It's the Election, stupid!!

So today the UK goes to the polls and picks a new (and hopefully improved) Government. Problem is the main parties are so similar it's painful. Labour have been in power for 13 years, and things have gone from bad to worse. The Tories don't offer anything worth voting for. And, although there seems to be a chance the Lib Dems might come closer to power than they have in a long time, I just don't know whether they can do it. There's a lot of apathy here, people just can't be bothered. Everyone in my house, and most of my friends seem to have voted, my sister just came back from doing so. But there's all these undecided voters floating around out there, and people who didn't register so can't vote. People, wake up! If you don't bother, then you have no say. You can't complain because you didn't try to change things. You couldn't see the point. But the point is there. Yes the system is rubbish, first past the post is stupid and does not work, but at least you have the right to make your voice heard. You could live in a country without democracy, and if you're female it's even worse. We've only been allowed to vote for 90 years, and other women died for our right to do so. The polls close in less than 2 hours. Then the counting begins. Tomorrow we'll know who our new Government is going to be comprised of, will it be straightforward or are we looking at a hung parliament? Whatever happens, it's going to be interesting.

The Sea, The Sea

It glistens
Roars, booms
The dead sailors plea
Black as the night above it
Sheltering its monsters
Keeping its counsel
Creeping up the shingled beach
The dark, moist sand,
Coming, calling to me
Beckoning, its wet embrace
Inviting me to dance in the surf
Then deeper, plunging into the blackness

In which I ramble on, lose my point, and never quite find it again...

So this post started out as a facebook status, "why is it that profound, beautiful books are so easy to read, and when it's read, so hard to move on from..." I was going to follow that with "when crappy books are far too easy to move away from and drive me nuts".

I don't know if that makes a heap of sense, let me explain. I just finished reading The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind, which I adored. I started reading it last night, finished it a little while ago, loved it. The words, the way it unfolds, everything. A satisfying read.

Compare that to the last Harry Potter book I read, which was, I think, book 3 or 4. It took me an hour and a half, it was dire. I don't like the Potter books (or the Twilight books for that matter), I think they're poorly constructed and derivative. I'm a lit geek, I taught myself to read at 3 (not boasting, just a fact), I have read literally thousands of books in the 20 years I've been a reader. I have a degree in English Lit, I'm going back to uni this year to get another one. I'd like to think of myself as a discerning, educated reader, and one who can tell the difference between good and poor writing.

I like to make an analogy between food and reading. Some books are like a delicious meal, they leave you full and satisfied, maybe even a little sleepy from pleasure. Others are like cheap junk food, they don't satisfy your appetite and they leave you strung out and still hungry. Zafon's books are the former, Rowling's the latter.

There are many books I've read in a really short space of time, if they're gripping, well written and the pacing requires you to stick with it. The Harry Potter book was trite, and I read it fast just so it could be over and I could read something else. It's not to do with length of text, I've mentioned my love of Poirot novels before, and they're scrappy little things, just superbly written, and the one book I'm still trying to get through is War and Peace (100 years of history cannot be confined to 300 pages unfortunately!) Just a question of quality. And yes, I have frequent disagreements with people who love these books (I'm using Harry Potter as an example, it's not the worst offender, merely one of them), and I appreciate to each their own, but when there's so much out there, many better written and far more enjoyable, it makes me a little sad that so many people can't get beyond the hype and search the shelves to find something they can really get their teeth (and mind) into.

Favourite, beloved books are like old friends, but forgiving old friends, who don't criticise, argue, but who welcome you with a warm tender embrace. Or like a faithful dog, with love and glee. I'm looking at my somewhat overloaded shelves right now, each groaning with the weight of books that I love, that I've read over and over, that I recommend to friends and family, that I rhapsodise over and return to, for comfort and familiarity. The story doesn't change, my perception and understanding sometimes does, but I know the ending, it's safe and comforting to know some things never change.

I'm not quite sure where this is going, there's something about books, and love, and enjoyment, and the fact that when you read a great book, it takes a while to dislodge it from your brain and start another, and oh I don't know. Here's a quote from The Angel's Game, which may have been my point, about the love of books.

"...my only friends were made of paper and ink. At school I had learned to read and write long before the other children. Where my school friends saw notches of ink on incomprehensible pages, I saw light, streets and people. Words and their hidden science fascinated me, and I saw within them a key with which I could unlock a boundless world..."

Good News!!

I got in!! Unconditional offer for my Masters course, starting in September. Things are coming together. Now all I need to do, is find a great job, get hired, and be able to buy my books. C'mon Universe, let's keep going!!

Lit Geeking Out

Here's a little list of some of my favourite recent (and not so recent) reads. All of these books I highly recommend!!

*The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

*The Raw Shark Texts - Steven Hall

*The Children's Book - A.S Byatt

*The Millennium Trilogy - Steig Larsson

*The Girl in Times Square - Paullina Simons

*The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

*The People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

I could go on forever. All of these books are quite different from one another, and all good for different reasons. I would happily re-read each and every one. What do you like to read?

Brooklyn - Colm Toibin

This was longlisted for last year's Booker and won the Costa Book Award, so it has form. And it was really good. Until the end, which I thought was really weak and didn't really resolve anything. But apart from that, it's a good read, quite short, but interesting. It follows Eilis Lacey, as she moves from Ireland to New York in the 1950s and begins a new life, full of possibilities. Eilis is a likeable, sympathetic character, you feel for her when she suffers from homesickness and loneliness, and as she learns how to be part of the new society she finds herself in. There are sad moments, but balanced out with the happiness Eilis finds in Brooklyn.

Stresshead no more

Ok, deep breath, breathe in, breathe out. Calm.

So following yesterday's stressed out moment, I resolved the situation, or at least as much as I can right now. Thank you Universe for finally stepping in and fixing things a little. Hopefully it'll all go smoothly now.

I'm off to the Science Museum today, for another Lates. Should be good, I'll try and take some photos, and post them tomorrow or so. I need a night to de-stress and have fun. Going out for dinner first, with my cousin, who I'm dragging along to the museum. We'll have a giggle and it finishes early enough that I won't be out too late, or be too tired.

I'll be baking brownies this week too, and no, not the 'magic' kind!! We're having a little picnic on Friday in the local park and then, when it gets a bit chilly in the evening, popping to the pub for a drink or two to round off the week. It's all been a bit hectic, and a bit "argh!!!" so a chance to chill with my friends, have a gossip and a glass of wine will be good.

Here's to a good second half of this week. :)