"As is a tale, so is life..."

What an incredible human being.  As a recent graduate myself, this really struck a chord with me.  If someone asked me what I would consider to be my biggest flaw, I could say with complete sincerity that it is my indomitable perfectionism.  I'm an intelligent, creative, lucky person; I work hard and I frequently excel.  But I can't get rid of that little voice in the back of my mind, the one that whispers "you could have done that better, you've let yourself down!"  That voice has taken me to some very dark places.  Last year, I made myself ill with constantly pushing myself to do better, better, better: to be something more than what I am.  But I am finally learning to control my perfectionism: to reign it in and channel it into something worthwhile and productive - because perfectionism can be an asset as well as a curse.  As the wonderful J. K. Rowling says, I need to keep sight of what matters most: doing what I love, living a good life, being happy, helping other people and realising that failure is not something to fear but something to learn from. 

"Some failure in life is inevitable.  It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all.  In which case, you fail by default."

My Week in Pictures: Ireland Edition

1. Beautiful views of the Antrim Coast

2. Cranny Falls

3. Carnlough Harbour

4. The rather spooky interior of a very old house at the Ulster Folk Museum

5. The reading room above the old printing press at the Ulster Folk Museum

6. My pig-headed boyfriend

7. Queen's University Belfast

8. Digging up dinosaur bones at the Ulster Museum in Belfast

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Last week, The Boyfriend and I decided to run away together.  We shacked up in a cold but homely bungalow that used to belong to my grandparents in a tiny seaside village called Carnlough on the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland.  When we tired of exploring the village, we visited a dinosaur exhibition at the Ulster Museum in Belfast and trekked around an early 20th Century village.  We returned "home" each day exhausted to a house full of cassette tapes with no toaster.  It was like stepping back in time. 


I always spend weeks deliberating which books to take with me on holiday - and I tend to arrive with a small library having grossly over-estimated the time I would have to spend reading in between adventures.  This time, The Woman in Black by Susan Hill found its way into my suitcase and it turned out to be the perfect reading material for the old-fashioned atmosphere of my trip.  And being quite short, it was a breeze to read within my six day time limit - I finished the final chapter on the boat home.

Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral Mrs Alice Drablow, the house's sole inhabitant of Eel Marsh House, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. The house stands at the end of a causeway, wreathed in fog and mystery, but it is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black - and her terrible purpose.
- Synopsis from Waterstones

 As a child, I was absolutely intrigued by ghost stories.  My friends and I would sit for hours in my basement with the lights off, trying to outdo one another with tales of the supernatural until they became so outlandish that they descended into humour.  But in recent years, my interest has waned.  The conventional straight-forward ghost story form is not very visible on the modern adult market and as such I have come to regard the ghost story as a rather childish genre.


My mother, however, is a huge fan of anything creepy and sinister.  The Woman in Black has long been one of her favourite books and she has been recommending it to me for years, but the notion of reading an old fashioned ghost story from a modern writer has never really appealed to me.  However, with the success of the film my interest has been steadily increasing - I tend to make a point of reading books before watching the film adaptations.


The verdict?  I could not put it down.  I carried it around in my bag all week hoping to snatch a few moments to read whilst we journeyed to and from our destinations.  I came home exhausted from the day's adventures with another planned for the crack of dawn and yet refused to sleep until I had devoured a few more chapters of The Woman in Black.


Hill masterfully creates the eery atmosphere vital to all ghost stories through the secluded setting of Eel Marsh House, with the treacherous Nine Lives Causeway frequently rendering the house completely inaccessible - and therefore inescapable.  The sense of threat evoked by the haunting Arthur Kipps experiences during his visits to the house is greatly intensified by his complete isolation and stranded state.  The sinister atmosphere lingers after the book has been put down.  I frequently found myself dashing down the hall to the bathroom with my heart racing, half expecting the woman in black to emerge from the darkness around me.

Thomas Hardy believed that places are as important as people in fiction, because people are formed by the landscapes in which they are born and bred, though that is probably less true now than it was in his day, when, especially in rural areas, they tended to remain rooted in one place. But a harsh climate and a hard landscape toughen people. A low-lying, dank place tends to be lowering to the spirits, and we all know that constant wind drives people mad. I think the pathetic fallacy is less fallacious than is often supposed.
- Susan Hill quoted by The Guardian

The atmospheric setting becomes almost a 'character' in the book, whilst the protagonist Arthur Kipp takes a back seat.  We are given only the most basic factual details regarding Arthur's lifestyle, family and employment and receive very little insight into his feelings apart from the terror and trauma he experiences in direct relation to the haunting.  As the book begins by introducing us to Arthur's older 'present' self, there is very minimal character development throughout the novel aside from the revelation of the cause of Arthur's intense emotional distress when his stepchildren press him to tell a ghost story.  Minor characters such as Samuel Daily and even the dog Spider are far more endearing than Arthur, and consequently, any risk to the dog's well being causes more of an emotional impact upon the reader than the persistent sense of threat towards Arthur's.  I would have liked to have known Arthur better, so to speak.  If the reader felt a true connection to Arthur, it would allow us to experience the emotions he feels during the ghostly visitations, rather than merely receiving a second-hand account.

However, the reader's distance from Arthur enables Hill to present the menacing figure of the woman in black as the true protagonist of the novel.  While I found the explanation of the woman's motivation for haunting Eel Marsh House adequate, I was rather perplexed by the intensity of her hatred and cruelty to those who had done her no harm. However, she is a wonderfully frightening ghostly presence whose tale evokes sympathy in spite of her malicious intent.  Rather than wasting time on excessive characterisation and unnecessary details, the focus of the novel is entirely on the eery atmosphere and the haunting itself, making it a truly gripping read.  Hill is not afraid to shock her reader and does not shy away from continuing the fear and horror evoked by her novel to its conclusion.

The Boyfriend and I watched the film adaptation of The Woman in Black last night and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the film, it has very little in common with the narrative that inspired it.  The book holds quite a few surprises even for those who have already seen the film and I would recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for an authentically spooky tale.  Hill's novel is adult and convincing, yet retains the feel of feel of a true ghost story recounted one's basement with the lights out, leaving the reader eager to learn what happens next with the turn of every page.

8 / 10

If you enjoyed this book, you might like:

 Affinity by Sarah Waters

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Book Art: Alicia Martin

This time last week, if someone had asked me to describe book art in three words, I would have said: delicate, intricate and beautiful.


Then I discovered Alicia Martín, a Madrid based artist who has taken book art to a whole new level. The beautiful still applies but the delicate and intricate have gone right out the window. Literally.

 

Source

Martín's breathtaking work cannot be summed up in words, but if I had to choose one I'd go for big. Her Biografias series features three gigantic sculptures composed of thousands of books that appear to have taken on a life of their own as they explode out of the windows of buildings and cascade onto the ground beneath, with their loose pages fluttering in the breeze. These works are so powerful I can hardly believe that they are static structures. I can almost feel the force of the books bursting through the windows just by looking at these images - I can almost hear them! I am itching to see the real things.





Source

I am no art critic but it doesn't take a discerning eye to discover meaning within these works. To me, these explosive sculptures represent the boundary-breaking effect that literature has upon individual minds, and upon society as a whole. A good book can ignite a spark within our minds, encouraging us to break free from the restrictions which enclose our imaginations and create something big, something bold, something beautiful: a work of art. The sculptures evoke the power of literature by attributing books with a physical strength as they become a force of nature in Martín's hands. And secretly, I fear, Martín's sculptures may be a projection of my own future if I do not invest in a Kindle as soon as possible!

Source

You can visit Alicia Martín's gallery website here

Judging a book by its cover

With months still to go until the hotly anticipated publication of J.K. Rowling's first novel aimed at adult readers, her publisher has decided to tantalise us with the release of the book cover.

I have to admit... I am not impressed.  After the beautiful artwork adorning the Harry Potter book covers, I can't help but feel that very little effort has been put into the design of 'The Casual Vacancy'.  Yes, the colours are bold and eye-catching, but red and yellow is not a complimentary combination.  When Waterstones posted a picture of the cover on their facebook page, someone commented saying that it reminded them of a Caramac wrapper.  The cover provides very little insight into what the book is about: with the only clear hint being the crossed ballot box.  We are left to read into things.  Is the retro detective novel feel of the cover intentional?  And knowing Rowling's tendency to attach huge significance to what appear to be passing details in the plots of her Harry Potter novels, my eye can't help but be drawn to the lower-case 'I' in her name - although this is probably just a stylistic detail.

Luckily, the blurb provided on the Little, Brown book group's website gives us a clearer impression of what the book is actually about:

When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.

However, even this seems evasive.  Perhaps I'm just so eager to get my hands on the book and start reading that no hint will ever satisfy my curiosity.  It sounds as though Rowling will be focusing on a community: a group of characters rather than one overriding protagonist voice.  Of course, the Harry Potter series is full of characters, with the omniscient third-person narrator enabling the reader to become very well acquainted with many of them - but the the books' focus is clearly on Harry.  I am interested to see how Rowling tackles this different narration approach.

 

 

Honestly, if I had never heard of J.K. Rowling and saw this book cover sitting amongst hundreds of others in a book shop, I doubt I would pick it up.  It's a little dull; there isn't really anything to draw the reader in, and I find the colour scheme off-putting.  Even if they just removed the yellow border, I think I'd like it a whole lot better.  But who hasn't heard of J.K. Rowling? There's a woman who does not need to rely on book covers to sell her stories. The cover could be a blank sheet of paper and I'd still be queueing up to buy this book

The fame attached to Rowling's name has reduced the need for her book cover to attract the right kind of reader. Instead, the design is clearly being used to add to the suspense and mystery surrounding the publication of the novel as it teases but refuses to satisfy. And of course, the plain cover sets itself apart from the detailed artwork associated with the Harry Potter series - and this is probably exactly what Rowling wants to achieve with this novel. I can't help but be disappointed that it's such an ugly book, but I can appreciate the intention behind the design.

I imagine this cover will have a marmite effect: people will either love it or hate it.  What do you think?



Why I love the Kindle: confessions of a book lover

When the Amazon Kindle was released in November 2007, many of us bookish types weren't too happy about it.  We went to bed one night with our educated, progressive minds and woke up staunch conservatives.  Our beloved tangible tomes of ink and paper had undergone thousands of years of consumer evaluation and had never been found wanting - why were Amazon even attempting to offer us an alternative?  The Kindle was a violation, an insult: we took it as a personal offence.

Like many of my fellow hardened bookworms, I closed my mind to the Kindle immediately, without even taking the time to consider it.  I have been head over heels in love with the ink and paper book since before I learnt to read and, unwilling to kick the habit of a lifetime, I remained loyal to the towers of books stacked precariously around my bedroom, gazing on them fondly even when they crashed to the floor without the slightest provocation at four o'clock in the morning.  I turned my nose up at people with Kindles on the bus, viewing them with the contempt I usually reserve for people who wear glasses without lenses: as though they were merely pretending to read.

But, fellow Kindle-haters, I have a confession to make.  I have been unfaithful.  There is a Kindle lying in bed beside me as I type.  I have just finished Chapter 3 of 'The Great Gatsby' and I'm certainly not hating it - the Kindle or the Gatsby.

In my defence, the Kindle isn't mine.  I haven't permanently deserted my ink and paper sweetheart, I am merely engaging in a casual affair.  I borrowed it from The Boyfriend with the intention of proving a point.  By acquainting myself with the 'benefits' the Kindle has to offer, I would be able to argue against them more eloquently in future debates - that was the theory anyway.  But I am afraid my plan has backfired.  My time with Mr. Kindle is almost over and I'm becoming increasingly reluctant to give him back.  So, instead of a diatribe against the e-reader, I present to you: ten reasons why book lovers love the Kindle:

1. Cheaper books

And what self-respecting bookworm could argue with that?  The Kindle edition is significantly cheaper than the ink and paper copy of many new and upcoming releases.  And if that's not tempting enough, Kindle editions of over one million out of copyright pre-1923 titles are available for free!  Titles include: 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Dracula', 'The Iliad', 'Oliver Twist' and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. If that doesn't encourage you to catch up on your classics, I don't know what will.

2. Lightweight and portable

One of the main selling points of the Kindle is its compact size.  Amazon claims that the device weighs less than a paperback book, has the capacity to hold around 1400 e-books and is small enough to fit in your pocket - I don't know what kind of pockets these people have, it certainly doesn't fit in mine.  Whilst the average person will not require 1400 books to satisfy their literary cravings on the train to work, if my English degree has taught me anything it's that the ability to cram every book you could ever possibly need into a small hand-held device would save countless students from a life of chronic back pain.  I will not miss the days of carting 'The Collected Works of Shakespeare' plus 20 hardbacks around in my bag.  And if, like my parents, a continually overflowing newspaper rack is the bane of your existence, you will no doubt appreciate the Kindle's ability to hold your newspapers and magazines too, with new editions of those you subscribe to delivered wirelessly to your device the second they become available.

3. Will save you from the storage issues caused by book addiction

Ever since watching Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' for the first time when I was four-years-old, I have dreamed of having a room in my house devoted entirely to books.  A library with ladders.  And I am certainly well on my way to accumulating the quantities of books required to fill such a room.  Unfortunately, however, the euromillions win required for the purchase of my ideal house remains a distant dream, and I must admit that things are getting out of hand around here.  My bookcase reached bursting point a very long time ago so I have several years worth of books in a number of large crates on my bedroom floor, resulting in perpetually bruised shins.  The towering stacks of books on my desk present a serious risk to my personal safety and I live in fear lest my cat someday disappears beneath an avalanche of tumbling books.  I adore my ink and paper companions and rooms that don't contain any books feel wrong to me, but until my library with ladders becomes a possibility, I may be forced to admit defeat.  Stopping buying books is not an option I am willing to consider, so the Kindle with its 1400 book capacity is starting to seem like a very attractive alternative.

4. Easier to read lying down

I have always been a bedtime reader.  Reading helps me relax and clears my mind: two vital elements conducive to a good night's sleep.  However, my preferred lying-on-my-side position is possibly the most uncomfortable reading position known to man.  Propping yourself up leads to sore elbows, aching shoulders and stiff necks, but you can only see one page of a paperback with your head resting comfortably on the pillow.  I have developed a technique of rolling from one side to the other as I progress to the next page, but this is a tad too energetic for sleepy bedtime reading.  With its single screen and page flicking buttons on both sides of the device, the Kindle has solved all of my bedtime reading problems.

5. Highlighting, bookmarks and notes

Having spent four years of my life studying literature, many of my books have been rendered completely unreadable by excessive highlighting and bookmarking.  The Kindle allows users to highlight, add bookmarks and make notes unobtrusively - meaning I can still leave little love notes for The Boyfriend in the pages of his favourite books, although their academic footnote appearance doesn't quite carry the passionate tone of a good old margin scrawl.

6. The 'find' function

I cannot imagine how many hours I've wasted flicking through my favourite books trying to find an adored quotation.  With the Kindle's find function, simply enter a few key words and hey presto! Another godsend for the student population - we all know that academic referencing can be an absolute nightmare. With the Kindle you can find those page numbers you accidentally forgot to include in a matter of seconds.

7. Built-in Dictionary

The Kindle's built-in dictionary enables you to look up unfamiliar words as you read.  Especially useful when wading through the florid and outdated phrases of the classics.  No more flicking to the glossaries hidden at the back of books to interrupt your reading experience.

8. Never lose your place

Nothing is more frustrating than losing your place in a really good book.  Overestimate by a chapter or two and you'll be bombarded with spoilers.  The Kindle always opens your books at the last page you read, so you can sink back into the story without the stress of accidentally flicking into uncharted territory.

9. Cute Kindle skins and covers

From ditafelici

From skunkwraps

As much as I appreciate the beauty of the book cover, I must admit that some of the skins and covers available for the Kindle are absolutely adorable.  I am head over heels in love with the embroidered Gatsby one pictured above - although it is more than a little out of my price range.  Simply type 'Kindle' into the search bar on etsy.com and to find cute and quirky ways to personalise your new e-reader (obviously by the time you've reached number 9 on this list I'll have succeeded in persuading you to invest in one).

10. Instantaneous book shopping

I hate going on trips without enough reading material.  And those horribly empty bookless periods between finishing your last book and buying your next.  But with the Kindle, I need never go without.  The Kindle shop allows you to browse, purchase and download books wirelessly from your Kindle device, so you can stock up on books without leaving the comfort of your home (or holiday apartment!) or having to wait for the post.

Of course, for a book fanatic like myself, nothing will ever compare to the promising weight of a hardback, the gratifying crack of a breaking spine, the heady scent of ink on paper and the rustle of the pages as I flick through them with my hands.  But I am enjoying my little excursion into the e-reading experience and I suspect a Kindle will be at the top of my Christmas list this year.  I am a literary techno-phobe no longer.

So, what do my fellow book lovers think?  Do you own a Kindle and how does it compare to our beloved book?  Or do you hate the e-reader with a passion in spite of the pros detailed above?  I'm always up for a good debate so leave a comment or email me at theliteraryaffair@gmail.com and let me know your views.

Prologue

Hello!  I'm Claire, a 21 year old bookworm and writer from sunny Scotland.  After four blissful years spent doing what I love and calling it work, I have finally completed my English degree and am about to embark on my next big adventure: as an MSc Publishing student - I can hardly wait!

None of my real-life friends want to listen to me harping on about books all day every day so this blog is my little place in which to indulge myself.  I'm going to be posting about books, poetry, book art, cover designs, publishing, literary events and anything else that takes my fancy!  I hope to post book reviews too, although my reading-time is largely devoted to the lengthy reading list for my publishing course these days - and who wants to hear my views on A History of British Publishing?  Anyone?  No?

I've always been an avid reader and I will read anything and everything.  As I child, I would sit in the bath and read all of the shampoo bottles!  My favourite writers are J. K. Rowling, Nabokov, Sarah Waters, Philip Pullman, Jonathan Safran Foer, Augusten Burroughs, Margaret Atwood, Virginia Woolf, Charlotte Bronte, e. e. cummings, Pablo Neruda, Max Wallis, Tennessee Williams and, of course, William Shakespeare - to name a few!  I have a very open mind and am always looking for reading recommendations so email me with your suggestions at the address provided below.

When I don't have my nose stuck in a book, I'm the adventuring type.  I love impromptu trips, exploring new places and spending whole days outdoors.  I have a penchant for films, music, theatre, cats, dinosaurs and the sound the sea makes. 

I love to get to know my fellow bookworms, so if you have any comments, suggestions, constructive criticism or would just like to say hello don't hesitate to get in touch!

I am also happy to accept book reviews and other contributions from guest bloggers - just email me with your idea at theliteraryaffair@gmail.com