Stuart Aken's Blog, page 224

#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 16

The theme for today is, 'Most memorable adventure/journey in literature.' Now, that's a pretty tall order, since so many books involve either a journey or adventure, often both. Obvious choices include The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, almost any epic fantasy book, including my own trilogy, A Seared Sky, most thrillers, some crime novels and a number of literary works. Faced with such diversity and numbers, I decided on a book that I've returned to more often than most. Richard Adam's Maia tracks the journey of the eponymous heroine from a social backwater, where she's a neglected daughter put upon by her mother and seduced by her step-father, through sexual slavery and abuse to a life as consort to powerful men and a friendship with the beautiful, brilliant, tough and savvy Occula. It's an engaging and fascinating read, with an undercurrent of moral message about sexual inequality, slavery, and the corruptive nature of power. A great read.
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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 15

Not my edition, but mine has lost its dust jacket and
a plain blue cover makes no sense.What do we have for today, in the #BookadayUK promotion for independent book shops?
This event, run by the Books Are My Bag.com website, suggests for today the following: 'Best home in literature'

I could choose Bilbo's house in Lord of the Rings , I suppose, but I like to look out of the windows. There are many opulent homes in many of the novels I've read, but I'm not too keen on excess. Hundreds of different homes must've been described in the thousands of novels I've read over the last 50/60 years. But the one that sticks in my mind, possibly enhanced and romanticised by the passage of the years, is a house called 'Heronswood' (I think) in Howard Spring's novel, My Son, My Son. The house is set on the upper slope of a headland in Cornwall, with one side of the wooded land leading to the sea coast and the other leading down to a private quay on the River Fowey. So, this place has all the elements I would love in a house. It's surrounded, but not enclosed, by trees. It's in an elevated position. It's within walking distance of the sea, and it has a river frontage free from the danger of flooding. What else could a civilised human being require, except, perhaps, now I'm reaching that age when I feel the cold, a location in a warmer clime?
So, that's my choice. What's yours?
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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 14

Today's theme is, 'I adore the title of this novel'. I've read thousands, so not an easy task. But one that comes to mind is Patrick Rothfuss' 'The Name of the Wind', which presents the reader with a suggestion of mystery and possibly fantasy, suggesting something of what the book may be about, whilst giving nothing away.
Titles are strange devices; they can make a book instantly recognisable: 1984, The Lord of the Rings, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, to name but a few which will conjure images and memories for many. They can, of course, kill a book stone dead by being inappropriate in some intangible way. Sometimes, a book title will present difficulties that are built in to the book itself. I wonder how many people have passed by the title, 'They F**k You Up', simply because of the implied expletive. This is a book everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE should read. The insight into the behavious of all of us is astounding and the case studies will make you laugh. Read it. You won't regret it.

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Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? Tips on Word Choice #6

La maja desnuda (circa 1797–1800), known in English as The Naked (or Nude) Maja by Francisco de Goya (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Certain words/phrases can induce fairly specific responses in readers. As writers, we all know this, but do we use the power of emotion in our work?
For the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at something subjective: how to choose between emotional and intellectual words for effect.
In this series I’m looking at the difference between words that seem intellectual as opposed to those that invoke a more emotional response. How you use them is obviously up to you. The point is that the alternatives have the same, or very similar, meanings, but their effect upon the reader can be markedly different. I’ve made some suggestions here, but I’m sure you can think of others.
Intellectual: AnecdoteEmotional: Joke/Story
At the company’s annual dinner, Gordon was full of anecdotes that were intended to keep the audience laughing but which, unfortunately, sent many of the to sleep in their soup. (formal)
Frank had a joke or a story for every situation and kept everyone in stitches with his delivery. (informal)
Intellectual: DifficultEmotional: Tough
We are navigating difficult waters in these times of economic uncertainty and must remain alert for unseen hazards and barriers. (intellectual and formal)
It’s been a tough few weeks, but we’ve got through it and now we can start to improve again. (emotional, informal)
Intellectual: NudeEmotional: Naked
There’s a theory that maintains that ‘nude’ is a voluntary state, whereas ‘naked’ is an imposed one. That may be true under certain circumstances, but I don’t believe it to be universally the case. These are terms that can frequently be interchanged, in fact. However, I’ll try to give examples of the way they can be used differently.
Daphne worked as a life model and spent much of her time nude in front of groups of art students and evening class attendees. (intellectual, formal)
Daphne slowly removed each item of clothing until she was entirely naked, at which point, she stepped out of the trees, ran across the beach and plunged into the sea. (emotional, informal)

#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 13

Early 15th-century Latin Bible, handwritten in Belgium, on display at Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Today's theme is 'Nostalgic reads! Changed meaning when I re-read it later in life.'  I wracked my brains for this one, as I couldn't actually think of any book that I've re-read and found a different meaning. In some I've discovered small things I didn't notice the first time and in a few I've returned to only to discover they weren't as good as I initially thought they were. One or two have shown me aspects I'd missed on first exposure but none that I could think of had undergone a fundamental change caused by the passage of time and my accumulated experiences.
And then I thought about the Bible. I read much of this as the child of parents who were Christians. I was exposed to some during classes for Confirmation and other parts during both Sunday School and regular schooling.
Later in life, when events had shown me that religion is largely a power base for those who wish to control others, I revisited the Bible. It was just before I read that other tome on religion, probably the most tedious volume I've ever read from cover to to cover, the Qur'an. This, of course, borrows quite a bit of its message from the Bible, repeating many of the stories.
As for the Bible, my second reading simply served to reinforce my impression about the reality of its content. Since much of it is clearly untrue, many parts no more than justification for one culture defeating and subjugating another, a great deal of it laughably stupid, and only parts of it actually uplifting and inspiring, I realised that the book is a means of keeping people in their place by promising an unlikely afterlife following death and threatening a vile existence in an invented hell should adherents fail to stick to the rather arbitrary rules. Fear is a great way to ensure converts toe the line. The Islamic faith has used fear almost since day one; threatening to kill those who dare question it or try to leave the club once joined.
So, sorry if I offend, but I see religion as a divisive, tribal and harmful device aimed at the control of the masses. The Bible is simply one of the weapons used by the hierarchy to fulfil that role.
Sometimes, the truth is more important than other considerations.
Something a little lighter for tomorrow.

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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 12

Today's a short one. The event for today is 'Favourite bookseller recommendation'. I've never been in the position where I've had to seek out new titles to read. Usually, I've had more books on the 'to read' list than I have time to get to. At present, the list is 151 titles long, and these are books that are either print volumes on my shelves at home, or in digital form on my iPad. So, I don't think I need any recommendations to grow that list, eh?
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From ME to You, With Love, by Louise Harding, Reviewed.

A recovering ME/CFS sufferer, I read this book as research for a book I intend to write myself. It proved very illuminating in so many ways. There are differing degrees of this pernicious and horribly life-limiting condition and most of them are represented within the pages of this book.
Consisting of letters written by sufferers, carers, friends, family members, medical professionals and recoverers, it spans the wide panorama of experiences well. There is bitterness, hope, wonder, anguish, love, misery, pain, humour, anger, frustration and joy within these pages. There are examples of frustration with the ignorance of both the medical profession and the general public expressed effectively by both sufferers and carers.
Some of these accounts will make you cry, others will have you smiling, yet others will make you feel like shouting out loud, swearing with the frustration of it all. It’s an emotional roller-coaster, and I make no apology for that cliché, as this condition is one of difficult slow climbs followed by devastating drops.
If you’re s sufferer, carer, friend or family of someone with the condition, but, most of all, if you’re a medical professional, you should read this. It will educate, and hopefully squash those damaging and ignorant prejudices that blight the lives of so many who battle daily with this condition.
Well written and thoughtfully compiled, it contains the words of people who know what it’s like, who have lived with or are living with this devastating complaint and its multiple consequences. And, if you’re just an interested member of the public, wishing to expand your awareness, this is definitely for you. You’ll see that I’ve used the word ‘frustration’ repeatedly in this review: it’s a word that sums up one of the most commonly experienced emotions of sufferers and their carers. Consider: this is a condition that is generally experienced by those who are most active in society. Imagine, for a moment, the consequences of having such activity suddenly removed, and you might start to appreciate why frustration is such a universal experience.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS #3

Today's route, run twice.Just back from my training session this morning. Toughest, so far. Had to do 3 mins running followed by 1 min walking with 6 repeats. Managed 2 miles, in  just over 22 minutes, so not too bad. Sweating now, though.

Must do my stretches before I shower, and let myself cool down a little, of course.

Still on track.

This week's programme consisted of Tuesday - 6 minute easy run, followed by 2 minute easy walk done twice. Friday, 25 minute brisk walk, in which I did the walk Valerie and I normally take 31 minutes to compete. And then, today, as above.

#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 11

Today is the day at the heart of this promotional exercise. It's the day when those of us supporting the idea are supposed to blog about the book we bought at a Books Are My Bag Bookshop Party. Alas, I'm unable to fulfil this one. Why?

My local bookshop no longer sells books! The large floor area that was once given over to books by this shop that sells cards, magazines, stationery and a few ornaments, has been given over to the sale of toys. That may seem very sad, and, in many ways, it is. But this change occurred because WH Smiths came into town and opened a shop right next door to the local bookshop. Sensitive move, wasn't it? For the kids, of course it's a plus, since there isn't really another toy shop here.

So, I can't display the book I might otherwise have bought at a BAMB bookshop party, because there isn't one here. Instead, I give you a picture of some of the books produced by my writing group. I could have travelled 12 miles up the road to the next town, but I'm sensitive to the environment and avoid unnecessary journeys. I could've bought a book from WH Smiths, of course, but the promotion is aimed at independent bookshops and such a purchase would hardly be in the spirit of the thing.

Sad that the book shop has gone. The secondhand bookshop has also closed, due to lack of trade. This is a market town with a population of around 11,000, serving a very wide rural community. Seems a shame that we now have only WH Smiths as a source for our book buying. That, or the internet, of course.

On the plus side, one of the teachers at the local secondary school has started a club there, aimed at getting the kids to read for pleasure. A great move in the right direction.
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#BookADayUK; A Reader Event For October. Day 10

So, what's the theme for today's Books Are My Bag event? Simply, 'One with an orange cover'. I'm
sure there's some deep-seated esoteric reason for this theme, but I can't work out what it might be.
No matter. I have books on my shelves that have orange covers. Sadly, a lot of them have faded with the passage of time and influence of sunlight on their spines.
I chose my boxed set of Graham Greene novels for this one. A great writer who managed to combine action and adventure with good writing. Just one of a multitude of authors who had a formative effect on my own writing. You'll see from the picture that some of the spines have faded rather more than others. I know not the reason and can only speculate that there is some difference in the quality of ink used by the publisher. But who really knows?
Anyway, it's the content of the books rather than the appearance of their covers that matters. Some really great stories here. If you've never read Graham Greene, you've missed a treat. But I'm sure most of these are still available. Have a go; treat yourself.

And, should you decide to tweet about this, please use the #tag #bookadayUK, won't you?
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