Canal Boat Holiday 2013

Hey readers, I got back from my holiday last weekend and I thought since today I'm not feeling so great and just fancy staying curled up in bed that I'd write up what I'd been up to and the adventures I've had. Also prepare for lots of photographs!

We decided that this year would spend another week on a canal boat for our family summer holiday. We set off from Worcester Marina in our boat after a two hour drive down. The boat was bright blue, built for six people and was 67 foot long. The boat was called the Nottingham Castle and would be our home for the week. My dad had planned our route and we would be doing the Stourport Ring anti-clock wise. From Worcester we would go to Birmingham, through Dudley, to Stourbridge and then back to Worcester along the river Severn. It wouldn't be an easy trip as we had 118 locks to get through, a handful of tunnels and a river to travel up!

The holiday got off to a good start with us making it the place my dad wanted to moor at for the night. Outside the The Eagle and Sun pub, which served good food and had a peaceful atmosphere. We had four hours of travelling and we are pretty tried when we got there. Opening the locks slowly came back to us and we were able to get the boat through in good time. It also took everyone away to find their 'sea legs.' This holiday was special for me because I had brought my boyfriend along. This would be the second time we'd be away together (see post on the Lake District) and the first that he'd been away with my family. Of course not everything went to plan, but I am glad to say that we got through it.

Travelling through locks can be difficult and scary. It also some time as on average it takes 15 minutes to do.



Firstly, the level of water inside the lock needs to be the same as the level of water the boat is on. So either the lock will need emptying or filling before the boat goes in.


We got lucky at some locks because people had already come through and so left it ready for us.










The boat goes in, the gates get closed behind it and the paddles get shut to stop the water moving.

The paddles on the other gate are then opened and then you have to wait for the lock to fill or empty.

This can happen quickly though due to the force of the water.







Then you close the paddles and open the gate so the boat can go out. It does take some practise!

It does take team work to achieve this as well and we had enough people to get through the locks at a fast pace and helped other people too so that we weren't slowed down.

Some of the locks were really hard to open!

Also people shouldn't mess around with them as they can be dangerous. But this also has a knock on effect of water being wasted. This can be really bad as it means that boats can't use the locks because there's not enough water to fill them.




There are also different kinds of locks and paddles. We experienced a range last week. Of course the single ones are the easiest to get through, there are ones that have three paddles to fill up the lock faster and ones that are machine driven and controlled by a warden. The best ones for me have to be the stair locks. As the name suggests these are a number locks one after the other, without much space in-between. They are hard work because its none stop, but I just enjoy watching the boat go through them.

These are the Delph Locks which we went through on Wednesday afternoon. We were grateful to get through them and to the pub that day because of what happened in the morning! We had to travel through the Netherton tunnel which is one of the longest canal tunnels. It's almost 2 miles long and takes an hour to get through. I was hoping to spend that time learning how to play a card game, but instead within a few minutes of entering the tunnel we encountered a problem. 

There was a boat in front of us that had an overheated engine and because they forced us to slow down, we hit something and it seemed that the probable had been damaged. This meant that we couldn't steer the boat. There were a lot of things that we could have done, but we decided to pull the boat through the tunnel and try to fix it or else wait for someone to rescue us on the other side. Yes we could have pulled the boat back out of the tunnel as we were only a few minutes in, but that would have caused trouble for other boats and made things dangerous. 

Pulling the boat for so long was hard work and it was just lucky that there was a stable walk way at the side, as most tunnels don't have this. The problem was that the path was covered in deep puddles and also slime. We also had to try and jump over a railing and back on the boat at the other end like something out of an action movie! Doing that wasn't much fun and we then found out the true cause of the problem. 

We had what seemed to be the reminds of a kitchen sink stuck inside the boat! When we had removed it the boat was fine and we were able to get back under way. I would like to say that was the only problem we had, but we encountered a lot of rubbish in the canal; like clothes and plastic bags, shopping trolleys and traffic cones, every day litter and factory rubbish. It all made me feel really mad and I don't get why people believe its okay to dump stuff in these places. It's harmful to the environment and spoils it for other people.

The night before we had stayed in Birmingham and it looked pretty cool light up. We didn't get much sleep as everyone seemed to be out for the night, but it was nice to see how the canal was still being used. There seemed to be something warm and welcoming about the city lights too. We didn't fancy going out as we were still tried from the 40 locks we had done on monday. So we decided to get the table and chairs out beside the side of the boat on the walk away and play some games. It was a rather surreal moment! Everyone was walking past us and we were just sat there talking and playing cards.

The holiday ended with us taking a trip around Worcester after we had dropped the boat off in the morning. We got to see the cathedral and spend sometime exploring the many corridors. The crypt was my favourite part, but I also liked the stain glass windows.

Overall, it was a fun holiday, even if we had so many problems with the boat and there was a bit of crashing and burning between people towards the end. It was hard work though and I think next time I'd like a hotel on beach somewhere with a swimming pool

(All the photos belong to me.)

A Closed Book Review: 'Life is not a novel.'

Hey readers,

I thought I'd read and review another book that as been sat on my shelf for a while. This one was suggested to me by one of my MA tutors during a lecture about very different books which don't fit into main stream reading. I brought it as it sounded interesting and possibly useful for secondary reading. However, I never got a chance to read it and as the last two months have been about reading stuff I've not gotten around to, I thought that this one would fit in.

The author, Gilbert Adair, a Scottish journalist, poet and novelist spent most of his life in Paris and London. He is most famous for his translation of A Void and Love and Death on Long Island. He is also know for his children's stories and his film reviews. A Closed Book was published in 1999 and in 2010 he collaborated on the screenplay for the movie.  He passed away in December 2011.

The novel is about a famous fictional writer, Paul, who has been blinded in an accident. He wants to write his memoirs and so hires someone, John, to help him do so. A first meeting and interview takes place between the two and then they begin the writing process. However, tension starts to build as Paul begins to sense that things aren't right. Objects and clothing appear to move or disappear and he also becomes suspicious that his dictated memoirs aren't actually being typed up. Then it is revealed that John is a figure from Paul's past and he's returned to seek revenge for a crime.    

The title of the book is really interesting and it has a lot of meaning behind it. This becomes revealed in the plot and can also be seen between the lines. Paul's memoirs are given this title as it connects with the writer being blind and living in something of a closed world. The other is to the crime which John is seeking revenge for as it's believed that it was forgotten about and so became a 'closed book' due to the saying. There are other symbolic things connecting to this title and it is very clever.

There is a limited number of characters that appear as the focus is on the friendship between Paul and John. They are well around characters, though because of the narrative structure of the novel we end up with a bias  opinion about them. This just adds to the mystery and tension that is created as we don't get a full picture about either of them.

The other characters feel like they are just there to help move the plot long or else make a statement. The housekeeper that Paul has seems to be nothing more then an obstacle that John must get rid of. This is some what done for him as the housekeeper's husband falls ill and needs looking after. However, this adds to the tension as Paul becomes powerless to stop John in allowing the housekeeper time off. Anther character that sticks in my mind is a representative of a local council party visiting the house. This is because the only role this character plays is to confirm that the book is being written and that the tension is getting to John. This doesn't effect the reading or the plot in general, I just feel that these characters could have been made more useful.

The novel has a very strange and different narrative as it is written only in the conversations or in Paul's diary enters. This means that the narratives lacks description and only overcomes this by Paul getting John to describe things around him as proof that John has a good eye for detail. Being just written as different conversations means that there is a lot to be read in-between the lines and that we don't get close to the characters. It feels like this narrative structure shouldn't work, but it over comes issues to work and it does this very cleverly. Thus it feels like a different and refreshing read as you've not got the massive description and blocks of plot that can appear in other stories and slow things down.

It is stated that the novel is styled on the works of Stephen King and Agatha Christie due to the eerie atmosphere that is created and the twists that take place. This does come across well in the novel and it easily sits on the crime shelf. The language used as its bases in these writers because they are masters of their genres. Adair has been able to add his own influence into the language as well and because of the narrative structure how he has used language to create the the tension and mystery is important.

The Movie came out in 2010 and though I've not seen it I've read enough about it to put me off seeing it. This is because it looks completely different from the book as the characters and plot have been changed to make it more balanced. I feel that this wasn't needed and that the the plot of the book works really well.

Overall, I would recommended this book if you are a fan of the two writers it's in the style of. Also if you are into your crime or if you are interested in looking at different narrative styles. I did enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me because the big twist at the end has become over used now and it didn't pay off for me.
     



Images from:

http://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/a-closed-book-by-gilbert-adair/

Memoirs of A Geisha Review- "We become geisha because we have no choice.”

Hey readers,

This is another book that has been sat on my shelf for awhile and now I've finished it, I'm once again wondering why it's taken me so long to read it. I can't remember who recommended this one to me, or if I just found it by myself, but it was so worth the read. I am a fan of Japan in general and it is there their culture and style of writing that I find most fascinating. So, even though this book was written by an American with a rich background in Japanese culture and literature, the actual way it is written makes you believe that you are in the heart of Japan. Just like how Haruki Murakami is able to transport you in his novels.

I was keen to read some more books by Arthur Golden, but it appears that Geisha is his only novel. Which I think is a shame, because he is a great writer and I'd love to read something else by him. I understand that he interviewed Mineko Iwasaki, a famous geisha, who wrote an autobiography about her life, (which contradicted some of the things in Geisha) for the detailed information he used throughout his novel. Thus is why the story has a really realistic feel to it and adding to this is that the novel is styled like a memoir.

The front cover of my copy, which is actually the 2005 reprint as the book was published in 1997, has a striking image of an geisha's face. It seems for a few seconds that this an actual face because it is wonderfully framed by moving black hair. She is wearing the white make up which geisha are well known for and because of this you're draw straight to the bright red lips and piercing blue/grey eyes. It is a cover that works to draw you in, because you want to know more about this person and the reasons behind her sadness that seem to reflect off her eyes.

The novel starts off with a Translator's Note by Arnold Rusoff, who is a friend of Golden and its this that makes the reader start to believe that Geisha maybe an actual autobiography or else based on one. The note    gives some background to Rusoff's interested in Japan and the nature of memoirs. Then it sets out to make the novel's main character, Sayuri, appear real. It does this by stating that she told him about her life and he documented it for her and then turned it in the novel you are holding.

The novel is written in the first person narrative of Sayuri, making it seem more memoir like, and we really do get her whole life contained within the 493 pages. The story opens with Sayuri getting the reader to picture that they are having tea and talking together, when she says something about the best and worst afternoon of her life. On questioning her, she begins the actual story. Thus the life of Sayrui and a geisha unfolds and runs across the pages.

The plot of the story is long and complicated due to the style of the memoirs. However, everything does stay linear and there is a real sense of time and movement. I didn't have a problem with the plot because I was hooked from the first few pages and really got in to it. But I did noticed how in depth it actual was. There's so much detail about Japanese history and culture, also being slowly revealed is the life and nature of geishas. All together though this just brings so much life to the novel and adds to that real feel.

The plot basically goes like this;

As a child, Sayrui, who's actual name is Chiyo, is taken from her fishing village and sold to an geisha boarding house, an okiya. She shares the house with five other woman; a girl close to her own age nicknamed Pumpkin, Granny, Mother, Auntie and Hatsumomo, who being a famous geisha feels that Chiyo is a rival and sets out to get rid of her. Chiyo is made to be a servant and must work her way up to earn her geisha training. After years of being a slave and many mishaps, she finally gets to start her training and joins Pumpkin at the school. She is then taken under the wing of another geisha, Mameha and is given her new name, Sayrui. She progresses through her training and becomes an actual geisha. She has relationships with a number of men, most of which don't work out has she has her sights on one particular man. The Second World War breaks out and she survives it by moving in with a kimono maker and his family. A few years afterwards, she moves to America and the story ends with her reflection on her life.

The characters are really well written and complexed. There are many that appear and disappear due to the time scale and nature of the story. Sayrui herself grows up and develops within the pages, changing from a young naive girl into a worldly, intelligent woman. This is wonderfully written and I started to feel like I was becoming a part of Sayrui's life because I knew so much about her. The other main geisha characters- Pumpkin, Hatsumomo and Mameha- all have great development and it's through the last two that the reader gets to understand the competitive nature of being a geisha. This is due to them being rivals and they use whatever they can to try and put each other down. Pumpkin and Sayrui have friendship develop from their time as servants, this becomes a sub-plot and takes an interesting twist towards the end of the book. As for the other main female characters they have good back stories which appear and they also have their own roles to play in Sayrui's life.

The male characters are also very interesting and it would have been good to have seen some parts of this novel from a man's point of view. Maybe there's a book out there in this style or else someone should write one, because that'd give a different view of geisha life. All the main male characters come across well and some development can be seen. It seems that the competitive attitudes of the women are reflected in the men as they go against each other for a certain geisha attention.

The language used in this book is perfect to the plot, characters and over all nature of the subject and genre. I was swept away by the poetic tone that comes across in most parts and I loved the little Japanese sayings that popped up throughout. This adds that Japan feel to the text and its hard to believe that the writer is American as he seems to have captured everything so perfectly. The description of everything is just great, but I love the details of the kimonos and could never get tried of reading about them. I was just gripped by it and found myself more interested in reading the book just to study the use of the language!

The book was turned into a movie in 2005 and I haven't seen it. I'd be interested to watch it, though I don't think it'll be as good or as complicated as the book. Whilst the movie might be able to capture more of the Japanese landscapes and scenery, the book excellently does this too. Plus you get a great insight into the characters.

Overall, I would so recommend this book to anyone as it's a great story and also has a very fascinating setting. The characters feel so realistic that it's hard to admit it's fiction and it's beautifully written. It has got me more interested in Japanese writing and settings now and I can't wait to get my hands on some more!          




Images from:
http://www.g-pop.net/MemoirsofaGeisha.htm
http://asiabeam.com/v/films/geisha/Geisha_wallpaper_10

The Stupidest Angel Review - 'First We Feast, Then IKEA.'

Hey readers,

Okay, it might be a little odd to be reading a Christmas story at the start of summer, but in the same way that dogs are for life and not just Christmas, books don't have to be read during the months/season they are set in. In fact I want to recommend this book and more of Moore's as being great for light holiday reading. This is actually the first book I've read by Moore, but I'm looking forward to reading a few more, including a vampire trilogy, which is on my birthday wish list for next month. My boyfriend has recently gotten into these books and he actually read this one in the Lake District and wouldn't stop laughing. So, I decided to read and see what all the fussy was about.

The Stupidest Angel is set in Pine Cove, California and though this is the third book to be set there and contain a few characters from the other two books, its not actually a trilogy. It reads like a stand alone to me because so much of the background information about the characters and there relationships with each other is given. I've also been told that some of the characters appear in two or three more of Moore's books and he's brought them all together in this one it would seem.     

It only took me about three days to read this book, that might be due to the fact its only 243 pages long and the font size is large, but I think it has more to do with the fast pacing and the eagerness to know how things are going to play out. There is a mixture of genres and themes including; Christmas, romance, horror, religion and crime. Normally having so many different things crossing over each other wouldn't work, but it actually does here. I guess because the novel just touches on them each a little and doesn't focus on one thing fully. 

The story is that a young boy, Joshua, witnesses the accidental murder of a man, Dale, dressed as Santa. He is killed by his crazed ex-wife, Lena, after he catches her digging up his pine trees to make into live Christmas trees for the poor. Joshua hurries home to tell his mum what's happened, only to find himself home-alone, so he prays to God for a miracle to bring Santa back to life. His pray ends up being answered by the Archangel Raziel, who has come to town to grant a child a Christmas wish. However, as the title of the book suggests, he makes a mess of things and raises all the dearly departed. Who turn out to be zombies, which go on a rampage around the local church and send the whole town into chaos.  

The characters are really well written and they do feel like 'normal' people. There's a whole range of different persona and some development does appear. There's a lot of characters, so I'm just going to write about my favourite ones; Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland aka Molly Michon. She has a split personality and believes that she is a movie character she use to play before an accident happened. She also has a voice in her head called the Narrator. She has many sides to her and is just a fun character. Roberto is a talking fruit bat who wears shades. I was fascinated with him because though he's an animal he has a great character and I really want to read the other book he appears in now. Skinner the dog is also in this same vein, I just loved the thoughts he had about his owner- Food Guy- and his fear of being baddogged. The undead characters were funny too and I liked how Moore moved away from the seriousness that is found in horror to a much more funnier side. There really is something about zombies having a  'love for affordable prefab furniture' that makes me laugh out loud. 

I really enjoyed this and found it such a light, quick read too. There are other plots going on in the background, but this just have to do with the relationships between characters and the setting up of the Christmas party. I bet that some of the characters develop more in the other books and it'd be interesting to read the other two that connect with this one to find that out. I can't wait for that vampire trilogy though and there's another about Death that looks really good too. 

The movie is coming in December this year!

Images and Links:

http://gcbooks.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/sick-of-the-same-old-christmas-tales-want-something-funny-and-maybe-with-zombies/?blogsub=confirmed#blog_subscription-2

http://www.tsathemovie.com/

http://www.chrismoore.com/

One Day Review - 'What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?'

Hi readers, 

I just finished reading One Day by David Nicholls and having no plans for the next hour, I thought I'd write my review so that I could have it ready for putting up after I've done the third Looking Glass Wars book. I always get this odd feeling when I finish a book. I guess other people get it too, its a mixture of things and there's no easy way to describe it because it depends on my experience with the book.

I always feel a sense of completion at finishing reading though, even if I didn't get the ending or a didn't like the book as a whole. Sometimes I feel annoyed that the book has ended because I was enjoying it so much or else the ending turned out to be an anti-climax, where more should have happened to bring closure. A part of me feels sad that I now have to leave those characters when they have become my friends and I won't be wondering through the fictional settings any more. But there is a small part of me that knows I can return whenever I want as I only have to pick up the book again to be be back in that story.

I have a bad habit with the books I really really like. I'll try and draw out the last set of chapters, so that it feels like the story is longer and I can spend more time enjoying it before I close the back cover. Then I'll spend a few minutes thinking about the book, before moving on to the next. I've never been a fan of books that have won prizes and/or been famous, I guess because I tend to stick with one genre and don't expand out to look at others. However, my main reason for this is because I've never been keen on fiction books that have a 'real life' theme to them. I read to escape from the stresses of life and find it hard to get into books that focus on 'normal' peoples' lives. 

Saying that though, I do sometimes come across these genre of books that I do actual like. Maybe its because I can connect with the characters and the stories are so well written that I easily get into them and find it difficult to stop reading. One Day is just that. I had heard of the book before I picked it up and people had told me how good it was. It just took me awhile to buy and read it as I was unsure if I'd like it. I try not to pick up a book and judge it there and then. I try and set my thoughts aside and read the first half, before deciding on it. I was hooked on One Day straight a way because I liked the idea behind it and I wanted to see how Nicholls had been able to write it. 

Parts of this book are also very quotable and some great lines are said. So to stop this post looking like a mass of text, I've searched around for some of my favourite quotes with picture/photo backgrounds to go along side my words. It also means I won't have to type out the bulk of the quotes I want to share and look at in detail.  

Firstly, the cover for One Day -as above- is really eye catching and simple. It conveys the book's subject of two people and the passage of time. I really like the cover because even though the faces are in silhouette you get the impression that they are good looking people, also that they are just about to kiss. I prefer original art work to book covers then stills from the movies based on them. I think this is because sometimes the adoptions can influence how the book is read and the covers just don't like as good!  

One day is the story of two people, Emma and Dexter, across twenty years, who try and meet up or make contact on the same day of the year- 15th July, St. Swithin's day. The story starts with them in bed having meet after their graduation from university. They discuss what they could do with the rest of their lives and how they might make a difference in the world. After they part as friends, agreeing to stay in connect. From that point onwards every chapter is set one year on and we catch up with what they have been doing and we get to see the development of their friendship/relationship.

I could go on about all the different events that happen, but I feel like I'd be giving too much away and spoiling some of the twists. The effects of the events are handled really well and it doesn't feel like they have been placed as obstacles before the characters, more like they have just happened through the process of life. One thing I really wasn't expecting as I draw towards the ending was the sudden turn of fate that happens. It was always clear that the characters would end up together at some point, as the main plot is built around this idea. However, the unexpected ending really hits home the cruelness of life, also it fits in with the themes in the book and so doesn't actual seem out of place on reflection.    

The plot is very character driven and fitted around their actions. This works well because it feels very realist and reflects the choices that people make every day. The plot has a very real life feel to it with different events happening to each character. These events are a mixture of happy moments, sad/tragic times, personal triumphs, dreams coming alive and missed opportunities. It makes the reader question "what if?" in places too as the characters miss chances to get together or go down certain paths. I think everyone can connect with this and it allows the reader to question their own lives and missed things. 

In some ways, it feels like there isn't an actually plot to this book, because we are just following two people living out their lives. This creates a natural story because it doesn't seem like you are reading fiction. It feels more like someone's memories and the dating of the chapters adds to this. There is also the appearance of historic events in the background, which make it more realistic and gives the characters talking points. Most readers should know of these events as the readership is aimed at young adults.      

The narrative of the story is third person and switches points of view from Emma to Dexter throughout the chapters. At times the tense also switches from past to present and back again. The shifts are done really well and there is no jarring or sudden jumps between the points of view. Often this is because Nicholls has his current character thinking about the other and so the changing narrative feels natural.  

The characters are excellently written and remain three dimensional throughout. They go through a lot of development, which is important to keep up with the ever changing time span. They also reflect on their younger selves questioning their liking, disliking or support of things and how that has changed as they've got older. All the characters are very like able and  easy to connect with. You also become a emotionally attached to them and because of the way the story is written, you start to feel like Em and Dex are your best friends and you feel everything along side them. This draws you in and you feel gripped to carry on reading to see what happens.

The background characters connect with Dex and Em because they are either family, friends or co-workers. Each of these character's stories become part of Dex or Em's stories and pop in and out of their lives, the same way people naturally do. All of these characters are just as complex and three dimensional. Some even have development and reappear as events unfold. This adds another layer to the reality of the novel and really shows how useful background characters can be.   

There a lot of themes, but the main ones are friendship, family, relationships, death/lost and love. These are mixed in with the sub-themes of alcoholism, drugs, music, politics, literature and travel. All together these  themes don't overwhelm the narrative,which is a massive achievement because it would be so easy to become stuck down with so much going on! I think as they are spread out and kept in the background because of the year leaps, they become more like hints or suggestions. This works though because it just adds to the depths of the characters and gets the reader thinking.

To go with everything else contained in this novel is a whirlwind of settings. You would easily become lost if the chapters didn't declare where the characters where. Really, it seems they go all over the world, but the bulk of the story takes place in the greater London area. It really does help having a central setting and it was also refreshing for me to read a British novel! We start in Edinburgh and do circle back to it later on, then move to Bombay, Greece, France and a range of UK places. We see fleeting glimpses of most of these places in letters or conversation, so the narrative doesn't district too much. However, enough description is given to each place to bring it alive and they do appear to be suitable backgrounds to the characters throughout their lives.
   

It's easy to see why this book has won awards and so many positive reviews. It captures not only twenty years of British history, but twenty years in the lives of two people, who are destined to be together but are kept apart by fate. I was unexpectedly gripped and got carried away by this novel and it really is a story that will make you smile, laugh and cry. It's beautifully told,easy to read and you become unable to put it down. It's also one of those books makes you want to  re-read it straight a way!    

One Day became a movie in 2011. Though I've not seen it, I know that Nicholls wrote the screenplay and adapted his book to the big screen. Luckily, he's also a screenwriter and had previously written; Starters For 10 and When Did You Last See Your Father? He has co-wrote other movies, adapted classics to the TV screen and wrote a number of scripts for different British dramas. I look forward to seeing the movie at some point as I believe it is a really good adaptation of the book.  

The last thing I love about One Day is that I could easily relate to the first half of the novel. Having graduated myself, currently not working and wondering what to do next, I found that I was able to sympathises with Em because I'm in her position. I felt that some of the quotes about living inspired me and made me want to actually get out there and start doing more things. I would so recommend this book to graduates and people who are in a limbo about their lives. 

Overall, I love this book and can't believe it's taken me this long to read it! I think its set to be a modern classic and for Lit students to studied it. So much can be got out of this book and there is so much to explore  within the lines and between them. It's odd how a book that is packed with so much, could work as well as it does, but the plot and narrative are excellent. The characters really do become your best friends because you feel so involved with their lives that by the time its all over you feel like you've lost them. I'd recommended this book to anyone because no matter what you enjoy reading, you'll love this!    

Images from;

 http://www.oxonianreview.org/wp/one-day-an-interview-with-david-nicholls/

http://dexterandemma.tumblr.com/page/76
http://pinayabroad.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/valentines-day-quotable-david-nicholls/
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3ufiys/

http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=216140

Arch Enemy Review - The Final Battle For Wonderland Has Begun.

Hey readers,

So, I've finally finished the third book! Took a lot longer than I thought and once again I'm feeling like I didn't actually enjoy it all that much. Though it hardly remind me of the first book, I just wasn't caught up enough in the story to get really into reading it. It seems predictable in parts too and there's not many twists. I knew how things were going to work out, but I felt that the journey getting there wasn't exciting enough. It's still a typical good vs evil plot and the out come stays true to this. However, I'd have liked a little more....I don't know imagination? Though that seems rather ironic since this book is all about saving imagination! 

For me the second book was my favorite, because I got into the story a lot more and it felt better written then the first. The third isn't badly written, it just seems lacking and in places seems more screenplay like the novel like. I guess it really isn't my kind of book, but I can see why younger readers would be taken by it. The one comparison I can think of making is to Treasure Island. I read this believing it would be more adult then it turned out to be and granted I knew it was a children's book, but I still believed that there would be a lot more depth to it, but by the time I'd finished it I felt really disappointed. I then picked up Flint and Sliver by John Drake and found it to be just what I was hoping Treasure Island would be. I was hoping that The Looking Glass Wars would be an adult version of Alice, but this is far for the case.

I don't dislike this trilogy, but for me it just has a few problems and I think the way it's written is one of its main issues. There's nothing wrong with the characters and even in the third book they are well developed and continue to grow as they learn things. They also have key roles to play, which helps to move the plot along. I still also like the connect with Earth that the plot makes. We once again get the Liddell family and Lewis Carroll appearing and its nice to this consistence with characters. The introduction of new characters gives it a fresh edge and adds some more helping hands to the war efforts. I guess some more depth into the characters would have been nice, but I know how hard it is to do this when there are so many of them. 

In my last two reviews, I don't think I really talked about Beddor's use of sound effects. These often appear throughout the book and echo the sounds you would hear if you were witnessing the item in action. Though these are really thoughtful and do add something to the visuals on the page, I did feel they were a bit childish and probably more comic book suited. They were over-used and I got a bored with seeing them. Normal sound description works fine within most books and for most readers and I just felt that in some places the sound effects weren't needed.  

My other problem with Arch Enemy is the fighting scenes. I got a little bored of the fighting towards the end. I guess the constant repetitive action scenes weigh the plot down too much and though this is mixed in with other events happening, the chopping back and forth left me feeling a bit dizzy. When I think about the Drizzt books and how they deal with fighting scenes, I can see the difference straight away. It feels a lot more choreographed and the writer is very knowledgeable about how his character would use his weapons in battle. I just didn't get the same feeling out of Arch. The writing of these scenes didn't feel rushed, but for me a lot more could have gone into them. As the final battle was reaching it's end, I didn't get much satisfaction out of characters completing missions they had set themselves. However, I did like the idea that Dodge felt no sense of close at the death of The Cat, who he'd been trying to kill to get vengeance for the murder of his father.

The obstacles that Alyss faces are good. She is fighting two enemies now and must decided what's best for Wonderland. She does think like a queen throughout, beside from one point, where she drops everything to go and rescue the Liddells'. She is then trapped on Earth because Arch has had the Pool Of Tears drained and the water evaporated. Lucky, Molly is there and able to create another portal which allows them back. I thought Molly could have been more used, but since she needs the time to get over the events of the second book, its understandable why Beddor didn't use her more. Once again, I'd have liked to see more of the relationship between Alyss and Dodge, though they do get to gather at the end. In some parts you can see where Beddor has tried to fit this in, but I felt that a lot more could have been made out of it. More detail about their feelings and the struggle for them to be in love when there was so much else going on, could have added another layer to the story.  

One thing I've found that I did really like about the trilogy was the art work used on the books. I was drawn to the images because they looked different and interesting. My copy of the third book is in hardback and on the pages dividing the book into pages are art works of Wonderland scenes. It reflected the art used in Alice. I don't know if the hardback versions of 1 and 2 did this as well, because the paperbacks didn't. 

The ending works well, though I think I did want a little more out of it, but the characters have learned what they have to do and are able to complete their tasks. Beddor also seems to have issues killing off characters and I don't like how he handled this, because it felt like characters who should be dead escaped it. I guessed also what would happened to the caterpillars- well anyone who's read Alice will also know it.- It did feel like a nicely rounded off ending, but maybe it would have suited a more open ended one?

Overall, I found Arch Enemy a struggle to get through. It just didn't grip me and it just lacked in the key areas of writing and adventure. For the last book in a trilogy, it feels pretty flat and predictable. The trilogy over all isn't that bad and some parts I did find interesting and readable, but I just got bored of the repetitive fighting scenes, lack of real development in Alyss's and Dodge's relationship and the jagged jumping between characters. I would tell people to read this and come up with their own conclusion about it, though I would tell them that its not a re-telling of Alice or an adult version of the story.  

Images: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6178354-archenemy

Seeing Redd Review - 'The Evil Redd Heart Has Returned.'

Hey readers,

I've fallen a little behind with things again and I'm still struggling to write and get my mind back in gear. Writing on here does help some what and its a good way to pass time. Especially when time feels really stretched out and boredom is your constant companion. I thought since I still had Seeing Redd sat on my old TV stand, that I'd write my review up before I gave it back. If you've not read my review of the first book which is below this post, then you might want to do that. I don't plan to compare things in great detail, but this is the second book of the trilogy and it does pick up from the ending of the first one. This also means that I won't be looking at the characters or the setting in as much detail as I covered them last time. Seems like its going to be a short post then!

The book opens with a prologue about Redd wondering through her Looking Glass Maze and finding her sceptre which gives her access to her full powers. Redd wants to take back Wonderland and get rid of Alyss- her niece for good- and now it seems she is able to do just that. That part happens later in the book and we actually open with Alyss, Bibwit and Homburg Molly exploring the re-built Heart Place. Alyss is having a hard time getting use to being a Queen and spends sometime wishing she was back on earth or else she was a child again. But as much as the responsibilities of being queen get to her, she deals with them all really well. It makes her a much stronger character in in this book. The fear of Redd attacking again has Wonderland on the alert, but they face a new enemy this time around in the form of King Arch, who rules over one of the neighbouring countries. Arch tries to make everyone believe that Redd is actually back and he does get away with it until she actually appears.

At the end of the first book Redd and the Cat escape to earth and we get some chapters showing what she's up too. This keeps a similarity  to the first book and we also get the Lewis Carrol character again! So, that was a nice touch. Redd is gathering members of a new army, so she can go back and try to win the throne again. There's an handful of new characters here, including an old friend of Bibwit, who is tells Redd about her own looking glass maze. This is mostly sub-plot though and I'm hoping that the real battle will take place in the 3rd book. Less time is spent with these characters because the focus is mostly on Alyss counting Arch.

There is also more relationship development between Alyss and Dodge, but for me this just gets lost almost the main plot. I'd like to see more happening with them, but I guess there wasn't enough time or space for that. I know its not a romance novel, but some love does move things along and everyone can easily connect with it. There is also another relationship here between Hatter and Weaver, which I thought worked at well and give another side to Hatter. The twist about Molly being their daughter is no great surprise, but it was fun to see the characters reactions to the news.

Molly developments a lot and becomes one of the main characters. She is used by Arch to blow up the travel system and also made to go against the queen as she blames herself for what happens. So, instead of spending most of the book by Alyss side being her bodyguard, Molly is capture by Arch and spend most of her time thinking about what she's done, questioning her nature and abilities and then meeting the parents who abandoned her. She helps fight for her freedom towards the end and is able to escape. I really like Molly and she is possibly my favourite character.

I enjoyed this book much more then the first one because I felt it was better written. The narrative structure was a lot tighter and snapper. The pace was also faster and I got into the story quickly. There is less of the Carroll-isms too and the tone of the vocabulary becomes much more of Beddor's own. Which does suit the narrative a lot better. The language also feels more adult aimed, though it still has a teenage age group. That helps to improve the quality as well. Also I found that the plot gets freer of making references to the actual Alice In Wonderland, and that helps it a lot to become a story in its own right. The fantasy, action/adventure genre is still present, but I found it less awing and nothing really new is added to the settings. The fighting scenes are still really good and we get to see much more of Alyss using her powers too.

I've got high hopes for the next one and I'd like to write about it so that I can have all three together. This means it might be another month before I write a new post. But since I've been reading books in-between each of them, I've lots more writing to be getting on with, though I'll try and not publish everything all at once!

Image from: www.booktopia.com.au