Book Review #9: From The Cemetery Of Forgotten Books...

Apologies for the lack of non-book-review posts, I'll write one eventually... I'm spending a lot of time reading on the train these days!

Book 9: The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I wanted a change of pace from my usual epic fantasy genre, asked friends for recommendations, and found this masterpiece. It's the second five-star book I've read this year, and it well deserves it.

A father takes his young son to a place called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. When you are first taken there, you are allowed to choose and take a book, and it is said it will have a special meaning for you. This boy chooses a book called The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax, which starts him on a quest to find the rest of the books by Carax. This starts him on an unbelievable journey filled with murder, magic, dark secrets and doomed love. It's a story within a story within a story, brilliantly told.

My only regret is not being able to read it in Spanish. The language is already so beautiful in English--I frequently highlighted passages on the Kindle. One in particular that I liked, from the point of view of the boy, Daniel, about the Cemetery of Forgotten Books:

"After a while it occurred to me that between the covers of each of those books lay a boundless universe waiting to be discovered, while beyond those walls, in the outside world, people allowed life to pass by in afternoons of football and radio soaps, content to do little more than gaze at their navels."

There were many more passages even more eloquent and poignant. If there is one book you read this year, this should be it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Book Review #8: Winter Is Still Coming

Book 8: A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin

I wrote a review for the first book in the series a couple of months ago. It's now been a couple of weeks since I read the second, and I'm eager to post a review of the book I finished today (look for it in the near future). So here goes--and don't worry about spoilers!

This book is definitely a continuation of the story in A Game of Thrones, rather than a standalone novel. The kingdom is in turmoil, and while the people fight among themselves, it is becoming all too clear that winter is coming, and dark things threaten to cross the Wall, in the north.

I found it less enthralling than the first book. I didn't find the beginning as gripping, and I didn't feel as continuously hooked. But I really wanted to know what happened, so I read it all the same. I do care for (most of) the characters a great deal, which kept me interested. The evil-minded are just as evil as ever, the good-minded just as good, and the ones that walk the line between try to keep their balance. There's danger, intrigue, suspense... Oh man, is there a lot of suspense!

I'm about halfway through the second season of the show on HBO, and my continuous shouting of, "What's going on? It didn't happen that way in the book!" at my monitor must be proof that I'm hooked on the story. The show, I've found, diverges from the book quite a bit more than the first season. Most of the things they've left out make sense though, and the things they added feel a bit like bonus content. It's probably not as interesting to watch them when I know what's going to happen, but when they differ from the book so often, it makes it interesting again. If frustrating.

I highly recommend this series, whether you like fantasy or not. It's all about the characters, with a tiny bit of magic thrown in to keep us geeks interested. I'm definitely going to keep reading the series, though I'm planning on taking a break from epic fantasy, for a short while at least.

Book Review #7: What Is It To Be Known?

Book 7: The Summer of No Regrets, by Katherine Grace Bond

The title and cover may scream "YA romance", and it is that, but it is in no way typical of the genre. Parts of Brigitta's life reminded me of mine, and not just because the story is set in the Pacific Northwest. Her parents own a center for gatherings and frequently host groups of people practicing Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Native American Spirituality, even things a bit more out there. She feels frequently embarrassed by her parents. She has a blog, and a best friend who loves celebrity gossip. And one day, she meets a guy who looks like someone famous--but she doesn't know if he's really Trent Yves. She finds out he lives nearby, and then there's a cougar attack, and... well, I won't spoil it.

I found it very enjoyable. I laughed, I cried, and I got through it quickly. If you're looking for a fun summer read, go for it, but expect the unexpected. It goes deeper than a lot of books in this genre, touching on issues of religion, family, and life in general. I may feel like I've outgrown YA fiction somewhat, but I didn't notice it, reading this book. Maybe you never really outgrow it. If you've never read YA, or never read a romance, I would recommend it as well.

I may be slightly biased, as the author has been a writing mentor of mine for a long time, and I feel she's a lot of the reason I'm still going strong with my novel. But as I am a writer, I can't really help myself scrutinizing books that I read, and I still think this was really well done.

Why I Read

Fiction, in particular. I thought I'd write another post in the same vein as my last one. I have a number of friends who don't read fiction, or don't read at all. I'll explain my own interest in the genre, and maybe it will inspire someone to start. 

Some people say the only reason people read fiction is escapism. Life is hard, and the only way to enjoy it sometimes is to live in a different one. This may be true at times for me, but it is by no means the main reason I read fiction. This morning I read the introduction to a short story anthology, Stories: All-New Tales, edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio. Gaiman has hit the nail on the head for me. He says:

"When I was a child ... I wanted stories, and I wanted them always, and I wanted the experience that only fiction could give me: I wanted to be inside them. Television and cinema were all very well, but these stories happened to other people. The stories I found in books happened inside my head. I was, in some way, there. It's the magic of fiction: you take the words and you build them into worlds."

He then explains that for him, the joy of fiction comes down to four words:

"...and then what happened?"

In the introduction, Gaiman also says:

"G. K. Chesterton compared fantastic fiction to going on holiday--that the importance of your holiday is the moment you return, and you see the place you live with fresh eyes."

It is not about escaping this world. It is about coming back to it.

For me, it is about the beauty of the imagination, and being able to see my own life, my problems and blessings, in a new light. Sometimes a story can remind you how lucky you are that your life is the way it is. Sometimes it can help you understand something you couldn't before. It's less about learning something practical and more about learning something about yourself, something philosophical. Sometimes it can inspire you to do something. Quite often, good fiction makes me want to write.

And at times, fiction helps you not take life quite so seriously. We all need a bit of that sometimes.

"There is something waiting for you. So turn the page."

Why I Write

Yet again, I felt like I've been patted on the head and told, "How cute, you write!" It's inescapable as a writer. When it happens, I'm more bothered than I probably should be, and so I'd like to explain my thoughts on the matter. Perhaps it'll help clear my head.

Let me first say that when you have a friend that writes, encourage them. It does not matter how good they are, or what they write. The simple fact is that if they continue writing--and reading--they'll get better. If they persevere enough, they may even go somewhere with it. I believe it is a noble hobby, a way to bring something of your own to the world, whether to brighten someone's day or benefit society as a whole.

It is not a simple thing. Writing is hard work, no matter what it is. And the publishing industry is brutal (except self-publishing is getting easier with things like ebooks). It's no wonder there are so many people who dream of it, one day, but never do it, or don't end up trying hard enough. Writers should be respected for this perseverance.

That is not to say that no one writes for the sole reason to be famous. This is not something I agree with, but sadly, it does happen, and some people get away with it. Their writing is not particularly amazing, but they get the marketing part down and are lucky enough to succeed, and the rest of us are left grumbling and writing angry blog posts.

There is of course some part of me that would love to be famous for my writing, but I know it is not something I can count on. It is insanely difficult to not only be published, but also well-known. This is why I do my best to let that dream go and instead write for the experience. After the fun of playing with words and putting them in an order you think is pleasing, when a friend or mentor reads your work and tells you you're getting better, it's an incredible feeling. It doesn't matter that only one person has read it. It doesn't matter if no one else in the world knows you like to write. The feeling of doing something right is incredible. It's on par with the feeling of fixing a coding bug.

Not to mention the thrill of playing God. You decide what people look and speak like, where they go, who they meet, what happens to them (in fiction writing, anyway). This sort of thing takes practice, like exercising an "imagination" muscle. I believe everyone has the possibility, but not everyone has the time, interest, or self-confidence to do it.

Particularly if you see a writer in person, know that it took courage for them, at some point in their lives, to even admit to themselves that they like to write, and that they're good enough--or they can be good enough one day--to be read.

Nothing can be created without first being dreamed, and these dreams are precious things. I believe a good life is one in which someone follows their dreams, and their happiness. This does involve being realistic, which is why I did not get a degree in creative writing; I knew that I didn't want to depend on writing for income, and I had another love, logic and computers, which helped the realistic end of things (of course I also don't believe you need a degree in writing to be good at it). But my hobby and other love is writing, and nothing will ever change that.

First Impressions

The first week at work, and first full week at my new flat, has been great. I can tell I'm going to be spoiled living here, I won't want anything less when I find a new place at the end of the summer. I had a flatwarming party last night, mostly with friends from university, which was excellent. Good food, good drink, good banter. Not to mention good cookies. I'm probably a bit too proud of them, I should stop mentioning them...

Despite the longer commute than I expected, work has been good and I can tell will continue to be even more enjoyable. After a couple of days being my quiet self, I finally had lunch with my team, met some people from other teams, and was invited out to a couple of different weekly outings. They're all great people. There are even a few guys on an exchange from Japan in our team! I may not have a lot of time to be social in the evenings when I get home, but at least I can be social at work.

The work itself is a bit slow, but it is only the first week, and I'm still learning all the new technologies. I think by tomorrow though, I'll be able to start working on something more concrete. I'll have to skip the details (which may be uninteresting to a lot of you anyway), but suffice to say, the end products the company produces are pretty impressive!

On the long commute I've gotten a lot of reading done, so look out for another book review in the next few days (I hope). And very soon, I'll be showing my parents around Scotland, and finally graduating!

Post-University

My post-university life--new flat, new job, new friends--has started to take shape (though I won't officially "graduate" until the end of June). I moved out of university accommodation yesterday, and have spent today finishing unpacking and taking full advantage of my very own kitchen. I bought sesame bagels yesterday on a whim, and for lunch today had one toasted with cheese, pepperoni, and salami. I also went shopping for baking tools like measuring spoons and mixing bowls, and finally made a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies, for the first time in at least a year. I've mentioned these same cookies before in my blog. The recipe is from a spiral-bound book given to me when I was little called Cookie Capers. I make the "Chocolate Chip Valentine" recipe, but instead of using a heart-shaped pan, I make individual cookies. I should probably branch out and try some other recipes in the book, but this one is so tasty and I bake so infrequently, it's the only one I bother with. Maybe that will change, now that I have all this time to myself in the evenings and on weekends. And of course a lovely kitchen!

One more leisurely day tomorrow, and then I start work on Monday. I'm more excited than nervous! I have a friend who has the same commute as me and started work last week. He says the commute is fine so far, a good way to wake up in the morning and wind down in the evening. Other than that, I don't know how similar our work situations will be, since my job is only an internship. My hope is that it will be enjoyable enough that I wake up in the morning and look forward to working, and that I'll meet many new potential friends, and start creating more of a social circle for myself in the area. Only time will tell!

Also, my classmates and I have finally received our degree classifications. In the British system, this is essentially a GPA. Mine is a 2:1, or an upper second class degree. This is what most companies ask for from computing science graduates, and anything more is essentially bragging rights. It could be considered a B average, but honestly, it is much more difficult to get a B in Britain than it is in America. I'm very relieved at how well I did, since I was only on the edge of this average at the end of last year. Only the few people at the very top of the class get the degree classification higher than a 2:1, which is a 1:1, or a "first." Now I just have to wait for my grades for the individual classes to be released, which have only been delayed because of a technical problem that's lasted for days. My classmates and I are all quite annoyed. But at least I know I did well overall--I can start my new job with confidence that I'm qualified!