"Winter" Mini-Readathon

I've been wanting to participate in a readathon ever since starting my blog, but unfortunately, they've always been at the most inopportune moments possible so I've always been stuck unable to participate. Luckily, Sarah @Sarah Says Read has organised a "winter" (it is so not winter where I am!) readathon that not only is nice and short (12 hours) but on a day I can join in on. YAY!!!

In case you're thinking of joining (you should) you can do it any time on Sunday you like. So if you want to sleep in till midday you could do it from 12-12, or 1-1, or start early and do a 9-9, it's your choice! I'll probably get started by about 10-11am, and I'm going to set up under a tree in my backyard and just enjoy the crap out of it! There are also a few prizes and other goodies up for grabs, so if you think this sounds like the perfect way to spend a Sunday (it does) then sign up for yourself HERE!

A question to you about my rating system.

So I've been going through a bit of a blogger existentialist crisis, or as close to one as I could be, and it's all thanks to my god-damn rating system. The whole point of introducing it was so that at the end of my convoluted (not to mention long) reviews, there was a quick and easy way to see whether I liked a book or not. 5 meant is was the best thing since sliced bread, 1 meant it was utter dog-shit. Makes sense right? But now that I'm reviewing so many books, from so many genres, I'm starting to struggle with a rating. Like the other day, I finished a book and really enjoyed it and wanted to give it a 4, but then I realised a book I reviewed a few weeks previously, which was definitely not as good, was also given a 4. I could give it a 5, but it definitely isn't favourite book, multi re-read material, so I don't feel comfortable with that. I could give it a 4.5, but I feel like it's more than half a star better than the other one. You see my problem? 

I never wanted to have this sort of issue with my star rating. The whole idea was that the rating was supposed to indicate that specific book's appeal to me, and should never be held against another book, even one from the same genre. However that's obviously not working, because I'm definitely second-guessing all my ratings every time I finish a new book. So what do I do? I was thinking of scrapping the whole ratings thing all together, and hoping that you guys can all tell my general feelings and "read this now"-ness from the way I write my reviews, but I didn't want to scrap them all together without raising the issue with you guys, the people who read my reviews and potentially make note of the ratings. 

So let me know in the comments. Will it irk you to see the book review without a rating at the end of my review? And if yes, do you have any suggestions with how I should try and sort out my ratings issue? Perhaps it should be designated stars for aspects of the book, i.e. writing, characters, story etc. Or ??? 

Thanks in advance for the help guys!

Fanart Friday: Harry Potter edition #3 - Ron Weasley

I've seen a lot of hate around the book blogs for the youngest Weasley male, and I honestly don't understand it. Sure he whines on occassion, but what do you expect from a boy who has been overshadowed since the day he was born? All his older siblings are talented and successful in their own particular ways, and his best friend is the only one to ever survive the killing curse from the number one wizard to fear. It's enough to crush anyone's self-confidence. Personally I enjoyed the growth of Ron's character far more than most, like Longbottom, he had a long way to climb just to be considered on par with the rest of the people around him, but with the continual support of his friend's and family and his own awakening to his true potential, he became quite the hero in his own right. So continue the Weasley hate if you must, but as you take a squiz at these fantastic creations of my favourite red head (apart from my boyfriend of course), try to cast those aspersions aside and enjoy the work before you, and take a peek at the other creations these wonderful artists have created.

Ron Weasley by Ninidu

Ron Weasley by Chrisables

Ron Weasley by PrimeHunter

Weasley is our King by Jenny (Gold-Seven)

Review: Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson

Sexing the Cherry
Written by Jeanette Winterson

Published: 1989

Synopsis: Sexing the Cherry celebrates the power of the imagination as it playfully juggles with our perception of history and reality; love and sex; lies and truths; and twelve dancing princesses who lived happily ever after, but not with their husbands.



Sexing the Cherry was my final read for 2011, and what a magical and incredible book to close the year on! This teeny little book (144 pages) is filled with so much substance, love, magic and imagination that it nearly made my heart explode!

The book takes place in 1600s England with the King Charles, Cromwell/Parliament issue looming in the backdrop. Amongst all the turmoil and challenges and change that London is experiencing, a young baby is discovered beside the river by a giant (literally) woman known only as (the) Dog Woman. The story follows the relationship between Dog Woman and Jordan (she names him after a river because he came from water) and the adventures, highs and lows they both experience, together and in their separate lives.

After viewing the first banana to ever arrive in England, Jordan finds himself obsessed with travelling and exploring, especially by sea. He is apprenticed (sort of) by the King's horticulturist, and after several years spent in Wimbledon with the Dog Woman he takes to the seas exploring the far corners of the world and the many rich experiences that there are to discover. However what he discovers isn't simply the wild and mostly unexplored worlds of the Bahamas or other islands/countries, instead he comes across (face to face or through stories) wonderful magical places like the city where they were plagued by love, or the town where gravity forgot about them and they took to the sky travelling around the world in their town un-moored from the rest of earth. In his searches through these wonderful places he struggles also to find the woman he loves and to understand who he is.

The book is wonderfully written in exquisite prose that would make even the most unimaginative person ascend into clouds of strawberry marshmallow. The characters are multi-dimensional and so real it almost hurts. And because of the loose, not quite linear time-line of the story, it really is the characters who are important, rather than the things going on around them. This book plays with the aspects of traditional storytelling and just pulls all the rules apart and rearranges them into these new and unique ways that makes you question not only the contents of the book, but the concept of time and space and life and magical in your own world. This truly is a wonderful book, and I'm not sure I can really give it justice with my review so I'm just going to finish with a few quotes from the book that just captured my heart and mind and really made me love this book.

*In which Jordan recounts a moment in a town where words literalised in the air around them. He ascends in a balloon and helped a cleaner wash away the words that had amassed in the sky, page 18.

"Towards the end of the day we joined with the other baloons brushing away the last few stray and vagabond words. The sky under the setting sun was the colour of veined marble, and a great peace surrounded us. As we descended through the clean air we saw, passing us by from time to time, new flocks of words coming from people in the streets who, not content with the weight of their lives, continually turned the heaviest of things into the lightest of properties. "

*Jordan describes maps and discovering, page 81.

"Maps are magic. In the bottom corner are whales; at the top, cormorants carrying pop-eyed fish. In between is a subjective account of the lie of the land. Rough shapes of countries that may or may not exist, broken red lines marking paths that are a best hazardous, at worst already gone. Maps are constantly being re-made as knowledge appears to increase. But is knowledge increasing or is detail accumulating?"

 *Jordan discussing the painting "A Hunt in a Forest" and it's relation to his life/lives, page 92.

"When I saw this painting I began by concentrating on the forground figures, and only by degrees did I notice the others, some so faint as to be hardly noticeable. My own life is like this, or, I should say, my own lives. For the most part I can see only the most obvious detail, the present, my present. But sometimes, by a trick of the light, I can more than that. I can see countless lives existing together and receding slowly into the trees." 

Yes, so hopefully that gives you a slight taste of the magical literary qualities of this wonderful book and the slight sci-fi, cerebral quality it has regarding time, space and life. A wonderful read that you must experience!

Review: Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Rosemary's Baby
by: Ira Levin

published: 1967

Synopsis: She is a housewife - young, healthy, blissfully happy. He is an actor- charismatic and ambitious. The spacious sun-filled apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side is their dream home - a dream that turns into an unspeakable nightmare...




Rosemary's Baby is a complex horror book to try and review. There is no doubt that this book is anything but fantastic and the fact that it spawned the classic film starring Mia Farrow earns it a few more brownie points as well, but it isn't your typical horror story, or it is, but it isn't told like your average horror tale. So now that I've well and truly confused you and probably turned you off ever reading it, I'm going to try and explain why this book is so complicated to review and why I love it so much.

I am an avid horror fan, but my introduction (after the first few Stephen King films) were your typical blood and gore teen slasher flicks. So I've always been used to gore and blood and chainsaws and crazy guys wearing masks, but it was only a couple of years ago that I began watching and reading horror for the added attraction of the psychology and metaphor that abounds in these films and novels. The only problem is, most people are like I was, and expect to be scared by horror, and they think if it is missing the blood and psychopath chasing the victim scene and they don't have to hide behind their hands then it is a failure. It's for this reason that of the dozen or so friends I've suggested Rosemary's Baby to, only about three have actually enjoyed watching the film. The book is much the same, in fact, if you've seen the film, there was only one scene cut out and the final scene was longer in the book. Other than that, it's almost word for word (don't you freaking love when films adapt books like that!).

Rosemary is a young newly-wed who is desperate to start a family with her actor husband, Guy. He seems a little reticent (even though he's 9 years older) and doesn't want to even think about it before he's had his "big break". The book begins when the two of them find out an apartment is available at the Bramford, a HUGE Victorian-esque apartment complex in New York that has a rather shady past. It was home to the Trench sisters who used to eat children, A satanist/witch named Marcato also called it home, and some other names are thrown in without any specification of what horrible nastiness they committed, perhaps they were hit-men, mafia bosses, cannibals, witches, or god knows what else?! Because of an unhappy situation involving the suicide of a young woman Rosemary had only met the previous day, Rosemary and Guy finally meet their loud and rather obnoxious older neighbours, Minnie and Roman. After a first awkward dinner party with Minnie and Roman, Rosemary is ready to sever ties with them, but when Guy (who had issues with his parents growing up) seems to take a real liking to them, she lets it go and goes back to keeping house.

Which is what much of the book is about, keeping house. Rosemary is your typical 1960s housewife, she takes pride in keeping a beautiful house for her husband and entertaining friends in their well-kept home. So as minor narration describes Guy spending hours next door with the oldies and doing rather badly in his auditions, and some weird dinner party singing/chanting coming from next door, the main thrust follows Rosemary as she sews together pillows for their window seat, or daydreams about the yellow wallpaper she'll use when they covert the sitting room into a nursery. Now, don't get me wrong, it isn't written in a "she is a woman, this is her place" kind of way, it's simply following Rosemary in her daily life. She isn't a super hero, she isn't feuding with her husband, she isn't mega rich or super poor. She's a typical woman, living a typical life and enjoying it.

That said, she isn't a simple character, she's a very interesting woman who, as the book and the action progresses, is constantly torn between behaving in the approved female position (i.e. the man is right, do what he says) and speaking up for how she feels or when she doubts what a man is telling her. For example, after settling into their apartment, Guy's luck is looking up and the play he was desperate to play a part in, which had been cast without him, offers him the lead role. With his career looking up, they decide it's time to start their family, and Rosemary prepares a beautiful dinner to lead into their night of baby-making. After a few too many drinks (*ahem* drugged chocolate mousse) Rosemary passes out in her bed and "dreams" some really crazy crap which eventuates with the devil himself raping her. When she makes up the next morning with scratches covering her, Guy laughs it off by saying he's cut down his nails already and "sorry, but I was super excited about having a baby". Obviously, when I read that (having already seen it in the film) I was like WTF! If my husband said "oops, sorry I raped you but it's OK because BABY!" I'd cut his dick off. But Rosemary is torn between her obvious disgust, "but we could have done it this morning or tonight, last night wasn't the only night," and her conditioned response that the husband is right and good and all OK. After the whole thing swirls around her head, she takes off to a friend's house in the wood to re-evaluate their relationship without his interference. Now she may not come down on the side I would have, but the constant tug-a-war that occurred in her mind was interesting to read, especially in regards to the time the novel took place in.

So once Rosemary finds out she is actually pregnant, things begin to ramp up, but again they're contained to the life of a pregnant woman, rather than your typical horror. After forgiving Guy for his "rape" she throws herself into being pregnant, but she's crippled by pains and rather than being happy, she's terrified of losing her child. Without wanting to give anything away, she grows increasingly paranoid (thanks, in part, to a good friend) and begins to believe everyone is in a plot to kill her child. Her paranoia is linked to a supernatural fear, but it isn't until the conclusion that she's proved right/wrong in her suspicions. So this is where the "is this horror?" aspect comes in, because while there are supernatural fears, it could simply be the result of "pregnancy crazies" so it's all a little up in the air. But really, at the heart of it, whether or not her paranoia is in fact correct isn't important, it's the journey she takes, and her unconditional love, loyalty and protection of her child that really blew my mind.

Regardless of what you consider to be horror, this is a wonderful read and if you're not a horror fan, definitely feel comfortable picking up this book, because the "horror," when it does hit, is more akin to a thriller novel and the central tale of life as a woman/wife mother-to-be in the 1960s is too good to pass up. I should probably also mention, that even though it focuses greatly on the more mundane aspects of life, it is never slow or dull, so, convoluted review aside, read this book!

Monday Links

*Gangsta Atticus Finch

*Stephen King's top 20 of 2011

*If famous writers had written Twilight. (Most are a little lame, but there's the occassional gem)

*What if Ryan Gosling worked in publishing? A spin on the feminist Ryan Gosling memes floating around.

*A newly opened archive has provided the reasons why Tolkein, Robert Frost, Graham Green and EM Forster didn't receive the 1961 Nobel Prize.

*Should we pay attention to book reviewers? An interesting read for all you bloggers.