Notes from a bibliophile

I told someone just a few weeks ago that I could count on one hand the number of books I read in high school that I actually enjoyed. The Lottery was one of those. It's such a simple story with such an amazing twist that I didn't see coming. At least I didn't see it coming in my teens. Now that I'm a cynical adult, who knows? It's one of those things that if you don't read them at the right time, you miss the beauty of it. This is the authorized graphic novel version, illustrated by the grandson of Shirley Jackson herself. The artwork kind of has that American Gothic feel to it, which helps give it the Anytown, USA atmosphere. It pares the story down to just a few bubbles of description and a few more of dialogue. It is truly a bare bones version. I think that takes away a great part of the appeal of the original story. Jackson creates such an ominous feel to the story. You know something is up, although you aren't sure what, and you certainly don't ...

I've written about this series before here, and it's one of my favorites, but I'm not sure this one stands up to the rest of the novels. Lady Emily and her hunky husband Colin Hargreaves go to Santorini with their friends Margaret and Jeremy in order to distract Jeremy from his near murder at the hands of his fiancee, which was the subject of the previous novel, The Adventuress. While there, she runs into her previous husband, who died in the very first book while on safari in Africa. The guilt and confusion that erupts from his sudden appearance, very much alive, is the undercurrent of the novel. Oh, the lives of wealthy Victorians. I don't think we can even imagine what people went through. The veneer of modesty and politeness that covered the seamy underbelly of the vast majority of society, fragile as the sugar crust of a creme brulee. It's like reading the tabloids, if they had class. Where Alexander really shines is in her descriptions of the different l...

So they are making a film of this with Idris Elba as Roland Deschain & Matthew McConaughey as the Man in Black. I have to admit I could already hear McConaughey's voice while I was reading, so I guess that's good casting, even though I'm ready to kick my TV in every time one of his Lincoln commercials comes on. I have a weird relationship with Stephen King's works. I love watching the movies they make of his novels, but actually reading his novels I find to be kind of a chore. I think I managed to get through The Green Mile, and I read a great short story from Night Shift called Gray Matter during my high school psychology class - not assigned, you understand (that after-lunch class was always a toughie to get through). I also loved reading his editorial in the back of Entertainment Weekly, which is where I found one of my all-time favorite novels, Shadow of the Wind. But I do like reading the book before the movie comes out, so I tried this one. Well, at least ...

This is a very interesting overview of world mythology, including some from parts of the world that aren't usually covered in classes or are widely known. It starts in the most familiar of territories, Western Europe. Here's the course list with the professor who narrates each. Myths of Western Europe narrated by Dr. Kathryn McClymond The Titans in Greek Mythology Complex Goddesses: Athena, Aphrodite, Hera Gods & Humanity in Greek Thought Herakles & the Greek Hero Odysseus, Master of Schemes The Golden Fleece & the Hero's Return Romulus, Remus & Rome's Origins Roman Heroes & Traitors The Mother Goddess in Rome & Beyond The Dagda's Harp & Other Other Celtic Myths Norse Tales of Odin & Thor Hammers, Rings & Other Norse Magic Myths of the Middle East & South Asia narrated by Dr. Kathryn McClymond  The World's Oldest Myth: Gilgamesh The Babylonian Creation Story Chaos & Order in Egypt Horus, Osiris ...

I've never read Margaret Atwood until now. However, she's one of those authors that anyone who considers themselves well-read should probably read. Most people start with probably her best-known novel, The Handmaid's Tale, and to be honest, that's where I planned to start, whenever I got around to it. But then I saw that Netflix was making this novel into a miniseries and that it was about a true crime. Sold! Set in the 1800's, Alias Grace covers a lot of ground. Grace Marks and her family emigrate from Ireland because her father is a drunken reprobate who's worn out his welcome on his wife's relatives. They buy the entire (huge) family passage to Canada to start over. During the trip, Grace's poor, long-suffering mother dies. Grace has just become the woman of the household, and must take care of her younger siblings and evade her father's wrath, and she's not even in her teens. After reaching Canada, her father settles into his old ways, even...

If ever there was a tale that required graphic novel treatment, it's this one, and the art is incredibly well done. The story of the 47 Ronin is apparently an ancient tale, almost folklore, in that there are apparently various tellings throughout Japan. Back when Japan was a shogunate, Lord Asano was wrongly (at least in this telling of the story) accused of dishonoring a court official and was sentenced to commit seppuku. Because he was given a death sentence, all his land, his home, his belongings, and his retainers were to be handed over to the emperor. This did not sit well with his retainers, especially his head counselor Oishi, who had warned him about holding his temper. They know they must depart from the house and become ronin, leaderless samurai, but they refuse to allow this affront to their master stand. Of all his hundreds of retainers, 47 of them stand with Oishi and vow to get revenge, no matter how long it takes. And it takes a long time. During the years they w...

It had to happen. I had to run across something I didn't like. Well, here you go. I'm not sure what I'm missing. This got a lot of 5 star reviews on Goodreads, but I don't see why. It's supposed to be influenced by fairy tales. I have probably mentioned here before that I love mythology and folklore. There's no reason I shouldn't like this. Except I don't. Here's why. I have been spoiled, perhaps, by the slicker art of the other series I've read. This is very sparse. It's all sepia-tones and some whole pages go by without dialogue. It seems to operate on two levels, one with what is currently happening and one with either the traveler remembering what happened with Delphine or imagining what will happen. I feel that the Goodreads plot summary is really deceptive. They describe it as a retelling of Snow White from Prince Charming's perspective. Well, there is a point where Delphine is sleeping. God knows, if a girl is asleep it must ...