Holiday Book Club
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I'm looking forward to the movie. I was in London when the original comics came out. The monthly visit to Forbidden Planet was an exciting thing.
Despite my disdain for Zac Snyder, I'm going to be there with a stocking over my head. I'm still rather nervous about reports that Snyder has changed Moore's pitch-black ending to something weird, and not a good kind of weird either. I'm just hoping that turns out to be an elaborate fan-boy fake out.
I'm still not sure how well the film is going to work, because what still strikes me about the book is how structurally formalistic it is -- the rigourously adhered to nine panel grid (the few occasions when they use a 'splash page' are shocking), the elaborate visual and compositional leitmotifs, the interludes with book extracts etc. that shine an oblique light on the main narrative, etc. They're so tied to Watchmen as a literary/artistic artifact, I don't know how you could possibly translate them into cinematic terms.
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WATCHMEN SPOILERS in this here post:
I'm still rather nervous about reports that Snyder has changed Moore's pitch-black ending to something weird and not a good kind of weird either. I'm just hoping that turns out to be an elaborate fan-boy fake out.
Oh may god, that sounds awful. Please let that be a hoax. It would make no sense at all. The ending was already flawed, but that version would be a moronic re-interpretation of the Manhattan character for one; he never bought into the Ozy's plan, he just accepted that as a fait accompli it would do more harm than good to expose it at that stage. If Snyder pulls that ending off, he's a frickin genius.
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"My god..." not "may god". And Ozy, not "the Ozy". Shows how perturbed I am at the thought of that new ending.
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Oh, wait... (SPOILERS again...)
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Craig,
That guy you like to doesn't summarise it well. Here's what someone else said (my emphasis):"There was no squid... He and Dr Manhattan built a machine to mimic the powers of Dr Manhattan, under the guise of "free energy" to solve the energy crisis. Unbeknown to Manhattan, he used the machine to set off an atomic bomb like thing in various large cities around the world."
That's sounds fine. The only concern I now have is the suggestion that they leave out the final "reach for the journal" moment at New Frontiersman. But I suspect that will be there in the final cut - it's just essentail.
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MORE SPOILERS
Still sounds rather lame to me, because it all hinges on Manhattan -- who's as close to being omnipotent as makes no odds -- being spectacularly obtuse about his own work. Hell, it might work but I loved the squid of doom precisely because it's exactly the kind of scheme a Lex Luthor would come up with -- ridiculously complex, requiring a vast well-funded conspiracy to work. And every bit as absurd as it is horrifying.And then, Moore caps off the traditional Dr. Evil Explains It All For You So You Know How To Stop Him scene:
Our heroes say the scheme is ridiculous (it is), he's mad (he is), and he's not going to get away with it (wait a mo...):
"I did it twenty minutes ago."
Ow...
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Moore is on record stating that he specifically designed Watchmen to show what comics can do that books and movies cannot. He's baffled as to why anyone would want to turn it into a movie when he went out of his way to write something unfilmable.
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Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950 Animation by Amid Amidi.
Thoroughly awesome.
And Little Women , because I never had.
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And Little Women, because I never had.
All right, hands up: who hates Beth?
You have all driven me, via shame and embarrassment as a crappy-not-much-reading-over-summer librarian, to pick up some books again: today, I have decided to embark upon a 'New Zealand Novels of the 20th Century' reading project. Number one is Jane Mander's The Story of a New Zealand River . Robin Hyde follows...
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The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes. The clearest explanation yet I've heard of atomic physics, tied up with a neat narrative that involves a fascist dictator and Jewish physicists competing to make some super-weapon. This is far-out sci-fi. Oh, and this guy Rutherford is quoted as saying anyone who believes in nuclear energy is "talking moonshine."
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz. A dazzling blend of Nick Hornby nerdiness (I have to admit I got most of the D&D references), and Gabriel Garcia Marquez national narrative. The Dominican Republican wasn't a happy place in the 1950s, man.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chadon. Because the Yiddish Policeman's Union was so damn cool.
The Road , by Cormack McCarthy. Bleak as it is compelling.
Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, the Hyperion series, by Dan Simmons, oh, and something called My First Stabbing I nicked off my dad after I gave it to him for Christmas.
That was one good summer.
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and something called My First Stabbing
A little something which should be read by everyone, this summer and all summers to come!
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You have all driven me, via shame and embarrassment as a crappy-not-much-reading-over-summer librarian, to pick up some books again: today, I have decided to embark upon a 'New Zealand Novels of the 20th Century' reading project. Number one is Jane Mander's The Story of a New Zealand River. Robin Hyde follows...
Never, ever apologise for your reading tastes. I say that as one who, directly varsity finished, didn't touch any reading that was even vaguely of literary value for a good 10 years or so.
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That was one good summer.
Get any swims in?
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The clearest explanation yet I've heard of atomic physics ...
I just got one of those on DVD. Our Friend the Atom by Walt Disney and Heinz Haber. If you haven't seen a chain reaction explained with mousetraps and ping-pong balls, you don't understand atomic physics!
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Get any swims in?
I'm more of a sit beside the water man, preferably with bottle, book and ashtray
The ocean, IMHO, is purely for scenery - and sourcing sweet, sweet sea life for the barbie.
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Changing tack completely
JK Rowling's 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' continues the global Harry Potter phenomenon of the last decade. This little volume contains the five fairy/morality tales mentioned in the HP books in a new translation from the original runes by Hermione Grainger, annotated by Dumbledore.
(Profits from book sales are going to the Children's High Level Group which campaigns to get children, including disabled children, out of residential institutions across Europe.)
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Re some of the above:
I won my copy of Civil War & OOPs in a raffle - haven't read it all yet.
Jane Mander's Story of a NZ river - can you see hints of the Piano in it?
Little Women- Reminds me of a haiku in David Bader's 'One hundred great books in Haiku'.
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott'Snowdrops hang like tears.
Shy, sweet, saintly Beth has died.
One down, three to go.' -
Kia ora Hilary - apropos "the Piano" & "The Story of a New Zealand River" =whole can of worms of which the vermiferous activities have not yet been made entirely clear.
Robin Scholes was (I think) involved. Jane Mander's estate was (I think) involved. As was the well-known director (I think)-we're pretty sure the tree wasnt, and the sea was innocent of any intent-
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I reckon that Bill Pearson's Coal Flat_ --a neglected NZ minor masterpiece--is well worth seeking out.
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All right, hands up: who hates Beth?
I hate all of them, and their New England prig of a mother -- a statement that would land you a punch in the junk from a frightening large proportion of literate American women. :) Probably a defect in my sympathies, but it's one of those books I've never really warmed to, but have to admit it has admirers (and intelligent ones) it would be obtuse to dismiss out of hand.
You have all driven me, via shame and embarrassment as a crappy-not-much-reading-over-summer librarian, to pick up some books again: today, I have decided to embark upon a 'New Zealand Novels of the 20th Century' reading project.
Bugger -- now you've shamed me into doing the same. Aided by a rather large lending collection of New Zealand fiction at the library in Takapuna.
If you want to focus on women writers, you might find Show Down (Margaret Escott), Stand in the Rain (Jean Watson) and The Love Contract (Margaret Sutherland) worth tracking down.
And after reviewing Barbara Anderson's autobiography for the Scoop Reivew of Books (forthcoming, I guess), I've been working through her backlist. Pretty impressive.
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Since, even with slightly crippled eyes, I read a lot each day, I dont have holiday reading - but this is the time of the year I go treat myself
with surprises.
Best 4:
"Bandoola" in my nextdoor neighbours' giveaway box! I first read about Bandoola (a very large & more-than-usually intelligent Asian tusker) when I was 10. Read this in conjunction with "Elephant Bill" J. H. Williams (I did, again) and find yourself possessed of a really intertwining tale of writer & mahout & animal hearts."Coralline" Neil Gaiman - bought Dunedin last year, didnt read it until early January! We have "The Graveyard" to come !(just won the Newbury Medal, which is par for the course for the brillant Gaiman.)
My mother picked me out a book at "the best shop in Oamaru" (the recycle centre.) It was "Wonders of the Great Barrier Reef" by T. C.
Roughley, and it is as a corker. I have two other 1st editions of T. C. Roughley (an eniment earlyish Australian biologist) which only means something to anyone who is interested in fish.And then I cuddled down with the only missing part of my Mennym series, sent to me by an American friend...I mean, everyone can hate little Beth (she's right up there in the Little Dorrit class) but who can hate Soobie?
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O Geoff Lealand? Bill Pearson didnt live long enough on the Coast to get his whitebaiting right, and there are other reasons to call "Coal Flat" an empassioned try but a failed novel. I've got it, seldom reccommend it.
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Gaiman's books for children are marvellous - I read Coraline most years to my students and the newly issued illustrated version is fantastic also. Unlike Watchmen - I am seriously looking forward to what they do in the movie version. Am also saving up for "The Graveyard".
"The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish" and "The Wolves are in the Walls" are wonderful picture books, which anyone who's read the Sandman series will appreciate - as Dave McKean does the artwork. Great books to share with children.
Bought Mirrormask the other day - written by Gaiman, illustrated by McKean and directed into film version by McKean also. Have not read that yet.
Another picture book, "Big Book of Fears" by an author who I'm really starting to enjoy, Emily Gravett. She creates really detailed visuals, using mixed media, often around a simple idea, that are great fun to explore to children. My idea is to use it as the starting point for students at the start of a year to talk/share some of the things they're afraid of. We'll hopefully be creating their own versions of the book.
The Savage by David Almond and illustrated by McKean is a graphic novel, within a story, about a boy dealing with the death of his father.
Apologies - no great literate works there - but it's good to be getting ready for going back to school.
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Gaiman's books for children are marvellous -
But where they really work, at least for me, is that you never get the sense that Gaiman is self-consciously writing "for children" -- by that, I mean there's no dumbing down or condescending in the language or the story itself. There are patches in both Coraline and The Graveyard Book that genuinely scare the shit out of me, and others that are emotionally complex and earned tear-jerks. I don't think he's ever going to do anything better than The Sandman, but that's an awesomely high bar to clear.
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A bit of an Anglophiliac book list:
'Amis and Son' by Neil Powell - not a bad summary of the two writers. I'm still not a particular fan of Martin A: partly because there's something too self conscious about his writing, partly because he seems to glory too much in squalor. (that said, his memoir 'Experience' is one of my favourite books). Kingsley's work varies from the sublimely witty to the bitter and tendentious but on the whole I'll take it over his son's stuff.
A biography of Douglas "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" Adams - can't recall who by. A book about someone like Adams just should not be boring, but this one was.
Another biography of a funny man - Tony Hancock. John Fisher earlier wrote a very good book, called 'Funny Way To Be a Hero', on the British music hall comedy tradition and how it survived into the tv age. This book is as good. Unlike previous books about Hancock it keeps his decline into alcoholism and suicide in perspective.
'Our Times' by AN Wilson - latest in a trilogy of British social and political history which began with 'The Victorians'. Didn't enjoy this latest one, which covers the period since 1950. I think this is partly because of the period it covers: the social and political history of Britain prior to 1950 was still very relevant to the social and political history of NZ but since then thankfully much less so. But even allowing for that, this work is much more small minded than the previous works. I've usually enjoyed Wilson's writing, especially on religion, but this was a chore and I didn't quite finish it.
'How Fiction Works' by James Wood. Very enjoyable, very educative. I still can't be blowed with Jane Austen or - to a lesser extent - Henry James - but this is a very good primer on how some great writers have put together their prose.
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But where they really work, at least for me, is that you never get the sense that Gaiman is self-consciously writing "for children" -- by that, I mean there's no dumbing down or condescending in the language or the story itself.
Definitely Craig. He has a remarkable way of capturing the clarity of a child's POV - and writing from that POV, while avoiding the obvious "kidspeak" that some books for children succumb too.
I particularly like the way that many of the central figures in the books he's written are girls - or in the case of "Goldfish" the voice of gently sardonic reason. (Without just stating the obvious "I told you so.")
I guess he's writing mainly for his daughters - and it shows - but I know that in my classes the girls really enjoy being able to relate to the main character - a character that's smart, sensible and still very definitely a girl. Not that the boys are alienated by that approach - as there's plenty of action and intrigue, and a need to solve the conflict in the books. And as you say - moments of sheer terror, suspense and emotion.
But never saccharine sweet or thickly laid on. Because in my experience most children don't do over dramatic - unless they're pandered to - or expected to. That is key to Gaiman's work - it never panders to his audience. He's always respectful of his audience.
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