"Testing 123..." "Anything but that."
Dec. 6th, 2010 12:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisSo I may have just figured out Dreamwidth settings yet. Bear with me here.
Ok, so. LJ's current topic of the day is "What Is The Best Book Of The Year?" It revealed some things about me, like the fact that I am more of a book snob than I thought. I always thought I was a pretty easy person when it comes to books. I read chick lit occasionally. I even read ye olde gothic romances from like, the 60s for the lulz. But seriously? Seeing people list 'this book' as the best book = instant rage. I was pretty much capslocking at the screen, mentally going WHAT THE FUCK? HOW CAN YOU SAY 'THAT BOOK' IS GOOD? IT WAS INSIPID! IT WAS PATHETIC AND NOW YOU ARE PATHETIC FOR PROCLAIMING THIS STEAMING PILE OF SHIT AS SOMETHING WORTHY OF READING, LET ALONE THE BEST THING YOU HAVE READ THIS YEAR.
I may have to just stop reading the topic at this point. If I see anything by Cassandra Clare or Smeyer there, I think I will have to throw things. It just has to be done. Guys, every time you praise pathetic couldn't-write-their-way-out-of-a-paper-bag authors Smyer or Cassandra Clare, kittens die. It's just a fact of life.
Usually I would wait until the rest of the month is done to post the "best of", but if anything else pings, I'll just add it along. I'm not even sure I'll make it through The Wind Up Bird Chronicle before the end of the year, given it's 21 disks and it hasn't even come yet.
Lady Susan and Love and Freindship by Jane Austen.
These are two of the more ignored parts in the canon of Jane Austen, and it's a shame to simply let them by because they're part of the Juvenalia. Lady Susan features a ManipulativeBitch VillainProtagonst so charming, you almost want her to get her way. Love and Freindship is a parody of the melodramatic novels of the time. Unlike the more muted, sly humor of later novels, I found it sidesplittingly funny. It's also a nice point for the critics who label all of Austen's work the same, and a good (albeit short in both cases) read.
How I Write by Janet Evanovitch and Ina Yalof.
Despite my current growing disillusionment with the author herself, this is without a doubt, one of the most concise and useful writing books which I've come across. It doesn't have the dangerous, You Must Write This Way some of the writer's help books have, and the resources and advice were very useful without being intrusive. It was funny, down to earth, and quite readable, despite being nonfiction. Even if you don't like author's how-to books, or are familiar with the author, I'd advise this one for having good sense and resources.
Vilette by Charlotte Bronte
I am apparently a whore for the Bronte sisters, or at least Charlotte. I've still to read Wuthering Heights, because the reading was atrocious. This is such a deep, multilayered book. People who you thought were monsters turn out to be far better than you thought, old lovers reunite, people who seemed nice turn out to be wolves...it's just a very enthralling, epic book. Of course, it's YMMV because some people hate the Bronte sisters and some people love them, but I seem to be very much in the 'love' category, esp for Charlotte. Also, keep your French dictionary handy because some of the cast speak almost exclusively in French without annotations or translations, at least not in my version.
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.
Creepy ghost story with a seriously unreliable narrator? Sign me up! This is the kind of book that will having you going WAIT, WHAT? And then going over every little detail in your mind to realize, son of a bitch, that did just happen. It's a bit slow going, but I found it worth it.
Weight by Jeanette Winterson
I can never read the story of Atlas and Hercules again without thinking of Winterson's reinterpretation. It's a beautiful tale, retold originally, in a succinct and emotional way.
World Famous Love Acts and Lost Sons by Brian Leung
Leung should be mandatory in the curriculum of how to effectively write a short story. He has this way of closing that even if not everything was resolved, it felt like it had closure and a meaningful ending. Lost Sons is a follow up novel, which continues on the fate of a lot of the characters from World Famous Love Acts. The title story in particular was a stellar look at a couple whose genders are never revealed going on a last trip when they know they're about to break up. The stories generally fall into the same feel of being bathed in melancholy, unease, regret and the inability to even find a place in the world. And yet, Leung is able to craft them so they didn't feel tired and hackneyed, even with the same subject matter again and again. I'd love to see more work from him, because he is extremely talented.
(On a side note, I bought a book from him on ebay, and he's totally nice.)
Scott Pilgrim comics.
Another "everyone else had said it better" thing. They're fun and funny, have copious amounts of video game references, and are just plain awesome.
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (audio)
I love Moore in general. He is the shit and is fucking hilarious. However, A Dirty Job combines that hilariousness with a fantastic plot, and some really memorable characters to make it more than just a funny book and to a damn fine book.
Incantation by Alice Hoffman (audio)
The story is a poetic take on the inquisition, as Estrella finds out she is Esther. It's slated as YA, but is so horrific and mature, I'd say any lower than 15 would probably be scarred with memories at the last burning scenes.
I think this is an example of Hoffman at her best. Lyrical, heartbreaking, horrifying and one of the most memorable reads I've come across.
The flaneur : a stroll through the paradoxes of Paris / Edmund White.
Some of the most useful and concise nonfiction on the subject I've encountered. Also a pretty enjoyable read, for nonfiction. I've even considered buying it just as a reference for writing, and that's saying something.
Hallucinating Foucault by Ducker
Oh man, this book. This book. Ok so, it's about a boy's accidental burgeoning love affair with Paul Michel, which is actually a love triangle with Foucault, because he suspects all of Michel's work was like, coded love letters to Foucault. It starts out slow and has some moments of nigh I mpossible coincidence. However, despite this, by the time you meet Michel, it was as if I couldn't put it down. If there hadn't been delicious cookies and milk, I probably would've just read until my eyeballs ached because after you meet Michel, you get caught in his spell and it's so riveting, like you just know everything is going to crash, but there's such a high in a white knuckled rush.
Smyrna 1922: The Destruction Of A City by Marjorie Housepian Dobkin
I can't say I enjoyed this book, as it's about a horrific event which left me empty and drained and depressed for days, but I'm glad I read it, regardless. While everyone knows the holocaust, very few people who aren't of Greek or Armenian heritage know about the history of Greek and Armenian genocide. So while I cannot say that it was a book I'd curl up with on a rainy day or even want to read again, I'm glad to have learned about what they have been through, so it would not be in vain.
A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition by Ernest Hemingway (audio)
I am incredibly gay for the 20s. Have I ever mentioned this? I feel like everything I could say about this has been said already. Everything else makes me sound like a tweenie celeb loving chick. OMG STEIN. OMG POUND. OMG FITZGERALD! I really am gay for the 20s, ok.
This Place Called Absence by Lydia Kwa
A beautiful, haunting and lyrical look at both the present and past of Asian lesbians, from trying to find their place. The last love scene is one of the most memorable falling in love scenes I've ever seen. Hurt/comfort! Singing of Edith Piaf songs! Hairbrushing! Yeah, this is just an amazing novel.
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (audio)
This is a charming little novella, coming in at about 128 pages about Queen Elizabeth the II suddenly gaining a love of reading late in life. It's more enjoyable if you know something about English culture, or are an anglophile (or actual Brit, heh.) but is something I'd honestly recommend to anyone who doesn't subsist on a Smeyer diet, because it's a charming little thing that had me smiling all the way to the end.
Honorable mention:
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan.
Twee retellings of modern Greek god adventures with godling adventures? Sign me up! These were a blast to read, and I did blow through them all in about the course of a month or two. Some of the coolest happenings ever (snarky awesome talking pegasi! A friendly hellhound! Nico! Yes, Nico deserves his own category.)
Ok, so. LJ's current topic of the day is "What Is The Best Book Of The Year?" It revealed some things about me, like the fact that I am more of a book snob than I thought. I always thought I was a pretty easy person when it comes to books. I read chick lit occasionally. I even read ye olde gothic romances from like, the 60s for the lulz. But seriously? Seeing people list 'this book' as the best book = instant rage. I was pretty much capslocking at the screen, mentally going WHAT THE FUCK? HOW CAN YOU SAY 'THAT BOOK' IS GOOD? IT WAS INSIPID! IT WAS PATHETIC AND NOW YOU ARE PATHETIC FOR PROCLAIMING THIS STEAMING PILE OF SHIT AS SOMETHING WORTHY OF READING, LET ALONE THE BEST THING YOU HAVE READ THIS YEAR.
I may have to just stop reading the topic at this point. If I see anything by Cassandra Clare or Smeyer there, I think I will have to throw things. It just has to be done. Guys, every time you praise pathetic couldn't-write-their-way-out-of-a-paper-bag authors Smyer or Cassandra Clare, kittens die. It's just a fact of life.
Usually I would wait until the rest of the month is done to post the "best of", but if anything else pings, I'll just add it along. I'm not even sure I'll make it through The Wind Up Bird Chronicle before the end of the year, given it's 21 disks and it hasn't even come yet.
Lady Susan and Love and Freindship by Jane Austen.
These are two of the more ignored parts in the canon of Jane Austen, and it's a shame to simply let them by because they're part of the Juvenalia. Lady Susan features a ManipulativeBitch VillainProtagonst so charming, you almost want her to get her way. Love and Freindship is a parody of the melodramatic novels of the time. Unlike the more muted, sly humor of later novels, I found it sidesplittingly funny. It's also a nice point for the critics who label all of Austen's work the same, and a good (albeit short in both cases) read.
How I Write by Janet Evanovitch and Ina Yalof.
Despite my current growing disillusionment with the author herself, this is without a doubt, one of the most concise and useful writing books which I've come across. It doesn't have the dangerous, You Must Write This Way some of the writer's help books have, and the resources and advice were very useful without being intrusive. It was funny, down to earth, and quite readable, despite being nonfiction. Even if you don't like author's how-to books, or are familiar with the author, I'd advise this one for having good sense and resources.
Vilette by Charlotte Bronte
I am apparently a whore for the Bronte sisters, or at least Charlotte. I've still to read Wuthering Heights, because the reading was atrocious. This is such a deep, multilayered book. People who you thought were monsters turn out to be far better than you thought, old lovers reunite, people who seemed nice turn out to be wolves...it's just a very enthralling, epic book. Of course, it's YMMV because some people hate the Bronte sisters and some people love them, but I seem to be very much in the 'love' category, esp for Charlotte. Also, keep your French dictionary handy because some of the cast speak almost exclusively in French without annotations or translations, at least not in my version.
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.
Creepy ghost story with a seriously unreliable narrator? Sign me up! This is the kind of book that will having you going WAIT, WHAT? And then going over every little detail in your mind to realize, son of a bitch, that did just happen. It's a bit slow going, but I found it worth it.
Weight by Jeanette Winterson
I can never read the story of Atlas and Hercules again without thinking of Winterson's reinterpretation. It's a beautiful tale, retold originally, in a succinct and emotional way.
World Famous Love Acts and Lost Sons by Brian Leung
Leung should be mandatory in the curriculum of how to effectively write a short story. He has this way of closing that even if not everything was resolved, it felt like it had closure and a meaningful ending. Lost Sons is a follow up novel, which continues on the fate of a lot of the characters from World Famous Love Acts. The title story in particular was a stellar look at a couple whose genders are never revealed going on a last trip when they know they're about to break up. The stories generally fall into the same feel of being bathed in melancholy, unease, regret and the inability to even find a place in the world. And yet, Leung is able to craft them so they didn't feel tired and hackneyed, even with the same subject matter again and again. I'd love to see more work from him, because he is extremely talented.
(On a side note, I bought a book from him on ebay, and he's totally nice.)
Scott Pilgrim comics.
Another "everyone else had said it better" thing. They're fun and funny, have copious amounts of video game references, and are just plain awesome.
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (audio)
I love Moore in general. He is the shit and is fucking hilarious. However, A Dirty Job combines that hilariousness with a fantastic plot, and some really memorable characters to make it more than just a funny book and to a damn fine book.
Incantation by Alice Hoffman (audio)
The story is a poetic take on the inquisition, as Estrella finds out she is Esther. It's slated as YA, but is so horrific and mature, I'd say any lower than 15 would probably be scarred with memories at the last burning scenes.
I think this is an example of Hoffman at her best. Lyrical, heartbreaking, horrifying and one of the most memorable reads I've come across.
The flaneur : a stroll through the paradoxes of Paris / Edmund White.
Some of the most useful and concise nonfiction on the subject I've encountered. Also a pretty enjoyable read, for nonfiction. I've even considered buying it just as a reference for writing, and that's saying something.
Hallucinating Foucault by Ducker
Oh man, this book. This book. Ok so, it's about a boy's accidental burgeoning love affair with Paul Michel, which is actually a love triangle with Foucault, because he suspects all of Michel's work was like, coded love letters to Foucault. It starts out slow and has some moments of nigh I mpossible coincidence. However, despite this, by the time you meet Michel, it was as if I couldn't put it down. If there hadn't been delicious cookies and milk, I probably would've just read until my eyeballs ached because after you meet Michel, you get caught in his spell and it's so riveting, like you just know everything is going to crash, but there's such a high in a white knuckled rush.
Smyrna 1922: The Destruction Of A City by Marjorie Housepian Dobkin
I can't say I enjoyed this book, as it's about a horrific event which left me empty and drained and depressed for days, but I'm glad I read it, regardless. While everyone knows the holocaust, very few people who aren't of Greek or Armenian heritage know about the history of Greek and Armenian genocide. So while I cannot say that it was a book I'd curl up with on a rainy day or even want to read again, I'm glad to have learned about what they have been through, so it would not be in vain.
A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition by Ernest Hemingway (audio)
I am incredibly gay for the 20s. Have I ever mentioned this? I feel like everything I could say about this has been said already. Everything else makes me sound like a tweenie celeb loving chick. OMG STEIN. OMG POUND. OMG FITZGERALD! I really am gay for the 20s, ok.
This Place Called Absence by Lydia Kwa
A beautiful, haunting and lyrical look at both the present and past of Asian lesbians, from trying to find their place. The last love scene is one of the most memorable falling in love scenes I've ever seen. Hurt/comfort! Singing of Edith Piaf songs! Hairbrushing! Yeah, this is just an amazing novel.
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (audio)
This is a charming little novella, coming in at about 128 pages about Queen Elizabeth the II suddenly gaining a love of reading late in life. It's more enjoyable if you know something about English culture, or are an anglophile (or actual Brit, heh.) but is something I'd honestly recommend to anyone who doesn't subsist on a Smeyer diet, because it's a charming little thing that had me smiling all the way to the end.
Honorable mention:
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan.
Twee retellings of modern Greek god adventures with godling adventures? Sign me up! These were a blast to read, and I did blow through them all in about the course of a month or two. Some of the coolest happenings ever (snarky awesome talking pegasi! A friendly hellhound! Nico! Yes, Nico deserves his own category.)
