Fractured Fiction

Distractions…

brymol85 — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:47:08 +0000

So…I should be reading One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest…ideally I’d be finished with that and would be reading Catch-22 but Mockingjay, the third (and last) book in The Hunger Games got in the way. As I mentioned previously, I love young adult fiction…and I was having a hard time getting into Cuckoo’s Nest so it was really easy for me to just kind of forget about it and dive into Mockingjay. Once I’m finished I will put focus back on the classics…adult and young adult, alike!

Slackers…

brymol85 — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:32:25 +0000

So M and I are a little slow with the updating ( but like she said, we’re the only ones who read this!), but this time I’m gonna try to not take a 5 month break between posts. In that time, as she mentioned in her update, I finished Brideshead Revisited and jumped back on the young adult fiction bandwagon and also read a wonderful Judy Garland biography.

Brideshead Revisited was one that I really wanted to read after watching a recent film version of it and I got pretty into it until I hit Part II. In hindsight, that’s where it lost all its luster for me. Charles and Sebastian were such a good pair (dare I say, couple?) for much of the book that once Sebastian was out of the picture and Charles started seeing Julia to try to reclaim his romance with Sebastian, I didn’t really care anymore. The first 200 pages or so, in my opinion, are pretty golden…I just wish the rest of the book kept up that integrity. I really must admit, blogging about a book I finished about 4 months ago is quite difficult since I have kind of forgotten the bulk of what it was about except that rich, affluent people are pretty fucked up. And talk to teddy bears.

Since we’ve started this journey, at times, I’ve actually read two books at once, just to kinda break it up a bit and keep it interesting to me. Some of these classics are downright boring. One of these books was Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, and what a life it was. This biography, one of the best I’ve read, ignited so many different emotions in me; it’s funny, tragic, heartfelt and at times downright infuriating to read. Judy was just a lost little girl constantly searching for love and acceptance; from her mother, from MGM, from men (many men and some say, women), her children, her fans and herself. Constant drug taking probably didn’t help her lack of self esteem. I thought I knew quite a bit about the Goddess Judy (uh oh, there’s my gay coming out) but this book was incredibly informative and pretty damn juicy! Old Hollywood was pretty scandalous (of course it was!).

Now, young adult fiction! I love YA fiction so much, it’s something I never grew out of. Harry Potter, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story, Peter And The Starcatchers, The Giver, The Island Of Blue Dolphins, The Outsiders, Go Ask Alice (Still so riveting and one of the best books I’ve ever read.), Hatchet, Killing Mr. Griffin…I can seriously go on forever and there’s still so much I want to read. Can you believe I’ve never read A Wrinkle In Time? Me neither.

I just recently got into The Hunger Games trilogy and recently finished the second book, Catching Fire, and I’m really loving it so far. It’s definitely lived up to the hype for me. Katniss Everdeen is one of the best protagonists I’ve ever read about and she’s an incredibly strong role model for young girls, unlike Bella from that other popular series, Twilight. It’s such a strong story of survival and it really sucked me in. I think it’s really something in YA fiction when the author just writes and doesn’t seem to water down the content.

Well, before I start to sound monotonous I’m going to sign off…Maybe I’ll go read Cuckoo Cuckoo’s Nest.

update

brymol85 — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:32:46 +0000

So…. aside from getting sucked back into text books and B getting sucked back into young adult fiction, I swear we have been reading… kind of.

B and I finished Streetcar Named Desire– amazing! I loved it, as well as the movie which I then watched twice. The characters were some of the best we have read yet I would argue. We then went on to Brideshead Revisited… which is where i got stuck. Bryan finished it in record time, though our blog did not reflect it, but I sat on that book for something like four months. I could not get into it. I liked the characters alright, but there was no hook for me. So after an extensive library overdue charge and a half-assed effort, i gave up. Now I am looking for something inspiring to read next. B moved on to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which I have already read, and he suggested Walden for me. I may walk over to the library later and scope the classics section. Time to get refocused, school be damned!!

sorry about the delay, though i don’t know who I am apologizing to, since no one but B and I read this! ha! here is a photo of an owl wearing a beanie to make up for it.

Happy Reading-

Catch up time.

brymol85 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:36:03 +0000

First off I apologize for taking this long to get an entry to you. I’ll try harder to be prompt since I know so many of you are foaming at the mouth to read my next entry. So, I’ve got got some catching up to do since I’ve checked two more books of the list. First off a small final thought on Emma:

Sometimes witty, often boring. It just really wasn’t the right choice for my first foray into Austen. Like I said before, I really appreciate the portrayal of a strong woman (also: stubborn and selfish) in the 19th century but it was so tough to get through all the monotonous chatter. Alas, I have read much worse although it may take me a while to pick up another Jane Austen book.

My accomplice, M and I moved on to Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne, and I think it was a great choice. It livened us up a bit. In ’80 Days’ we follow rich Englishman Phileas Fogg and his new assistant, Passepartout as they embark on a wager (made between Fogg and members of his Reform Club.) to go- you guessed it!- around the world in 80 days.

Phileas Fogg and Passepartout leave London at 8:45 p.m. on October 2 by train (I think, a little fuzzy on that one.) and are due back at the same time on December 21. They go from London to Egypt and while in Suez are spied by Detective Fix who has mistaken Fogg as a thief who robbed a bank a few days before. Fix keeps running into problems acquiring warrants so he ends up chasing Fogg all around the world, he even leaves Passepartout in an opium den at one point. I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but then again I’m not really here to give you a complete summary, just the basics and my take on the material….right? Right…at least I think so. Heh. Anyway, from Egypt we go to India where our protagonist rescues an Indian girl, Aouda from being sacrificed; The group moves on to Calcutta where Fix has them arrested (due to a mistake on Passepartout’s part, something shoes and a holy place.) Bail is quickly jumped and they are off to Hong Kong, Yokohama, across America and then back to London…all along the way little obstacles pop up and hijinks ensue, making us wonder if the travelers will make it in time…

There’s so much going on in this book that I couldn’t possibly describe it all and give it the justice it deserves. It’s a great look at one man perilously defying the odds and conquering the incredible. I really enjoyed myself while reading it; it was fun, adventurous and thrilling. A very welcome change of pace from ‘Wuthering’ and Emma. Jules Verne writes so adeptly, really bringing to life his characters; Phileas Fogg, for example, is such a calm and quiet gentleman that never betrays emotion, yet he is brimming with such charm and nuance that you just can’t help but root for him. And Passepartout is one of the most entertaining sidekicks that I’ve ever read about, maybe a little too apologetic at times (whiny?) but he always brings a smile and/or a laugh.

Oh, and yes it’s true, I did originally suggest ‘Around The World In 80 Books’ as our blog title.

Continuing on, we next read A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and wow, what a read. I’ve seen the movie quite a few times and it’s wonderful but having read the book now, I really appreciate what solid writing it really is.

Arguably considered Williams best work, Streetcar deals with the collision of worlds. Mainly Stanley Kowalski’s and wilting southern belle Blanche Dubois’, sister to Stella who is Stan’s wife. Blanche blows in with the wind and from the moment she steps in to Stan and Stella’s apartment she is put off by her sisters life. Everything seems beneath her even though things aren’t really what they seem with Ms. Dubois. She is at once irritating, amusing and, as the play goes on, tragic.

Blanche settles somewhat easily into the Kowalski’s life. Really, she crashes the party, at least in Stans eyes. Right off the bat we find out she’s lost the family plantation, Belle Reve, unable to afford it on her teachers salary. She stayed though! Stella left! Blanche stayed and sacrificed for Belle Reve. She puts on her bedroom eyes at Stan, filling Stella in on how she’s there on a “leave of absence” and then moves on to seducing Mitch, a poker buddy of Stan’s. All in between soaking in a hot tub (in the summer in New Orleans!) and sipping on Cokes.

Moving on, Stella’s pregnant, Stan gets out of hand during Poker Night and we find out quite a bit about Blanches past including a dead husband (himself with a questionable past), unsavory relations with men and an unhealthy (imaginary?) relationship with a man named Shep Huntleigh. Stella goes into labor and Stanley get out of hand again…with Blanche.

The whole story is really sad, with the ending, in hindsight being rather devastating. That being said I absolutely loved it. Truly a defining piece of writing.

Hmmmm…This entry has become a tad long winded, I’m going to retire before it becomes (even more) trite.

“Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”- Blanche Dubois

~B~

Last thought on Emma, First thought on Around the World….

brymol85 — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 08:06:12 +0000

Ok, Here is a little promise to “all” our readers– I promise never to take this long on a book again! Emma was a marathon for me, and I needed to pace myself. I actually did not mind the book as much as my counterpart did. At first I hated the character of Emma, she seemed selfish, meddling, a bit crazy, spoiled, etc. As I read on, I found some redeeming qualities in her and, dare I say, some parallel characteristics in myself? (yikes!) Ok, so the gossip thing I get, I am often the one that people tell their deepest darkest secrets to, and the one who people ask love advice from…. similar to Emma kind of. Also, my love life, not as put together as those around me, and I am often quite clueless. (yuck yuck!) I want to clarify here- I am neither spoiled nor a daddy’s girl like Emma. That part freaked me out. But otherwise, I liked the story of Emma’s progression into an actual person. She was quite redeemable in the end, I thought! Bad parts about this book– page after page after page of idle chatter about people who don’t even really have a story line in the book! It was probably 200 pages longer than it should have been? somewhat like this post is turning out to be!

Anyway, we started Around the World in 80 Days a couple of weeks ago and I must say- I love it! it’s such a fun story! not too long or drawn out, and the characters are pretty perfect. I’ll let you know more once I finish, but I do think this was the perfect choice of a book after the snooze fests that were Wuthering and Emma.

happy reading- m

p.s. fun fact! b wanted to name this blog “around the world in 80 books”! ha!

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

brymol85 — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 06:38:48 +0000

That simple little mantra has been going through my head the entire two months I’ve been reading Emma…yes, two months and no, I’m not (usually) this slow of a reader. I blame the material and the fact that this was really the wrong choice as an introduction to Jane Austen.

Maybe I should blame Clueless? Or my own intellect, once again? Perhaps I shouldn’t blame anything at all and just read.

I’m a little over half way through the novel and it’s really just a book of gossip. Nineteenth Century gossip, a lot of which is very convoluted considering at times I can’t tell who is talking, who they’re talking to and what they’re talking about. I do know that for a woman in this time period, walking in the rain is incredibly frowned upon. Also, Emma herself is a pretty great character. She’s an incredibly strong female (which is so nice after Wuthering Heights and the weak females in that book) who is amazingly flawed but also so sure of herself that you can’t help but root for her. Some of the other principal characters, however….well, once I figure out who they are, I’ll let you know.

M wrote a nice, inspiring entry to keep us motivated and help us finish the novel and it worked for me…for a while. After the last 30 pages I’ve read and the introduction of a pretty irritating character, I decided I needed another boost and I believe this little entry may have done it. So I shall continue to plow on through it because reading makes you smarter…right?

Until the next chapter…

Emma Motivation

brymol85 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:34:59 +0000

Because B and I are both struggling with getting in to Emma I am attempting to post an entry to inspire us, hopefully it works because we need all the help we can get!

Firstly, I would like to give my final thoughts on Wuthering Heights. I finished the book with mixed feelings. I thought that the story was ok…. The characters were all pretty terrible people, none with any redeeming qualities to speak of. I hated the weak leading females in the book and everyone left me with a bad taste in my mouth! I can’t say that I hated the book, because, all in all, it was amazing writing and told an interesting story. I just had a hard time getting in to it.

Now for Emma: Basically, what has been keeping me focused while reading Emma is the comparisons I try to make in my mind between Emma and Clueless. For those of you who do not know, the 1995 “classic” teenage movie Clueless is loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma. I find this comparison hilarious! If I were a huge Austen fan, I might be mad about the trivial film inspired by one of her classic pieces of literature. But, alas, I am not a huge Austen fan, so I just think it is funny. So here are a few photos to help B and me stay focused on the task. We are both around 100-150 pages in and are finding it difficult to continue.

the first two pics are of the copies of Emma I found in my library when I was looking for the book to check out. I had several options but these two caught my eye. the rest of the pictures are just ones that I found while browsing the internet for Emma and Jane Austen. Enjoy!

Happy Reading- M

http://www.ehow.com/how_2261805_compare-clueless-jane-austens-emma.html

Classics, Schmassics

brymol85 — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:15:22 +0000

My accomplice M and I took on this endeavor to further our literary knowledge (since we were never really assigned to read much of what we thought we should have in high school) and now I’m really wondering why…

Was it to feel stupid? To be utterly confused by the narrative? To look (and sometimes, feel) downright miserable while reading?

All of the above?

Really, I believe it was to see what all the fuss was about…to experience what we were missing. And it’s been a rough ride folks…at least for me. .Let’s start with the first book of our odyssey: Wuthering Heights. This novel threw me for a loop…and a few corkscrews. Like M, I’m not the biggest fan of the story within a story within a story within a story within a story within a story within a story concept. Especially when it’s as confusing as this novel. I often found myself asking “Who the hell is telling this part of the story and to who?” Again, like M, this could be an issue with my own intellect and not necessarily the book itself or Emily Bronte’s writing (which is incredibly old fashioned…maybe I’m just too much of a modern girl for this?). Oh, and one of the characters that may or not be telling the story may or may not be a ghost…color me befuddled.

Now onto a few things I did understand: Heathcliff and Catherine are downright miserable people and are (subconsciously?) bent on making everyone around them miserable too. Some may say “Oh, they are not, they’re just flawed,” but I say they’re absolutely wretched characters; and are both incredibly engaging. It’s astonishing the lengths they go to, especially that Heathcliff, to wreak havoc upon one another’s psyche particularly since they’re head over heels in love. Due to different social standings between the two, they’re not allowed to be together…

Right? That’s what I took from the monotonous prose anyway. Is there something else there that went over my head?

…Anyway, they marry other people, chaos and jealousy ensue. Harsh words and actions are exchanged. Children are birthed into this hateful world. People die and the ones that are left are just as miserable as I felt reading it. Now, after all that you may laugh at this, but I…liked it. After all the confusion, abhorrent behavior and tedious writing, it’s a good read. It may take a while, and for me it did but I think it was worth it…at least to be able to say “Yeah, I read that.”

On the other hand, I may not be able to say that about Emma. I may only be able to say “I got about halfway through it but looked and felt afflicted while reading it that I gave up.” But more on that later…

Until next time folks…

Wuthering

brymol85 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:15:47 +0000

So we started our reading adventure with Wuthering Heights. About 70 pages in at the moment and currently I am more impressed with the library copy of the book than the actual story itself. I’m not exactly a fan of the story within a story within a story concept. It gets really confusing for me especially when I am trying to read at 4:00am while working a graveyard shift. Now that I think about it, it is quite possible an issue with my intellect and not with the actual book. I will continue reading and hope that I gain enough smarts to enjoy this piece of literature.

Oh, and a note on the edition I am reading from: a magical, whimsical 1946 printing that looks as if it was written on a typewriter (amazing, I’m sold! partially because I own the greatest old typewriter ever). and the book also involves a collection of photographs and drawings that the editors decided to include, interspersed throughout. At times it is just a random picture of a house in England somewhere with a caption explaining that it may or may not have been the site of the actual Wuthering Heights! woohoo. Other times, it is little gems about the bronte family accompanied by sketches drawn by who knows….? Any who, enjoy this bronte portrait and my favorite quote so far:

” And I pray that he may break your neck : take him, and be damned, you beggarly interloper! . . . only afterwards show him what you are, imp of Satan – And take that; I hope he’ll kick out your brains!”

Happy Reading,

Hello world!

brymol85 — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:10:13 +0000