A copy of the story can be found online here
I really want to go and see this film, but it doesn't look like I'm going to get to the cinema anytime soon so I thought I'd check out the story till it comes out on DVD.
The story probably took around 30 minutes to read at the most but it made me think about Benjamin's life for much longer. Benjamin is born an old grey haired man, his father distraught is determined to treat him as a baby so provides him with warm botles of milk and baby rattles etc. The longer Benjamin lives the younger he becomes, gradually becoming younger than his father, wife, son and even grandchild.
This story is told with a real simplicity of language yet we ca vividly see Benjamin's pain by the way others around him treat him. Definately a story to check out
Saturday, 14 February 2009
My Thoughts: Wicked by Gregory Maguire
I've been meaning and meaning to read this book for ages, I love retellings and interpretations of stories whether it is through novels, films or poetry. For the few people who don't know this book tell the life of the Wicked Witch of the West. Now before we go any further I will say I have never seen The Wizard of Oz, so I went into this with just the basic information about the background story.
Elphaba is born green all over, with an aversion to water, religion and compassion for other people. The novel covers her birth till her death and all the intervening event in between.
I have a really mixed view of this book, I loved sections of it and happily curled up on the sofa to read about her childhood, college days and days in love. When she moved to free herself of her guilt, and her son into Sarima's house I found myself wondering how much more of the book I had to read, I kept checking the page numbers and felt like I was pulling myself through. The final section was too wordy and by the end I had lost my desire to know what happened to Elphaba or to care for her fate. In my opinion it needed a good edit, and some pace at the end.
Challenges:
999 (Fantasy/fairytale)
A-Z (Title)
Themed Read (Move 'em along)
Chunkster Challenge (496 pgs)
Discovery
I heard a reading of this poem on the radio last week and thought it was one I'd like to share. The poet Ventriloquist's MySpace page can be found here
A Letter from God to PanHey Pan
How's it going?
Long time no see
This is kind of awkward, but I think I owe you an apology
I recently wrote to Man, discussing his disregard of nature
And I thought, I couldn't really leave you out, funny, guess it makes ya
Think about things, you know the order of us Gods
I know I've been the big man, but I do feel sorry for all you sods
Who had a role, each representing an element of existence
And when I got promoted I didn't put up any resistance
I thought I could handle it, like a heavenly president
But like the human system, the failure is more than evident
So I'm writing to acknowledge, the role you used to play
And apologise for your transformation & the price you had to pay
I was just a nipper when you were at the height of your powers
I heard stories about you, would sit and listen for hours
God of nature, flocks, mountain wilds and rustic music
Your appetite for sexual adventure was legendary & you'd use it
To remind people of their animal nature, their place in the scheme of things,
I know when people worshiped you, they hadn't yet heard of sins
You were important to shepherds, which is why you're half man, half goat
Funny how your horns remained in that book that men wrote
I remember you loved singing, dancing and partying in nature
It really doesn't make any sense why men began to hate ya
Well, maybe it does if you think about how much power women had
When you look at the early Hebrew teachers, their attitude was pretty bad
Whereas you loved to play with women and men in equal measure
The founders of Christianity thought women didn't deserve pleasure
They thought shame was born with every woman, men couldn't handle their own desires
They ran from your free spirit while you danced naked around fires
There were too many gods and you had an element of danger
I guess you roamed too free my friend so they made you a stranger
After the bloke on the cross had some admirable ideas
Those who interpreted his teachings seemed to be gripped by fears
Of forbidden this, and shameful that and gradually they turned against you
The more time passed, your reputation grew worse, they'd paint you
As the bad guy, the horned one who raised hell
Me I got promotion and at my feet all the praise fell
I know you stuck around for as long as you could
Still engendering that feeling of fear and wildness in the wood
In the field, on the mountain and in wide open spaces
Humans still use the word Panic, so you still leave traces
But once the church had grown to the Holy Roman Empire
It was only a matter of time before your funeral pire
As they wrapped you up in stories, changed your name and your purpose
Anywhere you showed your face, it was like being at the circus
Satan this, the Devil that, then calling your followers witches
No-one could have predicted the insanity that spread, the stitches
Of your reputation unpicked for all to see
Millions of people were burned because they didn't worship me
I guess you were god of animal and that wasn't enough any more
They wanted something supernatural & that's what I was invented for
One God, to rule them all, made in the image of man
But Gods only exist as long as people believe in us..damn
I just didn't see it coming, now less and less people believe in me
Because they are beginning to realise that they invented me
My powers are waning because I'm only the God of Man
Without you, I'm not strong enough, you're the God of Nature, Pan.
I've still got a few tricks left up my sleeve, I'm giving things a shake up
People need to re-evaluate their place, they need to wake up
They've forgotten they're all actually made of the same stuff
And that being locked in a human frame of reference isn't enough
People are doing some interesting research into nature's building blocks
They might just realise yet that they are the shepherd and the flocks
They are the rivers they're polluting, they are the tarmac too
They are every God they've ever -worshiped, which means they're also you.
A Letter from God to PanHey Pan
How's it going?
Long time no see
This is kind of awkward, but I think I owe you an apology
I recently wrote to Man, discussing his disregard of nature
And I thought, I couldn't really leave you out, funny, guess it makes ya
Think about things, you know the order of us Gods
I know I've been the big man, but I do feel sorry for all you sods
Who had a role, each representing an element of existence
And when I got promoted I didn't put up any resistance
I thought I could handle it, like a heavenly president
But like the human system, the failure is more than evident
So I'm writing to acknowledge, the role you used to play
And apologise for your transformation & the price you had to pay
I was just a nipper when you were at the height of your powers
I heard stories about you, would sit and listen for hours
God of nature, flocks, mountain wilds and rustic music
Your appetite for sexual adventure was legendary & you'd use it
To remind people of their animal nature, their place in the scheme of things,
I know when people worshiped you, they hadn't yet heard of sins
You were important to shepherds, which is why you're half man, half goat
Funny how your horns remained in that book that men wrote
I remember you loved singing, dancing and partying in nature
It really doesn't make any sense why men began to hate ya
Well, maybe it does if you think about how much power women had
When you look at the early Hebrew teachers, their attitude was pretty bad
Whereas you loved to play with women and men in equal measure
The founders of Christianity thought women didn't deserve pleasure
They thought shame was born with every woman, men couldn't handle their own desires
They ran from your free spirit while you danced naked around fires
There were too many gods and you had an element of danger
I guess you roamed too free my friend so they made you a stranger
After the bloke on the cross had some admirable ideas
Those who interpreted his teachings seemed to be gripped by fears
Of forbidden this, and shameful that and gradually they turned against you
The more time passed, your reputation grew worse, they'd paint you
As the bad guy, the horned one who raised hell
Me I got promotion and at my feet all the praise fell
I know you stuck around for as long as you could
Still engendering that feeling of fear and wildness in the wood
In the field, on the mountain and in wide open spaces
Humans still use the word Panic, so you still leave traces
But once the church had grown to the Holy Roman Empire
It was only a matter of time before your funeral pire
As they wrapped you up in stories, changed your name and your purpose
Anywhere you showed your face, it was like being at the circus
Satan this, the Devil that, then calling your followers witches
No-one could have predicted the insanity that spread, the stitches
Of your reputation unpicked for all to see
Millions of people were burned because they didn't worship me
I guess you were god of animal and that wasn't enough any more
They wanted something supernatural & that's what I was invented for
One God, to rule them all, made in the image of man
But Gods only exist as long as people believe in us..damn
I just didn't see it coming, now less and less people believe in me
Because they are beginning to realise that they invented me
My powers are waning because I'm only the God of Man
Without you, I'm not strong enough, you're the God of Nature, Pan.
I've still got a few tricks left up my sleeve, I'm giving things a shake up
People need to re-evaluate their place, they need to wake up
They've forgotten they're all actually made of the same stuff
And that being locked in a human frame of reference isn't enough
People are doing some interesting research into nature's building blocks
They might just realise yet that they are the shepherd and the flocks
They are the rivers they're polluting, they are the tarmac too
They are every God they've ever -worshiped, which means they're also you.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
The Sunday Salon: I won!
Through Bookcrossing I have won the International SMILE day prize, this is drawn every 2-3 months, the participants sign up for the chance to win, in exchange they send a book to the winner. The choice of book is up to them but many base it on the winners wishlist or preveious readings. These are the books I have recieved:
The Wild Wood, Charles de Lint
Baumgartner's Bombay, Desai
Lucia, Lucia Trgiani
Northanger Abbey, Austen
On Love and Shadows, Allende
The Republic of Love, Sheilds
The 14-Carat Roadster
Random Acts of Heroic Love
The Things We Do for Love
Stone Cold
Gravity's Rainbow
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Beyond Black
A Lover's Lover
The Wild Wood, Charles de Lint
Baumgartner's Bombay, Desai
Lucia, Lucia Trgiani
Northanger Abbey, Austen
On Love and Shadows, Allende
The Republic of Love, Sheilds
The 14-Carat Roadster
Random Acts of Heroic Love
The Things We Do for Love
Stone Cold
Gravity's Rainbow
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Beyond Black
A Lover's Lover
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Library Loot
Library Loot is here
The Boy, Germaine Greer - Greer explores the sexualisation of pictures/paintings of young boys.
Collected Fictions - Borges - For a Librarything Latin American read and for my own Latin American challenge
O Pioneers - One I've always meant to read
Kimono, Dalby - For my non-fiction challeges
Rumpelstiltskin and other Grimm Tales, Carol Ann Duffy
Sunday Salon: While I've Been Gone....
I'm finally back, I deleted the massive piles in my Google Reader as there was way too much to trudge through so I will get back to commenting soon. My computer problem turned out to be something that was fixed in 30 seconds!
Anyway this is going to be a post about the books I read whilst I wasn't blogging, I didn't get through as many as I had hoped as I seem to have been in a reading slump and had one week where I seemed to have eye strain constantly.
NORTHERN CLEMENCY - Phillip Hensher
This is one of the Booker Nominees of last year, it was a fantastic read so it gives me hope as I'm in a group reading last years short list.
This is a family saga spanning the 1970s till 2006. The ovel starts in Sheffield, a northern English town famous for its mines and the mining strikes of the 1980s.
The beginning of the novel is a shocking introduction to the street that the novel is primarily focused on, the new neighbours move in witnessing on their first day a mother stamping on her sons snake and also revealing all her marital problems.
The novel then travels through the families ups and downs, success, illness, hatred and love.
This took a while to read because of the hefty size and weight but was well worth it in the end.
CHALLENGES:
A-Z (Title)
999 (New Fiction)
The Complete Booker
The Chunkster Challenge (738 pgs)
Birthday Stories [ed] Haruki Murakami
The is a amazing collection of short stories from around the globe, Murakami set out to fine stories which all featured birthdays. There was only one story in the whole collection I didn't enjoy. Definately a must read.
CHALLENGE:
999 [Short Story Collections]
A-Z (Title)
100 Shots of Short
So Many Ways to Begin, Jon McGregor
I read McGregor's 'Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things' last year and jumped at the chance to grab this copy at my last bookcrossing meeting.
This novel is about the lives of David and Eleanor, childhood sweethearts from two different parts of the UK. The ovel explores the way that love has to cope with all the incidents in peoples lives, the painful memories from the past and the small, incidental happenings which can spiral into something much larger. As with Nobody Speaks... the language and the sense of atmosphere is lovely, warming and gripping. An author who deserves to be discovered by many more people.
Challenges
A-Z (Author)
Themed Reading Challege (Move 'em Along)
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Brecdel
I spotted this in the library, a graphic novel-cum-memoir (two challenges in one!).
Alison's father can be abusive, he struggles to restore their home to Victorian perfection, and he is a closet homosexual (a fact she doesn't learn to she comes out herself). Her mother reveals her fathers secret affairs, including those with young boys and the babysitters. From this revelation Alison looks back at her childhood and her own developing sexuality, along with her relationship with her father before his death/suicide.
Challenges:
The Graphic Novel Challenge
In Their Shoes
A-Z (Title)
I also read The Master of Margarita graphic novel, which I'm still not sure of. I think I need to have read the novel before I pass judgement.
Family Matters, Mistry
I won this fantastic novel from Bethany from B&B Ex Libris as part of the OT challenge last year, for anyone taking this challenge this year you should certainly stick this on your reading list if you haven't already read it.
The Chenoy family are living on the brink of poverty in a tine two roomed flat. Their jealous siblings, envy them their freedom. These siblings live in an 8 roomed apartment with plenty to eat, but with the burden of looking after their elderly step-father. When he breaks his leg and becomes bedbound he is simply dumped on his youngest daughters doorstep. Despite a lack of food and space she cares for his every need and his developing Parkinsons Disease. Her family struggle with the problems the grandfather brings with him but learn a lot in the process.
Challenge:
999 TBR
Anyway this is going to be a post about the books I read whilst I wasn't blogging, I didn't get through as many as I had hoped as I seem to have been in a reading slump and had one week where I seemed to have eye strain constantly.
NORTHERN CLEMENCY - Phillip Hensher
This is one of the Booker Nominees of last year, it was a fantastic read so it gives me hope as I'm in a group reading last years short list.
This is a family saga spanning the 1970s till 2006. The ovel starts in Sheffield, a northern English town famous for its mines and the mining strikes of the 1980s.
The beginning of the novel is a shocking introduction to the street that the novel is primarily focused on, the new neighbours move in witnessing on their first day a mother stamping on her sons snake and also revealing all her marital problems.
The novel then travels through the families ups and downs, success, illness, hatred and love.
This took a while to read because of the hefty size and weight but was well worth it in the end.
CHALLENGES:
A-Z (Title)
999 (New Fiction)
The Complete Booker
The Chunkster Challenge (738 pgs)
Birthday Stories [ed] Haruki Murakami
The is a amazing collection of short stories from around the globe, Murakami set out to fine stories which all featured birthdays. There was only one story in the whole collection I didn't enjoy. Definately a must read.
CHALLENGE:
999 [Short Story Collections]
A-Z (Title)
100 Shots of Short
So Many Ways to Begin, Jon McGregor
I read McGregor's 'Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things' last year and jumped at the chance to grab this copy at my last bookcrossing meeting.
This novel is about the lives of David and Eleanor, childhood sweethearts from two different parts of the UK. The ovel explores the way that love has to cope with all the incidents in peoples lives, the painful memories from the past and the small, incidental happenings which can spiral into something much larger. As with Nobody Speaks... the language and the sense of atmosphere is lovely, warming and gripping. An author who deserves to be discovered by many more people.
Challenges
A-Z (Author)
Themed Reading Challege (Move 'em Along)
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Brecdel
I spotted this in the library, a graphic novel-cum-memoir (two challenges in one!).
Alison's father can be abusive, he struggles to restore their home to Victorian perfection, and he is a closet homosexual (a fact she doesn't learn to she comes out herself). Her mother reveals her fathers secret affairs, including those with young boys and the babysitters. From this revelation Alison looks back at her childhood and her own developing sexuality, along with her relationship with her father before his death/suicide.
Challenges:
The Graphic Novel Challenge
In Their Shoes
A-Z (Title)
I also read The Master of Margarita graphic novel, which I'm still not sure of. I think I need to have read the novel before I pass judgement.
Family Matters, Mistry
I won this fantastic novel from Bethany from B&B Ex Libris as part of the OT challenge last year, for anyone taking this challenge this year you should certainly stick this on your reading list if you haven't already read it.
The Chenoy family are living on the brink of poverty in a tine two roomed flat. Their jealous siblings, envy them their freedom. These siblings live in an 8 roomed apartment with plenty to eat, but with the burden of looking after their elderly step-father. When he breaks his leg and becomes bedbound he is simply dumped on his youngest daughters doorstep. Despite a lack of food and space she cares for his every need and his developing Parkinsons Disease. Her family struggle with the problems the grandfather brings with him but learn a lot in the process.
Challenge:
999 TBR
Two Challenges
Biblo File is hosting The Guardians 1000 Novels everyone should read challenge.
You have to read 10 books, There are 7 categories and you need to read 1 book from each category, and one book you have never heard of. I'm going to pick books as I go along.
The LIST
The numbers in brackets show how many books from tht section I have already read.
THE CATEGORIES:
Comedy [6]
Crime [8]:
Family and Self [45]: Currently reading The Karamazov Brothers
Love [37]
Science Fiction and Fantasy [25]
State of the Nation [27]
War and Travel [13]
I'm also going to participate in the Banned Books Challenge held
You have to read 10 books, There are 7 categories and you need to read 1 book from each category, and one book you have never heard of. I'm going to pick books as I go along.
The LIST
The numbers in brackets show how many books from tht section I have already read.
THE CATEGORIES:
Comedy [6]
Crime [8]:
Family and Self [45]: Currently reading The Karamazov Brothers
Love [37]
Science Fiction and Fantasy [25]
State of the Nation [27]
War and Travel [13]
I'm also going to participate in the Banned Books Challenge held
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