Callum McLaughlin's Blog, page 51
March 31, 2017
March Wrap Up
All the books I read in March
As we continue to hurtle through the year at frightening speed, it’s time for another reading wrap up. Throughout March I finished a total of 12 books (5 novels, a poetry collection, a short story collection, a short story anthology, 2 non-fiction books, a graphic novel and one of the Penguin Little Black Classics). This took me up to a total of 32 for the year so far, and therefore keeps me on track to hopefully hit my 100 book target.
It was a strong month overall, with lots of highlights. Chief amongst them however was probably Blythe Baird’s beautiful collection of accessible, hard-hitting poetry, Give Me a God I Can Relate To, which focusses primarily on issues such as gender, sexuality, eating disorders and sexual abuse. They were incredibly poignant, relevant and relatable. It seems every now and then you find a writer whose work just speaks to you, and I found myself finishing nearly every one of Baird’s poems thinking, ‘Yes, Blythe. You’re so right.’
My other favourite reads this month were The Doll by Daphne du Maurier, a collection of wonderfully atmospheric and richly written short stories, many of which have really stayed with me, and Agatha Christie’s Ordeal by Innocence, a classic crime novel centred around a years-old murder within a family, and the ripple effect on all those who fall under suspicion after new evidence proves that the wrong person had been imprisoned all along, and that the real killer still lives amongst them. The characters were well developed, the possible motives built masterfully, and the old-school charm made it another wonderful read.
Malala Yousafzai’s memoir was a very interesting read, which delved into the political and social history of Pakistan far more than I had expected, in addition to her retelling of the awful attack by the Taliban in which she was shot in the head for speaking out in favour of girls’ rights. The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss was a quiet yet impactful story that followed the unique perspective of a stay-at-home father following an incident in which his teenage daughter’s heart stops for unknown reasons. Though she is revived, she and her family have to readjust their lives to live with the constant fear that she could collapse again at any moment.
I also enjoyed The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells, another unsettling sci-fi tale from the master of the genre, in which a disgraced scientist has been conducting horrific experiments on a desolate island in attempts to create a super-race, with predictably terrible results; and Volume 1 of Postal, the first in a graphic novel series that centres around a community inhabited by former convicts that is rocked by its first major crime in years, leading to secrets and lies catching up with several characters.
Other than that, the rest were all fine reads, with only a couple of slight dips in an otherwise excellent reading month. As such, I’m excited to see what April has in store for me in terms of books.
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What was your favourite read in March?
March 25, 2017
Women in Fiction | Jill Valentine
Resident Evil heroine, Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine is the original and longest-standing heroine of the Resident Evil franchise of video games, having also made appearances in various forms of spin-off media, including movies, novels and comics.
Jill begins the series as part of a special police unit that discovers a secret research facility conducting horrific experiments which have led to the development of a virus responsible for creating bio-organic weapons (BOWs) and capable of zombifying anyone who comes into contact with it. Exposing a vast conspiracy, Jill is betrayed by her team captain, Albert Wesker, but survives the ordeal, destroying the facility and setting out on a tireless mission to expose and shut-down those behind the incident and eradicate BOWs. Travelling the world to do so, and overcoming seemingly impossible odds, she eventually goes on to co-found an organisation dedicated to the cause, and thus becomes a leading and respected figure in the fight against bio-terror.
The first and perhaps most obvious reason to praise Jill is her physical prowess, proving herself time and again to be just as capable a fighter as any of her male counterparts. She’s not there to be the love interest, nor the token female presence. Instead, she brings her own distinct skills to the team, more than earning her place. With Resident Evil usually hailed as the game which coined and popularised the Survival Horror genre, she is also often considered the benchmark for female leads to live up to. The game’s developers have even talked about how they consciously designed the character to make her appealing to both male and female gamers alike; a rare example of female gamers’ interests being taken seriously.
Throughout the series, Jill shows herself to be brave, resilient, compassionate, and a fiercely loyal operative, even going as far as to seemingly sacrifice her own life to stop Wesker and rescue her long-standing friend and partner, Chris Redfield. She survives but is seized, enduring years of captivity and attempted brainwashing but ultimately resisting and fighting back, emerging all the more determined to stand for what is right.
Jill’s formidable skill and her obvious moral strength have combined to see her popularity remain strong for the 20 years since her debut. Here’s to the next 20.
March 20, 2017
Book to Film | The Girl with All the Gifts
The Girl with All the Gifts’ book cover (left) and film poster (right).
The Girl with All the Gifts is another example of a movie adaptation that benefits from having its screenplay penned by the original book’s author; in this case, M.R. Carey.
Plot-wise, it’s a post-apocalyptic story where society has been crippled by zombie-like creatures when a fungal infection that attacks the brain and essentially takes control of the host body (based on a real infection that affects ants) mutated to start affecting humans. We follow a group of characters who must band together after the facility they have been living in is attacked, most notably a young girl with strange links to the infection who may be the key to a cure.
I definitely enjoyed the film, thinking that the core atmosphere of the book translated well to the big screen. In terms of changes from book to film, there were some I liked and some I wasn’t as keen on. The removal of ‘Junkers’ (scavengers who essentially live wild and are hostile towards those who live and work in the research/military bases) made sense in terms of pacing. It would have been too much to develop the threat of both the infected and the Junkers whilst still allowing time for decent plot and character development.
Another change that I think worked well for the screen was the more singular emphases on Melanie, the young protagonist. In the book, hers is one of several points-of-view we follow, and whilst I think this works well on the page to better develop the characters and their various motivations and perspectives, the time constraints of a film may have meant each character became too diluted if the limelight were shared equally. By allowing Sennia Nanua’s strong and captivating performance as Melanie to carry the film, we feel more invested in her.
However, there is an action sequence towards the end of the novel that was sadly absent from the film. I think it would have helped to heighten the build-up to and impact of the climax. I’m glad that the actual ending itself remained intact however, with its wonderfully eerie, bittersweet feel.
I’m aware that there was some conversation surrounding possible controversy with regards to the fact that Helen Justineau is black in the book yet white in the movie (being portrayed by Gemma Arterton). I don’t in any way advocate white-washing, but personally I don’t feel this was the case here. By way of balance, Melanie’s skin tone is also switched, with her being white in the book yet black in the movie. Thus, offering the benefit of the doubt to the filmmakers, perhaps they decided the important detail wasn’t Melanie’s skin-tone, but rather the fact that it contrasted with Justineau’s.
The acting itself was very good, with Arterton capturing the sympathetic, humane quality of Justineau well; Glenn Close great as Dr Caldwell with her analytical, single-minded focus on finding a cure, and Nanua’s enigmatic yet youthful energy being the real lynchpin of the whole film.
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The film’s principal cast; from left to right: Gemma Arterton, Sennia Nanua, Paddy Considine and Glenn Close.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie, though perhaps more so than I would have had I not read the book, since I already felt invested in and familiar with the characters and their world. The main ‘twist’ of the book isn’t able to be maintained for long in visual form, meaning that the screen version does lose some of the uniqueness that made the book stand out so much in the ‘zombie’ genre, making it feel a little more run-of-the-mill. It is however still a visually striking film complemented by good performances and a more emotional, sensitive approach than most films of its type, and all-in-all, a faithful adaptation in spirit and tone if not in all the finer details.
March 15, 2017
Gestation
They talk of getting blood from a stone but what of finding a single star in a constellation, luring the tip of an iris from beneath a lid, or birthing a voice from years of gestation? Perhaps some cocoons are just too warm to leave; some secret wings too paper-thin to last against the bite of the wind. Better to live in the shadow of a coward’s heavy lungs than face the wrath of lips that will not accept betrayal. “Gone is gone,” they say, your words weaving themselves into iron bars of no return.
March 10, 2017
Desert Island Discs Tag
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Zuky over at BookBum recently created a tag based on Desert Island Discs and she was kind enough to tag me. Music and books are pretty much my two favourite things, so let’s just jump right in.
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You are cast away onto a remote island:
You can bring 5 albums, what are they?
You can bring ONE book (not including The Bible (or other appropriate religious texts) or The Complete Works of Shakespeare, as they are already provided and NO SERIES), what ONE book is it?
You can have one luxury item (it has to be inanimate and can’t help you escape the island), what is it?
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If I wrote this post again tomorrow, my answers would inevitably be different as I’m very much a mood listener and could never pinpoint a definitive list of favourite albums, so I just trusted my gut and picked the first five albums that I’m loving right now and sprang to mind right away.
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My album choices
The first album I’d take is Homogenic by Björk. I adore her music and each of her albums is so different that I could in fact easily make all five of my choices from her back catalogue, but for the sake of a bit of variety, I’ll limit myself to just one. Homogenic features some of her best string arrangements, fantastic electronic beats and a grand, sweeping, epic feel. It’s the first full album by Björk that I fell in love with, meaning that even though I could never choose a favourite album by her, it holds a very special place in my heart.
The second album I’ll take is Ceremonials by Florence + the Machine. Its powerful songs and gorgeous poetic lyrics mean it’s amongst my favourites, whilst the recurring themes and imagery of the ocean throughout the album would make it oddly appropriate for the setting.
My third choice is Ask the Deep by Sóley. It has a wonderfully strange, almost dream-like quality which means it’s very atmospheric and great for totally transporting your imagination. I think the distraction from my predicament would come in very handy.
The fourth album I’d take is All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend by Aurora. Throughout this album, Aurora can move seamlessly from poignant, contemplative songs to utterly euphoric ones and that kind of variety would hopefully keep me sane. Plus, I just love her voice.
My fifth and final choice is going to be Chaleur Humaine by Christine and the Queens. I love everything Christine stands for as an artist and a person, and her songs are incredibly catchy, more or less guaranteed to make you want to move. She could definitely lift me up when I’m feeling down.
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Rebecca by Daphne du Maurie
The book I would take is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. This is a very recent read that I utterly fell in love with. It’s quite possibly my favourite book of all time now, which is reason enough to take it, but it’s also fairly long, meaning I could take my time with each re-read to keep me busy. Along the same vein as to why I chose Ask the Deep, it’s also incredibly moody and atmospheric, transporting your mind to another place and time entirely, which would undoubtedly help whenever I was feeling sick of sun, sea and sand.
As for my inanimate object of choice, I have a huge teddy bear called Bernard that is so soft and he would surely prove very cuddlable for the times I’m feeling lonely.
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There we have it. Thanks again to Zuky for tagging me 
March 7, 2017
Spotlight | Penguin English Library
My collection of Penguin English Library editions
Recently, I decided to start shining the spotlight on some of the people, places and things from the bookish world that I love. Today, it’s the turn of a specific edition that is one of my favourites to collect: Penguin English Library.
There are several reasons why I love these particular editions so much, and first and foremost is simply how gorgeous they are. Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, the covers (and spines, which line up together beautifully) are an easy way to add a hit of colour to your bookshelves.
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Close-ups on a few of my favourite cover designs
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The colourful spines are equally pretty
The second reason I like them so much is that the selection on offer is pretty much a curated list of the most highly regarded classics of all time, with the series featuring ‘100 of the best novels in the English language’. Whilst personal taste is of course always a factor, and you’re unlikely to enjoy all 100 books, it does mean you can rest assured you’re getting a quality and influential story with each title you reach for. There’s also a good mix of both iconic titles that everyone has heard of and some lesser-known gems, so it’s worth browsing their catalogue to see what you can dig out.
The final reason I enjoy collecting them is how affordable they are. They differ in price slightly depending on length, but all retail for several pounds less than most equivalent editions and typical paperbacks, with most selling for just £5.99 – and who doesn’t love a bargain; especially such a beautiful one?
I hope to continue to add to my collection of Penguin English Library books gradually, but for those interested, here’s a list of the 14 titles I own so far:
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons and Other Cases by Arthur Conan Doyle
Treasure Island & The Ebb-Tide by Robert Louis Stevenson
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
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Do you have any books from the Penguin English Library series?
February 28, 2017
February Wrap Up
All the books I read in February
As another month comes to a close (slow down please, 2017), it’s time to take stock of what we’ve been reading once again. Throughout February I managed to finish a total of 10 books (4 novels, a novella, a memoir, a play, a poetry magazine, a graphic novel and a poetry Little Black Classic). This matched last month, taking me up to 20 so far for the year, and thus keeping me well on track to hit my 100 book target.
The highlight of the month was undoubtedly Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. We follow an unnamed young woman as she marries charming Maxim de Winter and moves with him to his estate, Manderley. She soon discovers however that the lingering presence of his deceased first wife, Rebecca, continues to haunt and influence her new home and all those who come to it. We delve deeper into the mystery surrounding her demise in a story that is dripping with atmosphere and a creeping sense of unease; masterfully written with so much hidden depth to be explored, and without doubt one of my new favourite books of all time.
Other enjoyable reads included Animal Farm by George Orwell, the iconic allegorical tale of animals overthrowing humans to try and govern their own lives; Pantomime by Laura Lam, the first in a trilogy about an inter-sex protagonist who flees the strict life enforced upon them to try and live freely as part of a circus; Carrie Fisher’s hilarious and honest memoir, Wishful Drinking, and After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross, a very timely and accessible read that flips the refugee experience on its head by cleverly posing the question: what if we were the ones having to flee our country? It was also a pleasure to take in more of Shaun Tan’s beautiful artwork in his collection of delightfully strange graphic-novel-style short stories, Tales from Outer Suburbia.
I read J.M. Barrie’s play, Mary Rose, partly to help towards my goal of reading more plays in general but also because it’s my local theatre’s main production throughout the summer and I wanted to try out the story before I booked tickets. I enjoyed it, finding the ghostly and mysterious tale of a woman who disappears on several occasions throughout her life, never having aged upon her eventual return, very intriguing and I have indeed booked tickets to see it played out on stage later in the year.
It was definitely a strong reading month overall and I look forward to seeing what books March will bring my way.
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What was your favourite read in February?
February 21, 2017
Let’s Recommend | Art & Photography Books
Let’s recommend some books about art and photography.
This time I’ve decided to recommend books that centre around art and photography. I’m certainly not claiming to be either an artist or a photographer, but I do enjoy both mediums and appreciate a beautiful book that celebrates them, so let’s get started.
The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan
Tan is one of my favourite artists in general and in this book, he combines his beautiful work with another of my loves: fairy tales. Each double spread has an excerpt from one of the classic Grimm tales on one side and a sculpture inspired by it on the other. His pieces are visually striking and wonderfully successful in capturing the eerie mood of the original stories that we know and love.
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Some examples of Tan’s fairy tale inspired sculptures.
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Collections by Barbara Buhler Lynes
O’Keeffe is another of my favourite artists and this hefty hardback was produced to mark the 10th anniversary of The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in New Mexico, the largest collection of her work in the world. It includes many high-quality reproductions of her pieces and helps to show how broad her style was.
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Some examples of O’Keeffe’s work.
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Some more examples of O’Keeffe’s work.
Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell
This might be an odd one for me to recommend in that I don’t actually own it myself. Retailing for about £100, I haven’t been able to justify buying it (though it is huge and incredibly high-quality). Mitchell’s stunning photographs are like the aesthetic of my dreams, however, so if like me you want to aspire towards owning it one day, or if unlike me you happen to be very wealthy, I thought it was worth a shout-out.
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Some examples of Mitchell’s Wonderland series.
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Some more examples of Mitchell’s Wonderland series.
Photos That Changed the World by Peter Stepan
This is one for those who maybe aren’t looking for ‘beautiful’ photographs as much as they are looking for influential ones, or those that show the effectiveness and importance of the form in documenting history.
Art Made from Books by Laura Heyenga
This one’s a bit meta, as it’s a collection of work by various artists who all use actual books as the medium with which they create their pieces, from sculptures made with paper to book spines lined up to form a canvas, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. There’s a big variety of different styles and ideas in here, and it’s definitely one for those who appreciate the beauty to be found in books as a physical object.
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A sample of the kind of work to be found in Art Made from Books.
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What are some of your favourite books about art and photography?
February 15, 2017
Nobody’s Home
It’s a sorry state of affairs
when slipping into nightmares
is preferable to an evening
in front of the news;
the absurdity of fiction
an easier guest to accommodate
than the truth that lurks
outside the window
begging for attention;
tap, tap, tap.
February 10, 2017
Book to Film | A Monster Calls
Having finally been to see A Monster Calls at the cinema yesterday, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start another feature here on my blog that I’ve been toying with doing for a while, where I compare a book to its movie adaptation. After all, any bookworms out there will surely know the odd mix of both excitement and dread that comes with the news that one of your favourite books is to be picked apart and brought to life in a new form.
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A Monster Calls’ book cover (left) and movie poster (right).
The plot of both the book and film versions of A Monster Calls centres around a young boy named Conor as he struggles to accept his mother’s increasingly ill health. By night, he is visited by a monster who pledges to tell him three stories in exchange for a story of his own; the reason behind the nightmares that plague him and the truth he won’t accept.
The first and most important thing to say is that I thought the film was a very faithful and respectful adaptation of the source material, but I would expect nothing less given that Patrick Ness (the book’s author) penned the screenplay himself. The relatively short length of the book means it lent itself very well to a screen adaptation, as it allowed for a full and thorough interpretation, avoiding the usual problem wherein large amounts of original material are often cut to allow the story to fit into the time constraints present in a film.
I really appreciated that they clearly took visual cues from Jim Kay’s wonderful illustrations when creating the screen version of the monster. I thought the visuals overall in fact were handled excellently, staying true to the eerie and almost fairy-tale-like quality present throughout the book.
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A comparison between Jim Kay’s illustrations from the book (top) and the film’s version of the monster (bottom).
Though the film has a fairly small cast, they all do a fine job, with particular merit owed to Felicity Jones for her understated power as the frail yet loving mother who is slowly slipping away, and Lewis MacDougal, the young actor who plays Conor. I was so impressed by his charismatic and emotion-fuelled performance, especially towards the climax. Having since discovered that he lost his own mother shortly before production of the film began however, his authentic portrayal has taken on an even greater poignancy.
All-in-all, I’d say fans of the book can rest assured that the adaptation was indeed in safe hands and as such, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend they check it out if they haven’t already.
