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Lady Disdain
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Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King was an interesting reading. The main character was VERY realistic, especially in her
colloquialisms and way of seeing the world - you couldn't help but be persuaded to see things through her point of view. I could understand many of
the reasons for a lot of her actions - even if they weren't ethically correct or whatever. And there's quite a satisfying ending, too. My favorite
character I have to say, though, is Dolores' employer, Vera Donnovan, although she too is questionable at times. Apart from one particular choice
there isn't anything you can really hold aganist Vera.
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Lady Disdain
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Finished reading Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles. Unfortunately I didn't really find it as good as Perfect Chemistry - even in
the first novel I thought the conversation seemed a bit stilted - that was only more evident in this novel. I don't know what it is but I just
couldn't get into the book. Maybe it isn't for me. I just couldn't see how they were falling in love - I get that Kiara thinks Carlos is troubled
and keeps pushing people away, but...is that a reason to fall in love? And why does Carlos return her feeligns again? I really couldn't tell. And it
also seemed a little repetitive. The whole conflict with gangs acting as the climax, the bad boy good girl thing, sleeping with each other and then
fighting about it. None of it felt like a novelty - but there WAS something about it that kept me reading and reading without putting it down. Guess
Elkeles's novels can be annoyingly addictive like that.
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Lady Disdain
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Ruined by Paula Morris was an EXCELLENT read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. One thing I loved about this book was that it wasn't hard
to get into the main character's mind - it was so easy to be able to relate to her even if you didn't actually have anything in common with her.
The book is about Rebecca Brown, who's just left New York to come and live with her Aunt Claudia in New Orleans - this new surrounding is a place
steeped in old traditions and curses. There are whispers of secrets floating around but Rebecca can never actually get the full story from anyone. No
one at school is particularly eager to befriend Rebecca. Another thing I loved was that Rebecca wasn't totally intent on trying to infiltrate the
'popular' crowd or desperate for any friends. She knows she doesn't fit in and she doesn't give a dang. She doesn't let the other girls bully her or
affect her self-esteem - I LOVED that. One day she meets a girl, Lisette, in the local cemetery and that's when the story starts to get interesting.
The writing is excellent. The characters felt realistic, not flat at all, and you can't help but connect to Rebecca on a lot of levels. A couple of
things that weren't so great was the fact that everyone seemed intent on escaping the curse and not particulary concerned about anyone else - even
Rebecca, sort of gives up at the end and accept that Helena has to die. I loved the backdrop of the rich and traditional New Orleans. A good 4 and a
1/2 stars.
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Lady Disdain
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Currently trying to get through Catch 22 and Lolita - both are classics and for some reason I'm having a hard time. Have to get in a bit of light
reading, too.
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Lady Disdain
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Guess I got in TOO MUCH of some light reading =P ...ended up finishing two romances. Can't really be bothered reviewing them - just feel as if I'm
repeating myself: Quinn's was sweet while Kleypas seems to get trashier by the minute. Have to put up with it for one more book - REEAALLY want to
know what happens to the brother, Leo..dang. In the meantime, The Book Thief is going AMAZINGLY. Catch 22 and Lolita have been put on hold =S
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Deni
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Aw, too bad about Lolita. That's one of my favorite books, but Nabokov is definitely not light reading! I really have to be in the right
mindset to read his books.
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Lady Disdain
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It's mostly on hold because the return date's coming up quickly - but if I can get my hands on another copy I'm definitely continuing 
Lolita's actually my first out of his that I'm reading. How many has he written?
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Deni
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Lolita was the first one of his I read, too. I think he's written about 18 books (not including the half finished book that was recently published),
plus various short story and poetry collections, and two or three plays. He's such a fun and tricky author with his puzzles and clues in all his
books.
Did you read the forward? I usually skip them because I don't want to inadvertently read any spoilers, but in the case of Lolita, the forward is part
of the story. When you finish, I highly, highly recommend the Appel annotated version. It's a great edition with a ton of information about Nabokov
and all his hidden tricks in the book, but the annotations do give spoilers for what happens later on.
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Lady Disdain
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Hm, no I didn't read the forward - exactly for the reasons you said  but will
definitely do so now.
That's pretty cool actually - I didn't realise that he'd included tricks or puzzles, although I am only up to the 3rd chapter or something but totally
did not notice that. Will definitely have to hunt around for that Appel version.
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Lady Disdain
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Finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was an EXCELLENT book. Directed by Death (right, that thing that takes your
lives) it tells the story of a young girl, Liesel, caught in the midst of WWII. But it's so unlike all the typical WWII stories - I guess firstly in
the sense, that she is German, so it provides a different POV for the readers. It follows from the time that Liesel is adopted by Hans & Rosa
Huberman, an old and heart-warming couple (not heart-warming to each other, though at first glance anyway, but more heart-warming in their behaviour) and recites different stories centred around the people of Molching (the town
L's come to stay in). The writing is simple and beautiful - Zusak's descriptions are so amazing and touching, and Death's commentary just adds the
cream cheese to the delicious bagel 
An EXCELLENT read.
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Deni
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Lady Disdain
Hm, no I didn't read the forward - exactly for the reasons you said but will
definitely do so now.
That's pretty cool actually - I didn't realise that he'd included tricks or puzzles, although I am only up to the 3rd chapter or something but totally
did not notice that. Will definitely have to hunt around for that Appel version. |
Just in case your edition has a bunch of intros and forwards, the one that is a part of the story starts with, "'Lolita, or the Confession of a White
Widowed Male,' such were the two titles under which..."
If you didn't know, then the entire book is opened on a whole different level for you now! That's so exciting. (I'm a total Lolita/Nabokov nerd in case you haven't picked up on that yet!  ) Nabokov loves anagrams and playing with structure (notice things like the first and last words he uses in
chapters/the whole book, repeating numbers/words--if I remember correctly, the number fifty two appears in a lot of incarnations across Lolita, etc),
also foreshadowing, a ton of wordplay, references to other people and works, and inserting himself into the story in various ways.
That's just scratching the surface, but I'll shut up now before I give my inner geek full rein. 
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Lady Disdain
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Haha, no, give your inner geek full rein, if not here, then where?
I had no idea that Nabokov loved playing games like that. It gives me new incentive to try out his other books, too. Oddly, I have only heard of
Lolita, though - suppose its 'shock' factor at the time increased its popularity 
You'll be pleased to know that I haven't completely given up on Lolita - still reading but it's slow going - I'm someone who tends to read several
books at a time.
Btw, what's your avatar of?
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Deni
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True, this is a good place for inner book geeks to go all out.
I really liked his book Pnin. It's a lot shorter than Lolita and isn't as flowery, but it has a really lovable main character and a
lot of fun tricks. One of my favorite puzzles in that one is figuring out who all the narrators are.
Definitely the shock value of Lolita made it really popular. What's so amazing about the book, I think, is that while Humbert is a truly
reprehensible character, I can't help but feel so sorry for him. When I first read it, my copy had a quote on the cover saying it was one of the
greatest love stories ever written, and in a way I actually agree. A totally corrupted, wrong, and one-sided love story, but, well, you'll be able to
read it and decide for yourself.
I think there are also two movie versions of it, adding to its popularity, and the book is the first occurrence of the word nymphet. I haven't seen
either of the movies, but I've seen a few clips of the Jeremy Irons version, and I have to say I think he makes an excellent Humbert.
I am happy to hear you haven't completely given up. A few things to make your
reading a little more interesting:
Nabokov was a huge fan of words. He described Lolita as his love affair with the English language, where he carefully constructed each line
to form puzzles, contain double meanings, puns, other forms of word play, etc. He was also fluent in French and Russian, and used all three languages
(and others) to play with words further (Humbert's name, for one).
Nabokov was a noted lepidopterologist and he makes numerous references (hidden and otherwise) to this hobby, as well as his interest in chess and his
synesthesia.
He likes playing around with the idea of the double--doppelgangers, opposites, identicals. Everything from events, people, words, names (obvious as
with Humbert's name, and less overt, like the author of the forward's name) and so on are doubled.
He loves making references to literary works, both his own and others'. I hadn't read any of his other books when I read Lolita, so I missed all of
the references to his own works. Probably the easiest reference he uses often in Lolita and you can easily become familiar with to enjoy the
references is Edgar Allan Poe, in particular his life and marriage and his poem Annabel Lee.
He loves playing around with narration styles, particularly, and in this case, the idea of an unreliable narrator.
The forward tells the fates of all the main characters (hidden in puzzles), contains an anagram of Vladimir Nabokov as a character, and informs the
reader that Humbert has committed a crime for which he was to stand trial. What is the crime?
Oh, I was also wrong, the number is 56, not 52.
My avatar is of Jezebel from L. J. Smith's Night World series. It was from the 1997 cover.
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Lady Disdain
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REally?? It's 56 instead of 52? I kept seeing 52 (probably twice at most) and getting excited 
Looks like I'll have to re-read Lolita once again after I'm more acquainted with his other work.
Thanks for all the info Definitely a lot of stuff to watch out for
- I'll keep my eyes peeled open 
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Lady Disdain
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It's been awhile since I was on here. Mostly due to exams and stuff which will be over in a week. On her for a little break right now Just updating some stuff read for school and such...
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Lady Disdain
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Exams over, so more reading time, yay!  Read a few books, will probably review
them later, if I'm in the mood. Or not at all. Meh.
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Cholisose
Book Worm
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Wow, you've read a ton of books this year!
I noticed xxxHolic on your list. I love that series! I'm only on like volume 8 or 9 though. I need to get back on it some time.
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Deni
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When you're done with it, I'm curious about what you think of The Splendor Falls. It's on my TBR.
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Lady Disdain
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Quote: Originally posted by Cholisose  | Wow, you've read a ton of books this year!
I noticed xxxHolic on your list. I love that series! I'm only on like volume 8 or 9 though. I need to get back on it some time.
|
Bookworm's kinda my middle name =P Yup, Xxx holic's great, drawing, characters, humor, everything  You definitely should. It just gets better. I think it ends with vol. 16 or 17, not sure but definitely gonna
mourn that 
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Lady Disdain
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| Quote: Originally posted by Deni | | When you're done with it, I'm curious about what you think of The Splendor Falls. It's on my TBR. |
Yup, will do. Don't know quite what to make of it at the moment - mostly cos I'm trying to distance myself from it right now to form an actual
opinion. I have this bad habit of willingly getting reeled into books.
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Deni
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Thanks. I also love the new cover. The old one is ok, but the new one grabs me more. Which one are you reading?
Me too. I like to give myself a little time after reading a book before reviewing because sometimes I get so wrapped up in the book that I'd rate it
highly (or really low), but then once a little time goes by I realize I don't actually love it, or hate it, as much as I thought I did.
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Cholisose
Book Worm
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| Quote: Originally posted by Lady Disdain | | Quote: Originally posted by Cholisose | Wow, you've read a ton of books this year!
I noticed xxxHolic on your list. I love that series! I'm only on like volume 8 or 9 though. I need to get back on it some time.
|
Bookworm's kinda my middle name =P Yup, Xxx holic's great, drawing, characters, humor, everything You definitely should. It just gets better. I think it ends with vol. 16 or 17, not sure but definitely gonna
mourn that |
So far there's 16 volumes released in the US, but there will be more to come. The manga hasn't concluded yet in Japan.
But it is a great series--a nice blend of drama and humor, and includes some interesting things to think about.
And Watanuki always cracks me up. He is *so* high-strung. XP
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Lady Disdain
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^ Darn, we only have 15 vols here. Haha, tell me about it. Gotta love Watanuki. Hmm, really? I got the impression that it was ending soon cos on
the final page it said something like "Yes, the dream will soon end" or something. I hope it's a happy ending. Yup, I'm one of those ppl.
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Lady Disdain
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| Quote: Originally posted by Deni | Thanks. I also love the new cover. The old one is ok, but the new one grabs me more. Which one are you reading?
Me too. I like to give myself a little time after reading a book before reviewing because sometimes I get so wrapped up in the book that I'd rate it
highly (or really low), but then once a little time goes by I realize I don't actually love it, or hate it, as much as I thought I did.
|
Whoah, there are 2 different covers? We ARE talking about Rosemary Clement-Moore's right??? That one has a purple cover, as in it's a purple rose that
takes up the whole cover. Review for it's right below
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Lady Disdain
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Hmm, ok, so read The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore, and I'm still not entirely sure what to think of it. The things I liked about it were:
how well the author described things, it was very vivid and easy to imagine in the mind's eye; the mystery element in the story; the heroine's sarcasm
and dry sense of humor;
What I didn't like: the dialogue, it seemed a bit stilted, kinda not natural; secondary characters didn't really seem to have any depth; it didn't
pull me in as much as such a story (u know with loads of mystery, ghosts etc) should have; there were times when I didn't really care enough to find
out what was happening. I realise it's hard to do a 'ghost story' in writing, much more difficult than in film - but usually that can be remedied with
unexpected twists and whatnot - & I didnt feel the revelations were all that unexpected. So maybe it's just me. It didn't really ignite any sort
of strong feelings in me.
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