Celtic Thunder Cruise

This is not a book related post. I apologize for the extended absence, and I promise that there is a book post coming, soonish. For now, please enjoy the recap of my experience on the inaugural Celtic Thunder Cruise!

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I had a really great time on the Celtic Thunder Cruise - one of my top 5 vacations of all time. I didn’t go to all the shows, but I did get to the one I really ‘needed’ to see – twice, even! The shore excursions were fantastic We had two shore days, one in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and one in Grand Cayman. The accommodations were fairly comfortable, and, for the most part, I enjoyed spending time with other fans. I was underwhelmed by the food and available merchandise, primarily the selection not the quality – for instance, I had anticipated spending much more money on souvenirs than I did. I suppose that’s a good thing, but I was a little disappointed nonetheless.

This was my first cruise, and I was completely stunned by my first sight of the ships. They’re truly massive! We sailed on Carnival Victory, and all the staff I interacted with were very friendly. I did have trouble getting service at shows in the main theatre, which became a bit uncomfortable considering how much cheering I was doing, but that was the only issue I had with staff. The main ship décor looked very dated and tawdry in the full glare of a Miami afternoon, although the gold and glitter looked alright in the low light of the evenings. The Celtic Thunder specific decorations were fantastic and made me grin every time I noticed them – and they were every where, from full size window decals of the singers as we boarded the ship to CT decals on the glass elevators and the barrel-style tables in the “Thunder Pub”! It was a really wonderful touch.

In Jamaica I took the Dunnes River Falls Jeep Safari tour. It was interesting to drive through the smaller towns, and our driver stopped frequently to show us the different edible plants growing by the road. We saw grapefruit (which we also tasted), banana, pimento (the leaves of which smell like gingerbread!), lemon grass, coconut, ackee, papaya, and coffee trees – it was pretty neat! We also had a stop at a coffee farm, which was highly informative, even though I don’t drink coffee! We drove through St. Anne, where a yard full of adorable school children ran up to the fence and chanted “White People” at us, which was surreal. Then we arrived at the Falls themselves, which were gorgeous! I did not climb them – with my luck, I’d have slipped and re-injured my back – but I did walk the length of them. The water is exceedingly clear, and the terraced rocks are white and pink, surrounded by the deep green and brown of the forest. It’s really one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, it is the definition of a tourist trap, and the local sellers are fairly aggressive in their tactics. I found it especially uncomfortable as they kept asking me who I was traveling with, to which I responded that I was traveling alone. The response was invariably a theme on ‘I can be your boyfriend’ (must control fist of death….)! I tried jerk chicken, as well, because “you have to”! It was very tasty, but I’m a bit squeamish about food – I dislike eating sticky foods with my fingers, and the visible marrow was a bit off-putting. The rice and beans were delicious, though! May be one of my new favourite dishes! The worst part of the Jamaican tour was the rain early on. Because it is an open jeep, those of us sitting in the front seats quickly became soaked. I was the only person on my tour who had bothered to bring a jacket!

Dunnes River Falls

Grand Cayman was as different to Jamaica as night to day! Firstly, the weather was gorgeous the whole day, and secondly the island itself – not only is the terrain completely different (Jamaica is mountainous, Grand Cayman is flat) but the economic differences are highly visible. Even though there is evidence of hurricane damage, and there was a fair amount of flooding from a storm the night before, it’s obvious that GC is far wealthier than Jamaica. Not surprising, in retrospect, but seeing the evidence in such stark relief was a bit jarring. I took the Best of Land and Sea tour, which included a short tour on the semi-submersible Nautilus, a visit to the Tortuga Rum Factory, a stop in Hell, and the turtle farm – which was my second favourite part of the whole week! Unfortunately, due to the storm the night before, visibility on the semi-sub tour was not all that great. We were still able to see lots of Bermuda chub, Sgt. Major Fish, yellow-tailed snapper, and even a sting-ray, but it was pretty murky. The guides were fantastic, though! I thoroughly enjoyed the banter, and felt quite comfortable on board. The rum factory was a little disappointing – it was really just a 15 minute shopping stop. Great for souvenirs, not so great for stories. It’s set-up very prettily, with lots of statues of pirates and antique trucks. I’m sure it’s fun if you have more time. Hell was another very quick stop – 20 minutes, I think. Enough time to rush out and take photos, buy & post a couple nearly blank postcards, and then back on the bus. It was gorgeous, though, a really very interesting formation. I’d heard that it glows red at sunset, but I suspect that was a load of…. Any how, I spotted my first iguana in Hell, so that was neat!

eeeeeee-Iguana!

After Hell, we went to my absolute favourite stop – the turtle farm! They are such beautiful creatures, and it was a thrill to just watch them swimming about, but I was over the moon to get to hold one! They’re absolutely gorgeous, and their skin is super soft. It was amazing, and I will never forget it. Plus, having my picture taken holding a turtle was way cooler than the Celtic Thunder photo-op!

My ‘celebrity sightings’ stories are much tamer than any of the others I’ve heard, and can be counted on one hand, but I know you want to know anyway:

1) Day One, lounging in a deck chair, I was trying to knit (FYI, do not try to knit with a silk/wool blend in +30 degrees – you just felt the yarn as you go) when I thought heard Ryan and turned about to see him and Neil 'people watching' from a couple levels above and behind me, overlooking the Lido deck.

2) Day One, Welcome Party – I found a shady spot against the wall with a couple other ladies, and a group of young men & a young lady came and stood in front of us. I commented to my neighbours that the young men looked out of place amongst the sea of women, but that they appeared to be Irish (sometimes, you can just tell at a glance) so they were probably working. Yeah… it was Goitse. Seem like a nice group of people, but I felt like a dolt for not recognizing them!

3) Day Two, I hadn’t slept well, so I was up for breakfast by 8am. It was a cooler day, so I decided to grab some fruit and dry cereal, head up to a deck chair and see what I could salvage of the previous day’s knitting (turned out to be *nothing*. Totally felted!). As I strolled back towards the chairs I had in mind, Ryan came running toward me. I quickly stepped out of the way (a tiny bit farther than I was stepping out of the way for the other runners) and we both continued on our way. I briefly considered abandoning my deck chair knitting plans, since I didn’t want to appear ‘stalkerish’ but dismissed that as ridiculous. So, I settled myself down, and whenever Ryan came around the corner I just kept my eyes on my knitting.

4) Day Two, I staked out a spot at the bar to watch Neil hosting Karaoke. I was also hoping to catch the NHL scores on the TV at the bar, but apparently no one in the US cares about hockey on Sundays, because it was all NFL, all the time. A bit irritating for me, but Ryan did stop by to have a look at the scores, so not a total loss. ;)

5) Day Five, I was rushing upstairs on my way to something or other, when I saw Colm (surrounded by young women) at the stairs. He had been making his way through the halls signing doors, but I was still a little stunned to run into him. I managed a smile & a quick ‘Hi, Colm!’ as I continued on my way – I got a smile & a ‘Hi’ back for my trouble. Such a nice kid! ;)

And that was it for my ‘non-scripted’ sightings. Tame, I know, but the fact of the matter is I’m a fairly shy person, and hanging out in the more popular areas of the ship by myself would have made me intensely uncomfortable. I was quite disappointed when I found out that the guys were doing photos and signing CD’s for people in the bars in the evenings, but in all honesty, even if I had been there I wouldn’t have gone up to them to ask.

All of which is really beside the point, since I didn’t go on the cruise to ‘hang out’ with any of the performers – I went to see them perform! Every show I saw was fantastic, the sound quality was better than it was for the Mythology performance I saw at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in September, and all the performers seemed to be enjoying the shows as much as the audience did. It was wonderful!

The first evening’s main show was Michael Londra and friends. I’ve only listen to snippets of Mr. Londra’s music online, so the show was entirely new for me. He and the Celtic Fire band were fantastic, and the Irish dancers were a lovely surprise, really amazing. It was a great show, very energetic considering it was the second show and the audience appeared to be pooped! Afterwards, I made my way to the Thunder Pub to catch Goitse’s first show. Wow! Really, truly, a brilliant set! The room was packed and the band was on fire! They are such energetic performers, and Colm and Tadhg in particular seem to be in constant motion. I’ve always love trad, and nothing beats a live show. If you get a chance to see them, please go! You will love it!

Goitse during the deck party

On Sunday, I skipped a lot of the morning events, starting my day’s entertainment at 4 with Neil hosting Karaoke, which was a blast! He’s such a charming guy! He joined a few people in singing their songs, including a very entertaining duet of Margaritaville. Solo, Neil sang “Friends in Low Places”, and wrapped up the afternoon with “Piano Man” – which Colm and Emmet joined him for! The crowd went a bit crazy, and the guys seemed to be having a great time. It was a really fun afternoon!

Colm, Neil, and Emmet singing Piano Man

I ended up skipping the main show that evening, which would have been the Gaelic Rhythm Dance show, because there was already a line forming for Ryan and Neil’s first solo show, which didn’t start for over 3 hours! There had been several announcements throughout the day regarding the earlier solo shows being full hours ahead of their scheduled starting time, and even though this show was in the main lounge, which seats 1000 people, I wasn’t sure whether the upper balcony would be opened for seating and no one could tell me. Since this was the only show I knew I would be absolutely crushed to miss, I chose to skip the main show rather than risk not getting in. The line started out quite civilized, two-people deep against the wall, everyone calm and chatting. About an hour before they opened the doors, I left to use the washroom. When I returned, the “line” had swollen to fill the entire hallway, with everyone pushing forward in an attempt to stop people from cutting in. Shortly after, the group directly behind me in line began ‘singing’ and trying to get the entire line up to sing along with them. It was, quite frankly, a nightmare. I’m literally getting light-headed just recalling it. I don’t do particularly well with crowds in the first place, but to be surrounded by people in a hallway with very low ceilings, and then to have everyone around start yelling and shouting… honestly, I can’t think of a worse situation. I needed to plug my ears and kneel down several times just to keep myself from completely freaking out. It was horrible. I get that everyone else was just ‘having a good time’ but for me, it was the worst possible situation. Once the doors opened, I found myself a seat around the middle of the fourth row on the main level. The sight lines on the main floor weren’t nearly as good as the balcony, but the compensation was that we did get (rather poor) drink service.

The show… my goodness, the show! It was everything I hoped an ABC show would be, and more! It was fantastic that Nicole, Declan and Seamus joined them for the set. I didn’t write down the set-list during the first show, but they sang all the songs from Acoustically Irish, Wagon Wheel, Moon Dance, the first-ever live performance of Ryan’s new song American Dream, Rock n’ Roll Kids (I think?? I may be mis-remembering that!) and an absolutely gorgeous version of Ride On. They started with Wagon Wheel and finished up the set with Saints and Sinners, which was perfect. The banter was very sweet – early on in the show, someone shouted out ‘I love you, Ryan’ to which he responded with ‘Thanks’. Later, someone else screamed out ‘I love you, Neil’ and he said ‘I love you, too’ – then a couple seconds later, Ryan stepped up to the mike and said, super quietly, ‘I love you, too’! It was the cutest thing! It was a bit more awkward toward the end of the show when someone (who I referred to in my journal as a “whack job”) yelled out ‘Ryan, can I have you after the show?’ Neil had some fun with it, but Ryan was visibly flustered. There was talk of getting Sharon’s permission, red tape and paper work to be sorted out – they handled it very well, and it was hilarious, but in a really awful way. Boundaries, people!! Ryan also (repeatedly) referred to the ‘back-seat sessions’ as the ‘back-street sessions’ – hilarity! Also, I’m sure everyone’s seen the photo’s of the two of them hugging at the end of the set! Major ‘awww’ moment! It was, truly, a fantastic show. The whole week was worth it for that 2 hours alone! I was so happy I was light-headed by the end… of course, that might have been exhaustion!

Monday’s main show was Mythology which, of course, was fabulous! They did a terrible job of enforcing the No Photos rule, but I know they were trying their best. There were no musical surprises in the show – if you’ve seen/heard Mythology, you know the show. At the end, however, during Ireland’s Call, someone (and I didn’t see it happen, so don’t ask me who!) put a sign on Emmet’s back.. I didn’t even notice until they were leaving the stage, but the guys were absolutely cracking up on stage! It was so great to watch – they hardly ever let down their guard on stage! At first I thought they were laughing because the entire audience had stood up to sing along (which never happens at the Calgary show!) but apparently that’s not too unusual… It was great, though!

Ryan having a laugh during his Pub Quiz

Tuesday afternoon I went to Ryan’s Pub Quiz. I didn’t get on a team – damn shyness, again! But it was really fun anyhow. None of the group of women I was sitting with wanted to play, but we were all answering amongst ourselves – I think we would have done pretty well as a team! Everyone bullied Ryan into singing the song clues, which was pretty fun. He was supposed to prepare 30 questions, but ended up with 50, which was great – as if anyone would complain about the quiz running too long! It was a fun afternoon with a lot of laughs. 

The evening show was the Friendly Feud, which was hilarious. My favourite question was ‘what do girls pretend to like in order to catch a guy they’re interested in’ – watching the guys try not to give certain answers was very comical! I was laughing so hard I was crying and my abs ached! But, honestly, ladies, if you’re pretending to like his looks, personality, friends, and sex?! Why do you want to date him in the first place! FIND SOMEONE ELSE! Crazy ladies…

Friendly Feud on Formal Night - before things got out of hand!

Immediately after the Friendly Feud, I got in line for Emmet and Colm’s show, which was in the same theatre. I lucked out and was 3rd in line for the balcony. They did a fantastic show, I was so impressed! My personal highlights were when Rebecca Harkin joined them to sing ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’, Colm absolutely owning Coldplay’s ‘Viva la Vida', and the epic cover of Justin Bieber’s “Baby” – again, so funny I was crying! The cast of Gaelic Rhythm surprised the guys while they were singing “When I’m Gone” by coming out to dance behind them, which was really awesome. Rebecca was fantastic, too. I’m disappointed that I missed her solo show, but I’m really looking forward to her new album next year. 

This is the first show I thought to write out the set list for, so I’ll post it for you:

• December 1963 (Oh What a Night) (Colm & Emmet) 
• Mrs Robinson/The Boxer (Colm & Emmet) 
• Will You Go, Lassie, Go (Colm & Emmet) 
• Fall Like Me (Rebecca) 
• Stuck in the Middle (Colm, Emmet & Rebecca) 
• Have I Told You Lately (Emmet) 
• Viva La Vida (Colm) 
• Baby (Colm & Emmet) 
• When I’m Gone (Colm, Emmet & Gaelic Rhythm) 
• The Gambler (Colm & Emmet) 
• Beatles Medley (which, as a Beatles fan, I’m ashamed to say I was so excited about I don’t remember which songs they did!! Can anyone help out on that?)

Giving the Biebs a run for his money!

It was a really fantastic show, and I’m so glad I got to see it! By the time it was over, I was exhausted from so much cheering and laughing, and sooo dehydrated! (Did I mention I didn’t get drink service on the balcony?!) It was over too late for me to get to George’s show, and I didn’t want to steal a seat from anyone else hoping to see Ryan and Neil’s second show (which was also in the main theatre) so I planned to go to bed. Really, I honestly did! I ended up going down to my room, then back up to the Lido deck to fill my water bottle, and back down the stairs again, and... well, since I was passing the entrance to the theatre again anyway, I poked my head in to see if there were any seats left... Come on, I couldn’t not stay! The crowd was much quieter for the second ABC show, which was actually helped make the show more enjoyable for me. I was also in the balcony, which felt a lot calmer to me. The set list was pretty much the same as the first show (except that for some reason I was sure they sang Rock n Roll Kids during the first set...):

• Wagon Wheel (Neil & Ryan) 
• Beautiful Affair (Neil & Ryan) 
• Moon Dance (Ryan) 
• California Dreaming (Neil) 
• Ride On (Ryan – again, this was sublime!) 
• Brown Eyed Girl (Neil & Ryan) 
• Water Is Wide (Neil – absolutely stunning live!! So beautiful!) 
• American Dream (Ryan – if you don’t have Ryan’s new album yet…. What are you waiting for?!) 
• Don’t Go (Neil & Ryan) 
• Raglan Road (Neil & Ryan – one of my favourite tracks from Acoustically Irish, and brilliant live) 
• Captured (Neil – again, just stunning! Love this song!) 
• Back Home in Derry (Ryan) 
• Rose of Allendale (Neil & Ryan) 
• No Man’s Land (Ryan) 
• Fields of Athenry (Neil & Ryan) 
• Saints and Sinners (Neil & Ryan) 

The crowd also sang Ryan ‘Happy Birthday’ (I think right before Moon Dance) even though it was still a bit early, and I seem to recall Neil having us sing it again after midnight, although that may be my faulty memory!

Wednesday afternoon I went to the Celebrity Heads Game with the guys from the CT band – once again, what can I say but ‘it was hilarious’! The guys were brought up on the stage three at a time, a sheet of paper with a person or thing written on it was placed on a music stand behind them and they had to guess “who” they were using yes or no questions. Each set had a theme to get them started. It got a bit naughty ('things you put in your mouth') and a bit silly (like when Declan was trying to guess ‘False Eyelashes’ – he got so far as there are a pair of them on your head, but having guessed eyes, ears, lips, and eyebrows he was at a loss. Poor lad was actually counting bits of himself!) and I wish it could have gone on longer. Some of the audience didn’t seem clear on the Yes or No answers, trying to give them bigger hints, but it was all in good fun. Dave Bakey was quite good at it – to his detriment, since he had to pee and couldn’t leave until he lost a round!

I was sure that between the last 4 shows I had laughed and cheered myself completely out of a voice, but the final show was the Celtic Thunder Best Of and, somehow, I managed to cheer my heart out in that one, too! The guys did some minor harmonic changes from the original recordings, all really gorgeous. It’s one of the best things about seeing a live show, the artist has the ability to try something a bit new and unexpected. It hasn’t been my experience that CT uses that artistic freedom in their live shows, so it was a wonderful surprise. I was a bit worried about the entire cast, because the sea was really rough. The speakers and lights were visibly swaying, and I could see the guys moving with the motion of the ship quite a bit as well. I was afraid someone might lose their balance when moving about, but they are all such pros they took it very well! I don’t think it was my imagination that this was the longest show of the cruise, as you may be able to tell from the set list (and I do apologize for not having the names of the instrumental numbers – I’m terrible at remembering the names of them!):

• Heartland (all) 
• Dutchman (Keith) 
• Ride On (Ryan) 
• Noreen (Neil) 
• Instrumental 
• Kindred Spirits (Emmet) 
• Steal Away (all) 
• Black Velvet Band (Colm) 
• The Old Man (George – absolutely fantastic! There wasn’t one person sitting near me who wasn’t in tears, myself included) 
• Galway Girl (all) 
• Home (Colm) 
• Dulaman (all) 
• Hallelujah (Neil, with Emmet & Ryan) 
• Place in the Choir (all – Ryan and Keith tried to steal Colm’s shoes, and Ryan got him in a headlock and gave him a noogie! Sooooo funny!) 
• Happy Birthday to Ryan (audience) 
• Friends in Low Places (Ryan, with Emmet, Colm, George & Neil) 
• Lauren & I (Keith – stunning! As always) 
• Whisky in the Jar (Keith & Neil) 
• Still Haven’t Found (all – Neil appeared to have forgotten the choreography for this number and entered from the side of the stage instead of the center of the stage with everyone else, which set Colm and Emmet giggling. Then, Emmet forgot the choreography on the first ‘turn’ and stayed facing straight, which started him giggling again) 
• This Is The Moment (Emmet) 
• 500 Miles (George) 
• 7 Drunken Nights (all – so funny, every darn time! During Monday night, David Greene – a member of the CT stage crew – came ‘galloping’ out on stage on a pink hobby horse, and everyone just busted up laughing! It was nearly 30 seconds before they recovered enough to continue. It was so great to see them all smiling and laughing and have a good time on stage!) 
• Instrumental 
• Ireland’s Call (all - In addition to their kilts, the guys were all wearing Captain’s hats, which they threw into the crowd at the end… hope they didn’t get into any trouble for that! The guys were all laughing, George and Keith kept reaching up to check no one had put anything on their backs!)

And then it was the Epic Curtain call, which was incredible. They brought out everyone from all the shows, several brave members of the CT staff, and Sharon came out to thank us all. The ovation went on and on! A complete love fest! It was an amazing end to an epic week. Who's up for going with me next year?

 

For The Love Of Your Readers

Last week I decided to give myself a mental reading break and re-read an old favourite, Jeff Lindsay's "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" - partly, as I mentioned, because I'd forgotten where I left off in the series! I stretched it to 7 full days... well, 5 plus two days of not reading because I didn't want to finish the book! In case you live under a rock and have never heard of Dexter, he is a blood analyst for the Miami Dade police department who kills other serial killers in his spare time.  It's dark, and funny, and occasionally a teeny bit scary.  Lindsay's writing style is simple and direct, but always manages to feel very lyrical, almost poetic.  He makes a very dark subject feel light and alive.  I often find myself worrying that I find being inside Dexter's head so normal! I suspect most people probably worry that they don't know 'how' to feel, or that their interpersonal relationships are in some way faked.  At least, I hope it's not just me and Dexter!

I've been watching the TV series quite a bit recently, as well, so I wanted to make sure I had the story straight in my head, as they are very different. While I believe it is universally true that 'the book is better than the film', there are a few things I noticed this read-through that I think the show does better than the book, specifically the technical details of how the early bodies of the Tamiami victims were dealt with by the killer.  It's relatively insignificant in terms of the story, though, so I'm willing to let it slide.  I do prefer how the book portrays the individual characters. Deborah, for instance, is much smarter in the book! Also, the book makes the distinction between Dexter and his Dark Passenger, which is less clear in the series. 

Anyway, I highly recommend the book, it's fantastic, in a dark way. 

I was all ready to jump right into the second Dexter title, but heading out the door on Tuesday I changed my mind and grabbed a different book off the shelf. It is a self-published title I've had in the To Be Read pile for a little over a year now, and while it does not fall squarely into my preferred genre it is near enough that I was looking forward to it. I'm only a quarter through it, and I intend to finish it, but I've decided not to name the book here. It basically confirms all my worst fears about the self-publishing industry.

The story itself is intriguing, but the execution is painful. It is poorly formatted, it is poorly (if at all) edited, and it is poorly written.  In the first 20 pages, I found 3 instances where the author had obviously decided to change the wording of a sentence halfway through, but didn't bother to go back and correct the beginning of the sentence so that it would be consistent. I can't see how a reader would miss something like that, so I can only assume the book was published without being read by some one other than the author, which is inexcusable.  If you are publishing your own books, you must put them through some sort of editorial process! One does not simply write a story and publish it unedited, it is folly! You don't have to pay a professional editor - exchange manuscripts with another writer, have your friends read it, get your significant other to give it a browse - but someone other than you must look at your pages before you release your creation on the innocent public!

Not only is an external reader more likely to notice errors, but they are also able to tell you if a part of your story feels a bit flat. Like, perhaps, your main character. Plot is important, character is vital. If you find yourself using enough flashbacks to fill a whole chapter in order to make your protagonist feel human, consider starting with a prologue - it's more direct and allows your reader to emotionally connect with the situation right way. This is especially important if your novel deals with a lot of 'techno babble' that people outside the field may not be familiar with.

I don't want to paint all self-publishing authors with the same brush, that's not my intention here. I'm just beyond frustrated that an author thought this was acceptable.  I know there are many reasons that people choose not to go the traditional route when releasing their books, and I know there are many fine self-published books out there. However, if you are self-publishing because your book was turned down by a publishing house, don't just decide that 'big publishing' is trying to keep you down and your only resource is to self-publish. Please consider that it may just be that your writing sucks. Please, don't give up! Keep writing. But get feedback and try to improve your story telling skills. We are starving for new stories, I'm sure if you spend a little more time polishing yours the world will embrace it!

Happy reading!

Choosing Between Darkness and Joy

I've been trying to listen to the audio book of Pat Barker's "Regeneration", a story about a soldier in World War I who writes a manifesto condemning the war and is listed as mentally unstable as a result. It's dark.  I'm not very far into it, because every time I try to 'read' it I just feel overwhelmed by the darkness.  The other title I've been trying to read is Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" - I've only gotten about 1/8th into the novel, and while it's not as dark, it is very heavy in terms of descriptive passages and I'm having a heck of a time trying to get into the story. It just isn't fun for me anymore, so  I'm moving on, and it feels great. Moving beyond the Man Booker list means the tone of the posts is going to change a bit.  Most of you only know me through this blog, so it may be a bit like getting to know me all over again.  I hope you still like me!

My father and I have a conversation about twice a year about entertainment, how we choose what we read and watch, and why we like the things we do. My dad, who is a brilliant man, always says that he chooses books, TV shows, and movies for their ability to help him escape the darkness of everyday reality.  I think it's a great philosophy. 

I know lots of people enjoy dark, gritty entertainment, the type with "real world" problems, but I go to the arts to increase the joy in my life. That doesn't mean it's all sunshine and rainbows, just that good wins more often than bad. I like to laugh, and I do so quite freely, and everything (and everyone, for that matter) that I love makes me laugh to some degree. That's not to say I don't appreciate art which deals with loss. Some of my favourite songs are of heartbreak. Almost all of my favourite books have at least one tragedy that breaks my heart. Art reflects life, and life contains that pain. But, I choose to see life as being primarily a bright and joyful experience. So when I go to art, the love and joy need to overwhelm the darkness. This may seem like a contradiction when you see how many serial killers are on my list of favourite characters, but I go to thrillers for pure escapism, which is fun. Which is joyful.  It makes sense to me.

For the past 15 months I've been collecting books that I want to read, and I'm feeling so spoilt for choice that I'm tempted to re-read a favourite book simply to avoid making the decision about what to read next.  I have an odd habit with books I'm really looking forward to. I buy them right away, and then keep them unread.  My theory is that once I read the book, I'll no longer have it to look forward to.  So I build up a little stockpile of my favourite authors until I reach a breaking point, at which I gorge myself on them over the course of a month (or sometimes just a couple of weeks!). I sometimes do the same thing with a 'new to me' author who has several titles published already. I enjoy a total immersion style of fandom.

Currently I have multiple titles from (in no particular order):
Rob Thurman
Chelsea Cain
Daniel Kalla
Kelly Meding
Caitlin Kittredge
Jeff Lindsay
Kathy Reichs
Maggie Sefton
Peter Tremayne
Devon Monk
Tanya Huff
Roddy Doyle
Anton Strout
Jim Butcher
Ariana Franklin
Lev Grossman

plus individual titles by another half dozen authors, a bunch of history and mythology books, books by friends, and some new authors I want to try, all awaiting my pleasure!

Ever since I started reading the Man Booker books I've felt as though I am battling the clock.  Looking at my list of 'pleasure' reading, I feel like I've got all the time in the world, it's just a matter of making a start somewhere, and they will all get read! It's a pretty great feeling!

Happy Reading!

A Mystery, A Romance, and A Very Late Post

Well, James Kelman certainly captured my attention! It took me a long time to read "How Late It Was, How Late" (31 days!) but, honestly, it's because I didn't want to let go of Sammy!  At its heart the story, to me, is a mystery - what happened on Saturday, where's Helen, etc. I absolutely love mystery, so I really took my time to savour the story.  I did not find the ending particularly satisfying, but I still loved the book.

Apparently there was a bit of controversy when "How Late It Was, How Late" won the Booker prize in 1994 which seems to have been mainly concerned with the use of 'fuck' in the novel.  I myself was a bit worried about the novel having been written in dialect, which can often be inscrutable, but I found it flowed quite easily and I was quickly immersed in the mystery and drama of the story.  Quite frankly, the story would have been ridiculous in 'proper English'.  The swearing, when not flowing smoothly, was more comedic than vulgar.  However if you do find 'that sort of language' distasteful, you're probably going to want to skip this novel!

There was a passage early on in the novel that caught my eye and seems to define a lot of 'literature' to me, so I thought I'd share that with you:
"Funny how ye tell people a story to make a point and ye fail, ye fail, a total disaster.  Not only do ye no make yer point it winds up the exact fucking opposite man, the exact fucking opposite.  That isnay a misunderstanding it's a total
whatever."
So true, right?

I was going to spend my audio book time (also known as Knitting Time) with the prequels to Pat Barker's 1995 Booker prize winner, "The Ghost Road", but I ended up finding a copy of Rachael Herron's "How to Knit a Love Song" in the library audio downloads... Funny how that happens! I read her memoir, "A Life In Stitches", in the spring (but didn't count it as reading a whole book, because I read it over several months... oh shut up.) and I really enjoyed it.  So, I listened to that instead the Regeneration books, because I am a total sucker for romance novels, and also knitting novels. It's a pretty fun novel - life on a sheep farm, within view of the ocean, with a hot rancher?? Yes Please!!  It even made me want to try out spinning, which I've been very resistant to.  I mean, who has the time?! Plus, spinning wheels take up so much space... Anyway, I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series - there are a couple of characters from this novel who I'd love to spend more time with!  

All by way of explaining that my next read is not "The Ghost Road", as I haven't finished the first two novels in the trilogy.  So I'm instead moving on to read Graham Swift's "Last Orders", which I started yesterday, because this post is actually several days in the making. Not that time has improved the quality of the content in any way.  I feel like I'm staring down another deadline, so hopefully a little fire under my butt gets me through a couple novels in quick succession here! Stay tuned, and

Happy reading!

Better Late Than Never?

Wow. I'm sorry it's been such a ridiculously long time since my last post. My vacation in Ireland was fantastic! I always love it there but it's extra special when you get to share the experience with friends you love. Most of the month since I got back has been dedicated to finishing the Anna shawl KAL which was hosted over at http://www.ridiculousknits.blogspot.ca/ - it was a challenge for me, but a gorgeous knit and I had a lot of fun with it. This is it, blocking on my bed, looking way too gorgeous to be accused of sucking away 6 weeks of my reading life. 

As for my Man Booker challenge, well, it hasn't been going so great! I managed to read one novel during my holiday, Stanley Middleton's "Holiday", which was really no holiday. Irony, yes? This novel would probably have been quite sad and even a bit depressing if I had felt enough of a connection with it to care even a little bit about the characters, but I didn't. The protagonist walks out of his marriage but has no place to go, so takes a holiday at the resort town his family visited when he was a child. While there he reminisces about his father and the relationship he will never have with his own son, while dealing with his in-laws attempts to reconcile him with his wife. It's really a novel about grief and how we process it in different ways, told in a series of flashbacks, but because the main character is in such a numb, dissociative state of mind I found it really difficult to connect with him.

On the flight home I started reading David Storey's "Saville" - an absolute brick of a coming of age novel. If I'd been reading a physical book rather than an eBook I'm certain I would have found it's size quite daunting. It's a semi-autobiographical novel about the son of a coal miner growing up during WWII in a small village in England, dealing with his family's pressure to make the most  of the opportunities he has been given and his own desires to be a poet, and it's very beautifully phrased.  Unfortunately it seemed like nothing actually happened in the story, other than his growing up.  There were lots of opportunities within the story for a little added plot but... nothing happened.  I enjoyed the novel, but I was disappointed with that.

Now I'm reading Ben Okri's "The Famished Road" - I'm only about a fifth of the way into it, but it feels a bit like a cross between Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" (the way I would've loved for it to be written, really fantastic!) and "Saville" - a young boy growing up in a magical world within our own.  Only, kind of not quite.  Time will tell if I love it or not, but hopefully not too much time.  My goal is to be finished it by Monday.  There are lots of interesting looking books coming up on the list, and I want to get to them!!

Happy reading!

Halfway Through and a Non-Booker Book

Just a quick mid-book blog for "Schindler's Ark" because I promised I would. Caveat - I am tired, and may be slightly incoherent.

I'm very relieved by how clear and concise Keneally's prose is, considering how dark the subject matter is. I'm not closing the book puzzling over what the author is trying to say, although I am shaking my head (and maybe wiping some tears) over the state of humanity. Which, for me, is much better! I understand that some people really enjoy the intellectual challenge of deciphering an author's meanings - but I would rather just be engaged by the story, thank you very much!

Even factoring in the emotional brutality, and the unfamiliar German/Polish/Jewish words and names, I've been pleasantly surprised by how easily it flows. I'm finding the short chapters are helping me to set reading goals, which means I'm reading more than I would in a novel without chapter breaks. For example, I know two chapters will take me approximately thirty-minutes, so if I'm going to read for an hour before bed I'll be reading four chapters, instead of just reading until the most convenient story break arrives.

So, I am engaging emotionally with the story (really, how could you not?) and I am enjoying the writing style. Again, I'm only half-way through the book, but I think I'm going to be especially fond of it.

This week I also finished 'reading' a non-Booker book, Christopher Farnsworth's "Blood Oath", which was a lot of fun! When I'm knitting I usually watch TV, but I tend to miss most of the action on account of watching my hands. So I've been trying audio books while knitting, the theory being I won't miss anything and I'll be able to quench my thirst for genre fiction without taking reading time away from the Booker's. Because, let's be honest, Twitter already gets a quarter of my daily reading time. At least. Even though this audio book was only 10 hours long, it took me 42 days to get through it. Obviously I don't knit often enough!

So, yes, "Blood Oath" was fun - a spy thriller with a vampire hero, totally new concept for me! Most vampires I encounter are of the sexy variety, and even though Cade isn't as blood thirsty as one would hope for, he also is not 'touchy feely'. I enjoyed the back story especially - I happened to be listening to that portion while reading "Rites of Passage", so my brain created some lovely nocturnal crossed wires. I kept hoping Golding's parson would turn out to be a vampire, but no such luck. Anyway, if you enjoy your vampires with snarky yet lovable sidekicks, check out "Blood Oath" - I'm certainly looking forward to getting my ear buds on Farnsworth's next two volumes!

Happy reading!

Why I Am Afraid Of Salman Rushdie

Today's post is not strictly Booker related, but it does directly affect my reading, so please bear with me!

This weekend, I discovered something distasteful about myself: I want to be liked. Now, that's not such a huge revelation, I realize most people want to be liked, but I've always considered myself to be firmly in the "I don't care what people think about me" camp. I want to be that aloof, independent person, and I'm trying to reassess my self image now that I know I'm not.

What happened was I had a new book to read, and two-and-a-half free days in which to get a good solid start on it before my work week, but I only managed to read four pages of it. The book, of course, is Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" - by all accounts a superb novel, one of the greatest English-language novels of the last century, and one I was quite looking forward to reading. So, really, what was the problem? Why was I finding Anything else to occupy my time with to avoid reading? I actually resorted to doing laundry! Admittedly, I didn't stoop to doing dishes, but if there weren't so many hockey games on I'm sure I would've gotten sudsy!

At first I thought I was afraid of Salman Rushdie, afraid that the genius of his writing would prove too much for my feeble mind and the novel would leave my weak brain a quivering mass of gelatin. It's actually not too far from my actual fear, and may yet be proven true (if you don't hear from me again, send flavour crystals in mourning - everybody likes a jello salad!) but I hadn't even given the book a fair chance to intimidate me properly! Why couldn't I even start the book?

Then, a comment from a friend highlighted my true worries. She told me she loved "Midnight's Children", and something in me twinged and I thought, 'but what if I don't?' What if I don't love one of the greatest novels of our time? What if *gasp* I hate it? Even worse, what if it fails to touch me at all? Is it possible that I am in some fundamental way damaged by my years of devouring genre fiction, so much so that I can no longer appreciate a masterpiece of literature? And, if so, what will people think of me? My friend who loved it, the customers at my book store, all of you, perhaps even Mr. Rushdie himself - what would you think if I don't love it? I couldn't start reading, for fear that I wouldn't like it and therefore people wouldn't like me.

It's all a bit absurd. I don't want to care whether people like me, and I'm honestly having a hard time figuring out why I think anyone else would really care if I don't love this novel. But I do, on both counts.

Which brings me to something another (brilliant!) friend of mine once told me. 'All the mean things that you worry other people are thinking about you are just reflections of the mean things you think about other people.' Ouch. Its true, though. I know I'm disappointed when a friend doesn't like something I love, even more so than if they don't bother to read it at all. I guess I see them as being just a little less cool, because they're a little less like me. How vain am I, right? But it's true. It's ugly, and I don't like any of it, but it's my truth. Now that I'm aware of these thought patterns I'm going to combat them, because that's a person I really don't want to be.

I'm nearly a fifth into "Midnight's Children" now, and I'm enjoying it. Mr. Rushdie has a good sense of humour, which always wins my heart in a book. His style is very elegant also, with story elements looping back on themselves building up the narrative. So, I like it. And I'm trying not to care if that makes me 'cooler' or not.

Happy reading!

Almost Completely Unrelated to the Booker

I have the coolest job in the world.

I work in a used bookstore, and a major part of my job is entering books into our store database. This means that I spend more than half of my work day looking at books. How cool is that?

Today, while entering books I came across one titled 'Ten Poems To Change Your Life' by Roger Housden. Curious as to whether I had read any of these poems, I took a look at the contents and discovered My New Favourite Poem, "Ode To My Socks" by Pablo Neruda.

I get frequent requests for the poetry of Neruda, but I've never read any before. I'm also an avid knitter, with a particular passion for socks. Obviously, I was meant to read this poem. You should also take a few minutes to read it.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ode-to-my-socks/

I really relate to that urge to save precious items for 'special occasions' and Neruda reminded me that the beauty of anything is in the use of it, not in it's mere existence. Use the good china. Write on your souvenir paper (I can't be the only person with souvenir paper...). Love with all your heart. Wear your hand knit socks. It's all about living life rather than waiting around. Beautiful, inspiring stuff. I'm looking forward to reading some more Neruda - after I finish knitting my new socks.

Back to the Booker business.

I am exactly one month into my Booker challenge. I should have finished Siege of Krishnapur today but I didn't, I still have 80 pages to go, which means that I am for the first time behind schedule. I'm not actually concerned about this. I probably should be, but I'm not. I don't have the next book in my possession yet (it's coming home from the library tomorrow) and I should be able to finish SoK on the way into work, so I'll be able to start the new book either tomorrow evening or on the way to work Friday. Tonight instead of reading I spent the evening knitting. I think you know why.

I feel pretty good about it.