Ruth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spooky_miss) wrote2010-03-05 10:01 am
spooky_miss) wrote2010-03-05 10:01 am
Books Twenty and Twenty One, OU stuff, and exciting weekends!
This week has been good, I’m feeling a lot better about the OU course now. I spoke to the tutor on the phone, which was a little scary, but not as bad as I thought it would be. She seemed to think that I would get on fine with the course, as I am doing, and said it was great that I was so far ahead, which is good, as I wasn’t sure if it was almost “allowed” or not. Although I have now submitted my first essay, the day after the course was officially supposed to begin, haha. And I’ve written the introduction of the next one! So that’s all good! It’s the Rock Night tonight, not sure yet if I am going to go (as I always end up disappointed!), as I’m going to London tomorrow so want to get up early…I’ll see how I feel later though. I’ve also read two good books which week, so that’s good!
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
This was better than I at first thought it would be. It looked quite dry to read, not really too interesting, but it was good. It is the story of a family asked to move from the land which they have been renting, and they decide to travel to California, where they have heard there is lots of work. The sort of main character – as it isn’t specifically about any one person, but it starts with him – is the son, Tom, who has just left prison. He needs to be careful that no one finds this out, as going to California is breaking his parole. It describes how they travel, how they find camps to stay in, how they relate to others they meet along the way, and overall it talks about the terrible hardship which they face on every step of the way. The writing was excellent as you felt you were really there. I have only read one other book by Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men which we studied at school, and I felt that was a bit simplistic, but maybe I’ll look some more up now. As an added bonus I’ve already sold it to someone on the internet, so it won’t be hanging around my bedroom for ages. If I hadn’t have sold it, I think it’d be one I kept to lend to people, but not necessarily to read again. But still I give it 8 / 10
The Hidden Life of Otto Frank by Carol Ann Lee
I started reading this book thinking that I would know much of it already, as I have read a few things on Anne Frank, but it did have some things which I hadn’t read about before, including some interesting information about who betrayed the family. It went through Otto’s life before the war, he came from a well off family, and was in the German Army, and then his time during the war and in concentration camps, and then his life afterwards and how the publication of Anne’s diary came about. I did think it was good as, especially when describing his life during the war and in the camps, other sources and books written by those who experienced it were quoted, which was good. It made you realise how they weren’t alone and there were so many other people who suffered the same fate as them. The after-war bit wasn’t quite as interesting – there was long and boring section about some disputes over the play of Anne Frank’s diary – but it was interesting overall. Not for someone who is casually interested in this period of history, but if you have an interest and have already read other books, this is good. 8 / 10.
The next book I plan to read is Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell, which I borrowed from my grandad. After reading Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, I am really interested in reading more historical novels – although I love history I have read surprisingly few of them, apart from Phillippa Gregory, and novels set in the 19th Century, so hopefully this will be good.
Tomorrow I’m going to London to look at a photography exhibition at the Portrait Gallery. I don’t often like to pay too much for exhibitions (although I always donate money when I visit museums and galleries etc) but I think this one is £10, and that’s ok as I haven’t been to anything like that for ages and ages! Then I think I will probably go to Camden – I need to buy some things for my costume for Katie’s party next week, so hopefully I’ll be able to find them there. I am *really* looking forward to it next week, Katie always has great birthday parties, and as we’re going up on Thursday night and not coming back til Sunday, its like a mini holiday! The next week I think I’m going to get tickets for us to see 1984 in Manchester on 19th March (as my birthday present to myself!) so that should be another great weekend!
Oh and I almost forgot – last night I listened for the first time to some Kraftwerk records which someone at work had given me – they are so amazing! I never realised how good they were, having just heard The Model and Autobahn, which I did find slightly boring…but if you listen to whole albums they’re just amazing. My favourite song so far is Trans-Europe Express, I think. Some bits of it are *so* familiar, although I’ve never heard the song before – I don’t know if its just that they influenced so many of the bands I like, or whether its been sampled in a song I know or something. I definitely want to get more of their stuff, might have to get some tomorrow
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
This was better than I at first thought it would be. It looked quite dry to read, not really too interesting, but it was good. It is the story of a family asked to move from the land which they have been renting, and they decide to travel to California, where they have heard there is lots of work. The sort of main character – as it isn’t specifically about any one person, but it starts with him – is the son, Tom, who has just left prison. He needs to be careful that no one finds this out, as going to California is breaking his parole. It describes how they travel, how they find camps to stay in, how they relate to others they meet along the way, and overall it talks about the terrible hardship which they face on every step of the way. The writing was excellent as you felt you were really there. I have only read one other book by Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men which we studied at school, and I felt that was a bit simplistic, but maybe I’ll look some more up now. As an added bonus I’ve already sold it to someone on the internet, so it won’t be hanging around my bedroom for ages. If I hadn’t have sold it, I think it’d be one I kept to lend to people, but not necessarily to read again. But still I give it 8 / 10
The Hidden Life of Otto Frank by Carol Ann Lee
I started reading this book thinking that I would know much of it already, as I have read a few things on Anne Frank, but it did have some things which I hadn’t read about before, including some interesting information about who betrayed the family. It went through Otto’s life before the war, he came from a well off family, and was in the German Army, and then his time during the war and in concentration camps, and then his life afterwards and how the publication of Anne’s diary came about. I did think it was good as, especially when describing his life during the war and in the camps, other sources and books written by those who experienced it were quoted, which was good. It made you realise how they weren’t alone and there were so many other people who suffered the same fate as them. The after-war bit wasn’t quite as interesting – there was long and boring section about some disputes over the play of Anne Frank’s diary – but it was interesting overall. Not for someone who is casually interested in this period of history, but if you have an interest and have already read other books, this is good. 8 / 10.
The next book I plan to read is Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell, which I borrowed from my grandad. After reading Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, I am really interested in reading more historical novels – although I love history I have read surprisingly few of them, apart from Phillippa Gregory, and novels set in the 19th Century, so hopefully this will be good.
Tomorrow I’m going to London to look at a photography exhibition at the Portrait Gallery. I don’t often like to pay too much for exhibitions (although I always donate money when I visit museums and galleries etc) but I think this one is £10, and that’s ok as I haven’t been to anything like that for ages and ages! Then I think I will probably go to Camden – I need to buy some things for my costume for Katie’s party next week, so hopefully I’ll be able to find them there. I am *really* looking forward to it next week, Katie always has great birthday parties, and as we’re going up on Thursday night and not coming back til Sunday, its like a mini holiday! The next week I think I’m going to get tickets for us to see 1984 in Manchester on 19th March (as my birthday present to myself!) so that should be another great weekend!
Oh and I almost forgot – last night I listened for the first time to some Kraftwerk records which someone at work had given me – they are so amazing! I never realised how good they were, having just heard The Model and Autobahn, which I did find slightly boring…but if you listen to whole albums they’re just amazing. My favourite song so far is Trans-Europe Express, I think. Some bits of it are *so* familiar, although I’ve never heard the song before – I don’t know if its just that they influenced so many of the bands I like, or whether its been sampled in a song I know or something. I definitely want to get more of their stuff, might have to get some tomorrow