Adult or YA?

Which do you prefer: Adult -or- Young Adult books? Or, both? Why? I cannot even compare the two because I hardly read YA books. The ones (YA) I did read just happen to be of serious disposition. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is told from the perspective of a nine-year-old, who [...]

Oscars Predictions

Updated with actual results: Best Picture: The King’s Speech Best Director: Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter Best Original Screenplay: The King’s Speech Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network [...]

Obscure Batch of Books

Yesterday a batch from Book Depository, which ships to anywhere within the U.S. for free without a minimum purchase, arrived safely at my door. I have to say even the Borders liquidation sale cannot beat the free shipping from Book Depository. Maybe that is what justifies I didn’t go ballistic at the local sale. I [...]

[346] The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro

” There is one situation and one situation only in which a butler who cares about his dignity may feel free to unburden himself of his role; that is to say, when he is entirely alone. You will appreciate then that in the event of Miss Kenton bursting in at a time when I had [...]

Something Old, Something New

All other things being equal––do you prefer used books? Or new books? (The physical specimen, that is, not the title.) Does your preference differentiate between a standard kind of used book, and a pristine, leather-bound copy? All other things being equal, and financial consideration aside, I still prefer a trade paperback for its lighter weight [...]

Butler and English Countryside

I have qualms about the failure to recall details from endearing novels. The obdurate pursuit to preserving memories of these great literature works spawns the effort to re-read. A good inventive for me to re-read, at least to me, is to refresh my memory before watching a film adaptation. The next viewing is based on [...]

[345] House Made of Dawn – N. Scott Momaday

” And Abel was running. He was naked to the waist, and his arms and shoulders had been marked with brutal wood and ashes. The cold rain slanted down upon him and left his skin mottled and streaked. The road carved out and lay into the bank of rain beyond, and Abel was running. Against [...]

Read the Book, Watch the Film (1)

Based on the 1952 novel A Many-Splendoured Thing by Han Suyin, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) is set in 1949-50 Hong Kong. It tells the story of a married, but separated, American reporter (played by William Holden), who falls in love with a Eurasian doctor originally from China (played by Jennifer Jones), only to [...]

Borders On the Border

While Borders is not completely going under, the era in which the 40-year-old big box dominated the industry and drove mom-and-pop local bookstores out of business is ending with a sour note, as the financially troubled company announced Wednesday it was closing at least 200 of its 642 superstores nationwide, of which 12 are in [...]

Intimidation List

I’ve been making dents in my TBR pile. While I am happy with the progress, I am intimidated by a good number of the books, for various reasons: Houe Made of Dawn N. Scott Momaday. Currently perusing it with undivided attention. The prose, beautiful but arduous, always seemed hazy to me that I rushed through [...]