What's with today, today?

I panned 'The Slap' in my last blog post, having not finished it, but now that I have I feel I may have been a little unfair. In the last few chapters of the book I came to care about the characters, I feel a lot of the threads pulled together, and the hopeful notes toward the end redeemed what would otherwise have been a very bleak book. It ended on a good note, with a sense of satisfaction as well as a tantalising glimpse toward the future. As I theorised back in my early adolescence, a bleak story should always end on a hopeful note. That was my formula, and I was reminded of it here. But I do not feel I can really be entirely positive about this book. I mean it took me until the last few chapters to feel anything much other than annoyance to the characters, to feel that I understood them at all, and to actually enjoy this book. Sure, a good ending is a good thing to pull off, but if you don't enjoy the rest of the book then there is still a problem there. I think ...

I was surprised to learn the other day that 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' was being made into a movie, and slightly less surprised to find out that 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' was too. The surprise came with a certain feeling of frustration- why these books? Although this was tempered by the thought that perhaps an adaptation of a book you don't like is likely to be less frustrating than an adaptation of one you do. I'm saying right now that I have no intention of ever watching 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'- it was violent on the page, on the screen that will surely be unbearable. I've said something on this blog about it already, and while it was quite a page-turner I was glad to put it down. 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' is a different kettle of fish (well, it is a totally different book), and something I haven't already addressed here. It's a much more gentle books, really about the inner lives of a middle-aged Pa...

"I’m not a huge fan of didactic writing – I’ve always been of the opinion that the story should be put first, and any profound moral messages should emerge as a result of the story, rather than as a thing imposed on the narrative as prime purpose." - Kate Griffin http://www.kategriffin.net/ Yes yes yes! At least in the majority of cases, yes. In other news, I just finished reading 'A Madness of Angels' by Kate Griffin, and I really enjoyed it. It's a story that grabs you at the beginning and you keep reading to find out a) what has happened and b) what is going to happen. At first I had some reserves about this book, while I was enjoying the read I wasn't sure if the writing was great, what the themes were, I needed time to stop and think about them. Well, the book wouldn't let me stop, and I couldn't really address these concerns, but somehow by the end I had decided that it was good. So with my critical faculties thus disabled I am unabl...

I like the area I like in, I like its little quirks, its personality. The walk home from the bus stop often uncovers interesting things. Yesterday someone had posted to a telegraph pole a poster, with those little tear off things at the bottom and a picture of a firefighter against smoke at the top, and the poster said this: I exist! Conform, consume, sit down, watch t.v., shut up and obey? No thanks. Somehow, anyhow, let it be know that [and on tiny tear off pieces of paper below] I EXIST I EXIST

Streetlights The insomnious glare of the streetlights censured me, at 2am on the footpath, kissing you. But we could forget, because we were young and in love and besides we were very drunk. Lunacy Into the moon garden you and I fell. I forgot which face was yours in the milky light one of us lay down and laughed at the sky.