Weblog of Quotes and Rants

I'm not sure entirely how I feel about The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton.  I would put it under the "do read" category, but  I think I missed out on some of the nuances having listened to the story rather than read the book.  Apparently the book has some astrogolgical charts and graphs.  Pretty much all of the astrological references went right past me. The narrator (Mark Meadows) did a fantastic job with his accents and distinguishing the different characters.   

Get the book: The Luminaries  

Get the audio book: The Luminaries (Audible)

The structure was semi apparent, given that each section is half as long as the previous.  The unique structure was most obvious at the end, where part 12 just flew by, matter of factly, making me think maybe something was wrong with the audio book :)

After finishing the book, I decided to read some Audible reviews, to see what other people thought of it.  There was a very mixed selection of "loved it!!!11!!!" and "meh" and "boooring".  I understand how some people could find such a lengthy and repetative book to be boring, but this book made me excited for my daily subway commutes.  So I guess I didn't find it boring.  I found the cast of characters intriguing and the details of the overarching mystery to be compelling.   

 “Love cannot be reduced to a catalogue of reasons why, and a catalogue of reasons cannot be put together into love.” 
― Eleanor Catton The Luminaries

 “For although a man is judged by his actions, by what he has said and done, a man judges himself by what he is willing to do, by what he might have said, or might have done—a judgment that is necessarily hampered, not only by the scope and limits of his imagination, but by the ever-changing measure of his doubt and self-esteem.” 

― Eleanor Catton The Luminaries

I just finished reading (okay, listening to) Rebecca by Daphe du Maurier.

It is an English novel published in 1938.  Mysterious and atmospheric, it presents a tale with a simple plot and complex characters.  Once again, so many problems could have been avoided through better communication.

There is not a lot of action, but the writing and descriptions are enjoyable.  Worth reading.

A couple quotes I enjoyed:

“Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.” 

“If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.” 

“Men are simpler than you imagine my sweet child. But what goes on in the twisted, tortuous minds of women would baffle anyone.”  

“I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth.” 

I'm partway through The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel by Neil Gaiman and it is great!

“Nobody actually looks like what they really are on the inside,” Lettie tells the boy. “Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world … Except for Granny, of course.”

- Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

I highly recommend the audiobook. Gaiman reads it himself and his voice is great.

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In nature there is no death, only a reshuffling of atoms

- GJ ("Top of the Lake" miniseries)

Actually, I think this is a rephrasing of something said by U.G. Krishnamurti.

Also "Top of the Lake" is an interesting, disturbing, and beautiful miniseries set in New Zealand.  However, unlike other shows/movies (ahem, LOTR), it did not make me want to visit.

Saturday morning breakfast cereal (smbc) is a great nerdy comic, and recently posted an excellent Hemingway quote: Hemingway on Literature

And it is true: Selected Letters

I was not aware until now that Hemingway struggled with spelling ("mirricale, or however you spell it, mirricle maybe"), so I'm in good company!