Five Great Tales for Armchair Adventurers!

 

At the moment, I am leisurely making my way through Jerome K. Jerome's novel Three Men In a Boat, a book I have already read more than once before. And, I thought that, inspired by my current read, I might take a little look at some books that ask us to follow their characters as they travel their worlds in search of adventure, peace, hope, or just a little holiday . . . 

Disclosure: If you purchase any of the books through links in this blog, I may earn a commission, but that has no influence over the content of this blog.

1. Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the Dog!) by Jerome K. Jerome

As already mentioned, this is my current read, and it is a book I've already enjoyed before. It was written by Jerome K. Jerome and was originally published in 1889. It is a humorous novel in which three men, deciding that they are suffering from overwork and too many maladies to count, decide to go out for a restful vacation, boating along the Thames. Of course, it would be a rather dull read if everything were to go to plan and our heroes were to get the peaceful holiday that they had hoped for, so rest assured, plenty goes wrong for them! Though some of the observations might be a little dated (much has changed in the century and a bit since its publication) it is still a funny book, and a joy to read.

You can purchase Three Men in a Boat from bookshop.org here

2. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

(You can read my blog post on this novel here)

In this 2015 novel, Kazuo Ishiguro takes us back in time to a fictional Britain of Saxons, Britons, and fantasy. We follow an elderly couple, Axl and Beatrice, when they set off into the rain and mist of a troubled land to try and find a son that they have not seen for years. Unfortunately, the mist that hangs over the land has also robbed people of their long term memories, and so they are not sure of what they will find. As they travel across this strange land they face hazards and their journey reveals to them corners of their love, both light and dark, that had been forgotten. This novel is a beautiful exploration of marital love - the ending especially has really stayed with me!

3. On The Road by Jack Kerouac

On The Road is a classic from the Beat Generation! I fell in love with this tale of characters, a little lost and directionless, making their way across America, hitch hiking and racing towards sunsets. This is a portrait of a 1950's America that swings to the rhythms of jazz, sex, drugs, good friends, and the dust of the roadside. Here we follow Sal Paradise, and his hero Dean Moriarty, as they travel across the country looking for . . . something. I you are looking for a book to introduce to the Beat Generation, you couldn't go far wrong if you were to turn on some Bob Dylan and immerse yourself into Jack Kerouac's world. As with many of the novels of the Beat writers, this novel is really a fictionalised exploration of some of Kerouac's own experiences.

'It changed my life like it changed everyone else's' - Bob Dylan

You can purchase On The Road from bookshop.org here

4. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

In 1960, John Steinbeck took a nearly 10,000 miles trip through America in the company of his French poodle - Charley. This book, Travels with Charley, published in 1962, tells of that journey - the people and the places that Steinbeck found along the way. We follow the author as he moves through woods and forests, dirt tracks and highways. He observes America and his fellow Americans with a humorous and sometimes cynical eye. He had a love for his country, but he was not blind to its flaws and speaks to us warningly from his point of view, at the end of the fifties and the beginning of the sixties. It is Steinbeck, it is very much worth the read, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

You can purchase Travels with Charley from bookshop.org here

5. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien

At this point, whatever I write here, if you're a reader, there's a pretty good chance you've heard of The Lord of the Rings, and that you have already formed your own opinion on Tolkien's world of dwarves, elves, hobbits, and wizards. If you've not read the books, then you're probably at least aware of Peter Jackson's cinematic take on them. We follow our adventurers - a mix of men, elves, dwarves, hobbits, and a wizard - as they strive to defeat Sauron, the Dark Lord. Sauron has gathered to him the Rings of Power so that he might rule the world, and all he needs to fulfill his dark ambitions is the one ring that rules all the others. This ring is in the possession of young Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, from the Shire. With this ring, and with some help from loyal friends, Frodo must journey from his sleepy village deep into Sauron's territories, defended by orcs and other terrible forces, to destroy this one ring, and save the world. A fantasy classic! You will love it, you won't quite get the hype, or you'll hate it - might as well give it a go though. I mean, it's The Lord of the Rings!

You can purchase a boxset of The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit from bookshop.org here

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at some of the books in which we take a journey with the protagonists. It is by no means exhaustive and there are many other books out there in which we follow our favourite characters, and the authors, on quests, trips, and adventures. What are your favourites?

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Being a Bookish Blogger

 

I am a bookish blogger. Hopefully, there are some out there that find my musings on and analyses of the books I have read interesting, and maybe even enjoyable. One can hope!

Feeling reflective, I thought I might publish a post discussing my journey as a bookish blogger thus far. And so, here we go . . .

To be honest, I can't remember what it was exactly that made me finally begin my own blog. But, I can tell you that I had been considering it for a while. It took me some time to get around to it for the simple reason that I had no idea how to go about putting a blog together, or how to get it out there to the people that might care to read it. Still, I think that that not knowing helped me in a way - because I started sort of blind, I innocently created something that was very much me, rather than built round a template.

Looking back, my first few posts were very much just me feeling my way into blogging. I was experimenting with what the world had to offer, and figuring out what it was exactly that I wanted to write about. If I am one hundred per cent honest, in those first few posts I don't think I was being all that considerate of any potential readers, or what they might want to read - I was just trying to get it right for myself!

That has changed somewhat now. When I check on the stats, I find myself making notes of what has drawn attention, what is being read the most, and using that as a reference for what I am considering publishing in the future. However, I don't think I'll be guided solely by the stats and what's popular - I want to blog because it is enjoyable, and that will always be the overriding factor, I think.

I want it to be enjoyable for you too though (if you've made it this far in to this post, perhaps I am doing something right!).

Probably the biggest plus to being a bookish blogger so far is the community of which I have find myself a part. I stepped away from my blog to try and help it grow by taking to social media, mostly on Twitter (you can follow me at philip_simons16), and I found myself welcomed into the book blogging community there. They are supportive, fun, and kind. I am not the only one to say this, I have spoken with others who have said almost exactly the same thing; that they have found themselves a part of an online community. Some even make real friends in their book blogging, reviewing journeys.

I also immerse myself into the book reading, reviewing, blogging side of Instagram sometimes (I can be found here), though I could do with perfecting my artistic eye when it comes to taking pictures. Take a look at the shelves at the top of this post again - whether or not something is aesthetically pleasing or not is clearly of secondary importance to me!

This blog is still growing, evolving, and there is much more that I have to learn. I am still not sure that I am getting it "right", whatever that means, but I am enjoying myself more and more. Engaging with other bloggers on social media, exploring my passion for both books and writing in one place, receiving feedback from readers . . . It's all good. 

I hope that the blog continues to grow, finding new readers, and I will be learning new things along the way.

Anyway, I should probably go and read a book so that I've something to write about in my next post!

If you enjoyed this post, or any others, please consider buying me a coffee at ko-fi - every donation helps creative types like myself keep doing what they do, and it's very much appreciated!

Read lots of books. Be kind. Be good. And, go for long walks when the weather is nice.

They F*** You Up: How To Survive Family Life by Oliver James

 

I first read They F*** You Up . . . by Oliver James when it was first published, back in the early 2000's. Since then, I imagine that science has moved along, evolved, and some of the theories found within the pages of my copy of this book have been revised. In fact, revised copies have been published since I bought my copy way back in those halcyon days, when the nineties were still fresh in our memories. Still, there is much in the book that James, the author has stood by since its initial publishing. And, though Oliver James has had his detractors, his books have been widely read, and his methods (he is a psychologist) have been widely employed in the respective fields to which they might be applied.

In this book, James argues that it is the way we were cared for in the first six years of our life that has a crucial impact on who we are and the way that we behave as adults. Essentially, he makes the case that it is in the way that we are cared for as infants and young children that defines who we are. To back up these arguments, he uses scientific studies, and further illustrates his case by using 'psychological biographies' of some well known public figures.

There are also 'audits' at the end of each chapter, where the reader is invited to apply what they have learnt from the book to their own experiences. The hope here being that readers might gain some insight into their own behaviours - perhaps overcoming some of those traits that are a hindrance to them.

The author has written a follow up to this book (How Not To F*** Them Up . . .) since this book was published, and many years have been and gone since publication. So, would I still recommend this book to others? 

I have read it a number of times myself, and I do find it interesting. However, it is a non-fiction work and, when it comes to non-fiction, it is best to read widely on the subject at hand, and not just form your ideas based on a very limited pool of information.

There is also the fact that the book is now nearly twenty years old. And, though there have been revised editions, it will also be beneficial to the reader that they read more recently published material on the subjects raised in the book. This goes for all non-fiction - methods of study and analyses are ever evolving, and so our understanding betters with them.

Having said that, I would recommend the book, if you are interested in psychology at all, and family relationships. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I have read it, and reread it, and I will probably read it again . . .

I'm still a bit of a mess myself though, to be honest. So, don't pin your hopes to this book as a cure for all your mental and emotional ills!

You can purchase a copy of this book here (Disclosure: if you make a purchase through links in this blog, I may earn a commission from the sellers, but that does not influence the content of this blog).

If you liked this post, or any of my others, please feel free to offer a little support over here - it all helps me pursue my writerly endeavours! Thank you!

Signing off - be good, be kind, read lots, and be safe.

Naughty Bawdy Shakespeare - Sonnet CVI (151) - An Analysis

 

Shakespeare's writing has endured for over four hundred years. His plays are famous, he invented words that we use today (amazement, dishearten, and the phrase "break the ice", etc.), and his sonnets are hauntingly beautiful. He tackled a wide range of emotions and concerns including love, beauty, and death. However, just as Shakespeare gave us lines of lyrical loveliness - 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' - he also wasn't above getting a little lowbrow. He was quite happy to consider the theme of romantic love from what was in his breeches as he was what was in his heart.

What we know of Shakespeare comes from official documents and records of the time, there being no personal papers that have survived. This has led to much speculation about the man himself - his sexuality, his lifestyle, his education, etc. Record keeping and the like was more rare than it is today. And, even though his work as writer and actor garnered attention, he didn't have the status in his own time that he has today. Besides, personal lives were not as scrutinised and written about as they are today.

We know that he was baptised on 26 April 1564, though we don't know exactly what day he was born. We know that he married at eighteen to Anne Hathaway, who was twenty-six, and that that marriage was granted a special license because Anne was already pregnant (six months after the wedding their first child, Susanna, was born. We know that he was an actor on the stage, a playwright, and a poet. Other than that, for sure, we know of various legal proceedings and purchases because of documentation and records. 

Love is too young to know what conscience is;

Yet who knows not conscience is born of love?

Then, gentle cheater, urge not my amiss,

Lest guilty of my faults thy sweet self prove:

- from Sonnet 151, William Shakespeare

Sonnet 151 is from a series of sonnets known as the Dark Lady sonnets, this because the woman to whom the sonnets are addressed is described as having dark hair and skin by Shakespeare. She is someone that the narrator of the verses has a sexual relationship with. In the opening lines, above, of Sonnet 151, Shakespeare is asking that the woman he is addressing does not judge him harshly for any wrongs that he has done, for she is also guilty of the same wrongs - namely that they have both been unfaithful. 

The speaker of this sonnet makes it quite clear that this is a very sexual relationship, theirs being a bond, if not wholly based in lust, then one very much influenced by their physical desires. Shakespeare even goes on to give the poem over to the point of view of the speaker's body and genitals entirely. It becomes clear that the poem is most certainly not from the heart or mind.

For, thou betraying me, I do betray

My nobler part to my gross body's treason;

My soul doth tell my body that he may

Triumph in love; flesh stays no farther reason,

- from Sonnet 151, William Shakespeare

In these lines, you can trade the word "body" for the word "penis" instead, because that is essentially what our speaker is thinking with here. As I said, the narrative is practically told the point of the view of the "body" here. In these lines, the speaker tells us that, having given in to these feelings, he is now but a slave to this woman he desires.

But rising at thy name doth point out thee

As his triumphant prize. Proud of this pride,

He is contented thy poor drudge to be,

To stand in thy affairs, fall by thy side.

- from Sonnet 151, William Shakespeare

Okay, see what I mean? All that "rising", "point", "proud", going on . . . And, her "affairs" that "he" is standing in . . . That's why this sonnet has been recognised as Shakespeare's particularly bawdy verse. He says here that he is but a "poor drudge", or in other words bound by the desire between them, to "stand in thy affairs, fall by thy side." Basically, he sees himself as made subordinate by the power of her beauty and the sexual energy in their relationship - a reason/excuse for those wrongs that he was discussing with his partner in the earlier lines. 

No want of conscience hold it that I call

Her 'love' for whose dear love I rise and fall.

- from Sonnet 151, William Shakespeare

The theme of this sonnet is most definitely a sexual one, and more specifically the sexual love that exists in an adulterous relationship, along with the feelings of guilt that come with that. And, Shakespeare makes much use of sexual imagery in this sonnet to get that across.

Shakespeare was not averse to innuendo and bawdiness. His plays would have been performed in front of rowdy audiences seeking amusement and fun, audiences that would appreciate a little rude joke or two. His writing was not meant for study, but for entertainment and the emotions. This is not the only instance in which he discussed the sexual and the physical, it's there in other of his poetry, and in his plays. Though perhaps we missed it because we associate them with the dry English Lit. classes in which we studied them at school.

Though Shakespeare took on more spiritual love, beauty, death, comedy, tragedy, and mystery, he was not averse to getting a little low brow. Sex was not outside the purview of the great bard.

If you enjoyed this post, maybe you would like to read my other post on Shakespeare's sonnets here - it's a shorter and lighter read than this post.

You can purchase a collection of Shakespeare's sonnets here (Disclosure: if you make a purchase through links in this blog, I may earn commission rom the sellers, but that does not influence the content of this blog).

If you have enjoyed this post, or any others, perhaps you'd consider a little donation through my ko-fi page - it would be very much appreciated and goes toward my writerly endeavours.

Thank you. Read lots. Take long walks. And be kind.

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro - A Review

 

Kazuo Ishiguro's 2015 novel takes place in a Britain of the sixth or seventh century, a Britain in which Britons and Saxons live uneasily together in a post-war land.

At the heart of the novel are the characters of Axl and Beatrice, an elderly Briton couple. As with all the characters in this novel, they suffer from the effects of a mist that hangs over the land, a mist that leaves everyone with only short term memory. Ishiguro uses this mist as a device to explore how people living in a land troubled by war can cope with traumatic events through forgetting. This lack of memories means that these two characters have forgotten much of their own personal history too. For, aside from those explorations of collective memory and collective trauma, at the core of this book is an exploration of marital bonds and love.

There is much that could be discussed when taking into consideration The Buried Giant, for this story is an allegory, and references to myth (King Arthur, Sir Gawain, boatmen transporting the dead) and fantasy (dragons, pixies, magic) abound in its telling. Themes of memory loss, trauma, marital love, and war are taken in through this myth and fantasy, requiring the reader to be engaged in the world of Axl and Beatrice. This isn't a mistake; Ishiguro intentionally created a world that would be unfamiliar to the reader, so that they might be drawn into the allegory, and not take the telling quite so literally.

I haven't all of Ishiguro's works on my shelves but even just a cursory look through a list of his novels will tell you that he explores different genres. The last Ishiguro novel I read was The Remains of the Day (my blog post about that novel can be read here), and I loved that book, so I came to The Buried Giant with some expectation of what the book might be. However, the two books are entirely different. The genre, the way in which the story is told, the type of story that it is . . . But, that is not the fault of Ishiguro. I know he isn't an author to get comfortable in a formula and stick with it.

I will be coming back to The Buried Giant. I think that when I reread this novel I will find things in there that I didn't notice the first time around.

At the end of the book, I was most affected by how Ishiguro handled the theme of marital love and the bond between his two main characters. He takes in the light and the dark of married life and love. The characters, in their quest to free the land of the mist that leaves them without memories of their lives together - accept for foggy patches of recollection - they sometimes have their doubts about what they do and what they don't want to remember. However, ultimately, the pains in their life together do not damage their bond. Nor the challenges they face, and the troubled land they live in.

There are other themes in this novel - grief; death; and how people navigate trauma in their lives, both as individuals, and collectively. And, Kazuo Ishiguro, in this allegory that takes us into his fictional fantasy Britain of the sixth or seventh century, handles them with skill and subtlety. I don't think I appreciated it fully the first time around, but it's a book that I will be returning to.

So, if you haven't read The Buried Giant, I would say it is worth following Axl and Beatrice as they set off on their journey across this land of mist and lost memories that you will find in this book. They journey, seeking a son that they haven't seen for years, and corners of their love that had been forgotten are revealed to them.

I sometimes fear that my posts are a little rambling as I explore themes, plots, and characters in some of the novels that I have read. However, I hope that you found something informative or enjoyable in this post. If you did, perhaps you might consider buying me a coffee (it goes great with books) at my ko-fi page.

Until next time (when I think I will be discussing a bawdy Shakespeare sonnet), take care, read lots, and be kind.

Site specific reading

    

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I recently read about site specific reading. This is where the reader, in the interests of getting a more immersive experience, reads a book in a location connected with that book. For example, reading one of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse novels in Oxford, or taking the Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo with you when you next visit Paris.

Site specific theatre is a form of theatre in which the performance is staged in a location other than a standard theatre. The location at which the performance takes place might never have been intended as a location for theatrical performance. However, the location might lend itself perfectly to the plot of the play. For example, a murder mystery that takes place in a grand English house, the play unfolding around the audience. This lends itself to a more immersive and interactive form of theatre.

When applied to readers this means taking your book off to a location connected to that novel. When you finally get to visit New Zealand, like you have always wanted, maybe you could take The Lord of the Rings with you - Peter Jackson's film adaptations were filmed there. Or, perhaps you might consciously recreate a trip from a novel - the character of Stevens from The Remains of the Day (which I reviewed and discussed in a previous post ) takes a trip through the English countryside and to a seaside location, for example. 

You don't have to travel to immerse yourself though. If you are reading The Room by Emma Donoghue, why not take yourself off to the smallest room in your home to try and get a sense of the world those characters are living in. If you want to read a book like Wild by Cheryl Strayed, but the weather is just too frightful for heading outdoors to read, maybe you can get away with heading to YouTube and finding some ambient outdoor soundtracks that you can play while you read.

It could just be that a location recalls to your mind a place in a book that you have read, or that, for reasons personal to you, there exists in your mind a connection between a book and a place that others wouldn't understand. I don't think that really matters. The interest of this exercise is that it makes the experience more immersive for the audience - for you. So, take your book outdoors. Feel the grass beneath your feet, smell the coffee, hear the bird song . . . whatever it is that drops you into the story that much more, take yourself (and your book) there. Browse your bookshelves and select the book you are going to take with you on that trip you are going to take when the world opens up again. 

Be safe though.

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Thank you. Be good. Be kind. Read lots.

 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

 When I finished reading The Remains of the Day, it became for me one of those books that I felt a need to share. If I didn't have a blog before, a place to wax lyrical about all things bookish, then this novel by Kazuo Ishiguro might have been one of those works that inspired me to start one.

If you haven't read this book then, before you read further, I suggest that you do, or beware, spoilers may follow!

The protagonist of The Remains of the Day is Stevens, the ageing butler of Darlington Hall, and at the beginning of the novel we meet him as he is preparing for a leisurely motoring holiday that will take him deep into the English countryside. The purpose, we come to learn, is so that he might meet with Miss Kenton (or Mrs Benn, as she then is), a former housekeeper of Darlington Hall. And so, in the summer of 1956, we join Stevens on his journey where, through his meetings with people along the way and his reminiscences, the story is told.

Stevens is a hard man to know. He has spent his life in service and his position as head butler at Darlington Hall is of great importance to him. However, in striving to gain the dignity and propriety of his position, he has become distanced from his own feelings. We see this in a number of instances throughout the novel where he tells us, as he narrates the story, of his feelings for certain situations, but his actions do not demonstrate this. He struggles when trying to decipher people's motivations and emotions. When his new employer demonstrates an liking for banter, he is unsure of how to engage - this is a theme that arises throughout the novel.

Stevens is a character that I love - beautifully drawn, a little heartbreaking, and memorable. He is flawed but not cruel, and his worst faults ultimately hurt him the most.

He is sheltered and a little blinkered because of his devotion to propriety and his profession. From the beginning of his journey he tells us of how little he knows of the world, that he hasn't seen much of the country beyond what his duties as butler have allowed him to see. And, as we make our way through the novel with him, we learn that he is mostly unaware of the affairs of the world. However, we also see that there is some appreciation for beauty there, some hope, and some desire for connection.

As he makes his way through the English countryside, Stevens often demonstrates that he has an appreciation for beauty - at one point driving out of his way just see a beauty spot recommended to him. We also see him appreciative of connection and friendship, though often more so than he allows to be known to anyone. Basically, we see that Stevens is someone, however subdued he may seem emotionally, is a man with heart.

At the end of the novel, we see Stevens' heart break. In fact, by the end of the novel, he tells us that this is so. The reader is left wondering about Stevens, about what the future might hold for him . . .

Personally, I think that Stevens would spend the rest of his working days in service, seeing out his life lonely and, now and then reflecting on lost causes and lost love.

The Remains of the Day became an international bestseller and won the Booker Prize, establishing itself as a modern classic. It evokes beautifully and hauntingly life in a grand English house in the years between the two world wars. Ultimately though, it is a story about loss, love, and things left unsaid.

The Remains of the Day was also adapted into award-winning film (1993) starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson which is also definitely worth checking out.

If you've read The Remains of the Day, tell me what you think, and if you haven't read it then I whole heartedly recommend that you do!

You can purchase a copy of this book here (Disclosure: if you make a purchase through links in this blog, I may earn a commission from the seller, but that does not influence the content of this blog).