Susan Hated Literature

Came across this one on The Wasteland:

• A - Act your age – Can I ignore this one, 25 and just moved home again
• B - Breast size – huh, your not getting that info so easily
• C - Chore you hate – Cutting the grass.
• D - Dad’s name - Oliver
• E - Essential make up item – Eyeshadow, defo needed
• F - Favorite actor - Vin Diesel, yummy. But I also love that fella you played Prince Edward in A Knight’s Tale; and Hugh Jackman, and… well I could go on and on
• G - Gold or silver - Silver, goes well with so much don’t you think
• H - Hometown – Dublin, Ireland
• I - Instruments you play – None, I know a bit of the keyboard, and we learned the recorder for a while in school. But I wouldn’t be confident of actually playing a recognisable tune

.

• J - Job title – Librarian, although I am currently resting.
• K - Kids – nada
• L - Living arrangements – Back in the family home, so none of its mine
• M - Mum’s name - Eileen
• N - Number of people you’ve kissed - Were we supposed to be counting?
• O - Overnight hospital stays – None
• P - Phobia – Can’t think of any, I’m sure I have some but at the my mind is a blank
• Q - Quote you like – There are a good few, and already listed down one of the volumns so whats the point in repeating myself
• R - Religious affiliation – Culturally Catholic, but none in practice
• S - Siblings - five brothers, one sister. One older
• T - Time you wake up - I usually wake around 9, but tend to stay in bed until I gotta get up. And since as I am unemployed at the moment I get to lie in a lot
• U - Underwear type - Who came up with these questions?
• V - Vegetable you refuse to eat - Brocolli, and cabbage. Just don’t like em
• W -Worst habit – Doing nothing. Wasting time online
• Y - Yummy food you make – Don’t really make anything special.
• Z - Zodiac Sign – Aquarius.

Current track:Don’t take your gun to town Johnny Cash

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Open Democracy have an interesting few articles on language, and how many seem to have words that simply cannot be translated into other languages. It is actually surprising to think how much we are shaped because of our language, or dis our language evolve because our culture was a certain way.

In Irish for example, there is no way to say Yes or No, you just answer the question asked. If someone says did you? or were you? or Is it? you would answer with I did, or I did not; I was, I wasn’t; It is, it isn’t.

This has changed and many use Sea for yes, but in reality that is a contraction of Is ea, or it is. And Níl has come to mean No, again though that word is generally used in a sentence to indicate it is negative, rather than meaning no in and of itself

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• We on our part must realize that force may not bring unity. That the reverse in fact can be true. Force can create resistance and what we are trying to bring about is unity. (0)

Series created by Richard Carpeneter
* Michael Praed - Robin of Loxely
* Jason Connery - Robert of Huntington
* Clive Mantle - Little John
* Ray Winstone - Will Scarlett
* Nickolas Grace - Sheriff of Nottingham
* Judi Trott - Marion
* Robert Adie - Guy of Gisburne
* Phil Rose - Tuck
* Mark Ryan - Nasir
* Peter Llewllyn Williams - Much
* Philip Jackson - Abbot Hugo
* John Abineri - Herne the Hunter

I don’t know if I actually remember this from when it was originally shown on RTE, or if it was repeats. Then again, the last series, the third, was made in 1985. I was six then, so it is entirely possible that I have vague memories. But I don’t really remember watching much telly back then, we spent most of our time outside running round the estate. So it is more likely that I remember repeats. I know I watched Robin of Sherwood on a Sat. because I used to go horse-riding after it when I was in secondary school.
It doesn’t really matter, the fact that does is that I have very fond memories of Robin of Sherwood so when I spotted the first two series on DVD two years ago I barely hesitated before purchasing. Continue Reading »

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But sure I figured I might as well post something seeing as I’ve promised to post once a month. Have been doing a bit of work on the site, but offline and haven’t finished so it isn’t updated yet. Only a few review additions, but anything new is good isn’t it?

The major news is that I have interview tomorrow, so off to Dublin for the day. Hopefully I’ll do okay but not too sure if I have enough experience for the job. We’ll see what happens.

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Author: Colm Tóibín
ISBN: 0330323334 DDC 823.914

Colm Tóibín has recently been in the news for his new book, The Master which tells the story of Henry James, and is supposedly very good. I haven’t read it, so I don’t know But the publicity did encourage me to pick this book up when I spotted it in the library

His first novel, it tells the story of Katherine Procter who leaves her life in Ireland for Spain, leaving behind her husband and son as well as Enniscorthy. In Spain she finds romance, and a new life as an artist, but is constantly haunted by the past. Both her own history and that of Miguel’s experiences during the Spanish Civil War. The book starts off in 1950, a fact I really should have paid a little bit more attention to, otherwise I wouldn’t have been so surprised by certain things. But once I checked the date I was sorted.

It is a wonderful read, a great exploration of memory and the impact of the past. Nothing is really resolved, or changed. There is no happy ever after, but it isn’t a depressing book. The language is great, especially many of the descriptions of the light. There are no real explanations offered, it is up to the reader to discover the links between the characters

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Author: Terry Pratchett
ISBN: 0552149411 DDC: 823.914
A Discworld novel.

By my count this is the 28th Discworld novel, although if you include the “Younger Readers’” discworld books then you get 30. So take your pick, I don’t think it really makes much of a difference what number it is.

The Discworld books are, in my opinion, among the greatest novels ever written. Not just the greatest fantasy, or humour novels, but the greatest books of all. Sure the earlier ones lack the complexity of the later ones, they are more simply comedic in nature. But the later books use humour and a fantasy setting to explore the modern world. And always (well okay, mostly) in entertaining stories, with fascinatng characters.

Monstrous Regiment is the story of Polly, a girl who dressed up as a boy in order to join the army, find and bring home her brother. Her country, Borogravia, always seems to be at war. The border with the neighbouring country is fixed by the river’s course, which unfortunatly changes course, so border conflicts are more than a little common.

And then there is the religous issue. Nuggan,their god is rather fond of updating the Book of Nuggan, and mainly with Abominations, that is things that are forbidden; chocoate, garlic, cats, dwarfs, blue, oysters, babies and many many more.

When I first read it I have to say I was a little disapointed. It lacked the humour (and the footnotes seem to have been reduced in quantity) of other books, and wasn’t as engaging. Despite this I did enjoy it, Polly and her fellow soldiers did keep my interest, and of course the few appearances of Vimes brightened up the book. Still I finished it without ever laughing out loud, and wasn’t all that impressed. But afterwards parts of the book kept coming back to me.

As is usual with books, the back of my copy has quotes on how great Monstrous Regiment is. Among them is one from the Daily Express comparing it to Evelyn Waugh’s Officers and Gentlemen, and Jonathon Swift. And the anti-war parts were the parts of the book that stuck in my mind. The absolute absurdity of the war that Borogravia had gotten involved in, and the reasons why. And that fact means I have to rate it higher than I did at first. Maybe it is missing part of the humour, but maybe it was the mood I was in while reading it. I’ll reread it in a while and know for sure about that. What I do know now is that it really does point out the ridiculous ease with which wars start;

“We are a proud country.”
“What are you proud of?”
It came swiftly, like a blow, and Polly realized how wars happened. You took that shock that had run through her, and let it boil.
…it may be corrupt, benighted and stupid, but it’s ours…
Polly stayed silent. She was still trying to cope with the anger. It made it worse to know that he was right. We have our pride. And that’s what we’re proud of. We’re proud of being proud…

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dir. Andrew Jareki
Starring the family as themselves.

This is a documentary about a family, maybe a little on the eccentric side, but seeming quite normal nontheless and what happens when the father is discovered to be a paedophile.
He (Arnold) is first discovered by the customs as an improter of child pornography, and in a search of the house more material is found. Arnold had been a respected, well-liked teacher, and although retired when the magazines were found he still gave computer classes in his house. Because of this, the police thought the children who attended may have been at risk. After a month of interviewing the children the police returned to the Friedman house and arrested Arnold and Jesse, the youngest son (18) on charges of paedophilia.
Continue Reading »

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