In its true form, the tale of Beauty and the Beast does not have any cute teacups or singing chandeliers. Disappointingly enough, the old folk tale coIn its true form, the tale of Beauty and the Beast does not have any cute teacups or singing chandeliers. Disappointingly enough, the old folk tale consists of a cursed man taking a beautiful woman hostage and asking her to dine with him over and over and over again.
It's tedious, repetitive and not very uplifting.
Much like this book.
Though Pamela is filled with absurdity, it quickly gets old. And while Richardson assures his reader that Pamela is rewarded for her virtue, it's rather the odious Mr. B that is rewarded for his abuse. Which one could argue is more realistic after all....more
A beautiful, yet odd, mixture of fantasy and history, this novel takes place during the French Revolution. In the gilded rooms of Versailles, a poor mA beautiful, yet odd, mixture of fantasy and history, this novel takes place during the French Revolution. In the gilded rooms of Versailles, a poor magician pretends to be someone she's not in order to win money at the gambling tables, while a beautiful young nobleman risks everything he owns in order to earn money for his air balloon; money that doesn't come with the strings his parents demands of him.
This is a tale of magic and wonder; of greed and gambling; of poverty and love. And, most of all, it's a tale about desperation. Beautifully written with a dash of poetry.
While the ending felt a bit rushed, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its world of abundance....more
Jane Austen was inspired by Fanny Burney. To such a degree that the famous phrase Pride and Prejudice first appeared in Cecilia. Austen later made thaJane Austen was inspired by Fanny Burney. To such a degree that the famous phrase Pride and Prejudice first appeared in Cecilia. Austen later made that particular phrase immortal. Catherine Morland, the wonderful heroine of Austen's Northanger Abbey, even reads Cecilia and praises it to the skies.
It's easy to see why.
While Cecilia is a melodramatic tale filled with ill-timed declarations of love, suicidal moneylenders, pretentious lords, many faintings and even nights spent in fever-induced ravings, it is at its core a very forward-thinking novel about a woman who cannot marry, because she needs to keep her last name in order to inherit her fortune.
What does a last name signify? Quite a lot, if you read through this novel. Cecilia is almost denied love entirely because a last name not only is associated with identity or family history; but honor and the obligation to immortalize the man's family as well. Cecilia is almost obliged to throw all of this - and her inheritance - away in order to satisfy society's expectations.
This powerful message lies beneath a satiric portrait of the upper class in 1800's London. Burney paints London in vivid colours and creates an absolutely mesmerizing view of a metropolitan city in the middle of the industrial revolution. The characters that populates this London of the past are equally hilarious and infuriating. Burney masters this comic balance to perfection.
The title character Cecilia is a true saint; a little too naive for her own good and quite prone to fainting but as a symbol of purity, she works quite well. She is surrounded by such a comic cast of characters; the silly-minded Mrs. Harrell, the even more naive Mr. Arnott, the raving and almost unintelligible Mr. Briggs and the brilliant Delvile-family, lead by the young Mortimer who is as passionate as Cecilia is pure. God, I loved them all. After all, I did spent a 1000 pages in their company.
Burney doesn't master the depth of her characters as well as Austen; but she is able to invent and describe them as well as Dickens.
While Cecilia is a rather long novel, it is worth every single page. It could certainly have been concluded faster � but what's the fun in that? I enjoyed every single page; it's one of those book you live in while you read.
�Her next solicitude was to furnish herself with a well-chosen collection of books: and this employment, which to a lover of literature, young and ardent in its pursuit, is perhaps the mind's first luxury, proved a source of entertainment so fertile and delightful that it left her nothing to wish.�...more
A fairy tale of old myths, snowflakes and ice; broken families and naturalistic night mares. I adored this book. I only wish I had read it during the A fairy tale of old myths, snowflakes and ice; broken families and naturalistic night mares. I adored this book. I only wish I had read it during the darkness of winter; it has the perfect atmosphere for it.
Definitely one of the most enchanting middle grade novels I've read in a while....more
I knew this story before I read it. Or, at least it felt achingly familiar. Perhaps I dreamed it once. Or perhaps, for a brief moment, I lived it myseI knew this story before I read it. Or, at least it felt achingly familiar. Perhaps I dreamed it once. Or perhaps, for a brief moment, I lived it myself.
Because this is a story of a boy who opened a book and stepped into a world.
But unlike so many other stories, the boy in this story didn't accept the words "The end".
Instead he went looking for more.
�Strange, isn’t it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like part of your own history because they are. It’s nice to finally have someone read stories I know so intimately.�
This is an odd book. I'm sure it will divide readers, puzzling fans of Erin Morgenstern's beautifully constructed Night Circus and leaving question marks in its wake. The similarities between Morgenstern's two books begins and ends with their poetic prose. Nothing else remain the same.
If The Night Circus was a book for the dreamers of the world, The Starless Sea is for the people who once were dreamers but lost hope. It's a book for the people who read about adventures but never experienced them; the people who saw opportunities pass and opened countless wardrobe doors only to conclude that the portal to Narnia closed a long time ago. It's a book for people haunted by choices not taken, words not spoken, stories not started.
All books are written to be read, and so all books are 'books for readers'. But this book is different. This book is about readers; filled with that otherworldly melancholia, that prickling sense of not belonging outside the pages of a book, only known and recognised by people who have lived in a book and not wanted to leave.
And so, when the main character, Zachary, finds a way to reopen a door into a fictional realm of skeleton keys, owl kings, endless staircases, leather-bound books and mythic symbols, he doesn't look back.
Why would he? He is one of us, after all; looking for something he once thought lost. Succumbing to homesickness for a place he's never been.
�We are all stardust and stories.�
Sprinkled with Harry Potter references, underground libraries, old myths and book clubs, this is a love story to paper and pages. Of course it is. A 500-pages love declaration to nightmares and daydreams, fairy tales and Gothic horror.
But it's more tangible than that. The characters in this book fall in love with each other by telling stories; Zachary is seduced by the mere voice of a storyteller, whispering tales in the dark. A young maiden falls in love with a pirate who, like Scheherazade, crafts stories that weave in and out of each other, while sitting in a cell awaiting his death. And echoing through the many layered stories, Fate falls in love with Time.
In the end, Morgenstern hints at an ancient truth; by telling our stories, we show our hearts.
This is the best book I've read all year.
�This is not where our story ends, he writes. This is only where it changes.�...more
Rosnay merges biography and fiction beautifully in this book about Daphne du Maurier's life. Reading it felt like watching a biopic; so tangible, realRosnay merges biography and fiction beautifully in this book about Daphne du Maurier's life. Reading it felt like watching a biopic; so tangible, real and thought-provoking.
I'm not sure how to describe it, define it or even categorize it. But it was something quite pleasant. ...more
This was fun. And utterly unpredictable and not at all what I had expected.
Having watched Hank and John's YouTube-channel for years (and lately intensThis was fun. And utterly unpredictable and not at all what I had expected.
Having watched Hank and John's YouTube-channel for years (and lately intensely listened to their accompanying podcast), I've gotten used to listening to Hank and his way of arguing and phrasing his sentences.
Yet, I was surprised by how familiar this book felt. It is written exactly how Hank speaks. It's filled with jokes and clever comebacks, and it is confusing at times, never clearly separating April's thoughts from spoken dialogue. I've never read anything quite like it.
�Behold the field in which I grow my fucks. Lay thine eyes upon it and see that it is barren.�
This book is a modern science-fiction adventure; and yet it is also about internet fame and deceiving agents, online communities, extremism, pop culture and everything between.
Hank Green paints a surprisingly bleak picture of internet fame and the way an online creator can lose touch with reality � or even their own community � by creating an alternative version of themselves, carefully designed for likes and comments. I actually found Hank's musings on fame and self-worth the best part of the book; it is clearly written by someone who has lived and experienced it.
The plot itself is a science-fiction adventure, complete with aliens, contagious dreams with built-in code sequences, visits from the president and even evil assassins who gets turned into jam. The main character April May gets caught up in everything when she films a YouTube video about the sudden appearance of a enormous figure in the middle of New York.
April May is a very hard character to like; she's self-absorbed and craves fame. But while she isn't necessarily likable, she is interesting. Less can be said of the minor characters, who are despairingly one-dimensional, having only a single character trait.
Overall, I did enjoy the book � and have never quite read anything like it � but I wasn't completely convinced by the plot or Green's cardboard characters. The underlying subjects of the book was more interesting than the book itself....more
How Victorian it is to utter that it is "unladylike" for women to shoot animals and then having to fight off leopards with a stool?
Mary Kingsley certaHow Victorian it is to utter that it is "unladylike" for women to shoot animals and then having to fight off leopards with a stool?
Mary Kingsley certainly was a Victorian, and very proper, lady. But she was also a fierce explorer and travelled widely through Africa, trying to observe the culture. Best of all, she was fiercely protective of the African culture and resented the influence of the British culture (even though she was in fact a product of this cultural change herself).
A Hippo Banquet consists of excerpts from her travel diaries. It is filled with brittle observations and lavish descriptions of wild animals, hunts and explorations. It is also quite amusing at times....more
�It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met.� �It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met.�
Beautifully written. If I had a pen while reading this book, it would have been a beautiful massacre of underlined sentences, a firework of tiny stars and exclamation marks.
These tiny essay excerptions from a thirteenth-century Japanese monk leaves much food for thought. When reading Kenkō's praises of boredom, I couldn't help but wonder how he would feel about today's smartphones, stealing away our minutes, filling our pauses. I'm sure he would have much to say about the subject.
And that's the thing that impresses me about his writing; it feels so very modern. So many of his arguments and thoughts are applicable to the lives we lead today. I could easily have been fooled into thinking that book was more recently published.
�There is nothing finer than to be alone with nothing to distract you.� ...more
�Despite himself Paul was enchanted by the intoxicating loveliness of the night.�
A tiny selection of stories about sex and sexuality set in the aristo�Despite himself Paul was enchanted by the intoxicating loveliness of the night.�
A tiny selection of stories about sex and sexuality set in the aristocratic France. Maupassant masterly combines his romantic and artistic descriptions with a sense of irony that feels very modern. Fun, even....more
My love for L. M. Montgomery is perhaps eternal. Growing up, her Emily series were my favourite books and Emily herself was my idol.
Lately I've fallenMy love for L. M. Montgomery is perhaps eternal. Growing up, her Emily series were my favourite books and Emily herself was my idol.
Lately I've fallen back in love with her books and her world � so beautifully crafted and written in such heartfelt words. Montgomery certainly had an eye for beauty, turning even the most mundane moments into things of wonder. Her many heroines are widely different, but what they all have in common is the ability to appreciate and admire the world around them.
As Montgomery famously wrote in Emily's Quest: "Remember--pine woods are just as real as--pigsties--and a darn sight pleasanter to be in."
It seems cruel that Montgomery was critised for this world view by her contemporaries. Her novels were deemed too old-fashioned and too nostalgic � the very thing that she is now admired for.
In general, Montgomery's life was full of disappointment � and it is heavily chronicled in her journals that she wrote throughout her entire adult life. Therefore she seems like the dream subject for any biographer � Liz Rosenberg included.
And Rosenberg does an admirable job of writing a light-weight biography. While nowhere as heavily researched or thorough as Mary Henley Rubio's The Gift of Wings, Rosenberg's biography does serve as a beautiful introduction to Montgomery's life.
Rosenberg writes her book almost like a story and spins the tale of Montgomery's life in a simple and engaging writing style. Combined with beautiful illustrations, this book is a treasure to hold. Its only downfall is perhaps that it tries too much to combine Montgomery's life with that of Anne Shirley's � failing to connect the dots between the Emily books and Montgomery's own life (when so many of the things that happen to Emily was in fact stolen from Montgomery's life).
But I might just be saying that because I'm a fierce Emily-believer. Who knows? In any case, this book is lovely. A beautiful addition to any bookshelf and a wonderful introduction to the tragic and ever-creative inner life of L. M. Montgomery. ...more
I'm fascinated by the fact that every beloved classic seems to live on. To take on an afterlife and stillI'm fascinated by retellings of old classics.
I'm fascinated by the fact that every beloved classic seems to live on. To take on an afterlife and still inspire people even if its characters are flawed and outdated by today's standards. That people still asks questions about what happened to the characters after the book was finished and find themselves writing their own answers.
And this is why I read this. Because I was happy to know about its very existence; even after having written my thesis on Jane Austen-fanfiction, it never occurred to me that there would exist Little Women-fanfiction.
However, the best thing about this book is its existence. Its content isn't very exciting at all. Brooks spins a dreary tale of Mr. Marsh's experience in the Civil War and his struggles with coming to terms with his own faith and mankind's cruelty. There's an odd romance in here too and while it's easy to expand Mr. Marsh's character which only is a shadow in the original book, I found the portrayal of dear Marmee almost unforgivable.
The little women themselves barely make an appearance in this retelling, which is perhaps for the better. That would probably have been a disaster anyway....more
It's been a while since I read an entire book in a single day.
It used to be nothing special. When I was studying at uni, I rarely put my book down beIt's been a while since I read an entire book in a single day.
It used to be nothing special. When I was studying at uni, I rarely put my book down before I reached the last page; my bookmarks were scattered all around around my apartment, hardly used. As a child I devoured books, returning to my local library every day, demanding new and fresh stories to disappear into.
These last few years, I can't seem to find the time. Or perhaps, as I thought when I read this, it's the books I can't seem to find.
Because time stopped when I picked up this book. Hours passed, the morning disappeared, and I read the entire book. When I had to leave the book behind in order to be practical or social, its words followed me around for the entire day. Until I was finally reunited with it and could reads its tragic, melancholic, poetic and impossibly bittersweet last words.
�Pierrot knew that Rose was punished every time she spoke to him. All her words were contraband, treasured items from the black market. A sentence from her was like a pot of jam during wartime.�
And now; onto the book itself.
The Lonely Hearts Hotel has been compared to Morgenstern's enchanting Night Circus; but, really, the only resemblances are that of the front covers; midnight clad illustrations filled with moonshine and stars, hinting at mysteries beyond.
Though both books take place among clowns and enchanting acts, Morgenstern's book is a wondrous dream, and O'Neills novel is a nightmare playing out on abandoned streets. Morgenstern's prose is lavish, extravagant and so atmospheric; and O'Neills writing style is that of simplistic poetry, disguising hard-hitting scenes in almost childish fairytale-like simplicity.
The Lonely Hearts Hotel starts with rape and incest; two unwanted children born to young mothers and left in an orphanage. The lively Pierrot and the imaginative, yet determined, Rose. They are indeed the starcrossed lovers one would expect them to be, but before their love story even starts they must endure all sorts of physical and emotional abuse from the grown-ups who were supposed to be their protectors.
By accident their roads separate and they end up living completely different, yet equally brutal, lives in Montreal during the Great Depression. Always thirsting, thinking, searching for each other, always only nearly meeting.
As a reader, you're always rooting for them. Hoping that they will find not only each other but everything they're looking for without having the words to explain it all. They are two damaged souls, raised without the concept of love in a toxic environment. And as they reach for each other, you pray that they may brush each other's fingertips, just to be granted a moment of love, a moment of knowing. (view spoiler)[I actually though the novel was strongest when they were wandering around Montreal, searching for each other. The tension was high, the hope desperate. I was so heavily invested in it. (hide spoiler)]
�She didn’t know what it meant to always want to be close to someone. She wanted to have the same experiences as him. She wanted to hit him and have a bruise appear on her body.�
The Lonely Hearts Hotel is partly a coming-of-age novel, partly a novel about lust and love, identity, greed, ambition and art and imagination. Rose dances through her childhood with an imaginary bear as her best friend; Pierrot talks with lonesome pianos before he gently touch their keys and find out what melodies they want to share with him. These two main characters builds their own world full of color; and it is their ability to enter each other's imaginations that allows the love story to unfold.
In the end, I found this to be an open loveletter to art and creativity. A tribute to the performers and dancers and singers and musicians and actors everywhere, and yet also a tale of how creative forces sometimes are born in response to destructive forces, a pure coping mechanism.
It is also a love story, of course, and a tragic tale of The Great Depression, a tale of lost identities and social heritage. And it is beautifully written, utterly captivating and spellbinding; "a fairytale with a wicked heart," as it so brilliantly says on my copy....more
�There was a freedom in being lost. There was a freedom in abandonment too, if you thought about it right.�
These short stories are uncanny. Dreamlike�There was a freedom in being lost. There was a freedom in abandonment too, if you thought about it right.�
These short stories are uncanny. Dreamlike, almost. Barnhill crafts a distorted imagery similar to the fragmented and incoherent scenes you encounter when sleeping. When are you reading the actually plot and when are you filling the gaps with your own imagination?
Barnhill writes beautifully. Her stories are descriptive, atmospheric and yet holds some sort of dread that keeps you turning the pages, biting your nails, awaiting the plot twist that's evidently coming.
As it is with every short story collection some stories are more powerful than others. The last story especially The Unliced Magician was gripping; a tale of an invisible girl exploding with magic, hope and healing in a society that doesn't let her express herself and denies her abilities. The story, and ultimately the collection, ends in fireworks. And it lingers.
I also fell in love with The Dead Boy's Last Poem which is a powerful story of falling in and falling out of love, possession and obsession and youth. Most of all, it's a story about artists and living through the art one creates.
The Taxidermist's Other Wife was wonderfully creepy; an eerie tale of wanting to preserve, leaving everything frozen in time, never leaving a mark. It's also a tale of control and fear and in many ways, it reminded me of Neil Gaiman's writing style in Fragile Things. Which is perhaps the highest praise I can ever give.
�We read because we hunger to know, to empathize, to feel, to connect, to laugh, to fear, to wonder, and to become, with each page, more than ourselves. To become creatures with souls. We read because it allows us, through force of mind, to hold hands, touch lives, speak as another speaks, listen as another listens, and feel as another feels. We read because we wish to journey forth together.�...more
�Wishes don’t just come true. They’re only the target you paint around what you want. You still have to hit the bull’s-eye yourself.�
No one writes li�Wishes don’t just come true. They’re only the target you paint around what you want. You still have to hit the bull’s-eye yourself.�
No one writes like Laini Taylor. She is capable of stringing her words together in a way that both creates tension, desperation and poetry. Reading her books are like stepping into a dream; and when they end they still linger in the air, coloring an entire day or week.
I adore Taylor's writing style.
And while I don't consider this series to be among Taylor's best, it's still well worth the read. ...more
�They were collectors of words the same way so many of the gravel diggers were collectors of fossils. They kept an ear constantly alert for them, the �They were collectors of words the same way so many of the gravel diggers were collectors of fossils. They kept an ear constantly alert for them, the rare, the unusual, the unique.�
This could be a tale about a little girl who survived drowning. A story about a heart that stopped beating for a second or a little eternity and then returned to its usual rhythm. This could be a story about a miracle; a child from the river, a life that was spared.
It could be. And yet it isn't.
Because most of all, this is a story about stories themselves. Shared experiences that turns into myths and legends, whispered in bars and pubs all over the country. A girl who nearly drowned and a handful of villagers who witnesses her near-death and spread the story wide and far, immortalizing it, hiding it and obscuring it behind tales of mythic creatures living in the river.
The book follows the child that nearly drowns, but as she can't speak, other people try to tell her story; desperate parents claiming her as their child, creating a new story and a new life for her. Setterfield underlines the importance and the power of storytelling.
�There are stories that may be told aloud, and stories that must be told in whispers, and there are stories that are never told at all.�
The book is filled with gothic strangeness, constantly playing tricks on the reader's mind; who is the child? Did she really die? And does her sudden appearance have a logic explanation or is it something more abstract, miracolous or sinister than that?
No one crafts a gothic atmosphere like Setterfield. This book had me on edge from beginning to end....more
I picked this up without researching it first, barely even looking at its synopsis. It was the title that drew me in, Happy People Read and Drink CoffI picked this up without researching it first, barely even looking at its synopsis. It was the title that drew me in, Happy People Read and Drink Coffee � honestly, what could be more perfect than that?
But as it turned out, the title was the best thing about the book; covering for a story that was an utter cliché. This book is, in theory, a love story in the aftermath of loss. But the story barely scratches the surface of the subjects of love or loss. It's not profound, and yet it isn't entertaining either. It just ... is. ...more
Jeg er så glad for, at Tove Ditlevsen har fået en renæssance. Ellers havde jeg højst sandsynligt aldrig fået læst hendes digte og opdaget, hvor smukt Jeg er så glad for, at Tove Ditlevsen har fået en renæssance. Ellers havde jeg højst sandsynligt aldrig fået læst hendes digte og opdaget, hvor smukt og sørgmodigt og humoristisk og hårdslående hun skriver på én og samme tid....more
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