A. Peter Perdian's Blog, page 3
August 7, 2012
Reading, Writing and Authors
When it comes to reading, my tastes span the spectrum. About half of what I read is non-fiction. As for fiction, there are some categories that I read more often than others.
Now I still have a large number of hardbacks to read, but these days the new books I buy are always e-books. I've come to prefer using an e-reader. It's light, easy to hold, and when my eyes are tired from working on the computer all day, I can change the font size to whatever's comfortable for me.
Of course my reading slows substantially—almost coming to a halt at times—when I'm deep into working on my next story. I do my writing with the computer, at least for the first drafts. When I'm comfortable with where I've taken the story, I switch to paper for the last few drafts. I find I pick up things with paper that I miss when staring at a computer screen. But that's enough about me.
In the past I've read a lot of mysteries, but not much in the past decade. My uncle , however, is an avid reader, especially of mystery and thriller genres. He recently sent me a link to an interview with PD James, whom he's quite fond of. Since I know she had a large following, I'm posting the link here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/...
Oh, here's a fascinating article I came across while perusing Der Spiegel. It's about Stieg Larsson and the fallout over his estate after his sudden death. In my opinion, his estate should have gone to his long-time mate (32 years together). Swedish law, however, says if you're not married (no matter how long you've lived together) it goes to blood relatives.
Stieg Larsson wrote the Millennium trilogy: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; The Girl Who Played with Fire; The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/z...
Back to my uncle. He also sent me a link to the author Will Self. Now I've never read anything by this man, but after reading the description of his latest novel, I'm thinking of picking up the book. My dilemma is that I already have so many other books I want to read, I have no idea when I'd be able to get to it. Definitely not this year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/...
Now I still have a large number of hardbacks to read, but these days the new books I buy are always e-books. I've come to prefer using an e-reader. It's light, easy to hold, and when my eyes are tired from working on the computer all day, I can change the font size to whatever's comfortable for me.
Of course my reading slows substantially—almost coming to a halt at times—when I'm deep into working on my next story. I do my writing with the computer, at least for the first drafts. When I'm comfortable with where I've taken the story, I switch to paper for the last few drafts. I find I pick up things with paper that I miss when staring at a computer screen. But that's enough about me.
In the past I've read a lot of mysteries, but not much in the past decade. My uncle , however, is an avid reader, especially of mystery and thriller genres. He recently sent me a link to an interview with PD James, whom he's quite fond of. Since I know she had a large following, I'm posting the link here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/...
Oh, here's a fascinating article I came across while perusing Der Spiegel. It's about Stieg Larsson and the fallout over his estate after his sudden death. In my opinion, his estate should have gone to his long-time mate (32 years together). Swedish law, however, says if you're not married (no matter how long you've lived together) it goes to blood relatives.
Stieg Larsson wrote the Millennium trilogy: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; The Girl Who Played with Fire; The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/z...
Back to my uncle. He also sent me a link to the author Will Self. Now I've never read anything by this man, but after reading the description of his latest novel, I'm thinking of picking up the book. My dilemma is that I already have so many other books I want to read, I have no idea when I'd be able to get to it. Definitely not this year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/...
August 3, 2012
Movie comments: CB
Note: I cross posted this review under the European movies folder.
Last night I felt in the mood for a movie and watched "Cherry blossoms (2009)." I'd picked this German movie up a couple of months ago after reading the reviews on Amazon. They were almost all five star reviews.
Anyway, here are my comments.
This movie revolves around an older German couple living in Bavaria. The man is scheduled to retire next year, whereas the woman is a stay at home wife. When she finds out her husband is dying, she arranges a trip to visit their three grown children, two of which live in Berlin and one in Tokyo.
Now the family is somewhat typical of many Western families today. By that I mean it's partially dysfunctional. The woman is the glue that holds the dispersed family together.
The film is essentially a character study of the husband and to a lesser extent, his wife and children. The family is used as the pivot point to explore the man's emotional relationship with his wife.
The first half or so of the movie takes place in Germany and the last half in Japan. There were a couple of surprises along the way that I hadn't anticipated.
I found the acting to be excellent, but the story itself unfolds a little too slowly—at least for me. A few times I was bored, tempted to fast-forward, but I didn't. There was something about the movie that kept me watching.
After a while, I began to wonder whether the movie could deliver, could justify my spending two hours watching it. I was having doubts. In the end, however, it did deliver on its promise. I thought the ending was beautiful.
I give the movie 3 stars (maybe slightly higher) out of 5.
Plot
Coming to terms with grief and loss.
Last night I felt in the mood for a movie and watched "Cherry blossoms (2009)." I'd picked this German movie up a couple of months ago after reading the reviews on Amazon. They were almost all five star reviews.
Anyway, here are my comments.
This movie revolves around an older German couple living in Bavaria. The man is scheduled to retire next year, whereas the woman is a stay at home wife. When she finds out her husband is dying, she arranges a trip to visit their three grown children, two of which live in Berlin and one in Tokyo.
Now the family is somewhat typical of many Western families today. By that I mean it's partially dysfunctional. The woman is the glue that holds the dispersed family together.
The film is essentially a character study of the husband and to a lesser extent, his wife and children. The family is used as the pivot point to explore the man's emotional relationship with his wife.
The first half or so of the movie takes place in Germany and the last half in Japan. There were a couple of surprises along the way that I hadn't anticipated.
I found the acting to be excellent, but the story itself unfolds a little too slowly—at least for me. A few times I was bored, tempted to fast-forward, but I didn't. There was something about the movie that kept me watching.
After a while, I began to wonder whether the movie could deliver, could justify my spending two hours watching it. I was having doubts. In the end, however, it did deliver on its promise. I thought the ending was beautiful.
I give the movie 3 stars (maybe slightly higher) out of 5.
Plot
Coming to terms with grief and loss.
July 19, 2012
Movie Comments (two): HoP and A
Note: I cross-posted these comments under the European Movies Folder.
I haven't been in the mood to watch any movies for a few weeks, but then the days are long and it's too nice to stay inside. That said, however, over the last few days I squeezed in two movies, one French, one Greek.
If you haven't already seen them, here are my comments.
###############
House of Pleasures (2012)
Before deciding to see this French movie, I read some reviews on the Internet, as well as at Amazon. I then picked up the DVD, adding it to my queue. A couple of days ago, I finally got around to watching the movie.
This film is what I would call an Art House Movie, a VERY Art House Movie. It takes place in a French brothel around the turn of the century (circa 1900). The movie's storyline is centered around the daily life of the brothel's women and their customers. Be aware that there's lots of nudity and sexual innuendo.
The photography is great, but the actual story is boring, moving at a glaciating pace. There isn't any tension. None. I never felt any empathy for the characters.
Now everyone's taste is different, but from my perspective, I didn't care for the movie. It was a chore having to sit through it. Aside from that, however, it was a nice glimpse into brothel life.
Plot: A character study of the brothel women and their camaraderie.
I give this movie 1.5 stars out of 5.
###############
Attenberg (2012)
After reading that this film was the official Greek entry for the Academy Awards, I picked it up when the DVD was released. Last night I finally got around to watching the film.
Let me say right off the bat that the movie's opening scene was quite shocking—at least to me. But then it caught me completely by surprise.
This turned out to be a strange movie, maybe weird is the better word. It's definitely not action-packed and fast-paced, but rather it unfolds at a slow methodical pace.
Though at times the film was boring, there was something about it that kept me watching, wanting to see how it ended. It goes without saying that not everyone will like this movie. But I did. Be aware that the film contains nudity and sexual innuendo.
Plot: A character study of a young woman (circa 23) coming of age as her father is dying. It takes place in the Greek boondocks, a remote factory town.
I give this movie 3 stars out of 5.
I haven't been in the mood to watch any movies for a few weeks, but then the days are long and it's too nice to stay inside. That said, however, over the last few days I squeezed in two movies, one French, one Greek.
If you haven't already seen them, here are my comments.
###############
House of Pleasures (2012)
Before deciding to see this French movie, I read some reviews on the Internet, as well as at Amazon. I then picked up the DVD, adding it to my queue. A couple of days ago, I finally got around to watching the movie.
This film is what I would call an Art House Movie, a VERY Art House Movie. It takes place in a French brothel around the turn of the century (circa 1900). The movie's storyline is centered around the daily life of the brothel's women and their customers. Be aware that there's lots of nudity and sexual innuendo.
The photography is great, but the actual story is boring, moving at a glaciating pace. There isn't any tension. None. I never felt any empathy for the characters.
Now everyone's taste is different, but from my perspective, I didn't care for the movie. It was a chore having to sit through it. Aside from that, however, it was a nice glimpse into brothel life.
Plot: A character study of the brothel women and their camaraderie.
I give this movie 1.5 stars out of 5.
###############
Attenberg (2012)
After reading that this film was the official Greek entry for the Academy Awards, I picked it up when the DVD was released. Last night I finally got around to watching the film.
Let me say right off the bat that the movie's opening scene was quite shocking—at least to me. But then it caught me completely by surprise.
This turned out to be a strange movie, maybe weird is the better word. It's definitely not action-packed and fast-paced, but rather it unfolds at a slow methodical pace.
Though at times the film was boring, there was something about it that kept me watching, wanting to see how it ended. It goes without saying that not everyone will like this movie. But I did. Be aware that the film contains nudity and sexual innuendo.
Plot: A character study of a young woman (circa 23) coming of age as her father is dying. It takes place in the Greek boondocks, a remote factory town.
I give this movie 3 stars out of 5.
July 8, 2012
A Writer's Mecca
Brooklyn, New York, a writer's mecca? Who would have guessed? Not me.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012...
June 28, 2012
Writing Update: Work in Progress
I've now started working on my next e-book. I knew from the beginning what I was going to write about, but it still took me a little while to figure out how to incorporate the idea into a storyline. Whew! Completed.
Though this will be a science fiction novella, it will have a heavy dose of suspense and thriller tossed into the mix. It takes place here on Earth in the present day—no space travel. I can't provide the title, as that's always the last thing I decide on.
I anticipate having the book ready to publish between October 1st and November 1st of this year.
For those of you that haven't read my last post, I published my fantasy novella on June 16th. It's available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Right now, I'm taking off to go bike riding. It's a beautiful day and the temperature should reach 80 degrees.
Though this will be a science fiction novella, it will have a heavy dose of suspense and thriller tossed into the mix. It takes place here on Earth in the present day—no space travel. I can't provide the title, as that's always the last thing I decide on.
I anticipate having the book ready to publish between October 1st and November 1st of this year.
For those of you that haven't read my last post, I published my fantasy novella on June 16th. It's available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Right now, I'm taking off to go bike riding. It's a beautiful day and the temperature should reach 80 degrees.
June 16, 2012
Writing Update: New story released
I've just published my latest e-book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, a fantasy novella.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008C4CQM6
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dange...
Here's the blurb that accompanies the book.
Dangerous Highs is a 23,400 word novella.
This is an urban fantasy tale with a paranormal/supernatural twist to it. It deals with the Ultimate Gift, the ability to heal others—along with temporary immortality.
That description, however, only partially describes the story. There's also mystery, suspense and thriller aspects tossed into the mix, including a touch of romance.
The tale begins in the distant past, which is taken up by the first quarter of the book. This is where the groundwork for the storyline is established.
* A Master Healer walks the Earth.
* A young slave girl becomes his apprentice.
* He bequeaths her the Ultimate Gift.
The story then jumps to the present day, remaining there for the last three quarters of the book.
* A man stumbles upon the Ultimate Gift.
* He has no idea what he has found.
* His ignorance threatens his life.
Though the story is a fast paced action-packed adventure, it's also a thought provoking tale, a character study of the three people touched by the Ultimate Gift.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008C4CQM6
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dange...
Here's the blurb that accompanies the book.
Dangerous Highs is a 23,400 word novella.
This is an urban fantasy tale with a paranormal/supernatural twist to it. It deals with the Ultimate Gift, the ability to heal others—along with temporary immortality.
That description, however, only partially describes the story. There's also mystery, suspense and thriller aspects tossed into the mix, including a touch of romance.
The tale begins in the distant past, which is taken up by the first quarter of the book. This is where the groundwork for the storyline is established.
* A Master Healer walks the Earth.
* A young slave girl becomes his apprentice.
* He bequeaths her the Ultimate Gift.
The story then jumps to the present day, remaining there for the last three quarters of the book.
* A man stumbles upon the Ultimate Gift.
* He has no idea what he has found.
* His ignorance threatens his life.
Though the story is a fast paced action-packed adventure, it's also a thought provoking tale, a character study of the three people touched by the Ultimate Gift.
June 15, 2012
movie comments: GS
Note: This is cross posted under the folder European movies.
Last night I watched the German movie Gloomy Sunday (1999, DVD ~2006). Since it has been out quite a while, many of you may have already seen it. For those of you that haven't, though, my comments are below.
Comments:
I found this German-Hungarian movie quite interesting. The photography was beautiful and the acting superb. As for the actors, there are three primary ones of equal importance: Erika Marozsan (Ilona), Joachim Krol (Laszlo) and Stefano Dionisi (Andras). The relationship between these three characters is best described as ménage à trois. There is nudity in the movie.
The setting is Budapest in the late 1930s. The story is a character study of the relationship between the three. As the years advance and WWII breaks out, the Germans eventually occupy Budapest. Hungarian Jews are then rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Laszlo is Jewish.
Though the subject matter turns somewhat oppressive once the Germans enter the city, the film is not, especially the first half.
It's the story of friendship and love between three people preceding WWII, and then during that onerous time. It's what I would call--for lack of better terminology--a romantic drama. The movie revolves around a song (Gloomy Sunday) written by one of the characters (Andras).
This isn't a fast paced movie—nor is it action-packed. On the other hand, it's not what I would call slow-moving either.
Plot
I'm not sure what it is/was. Perhaps it's only a character study of how people in relationships adapt and react to changing situations—external and internal.
I enjoyed the movie and recommend it. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Last night I watched the German movie Gloomy Sunday (1999, DVD ~2006). Since it has been out quite a while, many of you may have already seen it. For those of you that haven't, though, my comments are below.
Comments:
I found this German-Hungarian movie quite interesting. The photography was beautiful and the acting superb. As for the actors, there are three primary ones of equal importance: Erika Marozsan (Ilona), Joachim Krol (Laszlo) and Stefano Dionisi (Andras). The relationship between these three characters is best described as ménage à trois. There is nudity in the movie.
The setting is Budapest in the late 1930s. The story is a character study of the relationship between the three. As the years advance and WWII breaks out, the Germans eventually occupy Budapest. Hungarian Jews are then rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Laszlo is Jewish.
Though the subject matter turns somewhat oppressive once the Germans enter the city, the film is not, especially the first half.
It's the story of friendship and love between three people preceding WWII, and then during that onerous time. It's what I would call--for lack of better terminology--a romantic drama. The movie revolves around a song (Gloomy Sunday) written by one of the characters (Andras).
This isn't a fast paced movie—nor is it action-packed. On the other hand, it's not what I would call slow-moving either.
Plot
I'm not sure what it is/was. Perhaps it's only a character study of how people in relationships adapt and react to changing situations—external and internal.
I enjoyed the movie and recommend it. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Movie comments: ILYSL
Note: this was cross posted under the folder European movies.
I've Loved You So Long (2008): Many of you may have already seen this French movie, but for those of you that haven't, here are my comments.
This is an interesting movie. It's not fast paced, nor action packed, but rather it unfolds very slowly—which may bother some viewers.
The movie is a character study of two women, sisters. The heroine (Juliette) is played by Kristin Scott Thomas. Her sister (Lea) is played by Elsa Zylberstein. The acting is superb.
After spending fifteen years in prison for murdering her son, Juliette is released. She then goes to live with Lea and her family. The two sisters slowly become reacquainted. It turns out that Juliette has never come to terms with her past, whereas Lea has been impacted by Juliette's crime in ways that she has never understood. This is a movie of redemption and self-realization.
I highly recommend this movie, albeit with the caveat that it moves slowly.
Plot
Simply put: Redemption
I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.
I've Loved You So Long (2008): Many of you may have already seen this French movie, but for those of you that haven't, here are my comments.
This is an interesting movie. It's not fast paced, nor action packed, but rather it unfolds very slowly—which may bother some viewers.
The movie is a character study of two women, sisters. The heroine (Juliette) is played by Kristin Scott Thomas. Her sister (Lea) is played by Elsa Zylberstein. The acting is superb.
After spending fifteen years in prison for murdering her son, Juliette is released. She then goes to live with Lea and her family. The two sisters slowly become reacquainted. It turns out that Juliette has never come to terms with her past, whereas Lea has been impacted by Juliette's crime in ways that she has never understood. This is a movie of redemption and self-realization.
I highly recommend this movie, albeit with the caveat that it moves slowly.
Plot
Simply put: Redemption
I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.
June 1, 2012
Writing Update
Yesterday, I sent my latest story, a fantasy novella, to my editor. Now it's a waiting game. If all goes well, I hope to publish it around June 10th, but I wouldn't be surprised if that slides a little.
This is an urban fantasy tale, but that description doesn't entirely cover it. The story's probably a mixture of several genres with urban fantasy being the overall construct.
The story has a paranormal/supernatural twist to it. In addition it has mystery, suspense and thriller aspects, along with a touch of romance.
The first quarter of the book takes place in antiquity. The last three quarters take place in the present day.
This is an urban fantasy tale, but that description doesn't entirely cover it. The story's probably a mixture of several genres with urban fantasy being the overall construct.
The story has a paranormal/supernatural twist to it. In addition it has mystery, suspense and thriller aspects, along with a touch of romance.
The first quarter of the book takes place in antiquity. The last three quarters take place in the present day.
May 30, 2012
Newspapers
I can't speak for others, but as for myself, I like to keep abreast of what's going on in the world. Hence I scan a number of different newspapers—those that I trust—reading articles and commentaries that I find of interest. The subject matter can span the spectrum.
The trouble, however, is that so much of what's published today is either fluff, propaganda or outright lies. How do you tell the difference? Well, fluff is obvious But propaganda and outright lies can be difficult to discern, especially if they have a kernel of truth buried within them that's being twisted to support the lie (or propaganda).
One of the ways around this is to gather your material from a number of different sources—and then to apply intelligence and common sense to what you're reading.
Sadly, most American papers fail when it comes to objectivity. The article below is an excellent summation of the current (and deplorable) state of American newspapers.
http://consortiumnews.com/2012/05/15/...
The trouble, however, is that so much of what's published today is either fluff, propaganda or outright lies. How do you tell the difference? Well, fluff is obvious But propaganda and outright lies can be difficult to discern, especially if they have a kernel of truth buried within them that's being twisted to support the lie (or propaganda).
One of the ways around this is to gather your material from a number of different sources—and then to apply intelligence and common sense to what you're reading.
Sadly, most American papers fail when it comes to objectivity. The article below is an excellent summation of the current (and deplorable) state of American newspapers.
http://consortiumnews.com/2012/05/15/...
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