Armchair BEA: The Final Post May 28, 2011

The last couple of days haven’t seen any Armchair BEA post from me mainly because on Wednesday I didn’t have an interview post, and yesterday I simply didn’t have the time for more than one post. So, I figured I’d just merge three days worth of posting into one final post today!

What attracts me to a blog?

I won’t be giving tip or how-tos today; only what it is about a blog that captures my attention. Undoubtedly, the answer would be the ‘design’ or ‘layout’. But that would be for only the first few seconds, for me. What I really look for is content. As I’ve mentioned in my introductory post, my current reading interests lie in the classics and literary/contemporary fiction. Therefore, I don’t merely look for reviews. I look for opinions, room for discussion, for enlightening perspectives, thoughts and ideas that a book has inspired in a blogger. In other words, I look for something I can relate to with a blog. 

However, having said that, layout is important. One can have a fancy or pretty looking blog but not the content that attracts another’s attention, or vice versa. A blog doesn’t have to be full of ‘design’. It can be incredibly simple in design but make it absolutely easy for the reader to navigate the blog and read its content. To illustrate this last point, I was, about half-an-hour ago, led to a blog by another blogger’s post. The former promised to be an interesting blog content-wise. Yet, when I went to have a look for myself I realised that there was no way to easily navigate the blog. I couldn’t find a way that would lead me to so-called interesting content. (The latest post on the home page was a very personal one and therefore of no real interest to me as I’ve never come across this blogger before.) I’m afraid, I didn’t have the patience to stay and ‘figure’ out a way through the blog. I just left it. If only the blogger had made it easy to navigate her blog I would have stayed to explore.

So yes, for me ‘content’ really takes first place in encouraging me to get to know a blog and blogger better. And while layout isn’t all that important, it is important enough to make the experience of exploring easy on a reader.

Which blogs call to me frequently!

So, with the above points as to what attracts me to a blog, there are a handful that I follow quite regularly. 

The Reading Life
Mel U blogs mostly about short story writers. His blog is chalk-full of information regards writers from all over the world. I love to hop in and see who his latest read is, and most often than not, I’ve found myself clicking on links he has provided to read the short story he has highlighted. At other times, I just keep tabs for when I can comeback and read some new writers. 

A Room of One’s Own
This is a literary journey of a young lit. student called Jillian. It’s an absolute delight to read her entries, her experience of literature. The discovery becomes as amazing to us as it is to her. I’ve been inspired to read two or three books already that I havehastily penciled in for this year only because her experience has been incredibly catching!

Lifetime Reading Plan
This is another blog I like to keep popping into every once in awhile. I don’t comment much, but this blogger is a writer who gives a great deal of background information and detailed analysis of what she reads. She is currently reading classical writers from ancient Greece, and I love reading the tid-bits she offers up so willingly!

Enchanted Serenity of Period Films
Hers isn’t a book blog, by Charleybrown keeps her followers updated on all the lates period movies, tv series, mini-series and other lovely information that draws me to her blog frequently enough.

Books and Reviews
Elena is a student of literature and it’s a pleasure to read what she has to say about her reading experiences. Her posts are a little along academic lines and she has a great fondness for post-colonial literature and all things post-colonial. 

Lit Endeavours

Jenny inspired to pick up The Great Gatsby and give it another chance! I like peeking in every now and then to read what she has to say.

Austenprose and Jane Austen Today
I don’t read Austen sequels or fan fiction but both these blogs always have something new and interesting that either gives you some new information on Austen or just makes you want to experience Austen all over again! I like dropping in to see the latest in the Austen-field.

Baja Greenawalt’s Cozy Book Nook
This is a very light-hearted blog run by a few fun-hearted ladies. I especially would like to mention Lesa who is always so encouraging each time she steps into my blog and brightens it up with a chirpy comment.:)

A few other blogs that I visit every once in awhile are: The Story Girl, The True Book Addict, 2606 Books and Counting…,  Sarah Reads Too Much, Shredded Cheddar,  – each of these blogs provide different things in terms of content, opinion, ideas, interesting topics for conversation, memes, group-reads, and the like. 

…for stopping by and commenting; for taking the time to look around; for helping me discover new blogs and new friends. I’m also thrilled about many blogs that I have discovered over the course of the last one week. I am really looking forward to exploring them and getting to know their bloggers! I have as yet to check out so many of the blogs that have been a part of Armchair BEA. I hope to do so over the course of the next few weeks.

An especially big ‘thank you’ to all those who organised the event and made this whole thing go without a hitch. I haven’t been too involved due to so many other commitments at home, but what I’ve been a part of, I have enjoy immensely.

I hope to see you all round and about!:)

warm regards,

Risa

What’s So Special About that Writer’s Works? May 26, 2011

 

Click on the image to go to The Blue Bookcase,
the host of this bi-weekly meme.

This fortnight’s question is:

Talk about one author that you love and why his or her writing is unique. Please be specific.

 Okay, then. This is a very interesting question! I started going through my favourite-author list andI realised that there are two writers on that list that I would like to talk about. They are both very well known, and have a huge fan-following, which is why I’ve chosen to speak of both of them. They are also the only two on my list, whose uniqueness can be spoken about a bit more specifically, especially if we’re going to follow the criteria that Christina has set in her response.

J R R Tolkien
I think Tolkien as a man is very unique. His deep interest in linguistics and phonetics led him to create languages, that he later felt needed a ‘world’ to exist in. It was later that he conceived of the notion of creating a ‘mythology for England’. In this he was influenced by the Scandanavian Poetic Eddas, a body of mythology put together fairly recently, that has helped in inculcating a sense of nationalism in Finland – a sense of belonging, of being one. Seeing as all the ‘mythology’ England could claim belonged mostly to the Welsh, Irish and Scots, Tolkien decided to work on one solely for England. It was a tall ambition, but he has succeeded somewhat, don’t you think? 

Anyway, if we are to get down to specifics (apart from the whole creating-a-mythology bit), these would be some of them. Firstly, the use of his own, created languages in his works. Once could say that many fantasy authors use ‘their own made-up languages’. But what makes this unique in Tolkien is that a) he began this trend, b) he was a real phonologist – he gave his languages a scientific background, complete with syntax and lexical structure; they could so easily be spoken languages. Secondly, the body of history that he has worked on. They are many stories, some short, others of epic proportions, but all of them working along one world, one theme. I have heard and read of no other single author who has done this. Thirdly, the tone of his writing as it works to fit the level of ‘seriousness’ in his story-telling. One has only to read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion to see the manner in which this difference takes place. The work where this shift in tone, mood, and writing style is most obvious in The Lord of the Rings; compare the first few chapters of the first book and the last few chapters of the third with the rest of the book; there is a sense of cheerfulness, energetic optimism in the former, that is in complete contrast to the epic tone of the rest of the book(s).

Georgette Heyer

I have not read much on Heyer, herself. All I know of her is that she was a private woman, well versed in all things Regency! But I do know that I have never come across another author who writes Regency romances like she does. Believe me, I’ve tried! So many authors who aspire to write historical romances fail miserably, in my eyes, when held in comparison to Georgette Heyer. Which is why, hers are the only romances I take up to read, or more specifically re-read, whenever I want something light-hearted to sit through. 

So, what makes this historical romance writer’s works so unique and special, so much so that she is in a league all her own? Firstly, it is her immense knowledge of the period she writes about. I have heard people complain that Heyer gives too much importance to detail in her novels, while, if one were to read Austen, for instance, one didn’t have to go through detailing. I don’t really see this as a fault. Austen wrote for an audience that belonged to her time. If she was to say that her heroine quickly put on her walking dress and headed out, her contemporary audience was bound to know what kind of gear her heroine would be wearing. But to an audience from the twenty-first century, a description is solely needed, I think. Secondly, it is how much at ‘home’ Heyer is with the period she sets her characters in. Apart from her detail, one would be hard put to believe that she never belonged to the Regency era! I’ve never read another romance author who is as much at home with writing a historical novel than is Georgette Heyer. The conversation is never stilted, and if she does to tend to use cant terms that go over the top of your head (Mark Twain does the same thing!), at least she does so convincingly. Thirdly, she has a huge plathora of heroes and heroines so unlike those who preceded them or come after them; they are ugly, or plain or beautiful and handsome; they are boring or mild or nervous or stupid or proud or pompous or rude and crude or sparkling and witty; they are teenagers, or young people or older people – they are of a huge variety and it’s a delight to read about them!

And so, there we have it! Two of my favourite writers, Tolkien and Heyer, and what is so unique about them.

So, have any of you read either of these authors or both? What do you think of them? Who are your favourite writers and why are they so special?

The Tragic Life of Doctor Faustus: As Dramatised by Marlowe May 26, 2011

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe by Christopher Marlowe

It had been about eight or nine years since I had last read Christopher Marlowe’s Dr Faustus. I recall how I had had to study it on my own for I had been ill when my professor dealt with it in my undergraduate class. I also recall how much I loved, how it left me passion-spent, sitting at the edge of my chair as Faustus steadily moved toward eternal damnation.

A year later, while doing my masters, another professor asked us to do a short assignment on Marlowe. I had read of how, during his time Marlowe was considered an atheist. I still find it hard to understand why. Was he an atheist because he dared to be a ‘freethinker’? That would be undrestandable, considering the power of the Church during the Renaissance, and their dislike of anything that went against what the Church fed the common people. So, if this be the case, then I am not confused.

What do I mean?

Dr Faustus is an incredibly passionate and powerful piece of work. It is all about a man who sells his soul to the devil for knowledge and power. While the story itself is based on a German history, the language, the ideas, the passion and conviction behind the words are so unmistakably un-atheist like. Throughout the play Faustus is plagued by the wrongness of what he has done. Yet Mephistophilis, one of the Devil’s main agents, always wins over the words of the ‘good angel’, and we see Faustus digging his whole faster and deeper. 

The irony of the deal struck with the devil

When Mephistophilis shall stand by me, What god can hurt thee, Faustus? thou art safe Cast no more doubts.–Come, Mephistophilis, And bring glad tidings from great Lucifer;– Is’t not midnight?–come, Mephistophilis, Veni, veni, Mephistophile! Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (Kindle Locations 228-230). manybooks.net.

 In his bid to justify what he has done, Faustus, ironically and tragically places his trust in the one creature he should fear, believe himself safe from God. Yet, ambition and the thirst for knowledge are the real things that compel his continual foray into the occult. He seeks to enslave evil spirits, to make them do his every bidding:

But, tell me, Faustus, shall I have thy soul? And I will be thy slave, and wait on thee, And give thee more than thou hast wit to ask. ibid (Kindle Locations 236-237)

 Yet, who is really master? Faustus or Mephistophilis? Would Faustus be given all that he asks for? Yet the devil gets the better end of the bargain. However, the deal does not stop here. The ‘good angel’ and the ‘bad angel’ constantly make their appearance as Faustus’ conscience. Right up to the very end he is pricked by doubt and shame.

The real tragedy

But the real tragedy is when he cannot bring himself to repent, for he cannot believe God would forgive him so much evil. It begins with his lust for power over the domain of the spirits, that leads him to strike a deal with the devil, pledging his soul for twenty-four years of knowledge and power. Once this is done we see the immediate deterioration of all things held sacred. Faustus wants a wife. But his ‘slave’ says marriage is of no consequence, he might have beautiful courtesans and other lovely women every day. Then comes his constant tryst with evil spirits,  the ultimate being when he has physical intercourse with one disguised in the form of the fair Helene of Troy – Was this the face that launch’d a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium– Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.– ibid (Kindle Locations 530-531)

Come the last hour of his freedom, and the agony he suffers is great. I find that last scene the most beautiful and nerve-wracking scene of the play. Faustus longs for the peace of forgiveness, mercy and salvation, but he cannot bring himself to believe that he can be forgiven. The last words he utters as the clock strikes the end is both pitiful and horrifying at the same time:

O, it strikes, it strikes! Now, body, turn to air, Or Lucifer will bear thee quick to hell! O soul, be chang’d into little water-drops, And fall into the ocean, ne’er be found! ibid (Kindle Locations 576-577). manybooks.net.

In the footnote of  my kindle version,  is given a very gory description of Faustus’ remains as written in The History of Doctor Faustus. One can only imagine the gruesome torture of his dying.

Armchair BEA: The Best of 2011 (So Far) May 24, 2011

From January, this year, until today, I have read a total of sixteen books. The going has been slow, but, I think, steady. I love to savour what I read, and I think I have managed to do that with every book so far, save one. As the number is not much, I’ll list out all the books I’ve read till now, with a little bit of commentary. My favourites of 2011 will be listed at the end.

Classics:
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

The Princess Priscilla’s Fortnight by Elizabeth von Arnim
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Persuasion  by Jane Austen

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote 

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Of the six mentioned, two are re-reads, namely the Austen and the Fitzgerald. Re-reading them was simply delightful. It was like reading them for the first time. Experiencing them for the first time. I saw so much in them that I had missed before.The von Arnim isn’t particularly a classic but it belongs to the era of ‘classics’ and I personally think it ought to be one. It is absolutely charming! A Tale of Two Cities  was incredible, but The Age of Innocence  was the only classic I found myself plodding through this year. I simply cannot bring myself to like Wharton. Her style is tedious. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was a new find. I hadn’t known that the movie was based on a novella until I came across an e-version a month ago. (Links to my commentary on most of these books have been given.)

Literary Fiction

The Kite Runner  by Khaled Hosseini

The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan

A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka

I have as yet to write my commentary on the latter two. But I loved every one of these books. These were all new discoveries to me, and each author had me hooked in their own special way. I’m looking forward to reading more of Amy Tan, and am excited about Pasulka’s second book that is yet to come out (I don’t think it’s finished yet!).

Fantasy:

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

The Children of Hurin by J R R Tolkien

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labrynth by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The Ordinary Princess by M M Kaye

I’ve always loved fantasy, and though my reading goals have changed, I do stop for a good break in a world of fantastical ideas, customs, races and creatures. The Ordinary Princess was an accidental find that was a charming breeze. Riordan’s books are action packed and good for light reading, as is Gaiman. The only one on this fantasy list that was of serious, solid stuff was The Children of Hurin. I have yet to post my commentary on it. But, in short, I found it as brooding as I expected it to be, but surprisingly I liked it much more than I did the version in The Silmarillion.

Non-fiction

Georgette Heyer’s Regency World  by Jennifer Kloester

Fan Spin-off 
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough.

My Favourites, so far, of 2011!

A Tale of Two Cities

Persuasion

The Kitchen God’s Wife
The Great Gatsby
A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True

(You see, it’s hard for me to choose!)

My Least Favourites

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet 
The Age of Innocence

(No trouble here!)

Apart from these I’ve read a few short stories as well.

So, what are your favourites this year? If you’re participating in the Armchair BEA do leave me link to you post.:)

‘The Great Gatsby’ the Second Time Around was Actually Quite Good! May 24, 2011

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I first read F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby when I was doing my undergraduation. It was a must read, and I disliked it. I disliked it for many reasons. Firstly, it was modern literature. There is something about this type of literature that is so hopless, so dark. Secondly, I’d grown up reading mostly classical works and I found the writing style offensive. I preferred the old fashioned themes and style in novels. And finally, I disliked reading anything to do with adultery. For some reason such stories put me off. It all felt so wrong.

In other words, right from the start, I was not willing to give The Great Gatsby a chance. I really wasn’t ready to appreciate it. I was young, full of prejudice, full of what the world should be like. I wasn’t willing to reserve my thoughts and judgement, to pause and look at another’s life – after all, while we do read fiction, someone out there in the world is really living it. But, as we grow older we see and understand so much. And so I’ve come to a point where I can understand literature that deals with ‘adult’ issues, so to speak. I don’t need a rosy, happily-ever-after ending. I just need to understand the characters and their motives. I just need to enjoy the prose and the way the story flows. 

I am reminded, at this point, of how I used to start my first classes with my literature students – literature is the culmination of all human thought and experience throughout the ages; it is the cumulative ideas of human thinking, human feeling: it is through literature that we come to live several life times of various experiences. Literature is not to be shrugged off and ignored. It makes us understand who we are and where we come from. It makes us aware that, no matter how different and unique we think we are or our ideas are, there is always someone who was like us or who thought like us. 

I’m amazed that I hadn’t understood the significance of what I had said to those students until now. I felt it. But I couldn’t really perceive it. 

The Story
Gatsby is a man of mystery. No one knows him or where and how he acquired his wealth. But whatever he might have done, he did it to win back his dream – Daisy. But this dream is married, has been for five years. She isn’t happy, though. Her husband, Tom Buchannan, is having an affair with a mechanic’s wife and Daisy isn’t ignorant about it. Her cousin, Nick Carraway, also the narrator of the story, gets involved in all their lives, watching as each person’s dream disintegrates into nothingness.

Gatsby and the American Dream

Daisy Buchannan

The Great Gatsby is really a story about the American Dream that never really was. It is a story of an endless cycle of perceived dreams that are broken and shattered into a million pieces by the end of the novel. Jay Gatsby, I believe, represents this American ideal – a rich man who throws fantastic parties that strangers revel in; whose past is gravely speculated by the morbidly disinterested crowd. It’s almost like they’re saying, “We don’t know him. We don’t know what he’s done. But we do know that he has struck it rich. He is the embodiment of our American dream. Dreams come true in the new world.” But really, this isn’t so. For all his riches, Gatsby’s life is an empty shell. His dream is that of Daisy, a young woman married to Tom Buchannan. Gatsby had known her before she was married, and she was the only girl he had ever loved. For five years he clings to the memory of her; to the memory of the youthful love he had of her. But such empty dreams are bound to wither away to nothing, especially when based solely on the past.

Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, ends with his thoughts on this ideal:

…as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes – a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity or wonder.

     And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.

     Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter – to-morrow we will run faster. stretch out our arms farther … And one fine morning –

     So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. (p.187-8)

Roles

The relationship between the narrator and his rich neighbour is of a strange sort. Instinctively, Gatsby seems to trust Carraway, to lean on him in a way. Gatsby, the wealthy man and the hopeless lover, are revealed to use piece-meal as Carraway learns more about him. We see that Carraway is disgusted by this man, by the way he comes to his wealth. But then he begins to understand that all of his riches were meant to win over Daisy. But he is five years too late. There isn’t a soul, save Carraway, who finally cares about his demise. For all the fantastic parties he threw there was finally no one to attend to him.

Gatsby’s love for Daisy works along parallel lines with Daisy’s husband and his affair with the garage mechanic’s wife. Each of these four people work desperately to live a ‘dream’. But at then end, lives are lost so that the rest might bury their heads in the sand and continue to believe that the dream is real.

 They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made…(p.186)

At then end, while Gatsby is the protaganist, Tom and Daisy are the real instigators of the action throughout the novel.

Other little things

Reading Fitzgerald, was a surprisingly nice experience. I enjoyed his turn of phrase, the way, through sounds of words he said so much, implied so much. And the way he used so many opposing phrases and connotations that reveal the decadence of the age he writes of. One of my favourite lines from this is this:

On Sunday morning while church bells rang in the villages alongshore, the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby’s house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn. (p.67)

I’m really glad I gave this novel a second chance. It was absolutely worth it!

Feature Article: Storming the Walls of Hogwarts – What is Wrong with ‘Harry Potter’? May 23, 2011

I dare say you’re probably thinking, “Oh, no! Not another one about this series?” or you could be thinking, “Cool! What has she got to say about HP?” Either way, it was these questions, or questions like these, that have triggered off this post. Every time, these last few days, I’ve logged on to Goodreads, I’ve found so many ‘I HATE Harry Potter’ and I LOVE Harry Potter’ updates, that I finally decided a little bit of analysing was what was needed.

Setting the stage

I first heard about Harry Potter when I was in high school. A favourite teacher of mine recommended I read it. When I asked her what it was about, she gushed out enthusiastically, “It’s all about witches and wizards, elves and goblins, and so much magic!” I recall being rather horrified. I looked at her like she was crazy and said, “You’re joking, ma’am! No one but one person can write about such things and do a great job of it. Enid Blyton is the master of witches and wizards, elves and fairies, brownies and goblins. There’s NO WAY I’m giving Harry Potter a try! Nope.” She looked disappointed but it was the same reaction she received from my mother (who was her colleague) and my kid sister. We were adamant. There was no one like Enid Blyton.

Now, I am aware that many of you might not know who Enid Blyton is, unless you are from Britain or belong to one of Britain’s former colonies. She churned out childrens’ stories faster than any other author I’ve ever heard of. Here, in India, if children were introduced to reading English books, they were sure to begin with Enid Blyton. And you didn’t just read Blyton when you were two or three years old – you stuck with her right up to your teens. All of us, right from my mother’s generation (or a little before) grew up with the fairy world that we believed was exclusively Enid Blyton’s. Which is the main reason Harry Potter held no appeal for us.

About four or five years later, I saw my kid cousin sitting with one of these ‘imposter’s’ (that’s how we thought of J K Rowling) books. He was surprised when he heard I hadn’t read it, and he forced me to take the first book home, also driving a promise out of me that I would read it before I made any more remarks about it. I’ll have to admit, that book sat on my shelf for a long while before my mom had the courage to take it and read it. She was charmed. So my sister picked it up. She was charmed too. So I reluctantly began to flip through the first few pages. By the end of The Philosopher’s Stone I was hooked. Mom promptly went out and bought The Chamber of Secret and The Prisoner of Azkaban – only the first three books were out at the time. And each time the next book was due to be released my sister and I would pool in our pocket money and go early morning to the book store on the very first day to get ourselves the next book in the series. 

Why we enjoyed it
It didn’t take us more than a chapter or two to realise that J K Rowling was no imposter. There was absolutely nothing of Enid Blyton in her works. Blyton created a world for little children to get lost in yet never failed to remind them of their manners and good values. Rowling, on the other hand, had written for sheer pleasure, and her imagination is vast. She opened up a world that was both recognisable and yet absolutely fantastical. I loved the magic that pervaded her books, the tiny little things like the subjects handled in Hogwarts and the magical things about the school, the game of quidditch and the many ‘monsters’. But above all, she was abviously a fantastic story teller. It constantly amazed me how she could tie up loose ends so well in the next book of the series. And while her books got darker and more adult, I realise, now, that had each upcoming book remained at the level of the first, she would have lost her readers. As it was, her readers have stuck to her for nearly a decade, growing up with Harry Potter, and while ‘magic’ does not belong to the ‘muggle’ world, at least the everyday lives of these boarding school teenagers, were easy to relate to.

No. Harry Potter isn’t deep. It isn’t philosophical. It isn’t meant to mean anything for its value is pure entertainment. Sure, it is a story spanning seven years that pits Good and Evil at each other with the former coming out on top, but then who would want to read a story where Evil triumphs! One needs to let go, sit back for a fun ride, and Harry Potter would be an enjoyable one.

The ‘nay’ sayers

It wasn’t very long before my mother, sister and I started to recommend Harry Potter to all those we knew loved reading. Many said, “What rubbish is this you want us to read?” and we’d say in turn, “Don;t call it rubbish unless and until you’ve tried it. Until then you’re just talking off the top of your heads!” In my personal experience, those who’ve finally given this series a try, have grown to love it. If we did here of any serious objection it was usually from a religious stand-point. I remember getting so annoyed every time I read so many negative reports of this series by people who had never even read one chapter from any of these books!! I respect people’s opinions as long as they don’t make them in absolute ignorance. 

Lately, I have understood (and agree with) the objection to fantasy books in general. But as we are all people of different faiths, I shall just leave it at this.

Generating interest in reading

There is something positive that has come out in this obsessiveness where Harry Potter is concerned. And that is, it has encouraged so many children and young people to read. Guaranteed, there are many who would prefer their children to read something more ‘worthwhile’ instead of stuffing their heads with all this ‘nonsense’. But reading is activity that cannot be forced. It needs to inspire, to appeal to the imagination – and I think that latter is what Rowling’s work does in abundance. I personally know of so many children who hated reading before the Harry Potter series hit the market. But, once having read this series, they were eager to move on and explore – first books that belonged to the same genre, and then others. 

I see no reason to trash this series if it has managed to do something this good – getting children to read.

Unsubstantiated hate-mail

I have yet to read an ‘I hate Harry Potter’ post that details why the person hates it. I’m afraid I don’t know why people dislike the series. I really would like to know in order to understand. I can understand prejudice, it was something I experienced before I finally gave this series a try. But why ‘hate’? ‘Hate’ is such a strong, powerful word. Why would anyone want to fling it at this rather harmless series?

I want to know – do you love Harry Potter? Why? Do you hate it? Why? Have you ever read it? If not, why not?

I am just curious.:)

A Warm Welcome to All Armchair BEA Visitors! May 23, 2011

I am Risa, your host. I’ve been actively blogging for nearly a year now and one of my favourite parts of the day is to log on and see what is new in the book blogging world. I’m a postgraduate in English Literature, and currently, a stay-at-home mom. While I’m busy raising a family, I’m also trying to catch up on a lot of reading. I had fallen into a reading-chasm a few years ago (as soon as I finished my MA to be more specific). The only books I read during that period were high fantasy. Then, a few weeks before my son was due I found myself picking books off my mother’s shelf (she has an enormous collection and gives boxes away every year) and devouring them. It was at this time that I realised what I looked for in a book had completely changed. For me, the story no longer mattered; it was the writing, description, imagery, poetic words, history, background, setting that had truly begun to capture my attention. I was finally out of the reading-abyss, and this new experience thrilled me no end. It still does. 

In the last one year, I have found myself picking up books I never quite liked in my more youthful years. I find that my opinions and reactions to them have changed so drastically. With this newly discovered perspective of reading I realised now would also be the best time to expand my classical and literary fiction horizon so that one day (I’m hoping in about six or seven years) I’ll be able to stand up in front of a class and know that I wouldn’t be an ignoramus trying to keep a literature class going! I also figured this would be a great time to decide what sort of topic I would like to deal with for a future Ph.D.. 

Taken off the Armchair BEA official blog.

But all of that is for the future. For now, blogging has become one of my only two outlets (the other being long discussions with my best friend) to express my feelings and thoughts about all that I read. As a result, Bread Crumb Reads is not a book review blog (though, when something is fairly new my post does tend to lean towards being a review) but a sort-of book ‘discussion’ blog. I aim to appeal to readers who enjoy the classics and literary fiction. I aim, not to just encourage fellow bloggers to read what captures me, but mainly to spark of discussions that fuel my fire! I admit that my posts may not be very detailed or as detailed as I would like them to be. But I count it a blessing that I am able to blog at all! After all, my little boy needs my attention most of the time, i.e., when he’s wide awake and causing havoc about the house!

I also enjoy joining group-read events, read-athons, and sometimes memes. Armchair BEA is the biggest event I have got involved in so far. As I am nowhere near the U.S. I will be sitting in the comfort of my little study table (I own no armchair, you see) by an open window, as the sea breeze wafts through the apartment in our Indian summer.

I’m really not sure what to expect and how things will run, but I am hoping to meet lots of new bloggers, like-minded or otherwise, and hoping to forge more book-blogging friendships! I won’t be participating in give-aways (unless they offer e-books), but I most certainly hope I’ll be able to visit every participating blog at least once this whole week. Personally, I’ll be participating in the daily posts, and will mostly be a spectator/commenter.

Thanks again for dropping by! Please do stay and look around if you have the time. And drop me a comment, I would love to get to know you.^_^