What Are You Reading?

Hello all! 

(Gloria Swanson)

I managed to fit in a bit of reading while on school holidays!

I'm just in the midst of reading This Side of Paradise

and

But before these two, I finished reading Robin Hobb's latest book, 

I love Hobb's fantasy world of dragons, ships and magical cities,
and I really enjoyed this book,
but nothing will beat reading the Liveship Trader and Assassins Apprentice series,
when I discovered Hobb's writing for the first time. 

Also, I read For One More Day

and Moving Forward

which both dealt with the same topic, how to raise yourself above your past and become a better person.
Albom's version was a hypothetical type of story, in that it asks the question, what would you do if someone close to you died, and then came back into your life for one day. In the narrator's case it is his mother, and, while he is ashamed to admit his flaws and mistakes, he realises he can begin to live his life in a better way
if he wishes.

In Pelzer's Moving Forward, the story of a lost childhood is real, as Pelzer was horribly abused as a child. And yet, with all that darkness he found ways to let go of the past to enable him to move ahead, and now uses his experiences to help others. He provides tested methods for dealing with the low moments in life and how to get above them, and then takes this even further by encouraging people to be leaders. He warns, though that leaders don't get it easy. There will always be people who are cynical or jealous of the success of others and his advice is to be prepared rather than surprised by this. It is not personal, he says, just human nature for people to feel like they are missing out when a colleague or friend finds success.  I found this idea to be valuable, and I realised how important it is to be consciously aware of this.
I'll be reading more of Pelzer's books in the future!

I also finished reading Little Men

which was the most adorable story!
It tells of Jo Bhaer, from Little Women, who grows up to run her own school for boys (and some girls), and details all their little personalities and adventures, providing the children (and the reader!) with a whole lot of life lessons. Being a teacher I could really relate to all the idiosyncrasies and misunderstandings of the children, and just wanted to hug each one of them! If you love stories like Little Women
and The Secret Garden, then you will enjoy this too.

I also had a quick read on my iphone of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Being only a short story it was nowhere near as involved as the film (which was amazing!) but it is still an incredible story for its unusual concept of being born old and growing younger. While the ending didn't leave me in devastated tears like at the end of the film, it is still a spooky conclusion,
and makes you think about time, mortality, and how we live our lives.
Brilliant stuff!

Time to pop over to Book Journey to check out what everyone else is reading:

Love to you!
xxx

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hello to those who love to read!

(Robert Frobisher in the film Cloud Atlas)

 I finished Cloud Atlas this week. 

It definitely is a book that needs to be read around the same time as watching the film, just so you can understand each one better. While the book is clever, detailed, and superbly constructed, the film brings the characters and setting to life, interweaving the stories and characters to make the links between the six different stories more explicit. 

Neither format is easy going. 

The film jumps from story to story, and it is difficult to work out what is going on, and how the pieces fit together, while the book is split into six sections, with half of each story at the beginning, one after another, one full story in the middle and the second half of each of the other stories played out at the end, one at a time. The thing I found with this format, is that I missed the characters and settings as they finished. 

I prefer the way the narratives were interwoven in the film, even if it was confusing at first.

There was something quirky and lovable about each of the stories: the belief that even one person can make a difference in the Adam Ewing story; the beautiful setting, and descriptions relating to music in the Robert Frobisher story (which are not found in the movie); the fight for survival in the Luisa Rey story; comic elements in the Timothy Cavendish story; a stark and curious dystopian future in the Sonmi 451 story; and the contrast of technology and primitiveness in the post-apocalyptic story. 

The message underlying each story is that you should fight for what you believe in, even if it means your life.

In each story there is a romantic link between two characters, which helps them to be stronger and more able to hold onto their shared beliefs. As these characters rebel against prejudices, their fighting spirit is inspiring and powerful, and their love stories, heartwarming and heartbreaking.

I definitely gained more from the movie, with its moments of quiet contemplation and determination to remain true. The stories were all visual feasts, and the diverse characters were played by highly skilled actors, including Jim Broadbent and Tom Hanks. 

It is quirky though, and one of those movies that is better to watch on your own.

This week I'll be picking up Blood of Dragons, the fourth book in the Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb. 

I'm pretty excited, because this is the final instalment of the story, 

and there are always some amazing surprises in her final chapters. I can't wait!

Now I'm off to visit my reading friends over at Book Journey:

Have a great reading week!

Love to you,

xxx