Posted August 31, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Monthly Reading / 0 Comments
As August comes to a close I would love to hear what people’s thoughts were of the monthly book; The Master and Margarita. It’s a classic novel but it was a really bizarre book to read, that stayed with me for a very long time before I could finally write my thoughts on the book. But I tend to enjoy books that stay with me like that; I like books that are thought provoking. Reminder that next month we well be reading another classic for our Southern Gothic theme. While some people argue this book isn’t technically Southern Gothic, I’m sure we will have some interesting discussions on William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. If you’re not aware, this book will be discussed over on the Goodreads forums, so feel free to join in there.
My monthly reading for August has been really great, I went into the month thinking I’ll be busy trying to read all the books I wanted to read, but while I read most of them, I surprised myself by managing seventeen books this months. I’ve read some amazing books including The Dinner, The Angel’s Game and The Age of Miracles. But the highlights for me were Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, a satirical look at the war of terror and how we support the troops and The Colour of Milk, an adorable little book about a strong minded girl in 1831 trying to learn to read and write.
August’s Books
- Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
- Redshirts by John Scalzi
- This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
- Thirst by L.A. Larkin
- Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen
- True Grit by Charles Portis
- Geekomancy by Michael R. Underwood
- The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
- Fifty Shames of Earl Grey by Fanny Merkin
- A Life with Books by Julian Barnes
- The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
- The Dinner by Herman Koch
- The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
- Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
- The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon
Posted August 30, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Book of the Month, Classic, Magical Realism / 0 Comments
Title: The Master and Margarita (Goodreads)
Author: Mikhail Bulgakov
Translator: Larissa Volokhonsky, Richard Pevear
Published: Vintage, 1967
Pages: 384
Genres: Classic, Magical Realism
My Copy: Personal Copy
Buy: Amazon, Book Depository (or visit your local Indie bookstore)
I’m going to be honest; I have no idea how to review a book like The Master and Margarita. I was looking forward to reading another Russian classic but I don’t think anyone can be fully prepared for a book like this. The whole book is based around a visit by the Devil to two passionately atheistic Russians. While this is an overly simplified synopsis it really is basis of the entire book; if I really want to write a fully detailed overview of this book it would include a black cat, an assassin, a naked witch, Jesus and Pontius Pilate in one very bizarre novel. I read this book about a week ago but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, there is a lot going on within the book to really be able to give this a review that would give it justice.
To simplify this book I’m going to break down the book into three different elements; the Professor’s talk with the Berlioz and Bezdomny, the section involving the Master and his lover Margarita and lastly the novel about Pontius Pilate. At first glance all these sections may seems like they don’t link together, but when the Professor or the devil challenges the two’s concepts of atheism the conversation leads to the book about Pilate which happens to be a novel written by the Master and the book comes together in a weird, philosophical novel with shades of slapstick comedy.
I tend to write short reviews because I don’t want to spoil novels and want to write easy, accessible reviews; so if I write anything more about the plot I would have to write a lot, too much for a short review so I’m going to stop talking about the book and start talking about my opinions of it. While reading this novel I was completely absorbed in the writing, but this meant I continued reading without stopping to really think about the book. In the end my head was swimming with so many thoughts of this book I wasn’t sure how I felt. Now that I’ve sorted my thoughts all I really can say it’s one of those books you just have to read to fully understand the effect of it.
While it took me a while to fully sort my thoughts of this book, I really did enjoy it. It’s one of those books like Slaughterhouse-Five where you can’t really rate or review it until you have had a good long think about all the concepts this book is trying to get across. I highly recommend experiencing this novel; it is like nothing I’ve ever read before. The wacky nature of this book will keep you reading but the philosophical ideas will help you enjoy this novel. I don’t think any review will ever do justice to this classic; especially not mine so my only advice and the only thing you really need to know about this book is ‘Just read it.’
Posted August 21, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Question Tuesday / 0 Comments
If you want some intelligent and interesting answers on anything crime related you should turn to blahblahblahtoby; I’ve been friends with him on Goodreads and he always has been interesting person to have in a Goodreads group. But I’ve been slack and haven’t been following his blog, so I thought I would read through some of it today and found some interesting questions he asked on a recent post. Which I thought I would answer for this week’s Question Tuesday post.
1. If the events of Purple Rose of Cairo could really happen, which movie character would you want to walk off of the screen in to your miserable little life?
Jessica Rabbit (she’s real right?)…don’t tell my wife
2. If you were marooned on another planet with a limited space hard drive on your solar powered Macbook Pro (I’m sure Steve Jobs had them working on this before he died) what three movies would you like to have in your videos folder?
This really is touch one, I think I would have Brick staring Joseph Gordon Lovett, Miller’s Crossing by the Cohen Brothers and Hot Fuzz for some light entertainment.
3. Is reading 50 Shades of Grey on public transport a badge of pride, a cry for help, a statement of sexual dissatisfaction or a label that screams “easily led by media fads”?
If it’s a fad, I want it to stop already. I think some of them think that we have no idea what they are reading and think they are getting away with it; you’re not fooling anyone.
4. If you had to live in the world of crime fiction would you prefer to be in an Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler or Steig Larsson book?
I don’t speak Swedish so Larson is out, I don’t think I’m rich enough for Christie and I adore the 1940’s; so give me the dark, gritty world of Chandler.
5. You’re stranded for 227 days in a boat with one animal, do you think a Bengal Tiger would eat you?
Yes, on day 1
6. What superhero franchise would you give a dark and depressing Batman style reboot to on the big screen?
I’m a fan of The Punisher, I think it needs a darker, depressing film made of the franchise, the last one was too much of a blockbuster film.
7. Gotham Central is a series of comic books about the lives of the Gotham City Police Department and Death Comes To Pemberley is a detective novel set in the world of Pride & Prejudice, what fictional world would you like to see turned in to crime fiction and what type would it be?
I’ve not read any good Noir style comic books; I would like to see one set in gritty LA. Are there any out there?
8. Mint, Sage, Rosemary and Cinnamon, what flavour would you choose for your old fashioned tooth powder recipe?
Mint; only because I’m used to it with tooth paste.
9. You’re tasked with programming an independent film festival, what genre do you focus on? Documentary, Horror, Anime, Martial Arts or World Cinema?
It would have to be a film noir festival but I do like the idea of a bad film festival were people can watch terrible movies to make fun of them.
10. Witches, burn them at the stake or dunk them in the lake?
Build a bridge out of them
11. Which city in Europe would you most like to visit during the 2012 London Olympics?
I would like to go back to Spain for some food but I would have to say, I need to visit the Fatherland….for the food. I can’t help it I love German food.
If you have a question you would like to ask me or maybe a list of questions, please let me know via the contact me form.
Posted August 14, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Question Tuesday / 0 Comments
If you are a regular reader or know me at all you’ll know the answer to this question is Dark, Gritty and Hardboiled. I’m a big fan of the hardboiled and Noir genres that have become famous in the 1940’s and you can see book reviews for these types of books under Pulp (if you are curious to know the difference between Hardboiled and Noir check out this post).
I’ve always been a fan of the dark and realistic, and while I do like that occasional cosy read, I often feel that the downplaying can often be overdone and in the end, I tend to not enjoy them. Those major bestselling crime novels tend to annoy me because they all feel formulaic and predictable. I want the laconic and dispassionate styles of a good pulp novel.
I know pulp novels don’t seem to be very popular anymore, there are some novelists that still write them like James Ellroy, James Sallis and Lawrence Block but I would love to know what others think of this genre and what they look for in a crime novel.
Posted August 7, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Question Tuesday / 0 Comments
When I was young I really loved the book There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake by Hazel Edwards about an imaginary Hippo on the roof eating cake, it turned out to be ‘special’ cake. I don’t know why I liked that book but I remember that I wanted it read to me over and over again. I probably could remember every single word from that book. Nowadays I have read a couple of picture books that I thought were quite entertaining. Where were these types of books when I was a child? You know the ones, they are written as a children’s book but they have this black humour to them that appeals to adults.
Here are some examples (while some of these might be considered parodies, they are still great);
Goodnight iPad by Ann Droyd
In a bright buzzing room, in the glow of the moon-and iPhones and Androids and Blackberries too-it is time to say goodnight…
It’s a Book by Lane Smith
IT’S A BOOK is a delightful manifesto on behalf of print in the digital age. This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to readers of all stripes and all ages.
Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
Go the F**k to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don’t always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland.
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
A bear has lost his hat. What if he never sees it again? WAIT! He has seen his hat…
Now it’s your turn, what Children’s books do you like? And based on the books I’ve mentioned about, are there other books that I should read?
Posted August 3, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Random / 0 Comments
This is a tag that I saw on A Room of One’s Own and then a few other blogs so I thought it might be interesting to get involved too. Basically you answer all the questions with the books you’ve read this year to reflect your own life.
Describe Yourself: A Perfectly Good Man
How Do You Feel: Limitless
Describe Where You Currently Live: The Red House
If You Could Go Anywhere, Where Would You Go: Empire State
Your Favorite Form of Transportation: Drive
Your Best Friend is: The Devil all The Time
You and Your Friends are: Beneath the Darkening Sky
What’s the Weather Like: A Brewing Storm
You Fear: The Gunslinger
What’s the Best Advice You Have to Give: Beat the Reaper
Thought For the Day: I Want My Hat Back
How I Would Like to Die: The Hanging Garden
My Soul’s Present Condition: Gold
If you are planning to get involved then let me know you in the comments below.
Posted July 31, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Monthly Reading / 0 Comments
How did everyone enjoy Life of Pi? What were your final thoughts? As you can see by my review, I didn’t think much of this book but I was pleased to see so many others enjoying the book. If you go the Goodreads forum you can see some interesting discussions about the book, zoology, religion, philosophy. This book was a great pick for a group read because of all the elements in the book worth discussing. Next month we are reading a book I’m really excited about; have you got your copy of The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov yet?
July has been a great month for me, mainly because I was on vacation for most of it. Luckily I had plenty of scheduled posts to keep people entertained and I hope there were some enjoyable posts for you. Because of the vacation I feel like my reading dropped off a little, but realistically it does seem to be about the same. Highlights for me this month include The Passage; a book I’ve been putting off but a wonderful and refreshing look at a post-apocalyptic world and the people struggling for survival. My local book club were reading Gold by Chris Cleave and what a wonderful novel this one is; the book follows three Olympic racers through their life leading up to London 2012, the characters really made this book. Lastly, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a YA novel that reminds me a lot of Looking for Alaska by John Green, it’s a brilliant and addictive read into the life of a high school wallflower.
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
- The Informers by Bret Easton Ellis
- The Forrests by Emily Perkins
- Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
- Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
- Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton
- The Passage by Justin Cronin
- The Trial by Franz Kafka
- Gold by Chris Cleave
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Posted July 30, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Book of the Month, Literary Fiction / 0 Comments
Title: Life of Pi (Goodreads)
Author: Yann Martel
Published: Knopf Doubleday, 2001
Pages: 356
Genres: Literary Fiction
My Copy: Personal Copy
Buy: Amazon, Book Depository, Kindle (or visit your local Indie bookstore)
This month’s book club book was Life of Pi by Yann Martel and it seems to be one of those books that is hyped up so much that you don’t know whether to believe it or just groan at the thought of reading it. The book tells the story of Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, an Indian boy growing up and exploring spirituality at a very young age. Pi finds himself in a shipwreck which leads him to be stranded on a boat with a Bengal tiger.
The book starts off with Pi’s early years; with his dad working at a zoo, Pi discovers a lot to do with zoology and animal psychology. This aspect of the book would really appeal to animal lovers and people interested in the animal behaviour in general. Then we see Pi exploring religion and deciding he was Hindu, Christian and Islamic, which really bugged me. I really never understood why he would embrace all religions apart from the fact that he “just wants to love god.” This took up the first half of the book and I personally wanted to get past this and really get into the core part of this book; the part involving the boat and the tiger.
When the shipwreck finally came, I was expecting the book to pick up but it decided to focus more on philosophy and while I’m interested in this aspect of the book, I felt the Life of Pi had already tried to do too much already and adding this to the book was the last straw for me. There were plenty of aspects in the book that were interesting but as a whole it tried to do so much and I never felt like it achieved anything.
This book reminds me so much of The Alchemist in the sense it was very basic and it tries to talk about religion and philosophy but turns out to be incredibly overrated. I know a lot of people like both books (Life of Pi and The Alchemist) but I never connected with either, I was expecting a lot more from this but I was left waiting. It’s interesting to see books like this that seem to be either well-loved or well hated but not much in the middle. Life of Pi won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2002 and a string of other awards but for me, I felt the literary aspects were minimal, the religious and philosophical parts overdone and the book in its entirety, over hyped. I know many people love this book and if you do decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it more than I did.
Posted July 26, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literary News / 0 Comments
The 2012 Man Booker long list was announced today. Here is what the judges thought were the best books of the past year;
- The Yips by Nicola Barker (Fourth Estate)
- The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman (Sceptre)
- Philida by André Brink (Harvill Secker)
- The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (Myrmidon Books)
- Skios by Michael Frayn (Faber & Faber)
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (Doubleday)
- Swimming Home by Deborah Levy (And Other Stories)
- Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (Fourth Estate)
- The Lighthouse by Alison Moore (Salt)
- Umbrella by Will Self (Bloomsbury)
- Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil (Faber & Faber)
- Communion Town by Sam Thompson (Fourth Estate)
How many of the books have you read so far? I haven’t read any of them.
Posted July 24, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Question Tuesday / 0 Comments
When I was in school I wasn’t interested in studying and I didn’t do well in school. I didn’t really have much interest in anything, except computers and music. It wasn’t until 2009 when I discovered my mind crush Craig Schuftan did I really start reading and wanting to learn. I started Knowledge Lost because I found my passion and I wanted to write what I’d learned while learning. I know I don’t write on that blog as much as I should but I still love it and want to keep it there to write anything that I learn. When I started Literary Exploration (the blog) it was because in my love for learning I found a love of literature and I wanted a place to document my literary journey without overcrowding Knowledge Lost with book rants. The idea was to have Knowledge Lost to be educational and Literary Exploration to be about literature.
I decided at the beginning of the year that while I was having fun being an autodidact, I wanted to learn more and enrolled in university. I’ve never been to a higher learning facility to learn something I was passionate about but I wanted to explore my passion and hopefully one day land a job in a field relevant to it. I decided a Bachelor of Arts would be a good place to start. It will give me a good overview of the topics I’m interested in and also I can get a degree in English Literature.
I’ve discovered that my love for learning and the arts has been growing and I (not so) secretly want to get so many degrees it’s not funny. While I will focus on the English Literature degree, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to take some classes in other discipline to get an idea about what they are like. Now I’m only doing this part time while working full time which is a shame because at my rate the first degree will take me about ten to twelve years. But if I had the time I would want to dive into some of these disciplines as well (not for a full degree but to have some more information about them);
- Art History
- Criminology
- Journalism
- New Media Studies
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Screen Studies
- Sociology
And the list will probably expand. I know my love for literature will increase with my studies but I wanted to also share my passion of learning and the humanities with you as well. I hope to experience a taste in all these subjects and who knows, maybe one day I might get a chance to share about them over at Knowledge Lost.
I would love people to share about their passions and experiences with studying their passion in the comments below.
