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Showing posts with label your stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label your stories. Show all posts

Your Stories #10: Sexing the Cherry

Penulis : Unknown on Saturday, 23 March 2013 | 11:00

Saturday, 23 March 2013


YOUR STORIES discovers the books that are important to you. These posts tell the stories of favourited books and their readers.

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JEANETTE WINTERSON'S SEXING THE CHERRY
CHOSEN BY LOUISE FROM STARS IN JARS
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When did you first read Sexing the Cherry?

My first and unforgettable peek into the weird and wonderful world of Winterson was when I was an English Literature student in University and this title was on the reading list for our module on Magic Realism.

What is it about this book that makes it your favourite?

This novel is short but packed ripe like a watermelon with juicy magic realism. Winterson seamlessly incorporates and interweaves time travel, fairytales, historical events and a haunting and darkly surreal plot within 140 pages.

The plot originates in 17th century England and centres on 'The Dog Woman', a classically grotesque character typical of this genre. She is so large she can hold a dozen oranges in her mouth at once and harbors fleas in her crater sized small-pox scars. The Dog Woman acts as adoptive mother to Jordan, a young and otherworldly boy whom she found on the filthy banks of The Thames as a baby. The story follows these two characters as Jordan embarks on a bizarre and fantastical journey to find his true 'Self'.

This is not necessarily an easy read: the plot follows an un-linear timeline, there are journeys within journeys, frequent jumps between the 17th century and modern day, changes of pace and direction, and comical digressions. However, Winterson executes these with literary mastery, providing a lush and sensory experience for the reader.... you can smell the stench of Old England, walk across exotic islands, discover the 'real' reason for the Great Fire of London and peer into the boudoir of the 'Twelve Dancing Princesses'.

What kind of influence has this book had on your personal life?

For me, Winterson's carnivalesque writing and rich imagery has been one of the biggest influences on my own writing style and ambitions as an author. I have loved and will continue to love this book for it's influence on the way I approach writing myself... its willful abandon of literary rules, its unbridled use of imagination and imagery, magic and color. For its darkness and its satire, for continually turning the reader on their head, and for two of the best written and unforgettable characters in literary history... In my humble opinion!

Please share with us one of your favourite passages from the book.

'It is a banana, madam,' said the rogue.


A banana? What on God's good earth was a banana? 'Such a thing never grew in Paradise,' I said.

'Indeed it did, madam,' says he, all puffed up like a poison adder. 'This fruit is from the Island of Bermuda, which is closer to Paradise than you will ever be.'

He lifted it up above his head, and the crowd, seeing it for the first time, roared and nudged each other and demanded to know what poor fool had been so reduced as to sell his vitality.

'It's either painted or infected,' said I, 'for there's none such a colour that I know.'

Johnson shouted above the din as best he could...

'THIS IS NOT SOME UNFORTUNATE'S RAKE. IT IS THE FRUIT OF A TREE. IT IS TO BE PEELED AND EATEN.'

At this there was unanimous retching. There was no good woman could put that to her mouth, and for a man it was the practice of cannibals. We had not gone to church all these years and been washed in the blood of Jesus only to eat ourselves up the way the Heathen do."


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Louise is a teacher, writer, blogger at Stars in Jars, and dreamer currently living in South Korea. She teaches English to Kindergarten students, writes short children's stories and dreams of a life in the mountains with inky writin' fingers, belly scootin' babies and being fat with memories and experience.
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(Your Stories #9) Chicagoland Vampires Series

Penulis : Unknown on Saturday, 16 March 2013 | 08:00

Saturday, 16 March 2013

YOUR STORIES discovers the books that are important to you. These posts tell the stories of favourited books and their readers. I am actively looking for new participants. If you're interested in being interviewed for a future YOUR STORIES feature, please email me at hello[at]ibelieveinstory[dot]com.

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chicagoland vampires
CHLOE NEILL'S CHICAGOLAND VAMPIRES SERIES
CHOSEN BY JC EMERY
***

When did you read the first book in the Chicagoland Vampires series?

I asked for fun vampire reads on Twitter and one of the most highly recommended series was Chicagoland Vampires. That was a little over a year ago.

Why is it your favourite series?

Merit (the series' protagonist) is super relateable. She's also snarky and funny. The series' male lead, Ethan Sullivan, is a Master vampire who is simultaneously drool-worthy and obnoxious. Each book (7 instalments are out, 10 are under contract) brings a new storyline into play. Neill does really well in allowing her characters to grow and develop individually and in their relationships, but never makes you feel that anyone is "safe." Chicagoland Vampires is fun, well-written, swoon-worthy, and unpredictable series.

Is there something other than the plot that contributes to your love for the books?

I'm not exactly a spring chicken anymore and I love that the vampires in Chicagoland are mostly in their 20s (Merit is 27). I find them to be more relatable than if they were teens. I also think that while a lot of authors try to create an insufferable but redeemable male lead, that most fail. Neill definitely succeeds.

What is one of your favourite quotations from the series?

From Twice Bitten (Book #3): “I am beginning to remember what it means to need things. Laughter. Companionship. Love." He leant forward and pressed his forehead to mine. "And I need you, Merit.”

***

As a child, JC Emery was fascinated by things that went bump in the night. As they say, some things never change.

Now, as an adult, she divides her time between the sexy law men, mythical creatures, and kick-ass heroines that live inside her head and pursuing her bachelor’s degree in English. As it is for most writers, finding balance is a challenge.

JC writes adult, new adult, and young adult fiction. She dabbles in many different genres including science fiction, horror, chick lit, and murder mysteries; but she is most enthralled by supernatural stories-- and everything has at least a splash of romance. JC's first novel, MARITAL BITCH, is now available.
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Your Stories #8: The Fault in Our Stars

Penulis : Unknown on Saturday, 9 March 2013 | 11:00

Saturday, 9 March 2013

YOUR STORIES discovers the books that are important to you. These articles tell the stories of favourited books and their readers. If you're interested in being interviewed for a future YOUR STORIES feature, please email me at hello[at]ibelieveinstory[dot]com.

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the fault in our stars
JOHN GREEN'S THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
CHOSEN BY VANESSA GRILLONE
***

When did you first read The Fault in Our Stars?

I read The Fault in Our Stars in January of this year and it quickly went to the top of my "Favourite Books" list, with Jane Eyre, The English Patient, and Speak following closely behind. I was recommended this book by a good friend of mine. It took me a while to pick it up, but I am so glad that I did.

Why did the book become a favourite so quickly?

Apart from the flawless writing, the quick wit, and the humor, I love that John Green was able to take such a serious topic and still make me smile the entire time I read about it. He has such an amazing way of teaching you about life, love, and the importance of enjoying every moment, that you feel cleansed when you finish reading it. I also love the main characters, they’re young but smart beyond their years but don’t make you feel stupid. You learn with them, you laugh with them, you love with them, and you feel everything that they do.

Did you connect with the book on a personal level?

Falling in love is such a delicate thing to explain, being in love is difficult thing to express -- The Fault in Our Stars put everything I’ve ever felt about love, the emotions that are involved in falling in love, and put them into words. It evoked the memory I have of falling in love, being in love, and reminded me how lucky one is to find love.

Please share a favourite line from the book.

“I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”


***
Vanessa Grillone is an aspiring author, writer, and blogger. She writes for My Pen, My Voice.;* & Chic Darling, and has contributed to Not A Model BlogRoots Buzz and Vintage Living Mag. She is also the self-published author of My Pen, My Voice, a volume of poetry and prose that also happens to be her diary. When she isn’t reviewing books for Random House Canada, or searching for her next lifestyle post, she is writing in her diary, finding her voice and hoping that one day the world will hear it. You can follow her on Twitter (@VanessaGrillone).
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Your Stories #7: The Morganville Vampire Series

Penulis : Unknown on Saturday, 2 March 2013 | 06:00

Saturday, 2 March 2013


YOUR STORIES discovers the books that are important to you. These articles tell the stories of favourited books and their readers. If you're interested in being interviewed for a future YOUR STORIES feature, please email me at hello[at]ibelieveinstory[dot]com.

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RACHEL CAINE'S THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRE SERIES
CHOSEN BY RACHEL PATRICK
***

What compelled you to begin The Morganville Vampire Series?

I believe it was my freshman year of high school, so five or six years ago. I was just getting into reading, thanks to Twilight, and I had a little obsession with vampires. Someone I went to school with had a list of favorite books on their Myspace (yes, it was cool then!) and I saw Glass Houses, the first Morganville Vampires book, on there. I decided to check it out and now I'm in love.

What makes you love this series so much?

This is kind of hard to answer. Why do people love chocolate? Because they do. Because it's delicious and addictive and has so many flavours, from dark to light and everything in-between.

For one, the books have absolutely everything: romance, action, drama, and terror. The feels run the gamut, from a pulsing heart to butterflies devouring my stomach. The story is so cool and, thirteen books in, I'm not ready for it to end. I can re-read it over and over and keep falling in love. Vampires and humans (somewhat) coexisting in a modern day town? SWEET. And the characters: my sweet babies. It may sound weird, but it kind of feels like I know them. I was out and about once and was hit with this sudden picture: Claire, Shane, Michael, and Eve just standing there on the sidewalk, looking so realistic.

Do you have a a favourite quotation from the series?

I don't have a specific quote, but I'll always love words exchanged between Claire and Shane, as well as all the crazy things Myrnin says.

***
Rachel Patrick is a somethingteen-year-old who would like a one way ticket to Neverland. Her middle name is Awkward. She's attending college to work towards being a better writer, and she hopes to some day have her name on shelves around the world. She has an obsession with books that some may call unhealthy, but she just calls it life. She can be found posting reviews and other bookish shenanigans on her blog, Beauty and the Bookshelf, obsessively tweeting on Twitter, and tumbling all sorts of things (like Disney!) on Tumblr.
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Your Stories #6: War and Peace

Penulis : Unknown on Sunday, 24 February 2013 | 11:00

Sunday, 24 February 2013

YOUR STORIES discovers the books that are important to you. These articles tell the stories of favourited books and their readers.

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LEO TOLSTOY'S WAR AND PEACE
CHOSEN BY JANET RODRIGUEZ
***


What compelled you to read War and Peace?

I picked up this book in 2002, and it took me a whole year to read it. I always wanted to say I read War and Peace... it was kind of a goal.


Why is War and Peace your favourite book?

The story transported me into the world of a doomed aristocracy of Russia - during the time when Napolean was trying to take over Europe. A time, place and social structure that I was completely unfamiliar with. I read quite a bit of the book before it got really interesting... maybe one-third of the massive story before I really felt like I couldn't put it down. Then *BAM* - on one page there were two different things that happened that HOOKED me to the story. All of a sudden, these people were folks I knew... people I cared about and couldn't live without. Napolean became real to me, the future of a people became something I cared about. Damn that Tolstoy!! How could he do this to me??

While I read, the rhythms of Tolstoy were made beautiful and I felt like he was a dear uncle telling me a story in front of a fire. I will always, always recommend this book... it is an important one even today.

Because of its size, it is very important that you read the right translation. Rosemary Edmonds is a master translator and a passionate lover of literature. [The edition I read] was published by Penguin and never fell apart. It has a cast of characters at the beginning (it is my deepest advice to not read War and Peace without one - you need to remember who is who and how they relate to one another).


Do you have any memories associated with this book?

I have always been told that I have ADD - that I achieve below my potential. I used to give up on a lot of things because I believed this diagnosis. One day, I remember that I decided I would no longer accept anything negative that had ever been said about me. If I did have ADD, it would be a hurdle I would have to jump over, right? So I said, "I'm gonna read War and Peace!" And I did. The next year I ran a marathon (I was told I wasn't athletic). War and Peace reminds me that I can do anything... anything.


Share a favourite quotation from the text.

"Though tattered, hungry, worn out, and reduced to a third of their original number, the French entered Moscow in good marching order. It was a weary and famished, but still a fighting and menacing army. But it remained an army only until its soldiers had dispersed into their different lodgings. As soon as the men of the various regiments began to disperse among the wealthy and deserted houses, the army was lost forever and there came into being something nondescript, neither citizens nor soldiers but what are known as marauders. When five weeks later these same men left Moscow, they no longer formed an army. They were a mob of marauders, each carrying a quantity of articles, which seemed to him valuable or useful. The aim of each man when he left Moscow was no longer, as it had been, to conquer, but merely to keep what he had acquired."


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Janet Rodriguez has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She read War and Peace when she was 38, ran her first marathon at 39 and moved to Africa when she was 44. Her blog is a reflection of her life as a "Christian missionary" while being a feminist (talk about a square peg in a round hole). She has written her first novel, Treasures In Diepsloot, a story of women living in extreme poverty and becoming the heart and soul of hope in darkness. She is convinced that writers are her favourite people, the watchers and translators of life. When you are good at story-telling, there's a joy that radiates from you and a love for people that comes through and makes life for everyone better.
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