Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
Princess Mononoke
Dr. Who
The Brontës
Planet Mars
So, what about you? Where are you getting your creative inspiration lately?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Inspiration Post
This post is about the things that are inspiring me as a writer right now. I love Studio Ghibli films for their incredible imagination. I also love magic and the idea of nature spirits, two things that are prevalent in these films. Of course I love Dr. Who, because I really like the idea of time travel, and when combined with space travel it's even better. I put in the Brontë sisters because I'm going through a bit of a Brontë phase at the moment, having just read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I feel inspired by the fact that these authors were able to write such incredible novels with nothing but ink and paper and will. Lastly I've included Mars because I've been wanting to do a story about a Martian colony for a while now. I love its dramatic color in this photo; it reminds me of glowing embers.
Monday, June 28, 2010
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE by Stieg Larsson
ISBN: 9781906694180 [UK]
To be honest, the second installment of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy didn't capture me quite as much as the first. One of the main problems I have with it is that Lisbeth Salander is, to me, the most interesting character in the novel, and when there were long stretches of narrative told from the point of view of other characters, I got a little bored. Not that there is a lack of intrigue and excitement in the novel; there are plenty of twists, turns, and surprises to be had.
The story focuses on the hunt for the strange, super intelligent, and obsessively reclusive Lisbeth Salander, who is suspected of a triple-murder. Much of the novel is told from journalist Mikael Blomkvist's point of view as he tries to unravel the mystery of who really killed the victims—a search that brings him dangerously close to major players in the European sex industry. Blomkvist is convinced that Salander—who saved his life the year before—is innocent, and he is racing against time to clear her name before the police find her. Along the way, he learns some shocking secrets about Lisbeth's early life, and her own associations with the international criminals whom he is trying to expose.
Overall I found the book to be an enjoyable read, though I felt that some of the middle sections dragged on a bit too much. But if you've read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and are keen to find out more about Lisbeth Salander's mysterious past, you won't be disappointed with The Girl who Played with Fire.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Happy June 16!
Happy Bloomsday one and all!
One of these years I will celebrate in Dublin, and I will dress up like this:
One of these years I will celebrate in Dublin, and I will dress up like this:
Friday, June 11, 2010
Quarter-Century Resolutions
My birthday is coming up next week. It's kind of a big one, in an I've-been-alive-for-a-quarter-of-a-century kind of way. And one thing I like to do on my birthday is to make resolutions. Like last year I resolved to start learning French, take some yoga classes, and get back into tae kwon do. Along with these resolutions usually come writing goals—to work harder on my writing, to finish this or that project, etc.
This year, I've decided to make some reading goals. I've got a personal reading list with well over a hundred books on it, and I figured that there are at least a few lengthy novels on there that I should get through before I turn the big three-zero.
Thus, I present to you my Five Year Reading Goals:
Of course, these aren't the only books I want to read in the next five years. But they are all books I've read sections of before, and books that I think will challenge me. I certainly don't think that they are necessarily more important than other books in the Western canon, but I think that setting them as goals will make it more likely that I will actually follow through and finish them (I've read the first hundred pages of Moby Dick twice before but became distracted both times by more contemporary, fast-paced novels, despite actually liking Melville's narrative).
So, how about you—do you have reading goals? Or novels that challenge you? What are some of those classic books that you never seem to get around to reading?
This year, I've decided to make some reading goals. I've got a personal reading list with well over a hundred books on it, and I figured that there are at least a few lengthy novels on there that I should get through before I turn the big three-zero.
Thus, I present to you my Five Year Reading Goals:
Ulysses by James Joyce
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Way by Swann's by Marcel Proust
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Judeo-Christian Bible by various authors
Of course, these aren't the only books I want to read in the next five years. But they are all books I've read sections of before, and books that I think will challenge me. I certainly don't think that they are necessarily more important than other books in the Western canon, but I think that setting them as goals will make it more likely that I will actually follow through and finish them (I've read the first hundred pages of Moby Dick twice before but became distracted both times by more contemporary, fast-paced novels, despite actually liking Melville's narrative).
So, how about you—do you have reading goals? Or novels that challenge you? What are some of those classic books that you never seem to get around to reading?
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hay Festival of Literature 2010
I've just returned from one of my favorite events of the year: the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts. Every year, some of the world's best authors travel to the small Welsh village of Hay-on-Wye to give talks on literature, writing, and culture. In past years Big Chimp and I have had the pleasure of seeing writers as diverse as Augusten Burroughs, Salman Rushdie, and Christopher Hitchens; and we've attended lectures on topics ranging from current events to Milton's Paradise Lost.
The village of Hay-on-Wye is tiny and green, with historical buildings, a castle, and a clock-tower in the centre of town. As its name suggests, it sits on the river Wye, which winds its way along the northern outskirts of Brecon Beacons National Park. The countryside is filled with rolling green hills and valleys, and is populated more by sheep than by people. In the past we've camped in the grounds of Baskerville Hall (yes, that Baskerville Hall), but this year we decided to stay in a hotel about an hour's drive outside of Hay along winding, narrow country roads.
Highlights of this year's festival begin with the first event we went to: a talk given by Magnus Toren, who runs the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, California. We were eager to hear this lecture not only because we are fans of Henry Miller (I'm currently halfway through Tropic of Cancer, which is the first I've read of Miller's books), but also because by chance we stumbled upon the Henry Miller Memorial Library on our road trip through Big Sur in January 2009. The talk was small and informal, and, aside from the supremely uncomfortable chairs, really, really enjoyable. Toren talked about Henry Miller's life and his views on writing and being a writer. Especially interesting were tales of the censorship trials that occurred when Tropic of Cancer was first published in the U.S. in 1961 (26 years after it was published in France). Magnus told us that occasionally tourists visiting the Henry Miller Memorial Library ask him why there are no photos of Marilyn Monroe on the walls. Then he picked up a guitar and sang us a song called "Marilyn Monroe Didn't Marry Henry Miller." It stayed in my head for the rest of the festival.
The next event we went to was children's author Charlie Higson being interviewed about his new book, The Enemy, which is the first novel in a children's horror series. Higson was funny and insightful, discussing the horror genre and the idea of writing horror for children. He also talked about the differences between children's books in the U.S. and children's books in the U.K. In the U.S., according to Higson, there is an overwhelming idea that children's books ought to teach kids clear moral lessons. If novels are ambiguous in this sense, libraries and schools may refuse to stock the books, which is a chance most publishers are not willing to take. Higson went on to say that The Enemy had to be edited for the U.S. edition, so that the children are two years older, and some of the more graphic scenes are toned down. This made me a bit sad for American kids; books ought to be fun and entertaining, not watered-down, toned-down, and censored.
The final event we attended, was, in my mind, the best. It was an interview with Yann Martel, the Canadian author of Life of Pi, which won the Booker Prize in 2002. Martel talked about his new book, Beatrice and Virgil, an allegorical novel about the Holocaust. During the interview Martel was eloquent and seemed intensely smart as he discussed the difficulties of exploring an issue as sensitive as the Holocaust. He also offered intelligent refutations of criticism he has received for Beatrice and Virgil. His argument is that like all historical events, the Holocaust must be looked at from different angles in order for us to fully understand it; history must be a dialogue, a cacophony of voices rather than a strict and unchangeable narrative. My favorite anecdote came at the end of the interview. Not long ago the prime minister of Canada was asked what his favorite book was. He responded, "The Guinness Book of World Records." This depressed Martel so much that he began to send the prime minister a copy of a great literary work every two weeks. His argument was that he didn't want someone who had power over him to be someone who never read literature. As a contrast, he related another anecdote. He told us that a couple of weeks ago, out of the blue, he had received a handwritten note from Barack Obama. Obama said that he had just finished reading Life of Pi with his daughter, and they had really enjoyed it, and they preferred the version with animals, and thank you for writing it. I can't even explain how happy hearing that story made me feel, but maybe this photograph captures it:
And so, loaded down with far too many new books, we left Hay for another year.
The village of Hay-on-Wye is tiny and green, with historical buildings, a castle, and a clock-tower in the centre of town. As its name suggests, it sits on the river Wye, which winds its way along the northern outskirts of Brecon Beacons National Park. The countryside is filled with rolling green hills and valleys, and is populated more by sheep than by people. In the past we've camped in the grounds of Baskerville Hall (yes, that Baskerville Hall), but this year we decided to stay in a hotel about an hour's drive outside of Hay along winding, narrow country roads.
Highlights of this year's festival begin with the first event we went to: a talk given by Magnus Toren, who runs the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, California. We were eager to hear this lecture not only because we are fans of Henry Miller (I'm currently halfway through Tropic of Cancer, which is the first I've read of Miller's books), but also because by chance we stumbled upon the Henry Miller Memorial Library on our road trip through Big Sur in January 2009. The talk was small and informal, and, aside from the supremely uncomfortable chairs, really, really enjoyable. Toren talked about Henry Miller's life and his views on writing and being a writer. Especially interesting were tales of the censorship trials that occurred when Tropic of Cancer was first published in the U.S. in 1961 (26 years after it was published in France). Magnus told us that occasionally tourists visiting the Henry Miller Memorial Library ask him why there are no photos of Marilyn Monroe on the walls. Then he picked up a guitar and sang us a song called "Marilyn Monroe Didn't Marry Henry Miller." It stayed in my head for the rest of the festival.
The next event we went to was children's author Charlie Higson being interviewed about his new book, The Enemy, which is the first novel in a children's horror series. Higson was funny and insightful, discussing the horror genre and the idea of writing horror for children. He also talked about the differences between children's books in the U.S. and children's books in the U.K. In the U.S., according to Higson, there is an overwhelming idea that children's books ought to teach kids clear moral lessons. If novels are ambiguous in this sense, libraries and schools may refuse to stock the books, which is a chance most publishers are not willing to take. Higson went on to say that The Enemy had to be edited for the U.S. edition, so that the children are two years older, and some of the more graphic scenes are toned down. This made me a bit sad for American kids; books ought to be fun and entertaining, not watered-down, toned-down, and censored.
The final event we attended, was, in my mind, the best. It was an interview with Yann Martel, the Canadian author of Life of Pi, which won the Booker Prize in 2002. Martel talked about his new book, Beatrice and Virgil, an allegorical novel about the Holocaust. During the interview Martel was eloquent and seemed intensely smart as he discussed the difficulties of exploring an issue as sensitive as the Holocaust. He also offered intelligent refutations of criticism he has received for Beatrice and Virgil. His argument is that like all historical events, the Holocaust must be looked at from different angles in order for us to fully understand it; history must be a dialogue, a cacophony of voices rather than a strict and unchangeable narrative. My favorite anecdote came at the end of the interview. Not long ago the prime minister of Canada was asked what his favorite book was. He responded, "The Guinness Book of World Records." This depressed Martel so much that he began to send the prime minister a copy of a great literary work every two weeks. His argument was that he didn't want someone who had power over him to be someone who never read literature. As a contrast, he related another anecdote. He told us that a couple of weeks ago, out of the blue, he had received a handwritten note from Barack Obama. Obama said that he had just finished reading Life of Pi with his daughter, and they had really enjoyed it, and they preferred the version with animals, and thank you for writing it. I can't even explain how happy hearing that story made me feel, but maybe this photograph captures it:
And so, loaded down with far too many new books, we left Hay for another year.
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