Month: December 2017

Ramble, ramble, ramble

/ Eloise (The Louse) / Leave a comment

This post is just me putting my thoughts into words.  I’ll be talking about a few things here.  Firstly, I’ll have a few updates regarding what I want to do with TABL, and I also want to share my thoughts about the ethics regarding bookseller lists and publishing due to an incident that happened a few months ago.

Continuing on with the ‘texts I’ve actually read’ reviews, I’m planning to review T.S. Eliot’s individual poems in a series I’ll dub T.S. 1888.  You’ll know it’s an Eliot review because I’ll preface each one with a bad photoshop parody of Taylor Swift’s album (please don’t sue me, Taylor).  Also, I want to write and collect my poems and self-publish my collection.  I’ll probably start off with a small selection and make it a free e-book, and then later I’ll sell the revised edition (including new poems) at maybe 99c.

Now, I know I’m way late to board this train, but I want to talk about Lani Sarem and how she peaked at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.  Later on, it was revealed (after clever internet sleuthing) that she bought her way to the top.  Typically, Sarem denied this allegation and maintains her innocence.  There are already reviews for her book Handbook for Mortals, and from excerpts that I’ve read, I’m not going to say that Sarem’s writing sucks.  “It needs improvement” is a more encouraging criticism.

However, this is me being a nitpicker and I am slightly bothered that the protagonist is a too-obvious author avatar, as the description of the protagonist matches Sarem to a T, and don’t forget the annoying and all too prevalent i’m-plain-in-appearance-but-for-some-reason-everyone-thinks-i’m-hot trope.

It also came to everyone’s attention that the author aims to have Handbook for Mortals made into a film, wherein Sarem herself intends to portray her protagonist.  Since

  1.  considering that the protagonist (with the exotic name Zade) is an all-too-apparent author stand-in and
  2. there seems to be a plan already in execution to make this movie adaption happen, with Sarem starring as Zade (it has its own IMDB page)

I can’t help but think that the author wants to live out some sort of fantasy or is it just me?

Hmm….

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Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption: A Review

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Here is where I will state the obvious: I’ve put Heart of Darkness on the back-burner for now.  The draft is still hanging on, and one of these days I’ll re-read and review Conrad’s work.  Instead, I’ll be writing my reviews on texts that I’ve actually read, and hence I’ll be reviewing Stephen King’s novella.  I’ve started reading Different Seasons at the end of the semester, and so far I’m almost done with Apt Pupil, which you’ll also see a review on soon.

Now without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, here are my afterthoughts on Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption!

shaw

(I was originally going to add an animated gif of shirtless Tim Robbins extending his arms to the heavens in the rain, but it is understood that some may be sensitive to the lightning flashes.  So instead, here is an artist’s rendition of the scene)

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An Explanation for the Unwanted Hiatus

/ Eloise (The Louse) / Leave a comment

Ah.  It’s been a while, hasn’t it?  The Heart of Darkness review is still sitting in the drafts section, but I haven’t got the motivation to continue writing it.  Lately, I’ve been going through bouts of anxiety because of the stress of assignments and exams, and there are a few personal things going on in my life that have have made me an overthinking, neurotic mess.  I keep trying to push myself to write the review, but I don’t think it’s going to happen (YET!)

Reason for that is: I had to read this for my Modernist Literature subject and while I do get the sentiment behind the story, and the context, I just can’t be arsed to write a detailed review on it because I’m just not really into it enough to write a review, and my thoughts on the book have gone stale (sorry).  We read T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and while I am biased since I love Eliot, I kinda want to write a review on his collections first, and depending on that, I may re-read HoD to refresh my sentiments and finish writing my review on this.  I’ve also got new books that I’ll read during the holidays and post my reviews on them.  I’m gonna try and make this blog work, guys!

Anyway, to make up for the lack of content being posted here, I’ll publish a short, simple poem that I wrote in February about the anxieties of being alone in a city of struggle.  So, without further ado, watch this space and see a poem published next (after I find a royalty-free image to accompany it).

new siggie again