A Place

A place is my desk and at this desk this morning I am listening to Rufus Wainwright who is a divine singing angel man child.

http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMrZ7lChK-g&NR=1&feature=fvwp

His Hallelujah is right up there with Jeff Buckley's, another divine and in this case true angel, really did you have to go for that swim?

My Booky Wook

My reading this week was Russell Brands My Booky Wook.

I love listening to Russell Brand speak, his big fat thick Essex accent combined with his I'm-a-bit-of-a-geezer-but-I-will-throw-something-really-smart-in-to-confuse-you is great to listen too.

But reading it is a bit rough. I think it is a bit soon for a book about his life. He has been through so much and he really does seem a changed man but he is only 34. It is a light read, with not always light content.

If you really love Russell you might want to read it, but I would say at this point, stick to his Ponderland and stand up, they are truly funny.

http://http://www.russellbrand.tv/

The Hangover

If you are looking for a bit of light fun for a very hot Sunday head to the video shop and get The Hangover. I giggled most of the way through and loved Allan. You'll get why when you watch it!
http://http://hangovermovie.warnerbros.com/

and now for a bit of Allen.........
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsFZFHzf2d8

Under the Dome

Under the Dome by Stephen King is a fantastic epic.

http://http//www.stephenking.com/index.html

It is as good a The Stand and for people who thought he was not as sharp as he used to be, it is totally on point. For the record I did not think he had lost it, I liked Cell and Duma Key.
http://http//www.stephenking.com/library/novel/cell.html
http://http//www.stephenking.com/library/novel/duma_key.html

Stephen King is a master at putting the whole world in a small town and he has done it here again. In the Dome a mysterious barrier appears over a small town in Maine and in following days we watch the good and bad unfold.

What I always enjoy in Stephen King books is that the baddies are baaaaaad. You can hate them at will. The weak make you aware of your back bone and question how firmly it is in place and the good make you want to be better.

In one or two well formed sentences he forms a firm character and even if they are fleeting in the book, they stay with you. You mourn the ones who go too quick and wish it weren't so.

At 877 pages I did not find it too long and my attention did not at any point wane.

Serious readers often dismiss Stephen King because of his subject matter. Snobs! What they are losing out on is, fantastical plots, memorable characters and some of the best sentences you will ever read.

Just because his subject matter is kooky at times does not ever take away from his true and shinning talent as a writer. I read once where he said that the book he did not do as well as he wanted was Needful Things, he was still drinking and taking drugs at the time. If Needful Things is a reflection of him not at his best, woe to the rest of us who put pen to paper.
http://http//www.stephenking.com/library/novel/needful_things.html

He also writes relationships beautifully. He is a master of 'Phileo' or brotherly(sisterly) love. His friendships are tender in the most wonderful way. And he writes woman well, some many times a book can be ruined for me because of some glaring mistake a male writer makes when he is writing a woman. Stephen King never does that. He never underestimates us. Not for a our goodness and not in our ability to be bad.

If you like Stephen King get this book, get it at QDB where it is on sale. If you have not read any Stephen King get one and give him a go. I love this writer and I make no bones about been a fan, that does not mean I am indiscriminate in my love, I would not recommend Gerald's Game, but I have not given up on it, one day I will go back to it, I am sure, read it and enjoy it.
http://http//www.stephenking.com/library/novel/gerald_s_game.html

On a side track to Mr King and his new book, weird things happen when I read Stephen King.
Here is a little list of what has happened to me while reading his works.

The Shinning
While I was reading this one, during part of the book that talks about the time the main character and a friend think they have hit a bike rider while drink driving, my little red tricycle which I have from my childhood and was in the top of my cupboard fell out on too my bedroom floor, the book freaked me out so much that the book had to stay outside my bedroom door while I slept!

IT
This one was great, firstly while I was reading the part about the bird watching gone wrong, I looked out my window and saw the most freaking weired bird ever. Never ever seen anything like it and thought IT was coming for me. I took a photo and showed a friend, thank goodness for Scientist, she explained that different birds could mate (explaining the very odd bird) and have off-spring but the off-spring would be like a mule and be barren, so no the IT was not coming for me!

Then whilst I was reading IT we moved house, the very first morning in our new home, I wake up to a lovely sunny morning, look out the window and see what looks like a yellow balloon with a smiley face on it!! PUKE! Then I calmed myself down, made myself go outside and have a look, the whole time waiting to be eaten by IT, and found out it was a yellow ball with a smiley face on it that the little boys from next door had lost over our fence.

Tommyknockers
While reading this one, not long after the radiation poisoning starts in the book and characters teeth start falling out, I had two teeth crumble and come out. This was because of a serious medication I was taking but it did freak me well out!

Under the Dome
This was great, I had just read about the falling stars in the book, then took my Dog outside for his evening "walk" and I look up and see a green streak in the sky and a massive falling star! It may not have been pink like in the book but it did give me goose bumps!
http://http//www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,1,26375522-952,00.html

All of that will make sense when you read those books or if you have already done so.

Here is my last one to leave you with, after you have read Under the Dome you will need to ask yourself;

Are you are Friend of Dale Barbara?

Reading new Stephen King book,
Can't talk reading!

http://http//www.stephenking.com/index.html

Have read the book and will do the reveiw soon as time permits.

And yes you should read all 850 pages!

Moonstruck

A quick note on Moonstruck, I watched it again yesterday, it must have been about 10 years since I watched it, and goodness it is still a fantastic film!

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonstruck

If I could have, I would have taken Cher and Nicolas Cage straight from the film set to a giant freezer and put them in it to preserve them forever at their prime! They are both luminous in this film and I don't think I have ever seen them this glowing since!

If you see it at the Video Store and you need a lift get it out and enjoy it again or for the first time.

Falling Angles

I reviewed Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier a few weeks ago and saw that there was only one of her books I had not read, so I ordered it at work and read it on the weekend.

Falling Angels opens with the death of Queen Victoria and with her death the end of the Victorian era. We meet two families, one family stalwarts of Victorian ideals and the others moving towards the modern ideas of Edwardian England.

We see friction arise from the ideas of changing times, movements to change laws and the breaking down of class ideas. The life of the two families cross and intersect over 10 years.

As I read this book I was constantly reminded of John Galsworthy's "The Forsyte Saga".

http://http//www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/224611/John-Galsworthy

In fact it is like a mini version of that mammoth classic! And that is a compliment. In 401 pages Tracy Chevalier covers a similar time frame and ideas, that you read in the 3 books of 'The Forsyte Saga.

I was fascinated by the forms of Morning and rites of death that where in place during these times and are used as a metaphor in this book.

http://http//www.antiquedress.com/item4714.htm

The dress that you can see from the above link is not a Morning Dress for the reasons below;

"The hemline is fully pleated and has a "kilting" of magenta pleated satin peeking out from under the black satin - which, according to the expert - proclaims that this gown could not, under any circumstances, be worn for mourning."

http://http//www.antiquedress.com/gallery.htm

(above is a wonderful website and I can spend hours hours here just looking at the wonderful creations. As a side note, these dresses and all other "women's" craft over the millennium to me are amazing because they show what woman could do and what they where "allowed" to do to be creative. For every one Artemisia there must have been hundreds of women who could not have a creative outlet like that, but had to relye on dress making or cross stitch or tatting to express themselves.)

http://http//www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/229350/Artemisia-Gentileschi

Sorry about that back to the book.

Falling Angles is a good read, in fact I would have liked it more if there was more to read! I found it just a teeny tiny bit to brief.

It also contains one of the most beautifully tragic lines I have ever read.

"Over his shoulder I saw a star fall. It was me."

Read that in context and tell me if you don't cry.