book-club's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slaughter House 5- Kurt Vonnegut A different book that I have read recently was Slaughter House Five, by Kurt Vonnegut. Straight off the bat...I found it an incredibly odd book, yet was unable to stop reading because I just had to see where it was headed. A breif synopsis, the book is told over the life and times of Billy Pilgrim and his memories and movements through timeas a result of meeting aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. However the real story of the book is actually based on Vonnegut's experience as a American prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany during the firebombing of 1945 that killed thousands of civilians. Now this I found fascinating, as after reading the book I went and did a little reading on the event and it is right up there next to Hiroshima in terms of destruction of life and property, yet I had never, ever heard of it, not once. I'm pretty sure however, that everyone has heard of Hiroshima. The bombing of Dresden achieved its devastation by dropping incendiary bombs, filled with highly combustible chemicals such as magnesium, phosphorus or petroleum jelly (napalm), in clusters over a specific target. After the area caught fire, the air above the bombed area, become extremely hot and rose rapidly. Cold air then rushed in at ground level from the outside and people were sucked into the fire. Incredibly horrible, if you get a chance I highly reccomend reading this book, the education and value is exceptional. If anyone is interested in more information on what happened in Dresden 1945 click on this link. --naridu 9:27 a.m. - 2004-07-13 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Da Vinci Fun Thanks for your reviews Allison, Michelle and Ellen. I have to admit I did search for the Midwives book but was unable to find it in any of my local stores. My local library is closed down at the moment for renovation, which is nice, but I miss my books! I have however recently read the Da Vinci Code and I did actually quite like it. The use of symbolism and heavy topic of the feminine was absolutely fascinating. However, I could never quite get the image out of my mind that this was some sort of Indianna Jones movie. I was later reduced to a fit of giggles when after finishing the novel I discovered that Dan Brown had in fact written the novel with an eye to having it produced as a film, and that this is in fact now in the works, not to mention, starring Russell Crowe! Here are a few links if anyone else is interested in the author Dan Brown, or the upcoming movie. --naridu 8:37 a.m. - 2004-07-13 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- book review by Micelle Well I am going to review a book that I suggested back in April that was supposed be read in May, but I guess no one wanted to, but I have finally finished the book, and it was called Midwives by Chris Bohjalian This book delves in to the life of a Midwive and the ridicule that they suffer from because of the fact that many people in the Medical Field do not agree with having babies at home because they feel that it is is too much of a risk to do. You go through the case of Sibyl Dentworth through the eyes o her daugher Connie. This was an emotional roller coaster book for me but a good read. It is only a bit over 300 pages so the read is really fast. Yeah I know that I am not updating on the books that are not on the list, but I hope that is okay. I am going ot be reviewiong on books that I have bought myself to read for the summer, I hope that no one is upset at me for doing so. I think the important thing is that people get back involved in this thing, don't you all agree.? 1:35 p.m. - 2004-06-24 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allison�s Review of The Da Vinci Code Since I am the one who suggested all of the books so far on the list, it is only fitting that I start giving my reviews. I was going to do them all at one time, but I�m only going to do one at the moment. I�ll try to post more tomorrow until I�ve finished with that list, and then start reviewing the other books I�ve read recently. Anyway, onto the review. I�ll try my best to not give away anything that you might not already know about the book. The book I am going to talk about right now is The Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown. The story follows Robert Langdon, a symbologist from Harvard that is known world �round. Langdon was first introduced in the book Angels and Demons, a book I have not read but is next on my list. As for The Da Vinci Code, Brown does a great job developing the character of Langdon, and also Sophie Neveu (a French cryptologist) and Leigh Teabing, an old man who has spent his entire life searching for the Holy Grail. After the death of the main member of the Priory of Sion, a secret society whose entire existence is to keep the knowledge of where the Holy Grail is a secret, Langdon is called to discover who would do such a thing and why. Neveu, the granddaughter of the man killed, is to help Langdon on his search. And when they end up at the house of Teabing, he and Langdon fill Sophie in on what the Holy Grail is and how Leonardo Da Vinci used his paintings to give clues to the location and what the Holy Grail actually is. At 454 pages and 107 chapters (including the prologue and epilogue), The Da Vinci Code is a fast and wonderful read. Brown does a great job at mixing together fact and fiction, making one wonder which is which. This review was going to be longer, but I had to delete a lot as to not let anything out of the bag. I was also afraid of mentioning anything. There�s so much in this book, it�s hard to decide what one may actually talk about! - Allison 9:27 p.m. - 2004-06-21 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ellen thinks we all need to wake up and start posting! I really like the idea of having numerous books to read at one time, it makes it easier for those of us who have worthless libraries and not enough money to buy every book we want. And I'm assuming that means any of the books on the suggestions list are open to discussion. Since no one else seems to be participating, I guess I'll say a few things about them. So, The DaVinci Code. I read that book a few months ago, and I loved it. I was amazed at the amount of research and knowledge that went into to writing that book. I've always had an interest in art history and such, and I found all the art references interesting, as well as the entire story being a well-written, intriguing mystery. I know quite a few people has issues with it not being 100% correct, but I'm not sure that's all that important. I'm not familiar with most of the art work, but we do have the Last Supper in my dining room, and I can see how every reference he made to that paiting could be true. I'm sure it's the case with the others as well. And I believe much of it was based on fact. As for the religious aspect, whether or not you believe any of it is really a personal opinion, and you may not agree with everything in the book, but this is just his ideas and opinions. And that doesn't change the fact that all the historical and religious parts were incoporated so well into the story. I just read The Lady and the Unicorn too, and I was equally impressed. Like her The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier really takes a piece of artwork and makes it into something so much more. With this one, I loved how they switched back and forth between characters, so that the book wasn't so much a story about one person, but a story about a tapestry, that just happened to have other people involved in it. Yet at the same time, all her characters are very detailed and not flat or underdeveloped as sometimes happens when the voice of the story switches so often. And again, I was impressed with the amount of historical detail, and therefore, research, that went into this book. Those are kind of basic reviews, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone else who has't read them yet, so I'm not too sure what else I can say. I've rserved both the Birth of Venus and A Great and Terrible Beauty from the library, so as soon as I get them, I'll post something about them. Let's get this website going again! Ellen 8:50 a.m. - 2004-06-21 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Housekeeping If any of these following email addresses bear a resmblence to or have been previously yours, could you please either leave an updated address in the guestbook or send me an email. I'm just trying to update my list with all correct contact details. Thanks guys. -- naridu
[email protected] 2:57 p.m. - 2004-05-27 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apologies Hello everyone :) Sootica dropped a line in my guestbook the other day and i am surprised to see that apprently quite a few people are still interested in this idea. As sootica mentioned I have in fact been extremely busy over the previous months and have only recently been feeling that my time is organised sufficently to take something like this on again. So lets give it a whirl. As Sootica said, this layout is wa-ay too gorgeous to be left to waste ;) --- Naridu 1:43 p.m. - 2004-05-27 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes? That's cool with me? Everyone else cool? Maybe we can start it in May... email me your yes/no's -- sootica 12:19 p.m. - 2004-04-25 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well I would be honored to suggest the next book that we would be reading. I suggest Midwives By Chris Bohjalian it is on the Ophrah's bookclub list so it should be very good. 4:19 p.m. - 2004-04-24 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- just sootica reporting Holes Hey there book-clubbers! I thought Holes was a great book. Simple and quick, yes, but well-written for the young age group at which it is aimed. There wasn't a lot of description of characters or their surroundings, which usually annoys me if I don't have much to go on - but for some reason my imagination filled in the gaps of this story without me even noticing! I haven't seen the movie though... actually, I'd never even heard that it came out! That's something I might check out if I remember. Heh, the Biographies page links correctly now... but the page is a little stuffed - I'll fix it soon! Also, new members have been added... and... I'm getting up-to-date with things around here. It's been a long time, especially since I've closed my diary for 2 years until I get my last high school years done. Sadly, my school work needs my time and blogging is just such a distraction! :) Maybe we think about a new book now? (And I promise to post earlier this time!) I've been re-reading 'The Day My bum Went Psycho' (by Andy Griffiths) recently because my bookshelf is so bare! Moving house has left me with both little time and little good books unpacked! --sootica 9:54 p.m. - 2004-04-09 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm glad the posting has started! I finished 'Holes' about three weeks ago. I saw the movie when it came out, because my mom heard it was good. This was one of my many book-after-movie experiences, and I think I'm going to be the voice of dissent. I was not a fan of the book at all. This surprised me, because I loved all the Wayside School books when I was in elementary school. I thought the writing was drab. I definitely enjoyed the movie far more than the book. I felt the movie embodied the characters better. I had a far better feel for the landscape in the movie. I enjoyed the flashbacks more in the movie. I think my main point of contention is the lack of description in the book. I'm so used to books being full of these long and wonderful descriptive passages about the landscapes and characters within the stories. I didn't get a feel for it. If I hadn't seen the movie, my mind would've had a hard time conjuring the images from the stories. I finished this read as quickly as possible, so I could be done with it. 10:57 a.m. - 2004-02-23 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yeah, I loved the story too. There were three stories in one plot. I loved the way the book went back in time alot. Sam and Kate were really cool characters, but what happened to them was just not right at all. The warden was a real witch, a horrible person. I think my favorite charcter was Zero, he was just a really cool person. I think what is important about this book is how stanely changes from the beginning of the book to the end. His self-esteem changes. He learns to love who he is, and that is what is important. I still have yet to see Holes. I remember when it came out like last year or so, but did not see it. Since Louis Sachar wrote the script, it should be great. 10:02 a.m. - 2004-02-21 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ellen is happy the book club has started again Yay, someone posted! Finally! I think I got Holes for Christmas when I was 10 or 11. It was a present to my brother and I from our grandmother. And I remember thinking that a book about delinquent boys who dig holes every day sounded awful. And then one day I was really bored, so I read it. I didn't know a book about boys digging holes could be so good. I don't know what it is about that book. Maybe it's the way there are three different stories, and the way they come together so well at the end. I love books that build a detailed plot and then join everything toegther perfectly. And then all the little details at the beginning - such as Stanley's father's experiments, and the curse of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, and then how his great-grandfather was robbed by Kissing Kate Barlow - all mean something in the overall story. Hard as I try, I cannot build plots like that and then connect them together when I write. It just doesn't work. And the movies was better than I thought it would be too. Even though it's Disney, and they ruined the Princess Diaries, and are going to ruin Ella Enchanted whenever that comes out, this one actually didn't change the story or leave anything out. Of course, Louis Sacher wrote the script. I'm not sure that was the bext explanation of why I've always liked this book so much, but it's kind of hard to explain. I just do. Ellen Oh, and sootica, are you aware that the biographies link goes to one bio, not everyone's? Just pointing it out. 8:15 a.m. - 2004-02-21 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just Finished Holes Yeah, I think I am the first person to finish Holes. I do not want to talk about anything until some other people post too, so all I would like to say is that I really enjoyed the book. I finished it in like a day. It was an easy read, and I really like the characters. I wish it was a bit longer. ~michelle~ 10:44 p.m. - 2004-02-20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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