The Places You Will Go

Promises, Promises

After a week of trying to read it I've given up on GP Taylor's Wormwood. It's not that it's such a bad book; it's just that I can't seem to get into it. The story doesn't make me want to keep turning the pages. The characters don't excite my interest, sympathy or curiousity. The descriptions of the most exciting events leave me cold.

I guess Taylor and I just don't get along. It was the same with his debut novel, Shadowmancer, which I stuck to till the last page and then cursed for wasting my time.

A friend of mine stops reading a book if the first chapter doesn't grip her. Another friend sticks it out even if he's bored to death. In my case, it depends on the book. If I have to review it I read it all. Ditto if I need to discuss it with someone. If it comes highly recommended, I try my best to continue to the end even if I hate it from the first chapter.

To me, Wormwood is just another of the many fantasy novels published in the last year or two. There are just so many - too many. After a while they sort of blend into one. The same with young adult novels about teenagers coping with school, dating and difficult parents. Some stand out: I've mentioned a few young adult titles that I really like in this Sunday's Tots to Teens column and I hope to write short synopsis/reviews on them for this blog, so stay tuned.

As for fantasy books, the last one I read and loved was Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix. Have yet to write a review because I've not been well and have got way behind in reviews and other work. It's all piling up, screaming to be done - boo hoo! But I will get around to it. Promise!

More Comfort

Ariel at Coolcat's Jottings sent me her list of comfort reads. Cool!

Here they are:

1. The Clocks, Secret Adversary, Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie.

Ariel says: The mystery, intrigue and engaging conversations never fails to bring my brains back to life.

I say: I love Agatha Christie and Roger Ackroyd is one of my faves altho I find it hard to read it now because I like the murderer too much. I didn't want it to be him!!

2. The Xanth series by Piers Anthony.

Ariel says: I don't really read fantasy books very much but the Xanth series never fails to entertain every time!

I say: Many, many moons ago, I interviewed Amir Yusoff who raved abt Piers Anthony. I've wanted to read him ever since but have never got around to it.

3. Five Find-Outers series by Enid Blyton

Ariel says: I read the books when I feel blue as they remind me of my happy childhood days, when things were simpler and stress-free.

I say: Sigh, yes, isn't it fun just to slip into "childhood" mode? I read the Famous Five books for the same reason.

4. A Serious Pursuit by Ellen Rawlings (a good old fashion Regency romance)

Ariel says: I love re-reading this story of a girl being forced to masquerade as a companion in a dashing Lord's house. The witty conversations never fails to cheer me up during a dull day.

I say: Wow! May I borrow this one? Especially if there are detailed descriptions of her outfits? ;-)

5. Can You Keep a Secret and the Shopaholic sries by Sophie Kinsella

Ariel says: What can I say? The Shopaholic in me totally empathises with the protagonists in Kinsella's novels. The dialogue and writing style are not as witty as Helen Fielding's in Bridget Jones' Diary but they are fun reads anyway.

I say: I had to bail out after the first Shopaholic, but I know what you mean, Ariel. Isn't it great to read abt crazy women and feel you're really sane after all????

6. The Narnian Chronicles by C.S. Lewis

Ariel says: This is one of most magnificent escapes on particularly boring days. It's always a thrill to follow the children to the world behind the closet.

I say: This is becoming a great favourite with my elder son, Elesh. I like the series too. My favourite character is always Tumnus, the Faun.

7. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Ariel says: These group of hypochondriac men make me laugh at every description of their imaginary ailments. If you want to have a good laugh, you've got to read this classic!

I say: I love Montmorency the Dog!! And that bit at the beginning when the guys decide that they have every ailment in the medical encyclopaedia except housemaid's knee!! Yes, everyone, as Ariel says, should read this book!!

Update

Well, I'm back. I'd like to say I feel a lot better after resting for what felt like forever, but I'm still very, very tired. Must be my age ... ;-)

Anyway, I did manage to read quite a bit. Not just comfort reads either, altho I did indulge in Moment of Love and The Family Feeling. I also read a couple of young adult novels that really blew me away (they're called My Heartbeat and Lost and Found and I'm featuring them in Tots to Teens this Sunday); and started Oliver Sacks's Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood, Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim by Ziauddin Sardar, and JP Taylor's Wormwood. So far, I'm enjoying Tungsten and Paradise and struggling with Wormwood (I did not like Taylor's Shadowmancer either).

I'm looking forward to this Sunday when a friend is going to pass me some Girlsown-type books. For those who are clueless as to what these are, they are books that are written to appeal particularly to young girls. Therefore, stories about boarding school, ponies and ballet would definitely be Girlsown (of course, no one can really agree on what to include and exclude in this genre). The books I'm being loaned are mainly set in boarding school and I own quite a few myself, most of which are out-of-print, but, owing to their sorry physical state, not at all valuable.

Malory Towers and St Clare's are the two boarding school series that Malaysians are most familiar with, and they are the ones which have remained the most consistently in print. However, they are my least favourite as I find the characters silly, unreal and predictable, ditto for the plot.

Are you a Malory Towers/St Clare's fan? Who is your favourite character? Do you have another boading school series or book that you prefer? Do you know of any men who enjoy boarding school books? Are you one? (My husband likes them!) Do comment or email me about your favourite Girlsown books!

Consider the Lilies of the Field

Poems, in the form of nursery rhymes, were, for many of us, our introduction to stories. From now on, I will post a favourite poem each week. Email me your favourite poems and I will post them too.

Foong Kwan Kew wrote in about her favourite poets. She highlighted the first four lines of William Blake's Auguries of Innocence, saying: "These four lines by William Blake is my alltime favourite.  I like Keats, Belloc, Kahlil Gibran too but grain-of-sand sums up alot in life, me thinks. For something more contemporary I think Douglas Coupland is quite poetic too. Wait .. Vikram Seth comes to mind too."

Thanks, Kwan Kew! I'm quite fond of Blake's The Tyger and The Lamb, myself. Also, his artwork.

Anyway, here is Auguries of Innocence in its entirety:

Auguries of Innocence

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

A robin redbreast in a cage

Puts all heaven in a rage.

A dove-house fill'd with doves and pigeons

Shudders hell thro' all its regions.

A dog starv'd at his master's gate

Predicts the ruin of the state.

A horse misused upon the road

Calls to heaven for human blood.

Each outcry of the hunted hare

A fibre from the brain does tear.

A skylark wounded in the wing,

A cherubim does cease to sing.

The game-cock clipt and arm'd for fight

Does the rising sun affright.

Every wolf's and lion's howl

Raises from hell a human soul.

The wild deer, wand'ring here and there,

Keeps the human soul from care.

The lamb misus'd breeds public strife,

And yet forgives the butcher's knife.

The bat that flits at close of eve

Has left the brain that won't believe.

The owl that calls upon the night

Speaks the unbeliever's fright.

He who shall hurt the little wren

Shall never be belov'd by men.

He who the ox to wrath has mov'd

Shall never be by woman lov'd.

The wanton boy that kills the fly

Shall feel the spider's enmity.

He who torments the chafer's sprite

Weaves a bower in endless night.

The caterpillar on the leaf

Repeats to thee thy mother's grief.

Kill not the moth nor butterfly,

For the last judgement draweth nigh.

He who shall train the horse to war

Shall never pass the polar bar.

The beggar's dog and widow's cat,

Feed them and thou wilt grow fat.

The gnat that sings his summer's song

Poison gets from slander's tongue.

The poison of the snake and newt

Is the sweat of envy's foot.

The poison of the honey bee

Is the artist's jealousy.

The prince's robes and beggar's rags

Are toadstools on the miser's bags.

A truth that's told with bad intent

Beats all the lies you can invent.

It is right it should be so;

Man was made for joy and woe;

And when this we rightly know,

Thro' the world we safely go.

Joy and woe are woven fine,

A clothing for the soul divine.

Under every grief and pine

Runs a joy with silken twine.

The babe is more than swaddling bands;

Every farmer understands.

Every tear from every eye

Becomes a babe in eternity;

This is caught by females bright,

And return'd to its own delight.

The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar,

Are waves that beat on heaven's shore.

The babe that weeps the rod beneath

Writes revenge in realms of death.

The beggar's rags, fluttering in air,

Does to rags the heavens tear.

The soldier, arm'd with sword and gun,

Palsied strikes the summer's sun.

The poor man's farthing is worth more

Than all the gold on Afric's shore.

One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands

Shall buy and sell the miser's lands;

Or, if protected from on high,

Does that whole nation sell and buy.

He who mocks the infant's faith

Shall be mock'd in age and death.

He who shall teach the child to doubt

The rotting grave shall ne'er get out.

He who respects the infant's faith

Triumphs over hell and death.

The child's toys and the old man's reasons

Are the fruits of the two seasons.

The questioner, who sits so sly,

Shall never know how to reply.

He who replies to words of doubt

Doth put the light of knowledge out.

The strongest poison ever known

Came from Caesar's laurel crown.

Nought can deform the human race

Like to the armour's iron brace.

When gold and gems adorn the plow,

To peaceful arts shall envy bow.

A riddle, or the cricket's cry,

Is to doubt a fit reply.

The emmet's inch and eagle's mile

Make lame philosophy to smile.

He who doubts from what he sees

Will ne'er believe, do what you please.

If the sun and moon should doubt,

They'd immediately go out.

To be in a passion you good may do,

But no good if a passion is in you.

The whore and gambler, by the state

Licensed, build that nation's fate.

The harlot's cry from street to street

Shall weave old England's winding-sheet.

The winner's shout, the loser's curse,

Dance before dead England's hearse.

Every night and every morn

Some to misery are born,

Every morn and every night

Some are born to sweet delight.

Some are born to sweet delight,

Some are born to endless night.

We are led to believe a lie

When we see not thro' the eye,

Which was born in a night to perish in a night,

When the soul slept in beams of light.

God appears, and God is light,

To those poor souls who dwell in night;

But does a human form display

To those who dwell in realms of day.

William Blake

Warm and Fuzzy

If I don't post anything over the next few days it's because I've taken to my bed, like those heroines in old-fashioned books. This third pregnancy of mine is really taking its toll. I am permanently tired, and suffer from bad nausea, dizziness and fainting spells.

Anyway, on the bright side, I hope I will find some time to read while I lounge in my bed. In fact, I spent much of the past weekend in a horizontal position and enjoyed re-reading a favourite Agatha Christie (By the Pricking of My Thumbs) and Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Both are on my list of comfort books, which I read when I feel ill, sad or just when I want to feel molly-coddled.

What are your comfort books? When do you read them? And how do they make you feel? Post a comment, send me your recommendations, write a review even and email it to me.

In the meantime, these are my Top 10 Comfort Reads:

1. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I'm very fond of all the Little House books and have read and re-read them countless times since I was about eight. I love the descriptions of the close-knit Wilder family and how they share everything and always support each other. Life is simple and full of hardship, but this makes the few joys they experience all the more precious.

2. The Family Feeling by Susan Ebel

I've searched high and low for other books by this author, without success. She's not even available in the dustiest, mustiest libraries in England; not even in the large-print section! Anyway, I found this book at a bookfair when I was 17 and on holiday in KL, and I have read it at least once a year ever since. It's a love story and also a story of friendship and family relations. The central figure is this girl-next-door type who has to compete with a glamorous sexy actress for the affections of her handsome, childhood friend. Sigh ... I feel a re-read coming on ...

6. The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper

The five-books-in-one make a nice, fat, exciting read. I devoured the lot in the course of one rainy day 15 years ago and it's still the first book I reach for when I want something to curl up with on a stormy night.

4. End of Term by Antonia Forest
Antonia Forest is my all-time favourite writer. Her books about the Marlow family are set in boarding school as well as in the family home during the holidays. This one is my favourite because of the detailed descriptions of a school Christmas play and a moonlit horse ride.

5. Persuasion by Jane Austen

When I think about it, Anne Elliot is exactly the sort of girl that would irritate me to death in real life. I mean, talk about wishy-washy! But I do like the way true love triumphs in the end. Definitely top of my list of favourite love stories.

6. Vilette by Charlotte Bronte

In my opinion, a miles-better read than Jane Eyre. I love Lucy Snowe's courage, no-nonsense attitude and sarcastic wit.

7. Moment of Love by Denise Robbins

Love, glamour, beautiful women, clothes and houses. This is the book I turn to when I want a nice, fluffy escapist-read. They just don't write them like this anymore.

8. Little Women/Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott

I'm sure being one of four sisters has a lot to do with this being a favourite book of mine. This is such an easy read, and I like the optimism and spirit of the Marches; their innocence and their sense of fun.

9. Tales from the End Cottage by Eileen Bell

A magical book about a fat old lady and her pets. The illustrations are half the joy, as they capture perfectly the characters of the animals and the comfortable routine of life in a quiet country cottage. This title is a must when I'm ill.

10. Possession by A.S. Byatt

This book is often called a literary whodunnit, and I think that is a very apt description. Reading it, I enjoy the same sense of excitement and suspense that I would get from a murder mystery, plus the pleasure of beautifully written poetry and prose, and the fulfilment that I can only feel when I read a truly romantic, rather tragic love story. I take this book with me when I have to stay at the hospital and on train rides.
BTW, just in case you've been put off by the film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, which I've heard is really bad, I've also been told that it is nothing like the book.

Celebration of Love

Poems, in the form of nursery rhymes, were, for many of us, our introduction to stories. From now on, I will post a favourite poem each week. Email me your favourite poems and I will post them too.

This week's poem is by Christina Rossetti, sister of the pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Her poems are passionate, sensuous and intense, full of romantic imagery and colour.

I love this poem for it's joyful, ecstatic quality. To me, it's the ultimate declaration of love. whether to a lover, a child or even God.

A Birthday

My heart is like a singing bird

Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;

My heart is like an apple-tree

Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

My heart is like a rainbow shell

That paddles in a halcyon sea;

My heart is gladder than all these

Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a dais of silk and down;

Hang it with vair and purple dyes;

Carve it in doves and pomegranates,

And peacocks with a hundred eyes;

Work it in gold and silver grapes,

In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;

Because the birthday of my life

Is come, my love is come to me.

Christina Georgina Rossetti

Children's Books: Why Bother?

This is turning out to be Jennifer Donnelly week! Browsing on Guardian Unlimited's Book site, I came across an article in which the recent Carnegie Medal winner talks about whether children's books are only for children.

I've come across lots of people who think it odd that some adults read kids books or who think that they couldn't possibly find any children's book interesting. Some are even under the impression that children's books are lacking in depth, detail and originality.

Anyway, as everyone who knows me knows, I love children's books and Young Adult books so I feel like printing out the article and handing it out.

This is what Donnelly says about why children's books are worthy of the attention of adults: "What is so important about the crossover novel, and what makes me pleased to be a part of this trend, is not what it says about adults, but what it says to children - that the stories which matter to them matter to us as well. If I think back to my high school reading assignments, novels like The Scarlet Letter, Crime and Punishment, and The Grapes of Wrath come to mind - all books that examine adult issues and situations. How can we tell children that adult stories are worthy of their time and attention, but their stories are not worthy of ours?"

Click here to read the rest of this very insightful article.

What's in a Name?

Sarah's comments on my Winners post prompted me to do a little research about books that go by two different titles (usually depending on whether they are American or British editions).

The thing is, off-hand I know just four books that have alternative titles. If anyone knows of more, do let me know.

In the meantime, this is what I found out:

Philip Pullman's Northern Lights is known as The Golden Compass in America. Pullman speaks at length about his books in the About Writing section of his official website. With regards the different titles for the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy Pullman says:

"The editor who made that change was also responsible for changing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which made sense, into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which didn't. At the time, I didn't have enough clout to resist.”

The latest edition of The White Merdeces (top, middle) definitely has a more adult cover than the original Macmillan Chidren's Books edition (top, left).

Pullman's book The White Mercedes got its title changed to The Butterfly Tattoo, when it was reissued following Pullman's success with His Dark Materials.

In the Culture Watch website, Pullman says, "The Macmillan editors, Marion Lloyd in particular, thought that The White Mercedes was a title that would appeal more to boys, and be off-putting to girls. I wasn't sure, and I'm still not. The problem with changing titles is that someone is bound to buy it, thinking it's new, and be disappointed."

(Pullman also reveals some interesting facts about why The Butterfly Tattoo is more sexually explicit than The White Mercedes.)

Interestingly, Pullman's Northern Lights was the reason behind Jennifer Donnelly's debut novel, A Northern Light (top, left), needing a different title in the United Kingdom. I’d assumed A Gathering Light was the book’s original title, and that it was changed to A Northern Light for American release. In fact, the opposite is true, which makes sense as Donnelly is American and published the book in her own country first.

Donnelly did an interview with The Children’s Literature Organization in which she spoke about the title-change. This is what she said:

"I had to change the title to A Gathering Light in the UK to avoid confusion with Philip Pullman’s book, Northern Lights. It felt strange to come up with a second title, but I do like both versions. I feel A Gathering Light reflects Mattie’s growing enlightenment, as well as suggests a certain momentum in her quest for independence."

Click here for the whole interview.

Finally, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in the States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Reasons included the publisher thinking that American's may not know what a philosopher's stone is; and believing that American children might find "sorcerer" more exciting than philosopher!

I wonder what alternative titles publishers would come up with for classics like Pride and Prejudice, Oliver Twist, Wuthering Heights and The Grapes of Wrath! If you can think of anything, do drop me a comment!

Adults Only?

I was browsing on Amazon. co.uk when I noticed children (top, left) and adult editions (top, right) for G. P. Taylor's debut fantasy novel, Shadowmancer. It struck me that if you weren't aware that "Adult Edition" refers to the jacket, you might think that it's actually a, say, sexier version of the same story!

But, no, "adult" and "children", here, is simply a matter of aesthetics. Personally, I don't see the purpose of having different covers. I take it that when a children's or YA book proves popular with adults, it is issued an alternative, "adult-friendly" cover. If I'm not mistaken, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was the first children's book to be issued such a cover. It was so that adult readers could read the book in the train or other public places and not feel embarrassed at being caught with a book written for kids!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone's adult cover (top, right) features a monochrome shot of a train. It is rather different from the brightly-coloured children's edition jacket (top, left). However, I can't really see much difference between the other children's and adult covers I've sniffed out ...

To me, the adult-edition cover (top, right) for Philip Pullman's Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass) is more kid-friendly than the cover for the chidren's edition (top, left).

Yup, in the case of Louis Sachar's Holes, I'd say the adult edition (top, right) is a lot more different (and boring!) than the kiddies version (top, left).

And finally, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon: I can't imagine why the cover on the left is supposed to be more suitable for kids than the one on the right. Can you?

What do you think about adult-edition jackets? Do you think it's necessary? Can you give me other examples? Email or post your views!

Winners

Well, better late than never: The Carnegie Medal and Greenaway Medal winners were announced on 9 July. I'm thrilled that Jennifer Donnelly's A Gathering Light won the former (read my review).

As for the Kate Greenaway Medal (awarded to picture books), it was won by Shirley Hughes's Ella's Big Chance: A Fairytale Retold. Shirley Hughes's illustrations of children always have a realistically messy look about them. I especially love the drawings she did for Noel Streatfield's A Painted Garden.

Click on the links below to find more about both winners:

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Ella's Big Chance: A Fairytale Retold by Shirley Hughes