I can remember the second to last time I stayed up all night to finish a book. It was Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres. I was in hotel room in Dallas, puffy eyed, tearful and extremely tired as I turned the last page at 4:30 am knowing I had an 11 o'clock meeting the same day. To make matters worse I had been traveling for 20 hours prior to arriving in Dallas from my home in New Zealand. That was at least a decade ago and I have (or should say had) come to my senses about such things.
The last time (and possibly only ever time) I have read all night was last week when I completed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins in a single sitting. The four am finish is the only similarity however. I was not at all emotional (strange given that so many young people lose their lives for seemingly insubstantial reasons. To describe this book as a page-turner is inadequate. Gripping is insufficient. Suzanne Collins has created a story and characters that are incredibly engaging and accessible, so it is surprising that the emotional hooks were not present. They couldn't be of course, otherwise the book would simply be too, too depressing. This is consummate story-telling and writing at its best.
Once I recover, I shall read the second book with similar gusto I suspect, since I am already anticipating the story of Katniss' return home.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
When is it reasonable to give up on a book?
I think I was nearly 40 before I got the courage to stop reading a book I didn't like. I have no idea why I persisted. In the hope that the story would improve? To find out what happened? Or simply because it felt guilty to not finish?
When I was a child I read voraciously - books came home, books went back to the library in a seemingly unstoppable pattern. I finished every book I took out of the library. I would no sooner have left a book unfinished than left food on my dinner plate. Unfinished dinners are an entirely different topic, but I am sure that my inability to stop eating even when full is related to the obsession to "clear my dinner plate." But back to the topic....
I can now put down a book unfinished. I stopped reading the second Harry Potter book around page 81 - I was sick of waiting for the story to begin. It just seemed so repetitive of the first book, which I loved. I have to live with the fact that I am the only person I know who has not read the entire series. And soon, I will be an outcast in my own home as even my youngest child catches up!
Speaking of the youngest offspring, he seems unburdened by any sense of conformity. At nine years old, he has requested I again start reading at night to him - it seemed to go by the wayside when he could read junior novels himself. We started a month ago with Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. What a treasure. My son was a bit put off with my choice (I'm choosing the books if I'm reading!) but he soon became entirely engrossed with this WONDERFUL story.
We are currently thoroughly engaged with Henry and The Flea by Brian Falkner, also known as The Flea Thing in USA. I have read this before and really enjoyed it. It's been offered many times to both boys, but in the style of "never-read-anything-your-mother-suggests" had been rejected it. The youngest son is begging me to not stop reading each night. I suspect I will wake up one morning to find he's finished it.
But back to the topic....in between these two wonderful books, we stopped reading a book that simply wasn't holding our attention. I'm not going to mention the book title, because that is not the point. The point is that my nine year old has learnt one of the most important lessons in life, and he did so decades before I did. Life is too short to read a bad book - there are just so many fantastic books to read that you can move on, and do so without a moment of guilt. How liberating.
When I was a child I read voraciously - books came home, books went back to the library in a seemingly unstoppable pattern. I finished every book I took out of the library. I would no sooner have left a book unfinished than left food on my dinner plate. Unfinished dinners are an entirely different topic, but I am sure that my inability to stop eating even when full is related to the obsession to "clear my dinner plate." But back to the topic....
I can now put down a book unfinished. I stopped reading the second Harry Potter book around page 81 - I was sick of waiting for the story to begin. It just seemed so repetitive of the first book, which I loved. I have to live with the fact that I am the only person I know who has not read the entire series. And soon, I will be an outcast in my own home as even my youngest child catches up!
Speaking of the youngest offspring, he seems unburdened by any sense of conformity. At nine years old, he has requested I again start reading at night to him - it seemed to go by the wayside when he could read junior novels himself. We started a month ago with Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. What a treasure. My son was a bit put off with my choice (I'm choosing the books if I'm reading!) but he soon became entirely engrossed with this WONDERFUL story.
We are currently thoroughly engaged with Henry and The Flea by Brian Falkner, also known as The Flea Thing in USA. I have read this before and really enjoyed it. It's been offered many times to both boys, but in the style of "never-read-anything-your-mother-suggests" had been rejected it. The youngest son is begging me to not stop reading each night. I suspect I will wake up one morning to find he's finished it.
But back to the topic....in between these two wonderful books, we stopped reading a book that simply wasn't holding our attention. I'm not going to mention the book title, because that is not the point. The point is that my nine year old has learnt one of the most important lessons in life, and he did so decades before I did. Life is too short to read a bad book - there are just so many fantastic books to read that you can move on, and do so without a moment of guilt. How liberating.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
When is a book not a book? When is a phone not a phone?
I have just taken possession of a new iPhone 4S. In reality the telephone functions are not that great - there are no dedicated call and quit buttons; the email functions are fairly challenging, and I like the keyboard on my Blackberry better. But, you don't buy a phone cause you want to call someone easily right? Its all the OTHER stuff.
The screen is divine - crystal clear and huge. The apps are plentiful and having said I would not download any, I have already downloaded several. They are simply irresistible! So, the first one was the Kindle app. So I can now access my kindle books on my phone...nice! And the screen is very readable. Then it was Facebook, Goodreads, an online auction site....and the latest ones tonight - I downloaded an interactive periodic table, a night sky app and the Lion Brand app. Mental note - look up eSty and Ravelry!
So the phone is not a phone after all.
And books, well they've been morphing into a digital form for a while. So when I came across French Canadian artist Guy Laramee, I just had to share. The exquisite carvings created from "real' books are astounding.
The screen is divine - crystal clear and huge. The apps are plentiful and having said I would not download any, I have already downloaded several. They are simply irresistible! So, the first one was the Kindle app. So I can now access my kindle books on my phone...nice! And the screen is very readable. Then it was Facebook, Goodreads, an online auction site....and the latest ones tonight - I downloaded an interactive periodic table, a night sky app and the Lion Brand app. Mental note - look up eSty and Ravelry!
So the phone is not a phone after all.
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| Copyright Guy Laramee |
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| Copyright Guy Laramee |
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
It is possible to successfully self-publish?
I am intrigued by the factors that make a book a bestseller. When my first book was published in 1999, I was introduced into a whole new language - trade press, international rights, special book rates, and the seemingly evil "vanity publishing." Vanity publishing, when it was heard, was always preceded by a pause and a slight curl of the lips, and followed immediately by a know-all smug grin.
You see, last century, vanity publishing was something you did because a "real" publisher would not accept your book. It implied that your book as not good enough. Self-publsihed authors were not celebrated, their books were not eligible for awards, and in general they were second rate. And in fact, they often were. Many were not edited, nor proofread, and lacked quality design. To be honest, you could spot a self-published book at fifty yards - they screamed amateur at you.
Fast forward to 2010, bookshops and publishers have merged, liquidated and down-sized. Most publishers have cut their lists and e-books have taken flight. There are numerous platforms for self-publishing. And to be honest, its difficult to understand why you would not do it.
In the past, you might receive 10% of the retail price of a book. So, if the RRP was $9.99, AND you sold 10,000 copies, you might received $10,000 in royalties. If you self-publsih, the royalties on an e-book might be as high as 70%, but lets say its 50%, you only need to sell 2000 books at $9.99 (Amazon's seemingly desired level) or if you do sell the book for $2.99, a level that people choose to take a chance, and you sell only 5000 books, the royalty cheque will be $7500. And you are likely to see the money sooner, since the lead time for a mainstream publishing contract is considerably longer.
Ultimately, whether the book becomes a bestseller, depends on many factors - some in your control and some not. So when you hear that a self-publsihed author has sold 1.5 millions copies of her book, you know that self-publishing is neither vanity nor poor quality anymore, well not according to the 1.5 million people who paid to read her book. Amanda Hocking is young author who has (against all odds) made it work.
No doubt vanity publishing will continue, but no longer will it apply to ALL self-published books.
You see, last century, vanity publishing was something you did because a "real" publisher would not accept your book. It implied that your book as not good enough. Self-publsihed authors were not celebrated, their books were not eligible for awards, and in general they were second rate. And in fact, they often were. Many were not edited, nor proofread, and lacked quality design. To be honest, you could spot a self-published book at fifty yards - they screamed amateur at you.
Fast forward to 2010, bookshops and publishers have merged, liquidated and down-sized. Most publishers have cut their lists and e-books have taken flight. There are numerous platforms for self-publishing. And to be honest, its difficult to understand why you would not do it.
In the past, you might receive 10% of the retail price of a book. So, if the RRP was $9.99, AND you sold 10,000 copies, you might received $10,000 in royalties. If you self-publsih, the royalties on an e-book might be as high as 70%, but lets say its 50%, you only need to sell 2000 books at $9.99 (Amazon's seemingly desired level) or if you do sell the book for $2.99, a level that people choose to take a chance, and you sell only 5000 books, the royalty cheque will be $7500. And you are likely to see the money sooner, since the lead time for a mainstream publishing contract is considerably longer.
Ultimately, whether the book becomes a bestseller, depends on many factors - some in your control and some not. So when you hear that a self-publsihed author has sold 1.5 millions copies of her book, you know that self-publishing is neither vanity nor poor quality anymore, well not according to the 1.5 million people who paid to read her book. Amanda Hocking is young author who has (against all odds) made it work.
No doubt vanity publishing will continue, but no longer will it apply to ALL self-published books.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Wonderful man-made clouds
I wish I was this creative and tenacious. These carefully constructed clouds use mathematical principles to create cumulous clouds using nothing but a crochet hook and wool. And lighting of course. In this display the lighting is what makes it really special. The light creates the shadows and depths of real clouds.
Take a look here
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| Image: Phase One Photography |
Take a look here
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
What is inspiring me today?
I have been reading a great book called 100 Flowers to Crochet and Knit by Lesley Stanfield. I borrowed it from a friend six months ago (yes, Jen I have remembered it's yours!) and will have to invest in my own copy soon I think.
None of my flowers look at all like these I must admit as I have substituted wool types, needles and crochet hooks; I have taken parts from one flower and combined with another. The flowers in the book are more "anatomically correct" but just as I am not inclined to political correctness, I've forgone botanical anatomy for art's sake. Here are a few to look at - these have been made into brooches and the sizes range from 7-10 cm across.
A wider selection can be viewed here.
None of my flowers look at all like these I must admit as I have substituted wool types, needles and crochet hooks; I have taken parts from one flower and combined with another. The flowers in the book are more "anatomically correct" but just as I am not inclined to political correctness, I've forgone botanical anatomy for art's sake. Here are a few to look at - these have been made into brooches and the sizes range from 7-10 cm across.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
What I've been reading....
I recently read a great book by NZ author Deborah Burnside, called Yes!
Here is my review on the Booksellers.co.nz blog.
Here is my review on the Booksellers.co.nz blog.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Recent exhibition - Knitcetera
Kintcetera was the brainchild of Jennifer Kipfer (http://knitcetera-jennifer.blogspot.co.nz/). Jennifer gathered together a group of unknown ladies and through evenings and days of laughter, we slowly accumulated an eclectic bunch of offerings. I was inspired by the session we did knitting with strips of plastic bags, and has an idea for a oversized plastic handbag. I ended up using 12 or so large plastic rubbish bags to create the body, which was crocheted in double crochet (10-15 cm side strips of plastic) and used a 12 mm hook. I have to say I will NEVER crochet plastic again. It is so non-malleable. The flowers and leaves were made of plastic raffia.
My other large piece was an underwater garden picture. The background is felted pure New Zealand wool. The rocks, sand, kelp, anemones, starfish, jellyfish, and fish are either pure wool or acrylic and are crocheted and knitted. This was such a fun piece to create. It was inspired by the kelp gardens of New Zealand.
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| Crocheted bag, made of plastic, 1.2 m across. Available for purchase. |
My other large piece was an underwater garden picture. The background is felted pure New Zealand wool. The rocks, sand, kelp, anemones, starfish, jellyfish, and fish are either pure wool or acrylic and are crocheted and knitted. This was such a fun piece to create. It was inspired by the kelp gardens of New Zealand.
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| Underwater garden, 1.5m by 0.7m, available for purchase |
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| Close up detail of starfish and kelp |
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| Close up detail of jellyfish and fish |
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