BW8: Bookish miscellanea

 

Sun Glare: Alaska by Rockwell Kent 

Happy Sunday! In my web wanderings, I was drawn into an article about artist Rockwell Kent and his quest for solitude and inspiration in Wilderness, Solitude, and Creativity: Artist and Philosopher Rockwell Kent’s Century-Old Meditations on Art and Life During Seven Months on a Small Alaskan Island, which lead to Musings on Art: Rockwell Kent - A Champion of Peace,  which lead to Kent's illustrated Moby Dick. Makes me want to read the Moby Dick, or The Whale illustrated versionnow as well as Kent's book, Wilderness, his journal about his time in Alaska.  Rabbit trails as so much fun. 

Another interesting article about Author Joanne Harris turns down US book deal over censoring of ‘f-bomb’, particularly because it was pertinent to the story.  Which lead of course to her blog and her response about sensitivity readers the publishing houses have begun to employ. In her blog post On Sensitivity readers, weakness, and staying alive, Harris makes a good point. 

"Books all have shelf lives, just as we do, and Dickens’ work has survived in spite of his anti-Semitism, not because of it. The work of many others has not. Books are for readers, and if an author loses touch with their readers - either by clinging to outdated tropes, or using outdated vocabulary, or having an outdated style – then their books will cease to be published, and they will be forgotten. It happens all the time. What one generation loves and admires may be rejected by the next."  

But that doesn't mean they need to be banned or changed.  It's all in the context.

Free books, who doesn't love them.  Lots of books are entering the public domain this year such as Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, Milne's Winnie the Pooh, Franz Kafka's The Castle, and many others.

Moving on to movies about books, check out the Netflix Book Club, if not to join, but to see what books are being adapted for Netflix. 

While we are on the subject of books to movies, Lee Child's Jack Reacher first book was adapted for a series on Amazon Prime.  I watched the first episode and had to close my eyes during the prison fight, but otherwise I think Alan Ritchson is a great choice for Reacher. 

Reading choices when it comes to narrators.  Years ago, I only read books written in third person narration and refused to read any written in first person. Until I came across a writer who usually wrote in third and had switched to first, captured my attention, pulled me into the story without confusing me and sold me on first person narration.  Since then I've found some really good books from writers who do first person very well.  The ones who don't, forget about it. You know the ones I mean.  

I went back to school in my late forties to finish my Bachelor's Degree and during a literature class, imagine my surprise when I had to read a book written in second person narration.  Yes, it was weird, but once I got into the story, was able to accept the narrator and keep going.  Since then,  I'll stumble across another written partially or totally in second person and give it a go.  Of course, we're back to whether it's well done or not and does it pull you in. I'm currently reading such a book which has mixed narration, both 2nd and 3rd and finding myself enjoying it.  All this to say, which style narration do you enjoy?   Have you ever tried Second Person narration stories?  

For our writers, have you ever tried writing a story in second person?  Give it a try   Here's my attempt for our A to Z and Back again for E.  

And speaking of which:  

A to Z and Back Again -  Our letter and work of the week are H and Harried.

Did you know that today is Hoodie Hoo day?  So go outside at noon and wave your hands and yell Hoodie Hoo and chase away your winter blues. Go ahead, I dare you.  

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