A Fresh Batch of Zombies!

Posted recently on www.salon.com is an article titled: This Year’s Must-Read Zombie Epic. The passage is talking about the novel Zone One by Colson Whitehead which has apparently received rave reviews as of late. Whitehead’s book follows the typical zombie narrative (the world awakens to a spreading zombie disease) and yet creates a completely unique take on zombies at the same time (you’ll have to read the book to find out what I mean!). It’s great to get a refreshing take on the already much used and abused topic of zombies! I hope you get a chance to pick up this novel! Enjoy!

Unofficial E.M. Forster Day!

Today I am in the mood for a classic novel so I have chosen E.M. Forster as my writer of the day! Love, love, love this novelist (did I mention I love him? ). He first drew me in with his novel A Room with a View which details the life a young woman traveling in Italy. It is meant to focus on how repressed her life is as it is filled with the constant need to be ‘proper’ about absolutely everything. I can’t describe why I found this book so beautiful and moving, but it is. I quickly followed it up with two other favorite books of mine: Where Angels Fear Tread and A Passage to India. Don’t forget that Forster is also the author of many charming short stories! There is nothing special about today so I declare it E.M. Forster day! I hope that you get to enjoy one of his novels today and come to love this author as much as I have!

Sci-fi: Russian Style

My most recent fascination has been Russian sci-fi. Odd choice perhaps, but an entertaining one and one that has led me to read Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. This is the first novel in a series of four sci-fi novels. Films have been made for the first two books of the series so once you read them you can go check the movies out! The films go by the same names as the novels: Night Watch and Day Watch respectively. If you enjoy fantasy and sci-fi then you should definitely give these a try. Don’t expect great and beautiful prose, but do expect to be entertained. Also, the movies are enjoyable but difficult to understand if you watch them prior to reading the books, so I would recommend giving the books a go first. Either way have fun and happy reading and watching!

A Good Translation for a Good Book

Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I feel as if just merely mentioning the name should be enough, but I realize that there are some people out there who (gasp !) may not have heard of this wonderful writer. This Colombian author is perhaps most famous for his novel Love in the Time of Cholera (originally written in Spanish) which was made more famous by the film based on the book and released in 2007. Marquez is one of the few novelists that has the capabilities to make me sympathize with the basest of human emotions and reactions and his novels have been great companions of mine for years. Perhaps if you have never read any of his books the best place to start is with an excellent translation. There is no need to point out that if you know Spanish you should be taking advantage of this by reading these novels in their original language, but if you are looking for good translations be sure to look up those of Edith Grossman who is a well known translator of Marquez’ (among other authors) novels. And above all enjoy the reading!

From Anne to Rilla

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is a book that I have not opened in a good, long while. My mother gifted me the entire series for my eight birthday and in case you didn’t know there are actually eight novels in the entire series! Yup, I think it probably took me about five or six years to finally get around to reading the very last one Rilla of Ingleside which was actually perfect timing because by then I was a young teenager and much more sympathetic to Rilla’s problems (some of which involved having a beau go off to war). You could say that I grew along with this series and went from feeling a kinship to scrawny little Anne to an affinity to Rilla. So for all you die- hard fans out there, here are some nifty facts! Enjoy!    

1. Green Gables is a real place! It’s actually located in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island!
2. L.M. Montgomery was inspired to write the story after she read about a real life situation where a couple wanted to adopt a boy and ended up with a girl.
3. Originally Anne of Green Gables was rejected by publishers upon which L.M. Montgomery stored it in a hat box and finally got it published in 1908 (that’s one lucky hat box!).

A Passionate Novel

What are some of the best words that describe the classic novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte? I know for me dark, disturbing, and sad would definitely be among them and I’m sure many people would agree. However, despite its tumultuous narrative Wuthering Heights has been a great favorite of mine ever since I read it for the first time. I’d like to share my favorite quote and perhaps if anyone has suggestions as to which part of the novel they loved the most I’d be glad to hear them!

“ Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest, as long as I am living! You said I killed you – haunt me, then! … Be with me always – take any form – drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”  (Heathcliff upon finding Catherine is dead, Vol. II Chapt. II)

If you’ve never read this book then this excerpt will hopefully help you see why I love it. Perhaps two more words can be produced to describe this novel: Pure passion!

Dusting off Don Q.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes has made thousands from all over the globe fall in love with the windmill chasing, seemingly insane Don Quixote and his sturdy sidekick Sancho Panza. I love Don Quixote’s chivalry – even if it seems at times outdated and absurd. Here are three fun facts about the novel to help you brush up on your Don Quixote knowledge :

1. The 1^st volume was published in 1605 (Wow! That’s old!)
2. Don Quixote was written in Castellano as opposed to Latin (which was the language of the educated elite). This gave Castellano (considered the language of the common people) more importance.
3. Don Quixote represents and antihero in that he is the total opposite of what we would consider a ‘hero’ (but we love him all the same!).
4. Miguel Cervantes wrote Don Quixote in order to make fun of the chivalric novels which were extremely popular at the time.

If you really want to brush up on your knowledge, there’s no better way than dusting off that old copy of the novel (I know you’ve stashed it somewhere!) and re-reading it. Enjoy!

A “Light Salad” Book

Spring Break read no. 3: In Our Time by the great Ernest Hemingway. This is an excellent vacation read because it is a compilation of short stories. It’s like eating a light salad for lunch: you don’t have to delve into a large ‘meal’ of a novel and still come away feeling very satisfied. Enjoy!

Light Reading

Light Spring Break reading book #2: Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston. Although it does initially involve a down and out former baseball prodigy who through no real fault of his own comes into vicious contact with thugs in New York, it is not a heavy or difficult read. Entertaining enough to give you a break away from your studies or work or even to simply help lull you to sleep as you lie poolside. Enjoy!

Spring Break Books

It’s that time of year that most college students look forward to as a time to party hardy and visit exotic locations. Yup, spring break is just around the corner. Over the next week I will blog on entertaining and light novels that are perfect whether you find yourself still stuck studying in the library over spring break, lying poolside in tropical Mexico, or simply hanging out at home.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a novel that I have already made mention of in a previous blog, so this time around I’m going to bring up the second novel in the series called Catching Fire. This book picks up almost exactly where the previous one left off, and is an easy yet intriguing read. The series is based in a post – apocalyptic world that is ruled by and authoritarian government. This makes for interesting political thought  as well as seems to make an ironic play on the obsession with reality television shows such as Survivor (you will only understand this reference if you read the books!). Enjoy!