Summer Reading
A few weeks back I promised Jeanne I’d let her know about some books she should read. Quick note: I am a card carrying Harry Potter Fan. As far as Children’s Books go I have two interesting finds.
The first is from Pulitzer Prize winning writer Michael Chabon. In 2002 or 2003 he wrote great Children’s book called Summerland. I was first introduced to Chabon at FSU when I had to read The Mysteries of Pittsburgh for my Modern American Novel class under Dr. Douglas Fowler. This is a great book to read after reading (or, preferably re-reading) The Catcher in the Rye. Also, Phlox is one of the best female characters written in modern times (other than those by John Irving – who I’ll deal with in later posts). Next I read Wonder Boys which was later made into a fun film with Michael Douglas, Robert Downey, Jr, and Tobey McGuire. Then came The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (for which Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize, and is incidentally about comic books -- see my earlier posts for more on the subject). Chabon may be too smart for his own good. Rather than repeating the same old rubbish again and again like the big money makers (insert John Grisham here) he constantly looks for new and interesting stories to tell. This leads us to Summerland. It is full of the great mythology which you come to expect from the genre of Children’s Books. It also deals with baseball. – SIDENOTE: I hate baseball (as a sport), it is BORING! George Carlin is correct when he believes that land mines should be placed in the outfield to spice up the game. But as a dramatic device it is great in both film and literature. Look at books like The Natural (also an amazing movie), and in film there are fun flicks like Bull Durham or even A League of Their Own. -- Chabon juices the sport and its fanatic following for all they are worth and makes you dream of sunny summer days spent on the diamond and the magic that they promise.
Another great Children’s book is Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. It is mystical, and mysterious. Like a good Brit, Jones gives us a foggy, tale told in a landscape where the sun always appears to be just about to set. At the beginning of the novel you get the brief satisfaction of knowing where the story is going, but Jones isn’t as accommodating as she progresses. Soon you have to follow her lead into rooms of a moving castle were she controls where we go and what we see. Hayao Miyazaki made the book into a film, which while being probably his worst picture is a great movie. It’s like when you see a worst movie by Woody Allen, Akira Kurosawa or Brian DePalma; it may be their worst effort, but it is superior to most of the best creations by other filmmakers. And don’t worry; having read the book won’t spoil the movie. Miyazaki makes the story his own. There are movies where the strict following of the book is great (insert Sin City here) and there are those where the strict following can be bad – very bad (insert The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving here). This is just a fun film based on the book. Nothing more, nothing less.
SIDE NOTE: Two great Miyazaki movies you need to watch if you haven’t already… Castle in the Sky. This is a rollercoaster with an eco-friendly message which should be (in that Utopia where we wish to live) a favorite film to all – young and old. Also, Porco Rosso is a must see. I recommend (Japanese native speakers may be excluded) that you set up the English subtitles and, instead of choosing the Japanese Language version or the English language version (with Porco Rosso’s voice by Michael Keaton) setting the French language version with Porco’s voice by the great French actor Jean Reno. Now that is a treat! This film was originally commissioned as a project for a short film by JAL (Japanese Air Lines) as a short animated film to be shown on domestic flights, but Miyazaki got carried away and made a feature length film and we are all better for it. Watch it, hate fascism, and have FUN!
Last Children’s Book recommendation comes from my friend Dan. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. I’ve actually read none of these, BUT Dan’s rec says it all to me. I’ll be reading these by the end of the week.
Now for an “adult” book. Do you love language? Does it upset you when you hear double negatives fired off at rapid machine gun staccato by the person in front of you in line at the grocery store? Clipped words and slang tend to jar your senses? Hmm, O.C. anyone? Well, check out Guy Deutscher’s The Unfolding of Language: an evolutionary tour of mankind’s greatest invention. This book, besides being informative, is extremely well written. When was the last time you laughed out loud while reading a linguistics book? This was the only time for me, but the laughs were earned and FUN! Deutscher takes us on a tour of language through time and while focusing mostly on Indo-European Languages, gives us an idea of why we speak the way we do and where our language(s) are heading. When you hear others speak in the future you will react and think differently about what you hear. A.S. Byatt loved it and I do too!
The first is from Pulitzer Prize winning writer Michael Chabon. In 2002 or 2003 he wrote great Children’s book called Summerland. I was first introduced to Chabon at FSU when I had to read The Mysteries of Pittsburgh for my Modern American Novel class under Dr. Douglas Fowler. This is a great book to read after reading (or, preferably re-reading) The Catcher in the Rye. Also, Phlox is one of the best female characters written in modern times (other than those by John Irving – who I’ll deal with in later posts). Next I read Wonder Boys which was later made into a fun film with Michael Douglas, Robert Downey, Jr, and Tobey McGuire. Then came The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (for which Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize, and is incidentally about comic books -- see my earlier posts for more on the subject). Chabon may be too smart for his own good. Rather than repeating the same old rubbish again and again like the big money makers (insert John Grisham here) he constantly looks for new and interesting stories to tell. This leads us to Summerland. It is full of the great mythology which you come to expect from the genre of Children’s Books. It also deals with baseball. – SIDENOTE: I hate baseball (as a sport), it is BORING! George Carlin is correct when he believes that land mines should be placed in the outfield to spice up the game. But as a dramatic device it is great in both film and literature. Look at books like The Natural (also an amazing movie), and in film there are fun flicks like Bull Durham or even A League of Their Own. -- Chabon juices the sport and its fanatic following for all they are worth and makes you dream of sunny summer days spent on the diamond and the magic that they promise.
Another great Children’s book is Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. It is mystical, and mysterious. Like a good Brit, Jones gives us a foggy, tale told in a landscape where the sun always appears to be just about to set. At the beginning of the novel you get the brief satisfaction of knowing where the story is going, but Jones isn’t as accommodating as she progresses. Soon you have to follow her lead into rooms of a moving castle were she controls where we go and what we see. Hayao Miyazaki made the book into a film, which while being probably his worst picture is a great movie. It’s like when you see a worst movie by Woody Allen, Akira Kurosawa or Brian DePalma; it may be their worst effort, but it is superior to most of the best creations by other filmmakers. And don’t worry; having read the book won’t spoil the movie. Miyazaki makes the story his own. There are movies where the strict following of the book is great (insert Sin City here) and there are those where the strict following can be bad – very bad (insert The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving here). This is just a fun film based on the book. Nothing more, nothing less.
SIDE NOTE: Two great Miyazaki movies you need to watch if you haven’t already… Castle in the Sky. This is a rollercoaster with an eco-friendly message which should be (in that Utopia where we wish to live) a favorite film to all – young and old. Also, Porco Rosso is a must see. I recommend (Japanese native speakers may be excluded) that you set up the English subtitles and, instead of choosing the Japanese Language version or the English language version (with Porco Rosso’s voice by Michael Keaton) setting the French language version with Porco’s voice by the great French actor Jean Reno. Now that is a treat! This film was originally commissioned as a project for a short film by JAL (Japanese Air Lines) as a short animated film to be shown on domestic flights, but Miyazaki got carried away and made a feature length film and we are all better for it. Watch it, hate fascism, and have FUN!
Last Children’s Book recommendation comes from my friend Dan. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. I’ve actually read none of these, BUT Dan’s rec says it all to me. I’ll be reading these by the end of the week.
Now for an “adult” book. Do you love language? Does it upset you when you hear double negatives fired off at rapid machine gun staccato by the person in front of you in line at the grocery store? Clipped words and slang tend to jar your senses? Hmm, O.C. anyone? Well, check out Guy Deutscher’s The Unfolding of Language: an evolutionary tour of mankind’s greatest invention. This book, besides being informative, is extremely well written. When was the last time you laughed out loud while reading a linguistics book? This was the only time for me, but the laughs were earned and FUN! Deutscher takes us on a tour of language through time and while focusing mostly on Indo-European Languages, gives us an idea of why we speak the way we do and where our language(s) are heading. When you hear others speak in the future you will react and think differently about what you hear. A.S. Byatt loved it and I do too!
posted by Sam Barboo at 12:03 PM
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