers (especially ladies) do buy his product, but it is not until con man Preston Clearwater invites him to work for the FBI that his income really starts improving. Henry is quite naive and soon gets caught up in more than he bargained for — in both work and love.
One of the reasons I enjoy Edgerton’s work is that he captures the southern character very well. I lived 17 years in the south, and I felt like the characters in the novel were very authentic. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. The second half, not so much. The charm and plot of the story broke down a bit, and I ended up a little disappointed in the end. Still, I’d like to read another book by Edgerton, perhaps for next year’s Southern Reading Challenge.
There’s no denying that Nabokov is a great writer. In fact, I’d love to read more by him — just on a different subject. I had a hard time rating this book as the subject matter is so despicable, but settled on 3 stars because of Nabokov’s writing ability. A large part of the rating also goes to the excellence in Jeremy Irons’ narration. I absolutely love his voice, but then again, he was almost too good as the narrator for Humbert Humbert. I have not seen the movie with Irons in the starring role.
I won’t repeat the storyline here, as everyone should know the basic outline of it. My question is, why did Nabokov even feel the need to write this story? I’ve heard one reviewer say that Nabokov makes us root for Humbert Humbert over Lolita. Not so. Not with me, anyway. A great writer Nabokov is. A great character Humbert Humbert is not.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11, ESV)
Do you ever just pluck a book from your shelves on a whim? I’ve had Olive Kitteridge for awhile, and when I found out the paperback is going to be released on Tuesday, I dug it out of the pile to see if it could grab me, and I was pleasantly surprised. I’m already over 3/4 of the way through and expect to have the review up by tomorrow or Tuesday. Now I don’t have to feel quite so bad for not having read it months ago…
Also, as I posted yesterday, I’m 2/3 of the way through Dracula on audio, and I’m absolutely loving it! An excellent work of literature that I expect I’ll give 4.5 or 5 stars.
This week’s Weekly Geeks was to get caught up on something. I desperately needed to write some past reviews, and I set a goal for at least getting caught up on 5. I ended up with 7, so although I still need to write several more, I did make progress!
by Gene Luen Yang (2006, 240 pp.)
by Shaun Tan (2006, 128 pp.)
by Brian Selznick (2007, 533 pp.)
by Vladimir Nabokov (1955, 327 pp.)
I was first introduced to Clyde Edgerton when I read and enjoyed Walking Across Egypt (4 stars) last year, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. Henry Dampier is a young man determined to make his fortune by door-to-door Bible selling; although, truth be told, he gets the Bibles for free. Still, quite a few customers (especially ladies) do buy his product, but it is not until con man Preston Clearwater invites him to work for the FBI that his income really starts improving. Henry is quite naive and soon gets caught up in more than he bargained for — in both work and love.
There’s no denying that Nabokov is a great writer. In fact, I’d love to read more by him — just on a different subject. I had a hard time rating this book as the subject matter is so despicable, but settled on 3 stars because of Nabokov’s writing ability. A large part of the rating also goes to the excellence in Jeremy Irons’ narration. I absolutely love his voice, but then again, he was almost too good as the narrator for Humbert Humbert. I have not seen the movie with Irons in the starring role.
