Instead of doing a long babbling post on how my year was, I am doing a personal, yet still book-ish, review of the year in the form of this fun meme, hosted by Christine atThe happily ever after:
Describe yourself:The Ethical Assasin by David Liss
How do you feel: Half Way to the Grave (Night Huntress 01) by Jeaniene Frost
Describe where you currently live:The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey
Your favourite form of transportation: Enchanted by Thaisa Frank
Your best friend is: Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
You and your friends are:Captives of the Nightby Loretta Chase
What's the weather like: Tempest Rising (Jane True 01) by Nicole Peeler
What is life to you:Timeless by Gail Carriger
Favorite time of day: Come the Night by Susan Krinard
Your fear:The Fire by Katherine Neville
How I would like to die:Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
My soul's present condition:Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. - Billy Vaughn
New Year's party cake recipe:
You'll need the following:
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
4 large brown eggs
2 cups of dried fruit
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
Nuts
1 1/2 bottle of whisky
Preparation:
Sample the whisky to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the whisky again. To be sure it's the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again. Make sure the whisky is still OK. Cry another tup. Tune up the mixer. Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it goose with a drewscriver. Sample the whisky to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Who cares?
Check the whisky. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon the sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window.
Now the name of my blog will be a bit shorter - just 'Portable Pieces of Thoughts' instead of 'Books as Portable Pieces of Thoughts'. I threw out the 'Books as' bit as the whole name seemed absurdly long to me and then it became transparent, even to my obtuse self, that I want to include something more here than just book reviews and book news. Nothing else is changing but if you have any problem accessing my blog just let me know. Or maybe better not ;). I won't be able to do anything at all...
BTW the url address of my blog had been changed as well but I had to change it back. Sorry for the inconvenience - I just wanted to see all your lovely comments again and I didn't resist the temptation.
Book info: Form: pdf format Genre: YA dystopia/thriller Target audience: fans of Japanese culture and dystopia but definitely older YA and adults
Synopsis:
Welcome to a dystopian East Asian country (like
Japan but larger) where people live happily and peacefully under the watchful
eye of your average, sadistic Dictator. In order to keep things straight under
control once a year a class of 15-year-old junior high kids is sent to an
enclosed location. The kids are given different weapons at random, weapons as
different as an Uzi is different from an ice pick or a crossbow from a fork, a
day pack with a bottle of water and they are told to go and kill each other.
The last survivor wins. It is called the Program. If it serves a purpose nobody
knows what purpose exactly.
In order to ensure there is no cheating (you
know those pesky teens, they always cheat) each of the students is fitted with
a nice shiny collar which allows the organizers to check their condition, track them and listen to their
conversations. The collar has also an in-built explosive device. No deaths for
longer than 24 hours? All participants are eliminated. More than one survivor?
All the rest is eliminated as well. Trying to hide somewhere for too long or
trying to run away? The same outcome – you are blown up to smithereens.
You follow 42 students – the newest batch of
victims – who have to participate in the Program. Who will win this time:
energetic Yukie, the class Representative, selfish and manipulative Mitsuke,
acting as if she was a female Yakuza mobster, mysterious Kazuo, a boy so gifted
and so calm that he is followed and admired even by thugs, Noriko, just your
ordinary, averagely pretty girl, or maybe Shuya, a kind orphan boy who likes
those forbidden rock and roll songs and plays the electric guitar? Or maybe
somebody else? Can anybody truly be a winner in such circumstances?
What I liked:
There were many stories included in one bigger
story and I found them the best part of
this book. More than dozen of students were given an opportunity to tell
you about their hopes and fears. Because of that they became real, three-dimensional
characters, not just a shooting range dummies. It was reallythe "good stuff" for
me - watching all the little petty relationships, conflicts and problems you
have when you are 15 suddenly twisted horribly by the extreme fear of knowing
only one person will be allowed to live and your classmates and friends have to
become your deadly enemies.
Of course there
was violence, quite a lot of it, but I would compare it to one of these cheesy
movies of Tarantino - you are disgusted, you know it is bad but you still want
to watch. Indeed it might be treated as great entertainment only by people with
a tolerance for high amounts of guts-and-gore, but, as it was also a really
well-done study of the psychology of extreme fear and included some insights
about totalitarianism as well somehow I
managed to survive. The personal stories, often told in an almost poetic way,
stop Battle Royale from spiraling into a mindless bloodbath.
What I didn’t like:
First let me tell you that the first 50-60 pages
were downright boring. Then the action accelerated and here I hit another snag
- Battle
Royalewas a lot more graphic than I'd imagined. So
instead of puking up the contents of my stomach, after a while I just skipped the paragraphs
describing blood and bashed-in brains. In fact from
time to time the plot was so childish that it reminded me those computer games
when you kill and kill and kill and finally you forget about the reason why you
keep doing it because it doesn’t matter as long as the next opponent lies,
neutralized, in a puddle of blood. Frankly the detailed descriptions of different
violent deaths were horribly ridiculous.
Shuya Nanahara as he appears in the manga. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What’s more
even from the first chapter the plot was rather obvious – you could guess with
a high success rate who would be killed and how soon. The style of the narrative I also found a
bit uneven, or maybe it was the problem with the translation, I really can’t
tell. Anyway the descriptions were very anime, which makes me think that
if the writing had been really beautiful, or if any of the emotions had been
deeper, I may have liked this book a lot better.
Finally the
ending…I must say I was completely disappointed by it. It was a ridiculous and
artificial construction of a plot-twist after a plot-twist (so you thought they
were really dead?! No! They are alive! No, wait, they are going to be dead
soon...or maybe not?). I was not amused.
Final verdict:
Personally I
liked this novel despite its many flaws but in my view it is not perfect and
certainly not for everybody. Still cult novels (yes, it is one of them) are so hard to resist so how to
tell whether or not it is your next best thing? Well, if you salivate at the
mere thought of a book which combines Manga and Anime poesy, Hunger Games-style
action, Lord of the Flies political undercurrents and an amount of atrocities
straight from Quentin Tarantino movies this might be a perfect read for you. Do
not read it if you are feeling nauseous even after my quite innocuous synopsis. Helpful? I
hope so.
I got this one from Rameau as a gift - thank you very much my dear! I hope you won't regret it! ;p
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Miss Lydia Charingford is always cheerful, and never more so than at Christmas time. But no matter how hard she smiles, she can't forget the youthful mistake that could have ruined her reputation. Even though the worst of her indiscretion was kept secret, one other person knows the truth of those dark days: the sarcastic Doctor Jonas Grantham. She wants nothing to do with him...or the butterflies that take flight in her stomach every time he looks her way.
Jonas Grantham has a secret, too: He's been in love with Lydia for more than a year. This winter, he's determined to conquer her dislike and win her for his own. It all starts with a wager and a kiss...
My impressions: I usually have my issues with novellas and this one was no exception. Still the problems I encountered here ran deeper than my usual ' it was too short' carping. For a novella it was actually quite substantial but this time I didn't relate to the main characters and the whole premise as well. Proving once again that I am not a great romance fan. Oh well. First of all I admit I liked how Ms Milan presented our good doctor - a cynical young man with few inhibitions concerning conversational topics in polite company. I do regret he wasn't allowed to tell one of his famous gonorrhoea jokes, though. One thing about him surprised me a bit: he was so strangely altruistic, never even enquiring about a dowry, just looking for a pretty face. I would understand if he was a son of an aristocrat or a rich squire; however why a son of a scrap metal shop owner didn't want to get a bit richer, pocketing several hundred pounds with a bride, as almost any gent wanted to do at that era, was a bit puzzling... it seemed that Ms Milan forgot that she was writing about a self-made little town doctor, not one of those dukes. Oh well, I could survive that. Especially that I also was impressed by the author's research concerning the Victorian medicine problems and how it was included in the plot. However Miss Lydia was one big dark spot in this overall cheery Yule romance picture and pray, tell me, how to like a book which heroine doesn't appeal to you? If you read The Duchess War (reviewed by me here), the first full-length novel of this series, you will already know a lot about Lydia - she was the sidekick of Minnie, the main female lead. I didn't like her there and, unfortunately, the novella wasn't able to change my mind. Lydia is your average bland, smiling miss who can see advantages of every situation and is cloying and cheery even though, theoretically at least, she has had little luck in her short life - such is the premise which, I suppose, was to emphasize the steely core of that young woman. It didn't persuade me, not for a moment. You see, Lydia was seduced at the tender age of 15 (not a big spoiler) and abandoned, pregnant, by her dishonest lover. Then she miscarried but her family was able to hide that fact because they had already managed to go away with her to Cornwall. Lydia returned, regained her health and...nothing worse happened. Her loving parents allowed her to continue living in the relative safety and comfort of her family home, supporting her admirably at every turn. She could attend church and social gatherings, she had friends, her reputation remained practically intact. Even the fact that Lydia's child was born prematurely and died, a very painful experience indeed, in the long term was very convenient as it helped her to keep up appearances. All rosy and nice - so where is the hardship and grit? Where are the obstacles to overcome? Where is the admirable show of an exquisite strength of the character? Imagine just for a moment what would happen if Lydia actually had that child and was thrown out of the house by her irate parents, all on her own, without any means to support herself... Oh wait, there were psychological scars as well - our Lydia hated when someboy called her 'darling' because that's what her first lover used to say. She was also a bit distrustful when it came to gentlemen (small wonder) but, on the other hand, she missed sexual intercourse and, for obvious reasons, she was very unlikely to indulge herself outside of the wedlock. Ok here we get the tension. Add to that the fact that doctor Grantham as a young student paid her a professional visit with his mentor so he knew about her past. Now whenever he looks at her Lydia thinks he is judging and criticising her mistake and naivete whereas he is just admiring her face and wits. Sweet but somehow I found it lacking. My final remark: doctor Grantham falls in love with Lydia just because she tells him 'no way, not me, find another girl'. Perhaps some obstinate young men do like overcoming such obstacles just for the glory of winning with a difficult opponent but eight out of ten eligible, sexually starved bachelors would indeed go and find another mark - prettier, richer and more willing. Here you go. I managed to write a whole essay about a novella. Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all? Final verdict: I think I could live without finding out more about the love life of Miss Lydia and doctor Grantham. I do not regret reading this one, from time to time it was fun, but overall hardly different from other cute Yule romance novels. Which is not a compliment in my mouth.
Directed and written by Andrew Niccol Cast: Yuri Orlov: Nicolas Cage Vitaly Orlov: Jared Leto Simeon Weisz (Yuri's main rival): Ian Holm Ava Fontaine (wife of Yuri): Bridget Moynahan Jack Valentine (Interpol agent): Ethan Hawke Date of release: 2005
Synopsis:
Meet Yuri Orlov- an ambitious son of Ukrainian immigrants living in the USA. He wants to escape the banal life of New York's Little Odessa and his father's pseudo-Jewish, little restaurant, serving borscht and latkes. He thinks his future will change for the better if he enters the right business. Still all the legal career opportunities disapoint him heavily - they don't give him a chance to become successful and rich fast. Then, after witnessing a brutal gang warfare murder, he finds his vocation - selling arms. After all human beings will always have a need for people who sell guns, like they need doctors and morticians, right? Every twelfth person on Earth owns a gun of a kind, Yuri's ambition is to arm the other eleven as well. How very egalitarian of him ;p.
His new profession of an illegal arms dealer takes him to the hyper-violent war zones of West Africa, the real "edge of Hell". His best customer is one of sociopathic dictators who employ children soldiers and torture people on a whim. While Yuri is not doging bullets and Interpol agents he is laundering his money, investing in legal businesses, buying himself a multimilion dollar Manhattan condo and a fashion model wife he's always had a crush on. He feels he deserves it for all the danger and trouble. Yes, his hands are stained but who can boast of a clean pair of these in any business?
Anyway Yuri's transition between the two worlds is seamless, as is the ethical compartmentalization that allows him to exist comfortably in both: "Cars and cigarettes kill more people than guns," "I simply give people the means to defend themselves," "The gun itself won't kill anybody" - these are elements of his everyday mantra. However slowly the corrosive depravity of Yuri's vocation eats away at this bifurcated morality and he and his more sensitive brother succumb to the vices that his weapon sales indirectly cultivate - prostitution, drug addiction, corruption and murder. Still he becomes influential and rich - richer than he'd ever dreamt. Will he leave his chosen profession now for something more palatable? Will he keep endangering his more and more anxious wife, little son and drug-addicted younger brother?
My impressions:
This movie surprised me in a very positive way mainly because of Nicolas Cage and his great portrayal of the main lead. I admit it was truly inspired. Yuri shares with us his whole story, from his first experience with a gun sale through his monumental peak of the career, to his inevitable downfall. As he tells us at the beginning, he doesn’t try and sugar coat the story; he knows he’s not the best representative of the human race but still he doesn't feel guilty. He tried to break into the legal market of arms dealing but other, more important competitors, Simeon Weish among them, made it impossible. They forced Yuri to resort to black and, let's state it clearly, Yuri’s favorite, “gray” markets. Not his fault, right?
At one level, arms trade is an activity that lends itself perfectly to the big screen - big guns, lots of money, exotic places, shady characters, beautiful, expensive call girls in rare moments of rest and relaxation. But that's only half the story. Less sexy but more important are the dizzyingly complex administrative and bureaucratic arrangements made by traffickers to hide their activities and throw any law enforcement officials who can't be bribed or eliminated off the scent. Fraudulent end-user certificates, front companies, false bills of lading - all essential elements of the illicit arms trade but hardly the stuff of an enjoyable Friday night at the movies. Niccol manages to communicate these details while keeping his audience on the edge of their seats with the guns, money and shady characters. Let me describe one scene as an example.
Yuri and his brother Vitaly are approaching the Colombian coastal city of Cartagena with a boatload of AK-47 assault rifles. Yuri is conversing with his nacro-trafficker client about the "Angel Kings" he is going to deliver. Moments later, he receives a phone call from one of his plants in a Colombian intelligence agency who informs him that Interpol is hot on his trail. Yuri goes to work. He sends one of his crew members over the side of the ship with a can of paint and hasty orders to paint over the large, white "Kristol" inscription (the name of the ship). He then calls another paid spy who gives him the name of a clean Dutch ship, the "Kono," which he barks at the crew member on the hanging scaffold. Vitaly frantically searches their extensive collection of national flags for a Dutch flag, which, unfortunately, has gone missing. The camera pans to a rapidly approaching Interpol patrol boat. In the nick of time, Vitaly finds a French flag which, turned on its side, looks like the Dutch flag, and the anonymous crew member finishes repainting the side of the ship literally in the last possible moment. The Interpol patrol boat pulls up along side the newly renamed "Kono." Even though the name doesn't match the ship they are looking for, agent Jack Valentine decides to board the ship anyway and search it. He is greeted by Yuri, who shows him to the cargo hold while a cool voice-over by Cage explains how he conceals his merchandise: in boxes labeled "farm equipment," in canisters marked "radio active waste," and, his personal favorite, "the combination of week-old potatoes and tropical heat," which is what surprised Valentine finds in the cargo hold.
Through numerous scenes like that one, Niccol managed to construct a surprisingly nuanced and accurate portrayal of the illicit arms trade and people behind it, never veering towards a lachrymose story about human vices or a vacuous slapstick about a very serious issue. He never tries to moralize the viewer or force some simplistic solutions on you - an approach which is a huge asset and which I adore. Perhaps the first part of the movie is indeed a bit slower but then you are rewarded till the very end.
Final verdict:
"Lord of War" is an edgy, intelligent, innovative and darkly humorous film which can appeal to lay audiences and policy analysts alike. I am not surprised it was officially endorsed by the human rights group Amnesty International for highlighting the arms trafficking by the international arms industry and individuals alike.
Quotes I found interesting (for those undecided, doubting souls ;p):
"Without operations like mine it would be impossible for certain countries to conduct a respectable war. I was able to navigate around those inconvenient little arms embargoes. There are three basic types of arms deal: white, being legal, black, being illegal, and my personal favorite color, *gray*. Sometimes I made the deal so convoluted, it was hard for *me* to work out if they were on the level."
"I sell to leftists, and rightists. I sell to pacifists, but they're not the most regular customers. Of course, you're not a *true* internationalist until you've supplied weapons to kill your *own* countrymen. "
"Every faction in Africa calls themselves by these noble names - Liberation this, Patriotic that, Democratic Republic of something-or-other... I guess they can't own up to what they usually are: the Federation of Worse Oppressors Than the Last Bunch of Oppressors. Often, the most barbaric atrocities occur when both combatants proclaim themselves Freedom Fighters. "
"After the Cold War, the AK-47 became Russia's biggest export. After that came vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists."
"Some of the most successful relationships are based on lies and deceit. Since that's where they usually end up anyway, it's a logical place to start. "
"You know who's going to inherit the Earth? Arms dealers. Because everyone else is too busy killing each other. That's the secret to survival. Never go to war. Especially with yourself. "
