Never play leapfrog with a unicorn

generalkala @ 2009-07-28T21:28:00

2009-07-28T20:37:00Z

Did anybody know that Disney's Lion King is loosely based on Hamlet? Apparently so. Pretty snazzy.

Back to work tomorrow and I can't wait. I've spent a week staring blankly at walls and annoying the hell out of Alex. The problem with swine flu isn't the actual illness, it's the fact that you still can't leave the house for a few days after you're better. I've been in such a foul mood - I felt fine but still just had to sit here and gaze longingly out of the window.

I'm just glad it's over - the aches were awful. One morning I woke up, rolled over and actually shrieked it hurt that badly.

Dad's managed to avoid getting it - they gave him Tamiflu immediately when Mum got it because he's 'high-risk' because of his asthma.

Spenceley (at work) went home from work today because he's got it too. He was texting me about what to do and what to expect. I was the first one at Game to get it, you see. It's quite nice to have it out of the way.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2009-07-22T14:17:02Z

I hereby demand that you all run out and purchase this book. Hurry. Go now. Don't waste a second. Failing that, here's a link to Amazon.

I bought it the other day as the third book in the Waterstones' 3 for 2 offer (in other words, I didn't really want it.) But it's brilliant. So different to anything else I've ever read. Thing is, I can't really describe it apart from... sweet.

It takes the form of a series of letters written by the inhabitants of Guernsey to an English author that's writing about their occupation during the war. Eventually she goes for a visit and writes home to her friend and publisher. Each letter writer is given a completely different voice and personality, and you start to feel you know them after just a few letters.

Buy now. Then hurry back and tell me what you think :P

THE PIGGY PLAGUE!!!

2009-07-21T22:55:04Z

Lol, I have swine flu.

I had a headache from when I woke up but didn't think anything of it really. Just a headache, okay, whatever. So I go to work and I break out in this awful rash thing on my arms and face. I scratch and scratch and eventually work sends me to Boots to get some cream. It doesn't really help, but again, whatever. But then I start having this awful racking coughs and Matt drags me into the staff room and says "I think we should send you home, don't you?"

So yeah, I got to go home four hours early and I don't have to go to work for at least a week. On the downside, I feel like shit. My head is pounding, my skin's all sore from where I've been scratching, I have an awful cough and I feel sick. Oh well, it's just flu, I'll survive.

At least I'm not in trouble with work though. Matt said I get brownie points because I actually turned up at work when I was ill and was sent home not out of my own choice. I feel kind of bad though - Dan had to work a 12 hour shift because they sent me home. I heard him asking his girlfriend on his mobile as I was walking out.

Alex was sent home too. I went downstairs to tell him not to meet me after work and he told his manager why he was there and he got sent home too. He seems okay though, for the minute anyway.

Robyn was staying at home tonight anyway, but she's thinking about staying there for another few days so she doesn't get it too.

Oink.

generalkala @ 2009-07-21T18:58:00

2009-07-21T17:59:22Z

Oink cough oink.

generalkala @ 2009-05-04T13:44:00

2009-05-04T12:57:15Z

Only I could break my finger two days before my first exam, aren't I clever?

In other, non-ridiculously-stupid, news.... I adore the Sparhawk books by David Eddings. It's weird, I always think I prefer the Belgariad but when it comes to actually reading the Elenium, it makes me so happy. I kind of want to reread the Tamuli too, but I don't like The Bad Thing that happens.

Surprisingly good mood, considering my finger hurts, work hates me and I have an exam tomorrow.

Sorry, this is a pointless babble post, but I'm sure you'll survive :)

Also, I can't get Miley Cyrus out of my head and I'm so ashamed.

generalkala @ 2009-02-05T13:05:00

2009-02-05T13:10:14Z

I've knocked To Kill A Mockingbird off my 20 Books Everybody Should Read Challenge. Not a bad book actually.

I spent ages this morning worrying about how to get to work because of the snow, and even more so about how I was going to get home. I get halfway to Sheffield and work rings me and tells me that Meadowhall's closing. I'm so pleased! It was really worrying me what I was going to do if I got out of Meadowhall and all the trains were cancelled.

The snow must be bad if Meadowhall's shut though. It never closes. Ever. The only days it's shut are Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and that's only because nobody wants to go shopping then. Neil said it might be shut tomorrow as well, there's supposed to be a blizzard.

20 Books Everybody Should Read Challenge

2009-02-03T13:22:48Z

I seem to be into book challenges at the minute, so I thought I'd make up my own. Well, ish. This is the list of 20 books that members of the Book Club Forum voted everybody should read. There's a list for 2008 and one for 2009, so I've decided that I'm going to read all of the books on there. I haven't set myself a timescale, but I've read a fair few of them already, so it shouldn't be a problem.

2008

1) To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
2) Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
3) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
~~4) The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien~~
5) The Stand - Stephen King
6) Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
7) Discworld series - Terry Pratchett
8) The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
9) Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
10) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
11) The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
12) A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
13) Watership Down - Richard Adams
14) Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
~~15) My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult~~
16) 1984 - George Orwell
17) Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
18) The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
19) Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
~~20) Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte~~

2009

~~1) To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee~~
2) My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
3) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4) The Stand - Stephen King
5) Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
6) Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
7) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
8) Noughts and Crosses - Malorie Blackman
~~9) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon~~
10) Crimson Petal and the White - Michael Faber
~~11) Discworld series - Terry Pratchett~~
12) Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
13) Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
~~14) The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom~~
15) 1984 - George Orwell
16) The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
~~17) His Dark Materials - Phillip Pullman~~
18) Hamlet - Shakespeare
19) Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
20) Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

I know a lot of them are repeated on each list, but never mind.

So what do you think? Are there any books that you think shouldn't be on there? Any books that you think should be but aren't?

I don't believe this...

2009-01-29T23:29:09Z

Look at this. Internet pervert jailed for having sex with young girls. Not so unusual, to be honest. Thing is, he was the IT technician in my school.

There were always jokes about him being a paedophile, but no-one ever took them seriously. He was always around, seemed fairly friendly really. I just can't believe that he was grooming 13 year old girls. It seems like something people that you don't know and will never meet do, not someone you saw pretty much every day for 7 years. It's really freaked me out.

I only found out because a girl from my school posted a link to the story on her Facebook. There's a huuuuge list of 'WTF?' comments from Salts people.

God bless us, every one.

2009-01-26T23:31:47Z

Scrooge crept towards it, trembling as he went; and following the finger, read upon the stone of the neglected grave his own name, EBENEZER SCROOGE.

"Am I that man who lay upon the bed?" he cried, upon his knees.

Wow. What an amazing book. I've never got round to reading Charles Dickens before, simply because his books always sound so long-winded and tedious. Today, however, I got the 100 Classic Book Collection for my DS and was absentmindedly browsing through when I saw a Christmas Carol and clicked on it. I just started reading the first few lines... and then a few more... and then a few more. I practically read the whole thing in one sitting.

It's definitely one of my favourite books, I never expected it to be so good. The plot starts right away and isn't bogged down by too much description. The description that is present is just so vivid, you can practically smell Victorian England.

I cried at the end, and when Tiny Tim died. I adore this book.

2009 116 Book Challenge

2009-01-23T12:15:47Z

Okay, so last year I got through 115 books. Continuing my yearly challenge to read more books than the year before, lo and behold, we have the 2009 challenge! To be honest, I don't think I'll manage it this year. I've just been so busy I haven't had time to read. But we'll see :)

As always, the really, truly amazing books have been bolded.

1) Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

2) Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

3) Three Tales from the Arabian Nights by Malcolm and Ursula Lyons

4) Miss Chopsticks by Xinran

5) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

6) The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

7) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

8) Out Of My Depth by Emily Barr

9) Making Money by Terry Pratchett

10) Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks

11) Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

12) Undead and Uneasy by Mary Janice Davidson

13) The Accidental Sorceror by K.E. Mills

14) The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar

15) Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

16) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

17) The Diamond Throne by David Eddings

18) The Ruby Knight by David Eddings

19) The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings

20) The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

21) Reserved for the Cat by Mercedes Lackey

22) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

23) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

24) The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey

25) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

26) Charmed Destinies by Mercedes Lackey, Rachel Lee and Catherine Asaro

27) The Kaiser's Last Kiss by Alan Judd

28) Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

29) Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

30) Female Chauvinist Pigs: Woman and the Rise of Raunch Culture by Ariel Levy

31) Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks

32) Checkout: A Life on the Tills by Anna Sam

33) The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

34) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

35) The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw

36) Pink Think: Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy Lessons by Lynn Peril

37) Undead and Unworthy by Mary Janice Davidson

38) A Knight of the Word by Terry Brooks

39) Angel Fire East by Terry Brooks

40) Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist

41) Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman

42) The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee

43) Undead and Unwelcome by Mary Janice Davidson

44) The Chocolate Bear Burglary by JoAnna Carl

45) The Dresden Files: Storm Front by Jim Butcher

46) The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

47) Foundation Collegium by Mercedes Lackey

SHE LIVES!!!

2008-12-17T09:21:54Z

Sorry I haven't updated lately, but expect a forthcoming, action-packed update featuring -

Break-ups!
New boyfriends!
50 hour working weeks plus a law degree!
Fancy fake trials where I trip over my law gown!

And much, much more!

Lol. I'll do a real update tonight, as this is purely a procrastination exercise.

generalkala @ 2008-11-02T21:07:00

2008-11-02T21:09:23Z

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is a horrible book!

Does anyone know if the film ends the same way?

Debates with Ben

2008-10-08T21:50:38Z

To all the Cubs we managed to confuse this evening:

Mafeking is not real. It is a fictional place, much like Narnia. You may even fall through if you touch the back of your wardrobe. You may see it on a map, but the map is lying. They do that sometimes. You may see it in a history book, but it will also probably mention Baden-Powell who is a fictional character, much like Sooty, and therefore it cannot be believed.

It is simply too silly a name to be real and has never been mentioned before in my hearing. It is therefore not real and cannot possibly be a major aspect of how Scouting happened.

Narnia. Seriously.

generalkala @ 2008-08-31T16:13:00

2008-08-31T15:30:16Z

I don't know why, but I really like this -

It's from here.

I was watching Flash Gordon earlier, and one of the characters went "General Kala, Flash Gordon approaching!" Made me jump about three feet in the air! Well, as it does when your deluded little mind thinks that fictional characters are warning you that another fictional character is approaching. May also be a sign that I spend too much time online.

On a similar note, I was sketching earlier and messed up, so I tried to press Ctrl-Z until I realised that it was a pen in my hand, not a mouse. FAIL.

Morning :)

2008-08-23T00:22:53Z

Aww, I feel all chipmunky.

I'll be posting the London holiday post tomorrow (maybe) as it's in handwritten format with accompanying bad drawings. If not, it might be on Monday when I get back from Sheffield.

I've been all draw-y lately. I've started doing the Everyday Matters challenge. I may post the results, I may not. Aren't I mysterious? :P

In other news, I hate my job. To be fair, it is Back to School season, so it's been jam-packed (at one point on Thursday there was an hour long wait to be served) but even so. I understand that the parents don't want to be there and the nor do the children, but trust me - I want to be there even less. There's absolutely no need to snap and bitch at me if you don't like the shoes I bring out for you. I don't design them, and they're really not that bad.

Also, I know those shoes fit. Your child is lying when they say that they hurt them. It happens a lot. Children want fashion-fit shoes, not Clarks ones, so they say that they don't fit so they don't have to buy them. I've spent three weeks being trained how to assess whether they fit. I know those shoes fit those children. Problem is, Mummy would never believe her daughter would ever do such a thing, it must be the fault of the nasty shoe lady.

I know I'm a Shoe Monkey, I really do. So called because we spend so much time climbing upstairs. But look.

Obnoxious Parent: I want to try the 3G again.
Shoe Monkey: We tried that three shoes ago.
OP: I want to try it again.
SM: It didn't bit.
OP: I WANT to try it again.
SM: *traipses upstairs to get the afore-mentioned shoe. shockingly, it doesn't fit*
Supervisor: Are you okay there Hannah?
SM: Yeah, but we're having problems trying to get any shoes to fit Daffodil here.
OP: *sniffs* I told her the 3G wouldn't fit.

I hate it. I thought I didn't like Build-a-bear, but looking back, it wasn't so bad. Easier, at any rate. Plus, the children there actually wanted to be there. Plus, all the staff are in their little cliques and all ignore you. One of the supervisors, James, won't stop trying to shock everyone with how crude he can be and it just doesn't affect me. The mananger, Jo, is really nice. She doesn't shout or snap, no matter how many times you fuck up, which is good.

Sorry, I didn't mean to turn this into a work rant, but I really need a new job.

Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders

2008-08-15T19:53:32Z

What can I say, I'm a sucker for pretty books. Although the synopsis sounded interesting too -

'London, 1889. Oscar Wilde, celebrated poet, wit, playwright and raconteur is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances across the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark stifling attic room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle he sets out to solve the crime - but it is Wilde’s unparalleled access to all degrees of late Victorian life, from society drawing rooms and the bohemian demi-monde to the underclass, that will prove the decisive factor in their investigation of what turns out to be a series of brutal killings.'

Don't bother. Go buy a Sherlock Holmes book, cross out 'Holmes' and just write 'Oscar' instead. That's really all this book is. The protaganist even admits as such, he keeps running around going "Whoooo, I'm just like Sherlock Holmes!" over and over again. Well, not quite, but you get the message.

There's even a grand unveiling at the end, where anybody who has ever read a Sherlock Holmes book could guess who dunnit - the person you would least expect, naturally. He speaks like Holmes, and even the narrator has the voice of Watson.

The plot is passable, but the characters are very bland - all except Wilde, who gets a two paragraph description every time he waltzes on to a scene. It's as though the author was so busy glorifying Oscar Wilde that he just couldn't be bothered with any of the other characters. They all get a physical description, but they have no depth. I just didn't care who murdered Billy Wood, I'd have done it myself if it would have made the book end quicker.

It's well written throughout. My only criticism of it is the blatant way Oscar Wilde quotes are rammed in. And I do mean rammed. The flow just seems to stop at most of these moments, so it is rather obvious that the conversation was led that way purely to get another quote in. One or two would have been interesting, almost funny, but there are just so many.

I won't be buying the next one, pretty as they may be.

Things I Love Bad-Mood-Day

2008-08-15T16:40:06Z

Today has not been a good day. But you know what? I can deal with that. I've decided that everytime I'm in a bad mood, I'm going to make a list of the things that make me happy at that particular time. Kind of like Things I Love Thursday, but more of a Things I Love Bad-Mood-Day. So here goes...

Robin Hood

I think that Robin may be my favourite Disney character, aside from possibly Aladdin. I like his voice and how nice he is. I'd marry him if I could, although the fur may get on my nerves a little.

Piano sheet music

I don't sit at the piano and play anywhere near as much as I should. I'm not very good at it, mainly cause I taught myself, but I love practising one piece for ages and eventually being able to play it perfectly.

Greek architecture

Not the buildings so much as the A-level. It's so nice to be able to think again. My brain's finally stopped turning to mush.

Planning trips

I love the few days right before you go on a trip, when you look up the place on the Internet and research where you want to go and write it all in your diary with little maps. It just makes the holiday seem more real somehow.

Also, I did this quiz and got -

The Battleaxe
Deliberate Brutal Love Master (DBLM)

Sharp. Hardened. Dominating. The Battleaxe sweeps all before her, smiting and what not.

You've had a number of serious relationships, so you obviously have many attractive qualities. You're well experienced in dealing with other people's weirdnesses, and it's likely you're good in bed by now, too. Also, like the drunken housewife chucking Heinekens at her no-good husband, you've got a lot of energy.

People can tell you're sophisticated, and so you find yourself the object of infatuations quite often. But it's how you handle yourself in your relationships that gets you the 'brutal' tag. Controlling? Imperious? Overbearing? Yes, please.

Remarkably, you don't mind the same from your men. You've experience enough to take whatever you dish out. Overall, you're a very good person and a capable lover, and when the time comes you'll make a fine divorcee.

Niiice. I'm mean and nasty. Smiting and what not. Huh.

Meme and other stuff

2008-08-11T22:15:19Z

Has anybody read or heard of the following books? I bought them from Amazon using vouchers. Well, kind of. The total was £60-odd and I only had £30 in vouchers... but never mind :)

My Secret: A PostSecret Book - Frank Warren
Pop Babylon - Imogen Edwards-Jones
Superior Saturday - Garth Nix
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Female Chauvinist Pigs: Woman and the Rise of Raunch Culture - Ariel Levy
The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are - Danny Gregory
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: Feminist Reinterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII - Karen Lindsey
Fortune's Fool - Mercedes Lackey

Whoo. I can't wait for them to arrive. Obviously I have read Sherlock Holmes before, but I'm slowly buying them all in that edition as they're all different colours and look pretty on a shelf!

Meme stolen from
hollycore
.

1. How has LJ changed your life?
Umm... a fair few of my books have been recommended to me by LJ friends. I'd never have found out about Twilight, for one thing. Perish the thought. I have friends that I like talking to, and a way to procrastinate online. Oh, and I can find out what
bluekiwibubble
has been doing without ever having to (God forbid) talk to her.

2. What do you do before bedtime?
It depends where I am. If I'm at home I just get changed and fall straight into bed. If I'm in Sheffield I usually tidy up my room a bit first.

3. What is your favorite meal?
God knows. I usually 'cook' beans and cheese a lot. Other than that, I live on crisps and apples.

4. What is the ONE place you want to go to before you die if you had the money and the time?
Australia.

5. Are you a big perv?
Nah. I don't really see the point.

6. What do you do in your free time?
Read, play pointless games on the Wii and spend far too long on the Internet.

7. Do you trust easily?
Yes.

8. What personal belonging do you have with you everywhere you go?
Purse, keys, phone and Handbag Frog.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
Financial stress.

10. What is your best quality?
I'm always friendly. I can be quite shy, but I'm always smiling.

11. Is being tagged fun?
Sure.

12. How do you see yourself?
It varies depending on my mood. Usually I'm quite happy with myself.

13. Do you prefer rain or snow?
I like both, but I love snow.

14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
She lives in Sheffield (I think?) so she must be pretty cool :P

15. Poor but loved, or rich but hated?
Poor but loved. Although it probably depends how poor. If it was living-on-the-streets, literally starving poor, then I'd rather be rich and hated.

16. How many children do you want?
One. Preferably a girl, but I'm not that bothered.

17. What's better; to give or to receive?
Depends what you're giving or receiving... if it's a kitten, I'd much rather receive. If it's a handbag with a kitten embroidered on it, you're very welcome to it :P

18. What do you feel about sex without love?
I don't judge those who do it, but it's not for me.

19. Name a song you were obsessed with in your teens.
King of Spain - Moxy Fruvous.

20. What would you name yourself if you'd been born the opposite gender?
Luke

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-06T11:04:58Z

SPOILERS!!!

Okay, so like a lot of other people, I'm a little disappointed with Breaking Dawn. However, I don't think it was as bad as some people seemed to make out. I don't get why some people are being so petty and trying to take the books back to the shops and being so nasty about Stephanie Meyer. It's just so childish and there's no point.

Anyway, here are my thoughts.

What I liked

Edward's reaction when he found out Bella was pregnant. Am pretty sure my boyfriend would have had a similar reaction.
Edward falling in love with the baby when he realises he can hear its thoughts.
Bella phoning Rosalie to help her protect the baby, and Rosalie obliging.
The big gathering of vampires near the end.

What I disliked, a longer list

The baby. Simple. I could deal with it, it just didn't seem to fit with the other books. It could be because Bella always seems so childish, but I just can't grasp the idea of her as a mother.
The baby's name. Renesme? Seriously? It just seems to be straight out of fanfic.
JACOB BLACK. I loathe him. I never liked him before, but still. It has a hissy fit every time Bella wants to touch her own child, and he had absolutely no right to go and tell Charlie. He's such a little boy - he runs off to tell Charlie anything at every possible opportunity, like with the motorbike. Hate. Seriously.
Bella not getting annoyed with Jacob for more than an hour. I'd be livid if someone ran off and told my father that I was a vampire without my permission.
Nothing actually happens in the book. There's no big baddie until 4/5 of the way in. The final confrontation is quite good, but still.
I thought vampires with special powers were meant to be quite rare? Why does practically every vampire at the gathering have one then?
The writing style seemed different somehow. I can't really put my finger on it, but it just seemed a little different to the other books.
So did the characters, actually. Especially Bella. Jacob seemed the same, but he's always been a jerk.
Just a mild niggle, but Edward never really seemed to connect to Renesme. You never see them cuddle or anything similar.

I know it doesn't look like it from the lists above, but I did enjoy the book. It just wasn't as good as I expected to be. I don't think it would have made it on it's own; it's kind of coasting on the success of the other books.

I'm masochistic, oh yes I am

2008-07-27T18:50:38Z

Guess who's decided to do a sixth A-level course on top of her second year Law degree? That's be me, it would.

It's not that I'm bored of Law, far from it, but I just want to be able to study something new. I know I could just study something anyway, but it's just not the same without something to study towards. Besides, an extra A-level can't hurt. It's Classical Civilisation - the Greeks and the Romans basically.

It's good though, because I can choose which of the options I want to do. If you do it in a sixth form or a college, the institution chooses the option for you. Hence Chartism and the Poor Law in A-level History at Salts. Ack. These are the options for this course -

AS

One from -

Greek Architecture and Sculpture I can't decide between this...

Athenian Democracy

Aristophanes and Athens

Women in Athens and Rome ...and this

Menander and Plautus

The Life and Times of Cicero

One from -

Homer Iliad

Homer Odyssey I'll probably do this one...

Athenian Vase Painting

Athenian Imperialism

Roman Architecture and Town Planning

The Second Punic War ...or this one

Coursework, one from -

Mycenaean Civilisation

The Persian Wars I like the look of this one

Greek Tragedy

Augustus and the Foundation of the Principate

Socrates and Athens

Alexander

Roman Epic

Tiberius and Claudius

Someone tell me this is a joke.

2008-06-10T20:11:17Z

Here.

No more books? Electronic books? I have enough issues with e-books to even consider owning one of these.

Whoever invented this should be shot.

generalkala @ 2008-05-15T14:08:00

2008-05-15T13:09:43Z

The computer has just deleted 3,000 words of my essay.

generalkala @ 2008-03-27T17:17:00

2008-03-27T17:38:00Z

Ugh, I'm posting here far too much lately.

Anyway, I walked into Saltaire earlier because I had a ReaditSwapit book to post, but in was in the next town so I thought I'd just walk over and shove it through the door. I walked this route at least twice a day for the last seven years, but I was still shocked by the amount of memories that washed over me. Something had happened to me round every corner and down every street.

Walking past the bus stop when I liked Dean in Year 9, wandering along the canal with Aarron in Years 12 and 13, going to the German market with Ciara in Year 13, walking with Leigh and Laura in Year 9, walking down to meet Caroline or Lowri throughout all years, almost running down for exam results, awkward conversations with Danny, wandering around with Zoe and Jade in our Law breaks...

So many memories. I think Saltaire actually means more to me than Shipley does, probably because I've spent so much time there. I never realised how such a small place could be so important. For the first time since I left school, I actually miss everyone.

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

Well, it was Eragon. Everybody kept telling me how good it was, but I wasn't that keen on reading it. It has a completely uninspiring cover and seemed identical to every other dragon fantasy book out there. I picked it up last week though, and it's actually very good. Now, it would probably have to be Catch-22.

Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for a while, eventually you realize it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

Haha, the Thursday Next books are on my Must Reread list. I tried reading Vanity Fair once, and the only use I have for that book is as a doorstop. For me, it is actually the most boring book on the planet.

Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?

To be honest, I don't think I have.

You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Adviser to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why?

Harry Potter. Even people who don't like reading have read (and liked) Harry Potter.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

French. I'd love to be able to read Les Miserables and the Three Musketeers in the original. Wouldn't that be amazing? Here fairy, here!

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

Pride and Prejudice or Bitten, by Kelley Armstrong. I read both of them at least once a year anyway.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art – anything)?

Just new books, I'd say. There are so many amazing books I would never have come across if it wasn't for ReaditSwapit, Livejournal or Goodreads. I like being able to rec books to other people is well. The Internet is all about books for me, which is ironic in a way.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather-bound? Is it full of first edition hard covers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead – let your imagination run free.

Oh good Lord. I've died and gone to heaven. I plan to have this one day though. When I have a good career and a big house, I'm going to dedicate one room of the house to being my library.

Every book in there will be paperback, and arranged alphabetically by author. All fiction will be together, but with seperate shelves for history, autobiography, etc.

I will have shelves on three of the walls. The other wall will be bare, except for a big fireplace (far away from the books, obviously). On that wall, I'm going to paint my favourite bookish quotes. I think the room will be burgundy, using gold for the quotes. There will be a desk and a huge comfy (not leather) sofa.

Not that I've given this much thought or anything...

The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.

2008-03-26T12:04:56Z

I just finished rereading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It's even better the second time round, it's just such an amazing book.

One of the things I like best is the little snatches of humour in an otherwise very dark book.

Where 'chivalry' entered into this, he thought ruefully, he was not entirely sure, unless it counted as chivalrous that he was not calling for Hermione to do it in his stead.

One of my favourite parts is when McGonagall is arguing with the Death Eater in the Ravenclaw common room and Harry's under the Invisibility Cloak.

   He spat in her face.
   Harry pulled the Cloak off himself, raised his wand and said, "You shouldn't have done that."
   As Amycus spun round, Harry shouted, "Crucio!"
   The Death Eater was lifted off his feet. He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain, and then, with a crunch and a shattering of glass, he smashed into the front of a bookcase and crumpled, insensible, to the floor.
   "I see what Bellatrix meant," said Harry, the blood thundering through his brain, "you need to really mean it."

But the best bit in the entire book is the following-

"Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
   The silence swallowed them all again. Every head turned, every eye in the place seemed to have found Harry, to hold him frozen in the glare of thousands of invisible beams. Then a figure rose from the Slytherin table and he recognised Pansy Parkinson as she raised a shaking arm and screamed, "But he's there! Potter's THERE! Somebody grab him!"
   Before Harry could speak, there was a massive movement. The Gryffindors in front of him had risen and stood facing, not Harry, but the Slytherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood, and, almost at the same moment, the Ravenclaws, all of them with their backs to Harry, all of them looking towards Pansy instead, and Harry, awe-struck and overwhelmed, saw wands emerging everywhere, pulled from beneath cloaks and from under sleeves.

I'm pretty sure that is the best written paragraph in literary history. It makes me cry every time. My eyes are watering now as I type it out and I was almost crying on the (thankfully empty) train as I read it yesterday.

Oh! And moving suits of armour! And Flitwick, McGonagall and Sprout chasing Snape!

I also really like that you have to answer a question to get into the Ravenclaw common room.

Also, I really hated the epilogue the first time I read Deathly Hallows, but now I concede that it does actually round off the book quite nicely, especially the 'The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well,' part. It seemed necessary somehow.

EDIT - The one thing that really irks me about the book is the relationship between Ron and Hermione. It just shouldn't be there. It's just not necessary to have romance between the three of them. It only serves to make the whole thing seem a hell of a lot more childish. Ugh.

And yes, this post is just an excuse to write my favourite quotes and squeal annoyingly a bit.

The Princes in the Tower

2008-03-19T16:43:15Z

I think I must have the worst immune system in the world. It's almost as if I smeared myself in bacteria pheromones, because they all seem to make a beeline for me. Yes, I'm ill again. Have spent another day lying on the sofa going "Uhh." On the bright side, I finished my book and even managed to review it -

Okay, I am the world's biggest history geek. Seriously. But even I had problems with this book.

It's a fascinating subject that I didn't know much about. My main area of interest is the Tudors, but my knowledge doesn't extend much further in either direction. The Princes have always interested me, so I decided to read an unbiased, objective account of who murdered them.

Unfortunately, this book isn't it. In the introduction, Weir states that she was keeping as open a mind as possible. However, I think she must have left it in her other jacket. The book should really be called 'Why Richard III Murdered the Princes in the Tower.' It's unbelievably biased. It's full of sentences like 'We do not know when Richard III first conceived the idea of murdering his nephews.' This is before she has even started talking about the likely suspects, each of whom get a cursory three lines on why they couldn't have done it. She doesn't even bother to examine the evidence as to how they could have.

She's also incredibly dismissive of the opinions of other historians, without even explaining why. For example, she writes that 'Some writers mistakenly believe that...' but doesn't explain why they're mistaken or how she knows that. At one point, she mentions the opinion of one historian, but implies that as he is an 'amateur,' there is absolutely no point in listening to him at all.

Another thing that irks me (although it is common practise in historical non-fiction) is they way she refers to people by their Dukedom. Richard III is referred to as 'Gloucester,' even after he has been crowned, and I reached the end of the book unable to recall the name of the younger Prince as he is constantly referred to as 'York.' Again, I understand that this is common practise, but it does bug me, especially when you get sentences such as 'Gloucester was not popular with Gloucester,' meaning that Richard was not well liked in the city of Gloucester.

On the plus side, Weir has clearly done her homework. The sheer size of the bibliography proves that. She goes into immense detail about everything and mentions every single thing that could have proved that Richard killed them.

Shame she didn't bother to examine the other side of the argument.