Page Turners

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-18T23:11:00.000+11:00

The blog is back!
UPDATED: 26 January.
Here are the first few books we're reading this year.

March

From the Amazon review

Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors, and continues profoundly to affect our character, attitudes, and dreams. Simon Winchester makes the Atlantic come vividly alive. Spanning the ocean’s story from its geological origins to the age of exploration—covering the Vikings, the Irish, the Basques, John Cabot, and Christopher Columbus in the north, and the Portuguese and the Spanish in the south—and from World War II battles to today’s struggles with pollution and overfishing, his narrative is epic, intimate, and awe inspiring. More than a mere history, this is an unforgettable journey of unprecedented scope by one of the most gifted writers in the English language.

April

From the Amazon review
After more than 30 years Anne Greves feels compelled to break her silence about her first lover, and a treacherous pursuit across Cambodia's killing fields... There are wounds that love cannot heal, and some mysteries too dangerous to know. Haunting, vivid, elegiac, The Disappeared is a tour de force; at once a battle cry and a piercing lamentation, for truth, for love.

May

From the Amazon review
In 1937 Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from "the good fight," For Whom the Bell Tolls. The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain, it tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal.

June --> War, by Sebastian Junger

July

From the Amazon review
When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, send for a boy orphan to help them out at the farm, they are in no way prepared for the error that will change their lives. The mistake takes the shape of Anne Shirley, a redheaded 11-year-old girl who can talk anyone under the table. Fortunately, her sunny nature and quirky imagination quickly win over her reluctant foster parents. Lucy Maud Montgomery's series of books about Anne have remained classics since the early 20th century. Her portrayal of this feminine yet independent spirit has given generations of girls a strong female role model, while offering a taste of another, milder time in history.

The Chrysalids - Hayley's review

2010-06-05T07:29:00.004+10:00

After having put a hold on 'The Chrysalids" at the library, I only was able to get my hands on the book after the meeting had already been and gone. However, since it was a relatively short book, I thought I would give it a go.

From the start, the book certainly piqued my interest. I am a sucker for books that have a sociological element to them, and so I wanted to know more about life after the 'tribulation' and how this would affect David.

While reading, I found myself thinking about how people tend to focus on the differences seen in one another rather than looking at the similarities, but also how these differences seem to engender such uneasiness in people. I think this was well reflected in David, who on the one hand appeared to be accepting, or at least understanding, of people's differences, but then could not bear to think about one of his fellow telepaths marrying someone who couldn't 'shape think'. He may have been the hero of the story, but he was essentially no different to the villains.

For me, this book felt like a response to communism. It was published during the time when McCarthyism was rife, and the Cold War was escalating, when people's fears were heightened. Although I had the feeling that Wyndham was trying to suggest that we should be accepting of others, the monologue from the woman from Sealand at the end of the book seemed to imply that some people/races are superior to others, and that is just a fact of life. Even now, this is giving me food for thought.

All in all, I found the book to be a bit too contrived. It was by no means subtle, lacked depth and felt rather laboured in places. This is not to say it wasn't a good read, but of all the books I have read that explore similar themes (which really numbers quite a lot), I would only rank this somewhere in the middle.

The Chrysalids - Ellen's review

2010-05-09T23:37:00.001+10:00

As stated below, The Chrysalids is a post-nuclear apocalypse story of genetic mutation in a devastated world and explores the lengths the intolerant will go to keep themselves pure.That sums the plot up rather well, actually. David is a telepath in a world (believed to be Labrador in Canada) where any deviation from normal is cast out. As a child, he witnesses this time and again (usually as the result of babies having extra marks, limbs, digits etc), and has the good sense to keep his talents -- and those of his fellow "thought-shapers" -- secret. Ultimately they are of course discovered, and in the course of being hunted down are rescued by a group of evolved humans for whom telepathy is normal . . .

I hadn't read The Chrysalids before, and found it an easily digestible and straightforward story that examines themes of belonging, power, fear, and evolution. There are even some parallels with Life of Pi -- here, the power of "story" in the form of the bible and other warped religious doctrine dictates all too literally who is considered "human" and who is not. Yet even in this environment, some characters, such as David's Uncle Axel, have the insight to question the idea of "normal" and acknowledge that elsewhere the idea of normal might actually be something rather different.

It seems to be accepted that the title, The Chrysalids, refers to the idea of metamorphosis -- I can only suppose from what we know as human into a telepathic race that can share thoughts almost to the point of becoming a hive mind. It seemes as though this evolution is not due to the radiation effects that cause the other mutations, but is rather the path humanity is destined to take. I base this assumption on the fact that most of the telepaths come from "Sealand" (New Zealand) where there doesn't appear to be too much radiation. Clearly, this new race considers themselves superior to the so-called savages of David's people.

While I enjoyed The Chrysalids enough to keep reading, I didn't love it. It certainly engaged me on an intellectual level, but I found it to be generally lacking in complexity, emotion and character depth. David narrates the story in a remarkably calm voice, even when bad things are happening, and always tells you something bad is going to happen before it does. As a result, I rarely felt "in the moment" and didn't really care much about any of the characters. Perhaps this is a characteristic of 1950s Science Fiction.

Currently reading . . .

2010-04-21T22:43:00.001+10:00

May's book is The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, Simone's choice.

The Chrysalids is a post-nuclear apocalypse story of genetic mutation in a devastated world and explores the lengths the intolerant will go to keep themselves pure.

My version is the orange penguin (187p). I selected the cover above out of many for the blog, because I think it's really pretty!

Thoughts on 'Pi' (part 1)

2010-04-06T21:53:00.000+10:00

In my mind, Life of Pi generated one of the better Page Turners discussions of late, despite there being only four of us present. As I am yet to finish the novel, I will hold my comments until I complete the experience (nearly there!), but I am very keen to record the thoughts of those who couldn't make the meeting, yet felt compelled to write their thoughts down. If anyone else has thoughts, please either post or send to me for posting!

Helen
What did I think? I think I got some of the point of the book. To start with I should mark the spot at which I stopped believing the "story" which was when he got off the lifeboat onto the floating island of seaweed and it was so big that it had palm trees growing on it. At that point I thought to myself...well now he is clearly hallucinating/dreaming. Which brings me to what I think is the point of the book at the end - how we all have different belief systems based on our experience/information/knowledge collected over a lifetime. I'm sure other readers will have stopped believing at a different point from me.

That's all well and good - and I did already know this (anyone who has done the Forum will know about filters) but I don't think I got much more out of it than that.

The other idea, that a story is more or less believable if it is more or less pallatable seems obvious - but I found the less nice story he told more believeable, is that the way everyone else felt?

With all the religion at the start, I'm guessing there is supposed to be some revelation about this at the end and I got nothing?!!Was it just trying to say that all religions have stories that are just metaphors and should not be interpreted as fact..or that the reason we have different religions is that people develop with different filters and need to find "their" explanation?

Really disappointed to miss this discussion as I was hoping this would reveal something for me.

Nat
I really enjoyed reading 'Life of Pi'. This was an interesting and well written book with quite a twist at the end.

I found the beginning of the book a bit drawn out and spent about the beginning quarter wondering when the story was going to start. I also found that the religious discussion over done and generally difficult to relate to. I found the interludes with the author injecting himself into the story confusing and detracting, particularly in the beginning.

The survival part of the story was riveting and, although I was under no illusions that it was true, was very well told. The imagery in the story was particularly well done. Some of my favourites:

Chapter 3: "deep pleasure of doing a stroke with increasing ease and speed, over and over, till hypnosis practically, the water turning from molten lead to liquid light" (I like this one because I'm a swimmer...)

Chapter 4: "it was a huge zoo... Now it's so small it fits in my head"

Chapter 25: "For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart."

Chapter 61: "I was sixteen years old, a harmless boy, bookish and religious" Actually, on reflection, I think this quote wins the irony award.

Chapter 82: "I ate like an animal, that this noisy, frantic, unchewing wolfing-down of mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate."

Chapter 92: "... strength and comfort seemed to be physically pouring into my system through my eyes."

Chapter 92: "I felt even my soul had been corroded by salt"

In the face of such beautiful phrasing, the whole overt religious mentions are coarse, unnecessary and I felt detracted from the story. I even thought in the early part of the book that he was kind of cynical about organised religion, viewing it as a competition between who had the better story. But maybe that was the point? That organised religion gets in the way of communing with G-d?

The humour was pretty good too and I guess important in such a sad story:

Chapter 3: "The porters... were... friendly in an ill-tempered way"

Chapter 34: "the paperwork involved in trading a shrew weighs more than an elephant, that the paperwork involved in trading an elephant weighs more than a whale, and that you must never try to trade a whale, never."

Chapter ??: "The only reason I didn't stand up and beat it [the hyena] off the lifeboat with a stick was lack of strength and a stick..."

Chapter 77: "I was at the mercy of turtle meat for smiles"

The part where he is waiting at the zoo for Mr Kumar and meets the other Mr Kumar is really very funny and extremely cleverly written, so you don't know throughout the entire exchange which one is speaking.

This is the sort of story that once you reach the end makes you want to go back to the beginning and read it again with different eyes. Magnificent choice.

Currently Reading . . .

2010-03-17T21:31:00.004+11:00

We are now reading Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, selected by Erin.

Wikipedia describes it as 'a factual adventure novel'.
Fantastic Fiction says: Life of Pi is a tale of disaster at sea. Both a boys' own adventure (for grown-ups) and a meditation on faith and the value of religious metaphor, it was one of the most extraordinary and original novels of 2002.

Hmmm. Get reading folks, because this one looks to be interesting!!

NOTE: Meeting is Wednesday 31 March, owing to Easter.

Midwives

2010-03-14T07:59:00.003+11:00

I imagine that for most people reading this book, they already have a stance on home births. From my perspective, I don't like the thought of having a child at home. I think this is mostly due to the fact that for an event as huge as giving birth, I personally would like to know that I have all bases covered for whatever might happen, and having a child at home just wouldn't provide me with that reassurance. So with this in mind, you would think that I read the book with a certain bias that would influence my feelings towards the main character, the midwife Sibyl. However, I am also one for weighing up the evidence before making decisions, and so I can imagine that if I was a member of the jury during the trial, I would also have ruled in her favour.

This book is a well written account of what happens in what is in effect a no-win situation. You have the scenario that if you don't do something two people may die, but make a choice to save one, and you potentially pay the consequences for losing the life of the other. Ask anyone to make a decision under the same circumstances, and I would expect that most people would opt for the choice Sibyl made, which I think was reflected in her trial. However, I can also see that on a different day, in a different courtroom, the verdict could also have gone against her.

With respect to the writing of this novel, Chris Bohjalian has done extremely well to relate the story from many perspectives - not only from that of Sibyl, but also her daughter as well as how one might feel to be a juror in her trial. I certainly could imagine how each party would have felt during the course of the events that took place. However, I found that the back story took up too much space, and that only the last third of the book (along with the home birth scene, of course) contained the crux of the story. But having said that, I greatly appreciate a story that makes me think, and this book certainly did that.

As for whether home births are as safe as those performed in a hospital, I think the jury is still out on that one. A recent documentary on Dutch TV blamed home births and late intervention practices for the high infant fatalities in the Netherlands compared to other Western countries. Since the Dutch healthcare system on the whole leaves a lot to be desired, I am not sure that the correlation is that simple. However, such a discussion may be best left for another time.

Currently Reading . . .

2010-02-11T22:53:00.003+11:00

A talented midwife is arrested for murder when she saves a baby by performing a Caesarean section once she believes the mother has died--only to have her assistant insist later that the woman was still very much alive. Told in the mesmerizing voice of the midwife's daughter, Midwives depicts the aftermath of the tragedy. (1997, 312 pages)

First book for the year is Emma's choice - MIDWIVES by Chris Bohjalian - although how she's going to find time to read with all this Trailwalking going on . . .

For those who are interested, there's a new blogger function that allows pages to be added to the blog, so I've added a more detailed reading list, which you can access via the link on the RHS side bar. I will update this as books are decided.

Currently reading . . .

2009-11-15T19:52:00.004+11:00

Last book for this year is a classic -- Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck. It's very very short, and widely available. Meeting will be on Thursday 3 December.

Currently Reading . . .

2009-10-04T23:03:00.002+11:00

This book is bound to split us right down the middle, between those who can't bear to see a classic tampered with, and those who appreciate the genius/humour/effort(?). . . . Or maybe some will just not like it?

Whichever camp you think you'll be in, don't forget to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies this month!

Necropolis

2009-10-04T22:57:00.002+11:00

The October Page Turners book for discussion was Necropolis (Book four of The Power of Five), by Anthony Horowitz. It's unashamedly YA (or younger) and targeted at boys. This is a relief, because if it were an adult novel with women as an intended audience, it failed dismally! (Most of us present were women, although I believe our male representative was of a similar overall opinion.)

For my part, I found the book a trifle dull. The characters were not that engaging, and the action not that exciting. Moreover, the YA writing style, which over-explained everything, as well as the omniscient point of view irritated me excessively.

I don't believe anyone in the group was particularly enthralled by it, and about the most interesting discussion topic was the difference between this, which clearly doesn't translate well for the adult reader, and other YA novels (such as Harry Potter, for example -- but there are many others), which do.

In addition, the morals of some of the lead characters were questioned (and the negative message this could leave with young, impressionable readers). Others also found the characters either dull, stupid or unlikeable. Hmmm, not too many positive vibes!

Currently reading . . .

2009-09-27T23:01:00.002+10:00

Currently we're reading Necropolis, by Anthony Horowitz, book four of the series, The Power of Five. Meeting this Thursday. See you then!

Possession: A Romance

2009-09-07T21:59:00.008+10:00

We discussed Possession: A Romance by A.S.Byatt last week. Of the six of us present, three had finished the book (including me!), one had nearly finished, one had read a small amount and seen the movie, and our host had seen the movie. (I too had seen the movie.)

It was a very weighty book to try to discuss in our usual time period of around an hour and a half, and as a result we jumped from topic to topic quite erratically as ideas formed and people bubbled over trying to express their opinions. I'm not sure how we would have coped with a larger group!

Somewhat inevitably, we discussed the poetry -- both in terms of how it was used to add atmosphere, texture and information, and whether it was necessary to read it all from end-to-end. I believe we were divided on that point. I personally found that experiencing the poems via the audio presentation was vastly easier and thus more enjoyable than reading them in the conventional manner, and I think the other audio listeners found this as well. And while it was certainly possible to enjoy the novel without reading them, I think they are an integral part of the whole and therefore enhanced the novel considerably. The bitterness of Mummy Possest gives great insight into Ash's feelings, for example. And those short, sad poems by Christabel left with Sabine's journal are also very revealing. (It was pointed out that most of the novel's complexity is derived from the poems, journals and letters. Without them you're left with little more than a slightly predictable plot hinged on coincidence!)

We also talked over several of the relationships -- Roland and Maud's is perhaps the central one for which the entire novel was declared an 'enormous foreplay' by one of our group. Certainly they spend an awfully long time getting to the point! In a podcast interview with Byatt she said that the novel had to end with Roland 'possessing' Maud to give the whole thing symmetry. She added that one of the sub-themes of the novel was exploring the effect overt 1980s feminism might have on a woman -- does it inhibit or enable? In Maud's case it was the former. Hence the waiting.

On the subject of the portrayal of academia, we discussed whether Roland's initial act of stealing the draft letters was reprehensible or not. I confess I lean a little to the side of not -- to my mind it's a bit like the proverbial tree in the forest. (i.e. if no-one knows they're there, does it actually matter?) Others thought the opposite! The discovery of the letters and the quest they engendered are for me at the heart of the story, and are what made me love the movie when I first saw it, which led me to select this book to read. Like Roland, like Maud, I wanted to know! I can clearly imagine the excitement they must have felt at such a momentous discovery!

Obviously we talked about all sorts of other things as well. I could go on about this novel for hours . . . about how I shared Roland's bereftness when all the others got in on the act and took the secret away from him and Maud . . . about how the plot relied a little too heavily on coincidence . . . about the fascinating characters of Leonora Stern and Beatrice Nest . . . about the various meanings of 'possession' and how they are explored . . . about the difference between feeling connected through words, as opposed to through artifacts . . .

As usual, my take on the novel is fairly analytical in terms of craft. I stand in awe of Byatt and her ability to create such a complex and convincing world -- she wrote all the Victorian poetry in two distinct voices, plus fairy tales, journal entries, letters etc in more voices again. Moreover, she says she wrote them in-situ, not after the fact, so they are integral building blocks of the story. But it's not just the poems. In fact, they might almost have been easy in comparison with all the other sources she created -- such as excerpts from Cropper's The great ventriloquist. This is replete with academic theory and analysis that sounds convincing enough to an ignoramus like me.

The novel is also rich with subtext and symbolism, and I'm sure I missed most of it. But for instance most of the characters are defined by colour -- Christabel (and Maud) is green because that's evidently the colour of fairies; Ellen Ash is white. I confess the colours were revealed to me in the podcast, so now I'll have to read it again to take more notice! (A very interesting thing Byatt said was that she sees novels in colours -- like an abstract painting -- and she can't write without knowing what colour it is . . .)

The final thing I am going to share is Byatt's inspiration for the novel. She was sitting in the British Museum library watching a Coleridge scholar pacing around the catalogues, and started wondering whether the woman had an original thought, or whether it was all the poet. Does he possess her, or does she possess him?

For those that are interested, here's the link to the podcast.

Here's a link to my (very different) post on Possession on Forge and Brew.

Amsterdam

2009-08-28T05:18:00.002+10:00

Sorry for my silence - it has been a crazy few months with work and moving house such that there just hasn't been much time to do anything else. However, in all of this, I did manage to read 'Amsterdam' by Ian McEwan. I was definitely intrigued by the title, living in NL, and was curious to see how Amsterdam would be incorporated into the story. Unfortunately, that seemed to be where the intrigue stopped.

I must be honest and say that I didn't get the story - did I miss something? From the first chapter, I did not feel any empathy towards the characters. They were not interesting, they were not people I think I would relate to, they certainly didn't make me want to find out what happened to them. And although I persisted, my feelings didn't change.

So when it came to the turn of events in Amsterdam, I was somewhat relieved. They were put out of their misery, and I felt relieved. And yet, I had a hard time believing that two 'friends' would go to such lengths? I can understand that the book was meant to be satirical, but a satire about what? Is this were I missed the point?

I would be very interested to know what others thought of the book, and perhaps to explain where I lost the plot (so to speak). Sadly, 'Amsterdam' has not intrigued me enough to want to read another McEwan novel.

i read a girl's book

2009-08-16T18:45:00.004+10:00

Brainspiked from too much young adult fiction, i went in search of something new to read... no wonder guys don't read. Apparently this is a widely acknowledged issue - guys don't read so nobody publishes stories that guys might like. No surprise then that the entire best sellers list on Amazon looks like some kind of Oprah book club nightmare designed to send male audiences straight back to their day jobs.

Anyway, limiting my time investment, i picked four books and placed an order. I knew "Bertie" would be a bit soft, but i wanted something for light reading on a plane. It's safe to say that it did discuss love and happiness far too much for my liking, but there were also some gems of literary construct to be found. The writing style deliberately adapting itself to suit the characters, but not in an obvious or patronising way. The emergence of a modern saint at a point coincident with the lament of their passing was possibly my favourite part of this story - that and the evil little girl Olive who dropped a line that still makes me laugh to think of it.

So yes i read a girl's book and i survived the journey. Please don't tell anybody i did it though. I promise you that i drank a lot of beer, went surfing twice, lifted a couple of heavy objects, changed the oil in my car and wrestled a bear whilst reading it.

Still i'd rather do that than read what passes for male fiction these days - apparently we are supposed to like murder mysteries with crass innuendo (plot optional). Whatever.

One final piece of small advice for the male reader (apparently there are three left in the southern hemisphere) - do not succumb to exhaustion and google "adult male fiction" - a lurid error to be made only once.

I suggest... "literature -young -adult -Oprah -Jane -Austen +please +anything +really? "

Currently Reading . . .

2009-08-05T00:14:00.002+10:00

The book for September is POSSESSION, by A.S.Byatt. Winner of 1990 Man Booker Prize.

If you haven't already started, get reading now, because it's >500 pages long!!

Another kids book for August

2009-07-11T23:22:00.001+10:00

On behalf of Louise

Currently Reading . . .

2009-07-07T22:28:00.004+10:00

For August we're reading children's books to children on Sunday 2 August. I tried to think of what my favourite picture book was as a child, but (unsurprisingly) can't remember back that far! So I've settled for a classic here.

Please everyone post a kids' book they remember or love from now or yesteryear.

PS. The book following is Possession by AS Byatt. Would recommend people start reading this now!

Currently reading . . .

2009-06-18T22:17:00.002+10:00

On that clear and stormless night following the days of plague and famine, a hundred thousand hungry creatures came out from their retreats to hunt for food. For eighteen hundred miles east and west and a thousand miles north and south, slim gaunt-bellied creatures hunted under the moon and the stars. Something told Kazan and Gray Wolf that this hunt was on, and never for an instant did they cease their vigilance. At last they lay down at the edge of the spruce thicket, and waited. Gray Wolf muzzled Kazan gently with her blind face.

currently reading . . .

2009-05-21T23:27:00.004+10:00

Meeting in 2 weeks!

May book (were reading)

2009-05-21T23:18:00.004+10:00

Nobody has blogged about this - how sad. I'm afraid I didn't manage to read it, but I believe people found it good . . .

Currently reading

2009-03-10T23:01:00.003+11:00

Into the Wild (2)

2009-03-10T22:57:00.004+11:00

I have 'reviewed' Into the Wild over at Forge & Brew. Will post some more personal thoughts here, plus sum up general comments from last week's meeting in a day or so . . .

Into the Wild (1)

2009-03-09T04:06:00.003+11:00

I saw the movie 'Into the Wild' last year some time, upon the recommendation of my brother. I remember thinking how tragic the story was, and so when the book was selected for the reading group, I was interested to see how close the movie was to the actual events. Of course, I knew that there wasn't going to be a happy ending, but I wondered how the author of the book would interpret the course of the events and perhaps shed some light on why Chris McCandless decided to embark on such an adventure. Although it is not entirely clear as to what were McCandless' motivations, I think the book did manage to give some insight into who McCandless was.

One may argue that his behaviour was the result of his upbringing - that the standards and expectations of his parents were what forced him to abandon his former life, to seek a less oppressive alternative. However, I never got that impression. The fact that McCandless was always somewhat of an outsider suggests that he had quite a different (unreal?) expectation of the world and society. It was mentioned several times in the book that he seemed almost naive in how he viewed the world, and I think that this particular trait was his undoing. From my perspective, I think McCandless was in actual fact trying to find himself and he chose to do this by isolating himself from others. I got the impression that he felt that he didn't want or need to live a 'normal' life - to interact with people, to have money or possessions - and could be self-sufficient without these elements of society. And so he embarked on a journey to test this hypothesis. However, this journey of self-exploration only resulted in the realisation that he was not meant to live (and die) alone.

But I think that that most of us go through a similar journey, albeit not to the same extreme. At some point, we question where we fit into society, and who are we as individuals. Sometimes, it is necessary to displace oneself from our own habitat in order to find out who we are - I can say that this was one of the reasons I left Australia. I wanted (needed) to put myself into different situations/enviroments to see how I would react. And by doing so, I learnt more about myself, and my limits, as well as what I wanted from myself and the people around me. Had I stayed in Australia, I may have also discovered this over time, but I do believe that the journey would have taken longer.

I thought it was interesting that the author of the book, Jon Krakauer, had undertaken similar adventures during his younger years. At first, I thought this was a bit egotistical, but after reading of his experiences in the context of McCandless story, I think it helped to give some perspective on McCandless' thought processes. Had McCandless survived his ordeal, I think he would have returned to civilisation and carried on life in a more or less 'normal' way.

A tragic yet thought provoking book, and one that I am sure I will read again, sometime.

Currently reading . . .

2009-02-08T17:11:00.003+11:00

Back into it

2009-02-08T16:49:00.004+11:00

It's hard to think about anything but bushfires today, but we have kicked off Page Turners for the year with a nice evening last Thursday. How long ago that seems already.

Most of us have had a relaxing summer with many books read, including:

All that happened at number 26 (Denise Scott)
People of the book (Geraldine Brooks)
Kushiel's Scion (Jacqueline Carey)
Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
The undomestic goddess (Sophie Kinsella)

. . . plus many more I'm sure! (Feel free to add any in the comments section.)

I'm compiling the 2009 reading list, with the first four identified. Stay tuned for more additions.

November: The God Delusion (1)

2008-11-21T02:56:00.004+11:00

It was an interesting read from a number of perspectives. I grew up attending our local Uniting Church and so I guess one might say I am a Christian. However, I have not really been to church since then (the odd wedding and funeral aside) and would be inclined to say that I am probably agnostic. In this regard, one might think that I would concur with Dawkins arguments - as potentially one of the choir - but throughout the book, I was continually finding ways to negate his arguments.

Does this mean that I am actually more religious than I thought? Or was it just that the way he expressed his arguments were in a way bating for a response? Indeed Dawkins' writing style struck me as arrogant and patronising, which did nothing to endear me to him. This also gave me the impression that he was no better (and potentially worse?) than the people he was referring to in the book. I also watched the BBC documentary that is based on 'The God Delusion', and one pastor even made such a comment after having been railroaded by Dawkins. This is the first of such books that I have read, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I can say that I was put off a lot by the tone.

In terms of what he was saying in his arguments, for the most part I agree. I recall even when I was attending church that I would often question (to myself) statements from the bible or the minister's sermon, and I think this played a big part in me moving away from religion. In my mind, evolution seems more rational, and that alone is enough to raise doubts about the presence of God. However, I believe that Dawkins fails to realise that not everyone thinks alike. Not everyone reasons in the same way, not everyone applies the same logic, and this results in a difference of opinion, whether it be of God and religion or another subject. Even when both sides present rational, logical arguments, sometimes one just has to agree to disagree.

OK, so I know that the 'facts' are in his favour here, and I do agree that there often seems to be more harm than good coming from religion, but there is a small part of me that thinks that the God idea is somewhat romantic (but not the fire and brimstone God). I used to have a similar fascination with ghosts in general - I just like the thought that there is more to life than what we have on earth. And I so like the idea of a teapot orbiting the sun. Being reduced to a statistic (as Dawkins kindly showed) is not romantic at all.

But something I was also wondering is if there is no God, would people find something/someone else to worship? I see how some people fixate on celebrities (singers, actors) and to some extent politicians and wonder if these are alternative idols. In such cases, the worship is often limited (until the person is no longer famous, or someone else comes along) but are we just looking for a hero (role model?) of sorts? In this regard, I do think that religion goes beyond the bible, and feel that in order to understand why people believe in God, we need to know why we worship idols.

October book - Parentonomics

2008-11-10T19:16:00.005+11:00

We're running a bit behind with posts here -- sorry guys! Once again, this is what I've posted over at Forge & Brew, with minor edits.

We read Parentonomics by Joshua Gans, husband of one of our group members, in September and discussed at our October meeting. I've delayed posting because I haven't quite finished the book. Somewhat unusually for me, I'm still reading it after the discussion. However, we had the second half of our discussion at last week's meeting, so it seems appropriate to post about it now. ( . . . Before I get into posting about the next book!)

Parentonomics is subtitled "An economist dad's parenting experiences" and is exactly that. Joshua is an economics professor at Melbourne Business School who has found himself applying many fundamental economics principles -- mainly in the form of incentive schemes -- in the rearing of his three children. He has a blog called game theorist (musings on economics and child rearing) which I understand has a large following, and it is this which generated the material for the book.

Not being a parent, I'm not a regular follower of the game theorist blog, although on the occasions I've visited I've found it an interesting and entertaining read. Parentonomics of course picks out all the best bits. Joshua has arranged hundreds of anecdotes, derived from both his own parenting experience and his wide reading, into themed sections and chapters that deal with issues such as toilet training, discipline, and even children's parties. His writing style is easy to read, humorous and insightful, while the way he (and in many cases his children) thinks is fascinating. I admit that knowing the family probably makes it more meaningful, but I think this is a book that most parents would enjoy. Joshua dwells on both the successes and failures of his economic gambits.

Our first group discussion was over a month ago now and I don't recall much of it. I think we found ourselves dwelling on our own childhoods and how they compared with Joshua's kids', and that we discussed whether there might be a long-term impact of raising kids using incentive schemes. Without exception, we all enjoyed reading the book, even those of us without kids.

At our most recent discussion, we went through some questions that N, "the children's mother", had put together. (She intentionally wasn't present at our first discussion.):

1. Did you find reading the book voyeuristic? If so, was it because you knew (some of) the characters?

Most of us present said that in a few parts, but not many, we had felt a little voyeuristic, but only because we knew the characters. The most notable for me were incidents related to childbirth. Othertimes I felt like I was getting to know the family even better.

2. Did the fact that none of the characters are named (other than the author) bother you, or interfere with the flow of the stories?

We all said no I think. In principle this is true, although I think that Joshua wasn't always consistent with his pseudonyms, which probably bothered me a little bit. We commented that N was always "the children's mother" instead of his wife, which we found interesting.

3. Do you think you learnt anything about economics?

Yes, a little. I think I always considered economics to be about $$ and money markets, but in fact money is just one kind of incentive.

4. Did you learn anything about parenting?

Reading about parenting experiences is bound to introduce new aspects of parenting I hadn't before considered. Parenting is hard (from all accounts) and it's not surprising that everyone tries different methods. Parentonomics introduces a different perspective that might work with some children, but probably not all.

5. Have you thought about what a sociological equivalent to the book would be like?

I believe we agreed that there were many such books out there.

6. Do you think it's inappropriate for an economist to publish a book about parenting, about which he is technically not qualified?

Joshua makes clear right at the beginning that this is not an advice book, and that his experiences are his alone. There is no law that says one has to be qualified to publish a book. So long as there are people out there who want to read it, and a publisher who wants to publish it, it's fine!

7. Did the combination of stories about the authors children interspersed with his research work well as a narrative?

I thought so. However, I think most of us said the anecdotes about his kids were the most entertaining and interesting. I made the comment that I felt the book owed a lot to the personalities of the first two children, and the eldest in particular. Maybe it's just the slant Joshua casts upon them, but the way they think and act seems remarkable. But perhaps all kids are remarkable but it's not documented! (I understand child #3, who was very young for much of the time covered by this book, will be featured much more prominently should there be a sequel!)

8. For those who don't have children: did you find it difficult to relate to the stories?

We said no, we had all been kids once and many of us had nieces and nephews. As I said before, we spent considerable time at the original meeting reminiscing about our own childhoods.

To sum up, it was an interesting experience reading and discussing a book written by someone I know socially (as opposed to knowing someone from the SF community). Especially something that boils down to a fairly personal account of family life. There's some intriguing stuff in there. And some smart kids.

Currently reading . . .

2008-10-16T22:57:00.002+11:00

This month we're reading The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins. And doesn't it pack a punch‽ I imagine this book would be very confronting for many people. But more on that after the 6 Nov discussion . . .

As for a post on Parentonomics, our October book -- I haven't forgotten. Will post on this soon.

Blindness by Jose Saramago

2008-10-07T01:31:00.002+11:00

This month, I took the liberty to read something different, since I wasn't going to be able to get a copy of Parentonomics in time. A month or so ago, I saw a preview for a movie called 'Blindness' where there is an epidemic of a contagion that causes blindness. I was intrigued by the plot, only to later discover that it is a book by Jose Saramago, a Portugese writer who received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1998. By coincidence, a friend of mine had a copy of the book, so I jumped at the opportunity to read it.

From the first page, I was completely drawn into the story, which begins with a man going blind while waiting in his car for the traffic lights to turn green. At this stage, it is not known that the blindness is contagious, and someone offers to take him home. Later, his wife takes him to the eye doctor, who is stumped by this man's condition. Only later, when the doctor himself goes blind, does he realise that this could be a potentially serious situation. In the attempt to contain the contagion, those that are afflicted are quarantined in an empty mental institution. And there, the real story begins.

Imagine a society where everyone is blind. Imagine having to fend for oneself without being able to see, and without any support. Saramago's novel depicts this situation, and in essence, the breakdown of society under such conditions. Those that are quarantined are ostracised. Those that are still able to see are scared of getting to close for fear of going blind. But how does one clean oneself, feed oneself and take care of ones wellbeing without external help? Let me just say that the consequences are not pretty.

Saramago's novel is one of extremely powerful imagery, almost frighteningly realistic. He initially seems to suggest that we are just one major disaster away from chaos. But is this a fair assumption? If we lived in a society without laws, without a governing body, would this lead to chaos? As the novel progresses, there is a change in the behaviour of people. By the end, there is almost an acceptance of the situation, which results in a different sort of social awareness and order. The blind have adapted to their limitations, and although it is not life as we know it, there is civility amongst the people. This seems to imply that people are to a certain extent malleable - that no matter what is thrown at us, society will always adapt. Does this mean that after any type of social disruption that ultimately some sort of order will be achieved?

Saramago's style of writing is unusual, and in many cases difficult to follow. No one has a name and is referred to by a defining feature (the first blind man, the girl with the dark glasses, the thief, the doctor's wife). There is also a overwhelming lack of punctuation, sometimes making it difficult to know who is talking to whom, with sentences often as long as paragraphs. But these aspects of the book intrigued me, as it was mentioned in the book, how do you put a face to a name when you can't see the face?

When I consider the books that I have read over the past year, many have touched upon this theme of social breakdown. I seem to have a fascination for reading about people who have been taken out of their normal environment, and seeing how they cope with change. I wonder what this says about me?

2008-09-28T23:17:00.002+10:00

Some inspiration for the current read...

The Kite Runner (3)

2008-09-08T00:28:00.002+10:00

Much of what I have to say has already been mentioned by Ellen and Kate, but here is what I sent to Allyson...

I actually finished 'The Kite Runner' a few weeks ago, having made an early start but also since I found it to be quite an easy read. I must admit that I also watched the movie when I was only about half way through the book. Of course this gave away the ending, but I was surprised at how close the movie followed the book. This only spurred me to finish the book faster, to see if the plot lines were indeed the same.

For me, the story of Amir and Hassan was incidental. I found it to be cliched and highly predictable, and in that regard, I was not particularly moved by their story. However, what I really enjoyed was the insight into life in Afghanistan. I knew (know?) very little about Afghanistan and Afghani culture and history, and so it was nice to be able to get a better feel for life there, both prior the the coup and Russian invasion as well as the situation under the Taliban rule.

I got the impression that in the early 1970's that life was on the whole good and that there was to some extent freedom and choice (at least for the Pashtuns). To me, the tradition of the kite flying symbolised this freedom. However, you also got the feeling that there was a dissidence towards the ethnic groups that at some point was going to explode.

From the book, it seems that the Afghans are very proud people, and I think that this was reflected most in the behaviour of the Afghans in California. I can really imagine that a general would dress up in a suit each and every day, in preparation for an immediate return to Afghanistan should his country request him to do so. Also that there was still a strong sense and respect of cultural beliefs, even when in a foreign country. It was these aspects that I enjoyed most about the book.

One thing that I noticed, however, was that the imagery of Amir's childhood and life in California was very vivid. But when he returned to Afghanistan, the description of the country in its present state did not seem to have the same impact. The book was published in 2003 but it was only in 2007 that Khaled Hosseini returned to Afghanistan after he and his family left in 1976. I can imagine that Hosseini was able to draw on his own personal experience when describing Amir's childhood and his life in the USA. But with no first hand experience of life in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, there was no personal reference. I think this lack of first hand experience of the Afghanistan under Taliban rule was reflected in his writing.

September: The Kite Runner (2)

2008-09-06T21:49:00.003+10:00

This is more or less the same as my post on forge&brew.

In the end, I decided not to read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for most of the reasons outlined in an earlier (different) post on forge&brew. I didn't like the writing style (I found the author manipulative, which kept pulling me out of the novel). I didn't like the main character. The plot seemed trite and predictable and convenient. I would have liked to keep reading in order to hear more about Afghanistan, but I just couldn't make myself pick up the book or headphones. (For the latter, I blame Jane Eyre in many respects.)

Consequently, I forced myself to watch the movie the night before our meeting last Thursday, so that I might have some idea of the conversation. However, I tried not to say too much, because of my excessively negative reaction to this book. I thought the movie was OK. It did make me cry in a few sections, but it didn't make me wish I had persevered and read the book.

So I'm not going to go on here any more about what I didn't like. Instead I am going to summarise some of things discussed by the group, because I took notes.

One of the things many got out of the book was insight into the world of Afghanistan, past and present. Certainly the author portrayed a seemingly authentic picture of the Kabul he lived in as a child, including lots of detail about the various classes and the sport of kite fighting. We did wonder, however, about the authenticity of Afghanistan under the Taliban, given the author did not return himself until after the book was published. Nevertheless, all agreed it was a fascinating insight into that part of the world.

Inevitably, we talked a lot about Amir as well. Most seemed to agree he wasn't a nice person as a child, but thought it was a product of upbringing and culture. Owing to his difficult relationship with his father, Amir had a lack of role models. But does that justify the terrible way he treated Hassan in this book? And can you be redeemed for that? Someone argued that it was often better not to like the main character in a book, because antiheroes are more interesting. Well, I disagree with that. I need to be able to connect to the main character, not despise them. Flaws are essential, but there are limits.

Some felt the story was more about Amir as a character, and his inability to grow up because of the shadow cast by his father.

Interestingly (and possibly catalysed by my comments) others brought up the question of whether or not Hosseini is a good writer. Most seemed to think not, but in most cases their experience wasn't destroyed as mine was. They responded to his ability to generate emotion in readers -- and certainly he did that.

The relationship between Amir and Hassan as boys is pivotal to the story. Essentially they are friends, but it's a very unequal relationship, with Amir brought up wealthy and privileged, able to read and write, of a class that was respected. Hassan, on the other hand, was from a discriminated race and brought up as a servant. Yet he gives Amir an unswerving loyalty and devotion that I found really hard to take.

During the course of our meeting, the picture book called The Giving Tree was raised. This is a book about a tree that gives every part of itself to a boy over his lifetime as he grows into an old man. In the end, the tree is no more than a stump, yet it still gives of itself to provide a seat for the old man's weary bones. When I read this book, as I stood in a bookshop, I wept and then I hated that such a book was targeted at children. No relationship should ever be that unequal. And when the book was mentioned by chance in our meeting, I instantly felt it exemplified the level of giving Hassan showed Amir. How do some people end up being able to take take take and never give?

To sum up, just about everyone either liked or loved this book -- 6 out of 8 present had read it. The main positives seemed to be the descriptions of Afghanistan, and the depiction of just how shifty some people can be!

September: The Kite Runner (1)

2008-09-06T20:48:00.001+10:00

Here are Kate's thoughts:

This is one of my top five books this decade. It explores so many issues in a moving and gripping way. Perhaps it's a bit formulaic and predictable, but it was the first time in a long time that I was sucked into a book and read it quickly. Incidentally, I didn't think its structure was formulaic and I did enjoy the flashback style.

The existential and spiritual issues raised in this book, interwoven with snippets about pre-and post-occupation Afghanistan, made for fascinating reading. I was particularly moved by the themes of guilt and making amends, although I thought that Amir's opportunity to make amends by caring for Hassan's son was a bit convenient. More often is the case that we don't have a chance to make amends with those we have wronged.

There wasn't much about this book that I didn't like. I enjoyed reading about the complex friendship between the two young boys. Amir writes about his child self in an almost loving and sympathetic way, knowing that such a young boy would be very conflicted by the complexity of their relationship. I enjoyed learning about a sport that is clearly a vital part of Afghan culture. I was interested to read that Afghani winter holidays are like the Western world's summer holidays. I liked the descriptions of traditional food. I found hope in reading about a man who had migrated to the US and who could see and silently scorn the oppression of women in his homeland. I sympathised with returning to one's place of upbringing and not finding anything as it had been.

Because I enjoyed the book so much, I have actually chosen not to see the movie. My experience is that I'm usually disappointed by movie adaptations of books, and I prefer to have Hassan and Amir live in my mind the way I imagine them. Although I read this book months ago, I still have very vivid images in my mind, which I like to take out and examine every now and again.
06 September, 2008

Currently Reading

2008-09-06T19:11:00.005+10:00

'Parentonomics' by Joshua Gans is going to be the book for October. I promise to get some topics for discussion from the author before he flits off to the US.

In the mean time, you can read all about the book on www.parentonomics.com and see the video of Principles of Economics using examples from the book at www.mbs.edu/go/episode/economic-lessons-from-parenting

As this book is currently only published in Australia I shall investigate the best way for our overseas members to get a copy.

I can't remember who agreed to lead the discussion... anyone put up their hand?

Sense of Obligation

2008-08-30T01:29:00.002+10:00

As a member of a reading group, should one feel obliged to read the books? This is a question that I have thought about from time to time, often when I am struggling to get through a book. But I think that in order to really answer this question, it is necessary to consider a number of issues. First of all, what is the intention of the reading group? Is it just an excuse to get together? (I do believe that many groups are often a guise for social get togethers, recalling the 'Melrose Place' nights that I used to attend that were more or less an excuse to eat pizza, drink wine and gossip!). Or is it an opportunity to be exposed to books of different authors and genres that one otherwise might never have read (broaden one's horizons)? Alternatively, does one look at reading groups from a more academic perspective, using it as an opportunity to develop critical reading skills (ha, yeah right!)? I can imagine though that different groups will have a different objectives, but most will probably see it as a combination of the first two. In this case, most members are committed to reading the selected books, and will probably make a good effort to read somewhere between 50 and 80%. However, having picked up a book and started reading it, is there an obligation to finish it? This again is probably dependent on a number of factors. Excluding time limitations, I guess the main reasons for not wanting to finish a book could be based on moral grounds (that the book repulses you, for example) or that you are finding it hard going (whether the plot disinterests you, or that it is too wordy etc). Should one be expected to put these issues aside and continue with the book? This, of course, very much comes down to individual preference. I would not want anyone to read a book that they found personally confronting. However, in my opinion, the books that are hard going are worth persisting with. Why do I say this? Because I believe that this can also play an important part in the eventual discussion of the book. Although it is great when everyone enjoys the book and is full of enthusiasm during the discussion (particularly when you are the one who has chosen the book), differences of opinion can often make for more interesting discussions. I think that it is often not what was good about the book that is of interest, but rather what was not so good. In this case, a difference of opinion can raise some interesting issues that one might not have otherwise thought about. I was looking at some of the 'objectives' of different reading groups and came across one that suggested that there is a difference between a 'good read' and a 'good book for discussion'. I would even go so far to suggest that there is a difference in reading for pleasure and reading for a book club. But, don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that we should only choose 'difficult' books to read, and be forced to read them. But I do think that once in a while, it can be good (possibly even character building? (no pun intended ;)) to finish a book that you don't particularly enjoy.

Intepreter Of Maladies (4)

2008-08-26T22:20:00.007+10:00

This one's been kind of beaten up already, but I'll add some thoughts anyway.

In a nutshell... it made me think of Buddhist statues.

Probably not Pulitzer Prize worthy, I definitely enjoyed discussing this one more than I enjoyed reading it. I feel that I read too much into the theme of these stories; taking the concept of "interpreter of maladies" as being the reader - the author presents people and their situations without critique, constructing a basis of information upon which we make our own judgements. I took the shallow character engagement as a deliberate treatment so as to not lead the reader to a particular point of view.

I found the values and themes of the stories to be quite foreign to my personal life experience (I'm not referring to the cultural sense). This seemed somewhat at odds with the interpretation that most readers had whereby they saw the stories as everyday human events. I nearly gave up on the book at one point for this very reason.

There's not much value in going down to the level of individual story reviews, but it was whilst reading "This Blessed House" that I started thinking about cultural heritage and the responsibilities of preservation (i.e. who is responsible for preserving the cultural history of one since passed?). I knew I was meandering to a tangent for I doubt this was an intentional theme of the author; although it was alluded to in the Intepreter Of Maladies story (where I knew trouble was brewing the moment they mentioned monkeys - cheeky little things they are). A number of years ago I was terribly angered when Taliban forces destroyed ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan and my mental wanderings took me back to that memory.

Another theme of "This Blessed House" was that of the futile rage of ineffective masculinity, but of course I don't really know anything about that :-)

Like previous posts mention, the short story idea was a refreshing change and I learned a key lesson from these tales...

"You shouldn't judge people based on where they live, that's what they do in Russia"

The two little black dots near the bottom (central) are people sitting down.

Currently reading . . .

2008-08-23T22:27:00.002+10:00

August: Interpreter of Maladies (3)

2008-08-20T23:24:00.002+10:00

This is a slightly edited version of my post on Forge & Brew from 10 August.

I read five of the nine stories in Jhumpa Lahiri's collection. I found them an enjoyable and easy read, filled with interesting insights into Indian culture, as well as human character in general. However, on the downside, I found them all quite similar in tone if not subject matter, and my emotional engagement with the character was more or less non-existent.

We talked in the meeting about the latter point quite a bit. One point raised was that perhaps the emotional distance was intentional, so that the reader might place his/her own interpretation on events as they unfold (in keeping with the title of the collection). Someone else postulated that the distance reflected Indian culture.

I am certain that the distance was intentional, but whether for these or another reason I'm not sure. Whatever the reason, it did influence my overall enjoyment of the stories. As a reader, I really like to get into the head of characters and feel a close emotional connection. But with these stories, that didn't happen at all. It may have been partly to do with the fact that characters were often referred to as Mr or Mrs . . ., even the viewpoint character. And even those few stories written in first person had the narrator act as an observer, without really engaging in the plot. In some cases, these viewpoint characters were children.

Another element we discussed was the style of ending featured in these stories. Coming from a SF background, I expect momentous revelation, unpredictable twists, but these stories seemed to just peter out with a whimper. In fact, in many there was no clear story goal or conflict etc. Certainly they carried you through in an engaging manner, but it's hard to say what was doing the pulling. And the endings did seem to fade away. At best they could be described as reflective, poignant. Why is this acceptable in a Pulitzer prize winning collection and not in a SF short story?

I believe we also discussed the Pulitzer prizeworthiness of the collection. I thought the writing itself, which some described as being 'simple', as being beautiful in its simplicity. Really elegant and transparent, an effortless read. Some attributed the emotional distance to the simplicity of the language, but I don't think it was that at all.

In general, people seemed to have read at least half the stories and have enjoyed them, and I think all agreed that it was good to have read and discussed a book of short stories as a change.

Interpreter of Maladies - Hayley's thoughts

2008-08-11T01:19:00.001+10:00

I managed to pick up a copy of the book from the library, and immediately from reading the first line of the blurb on the back of the book, I was intrigued.

'Jhumpa Lahiri's elegant stories tell the lives of Indians in exile, of people navigating between the strict traditions they've inherited and the baffling New World they must encounter every day.'

I have seen Indian friends of mine go through similar types of situations, and so I was looking forward to seeing how Lahiri would portray this in her stories. However, I shouldn't read a book with preconceived expectations, as it always seems to let me down. These short stories were easy to read and entertaining, but for me, they didn't always capture the emotion that I was expecting. I could not connect to many of the characters, and I think that this is partly due to the way Lahiri portrayed them. Her writing style is almost distant, as though she is observing these people from afar. As a result, I found that the characters seemed to lack personality and I found myself feeling emotionally detached from them. I am not sure if this was somewhat intentional, as a means of highlighting their isolation. I have my doubts.

As for being stories of Indians in exile, in some cases I thought that the stories could have applied to almost anyone (A Temporary Matter, Sexy and This Blessed House, for example). Just change the name, and you could equally imagine very similar situations taking place almost anywhere in the world. There are cultural differences in the way people cope with being away from their own country, and Lahiri didn't always captured this in her stories.

For me, the best story was 'Mrs Sen's'. I could really image how isolated Mrs Sen must have felt, by not having her support network, and the comforts of home around her. There is also a difference in how people cope with living away from home, depending on whether they chose to leave, or were more or less forced to move away. In my experience, my female Indian friends who moved to another country to be with their husbands seem to have the most difficulty adjusting. When you chose to move to a new place, you mentally and emotionally prepare yourself for the experience and you are usually willing to invest the energy to make it work. The same does not always apply to those who are displaced for other reasons (which includes for a partner and employment reasons).

After reading the book, it did surprise me that it was awarded the Pulitzer prize. Although nicely written, I think that there are other similar types of books that are better at depicting the lives of outsiders. I was perusing the reviews on Amazon, many of which seem to suggest that Lahiri had hit on a fashionable topic - Indians living in the USA. The skeptic in me would tend to agree.

Currently reading . . .

2008-07-25T19:17:00.001+10:00

Next meeting is Thursday 7 August.

July: The Drowned World (3)

2008-07-07T22:56:00.001+10:00

Although I did finish, the book, I must say that I wasn't particularly grabbed by it. I found the plot to be difficult to follow at times. I am not sure why - maybe I was just distracted by other things while reading, but I also think that the writing style was a bit clumsy. I think at times, I was also just not all that interested in the characters, and so that there was not a strong incentive for me to want to read on to find out what happened to them.

Part of the problem may also have been that I think I was expecting that the plot would be different. I was hoping that it might be set in a period of time that was probably about 50 years prior to when the story took place. I wanted to read about how people were coping with the rising temperatures, the melting of the polar ice caps, and a world that was tropical. I wanted to know if they felt any guilt towards the climate change, whether they felt they were responsible or not. However, they seemed to be past that point, and had accepted their tropical environment or at least to a level at which they were (physically) coping. Having said that, the book was showing how people cope with change, but more in the sense of they themselves reverting to primal instincts, which was actually quite interesting.

Before Allyson sent her message, I had also thought that the book was quite similar in subject to that of 'Lord of the Flies', showing the breakdown of society. However, because the social interactions in 'The Drowned World' were tenuous to begin with, the demise of society in this book had less of an impact on me that it did in 'Lord of the Flies'. Overall, I thought that there were a lot of interesting ideas that never seemed to be fully developed. In particular, I had also thought that there would be more development of the vivid dreams that Kerans and Miss Dahl experienced - they seemed to become a secondary issue, unless of course, the dreams became reality...

July: The Drowned World (2)

2008-07-06T11:52:00.004+10:00

The Drowned World is a 1963 Science Fiction novel by JG Ballard, an English writer who was born and raised in Shanghai. It's set in a world where solar flares/radiation have caused dramatic climate change leading to the melting of the polar ice caps. The seas have risen, coastlines have changed owing to massive silt deposits, and tropical jungles have encroached further and further north/south.

Dr Robert Kerans is a scientist attached to a military team based in one of the abandoned 'drowned' cities. He is living in the penthouse suite of the Ritz hotel -- it and all other buildings are sunk into the jungle up to around the 7th floor. He's having a relationship with a woman, Beatrice Dahl, who didn't evacuate, and despite a military order for the whole entourage to leave for the north, he decides to remain behind with her (although not for romantic reasons) and his fellow scientist, Dr Bodkin. Before the military leave, one of their pilots, Hardman, goes crazy and escapes south to where the radiation is dangerously high, and Kerans find himself empathising with this. Some weeks later, a group of scavengers led by the unpredictable Strangman, who keeps a flock of sentinel crocodiles, arrives to shake everything up. In the very end, Kerans finds himself on his own crazy journey south, seeking paradise.

In truth, the storyline is very difficult to describe. Just about every character has 'gone troppo', owing to the searing temperatures they're experiencing. The writing is extremely circular, making it difficult to make sense of anything, a feature we decided was intentional. This was not a book to rush through. There are many layers of meaning, although I confess not all of them were apparent to me!

One key theme of the book was the idea of regression of civilisation. This was not limited to social aspects, although these were rife. The Drowned World, being Sci-Fi, actually played with the idea of physical regression/transmutation/evolution, to the point that flora and fauna reminiscent of the Triassic period had emerged as dominant, plus (possibly) the devolution of humans with the formation of gills etc. Part of this involved the idea of cellular memory and a collective consciousness -- as the characters went crazy, they all started having the same dream.

As I said earlier, we had an animated discussion about this book, because there is an awful lot to interpret and different people saw different things in it.

From my personal point of view, I respect the book more having had our discussion. I finished the book frustrated, having just 'not got it'. I didn't understand any of the character motivations, felt no emotion from any of them, and found the writing style pretentious to the max. It just didn't hit any of my buttons and I didn't care what happened.

This made me ponder the well-coined phrase: "Science Fiction is literature of the mind; Fantasy is literature of the heart".

This is most definitely a 'mind' novel, which is not where I usually choose to read. However, after hearing what other people got out of it, and being exposed to different interpretations, I get more out of it as well. It's a classic case of feeling enriched after a group discussion. There is a lot in this book if one chooses to take the slightly mad journey!

July: The Drowned World (1)

2008-07-04T00:11:00.004+10:00

Good turnout for this evening's meeting -- there were 10 of us, including our host. I counted five who had finished the book. JG Ballard's dystopian Science-Fiction novel inspired rather an animated discussion, which I will describe in a day or so.

Of the members who couldn't attend, Allyson sent the following comment for starters:

Quite relevant in today's climate - no pun intended. Interesting concept about how the world was able to de-volve so quickly to its prehistoric status. Also, I found myself skipping over the 'fight' between our hero (name escapes me) and Strangeman's crew (where they tied him up and put a mask on him.) Too reminiscent of Lord of the Flies for my liking.

Currently Reading . . .

2008-06-23T23:48:00.001+10:00

Next meeting is Thursday 3 July.

My thoughts on Buffy and Angel

2008-06-07T00:30:00.002+10:00

Although I found some of the Buffy and Angel comics in the local comic book shop (we have one just on our street actually), I was not able to find the numbers that were chosen. In the end, I downloaded them and just finished reading them with a very cool program called ComicBookLover (runs on Mac OSX). I must say, I was quite impressed by this program as it was very easy to use and handled both the page views and turning the page very nicely. Would highly recommend it for comic lovers alike.

But returning back to the books. Having only watched Buffy sporadically, and I am not sure that I ever saw Angel, I only had extremely vague recollections of what happened at the end of the Buffy series. So to then read the comic that takes place after the end of the TV series, I must say it was not all that easy to follow. I had to recall who was who and yet even then, I wasn't sure how all the characters ended up in the later stages of the series. So plot-wise, I was a bit lost.

I also have to admit that I haven't read many comic books in recent years, but it was fun to read these ones. I liked very much the tone of the writing, with the odd sarcastic comment or joke thrown in for good measure. I recall that Buffy was one for seeing the lighter side of things in the series, so it was nice to see that this element was continued in the comic. It seemed to me, however, that the Angel comic was much more darker, both in the images and the plot, compared to the Buffy comic. As I mentioned, I never saw the TV series of Angel, but if I remember correctly, it also seemed to be darker than Buffy. Is this indeed the case, or am I just imaging things? In that regard, is Buffy meant to appeal more to a female audience and Angel to men?

Buffy and Angel live on through graphic novels

2008-06-06T00:08:00.000+10:00

Let's kick off this blog with a discussion about the two graphic novels we've just read:

Buffy the vampire slayer: The Long Way Home (Season 8, Volume 1)

Angel: After the Fall

I have just blogged about this over at Forge&Brew.

Thoughts anyone?