Literary Cleanup, book #1

First off, I have to say that these were actually the 2nd and 3rd book I read this year, but because I had started The Gun Seller a long time ago and just now had the inclination to finish it, I will not count it for the list.

Book#1




The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett

While the image I used looks very nice and neat, my book has seen better days, because he spent almost all of last year in my backpack tumbling around, so it looks twenty years old. I am a bad person. Also, under the title, my book has "A Discworld Novel" instead of the text presented in the image above.

Did I like it? I'd be an ass not to.

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Hitchcocking it up.

I'm sorry you had to read that title, but I simply couldn't resist.

Sometimes life brings you great things. Health, security, enough money to buy Lush products or simply a friend that has a full set of Hitchcock movies. I had always been interested in seeing his films, but I kept getting distracted by shiny things. Yes, I am a magpie.

A few months before this, because of a work proposition that never actually worked out, I saw The 39 Steps, which is a really good movie, in my opinion. I really love the chemistry between the two leads and I'm a sucker for a good mistaken identities plot.

Then, because jjnopants is awesome, he let me borrow his 9009242 dvds. I saw Blackmail - which was also very nice, I love Hitchcock's style of filming, the little details he puts into each shot. Also, what's not to love about one of the first british "talkies", in which the main actress (Anny Ondra, who is Czech) had to be dubed over by another actress who basically stood out of shot and spoke into a microphone.

I also saw Rear Window after @amabok recommended it so ferociously. Basically, it was all a ruse so he'd have a reason to gush about how elegant Grace Kelly is. I don't blame him.



Yeah, I know. No, no, it's fine, you can take some time to calm yourself down. Are you okay? Good.

Still, when I managed to wipe his drool off of the monitor, I saw the whole thing and it was amazing. Hands down, one of the best movies I've seen. Funny how Hitchcock created such intrigue using only one set. You stay in the main character's apartment for the whole film and not once does it become boring. In fact, you get more and more tense as you wait for an answer to the mystery. And I love Grace Kelly's character and how defiant she is, contrasting with James Stewart's cockyness and cynical overview of other people.

I recommend either of these three movies - particularly Rear Window - to anyone who wants to get acquainted with one of the best film-makers in history.

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Literary Challenge, zee overview.

This will be a pain to write down, but here is a list of all the books I have. Note the following: borrowed books are in green, and entries marked with an * are the english version of that particular novel. The striked ones are obviously the ones I've already read (the ones with a link pointing to a blog post and with a note saying "read on LC" are the ones pertaining to this challenge). Also, titles will be on the right and authors on the left.

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50 books? Woah there, I barely know how to read.

(THIS UPDATE WAS MADE IN A TIMELY MANNER.)

So, ever since I found out about a community on livejournal called 50 book challenge , I've tried many times to, and this will surprise you, do the 50 book challenge. This was one of the attempts. Of course, as you can see, I didn't finish it. Not by a long shot-- even though, I have to say, I didn't read only 5 books. This is the full list of stuff I read pertaining to the challenge:

• Native Tongue
• The Canterville Ghost
• The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder
• Lord Arthur Saville's Crime
• The Haunted House (and other stories)
• The Thirteen Problems 
• Homely Girl: A Life and Other Stories
• Treasure Island
• The Color of Magic
• Lunário
• Memoirs of a Geisha
• Guards! Guards!

Seeing this list makes me think that I haven't done that bad (particularly because I'm sure I have forgotten a couple of books) but 12 books in a year isn't something to be satisfied with. Particularly when I realize how much time I waste on youtube/tv shows/cheesy asian dramas. And this all stems from the fact that reading a book requires a bit more effort than standing in front of the pc while STUFF happens. So I'm picking this up again, just to see where I can go with it. Or how much I can fail at it.

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