darkreinfly

 Quickly now as I'd like to move onto other literary pleasures.

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne was all about the protagonist for me, especially after watching Steve Coogan play Phileas Fogg. I could never have taken the Passepartout character seriously - I don't even remember what the actor looked like in the older 1950's film, but Jackie Chan? Really? Fogg, though, strangely enough reminds me of Hercules Poirot. Not in any way superficially, but whereas Poirot had flair, Fogg had his own kind of charm and you couldn't help but support him because here was a man who personified efficiency and always kept his cool in the face of tumultuous hijinks. ★★★★★

The Economic Naturalist by Robert H. Frank is one of those books that makes you think more about the way things work in the world, and so if you're interested in that sort of thing it all seems really intriguing and insightful. It proposed that many inexplicable conundrums about how society operates could be explained with solutions that factored largely on economics. It never went too far over my head and for that I was glad I could find enjoyment in it. ★★★★★

Malcolm Gladwell's Blink and What the Dog Saw were similar novels to the last one. They are all compilations of different topics of interest brought together to stretch your perception on a whole range of things. I found, though, that Blink held me more attentively than WtDS because it was essentially about the human body and how and why we react/behave in certain situations, the repercussions time-wise and to those around us, etc. etc. Mind-boggling things that I could directly relate to, though WtDS was no less interesting. ★★★★ and ★★★ respectively.

The last book I read for the Read-a-thon was Terry Pratchett's The Last Hero. Firstly, I adore the Discworld series. Along with hardcover Agatha Christie novels, I hope to one day own all of this series too. I'm not sure that I hold any of the stories above any of the others, so The Last Hero was just as fun as all of its predecessors. Also, I own the illustrated version, so along with the narrative I could enjoy Paul Kidby's artwork. It probably took me twice as long to read it therefore, but I didn't alter my reading hours to adjust for the distraction. ★★★★★

After August 30 I continued to read at a more leisurely pace as I still had one last library book left. It was Michael Caine: A Class Act by Christopher Bray. Such a comprehensive exploration of Caine's large body of work. So many apparently iconic characters in films I've yet to watch. Lovely black and white photographs. It became somewhat funny though the way a lot of his films could be summed up in this book - the film, because of all these factors, might have been terrible, but Caine was fantastic. ★★★★

And finally, I think I'll end with Film Wizardry, the creative collaboration that explores the production of the Harry Potter films. As I wrote about it in my status update, it's fascinating reading with lift-outs and fold-outs to keep the inner eight-year-old highly amused. It's as much a scrapbook of all the creative efforts that went into the films as it is a gift for fans, a way of holding a piece of the Wizarding world in your hands. Having said that though, I can't help but (mildly) gripe about how... over-stylised some things look. Does Dumbledore's biography really need such an obnoxious colour scheme, such bright green staining the edges of pages? Does spellotape really need the word "spellotape" printed on it? Did it really look as if that aged graphic style would work well on modern looking cereal boxes? Just small things, really. It was like everything had to look at their utmost... unique. Very glam and fanciful. Nothing mundane or plain-looking to make it seem like these publications were the norm in everyday Wizarding society. But perhaps that is the norm and is something of a reflection on its society? They do seem like a fanciful lot, a bit backwards and stagnant as a whole maybe - a shallow society unlikely to sacrifice long-held beliefs to embrace change and possibly improve quality of life. Or is that going too far? haha. In any case I did very much enjoy reading this book and handling things like the delicate Yule Ball invitation, the Marauder's Map, etc. ★★★★★

Moving right along with these book reviews - they won't necessarily be in the order that I read them, by the way. Excuse unoriginal adjective usage.

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah (BT02-B) is a book for which I have mixed feelings. It's very easy to read, language-wise, even as the content may be hard to swallow. But while I may have liked it when I first read it about a decade ago, I don't much enjoy it now. Perhaps it's something in the tone of the writing? I'm not sure. Somewhat culturally relatable. ★★

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) (BT02-A) is similarly depressing in its depiction of people and the things they'll set their minds to believing, the strange and unfair standards they'll hold dependents to in their societies. This second novel, however, held me more captivated than CC. Perhaps because it had a surrealist quality to it that lent itself toward a better sense of narrative, whereas CC read much more like a youth's recount of past days. In any case, 1984 is one of those novels like Khalid Hosseini's (The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns) where you can't help but be both appalled at what the characters have to live through, and amazed at how it's all written out. I don't think I could ever read these stories again (it almost feels painful to do so), but I still might because of the writing itself. 1984 was... wonderfully oppressive. ★★★★

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre (BT01) was not what I expected it to be at first. And then I realised I mixed the name up with Jane Austen haha. Whatever. I totally rooted for the main couple, and wished that someone in that household had the wherewithal (and perhaps a displaced sense of morals) to put the scary person out of their misery. Very bittersweet. ★★★

I own a compilation of stories by the Bronte sisters, so along with Jane Eyre I got a chance to read Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (BT01). It's...grargh. It was both infuriating and sad, somewhat, to see everyone hurting each other and themselves. Was I supposed to hate Mrs. Dean as much as I did? I felt as if a lot of the problems could be blamed on her interference, or lack thereof, as the case may be, her own prejudices adding to a whole boiling pot of horrible even as she held the trust/confidences of all the others. I'm not sure what else I can say about the story - time's dulled any of my first impressions. As unlikable as they all were, my favourites were probably Heathcliff and Hareton. Misery loves company. ★★

Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders by John Mortimer (BT04) was a nice read but not particularly memorable. Perhaps because it's but one of his adventures? One of those likeable, plucky protagonists with their own faults but still some quality to their person that makes them stand out and solve the case where no one else would put forth the effort. Light reading. ★★★

Hm, The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (BT03) was an enjoyable read. It's been a long, long time since I've seen the animated film so I cannot compare how the characters are depicted in the different media. Mowgli seems very pragmatic and capable and lively in the book. Fun in the jungle. ★★★

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a book I've re-read often in my younger years. I adored Jo because I was a bit of a tomboy and felt awkward about girl-issues haha. She gave me the hope that one day I would mellow out and feel more comfortable being this gender. And as much as I felt like I understood the reasons, why? Why couldn't Jo & Teddy still find some way of having their happily ever after - together? They may have been too alike, but surely the 'opposites attract' rule needn't always apply? haha TL + JM forever! ★★★★

I'm still putting off that post dedicated to HP-ranting, but just had to get some barbs in today. Actually, I had my topics all figured out for that post, but it all died along with my laptop.

The 5 Most Depraved Sex Scenes Implied by "Harry Potter"
http://www.cracked.com/article_19397_the-5-most-depraved-sex-scenes-implied-by-harry-potter.html

Someone recently plugged this article and I have to say it all makes so much sense! Rowling must really dig perversion in subtext because it sounds so plausible. And I can't help but think that reading the HP series now as an adult and being about to think about what I'm reading without the distractions of school or puberty makes it all seem rather horrifying. Especially when some of the loose ends of the series leads people to write disturbing fanfiction. In the sense that these terrifying events really could have happened in what Rowling leaves unsaid.

I wasn't going to bring this up but hope that doing so will feel something of an exorcism. Can you imagine what Pettigrew might have gotten up to in the dozen or so years that he's been hiding in the Weasley household without detection? In one story I came across, he has his way with the Weasley children multiple times and obliviates them after each session, their having young, developing minds possibly aiding his middling level of power. The way it was written, I felt so sorry for Percy who was victimised the most because, of course, it was his pet rat having unfettered access to his room at night.

Back to the article - reading of the Umbridge and centaurs scene the first time around, I did wonder what they could've done to her to cause such a reaction, and the rather more telling question of why they let her go afterwards. These are the centaurs that are always so trigger happy with their weapons against any unexpected visitors to the forest. I just hadn't realised that they might've done that, as they are known to do in mythology.

And then the possibilities of polyjuice abuse and love potions and... gah.

Dress Up - Meet Cloudette
http://kagaminoir.deviantart.com/art/Dress-Up-Meet-Cloudette-254217485

On a lighter note, here is a flash game where you can indulge in plying Cloud's unmoving body with outfits of satin or leather. Tifa and Aeris make an appearance as perverts peeking through the curtain.
I came across this a month ago on Anyssia's journal but forgot to plug it, so here you are.

Manifest

I completely forgot to write about Manifest last month. Perhaps because there was a distinct lack of rant-ably news-worthiness to the event?

I stuck to the usual routine this year - I attended with two certain friends of mine, on just the one day of the three-day event (always Saturday) and was again only interested in the trading hall. I didn't spare any attention to the video gaming hall (to be fair I didn't realise the building was there to begin with, it was so far away from all the rest), the anime being screened I could always just watch at home, and what dressing up I did see whilst walking about did little to encourage me to seek out the cosplaying events.

So, yes. Nothing much else to say. One highlight though was indulging this year in purchases of the non-print/buttonbadge/poster kind.
I bought, for example, a cubed cushion. A Companion Cube (Portal). Oh lordy, excuse me while I spasm in glee yet again. It's soft and squishy and very companion-y. I shall post up a picture of it when I can be bothered taking one. Here it is with the rest of my purchases:

 

Read-a-thon

The end of August also saw the end to my reading period for the MS Readathon. Donations are still welcome until the last day of September, which is great because I haven't even reached half of my target amount yet. But I clocked in at 20 books read, for just over 96 hours. Tallying up these figures satisfied that little part of me that really likes counting and list-making.

-- Book reviews

I think I'd have to add another category now to the books I've read. BookType04 (BT04) are ones that weren't recommended but that interested me anyway. I went into the library about halfway through last month and stumbled across the biography section. I hadn't stepped foot into that particular library in something like 8 years, and a lot had changed in that time. So, yes, biography section. So many names sprang out at me luring me in to learn about their lives. It was incredibly humanising stuff. With the biographies, I would wonder if they wrote so invasively with consent. With the autobiographies, I would wonder what on earth possessed them to want to share so much detail? TMI. Way TMI.

Dear Fatty by Dawn French was one such autobiography (BT03). I'd never seen any of her comedic work before (not counting her appearance in Harry Potter), but still saw this as possibly like the books I'd read by other comedians. It wasn't. Well, it was sort of like Tony Martin's Lolly Scramble in that there was some wit to be brandished, but the author didn't come across as a very funny person. She tries to be, I think. This isn't just my imposing some weird mandatory rule that funny people generally write books meant to be funny first, informative second. This is more like walking into a Danny McBride film for the first time (Your Highness) and having no one to blame but myself for disliking it/wasting money. In both instances, clearly I just wasn't connecting with their brand of comedy. Dear Fatty was still an interesting read, however, in that small world sense. All these well-known names were popping out as having worked in the same circle and time as her, and these early beginnings are always fascinating to read about. Chatty, but not my cup of tea. ★★

Hugh Laurie: The Biography by Anthony Bunko (BT04) didn't even need to be a great read for me to come away with something positive. The cover art was of a profile image of Laurie - just seeing those blue eyes was enough haha. The book went beyond what was necessary though in that it was a great read. It was somewhat sad to hear of the problems he's been struggling with, yet very much enjoyable to read of the praise/appreciation by people he had working relationships with. Hugh Laurie. Enough said. ★★★★

I liked A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J. Fox a lot because I could very well imagine the words spoken in his voice. It was conversational and light-hearted even when dealing with harder issues like encroaching poverty while pursuing a dream, and the downward spiraling emotions that prefaced acceptance of an incurable disease. Duly inspiring. ★★★★

I'll just list a few more of the books I read out of the final 20 for now. Towards Zero, The Mysterious Affair at Styles and Death in the Clouds are all by Agatha Christie. I think Poirot made an appearance in only the latter two. I could not participate in any reading event and forgo any titles by Agatha Christie or Terry Pratchett. I also cannot help but enjoy every Christie and Discworld-related book that I read. Enjoyable as always. ★★★★★

The first - short - reviews of the books I'll be reading for the MS Readathon.
Also, the receipt book I ordered for donations I receive in person has arrived. It looks ridiculous and exactly like it did when I last participated in this event, which was in year 7. But it's totally legit. One thing that this "adult" version of the event lacks, is any good promotional material. The download-able posters and such are absolutely horrible, like a quick job in Microsoft Word using the default clip art and autoshapes. By someone who is essentially 90% computer illiterate. The designer in me gagged in despair and has yet to recover.

Anyway! Onto the real reviews haha.

My first book was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Just a note: They provide a list of recommendations for you to choose from. So while I've got a list of books I own that I haven't yet read (Let's call it BookType01), there are recs that I own and have read (BookType02), and recs I don't own but would still like to check out sometime (BookType03).

The Secret Garden is a BT02-A. The -A is just to say that I enjoyed it. It's been awhile since I'd read from the scruffy paperback sitting on my bookcase alongside the glossy newer covers of HP and Artemis Fowl, but I fully enjoyed the revisit.
Thinking back, I'm wondering if this was my first introduction to something like meta-writing. When the story would break away to hint at or inform the reader of something else happening at the same time as the narrative. I don't even think I'm using the right term. In Korean dramas, it'd be like previous bodies of work making an appearance in an actor's/director's latest project, or other aspects of real life being incorporated in an obvious manner. I guess it's something similar to breaking the fourth wall in films or TV shows?
I have a feeling I've come across it in other popular books though, so perhaps it's simply a style of writing. It would meld effortlessly if/when these books are adapted for the screen, in any case, because it's much like a narrator talking directly to you and giving you insights that the character isn't aware of.
I'd forgotten this aspect of TSG, but no matter. It was a wonderful read and invoked different characteristics in the people than I remember from having watched the film. It was delightfully whimsical. ★★★★★

My second book was Twilight by Stephenie Meyer... It is hands down, a BT02-B, meaning I didn't enjoy it/felt ambivalent about reading it again, and honestly, I read it because it was available and because it is not as WTF as the succeeding novels. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Even within this first book, you're introduced to this female protagonist's bizarre personality, with no discernible psychological roots that... it's hard to take her seriously. It's hard to take the writing seriously. It's hard to take the series seriously without wanting to slap someone. As much as I might be repulsed by her though, I have no such qualms about seeing the male characters shipped and crossovered and made into creatures of carnal desires. Hey, if we're suspending disbelief, let's at least enjoy ourselves. Still, it was... vaguely irritating. ★★

 Okay, a couple of years ago I would frequent several LJ comms for FFVII. Obsessively. It was how I spent my nights because goodness knows I didn't have the energy for any sort of social life after coming home from school. Or that's my excuse anyway. And hey, I was sort of immersing myself in a community of writers, right? That had to count as social interaction... if a bit passive.

Anyway! I cannot remember why I stopped visiting them. Perhaps because school/uni began consuming more of my time. Perhaps it was the travelling. Or the myriad of computer problems I've had to deal with, and the resulting loss of bookmarks again and again.

In any case, I've recently been hunting down the writers I used to look out for, and the good news is, I've found a few of my favourites and those stories I used to follow? Yeah, they're all finished and shiny and just WAITING FOR ME TO READ. <333 This also means I've got some fantastic titles to add to my Epic FF list, which is great, because I just knew I'd read some incredible fics but for the life of me couldn't remember where.

All on journals, apparently. LJ, IJ, Dreamwidth... I didn't discriminate. And neither did the writers, so 's all good.

I've just finished reading Mad World by etrix and am on that end-of-story-high.

Now to move onto an actual novel. Don't worry, Readathon, I haven't forgotten you. ...Often.

I finally got around to adding what was essentially the one story I had in mind for the Epic Final Fantasy list. In hindsight, many favourites were eclipsed by AU HP fics, and would frequently dissolve into pure smutty smutsmut of the slash variety.

Having said that, "A Long Hard Road" could justifiably stand on its own in its own list. It is that good. If I didn't have work tomorrow morning, I'd endeavour to yet again spend all night and then some on rereading the whole damn thing.

I think what I also hoped to include were fics where Cloud travels either back in time, or otherwise meets with all our Crisis Core fellas earlier in life. Fics where he is that much more noticeable or skilled and thereby in position to rewrite history. I know it's been overused and overdone but I'm such a sucker for these. You've just got to wade through the authors that simply wish to fix every single little thing in canon, jeopardising the quality of the narrative as a consequence.

Anyway! To sum what was meant to be a quick forwarding post:
"A Long Hard Road" -> Author: Twig -> Visited Twig's LJ -> Found her latest entry and liked it. See "The Hobbit vs. Harry Potter"

I won't go into how much I felt the ending of HP was full of fail. Srsly. It deserves its own post so that you can ignore it completely if you don't agree and not miss anything important.

But I did bemoan the loss of potential for where the HP story could've gone in the aftermath of the final showdown. Twig was spot on - no change? He's just going to stay in the Wizarding World with Ginny and become creepy younger versions of his parents? Is this catering to the masses, a Stephenie Meyer delusion or the long term effects of borderline child abuse in a muggle household? There's got to be an explanation for saddling his kids with those names. Hm...

I was asked a question yesterday on my favourite piece of Kingdom Hearts-related fan work.

I don't actively look for any new fanart and have long since lost the sources to what I have on my computer.

But one piece of fiction that stood out for me was "Boys" by Casey V. I read it a couple of years ago during a KH phase.
It is far removed from the worlds in the games and, really, it's a school fic. Set in the 90's. It comes with the following warnings: "Rose-tinted 90's nostalgia, boy/boy situations, the use and abuse of several cliches, excessive presence of flannel, Riku driving, Sora expressing badass-ocity, grunge rock, recreational drug use and references to stoner culture, language, conveniently placed trees, cheerleaders in glitter makeup, people who know the alma mater, teenagers, smoking in the boys' room, fistfighting in the boys' room, and more to be added, probably."

Link on FF.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4413465/1/Boys