Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

I thought I'd do something a little different today and read one of my favourite poems for you. It's called Dover Beach and is written by Matthew Arnold in 1867 - I discovered it when I read Ian McEwan's Saturday. I love the way it sounds and although there are several great recordings of it already on Youtube, I wanted to add my own. Besides, it would be lazy to pinch someone else's recording!

I hope you enjoy!




DOVER BEACH

By Matthew Arnold

The sea is calm tonight,
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Agean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
[1867]

Literary mashups: What do you think?

Before we go any further I'm going to come right out and say it. It's been said before and if you read my blog you'll already at least suspect this. I am a book snob, a literary purist, a lover of fine writing and hot tea. I'm not ashamed of it and short of a sharp blow to the head I don't see this ever changing.

So when I saw the first of these so-called literary mashups Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, I just about choked. Granted, despite my love of classic literature, I'm not the world's biggest Austen fan. I've given her a go and I respect her work greatly but swooning and corsets and Mr. Darcy just don't quite get my pulse racing like it does some other folks. Anyways - to return to the point - someone thought that taking this classic and adding the undead into the mix was a good idea. More like someone (correctly) thought it was a darn good way to get some shock factor and cash revenue.

Back it up, you might say - you haven't read it so you can't judge. You're right on one count. I have not read it and I never will. There are just far too many good books in the world that I may never have time for that I really don't want to throw away precious reading hours on something I know that I'll hate. That said -someone else might really enjoy it and hey - that's a good thing.

So my question is this - literary mashups: love them or hate them? I'd love to know your thoughts!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: Review

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Published by Bloomsbury

Published in 2009 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-0-7475-9668-4

I read this book as part of a bookcrossing book ring and have not been paid for this review.

Every once in a while I come across a book that I REALLY want to read. Once this happens it is inevitable that I won't be able to read it for a variety of circumstances for a good long while, thus heightening my desire and anticipation. So many times this dangerous combination of expectations and desire has brought me crashing to my reading knees when a long waited for book turned out to be really rather average, or, worse, totally crud. I have waited for a very long time to read TGLAPPPS. Maybe close to 7-8 months. I was not disappointed.

Picture of Guernsey

Set in 1946, just after the end of World War II, Juliet Ashton is looking for a new subject to write about. Something serious, something meaningful - something that can get her away from her the comedic writer box she has firmly been placed in due to the success of her war-time commentary under the persona of Izzy Bickerstaff. Out of the blue, Dawsey Adams writes to her as he has somehow come to possess a book she once owned and has fallen in love with it. However, given his location on Guernsey he is a little hard put to find other books and so has written to Juliet for help. This initial contact begins a friendly correspondence that blossoms into something far far bigger.

The narrative structure of this novel is that of a series of letters to and from an ever-increasing series of characters which I found to be very engaging but those who prefer a more straightforward narrative style might find it challenging. I loved the personal element to it - each character had a distinctive voice that I felt connected to throughout the novel - and I felt that despite the limiting nature of the narrative structure, nothing was lost in terms of storytelling. 

The writing in this book is wonderful and satisfies you in a way that a bowl of chicken soup does on a cold day. It's not overly flowery but describes the island extremely well - so well in fact that I can still see the mental image of it in my head 3 weeks after I finished reading it. Add to that the subject matter - entirely about reading and books and well hey. You've really got a winner on your hands. 

One of the most interesting things about this book was that it taught me something I had no idea about. I had no idea that the Channel Islands were occupied during WWII and I had no idea to what degree the inhabitants of the islands suffered under German occupation. It was a huge hole in my historical knowledge - I mean I have many of these sorts of holes but this one was about a time period I knew a fair amount about and in a place that is owned by my home country. But far from being depressing and downbeat, this novel manages to deal with the awful things that happened in an upbeat manner that focusses on hope and everyone pulling together. The people of the GLAPPPS are exactly the kind of people you would want to be stuck on an island with under those circumstances, should you have to be.

I absolutely LOVED this book. My one complaint was that it was too quick - I read it in 2 days - but then again I would happily read this one again, just not this copy as I need to get it sent on it's way to the next book-ring reader! If you've thought about reading this book but have been a little put off by the hype - don't be. It's worth every bit of the hype and then some. It's a gem of a book that I'll be putting on my "You have GOT to read this" list.

Some of my favourite sentences: Part V

That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.

From The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Reading Habits Meme

This is a meme that is going around the blogosphere at the moment. I got it from Helen's Book Blog.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack?


I don’t normally but if I had to pick a favourite it would be a couple of nice biscuits.



What is your favourite drink while reading?

Tea. Always tea. All sorts of tea – English Breakfast, oolong, green tea…. I’m not fussy.


Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

No I don’t mark books, I tend to write down stuff I like from it on a notepad although if I photocopy a page or two for study purposes, I go nuts and write all over the copy.


How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

Dog-earing is evil! I use bookmarks or anything that casually resembles a bookmark.


Fiction, non-fiction, or both?

Mainly fiction but I do like a bit on non-fiction from time to time. It’s good to keep it real, if that makes sense.


Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?

I have to finish a chapter. If the book is particularly good and the chapter finishes where I can see the first page of the next chapter I have to put a physical barrier between my eyes and the next page or else I will never stop reading!


Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?

No I just vocalize my frustration ;) Volume and colour of language vary with degree of frustration.


If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?

Yes. I have to, I’m a self-confessed word nerd!


What are you currently reading?

Many things including theory books for my thesis and three different novels all set in India, one being a Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.


What is the last book you bought?

Generation Kill for my husband because he loved the TV series. He has yet to open it.


Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?

I always read more than one at a time. Always. I have a scattershot brain that wants to do ten things at once when really I can only humanly do five.


Do you have a favourite time/place to read?

When I have the house to myself or on the train/bus.


Do you prefer series books or stand alones?

No preference. I like good books, be they stand alone or series books.


Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?

Wuthering Heights (all time fave), Ian McEwan and Jodi Picoult.


How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)

Right now they’re piled on shelves in no real order…. They used to be alphabetized but I gave that one up.

Skinny is overrated: Review

Skinny is overrated: The real woman's guide to health and happiness at any size

By Danielle Milano, MD

Published by Synergy Books

Published in 2010

ISBN: 0-9842358-3-3

Disclaimer: I was sent this book to review by Synergy Books, however I was not paid for this review.

If you put a bulldog on a diet, you don't end up with a greyhound. This is the chapter title of the first chapter in this book and as soonas I saw it I knew I was in for a good time. I couldn't possibly have thought of a better way to put, being something of a bulldog myself, that absolute realisation that no matter what you do you're only going to get to a certain size. I've never been skinny - ever - and I never will be. There was one stage where I got really big and I had to lose a LOT of weight to get back to a healthier size but no matter I do, I always seem to end up being around about the weight I am now. I was this weight when I was 18 years old and I am the weight nearly a decade later at 27 and I think the best I can do is lose some tummy jiggle and tone up a bit.

This book came at the perfect time for me. I'd lost sight a little bit of what it was that I did right when I lost 20kgs a few years ago, especially now I'm in a completely different country selling vegetables I can't pronounce and offering no gym classes in English. I needed a bit of inspiration to remind me which track to get back on and it's worked. Basically, reading this book was like having a good yarn with your favourite Aunt - the one who always puts you right and isn't shy of calling it like it is. Danielle's warm but frank manner beams right off the page and leaves no room for either the self-doubt or the silly justifications we give ourselves. What she's saying is pretty simple but it's something that we all need to be reminded of - stay away from processed, nasty food, eat more natural foods and plenty of greens and get moving more.

That said, although the basic message is simple this is a very well researched and written book. It has a lot of medical research and useful facts in it without being overwhelmingly in your face with the science of it all. The chapters are a nice readable size and focus on one essential point after another. I've read a few diet books in my time and each time I have come away from it feeling overwhelmed and like I'm facing a daunting task. This book is not a diet book - it's a book about how to change your lifestyle: something far more permanent and healthy.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is not looking for a quick fix but rather someone who is looking for a real and lasting improvement on their overall health. Take the focus off the number on the scales and place it on feeling better. The number on the scale will change for the better if you follow this advice but that shouldn't be the focus. This book is fun, readable and REAL written by someone who actually wants you to succeed. Weight is just a number but feeling good about yourself is unquantifiable. Enjoy!

MISSION: Taipei Living 10th Edition - nearly completed.

Wow wow whee, have I ever been slack in the last month. At first I was insanely busy (brother in law got married, had the in-laws staying with us) and then that slid into a case of serious denial and writer's block. One good thing though is that in the last couple of weeks I have found myself in the final stages of my current editing project - we have a cover and the final proof copy and everything, how exciting!! The book is called Taipei Living (10th edition) and is basically an everything you need to know about living in Taipei as a foreigner. It's got info on areas for shopping, how to sort out your rubbish, where to get good coffee, how to get a driver's license, what to do if there's an earthquake, hot spring etiquette, info on the international schools and way, way more. It's a gold mine and it was an honour to be involved in bringing it to it's tenth edition. I even gave a nifty new cover and everything.

Anyway, hopefully now I have broken the barrier and posted here the drought will lift and I'll be back with more book-related stuff. Oh and for those of you who like photos, I started Project 365 over here a couple of days ago which should be fun!

Hope you're all well and talk again soon!

Small country, big talent

Image credit: Here

The question "Where are you from?" often causes me problems because it's not an easy answer of just one country. My identity is split between the land of my birth, England, and the country I feel is home, New Zealand. To make matters worse, I now live in Taiwan which is rapidly becoming 'home' also. By the by, the answer to the question is that I'm a British Kiwi - which sounds simple enough until people want to know how much British and how much Kiwi. But that's another story.

Image Credit: Here

The Kiwi part of me was stoked to recently read of two literary successes from our small part of the world. The first was that Mr. C.K. Stead has won the inaugural Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award in London. This is a new literary prize worth 25,000 pounds sterling building on previous success of the Times' short fiction pieces that appear weekly in the Sunday Times Magazine. Our Stead was up against some stiff competition - the complete long list includes some of our finest contemporary fiction writers:

• Richard Beard - James Joyce, EFL Teacher
• Nicholas Best - The Souvenir 
• Sylvia Brownrigg - Jocasta 
• John Burnside - Slut's Hair 
• Will Cohu - Nothing But Grass 
• Joe Dunthorne - Critical Responses To My Last Relationship 
• Petina Gappah - An Elegy for Easterly 
• Jackie Kay - Reality, Reality 
• A.L. Kennedy - Saturday Teatime 
• Adam Marek - Fewer Things 
• Charles Mosley - Constraint 
• Chris Paling - The Red Car 
• Ron Rash - Burning Bright 
• Simon Robson - Will There Be Lions?
• Kay Sexton - Anubis and the Volcano 
• Helen Simpson - Diary of an Interesting Year 
• C.K. Stead - Last Season's Man 
• Rose Tremain - The Jester of Astapovo 
• Gerard Woodward - Legoland 
• David Vann - It's Not Yours

Mind you, he's been around the block. Born in Auckland, New Zealand (my second hometown) in October 1932, CK Stead (CK stands for Christian Karlson has been writing since his twenties and has a long list of published work covering short stories, poems, fiction and literary fiction. If this local hero wasn't academically intimidating enough, he was a Professor of English Literature at the University of Auckland until he retired to write full-time. 

Image Credit: Here

The second Kiwi who has won international acclaim is kind of the opposite to CK Stead. She's female, young and the work that has gained her all the attention is her debut novel. Eleanor Catton's novel The Rehearsal has been causing a stir in literary circles for a good while now and this won't be the first big prize she has been up for. In fact, this stellar novel has been given the nod for the UK Society of Authors' Betty Trask Award, named best first book of fiction in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards as well as being long-listed for the Guardian First Book Award. Now it has been long listed for the Orange Prize. 2009's Booker winner Hilary Mantel is on the same list. I think "Phwoar" just about covers that! I've been wanting to read this novel for almost 2 years now (it was published in 2007) so I have finally taken action and ordered it from the university library. It will be showing up here as a review in a month or two, no doubt!


My heartiest congratulations to both of these Kiwi writers. You prove once again that although we might be a small country, we've sure got some big talent!

Bookdrum - the Wikipedia of books!

This is just a short post but I wanted to let everyone who hasn't already heard of it know about Bookdrum. Basically, it's a website that is collecting in-depth profiles on all sorts of books with information about the author, the plot summary and facts about stuff in the book. It's an awesome project and would benefit from the input of you bookish types out there! I've already submitted a profile on Ian McEwan's Saturday. What are ya waiting for?!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Feminism

When it comes to over-hyped books I am the Ebeneezer Scrooge of readers. Bah humbug, I declare. You won't catch me reading that! I proceed to shun said hyped book until it has been forgotten by the rabid media dogs or it gets proven to be a genuinely good book by those with a half-decent opinion of what a good book looks like. Some might call me a book snob, but I just know what I like to read and don't fancy wasting X amount of hours on a book just because everyone else is reading it unless it's actually worth it. If you could see the size of my "To be read" pile you'd understand.

The Steig Larsson trilogy were firmly in the "Over-hyped" category for me so I decided to wait until the melee calmed down. Once it did and it was voted in as the April Book for our bookclub, I thought what the heck and bought it.

On the surface, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It kept me amused through two long and tedious flights from Hong Kong to Sydney and back again which is a fair achievement as planes are one of the only places on earth I find it nearly impossible to read (or sleep, but that's another story). It absorbed me. It scared me. It grossed me out. It was, all in all, a damn good thriller.

But there was something bugging me about it... Each new section of the book was marked with some proclamation about violence against women, for example Part One states that "eighteen percent of the women in Sweden have at one time been threatened by a man." Which made me think that the late Steig Larsson must have something to say about violence against women, but throughout the book the women were subjected to an near unbelivable amount of horrific violence, both physical and sexual. Something didn't sit quite right for me.

Indeed, I'm certainly not the first to point this out. A quick search of reviews showed that this issue has divided critics between claims that Larsson was a closet mysogynist and those who believed that Lisbeth Salander was a sort of feminist avenging angel that righted the wrongs of those who were abused. This article discussing these claims got me thinking.

Photo Credit: Here

Having studied feminism and long been a feminist I wanted to throw my hat into the ring. I don't want to accuse Steig Larsson of being a closet misogynist exactly but I think the problem is that this book doesn't entirely understand the truth about violence against women. Although there are undeniably psychopaths out there who do unspeakable things, the majority of violence against women is not perpetrated by these sorts of people. Those who beat, rape and intimidate women are, on the whole, not crazy - they're your average Joe Bloggs who come across as being very nice and normal sorts of people. Absolutely, they're the scum of the earth but they're not lunatics. On the whole women are not tortured in custom-built basements but in the spaces where you and I live out our daily lives.

By choosing to portray men who are violent towards women as psychopaths is essentially unhelpful. It hides the truth of the situation all over the world and does nothing to make us question why it happens and why nothing more is done to stop it. Lisbeth Salander is without question an ass-kicking woman who takes matters into her own hands but her actions are unrealistic. It's a cathartic read but she is the stuff of fantasy.

I wonder whether choosing the way this story played out was politically based or driven by what would make a 'better story'. Domestic abuse is not sexy in the same way as a serial psychopath with incestuous tendencies is - it's a depressing reality. Although the women who have survived the abuse and violence in this book do seem to get their revenge, I don't think that this book can be seen as feminist. It is too far outside the realm of reality and plays into the hands of necessary genre cliches. Women who have suffered the day to day actuality of abuse are offered nothing of use other than a few hours of escapism into a world where the normal rules don't apply and 'avenging angels' can inflict justice on the monsters of this world. The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo is a ripping read but nothing more.

**If you or someone you know is being subjected to any kind of abuse, please call your local Women's Shelter, Rape Crisis Line or relevant agencies.**