Okay, where were we? Oh. More of the novels I've enjoyed over the summer.
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
I cannot pin down my fascination with English authors. It may be partly due to my desire to feel closer to my ancestors, which many come from England. Or it could just be that they are the masters and I am drawn to them in their immense capacity to captivate any audience.
The book itself was a gift from a friend who knows my situation. I am homeless, but not without shelter. This book deals with situations I have faced, and some that I have not.
He spins stories within stories, even in the beginning. At the front of the novel, a character by the name of Charlie is introduced. Charlie looks and sounds like a child, but is very far from one in age. The stories he tells would make gentlemen and ladies blush alike, but they are a fun read.
Within the pages, Orwell skirts the subject of changing language, one of which I am always fascinated by. Here is an excerpt from page 176:
" The Cockney accent as we know it seems to have come up in the 'forties (it is first mentioned in an American book, Herman Melville's White Jacket), and Cockney is already changing; there are few people who now say 'fice' for 'face', 'nawce' for ' nice' and so forth as consistently as they did twenty years ago. The slang changes together with the accent. Twenty-five or thirty years ago, for instance, the 'rhyming slang' was all the rage in London. In the 'rhyming slang' everything was named by something rhyming with it- a 'hit or miss' for a kiss, 'plates of meat' for feet, etc. It was so common that it was even reproduced in novels; now it is almost extinct. Perhaps all the words I have mentioned above will have vanished in another twenty years."
The lead character is never named, but it is not needed, as the richness within the supporting characters defines the book, not the un-named subject.
I'll loan this book to anyone who has worked a 16-hour day just to do it again. They would know what it is to be a plongeur.
The Symbolism of Freemasonry by Albert G. Mackey
Although I'm not a mason, I feel a kind of kinship with those of the secret brotherhood. I claim to have knowledge beyond this world, and if there's any group who would share this knowledge, it's the freemasons. I dove head-first into this book after I shucked all of my preconceptions away. That's pretty difficult to do, but it pays off in the end.
Mackey lays down the structure of Freemasonry by giving a brief history and a few precursory lessons for the uninitiated. Those prove useful throughout the book because he refers back many times.
Although I did not divine the location of the Ark of the Covenant by the containing explanations inside this book, I still had a good time learning through it.
Anatomy of a Park by Donald J. Molnar, ASLA with Albert J Rutledge, ASLA
This text-book formatted gem is written for the everyday user of a park as well as lead designer. The contents are well defined and carry the reader through the critiquing process of existing sites as well as looking at and interpreting design plans.
One of the greatest things I have gotten from this book is the 'multi-use' theory that takes a structure or area that has a downtime and figures a way to create a complementary function for when it's not in use. In other words, mostly everything in here is functional, even down to the handy-dandy soil charts in the appendix. It is indexed rather well, also.
A Not So Singular World by Patrick Hatt
This book is a hilarious romp that explores the hidden entities among the currently living. Jeremiah, with his main pal and companion, Orlin, (A giant leapord-like Savannah cat) get mixed up into something very strange one day when Jeremiah sees things that are very out of the ordinary.
Without spoiling the book for you, (because you know you want to buy it and read it for yourself after this good review) I will let you know that the novel is full of fun, quirky moments and a cast of characters that will leave you clutching your stitched sides in laughter.
Reading this has gotten me closer to understanding some of the characters in the cat's rhymes on Pat's blog:
It's Rhyme Time.
I close with a picture and a hope that I will get to a connection later to comment and such.
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
I cannot pin down my fascination with English authors. It may be partly due to my desire to feel closer to my ancestors, which many come from England. Or it could just be that they are the masters and I am drawn to them in their immense capacity to captivate any audience.
The book itself was a gift from a friend who knows my situation. I am homeless, but not without shelter. This book deals with situations I have faced, and some that I have not.
He spins stories within stories, even in the beginning. At the front of the novel, a character by the name of Charlie is introduced. Charlie looks and sounds like a child, but is very far from one in age. The stories he tells would make gentlemen and ladies blush alike, but they are a fun read.
Within the pages, Orwell skirts the subject of changing language, one of which I am always fascinated by. Here is an excerpt from page 176:
" The Cockney accent as we know it seems to have come up in the 'forties (it is first mentioned in an American book, Herman Melville's White Jacket), and Cockney is already changing; there are few people who now say 'fice' for 'face', 'nawce' for ' nice' and so forth as consistently as they did twenty years ago. The slang changes together with the accent. Twenty-five or thirty years ago, for instance, the 'rhyming slang' was all the rage in London. In the 'rhyming slang' everything was named by something rhyming with it- a 'hit or miss' for a kiss, 'plates of meat' for feet, etc. It was so common that it was even reproduced in novels; now it is almost extinct. Perhaps all the words I have mentioned above will have vanished in another twenty years."
The lead character is never named, but it is not needed, as the richness within the supporting characters defines the book, not the un-named subject.
I'll loan this book to anyone who has worked a 16-hour day just to do it again. They would know what it is to be a plongeur.
The Symbolism of Freemasonry by Albert G. Mackey
Although I'm not a mason, I feel a kind of kinship with those of the secret brotherhood. I claim to have knowledge beyond this world, and if there's any group who would share this knowledge, it's the freemasons. I dove head-first into this book after I shucked all of my preconceptions away. That's pretty difficult to do, but it pays off in the end.
Mackey lays down the structure of Freemasonry by giving a brief history and a few precursory lessons for the uninitiated. Those prove useful throughout the book because he refers back many times.
Although I did not divine the location of the Ark of the Covenant by the containing explanations inside this book, I still had a good time learning through it.
Anatomy of a Park by Donald J. Molnar, ASLA with Albert J Rutledge, ASLA
This text-book formatted gem is written for the everyday user of a park as well as lead designer. The contents are well defined and carry the reader through the critiquing process of existing sites as well as looking at and interpreting design plans.
One of the greatest things I have gotten from this book is the 'multi-use' theory that takes a structure or area that has a downtime and figures a way to create a complementary function for when it's not in use. In other words, mostly everything in here is functional, even down to the handy-dandy soil charts in the appendix. It is indexed rather well, also.
A Not So Singular World by Patrick Hatt
This book is a hilarious romp that explores the hidden entities among the currently living. Jeremiah, with his main pal and companion, Orlin, (A giant leapord-like Savannah cat) get mixed up into something very strange one day when Jeremiah sees things that are very out of the ordinary.
Without spoiling the book for you, (because you know you want to buy it and read it for yourself after this good review) I will let you know that the novel is full of fun, quirky moments and a cast of characters that will leave you clutching your stitched sides in laughter.
Reading this has gotten me closer to understanding some of the characters in the cat's rhymes on Pat's blog:
It's Rhyme Time.
I close with a picture and a hope that I will get to a connection later to comment and such.
Anything by George Orwell's got to be good.
ReplyDeleteIt was both great and terrible at the same time. If there is any room for Orwell to be terrible, it is to be in the exacting detail that terror itself is described. Once put through that, the true sense of the word only adds to the author's pile of compliments.
DeleteAwesome, thanks for the review and glad it was enjoyed by you! I've read some Free Masonry stuff, still haven't found the ark either.
ReplyDeleteIt was so enjoyed that I'll be buying the next installment and doing a spoiling review on that. The way I see it, by the second book, everybody's on the hook.
DeleteWe'll find it, if we keep looking. OogleGearth* and other such programs will blend maps from information to show us the location of the treasures.
*not a real app, hehe
Yeah next one will come when my arm is able to type for long periods of time, still a bit fecked up at the moment. I wish that app was real and we could find the damn thing haha
DeleteThe first one sounds very good. Language changes all the time, words come in to, and out of effect. Even their meanings can change.
ReplyDeleteWe can only imagine what will come into fashion in the future. Let's dare!
DeleteTurtle-necked underwear worn over the pants.
Shoes that noise-cancel out motorcycles and barking dogs.
Hair Pixel Display. A moving dye job.
There. Thanks and goodnight.
Wow, you actually managed to make a textbook sound interesting 0_o
ReplyDeleteI was glad that they could write the textbook in such a way to make it interesting. The concepts in the book would be daunting for a commoner to comprehend if not explained in such an expressly easy manner.
DeleteI've never really been much of a book reader...although that book by Pat sounds twisted and funny! I keep telling him that I'm going to buy his books one day, might as well start with this one!
ReplyDeleteGood choice. I also made it my first purchase along with something yet to be reviewed. You'll dig it.
DeletePerhaps, I will catch the movie version of the Orwell book "Down and Out in Beverly Hills." But seriously, it sounds like an interesting read. And congratulations, to Pat Hatt who is in league with some literary giants here.
ReplyDeleteI would watch a movie version, but I doubt many would. Yeah, I tend to mix current and elder giants in my reads and Pat was deserving of that placement.
DeleteThe freemasonry one sounds interesting, I've always been curious about the masons. My neighbour was a mason, but in true masonry style, he never told me much about it :P very hush hush! Hopefully your homeless situation changes soon enough!
ReplyDeleteAny people who can speak of unspeakable names are my kind of kooks. I tend to say the word "Ineffable" way too much, and out of context at that. I hope I don't find retribution for my research, though.
DeleteOrwell is a bit too depressing for me. So many of the things he writes are so bleak.
ReplyDeletePatt's book however, sounds way better. :P
Sometimes I like to watch something of a dark, grim nature to contrast with my own life. I feel a balance when it's over and I can go back to being happy-go-lucky.
DeleteI listened to an audio recording of Down and Out during a trip earlier this year. I really enjoyed it especially chapter 18.
ReplyDeleteMy edition doesn't have separate chapters. It has the roman numerals XVI then skips past XXV when printed. I didn't get it, but I hope it was the explanation of why the rich detest the poor. His description of why the lowest class is despised by the highest is the most accurate thing in the novel.
Delete