tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post6891943193146623447..comments2023-10-03T11:41:21.191+01:00Comments on The Truth About Lies: 2014 in booksJim Murdochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-64732526148103169452015-01-08T12:55:08.558+00:002015-01-08T12:55:08.558+00:00I didn’t talk much about the ending of The Awakeni...I didn’t talk much about the ending of <i>The Awakening</i>, <b>Marion</b>, because I knew I’d say too much. I seem to recall prattling on and on about it to Carrie though. As you know she edits and proofreads all my posts before they go up and a lot of the time she’ll say to me that she feels like she’s read a post before because I’ve talked about a book so much but that’s part of the process, getting my eggs in a row. And, also, I can get stuff out of my system that I can’t talk about in a review proper.<br /><br />Did Edna deliberately kill herself? It’s possible, probable even. But why? I’m not anti-suicide—there’re plenty of viable reasons for ending a life—but I think of suicide as a last measure, something to opt for after every other option has been thoroughly explored and dismissed and I don’t see that that’s the case here. Maybe she wants to go out on a high. Again, possible. I’ve been terribly depressed throughout my life and even when I’ve hit rock bottom and’ve started digging a hole for myself—the grave symbolism is obvious—I’ve never seriously contemplated topping myself. I have no romantic notions about suicide whatsoever. And maybe that’s why I struggle here. Edna is not done. It’s like in chess. I don’t get why anyone would resign. Sure, looking four or five moves ahead a checkmate might seem inevitable but that depends on your opponent not making a mistake. He might. He might fall ill. He might drop dead. The game’s not over until the game’s over. <br /><br />I also owe you an apology. Your book’s not here and I did read it last year and several times. Terribly remiss of me.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-84016275495291654422015-01-08T12:15:04.516+00:002015-01-08T12:15:04.516+00:00Zow indeed, Glenn. Can’t pretend I’m not just a we...Zow indeed, <b>Glenn</b>. Can’t pretend I’m not just a wee bit pleased with myself here. Towards the end I have to say I got to feel like Number 5 from <i>Short Circuit</i>: “Input! Need input!” I couldn’t get through the books fast enough. As a general exercise I’m not sure it’s such a good thing to read so much and so widely. You need time to process the stuff and although I sat down for an hour or two to write my review in no way did I meditate on what I was reading and I do think that’s an important part of reading, thinking about what you’ve read, mulling it over or at the very least talking it over with a friend. Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-1100249348966847882015-01-08T02:07:58.244+00:002015-01-08T02:07:58.244+00:00Wow, I thought the list was never going to end! I ...Wow, I thought the list was never going to end! I enjoyed catching up with your review of Drabble's The Millstone which I did my higher English dissertation on and have been meaning to read again. Also great review of Chopin's The Awakening, I love that book. Curious that you didn't mention the ambiguity of the ending - I presume you don't think she committed suicide then. Plenty of reviews for me to catch up on!Marion McCreadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04657757253873577465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-62046904704905241152015-01-07T19:34:21.636+00:002015-01-07T19:34:21.636+00:00Zow!Zow!Glenn Ingersollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10674475308395975995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-28911833096191896042015-01-05T17:00:09.389+00:002015-01-05T17:00:09.389+00:00It was an interesting year I have to say, Tim, but...It was an interesting year I have to say, <b>Tim</b>, but not one I expect to be repeating any time soon. The restrictions I imposed did exactly what they were supposed to do, they forced me to experience new writers and some were an absolute joy but others were, as you might expect, hard work and I’m just glad the works I opted to read were short even if they weren’t necessarily representative of that author’s best work. I’ve just finished reading my first book of 2015, one I’d been sent a review copy of at the end of last year, and the 349 pages felt <i>so long</i>. Granted it’s three intertwined storylines but it was harder work than one might’ve expected considering the fact that I’m on a roll; I should’ve got through it in three days with ease—it wasn’t as if it was a hard read (far from it)—but it didn’t help that everyone in the book was some shade of miserable. I think part of the problem is that I now want to be free to read what takes my fancy and there are some writers I discovered last year that I will go back to and check out more well-known books, books like <i>The Golden Notebook</i>. But I have another book I need to review to get out of the way, a detective novel of all things, not a genre—at least not in its written form—that I am at all familiar with. I know the author and he’s doing a J.K. Rowling, publishing a book in a genre he’s not known for and under a pseudonym so it’ll be a challenge to review it without being able to talk about him or his varied (and quite successful) back catalogue. Then we’ll see. But reading’s not going to be a priority and I probably won’t read anything at all while I’m editing; I don’t want the flavour of what I’m reading to find its way into a text with a very specific tone.<br /><br />I find the whole gender thing puzzling. I’ll go out of my way to listen to a female composer—now that really is a field where males dominate—and I’m curious about female artists and photographers; I want to discover female writers who excite me but it’s so much easier to find males. That said my favourite composers and artists are all male. About the only area where I consistently choose women over men is when it comes to singer-songwriters. Odd, eh? Although, that said, my all-time favourite singer-songwriter is still a man (that would be <a href="http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/go-fish.html" rel="nofollow">Fish</a>).Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-57211594316659754302015-01-05T10:50:25.744+00:002015-01-05T10:50:25.744+00:00There's hardly any overlap between your readin...There's hardly any overlap between your reading list and mine, which just goes to show. Even when I've sought out an author (e.g. Kingsolver, Fitzgerald) I've chosen books different to the ones you've read. I liked The Golden Notebook. <br /><br />As for gender, well, I'm not conscious of it being a factor for me. However, my reading stats might be embarrassing if I collected them. This year I read prose by Hilary Mantel, Melania G.Mazzucco, Paola Cereda, Lorrie Moore, Ali Smith, Alice Munro, Lydia Davis, Julie Orringer , "Ten things I've learnt about love" by Sarah Butler, Alison Bruce (whodunnits), Tania Hershman, Sally Cline, Andrea Levy, Deborah Levy, Marie Darrieussecq, Alison Moore, Tessa Hadley, "A girl is a half-formed thing" by Eimear McBride, "Astonishing splashes of colour" by Clare Morral, "The woman upstairs" by Claire Messud, "Moon Tiger" by Penelope Lively.<br /><br />Tim Lovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00578925224900533603noreply@blogger.com