Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
8 September 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Stainless Steel Droppings RIP, The Classics Club
‘The seller of lightning rods arrived just ahead of the storm.’ I love this opening line. It draws you in immediately and piques your interest.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Just finished reading Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury which I really enjoyed. I wanted to read this book for a number of reasons, it’s on my classics list, it’s on my RIP list, I’ve also read plenty of good things about it but, in fairness, and bizarrely the real thing that kept bringing this to my mind, was one of the Harry Potter films, and I can’t remember which one, but it starts with the Hogwart’s choir singing ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes. What a strange and whimsical fashion to choose your books and yet it feels oddly appropriate with this particular novel.
I really enjoyed this. It’s the story of two young boys, living in a fairly typical town. The type of boys who are usually up to a bit of mischief, albeit harmless, creeping out of their bedroom windows of an evening when their parents think they’re tucked up safely in bed to go and play in places they shouldn’t really be and to conjure magical adventures. Then, on one such evening, the carnival comes to town and the boys become involved in something much more sinister than they ever imagined. A fight for life in fact.
Firstly, a note on the author’s style of writing. Fantastical is probably the best description that I can come up with. The prose are almost poetic at points and strangely evocative. The author definitely has his own style but as soon as I’d become accustomed to this I was totally drawn into the story.
Will and Jim are the two main characters. Both rough and tumble, best friends. Jim borders a little more onto the dangerous and darker side and it’s this side of his nature that draws him to the carnival and brings him to the attention of the strange performers. This carnival isn’t of the everyday. The illustrated man is not all he seems and many of the performers are held in a strange and subdued captivity. There are so many interesting characters and concepts here. The witch, and particularly her strange form of magic, the whole scene with the hot air balloon was really quite freaky. The carousel – well, all I can say is I don’t think I can ever enjoy a ride on one of those again! The maze of mirrors – I must admit I find the Hall of Mirrors in any fairground a bit unnerving but this particular maze magnifies that feeling. This maze reflects the person’s darkest fears a thousandfold.
I’m not going to go into too much more detail. The story was undoubtedly creepy. The plight of the boys reaches a great dramatic climax. It’s a great look at good and evil and the different shades in between and the strange nature of people that draws them sometimes to things that are dark and supernatural. On top of this it’s one of those stories that you read and can immediately feel that it’s had an impact on other writers. And finally, it’s a wonderfully dark and perfect tale to read on an autumn night leading up to Halloween.
I’ve read this for Stainless Steel Droppings RIP event. This also counts to my Classics Club list.
A few random bookish facts…
I saw this recently on a few blogs and liked the questions so decided to give them a whirl. I’ve split it into two though (part II) to come at an unplanned date in the future (or when I cba!)
- Favorite childhood book? Wizard of Oz
- What are you reading right now? Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- What books do you have on request at the library? The Shining by Stephen King, Still Life by Louise Penny, Doll’s House by Neil Gaiman
- Bad book habit? Not being able to resist the next ‘shiny’ new book!
- What do you currently have checked out at the library? A travel book – Sorrento/Italy
- Do you have an e-reader? Yes
- Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once? I quite often read more than one book but usually one of them then gains favour and takes over
- Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Yes.
- Least favorite book you read this year (so far)? This is a toughie. I didn’t love Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
- Favorite book you’ve read this year? What’s with the tough questions! I’ve read so many good ones this year, Emperor or Thorns by Mark Lawrence.
- How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Only a few times a year – maybe 10 books out of every 100
- What is your reading comfort zone? Fantasy, dark, urban, paranormal
- Can you read on the bus? Every damn day!
- Favorite place to read? On holiday – no interruptions, sat somewhere nice with a view and a long cold drink.
- What is your policy on book lending? I do let people take books and I’m always surprised if they fail to give them back. whatever, I’m an optimist.
- Do you ever dog-ear books? No. I tend to either remember where I’m up to or use a paperclip. I’m hopeless with bookmarks.
- Do you ever write in the margins of your books? No
- Not even with text books? Okay, you found me out! Yes
- What is your favorite language to read in? English
- What makes you love a book? Great characters
- What will inspire you to recommend a book? If I love it I want everyone to read it so I can chat and discuss with others.
- Favorite genre? Fantasy
- Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)? Graphic novels
- Favorite Biography? I very rarely read these – probably Marilyn Monroe’s – can’t remember the name of the book though! Also Daphne Du Maurier’s
- Have you ever ready a self help book? Don’t recall doing so (although the books I read help me to chill – that’s called cheating!)
- Favorite cookbook? I have an old Italian cookbook which I really like – but more often than not I check out recipes on the internet
- Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction no non-fiction)? Mmm, inspirational, well, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – I like the way the young boy in the story overcomes so much
To be continued…
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
4 September 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: R.I.P event, Shirley Jackson, Stainless Steel Droppings, The Classics Club, The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House is the first book I’ve completed for my RIP event over at Stainless Steel Droppings (and for those of you who haven’t yet signed up there’s plenty of time to do so. Details here) and I thought it was great.
Now, firstly I should probably point out that this book was written in the late 50s and so if you’re expecting some sort of horror along the lines of the most recent movie then you’ll probably be disappointed. (Although I would say that the earlier black and white version does a much better job of portraying the book – even if it doesn’t appeal to horror fans. (Basically, think along the lines of reading I am Legend and then comparing it to the recent movie – not really anything alike).
For me, this was much more psychological and, if you’ve already read other Jackson stories this will probably ring true for you.
Hill House starts off as an experiment by Dr Montague. He invites people who he thinks have psychic abilities to come and stay at Hill House, which he believes to be haunted, to see and record their various experiences. Two of these people respond. Eleanor and Theodora. Luke, the heir apparent also joins the cosy little party.
There’s such a lot that I enjoyed about this story. Jackson is excellent at setting up characters. Eleanor is, of course, the main character. She’s lead a strange and inhibited life. At the constant beck and call of her mother and since her mother’s death seemingly living in the shadow of her sister. At the opposite end we have Theodora with her extrovert nature, beautiful and flippant and frankly the complete opposite of the shrinking violet Eleanor. Step into their lives two different males characters. Dr Montague, who acts like the fatherly, wise teacher to the group – although he seems a little out of his own comfort zone – and Luke, who seems to be the object or toy of Theodora’s attention.
So, all of these characters diverge upon Hill House – the only other characters are the gatekeeper/groundsman and his wife – both leave the property locked when they go at 6.00 pm (or when it goes dark – and, by the way, they can’t hear the inhabitants screams from where they live!). There seems to be a sort of hysteria about Hill House with the villagers – who simply don’t acknowledge it’s presence, let alone speak of it. Even Eleanor, upon arrival, has an overwhelming fear of the house. It’s shape, it’s proportions, the way it seems to watch her.
As you read the story you wonder how much of this is a ghost story and how much is a prank on the part of someone else and yet certain of the occurrences can’t so simply be explained away. All of the guests experience something strange and yet Eleanor seems to be the target.
Is it simply that Eleanor is a little unhinged herself? I’m not sure even now and am going round in circles thinking about it. She certainly seemed to lack anything of her own and seemed to come into her own at Hill House. I definitely had a few moments of thinking maybe she was the perpetrator of certain ‘elements’ of the story in order to gain attention yet as the book progresses I began to think that her behaviour was as a result of the house and certainly some of her thoughts were quite strange to read.
Everything about the house is evil, apparently. It was built at strange angles so that everything you see is not quite where it should be. All the doors mysteriously shut by themselves as they seem to be hung on a slant. The contents are dark and they add to the general feel of foreboding. The rooms fan out from a central location with no apparent reason, lots of doors from each room lending an overall impression of confusion.
The long story short on this one is simply was Eleanor paranoid delusional or was she influenced by the house. Given the last thoughts in the book I think the latter but let me know what you think.
This is definitely a good read. It’s not horrendous or terrible but it definitely has it’s chilling moments and seeing how Eleanor develops and changes and being privy to her sometimes rather strange thoughts was quite fascinating.
I read this as part of my RIP and also my Classics list.
Rereads?? It is folly, not with 10,000 books waiting to be read should you reread…
3 September 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Lord of the Rings, The Classics Club, Tolkien
Or should you?? Today I’m looking at the September meme from the Classics Club which is as follows:
Rereading a favourite classic at different stages of your life gives you different insights with each reading. Is there one classic you’ve read several times that also tells a story about you?
I like this question. It made me really think. I’m not totally sure whether I came up with anything revealing but here goes…
I’ve read a few books more than once or even more than twice. I’ve certainly read Rebecca a number of times and also a few of Austen’s and Dicken’s works but I’m not going to use one of those as examples because I think I only had a few years in between each reading. I did read Lord of the Rings when I was about 15 and apart from the fact that I loved the story and the writing I also had a total girly crush on Aragorn – although according to the book he’s not exactly easy on the eye. I don’t care, he’s a ranger and he’s hot (in my mind). I then reread this very recently as a group readalong and I think if anything I actually liked it more. I don’t know whether that’s anything to do with the age difference, the fact that I just love the story or because I’ve watched the films (quite a few times). Yes, I still liked Aragorn – and you can all go swooning over Legolas in the movie but Viggo Mortensen is my favourite, but I think I enjoyed the writing a lot more this time and the dialogue – which the film has kept surprising close to!
I think when I originally read this I was hooked on the adventure, and, as I mentioned I did have a bit of a crush going on. More recently I think I was able to enjoy the quality of the writing and feel a little in awe of what Tolkien achieved. I admit, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I read one blogger, who was not a fan, saying ‘if you like to read a description of every leaf on the tree then give it a go’. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that but, and even as a fan, I can see where that person is coming from and I appreciate description isn’t for everyone. But, reading this again a few years later certainly didn’t detract from the experience for me. I also think I took my time a little bit more, admittedly that could simply be due to the fact that I wasn’t racing to the end to see how things wound up or it could be because I’m more patient now! Even if I’m not more patient I think the real difference is that I’m more prepared to read into things now than when I was younger when I was much more about the swashbuckling, swords and sorcery.
Did this have any lessons for me? I think I could appreciate Gandalf’s words of wisdom more this time around – particularly in relation to the fact that Bilbo had shown Gollum pity rather than killing him when he had the chance – he after all plays a big part in the journey. So perhaps the lesson is ‘fools rush in…etc, etc’!
Which leads on perfectly to one of my favourite lines:
“Fool of a Took, throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!”
Author interview: TB Markinson, A Woman Lost..
2 September 2013
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Woman Lost, Author Interview, TB Markinson
Today I’m fortunate enough to have a guest interview!! TB Markinson whose recent debut novel ‘A Woman Lost’ has been receiving great reviews (check them out here and here and pick up a copy here!) Now, admittedly, A Woman Lost isn’t a book I would normally pick up and, considering how much fantasy and paranormal stories I usually read, I’d say this is definitely outside my comfort zone. So, I was very pleasantly surprised with this debut. TBM has a great writing voice and manages to pull you into this novel with ease. A book about family, friendships and relationships, tough choices and becoming comfortable in your own skin – before it’s too late.
So, welcome to my blog and thanks for taking part and moving swiftly on….
1. Have you always wanted to write and, if so, do you have lots of stories that you’ve already come up with or was this your first?
Ever since the 6th grade I’ve wanted to be a writer. I had a student teacher who praised one of my stories and mentioned that I should be a writer when I grew up. Before I hadn’t given much thought about what I wanted to be. But as soon as she said it, I knew that was it. She instilled the idea and that desire never went away.
A Woman Lost is the first novel that I completed, however, it wasn’t the first novel that I started. Back when I was 18 I started writing a novel. But then life happened and I put it in a drawer for years. Then I began another novel. And another. Stories are always popping into my head and I wish I had countless hours to sit down and write them. But I’m a writer so I’m really good at procrastinating and forgetting simple words making it quite difficult to meet deadlines. These past two years I’ve been working on that. The second novel is almost complete. I have a draft for the third and I’ve started the fourth. Now I just need to work on my focus.
2. Writing a book must be like a dream come true. Now that you’ve been published how does the dream and the reality compare?
That is an interesting question. It’s fantastic knowing that I finally did it. I talked about publishing for so long and now I can say yes I did publish a novel. But since hitting the publish button I’ve been so busy promoting it I haven’t really had time to enjoy it. No matter what, there’s always something more that needs doing. It’s exciting, frustrating, daunting, and tiring. Yet I wouldn’t have it any other way. In my experience, work is work. And until now I haven’t had many jobs that I liked or was that committed to. Writing and publishing are not easy, but at least I love what I do now. That makes it a whole lot easier when my alarm goes off each morning. And working from home helps. I love wearing my pajamas to work every day. Companies should allow that.
3. Did you have a plan for your story or did it evolve as you went along?
I had an idea about the story and I sorta knew where it would go. Surprisingly halfway through I learned that my characters had other ideas in mind and they took it in a new direction. I don’t like to plot out a novel to the last detail since the story always takes over and throws me curveballs. For me, I need to get to know my characters before deciding what will happen and that usually happens during the writing process.
And now, incredibly important question alert,
4. Can you give us a sneaky peak at what to expect from your next project?
The next novel is called—wait I almost told you. You are sneaky! It’s not a romance novel like A Woman Lost, but more of a coming of age novel with a few twists and turns. The main character, Paige, is a young woman who has a lot on her plate. She’s a lesbian but has to hide that fact from her parents and roommates in college. Her best friend died a few years ago and Paige has never recovered from that loss. There are protests for and against gay rights on her college campus and there is a lot of tension in the air and the possibility of violence. And one more thing, Paige tried to kill herself right before her high school graduation. But she didn’t do it because she’s depressed. So the big question is why did Paige slit her wrists?
Quick fire questions:
1. If you could be gifted any superpower what would it be and why?
I would like super dooper vision. I’ve been wearing contacts since the 3rd grade. Without my contacts I can’t see anything. I’ve been known to walk into walls. It would be nice to be able to see.
2. If you were given the chance to be an extra on any movie (already made or otherwise) what would you pick?
The Philadelphia Story. I’m a huge fan of Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart.
3. Who is your current favourite fictional character
I adore Doc from Cannery Row
4. Name one book that you can and have read over and over
The Great Gatsby. I have read that book at least five times. I’m sure I’ll read it many more.
5. What is your current read
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
6. Next travel destination
New York City and Reykjavík, Iceland. We’ll be in NY for US Open and then on our way back to London, we are stopping in Reykjavík for a few days.
7. What 3 things would you take with you on a desert island
My partner, a never-ending supply of beer, and a Kindle with an ever-lasting battery (you didn’t say I couldn’t cheat on this one)
8. Star Wars or Lord of the Rings (you have to choose one, and only one, otherwise you will self destruct! (only kidding about that bit! but really, no cheating)
Lord of the Rings
9. Dogs or Cats – I know it’s a toughie but you have to choose!
Sorry, I played nice with the previous question. I just can’t answer this one. Miles my dog and Atticus my cat are watching me type this. My life will be hell if I answer this question.
10. Authors with the biggest influence on your writing.
Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, J. D. Salinger, Toni Morrison, and Thomas Hardy were the first names that popped into my head. Most recently, Stephen King has been a big influence.
