"Man," I cried, "how ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom!"

Happy Halloween everyone! I've got my Charlie Chaplin garb on, listening to Halloween themed music, and eating chocolate like I haven't eaten in years. Hope all of you are having just as a spirited days as I am. Anyhow, I just finished up Frankenstein and it is just as I remembered...dark, complex, and down right exciting.

I know this has been a book that has been adapted to many many films but I highly suggest if you have seen the film and not read the book you need to rectify that because I have not seen a version of Frankenstein that holds true to the book (What's that you say? Everyone says that about books to movies) WELL you naysayers I say to you in this case I am double TRIPLE sure that the book is better than any of the adaptations. Often the storyline will miss the point of the novel and we never really get a sense of the mentality of Frankenstein's monster. He is highly intelligent and completely self taught. He elucidates the nature of society through some of the most poetic lines I have read and he points out that people can be hateful, violent, and close minded.

If there are some of you that have never even heard of the story it starts with a dashing and intelligent Dr. Frankenstein on a quest to find a companion. He wanted a friend that could be an equal in strength, intelligence, and generally be a person with whom he could confide in. Basically, he wanted the perfect best friend. So, essentially he decides that if he can not find one the old fashioned way he would make one from scratch. He is the evil mad scientist version of Martha Stewart I suppose...anyhow he works for months and months completely secluded from society (a habit most common for mad scientists) and he has his breakthrough. However, his experiment does not bring the results that he wanted because lets face it, his monster BFF was basically a dead guy. Frankenstein can't handle being the new Daddy to such a strange looking creature so he abandons him and sends him off into the world without any support or knowledge of what he was going to encounter.



Honestly who wouldn't immediately love this face!

 

There is always a debate on whether Frankenstein's creature is evil or good. I fully support the notion that he is not evil and merely a product of a bad situation. Nature vs Nurture! The Creature goes out into the world and is constantly being attacked because people are afraid of him. People always will fear what they do not understand. So immediately from when this creature was brought into the world he is hated for looking different. The Creature makes good use of his time in seclusion and learns how to speak and read. He gains great knowledge from some of the most revered novels in history which is why he speaks so eloquently. This quote is a genuine glimpse into The Creature's psyche and I do not see something evil, I see a creature that was rejected and learned to hate the people who hated him.

"How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favourable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy goodness and compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me. The desert mountains and dreary glaciers are my refuge. These bleak skied I hail, for they are kinder to me than your fellow beings. If the multitude of mankind knew of my existence, they would do as you do, and arm themselves to for my destruction. Shall I not then hate them who abhor me? I will keep no terms with my enemies. I am miserable, and they shall share my wretchedness."
 

Things get even worse after the Creature comes to Frankenstein and begs him to make him a companion. He expressed his deepest and most sympathetic verses that should have been emotions that Frankenstein could relate to since he began this novel yearning for the same exact connection. He really could have avoided this whole mess had he looked to his future wife and family. He acted as though he was utterly alone in this world but his creature knew absolutely nothing but loneliness and exile when he probably would have cherished anyone whom ever would grace him with their presence without an attempt on his life.

I do not want to spoil the ending because it varies slightly to some of the movies out there. I will say this, the Creature was probably the most human out of any one of the major characters in the novel and I think he acted as anyone would in his situation. Go on and give it a read! In my humble opinion, this book is perfect. It has depth, history, creativity. I give it a 5/5+ but I could be biased since I have read this so often. Anyhow folks that's all for now, I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!

Next Up: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Good afternoon and happy Monday from the BOOKWORMportal! I was drinking down a comically large cup of coffee and it dawned on me that Halloween is this Wednesday and I forgot about my Halloween themed book! I was mulling it over on which one I wanted to read and with time constraints I thought it would be best to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I have read this book MANY times before but I figured it would be a quick read while staying within the spirit of the holiday.

So I haven't really read anything sci-fi in awhile but I am a sci-fi junkie and Mary Shelley is a pioneer of the genre. This novel has always interested me for many reasons and one is that this novel was so ahead of its time. Written in 1818 this novel touches on the subject of creating life and essentially playing God. As for being ahead of its time, the scientist takes dead tissue and regenerates it to bring it back to life, pretty interesting topics for the times. I will be looking forward to revisiting this novel and I hope to post about it on Wednesday!

"So Now You're Death: Here's What You'll Need:" A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Happy Sunday cyber-world here from the BOOKWORMportal! I was a little late in starting Chris Moore's book but it is such an entertaining read that I blew threw the first third of the book in a mere three hours and finished it the next day. As I mentioned in my post last week, I chose this book in remembrance of my friend that passed away three years ago. This book is a perfect reflection of his quirky humor and several times I actually laughed out loud. I enjoyed it so much that I may venture into Chris Moore's other work.

So according to what I have read about Moore's style, he generally likes to write about the "every man." He takes his main character who is usually an unimpressive guy and completely turns his normal world upside down. Charlie Asher (beta-male as he refers to himself) is the nice and normal guy in A Dirty Job and he runs a business where things from the deceased are collected. After his wife dies after giving birth his entire life changes in a most unexpected way.

On a side note this novel really reminded me of the show called Dead Like Me where grim reapers live among us like normal people and take your soul before you die to minimize the pain or to keep you safe while you die (if that makes sense). It is a great show and I highly recommend it! With that being said, as the story progresses Charlie notices that some of the things in his shop now emit a red glow to which he attributes to his grief for the loss of his wife. No one else can see these things glow unless you .

"Amid the shelves of knickknacks and books, the piles of old radios, the racks of clothes, all of them dark, just lumpy shapes in the dark, he could see objects glowing a dull red, nearly pulsing, like beating hearts."

This is the moment when it all begins. My thoughts initially from what I have heard about this book were that he becomes death and collects artifacts belonging to the deceased that these objects were essentially their resting place for their soul. I was not too far off but Chris Moore makes it much more intricate than that and he sort of toys with the idea of reincarnation. If you are spiritual you generally believe that what makes us "us,"our very being is held within our soul. Charlie is the keeper of these souls until they find their next home. Once they find their next home the red light will go out in the object being held.

"Always compliment the merchandise; it might be a piece of crap to you, but they might have a lot of their soul poured into it."

Aside from the humor I really think one of the best parts of this novel is the character developments. Charlie starts off as a normal guy but really he is surrounded by a plethora of colorful people. His fellow Death Merchant friend is named Minty Fresh, a seven foot tall black guy that wears mint green suits, aside from Charlie he is my favorite character. Charlie also has a daughter Sophie who has a very dark and scary trick of killing things by saying "kitty" to them and her two hell hounds have just as much of a personality as everyone else. Charlie's store is ran by an oversexed guy named Ray and a sassy goth girl who is the first to discover Charlie's new role in life.  Quite honestly this novel would make an awesome sitcom if just for the characters alone.

The only qualm I had was I thought the end was a bit silly and almost predictable but overall I think this novel was a great step out of the box and I have to give it a 5 out of 5 across the board. I think I may have to add one or two of his novels to my reading list. Until next time my fellow bookworms, enjoy the rest of the weekend before we have to get back to the grind.

Hello and happy Friday to all from the BOOKWORMportal! It is starting to look like fall in the hottest state on the west coast. We may not have those beautiful multicolored trees to signal the change in weather but we also will not need to chip ice off our cars come December. I love this time of year!

Anyhow, I usually like giving small details about the authors of the books I am reading but seeing on how Christoper Moore is relatively new, I didn't find a whole lot. So today will be a fun facts about Christopher Moore AND Halloween history. Let's get in the spirit of things!

SomeMoore Fun Facts (terrible pun I know):

1. Before Moore became a published novelist he had a myriad of professions. He was a "roofer, a grocery clerk, a hotel night auditor, and insurance broker, a waiter, a photographer, and a rock and roll DJ." I find this interesting because it gives an aspiring author like myself a glimmer of hope. He now has about 13 novels that have been released over the last 20 years. Not too shabby C. Moore!

2. Christopher Moore's first novel Practical Demonkeeping was purchased by Disney for the movie rights. It has not gone into production but I think it would make a fun movie if they ever did. If you're interested you can check the summary details and reviews here.

Halloween History:

1. Originally, children would sing songs or tell ghost stories to earn their treats. This was their "trick" they would perform if they were not given their treats. That is not much motivation for me to give up my sweets when by holding out I would get stories and songs WHILE I eat my Halloween snacks?! Sounds like a sweet deal to me.

2. Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.

3. Halloween is a very old holiday that dates back to ancient Celtic times. The reason why we dress up today is because in their time they used to dress up as ghosts and ghouls in order to disguise themselves from the real demons that wander the streets on Halloween. That way one could go about their daily activities without unwanted attention from these sorts of ruffians.

Until next time, have a safe weekend!

Next Up: A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Happy Friday with the warmest of regards from the BOOKWORMportal! I trust you all have began buying your Halloween decorations and bags of sugary treats for All Hallows Eve like I have (yes it's early but what other excuse will I have to devour my weight in sweets?). Halloween just so happens to be a favorite holiday of mine which gave me an idea for the next 2 books I plan on reading for the month of October. I thought I would first move towards a much more contemporary author Christopher Moore. I prefer to read the classics but what sort of avid reader would I be if I did not venture out once and awhile. So, this weeks book will be A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore.

A little background to why I chose this book (besides it having a bit of a Halloween feel to it) it was the very last book a dear friend of mine read before he passed away almost exactly 3 years ago. He loved Halloween just as much as I do and he had a goofball sense of humor so I am hoping for a entertaining read. From what I have gathered this book has a dark humorous tone to it which is my favorite. Since this book is bigger than the last 2, I will update every 3rd of the way as I go. Have a safe weekend!

Halloween Fun Fact: The first Jack O'Lanterns weren't carved from pumpkins, they were carved from turnips. They were said to have originated in Ireland.

"It's Six A. M. Do You Know Where You Are?"

Hello and happy Wednesday and what a busy week it has been already. Cruising with Jay's literary meme down the dark ends of New York's darkest corners, rubbing elbows with the "elite," living double lives! What an interesting read this was and an excellent addition to the shelves of BOOKWORMportal this little piece will be. While I may not fully agree that Jay McInerney is the modern Fitzgerald I do see some similarities in writings styles when comparing them side by side. We get to view a world through a young man who has entered a fast paced world and gets absorbed in it.

As I mentioned in my first post about this book, it was written in 2nd person, which if done right, is one of my favorite styles of writing. McInerney does it well because he added an interesting element, he omitted the extra voice that we are accustomed to. Traditionally, one would read "then he placed his keys on the table" rather than "you place the keys on the table." It essentially puts you in his mindset as though you were living the story. "Here you go again." Yet on the other side we never are formally introduced to the protagonist of the novel. He remains nameless, so we remain unattached...until the end that is...I don't want to give everything away but there is a moment where we get a real sense to why he is the way he is and see a much more sensitive side to a man who lacks emotion through 90% of the book. We are led to the crux of his very psyche. However, this one and only touching moment of the novel does not last long and he ultimately returns to his hedonistic lifestyle.

As a side note I definitely get a sense of what McInerney was feeling at the time in which this novel was written. He was fired from his job, he had lost his wife to another man, his mother had died, and I get a sense that he didn't know how to deal with all the grief much like his character.

One major similarity I found in writing styles between McInerney and Fitzgerald is the ability to point out human nature in the darkest most unflattering way possible. In Gatsby I noticed a lot of affectations in people much like McInerney does in his novel. The "elite" seemed well off and proper but below they were liars and cheats but as long as they kept up their false persona they were highly regarded. I only say elite for Gatsby because everyone in Bright Lights, Big City seemed to be the dregs of the city.

False persona's were the norm and if a person seemed genuine it was foreign and innocent. The protagonist lead a double life and somehow we never truly get a real sense of who he really is because both versions we are shown were meant for him to fit in somewhere. Transvestites seem just as real and any woman in the novel, his sentiments at first seem real, "you are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning" which makes us believe he is a stand up guy but he constantly contradicts this statement. He always seems to find some sort of illicit activity to participate in, usually in a bathroom in a seedy nightclub. Also, to me, the love for his former wife seems artificial at best. He always liked that she was a model but "slumming it" with him. It was all okay as long as she wasn't a real model. After she leaves, it is as though her possessions become more significant than she ever was to him. I don't think even the protagonist ever really realized the phoniness of the relationship and the best line to describe it was "when did she become a mannequin?" which in part, is a very revealing sentence for the whole novel.

So again, this novel was an interesting one but I still prefer my antihero to have a little bit of class and social grace like Gatsby. However, for the time being the 80s I think this is a socially relevant novel, especially for a fact paced drug induced New York that McInerney was living in when he wrote it. Overall Id give it a 4 out of 5 for storyline (I am a sucker for a masked memoir), 4 out of 5 for style,  4 out of 5 for delivery.

One last though, I found out this was turned into a movie. I wonder how it holds up since most of the monologue is from a 2nd person point of view. It looks a tad corny but I am willing to give it a go.

"You are a republic of voices tonight."

Happy Tuesday from the BOOKWORMportal, I hope yours is as sunny and beautiful as mine. I began reading Bright Lights, Big City last night and so far so good. I forgot to mention, besides being a recommendation from my favorite professor Dr. D, one of the reasons I chose to review this novel is because the author, Jay Inerney, was regarded to be a modern F. Scott Fitzgerald. I thought it would be interesting to compare the two novels and thus far the similarities are quite honestly minuscule but tis only the beginning my friends.

 

Fun facts Jay Inerney:

Worked for The New Yorker but got fired in 1981 (I believe as a fact-checker) which inspired the role of his lead character in Bright Lights, Big City. I wonder if the affinity for doing drugs in public restrooms is also slightly autobiographical as well...hmmm.

The year he got fired was the same year his first wife Linda flew to Italy for her modeling career and never returned due to the Italian stallion that stole her from Jay.

He was tennis buddies with author David Foster Wallace. For those of you who enjoy contemporary authors and have a few months to kill, check out Infinite Jest. Excellent read if you can get through it, if not then you have a nifty new weapon if that brick just wasn't cutting it.

So I spent the weekend trying to figure out what I would read this week and I finally came to a decision. There are so many novels that I would love to revisit and eventually I will but this week I would like to read something new. In undergrad I studied English Literature and I had this crazy but brilliant professor who somehow managed to remember nearly everything in every book he has read since the 60s...I can only hope to be like this one day. Anyhow, he would always mention certain books that we should read but those who have studied English know how arduous it can be to fit in reading anything else besides school work. I plan on tackling the list I have accumulated per his recommendation during the several years I have known him.  My second book I will review will be Bright Lights Big City by Jay McInerney.

 

  

 

This novel was first published in 1984 and takes place in New York City. It follows the protagonist through his double life between being a fact-checker at a magazine and a local participant in illicit activities one would do in the 80s. From what I have read about this novel it is written in second person and our main character will remain unnamed which has a Palahniuk Fight Club feel to it which I enjoyed immensely. Dr. D has never led me astray when it involves anything pertaining to literature or history so I am sure this will be a great read.