Different kind of romance: fixation for Blacks

In this post: Booking Through Thursday and Thursday Thirteen

Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character? Who and what about them did you love?

Not really in love. Infatuated, more likely. A girl friend enticed me to read the Twilight Series.  She's a medical doctor in her mid 30s; I'm a freaking university instructor in my late 30s, and we giggle over 16-y.o. Jacob Black?! We liked Edward Cullen too but he's too pale-skinned and can never beat Jake's six pack. Oh la-la! I mean it's awesome to just feel and not think sometimes.


And there's Sirius Black of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban fame. Seriously I enjoyed fantasizing over him. Rich, handsome, arrogant, bully.  A lot like my real life ex-husband. No wonder a male friend calls me gaga at regular intervals. But I am completely at peace with the world and my neurotic self about all this.

Thursday Thirteen: Love - Hate
The wizarding world's characters that I love and hate in simultaneous order

1. Albus Dumbledore leader, wise
2. Severus Snape ill-tempered, bitter (felt a bit sorry for him at the end though)
3. Hagrid loyal, gentle giant friend
4. Draco Malfoy bully, feeling entitled... mean
5. Sirius Black ruggedly handsome, rich, intelligent
6. Dolores Umbridge I see corrupt, real world Education industry officials in her
7. Professor Moody or Crouch Jr's disguise transfigured Malfoy into a ferret, love it
8. Minerva McGonagall I love her for telling Dolores Umbridge off in class. Bravo!
9. Rita Skeeter annoying journalist
10. Molly Weasley so motherly, very loving and quite protective of her brood
11. Bellatrix Lestrange insane, nasty
12. Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger the main ones
13. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley uptight muggles

Fan fiction

Have you ever written any fan-fiction? If yes, why and for which book(s)? If no, would you like to and for which books(s)?

For that matter, do you ever READ fan-fiction??

No, I haven't and probably never will as I am no writer. But I'm not closing my doors either. Maybe when I'm old and sitting on a rickety rocking chair caressing a china cup of white tea, I will. Who knows... my muse just might poke me.

I have Sarah Gray's Wuthering Bites, and Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride, Prejudice and Zombies on my bookshelf right now. I bought them and never read them. At least not yet. Maybe when I'm old and sitting on a ....

Right after I finished writing my master's thesis, I devoured fan fiction for Harry Potter. There must have been too much remnant of scientific stuff in my life I felt so deprived of pop lit that much. Recently, I came across The Obituary of Charlotte Collins. It was an excellent travel back through time I almost forgot it was fiction.

Just a side note or in case you'd be interested: the Brontes wrote fan fiction themselves. How interesting is that!

Booking Through Thursday

Books on fire

In this post: Booking Through & Third Sentence

Have you ever read a random book left in a waiting room or on a park bench, etc., and did you like it?

Often I wonder when will I experience this. I mean finding a book left somewhere which happens to be something I would like to read. Yesterday I browsed the latest arrivals at Kinokuniya. By the time I noticed that I have been standing by the shelves for almost an hour on 3-inch heels, I was tired and sat on a bench where I found some YA fiction left by the inventory staff. I read parts of the first chapter, but aware that the book had to be accounted for in only a few minutes, I put it back on the bench and went to discover a very attractive spot - the Charles Dickens Bicentennial Anniversary collection. Ah... party! Now if i found one of those left on a park bench, I would warm that bench.

*More bookish answers at Booking Through Thursday

Book: The Wise Woman by Philippa Gregory

3rd sentence: "The walls were orange and scarlet, with the bobbing light of reflected flames, and I could hear yells of angry, rioting men."

Thoughts: It's like a scene in a movie, or that night when I and my roommates were awakened to be told that the administration building was on fire, a memory one could not easily forget. I remember feeling so worried and terrified for the nearby library. The fire was speeding to its direction. Even now nineteen years later, I could hear the crackling flames and see students running here and there. Much like this opening scene in Gregory's The Wise Woman, I relate with the main character as she woke up in chaos. She in an abbey, I in a boarding college dormitory on a hill.


*Proud Book Nerd hosts Third Sentence Thursday

My sin was winning

In this post: Teaser, Top Ten, Tune In

Teasers:
Should Be Reading

My sin was winning. I have hidden myself in the old power, in the old skills, in woman's power.

p. 101, "The Wise Woman" by Philippa Gregory

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Top Ten: Books I Think Would Make Great Book Club Picks
The Broke and the Bookish

The book club in my town has international membership. I am curious how members (myself included) would discuss, think of, or react to:

1. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
3. The King's Speech by Mark Logue
4. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O' Farrell
5. That They May Face The Rising Sun by John McGahern
6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
7. We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
8. Kelly, the Bar Girl Who Would Be President by Sam Worthington
9. Shroud by John Banville
10. Hitler's Piano Player: The Rise and Fall of Ernst Hanfstaengl by Peter Conradi

Tune In: Seal's Kiss from a Rose
GReads

I know I like the lyrics: "graying tower alone on the sea... a light hits the gloom on the gray,"  but didn't bother to know who sang it, (okay now I know) nor its background that it was included in the Batman Forever soundtrack, yeah old maids like me could be so boring like this; until I saw what images were used on this video - Pride and Prejudice! Well, of course, of course.... :)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGPaYFLWTTs&feature=related[/youtube]

Writing or riveting?

In this post: Booking Through & Third Sentence

What’s more important: Good writing? Or a good story?
(Of course, a book should have BOTH, but…)

I buy my books. So before buying any I spend time reading blurbs and reviews as of course I want value for my money. One thing that gives me pleasure in books is reading them from start to finish because of both - good writing and good story. Then I am happy knowing I haven't wasted a cent. On the other hand, good writing for me is very instrumental in tolerating a not-so- good plot. I am willing to forget it is a dull story if the writing is really good it can carry me away.

*More bookish reactions at Booking Through Thursday

Book: Emma

3rd sentence: "Her mother had died too long ago for her to have more than an indistinct remembrance of her caresses, and her place had been supplied by an excellent governess, who had fallen little short of a mother in affection."

Thoughts: Stepmother scenario in my mind here. A child in the film Nanny McPhee says, "stepmothers... they're an evil breed." I thought how lucky for Emma she got a loving governess. Of course not all stepparents are bad. And aren't we glad good foster homes exist? Our chances of being subjected to the horror stories of child neglect and abuse are lessened.

*Proud Book Nerd hosts Third Sentence Thursday

A fire was in my head

In this post: Teaser, Top Ten, Tune In

Teasers:

She had resolved that one and twenty should be the period.  With the fortitude of a devoted noviciate, she had resolved to complete the sacrifice, and retire from all the pleasures of life, of rational intercourse, equal society, peace and hope, to penance and mortification forever.

p. 423, "Emma" by Jane Austen (Volume II, Collected Edition)

A classic look at misconstrued romance. Foolish, arrogant, sensible, oblivious or endearing characters are excellently portrayed. If you've read this before, marvel anew at how people from way way back are actually alike ourselves nowadays in many ways.  If not, get ready to observe human behavior described with humor and skill that made Jane Austen a much-loved author with millions of fans.

*Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

Top Ten: Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read

Perhaps easy accessibility was taken for granted. But there's no excuse for not having read #6, especially for someone like me who did grad time in the Humanities- Communication Arts no less. This reading life is stranger than fiction.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. Anne Shirley of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
3. Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
4. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
6. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
8. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
10. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

*Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Tune In : Song of Wandering Aengus

There's a new kind of fun around here - exploring literary works, especially classical poetry set into music.  Here's one I found:

Lyrics from a poem of the same title by W.B. Yeats
Vocals by Donovan & Video illustration by Sissham

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQUT6mS0eY8[/youtube]

*Tune in Tuesday is hosted by Ginger at GReads!

Please leave your permalink so I can check it out.

Skipping

I saw this article the other day that asked, “Are you ashamed of skipping parts of books?” Which, naturally, made me want to ask all of YOU. Do you skip ahead in a book? Do you feel badly about it when you do?

It depends; and about two percent of the time.

You Don't Say! for example, by Barry Phelps, is about world notables and their misquotations listed alphabetically. In this case I wanted to know first what misquotations Margaret Thatcher or Napoleon Bonaparte made rather than reading accounts in order. Parts that are of least relevance or interest to me - I skip without questioning myself.

Conrad Kottak's international edition of Anthropology: the exploration of human diversity once was my bible for a week. I was then preparing a PhD research proposal.  Dissect, synthesize, decide which ideas would be best for an argument on a deadline on top of other university job related readings - I was almost blue in the face as the reading turned mad. And I only needed to nail some historical bit that would help rationalize the proposal. That and a few more words that began with the same letter - you could guess where I went and how thick were the pages I skipped. I know what a mpakafo is but I have to run back to this formidable but very interesting reference if asked to describe arboreal  theory.

Now, do I feel badly about skipping when I do? In most cases, yes. Most books in my hands are too engaging and too useful not to be read in their entirety. At times it is probably this 'I-have-to-read-everything-inside-every-book-I-own' state of mind.  Or that could just be my seasonally neurotic self speaking.

This post is linked with Booking Through Thursday.

Sense and Sensibility: 200th anniversary

In 1811 Thomas Egerton of Whitehall, London published Sense and Sensibility. Quick math shows it has been two centuries since Jane Austen became a full-fledged author.

Quite an anniversary, indeed. A celebration, I declare.

Blogs regarding the publication anniversary of this romance novel picture Jane Austen's engagements whilst making the final touches of her manuscript from Sloane Street. In letters to her sister Cassandra, Jane gave accounts of her shopping for muslin, the party that their brother Henry and SIL Eliza gave; mentioned several acquaintances, and referred to her book as S and S.

As a fan I wonder which between sense and sensibility did JA deem more important since she portrayed both attributes equally well. I'm obliged to enthuse over my S & S reading experience. Alas, I only managed fourteen chapters before getting sidetracked by another novel, the very first that JA wrote. I will resume and complete my affair with the celebrant before 2011 ends.

This post is linked with ABC Wednesday.

Neurotic old maid patties

"...I'm single. I eat in the kitchen sink."

- Sarah (Diane Lane) in Must Love Dogs

Well, I'm single too, and I eat on top of the fridge facing a rickety bread toaster and a good, old reading lamp amongst pens, receipts, stray ear rings and notes bound for the loony bin.  In this one particular case when I had been in bed too long, I stood on my 5th floor porch for some fresh air. These are oat patties I managed to conjure err... make during one Saturday when I was unable to eat out.  Tuna chunks, pancake flour, evaporated milk, a large egg, Knorr soy sauce, and shitake bits. There are no spices at all; can't be bothered. Just mix, fry and voila! Every piece turned out yummy.

You would expect me to fidget while trying to leave some for a friend who was coming to dinner. The AC machine became the next table. And then a thought struck. This plate is royal bone china. It falls and hits a sedan on the parking lot below and I'm going to mourn my loss for a long time.  Neurotic, old maid.

A tip: Use quick cooking oats, not instant, for patties.

This post is linked with

Food Trip Friday

and

Friday Food Fight

Girl reading

The pictures space in my e-library contains a folder named Anastasia's Looking Glass.  It is where I store photos that inspire me. Recently I stumbled upon this website called vi.sualize.us where you can "bookmark your favorite images and share them with everyone." So far I found 12; (thought I'd include one of me to complete the list as I like it the way it is), and I'm sharing all with you.  A link to the source is placed before each photo. My 'favoritest' are nos. 2 - 13. Got yours?



1. Reading blurbs @ Dasa Book Cafe. February 2011

2. reading
http://piccsy.com/2011/05/reading-88r2ws7ph/

3. Untitled / Lauren Treece
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/user/12221102..../style

4. reading
http://piccsy.com/2011/05/reading-88r2ws7ph/

5. Beauty of childhood / via ver2go (tumblr)
http://ver2go.tumblr.com/

6. Sisters / Mig_R
http://flickr.com/photos/fawbs/2819244943/

7. 163 / 365 - Felix Felicis / Noukka Signe
http://beautyineverything.com/4518817536

8. Books to Read
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/books-to-read

9. Charles Edward Perugini, World Gallery
http://www.worldgallery.co.uk/

10. http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Jean-Honor-Fragonard oung-Girl-Reading-Print-C10032525.jpeg http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://artfiles.....5.jpeg

11. Young Woman Reading By A Window, Delphin Enjolras
http://www.oilpaintings-art.com/movement/Young-Woman-Re....ow/162

12. Pietro Magni’s marble statue The Reading Girl
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://curledupwi....ng.jpg

13. Book of Fairy Tales... by *louvre89 on deviantART
http://louvre89.deviantart.com/art/Book-of-Fairy-Tales-88905326

Megan and Janet host Thursday Thirteen