This week Booking Through Thursday asks “What is the funniest book you’ve read recently?”
The funniest book I’ve read recently is the book I’m reading currently. It’s called To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. I’ll post a link to the review once I’ve finished reading it!
Here’s the assignment:
1. Go to Creativity Tools’ random word generator.
2. Get yourself a random word. Write it down. Then click “new word” to get yourself two more random words, and write them down, too. You should have three words written down.
3. Now find the random sentence generator and get yourself a sentence, write it down underneath the three words. If you don’t like that sentence it’s okay to click “new sentence” until you get one you like.
4. Use the Random Phrase Generator to generate a phrase. Write it down. You may not need this, but keep it handy, just in case. Again, it’s okay to go through a couple of phrases before settling on one that works for you.
5. Now, using the three words from Step 2 and the sentence from Step 3, write one of the following, (but don’t tell us which!):Here’s the assignment:
(a) A book review (if you have an obscure book that many of us won’t recognize by the title, this would be a great time to do it–or you could omit or replace the title [see -d- below] just for this week)
(b) A scene from a book (you’ll need to replace some of the words and a phrase with the random ones).
(c) A scene you make up completely from scratch
(d) A review of a fake book, using the Random Phrase from Step 4 as your book title
It was impossible for me to tell her the whole truth without, at the same time, entering into particulars on the subject of the delivery which it would have been dangerous to confide to a stranger. I could only abstain most carefully from raising any annoyances, and then explain that the object of my visit was to discover the persons who were really responsible for the opening. I even added, so as to exonerate myself from any after reproach of my own conscience, that the hardened likelihood passses the wish, and that I entertained not the least hope of being able to trace her.
So what do you think? Is the excerpt real or fake? What are the random words and sentence?
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Read for: Obris Terrarum Challenge and 1% Well Read Challenge
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read this book! It was a slow read, but for the most part, I couldn’t put it down. The story is told by serveral different narrators and each narrator had his/her own voice, which authors don’t always do when they are switching from narrator to narrator.
The story begins in the voice of Walter Hartwright who is walking home late one night and is startled by a woman in white asking for directions to London. She refuses to tell him her name and just as quickly as she appeared, she is gone. I can’t even try for a plot summary because there is just too much happening right from the very beginning of the book. And it never stops happening until the very last page.
There are unexpected twists and turns and although the language and style of the prose are similar to Jane Austen, the story line couldn’t be more different. The mystery that surrounds the woman in white and her secret hatred of one of the main characters carries the story, but once that is discovered, there’s still more mystery and intrigue!
I would definitely recommend this book and I would give it a 8.5/10.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
I just finished reading this with my six-year old and we really enjoyed it. Afterwards we watched the movie and they were quite different. I actually liked the book a lot better than the movie.
Despereaux is an unusual mouse who instead of nibbling on books, like he’s supposed to, prefers to read the books. One day, in the castle, he hears music and follows his ears to find the king singing to his daughter the princess. He is so absorbed by the music that he forgets himself and speaks to the humans. When the other mice find out about this grevious offense, he is sent to his death in the dungeons.
Meanwhile, Roscuro, an evil rat living in the dungeons has been the cause of the death of the Queen and the subsequent outlawing of soup, spoons and rats. Roscuro is angry at not being allowed out of the dungeons and into the light and begins to plan his revenge.
Also introduced in the story is Miggery Sow, a poor, near-deaf, serving girl. It is through this girl that Roscuro plans to take his revenge on the Princess.
This was a fun story with a good message and my son and I both enjoyed it. I’ve definitely read better and more captivating books, but I would still give this one a 7/10.
This week Booking Through Thursday asks:
Which do you prefer? (Quick answers–we’ll do more detail at some later date)
- Reading something frivolous? Or something serious?
- Paperbacks? Or hardcovers?
- Fiction? Or Nonfiction?
- Poetry? Or Prose?
- Biographies? Or Autobiographies?
- History? Or Historical Fiction?
- Series? Or Stand-alones?
- Classics? Or best-sellers?
- Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose?
- Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness?
- Long books? Or Short?
- Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated?
- Borrowed? Or Owned?
- New? Or Used?
(Yes, I know, some of these we’ve touched on before, and some of these we might address in-depth in the future, but for today–just quick answers!)
Here are my answers:
Copied from the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog:
Last year over 400 blogs came together to celebrate the art of book blogging during the first ever Book Blogger Appreciation Week! The second annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week will be taking place September 14-18.
WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!
WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.
WHEN September 14-18, 2009
WHERE Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)
WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!
WANT TO PARTICIPATE?
Please help us spread the word about Book Blogger Appreciation Week by posting about it on your blog, stumbling this post, twittering about it, and telling everyone you know that it’s time to have a party and celebrate book bloggers!
Please register by filling out the registration form! Registering ensures your inclusion in the BBAW 09 Database of Book Bloggers and enters you into the drawing for the BBAW 09 Grand Prize!
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I don’t even know how to start to summarize this book. A young man, Tristran and the young lady he is in love with are out walking one night when they see a shooting star. She tells him that if he finds the star and brings it back to her, she will give him whatever he desires. Tristran sets out on a journey across the boundary between our world and the world of Faerie to find the star. It turns out that several other people are looking for the star too. The story is so fun and fantastical. I loved it. Even though I’ve seen the movie I was constantly surprised by the turn of events.
I did enjoy the book, but I think I liked the movie more. The ghostly brothers were hilarious in the movie and played a major role, whereas in the book they were just minor characters and not at all humorous. Also, the ending is different and there are a lot of added and expanded characters in the movie.
Overall, though it was a good book and I would give it a 7/10.
This week we are asked “what are some of your favorite movie adaptations of books? Include trailers or scenes from Youtube if you’d like. Also along with that question, or instead of that question, what book or series would you like to see be made into a movie or movies? Tell us why you think it or they would work as a movie. If the book already has a book trailer, include that, to help make your point.”
Some of my favourite movie adaptations…
1. Pride and Prejudice. This is one of my favourite books and also one of my favourite movies. (I haven’t seen the BBC version of this movie yet, but I plan to.)
2. The Lord of the Rings. This is also one of my favourite books and I think they did a really good job of the movie.
3. The Chronicles of Narnia. This is a trailer for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I actually liked Prince Caspian a little better.
4. Harry Potter. I’ve loved all of the Harry Potter adaptations. This is a trailer for the newest one, even though I haven’t seen it yet.
5. Stardust. I’m currently reading the book so I can’t really compare yet, but I loved the movie version.
6. Another movie I loved was Chocolat. I read the book after watching the movie and I actually liked the movie a lot better than the book!
7. Horton Hears a Who. I wondered how they were going to turn this book into a full length film, but I think they did a really good job. I’ve always loved the Horton books and I enjoyed the movie a lot.
8. No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. This was made into a TV series (not a movie) that so far only has one, seven episode season (I sure hope they do more) but I loved the book and I thought the TV show was equally good.
As for books I would like to see as movies, I would love to see Artemis Fowl as a movie. Apparently, this is in the works so maybe soon! Another series I like to see as a movie is the Fablehaven series. Those would be really good too.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Short and sweet…except not really sweet in the traditional sense! This one was great, although I liked The Graveyard Book better.
Coraline, for those of you that don’t know, is an average little girl, a little bored with the summer holidays and looking for some excitement. She goes through a mysterious door in her apartment and finds an alternate world that almost identical to the real world but a lot more exciting (and creepy as Coraline soon finds out.) Her “other mother” who seems great at first, is actually an evil being trying to trap her forever in her “other house” and sew buttons onto her eyes!
The book was creepy, but deliciously so. I loved it! And it was a quick easy read (as children’s books usually are – duh!). I think my son (6) would love it. It might be our next read. Keeping in mind that this is a children’s book, I would give it an 8/10.
1. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
3. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (I knew this one would be a tough one!)
4. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
5. Treasure Island by Robert Loius Stevenson
6. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
7. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
8. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Congrats to Jamie who got the most correct answers with authors too. Thanks everyone for playing. It was really fun!
