You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Year Long Main 2021
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neenee's low octane alphabet challenge
welcome along for the ride, neenee!
Thanks, Helen & Janice. Managed to find these too:
3)C : The Country of the Pointed Firs (audiobook)
4)D : A Damsel In Distress (audiobook)
5)E : Empire of the Sun or Emily the Strange:Stranger and Stranger
6)F : Frankenstein
7)G : ?
8)H : The Housekeeper and the Professor but it's only 180 pages. Is it still acceptable?
Not to jump into Janice's territory too much, but as I have had to discount books of the same length, I'm afraid that the minimum is 200pp. Sorry to be the downer :(
Hi, Rusalka. I thought I can get away with it. Hahaha..Ok lah then. I'll choose The Hound of the Baskervilles
Thanks, Judy! Have started with the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It's going to be a smooth ride.
Thanks, Connie.Managed to finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Billy Brown, I'll Tell Your Mother.
I'm stumped to find a C book. Have to search around.
I took my sister's Diana Wynne Jones book : Castle in the Air. I knew she has it for sometime and I wanted to read it but didn't realise it would be perfect for my C book until last night. I'm enjoying it thoroughly. Thank you, sis!!For the other books, I've been trying to look around at our local uni libraries and of course, Project Gutenberg. Very hard to get the last three: x, y and z. Argghh!!
LOVE IT. Sorry for the yelling but everyone should read DWJ and I love the Howl's Moving Castle series. I hope you did too!!My one big regret in my lifetime is that I didn't discover DWJ as a kid. I read her as an interlude in big, adult books now. But I feel life would have been so much more dealable if I had known about her at 10.
Me too. But fortunately I got a chance to grow up with some of her books. I think hers are much better than JK Rowling's.Still this Castle in the Air looks like a totally different story from Howl's. I'm still trying to link/relate it to the first book.
I have had Howl's Moving Castle on my list for a while, but I never realized it was a series. I have never read DWJ before, but I love, love the movie that Hayao Miyazaki did. I could not tell you how many times we have watched it. Have either of you seen the movie?
The series is so loosely linked, but you'll appreciate the links once you find them.Oh yes. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are staples in our household. I saw the movie and then read the books. Loved both.
If you want another Ghibli recommendation, my all time favourite is My Neighbour Totoro.
My Neighbor Totoro is my all time favorite Miyazaki work! We like Spirited Away too.
*goes off singing to herself "Totoro, to-to-to..."*
Who doesn't love Miyazaki and his Studio GhibliHow about Princess Mononoke? Though it has more actions and violence, I like it too.
Another favourites: Kiki Delivery Service. A cute coming of age story of a teenage witch.
Cherie wrote: "I have had Howl's Moving Castle on my list for a while, but I never realized it was a series. I have never read DWJ before, but I love, love the movie that Hayao Miyazaki did. I could not tell yo..."The book is great. But quite different from the movie. But I think you will like it, Cherie.
Neenee wrote: "Who doesn't love Miyazaki and his Studio GhibliHow about Princess Mononoke? Though it has more actions and violence, I like it too.
Another favourites: Kiki Delivery Service. A cute coming of ag..."
My partner's favourite (who introduced me to Studio Ghibli) has always been Princess Mononoke. One of the first movies I was made to watch was that and Spirited Away.
I enjoyed Kiki's too.
Princess Mononoke has always been my granddaughter's favorite, but I never really enjoyed it. She wore out a VHS tape watching it over and over. I DO like Kiki too. There is another movie about a cat and a young girl and boy, but I do not think it is Ghibli. The boy wants to be a violin maker and goes to Italy to study. Guess we better get back to books. ha ha ha.
That's the one! Oh, it IS Ghibli. There is a 2nd one too, I think. I like parts of the story, but I think the kids are too young to be so involved. IMO.
Sorry, Neenee, didn't mean to take over your report thread with movie stuff. By the way, I love your name. I am only 9 months and 11 days older than my 2nd sister. Her name is Arlene, but when I was little I could not say Arlene, so I called her Nene. I still do :)
No, it is okay. Such fun. We should start a thread on Studio Gibli's movies!Neenee is my nickname. My brother gave it to me.
For my D book :
Still long way to go!!
Thanks, Rachel. We low octane-ders must stick together!!!
Done with my E book:
.Next, for F is
.
you're doing great Neenee! i really have to start reading more for this challenge but keep getting distracted by other books. hope you enjoy frankenstein :D
Thanks, Rachel. Frankenstein is kind of slow. Don't know when's the monster going to show up.
Neenee wrote: "Thanks, Rachel. Frankenstein is kind of slow. Don't know when's the monster going to show up."I'm reading Frankenstein now, too, and had been wondering the same thing, but he does finally show up! Now I'm pretty close to finishing. Interesting to see how it differs from the movie versions, the 1930's one being a real favorite of mine. Will be interested to hear your views.
Tejas Janet wrote: "I'm reading Frankenstein now, too, and had been wondering the same thing, but he does ..."The monster showed up, finally. I agree with you.
I'm surprised too that the movie is different from the book.
The monster could talk and he's quite smart. There's no lightning/electrical contraption whatsoever to give the monster its life (quite disappointing though as I was looking forward to this part actually).
I felt sorry to the monster but did not care for Victor that much. Is it weird?
I was expecting grave digging and cadavre picking. And lightening/electricity stuff. Instead, lots of build up, then more build up with Victor talking ceaselessly about himself. Plus scenery descriptions. It took some doing for me to adjust to the idea of his "daemon" - as he often calls him - being so eloquent and aware.
I find Victor repulsive. Can empathize to a point, but he doesn't give love/support to his creation that he obsessed about creating.
I think the book is much different and more interesting than movie versions.
That was in my mind too, TJ. Victor abandoned his creation just like that after so much obsession and fuss -which I find it hard to understand too. We saw the development of the daemon; from the naive innocent poor thing to a very strong, vengeful and frightening monster.
I wonder what's going on in Mary Shelley's mind when she's writing this. Must be full with dark and depressing things.
I read Frankenstein last year, and I felt the same way that both of you do! I kind of liked the monster, and thought Victor was terrible. It changes a little, but the movie versions we all grew up with are so different than the book that it is hard to comprehend. I wondered about Marry Shelley too, that she could write such a fantastic dark story.
The question is... who is the monster? The creator, or the creation?
I don't remember the movie that much. But I didn't think the first part of the book was there (or maybe I wasn't paying attention to the movie until the lab scene). I was wondering who's this Walton, what are they doing in the sea, am I reading another book or what. It took me sometime to get into the story. It's quite interesting journey.Whole-heartedly, I'd say the monster is the creator.
Mary Shelley is a genius. But is any of her other books are as good as this?
Done with
Next is a Malaysian book :
I got given Born of the sea (ed: oop goodreads link is dodgy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_of_...) many years ago and I still haven't read it. Mainly because I liked Frankenstein but didn't love it. I do respect that she was 19 and this came out of a dream, and she was allowed to write and publish it. Amazing for a woman in her time to achieve publication, especially for a book such as this.
I didn't know she was 19 when it was being published. I can't imagine a 19 year old girl can write that well. And it was like two hundred years ago. wow!The born of the sea looks like a good one. But got only one review? Poor Mr. Kelleher. I think you should help this man. Read the book, Rusalka!! hehehe...
Janice wrote: "The question is... who is the monster? The creator, or the creation?"Yes, that's the question. Interesting also to contemplate this book and questions raised in light of today's progess in cloning, artificial intelligence, super computers, robotics, etc.
Neenee wrote: "I didn't know she was 19 when it was being published. I can't imagine a 19 year old girl can write that well. And it was like two hundred years ago. wow! I agree -- her amazing facility with language while still in her teens -- wow is right. Also amazing it ever being published at that time. I wonder how/if her marriage to Percy Bysshe Shelley had any influence on her access to publication. I think I'd like to read a bio about her...
Neenee wrote: "I didn't know she was 19 when it was being published. I can't imagine a 19 year old girl can write that well. And it was like two hundred years ago. wow!The born of the sea looks like a good one...."
That is sad... He was quite a prolific Aussie YA author in the 90s. Can't remember which of his books I read in primary school, but I read a lot of them.
Tejas Janet wrote: "Neenee wrote: "I agree -- her amazing facility with language while still in her teens -- wow is right. Also amazing it ever being published at that time. I wonder how/if her marriage to Percy Bysshe Shelley had any influence on her access to publication. I think I'd like to read a bio about her..."I guess the thing to remember is that the concept of teenagehood wasn't around then. You went from being a kid to an adult. At 19, she would have been expected to act the same as any other adult, she should have been properly married (not sleeping with poets around Europe, although that sounds much more fun) and at least a kid or two under her belt. I mean, if you weren't married at 23-24 you were written off!!
Wasn't the original idea for the story a friendly evening holiday competition? Her, Shelley, +2 more (Byron, I think). Her's turned out by far the best.
Rusalka wrote: "Tejas Janet wrote: "Neenee wrote: "I agree -- her amazing facility with language while still in her teens -- wow is right. Also amazing it ever being published at that time. I wonder how/if her mar..."Even though at that time there was no concept of teenagehood, she had a very 'interesting' life (with those writers and thinkers). but aren't there any biography of her out there already? wikipedia isn't enough.
It seems to me there was a movie made about this competition.
Done with my G book:
I wouldn't pick-up the book if wasn't for this challenge. This was the only G book I could put my hands on. Interesting but not my cup of tea.
Excited for the next H book:
Another book about Malaysia. Hopefully this is better from the previous G book.
Done with H. Quite ok. But I was expecting more. I realised that I didn't enjoy the reading experience that much with both my G n H books. I think I am biased towards them... Or had too high expectation.Ok, to the I book: Invisible Lives
Hope it's better
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (other topics)The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (other topics)
A Spot of Bother (other topics)
The Road (other topics)
Howl’s Moving Castle (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jeffery Deaver (other topics)Diana Wynne Jones (other topics)
1) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
2) Bloody River Blues or Bitter Fruit
3) no idea for c