A Thousand Splendid Suns

"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls"

People have been telling me to read Khaled Hosseini's 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' for

years but it wasn't until recently, when I saw it staring at me from my crowded shelves of unread books, that I decided it was finally time to pick it up and start reading. 

This is the kind of book that it's virtually impossible to put down, and so you rush through the first pages until, as the end approaches, you suddenly realise that you don't want it to finish and so slow down as much as possible to take in the final 20 or so pages. 

This was such a touching book, although Hosseini does make you feel a multitude of different emotions as you read: from horror and despair, to disbelief and at some moments disgust. And then only pages later you are heartened, hopeful, and at times even joyous. 
But is this book better than The Kite Runner? Honestly, I'm not sure it is, and of course this is purely a matter of opinion and every reader will think differently, but for me there was just something more about The Kite Runner that had me thinking about it for days after I read the final page. In contrast, only days after finishing A Thousand Splendid Suns, the story is almost (almost) gone from my mind. But I did really enjoy it while I was reading it, and it's definitely a book that is difficult to put down. Also I'm not sure anyone needs to decide which book is better; they're both now favourites of mine, joining many other books which it would be so difficult to rank... basically what John Green said when asked what his favourite book was - "you want just one??!"
Hosseini really does have a way with words and there were so many 'quotable' sentences. The characters were great and I loved that the female characters ended up taking control of their own destinies, rather than waiting for men to sort everything out for them. (Hosseini even says that "a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated" - this quote makes me happy, and ironically, especially since it's written by a man). 
One of the great things about Hosseini's books is that they offer westerners an insight into Afghan society. I often feel bad at how little I know about the situation in the east with multiple wars that seem to have been taking place forever. It's even difficult to connect with the areas when disasters such as bombings are shown on the news, and so books like this will always be needed to remind us of all the atrocities that are taking place in the eastern world, and the fact that those events are just as bad there as they would be if bombings took place here. We just hear far less about it. 
There is even some much needed romance in Hosseini's book, in the form of Tariq. Although he isn't present for much of the story, you do get the feeling that he is always there in thought, and he gets to say one of the most beautiful and wonderfully soppy lines in the book: "I will follow you to the ends of the world" -- I may or may not have let out a very long (and very loud) "awwwwwwwh" at this point...

There are **SPOILERS** from this point on...

“Miriam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last. No. It was not so bad, Miriam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings.”

This quote is so beautifully written and is a perfect example of the overriding message of love presented throughout the book as a conquerer of everything, even the opinions of society. For me it also reminds me of what Dr Wayne Dyer - I love this man, he's so great :) - repeats again and again: that material objects are absolutely nothing, after all when we die we can't take any 'stuff' with us, and the love you give to all those around you is everything. Miriam really was a great character and I'm not quite sure I can forgive Hosseini for killing her, although I guess he did kind of make up for it, if only a little, with Laila's pregnancy at the end. I like that he left it up to the reader to decide the gender of her baby, and I'd be willing to bet most people who read the book like to think she has a girl. 

The last sentence of the book was beautiful and finished off the novel in a way that leaves the reader satisfied, rather than annoyed at the lack of a decent ending. So often the ending of books can be wrong (I'm still annoyed about 'Before I go to Sleep', ughh) but this one was just right and Hoseini's tone remained the same until the very end.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading his next book 'And the Mountains Echoed' at some point in the near future and if his first two books are anything to go by, it'll be absolutely amazing! 9/10.

Sherlock

I can officially now label myself a 'Cumberbitch', and I'm proud of that fact. I had caught a couple of episodes of 'Sherlock' here and there while they were on TV but, although I wanted to watch it, the BBC series somehow evaded me for 2 years. But then my friend offered to lend me her boxset and I'm fairly sure I'm now suitably obsessed. Since yesterday evening I've watched all 9 hours of the first two series, despite the 30 degree heat outside, meaning I'm just as pale as ever but probably not as unhappy about that as I should be. Ugh, it's just so perfect.
Every so often you find a series in which every episode is just as amazing as the one that came before it. Friends was the first. And then came 'North and South' and 'Emma' in terms of period drama. And then there was Merlin, Miranda and of course Downton Abbey (the last Christmas episode doesn't count, I've wiped that from my memory). And now we have Sherlock, and it might just be the best of the lot. There's a wonderful combination of serious drama and comedy about Sherlock that makes it a fantastic series which I hope will never become tired. And it's always nice to have a light-hearted drama on TV to counteract the increasingly depressing EastEnders. 

The reworking of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes character to modernise the well-known stories and bring them into today's London, works so well I'm pretty sure it's better than the Robert Downey Jr./ Jude Law films. And I'll be honest, much of that is down to

yes, Benedict Cumberbatch will be in every picture

the brilliance of Benedict Cumberbatch. He basically makes the series and it's unlikely the whole thing would work so well without him. Additionally his pairing with Martin Freeman ('The Hobbit') as Dr. John Watson shows so much chemistry it's impossible to not believe that they're good friends. Although, having said that, I did keep shouting 'Martin' and 'Benedict' (I might have even called him 'Bennie' at some points which almost seems criminal) at the screen when something was going wrong, rather than 'Sherlock' or 'John'. Yeah... we'll forget that ever happened.
Actually it's probably a good thing I was home alone when I finally got round to watching the series because it's definitely the kind of show to get a little squealy about. Whether that's at the appearance of Benedict Cumberbatch's beautiful face on screen, or yelling at him not to jump off that building... and then later becoming a teeny bit hysterical when he appeared alive in the graveyard. 
Ever since Sherlock faked his own death in the last episode the internet has been alive with conjecture as to how he did it. Personally I have absolutely no idea. Not a clue. Perhaps Mycroft helped, perhaps he didn't. Maybe the man on the bicycle who knocked over Watson was involved, maybe he wasn't. After much wondering I've decided it's probably best to just wait for the new series to find out, although the only person I would bet on being involved is Molly. And I want her and Sherlock to get together. Ugh, there I said it. Seriously it would be so, so cute. Hmmm, maybe I'll send Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss a letter one day. 

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with myself waiting for the next series of Sherlock - hopefully the rumours that the air date has been pushed back to 2014 are untrue as I'm not sure I can wait that long. It has been released this week that the brilliant Moriarty will be replaced by a new nemesis by the name of Charles Augustus Magnusson. I've never heard of that character before but I'm sure it will be great, even if it will be difficult to replace Andrew Scott's wonderfully mental Moriarty. And the only other clue we have about the next series are three words: Rat, wedding and bow. What the hell that means I have no idea - does it mean bow as in tying a bow?? or bow as in take a bow?? I'm guessing the last one but I can't be the only person confused, right?
Sherlock is without doubt the best series that's been on TV in a while - I can't believe I'm saying this but it might even beat Downton. And so for as long as I can I shall try to wait patiently until Sherlock returns, but meanwhile I think I might just have to order the boxset of the first two series and satisfy myself with those 6 episodes for the next few months. Seriously, 3 episodes does not constitute a series!!! 10/10

Nelson Mandela day - a day late

I started writing this post yesterday but got distracted by the weather and TV and sleep, so it's now a day late, but hopefully relevant just the same...
On Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday, I decided it was time to finally find out about all the amazing things this great man has done throughout his life. At a time when Mandela's health is poor, we are all reminded just how human each and every person is; no one is exempt from the powers of nature, but each of us have health for a certain period of our lives and numbered days to make a difference. It's difficult to find positives in the very negative situation that is Mandela's ill-health. However, it does emphasise the fact that we are all human, no matter who we are or what we do, and someone like Mandela is a fantastic reminder of all that ANY human can do if we only put our minds to something and put ourselves out there. Taking a risk for the slight possibility that we might make a difference to somebody's life, no matter how small and apparently insignificant that difference may be. 

Knowing pretty much nothing about Mandela other than the fact that he was in prison for a while, I decided to start easy first and look at the BBC primary history website. From this I've found that he was in prison for 27 years after fighting through the organisation of rebel groups to overthrow the pro-apartheid government of South Africa (I'll admit I didn't know what that meant, but google tells me apartheid is a policy of segregation/ discrimination on racial grounds). While in prison, Mandela was hailed as a great man and was well respected, even by many prison guards. On release in 1990, he soon became the first black president of South Africa (1994), confirming his title as a hero in the eyes of many. I'm guessing most people know this information already so I'm going to add in some fun facts I found in the side bar: there is a spider named after Mandela; apparently while in prison and after his release Mandela rose early every morning and began exercising at 4:30am (I wish I had his level of motivation); and finally, Mandela's famous brightly coloured shirts are called 'Madiba' shirts, linking back to his nickname. 

It's probably a fair comment that most prestigious people have come out with a few pretty good quotes in their time, and Mandela certainly didn't let down. My favourite of his quotes include: "A winner is a dreamer who never gives up", "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it's opposite", and "it always seems impossible until it's done". While looking at these quotes I began to find it difficult to imagine how any mind can put together words and sentences so beautiful as to encapsulate all that any human can want and feel throughout their lives. I've certainly always found quotes a very humbling thing. However, to continue the train that Mandela is just a normal person, his quotes are interesting because, as I said before, all he is doing is putting the thoughts that are deep within each human heart into words, words which all can understand and hopefully begin to put into practice. And that's a fantastic thing to be able to do. But it also defines Mandela again as no different from all the rest of us; to put together speeches the words used must strike a cord with not only the audience but also the speaker, allowing all listeners to come together and unify in one single thought or emotion, each wanting the same thing. So just because Mandela is the speaker reaching out to his audience doesn't make him any different from the rest of us, of course he might be able to string a sentence together better, or have the bravery to put himself out there, but at his core is the exact same substance that is rooted in all of us. As long as we can all remember that, anything can be possible, just as Mandela has proved.
I'm not saying that all of us will be the next Nelson Mandela, or even could be (we all have our own strengths). But we do all have the skills to be the best version of ourselves that we can be, achieving all we are able and making any small differences possible - be it conducting a charity cake sale, or even just smiling at a stranger in the street. We should never underestimate our ability to make a difference and Mandela is a perfect example of that (even if his difference was on a much larger scale than the majority of us will achieve). And actually what has taken me a whole post to try and write about can be summed up in a couple of simple lines from the great man himself: "There is no passion to be found in playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living".

Imagine...

If I ever have children, I am determined that they will watch every good Disney movie that I saw and loved in my childhood, and which still make me so happy even when I'm in the worst possible mood. Chatting to a friend about this the other day, she mentioned that, in her opinion, Disney gives a false message of hope to children which just isn't realistic in today's society. We should give children a warning when they watch the films that this is not reality and never will be. Well, if that's true then we live in a worse world than I thought. (There's a strong possibility this post could get preachy, I'm sorry if it does but I'll try hold back :) )

To enforce the idea in children that the fantasy worlds they escape to are not real would be a harsh and cruel thing to do. Especially since these are the ideas we cling to throughout much of life, that there might just be the slightest possibility that things will be okay in the end. A life where "Hakuna matata" really does mean no worries for the rest of your days; where "all it takes is faith and trust" to achieve anything you want; where "if you dream about something more than once it's sure to come true". I'm a real believer in the idea that happiness is a choice you make every morning, you can let tiredness or sadness overcome you, or you can realise that what you are feeling is just that, a feeling. It doesn't need to become real or control your day. So to take away from children the idea that dreams do come true if you hold on to them and that you can be happy in the end, no matter what, for me would be one of the biggest mistakes that could ever be made.

This also got me thinking about John Lennon's song 'Imagine'. I'm still not entirely sure why, but maybe it was something to do with the line "you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one". I'm totally aware that I sound like a deluded teenager who hasn't enough experience of life to know the true hardships that challenge happiness. And that's absolutely true. But I also know that, living in the Western world, I have so much to be thankful for, almost no right to be unhappy, and even less right to teach children that they can never be happy either. I'll always remember when I was about 13 I started waiting for sadness or some kind of depressed feeling to hit me, just because in the majority of contemporary literature and music there are so many people telling you how sad you should be, and very few saying you can be happy. But that unhappy feeling never came, and I have to remind myself to be thankful for that every day. I heard once that "if the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough" and, although a lot of the time you do have to remind yourself to be thankful and happy with what you have, once you realise how lucky you are it's amazing how much every moment can come alive with, for want of a better word, 'niceness'. I think I read somewhere that feeling is called your 'bliss' but don't quote me on that one.

It's actually quite funny how seriously some people take life when you actually stop to watch them and if I ever become like that I hope someone slaps me in the face. There will always be more important things than which friend or colleague was rude today, which family member is being grumpy, or which shop assistant was less than helpful.  Obviously I can't speak for other people, but personally I started to enjoy life so much more when I heard Don Miguel Ruiz on Oprah's 'Super Soul Sunday' talking about not taking things personally. The judgements of all others come from their point of view and have absolutely nothing to do with you. Anything anybody else says about you is their own assumption and to take these things personally can in fact be considered selfish as this presumes that everything is about you. Seriously everybody should go watch that video on YouTube, these people are so wise I don't even understand. 

I'm now preaching way too much so I'm going to stop writing and leave you with some wise words from people who know a lot more about this stuff than I do: John Lennon (the little story in the picture above) and Lenka singing 'The Show'. Have a happy day !!

The Hunger Games

"May the odds be EVER in your favour"

While I'm writing this post I'm overly conscious of the fact that I'm about 5 years late in discovering 'The Hunger Games'. I'd avoided the series for so long, but last Thursday I finally gave in and borrowed all three books from a friend. One week and 1408 pages later, I can't believe I held back so long.

I mean obviously 'The Hunger Games' is stereotypical teen fiction; not all that well written, kind of cheesy awkward love triangle and flagging towards the end. But the thing that made THG good for me was the plot. It's been so, so long since I've read books that I literally couldn't put down. Everything I was supposed to do in the last week has been put to one side (and still isn't done), leaving me with hours to just sit and read. When I had to rip myself away from the pages to go to school, it was all I could think about and I had to make a conscious effort to not keep raising the books with all my friends since they've mostly become bored with the whole thing by now, years after they first read the books. 

I'm not sure how long the books will stay with me as something that actually affected me, they were more just a guilty pleasure to enjoy at the end of a busy day of forcing myself through triple psychology. But there's definitely something to be said for contemporary books with relatively unique story lines since it seems almost impossible to come up with something that hasn't been done before, considering the innumerable amount of books that have already been written across the world over thousands of years. If I had to compare it to another book though, I would say the basic idea is a little like '1984', what with the repressive government and murder of those who oppose that authority.

The gorgeous Josh Hutcherson as Peeta

Also, Peeta. Just. Peeta. It used to be a good thing if I fell in love with the male lead of a book, but really this is happening so often now it's becoming a little ridiculous. And there are so many boys to fall in love with in THG, do I even need to mention Gale and Finnick's names?? Peeta is one of the sweetest characters ever; I had to keep reminding myself he wasn't real and now I might just have to spend the rest of my life looking for a blonde haired, blue eyed man who isn't just strong, he's 'bakery strong'. I have a feeling I might be waiting a while. I'm going to have to move on now otherwise I'll just get upset at Peeta's non-existence again. God I'm such a teenager it's embarrassing...
I also loved that Katniss was actually a strong woman. I think I probably took more notice of this because we're studying feminism in English class at the moment, but having read mostly classic novels lately it was so nice to actually have a girl who could stand up for herself, rather than a girl who just faints all the time (Lucie Manette I'm looking at you).
So now I just need to catch up with the first movie and it's pretty likely I'll go see the rest of the series in the cinema with my friends. Although, I did just find out they've decided to split the last film in to 2 movies. Again. In my opinion, just because the 'Harry Potter' films did that, not every franchise that comes after needs to follow suit. It's just become annoying, and to be honest a little pretentious since the HP films were so big and kept going for decades rather than a few years, meaning they had to stay around for longer just to say goodbye, in a way. 
Actually, while I'm comparing, THG definitely lends itself to comparisons with Harry Potter and Twilight, except it's far, far better than Twilight and not quite as good as Harry Potter, maybe just because it wasn't as good towards the end and the plot line wasn't quite as intricately formed, although it would be difficult to match HP's complexity to be fair. But the nice thing about THG was that, like Potter, the reader is given some kind of moral message if you make the effort to pay attention to the plot and not just the romance aspect. This is probably why the book reminded me of 1984 because it really is a warning against what humanity could become in the future if we don't check ourselves, making sure we care for others instead of becoming manipulative in order to further our own progress only. 
So, although the slightly gory plot of 'The Hunger Games' may be off-putting at first, and it was definitely a contributing factor in why I put off reading the books for so long, it's probably this that could make the books anywhere close to profound (although to be honest that's probably going a bit far). But the series can make you think if you really want it to and I guess that's true of any book: you can make what you want of it. I would recommend "The Hunger Games' to anyone whether they want a book to read as an escape from reality, a book that they quite literally cannot put down, or a book that makes them want to think about life. I'm only quite sad I didn't give in and read the books earlier. 9/10

Why I love Paris...

Ever since I read 'Les Miserables' in 2011 and visited Paris last year, I've been in love with France and everything French. It's my dream to one day become fluent in the French language, and perhaps even live there at some point. Since I love Paris so much, I was surprised to realise that I've never actually thought about why. So this is me doing that...

1) Of course, you couldn't talk about Paris without mentioning the landmarks. From the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triumph to the beautiful Sacre Coeur, there are enough steps in Paris to make your legs ache for the rest of you life, and give you blisters enough to make you never want to walk again. But the gift shops views when you reach the top of the millions of steps are so worth it you can't possibly regret the effort. Also, I've never liked the idea of lifts when you can just as well take the stairs, so given the choice between the two I would always choose the steps and make my family follow suit (much to their annoyance). So apparently part of the reason I love Paris is because of the stairs?? Well, actually now I think about it, there has always been something about old, worn away steps that makes me wonder just who has climbed that stone before me. And also, away from landmarks, French winding staircases are actually quite beautiful and they always have the effect of making me feel like I'm in some romantic film. (well I can dream can't I??) This point has turned into a bit of an odd one...

2) Moving on... the Luxembourg Gardens or Jardain de Luxembourg. Just. Wow. I think this might be my favourite place on earth, it's just so, so beautiful. In 'Les Miserables' this is the place where Marius first saw Cosette and where Cosette came to sit with Valjean every day. And who could blame them for wanting to just sit and chat for hours on end in such a gorgeous place. When I next go to Paris, which I hope is some time soon, I might have to reserve quite a large proportion of my time so I can just go and sit in the sun. Another thing that makes me love all of Paris' public gardens is the fact that they actually provide decent (clean!) metal chairs that you can move around to wherever you want, meaning you don't have to carry rubbishy camping chairs with you if you want to just go and have a quiet morning. Perfect.

3) The Notre Dame Cathedral. Again, this place is so beautiful. I'm not really sure why I have a preference for the Notre Dame over St Paul's in London, but I do. Okay, so part of the reason might be 'Notre Dame de Paris' (or 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame') by Victor Hugo which seems to humanise the whole place and give it an extra spirituality. I remember walking inside and instantly feeling the necessity to be quiet and soak up the surroundings. Also, after climbing yet more stairs, you can go up to the towers and see the gargoyles and the great bell - called 'Emanuel'. The bell is inside an old wooden room-type thing with a tiny door and old rickety stairs and it's really atmospheric. It looks absolutely nothing like it does in the Disney movie since it's tiny, but I had the songs in my head the whole time we were there... 

4) The general mood; romance, relaxation, happiness. Literally as soon as you get there you can't help but be absorbed into the atmosphere of the whole city, just wanting to grab your bicycle and go and buy a baguette and some cheese. The whole place just is romance, even in the libraries. Every time I go in a French library, with sliding ladders and old-looking books, I automatically feel like Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast' , and it honestly takes a whole lot of self-control to not dance around the streets singing in people's faces (again, I doubt my family would thank me for that). But still, "there must be more than this provincial life...". uhh, okay, moving on... French windows. God, they're so pretty, especially when the sun is shining and there are bright green trees outside. There seems to be a developing theme of the prettiness of Paris that I like, but there you are, it is a very beautiful place after all.

5) An obvious one now; the French language. Who can't love it, really? I honestly can't say how gutted I am that I was forced to learn German instead of French through Secondary School. I do hope to learn the language at some point in my life though (and I want this to be more than just the word 'poulet') so I can eventually visit the country without a phrase book, but that might take a while and I'm not entirely sure where to start. It's still very definitely on my list of things to do for the future though.

6) Disney land!! Okay, this is one of the best bits. No matter how much anyone tries to deny it, you can never be too old for Disney. With all the morals and life lessons the films can teach you, Disney land is such a great place to go. As a child it was all about the dressed-up characters, but now I think it would be more about the atmosphere and the restaurants - going to the 'Beauty and the Beast' restaurant and being served by candlesticks sounds absolutely priceless, if only it were cheaper! Still, I'd love to go again at some point, and hopefully it will happen.

So, that's why I love Paris so much, tied up in six actually quite long points. I know it's not very original and so many people, women in particular, have a dream to one day move to Paris and find some gorgeous French man to marry, but seriously it's such a beautiful city which everyone should visit and fall in love with at some point in their lives. So, à la prochaine!

A Tale of Two Cities

This book didn't just break my heart; it crushed it into a pulp. I've always liked Charles Dickens' writing but this is definitely my favourite of his works.

'A Tale of Two Cities' is set against a back drop of the French Revolution in the early 1790s, although the book was published in 1859, and follows the story of the Manette family as they are drawn to France, falling under the shadow of la Guillotine. (There's also a bit of a love triangle between Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton which forms the overall basis of the story).

A lot of people have commented that the book starts a little slowly, but I wouldn't really agree with that, primarily because Dickens serialised his novels and so had to draw in his readers, leaving cliffhangers at the end of most chapters. Although I guess you could say it was written for people of another time, personally I think it still works, especially as the opening lines are "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times." This book has some of the most famous opening and closing lines in the history of English literature and that alone makes it worth a read, but more than that, it's just an incredibly good story. 

My favourite character was definitely Sydney Carton who can now be added to the list of characters who have broken my heart and made me want to sob for the rest of my life. He has a fantastic character arc, based around his love for Lucie Manette which is arguably his only redeeming feature at the beginning of the novel, at which time he is a  self-pitying drunk whom it is very difficult to like. I would say Sydney is quite possibly one of my favourite characters of all time and I can't believe I've fallen in love with yet another fictional character.

In terms of other characters, Lucie was a little flat, but I suppose that is to be expected in a 19th Century novel and when Dickens' apparent dislike of women is taken into account. Considering the dark nature of the plot, you would expect some classic Dickens humour to balance it out, but there is surprisingly little of this. The only characters you could really consider comical are Lucie's servant Miss Pross and resurrection man Jerry Cruncher. Miss Pross in particular is a brilliant character; her last scenes in the book are just fantastic and I grinned like an idiot while reading them. 

The antagonist of 'A Tale of Two Cities', Madame Defarge, becomes increasingly scary as you read on, and even from her introduction Dickens sets her as a looming presence, watching over proceedings while completing her knitted log of those she wants to kill in the revolution. And yet, Dickens never allows the reader to feel complete hate for the woman as he lays out the reasons for her need for vengeance. However, Dickens absolutely doesn't hold back on his description of the gore of the Paris violence and it was almost a relief to be transported back to peaceful London, hence the title 'A Tale of Two Cities'.

If you've never read a Dickens novel before I would definitely say this is the place to start, just because it's so much shorter and more densely written than some of his other novels, such as 'Bleak House'. At only 390 pages, the novel is split into 3 books, the best of which is absolutely Book 3, and I couldn't put it down. As ever Dickens has an ability to tie up all the threads from throughout the book, including threads you didn't even know were there. Events passed off as unnecessary details, such as Jerry Cruncher's grave robbing habits, come to be of the utmost importance to the overall resolution of the plot. 

In 2007 a stage musical based on the book was produced and I'll post my favourite song from that ('I can't recall') underneath. Sydney's character is singing and hopefully it explains itself, although it probably works better if you've read the story, it's still absolutely beautiful. 

I would recommend 'A Tale of Two Cities' to anyone and it's one of the best books I have ever read. 10/10

Why should we read classic books?

Traditionally, it's geeks who tend to read classic books, and I include myself in this, but really it shouldn't be. There are so many reasons why people should be reading more classics and so for some reason I'm now going to write this down....

1) Firstly these are books that have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years and yet are still being printed today. So there must be a reason, right?? For me, classics are generally really great stories, and yes you do have to pick and choose which classics you read because some are heavy going, but there are so many out there which are seriously the best books I've ever read. Honestly, the classic books are often the ones I remember as favourites more than contemporary books. Also, I love that you always know when you're reading a book by Dickens or Bronte or whoever, you are reading one of the best books you will ever read in your life.

2) Generally classic books are universal in their relevance. It's weird to try and imagine all the people who have read the words of classic books before you and to think about the different ways they would interpret each word. I've always thought it's quite humbling to realise that each classic book must have relevance to at least some people, and even if you don't find the book that is most relevant to you straight away (I mean, I've been trying and failing to read 'Pride and Prejudice' for the past 8 years. Unfortunately that's not an exaggeration..), you can pretty much bet that there will be a classic out there somewhere that applies to you and which will likely change your life in some way, however that might be.

3) Classic literature makes you have to think in order to read because if you don't engage your brain then you just don't get it. This is definitely a flaw in some cases (last year I went on holiday to Paris during the summer and was stuck trying to finish 'Crime and Punishment', which is basically a russian book about a man who kills an old woman and his psychological issues, not exactly a relaxing holiday read...) and I've always thought it's necessary to be exposed to a mix of genres of books, but classics are great because they just make you learn. I've always found it oddly satisfying to write sophisticated sounding words in essays (in the same way you know you've probably written something well if you manage to use a semi-colon in the right place) and reading classic literature can teach you so many new words, even if you do need to keep a dictionary constantly on your bedside table.

4) Finally, although this probably shouldn't be the only motivation to read classics, it's always nice to be able to say you've read certain books. I mean if someone asks if you've read 'David Copperfield', it's much more fun being able to say yes than no, although I'm not entirely sure when anybody would ever ask you that in casual conversation, but you know what I mean. It also means you can understand some of the things people say which you otherwise might not, which is always nice.

So really, although I guess you should only really read classics if you want to, rather than having to because that way you're unlikely to get anywhere, I couldn't recommend the majority of them more. Happy reading!

Defending Bernard Bligh

So exam season has meant that it's been a while since I've published a post, although this one has been sitting in my drafts for about a month and a half now. While I should be revising for my history exam I find the 60s inescapably boring, and so this is my break, although it's a little ironic that I'm now remembering I originally read this book (which is Andrea Levy's 'Small Island' by the way) as background to the history course. Okay, so this post now counts as revision...

I'm kind of questioning why I'm writing this post since Bernard Bligh, who I guess you could call the antagonist of the plot,  is such a hated character. I mean he definitely has nasty qualities, but whilst reading the book I couldn't help but sympathise with his character, perhaps more than any of the others. (Oh, and there will be **SPOILERS** in this post).

'Small Island' is set in 1948, although the majority of the novel takes place in parts grippingly named 'before', and it tells the story of two married couples, Bernard and Queenie (English) and Gilbert and Hortense (Jamaican). The racial tensions of the post-war era provide the back-bone of the story and it is true that Bernard, on the face of it, is simply a racist character with nothing more to say for himself than to swear at those with a different colour skin to himself.

Although this post is defending his character, I think it's necessary to point out immediately that I do not sympathise with him as a racist - his behaviour towards both Gilbert and Hortense was disgusting and thank God the majority of people are not like that today, although I know they certainly do exist.

However, I'm not completely sure why I've heard some people say they absolutely hate him. I mean, the things that go wrong are definitely not all his fault. And this brings me swiftly on to Queenie Bligh. I hated this woman. But then it seems that most other people I've seen who have read the book are firmly and absolutely on her side. I'm sorry but, in my book, cheating on your husband who is away at war not only once, but TWICE with a man you barely know is pretty much unforgivable. And yes, there will be people who say Bernard pushed her away, but really he was just being himself and not liking your husbands pale neck is not a good enough reason to cheat on him. Full stop. No question.

I think I would have less of a problem with Queenie if her dislike of her husband had stemmed from a changed personality after war or something like that, but it's pretty obvious she never liked him. I mean her aunt's death and the threat of having to move back in with her awful mother are the only reasons for her wishing to marry Bernard. He was simply the best of two apparently bad options. I guess that's why I sympathise with Bernard, because the person he loves will never love him back. So this made me think what really makes Bernard all that different from Les Miserables' Eponine? Eponine has a league of devoted supporters who sympathise with her character because Marius does not and will never love her back. To me this story holds a striking resemblance to Bernard's. Although it is true that Bernard has his bad elements - the most predominant of which is his racism - to be fair, Eponine also has bad characteristics, the main of which is that for the majority of the time at the barricade Eponine is there to see Marius killed and then die herself. An element which fans of hers seem to overlook all too often. So all I'm asking is what's the difference between Eponine and Bernard and why should Bernard be hated where Eponine is adored. I just find it quite ironic that opinions of Bernard are somewhat discriminative in themselves, making readers of the book no different from Bernard himself in some ways. 

At the end of the novel it emerges that Bernard would be prepared to look after and care for Queenie's illegitimate child as a father and, although there is probably an element of truth in the mother's protestations that Bernard would highlight the child's mixed race in every argument they had, it seems to me that Bernard really wanted to carry out this duty. It is implied earlier in the novel that Bernard wants children but Queenie just isn't getting pregnant. So for Bernard to get home from war to find his father dead and his wife pregnant with another man's child would surely only add to his feeling inadequacy as it can only be assumed that Bernard is infertile. In this way I really think each and every person can begin to sympathise with Bernard's character, on which ever level this might be, just because it's part of being human to experience self doubt and feel worthless and ultimately unnecessary, without purpose. 

So for that reason I really do sympathise with Bernard as I think there's an element of all of us within him. And to be honest that includes the bad parts as there really is bad in each of us, whether we choose to reveal that to other people or not. It doesn't have to be as extreme as being racist, although I think Bernard was likely only a child of his time, but  even nasty little thoughts that are there within us and which we hate ourselves for later show that nobody can be wholly and completely 'good'. Consequently, I think someone needed to stand up for Bernard and show him as the representation of all humans that he really is, much as we would all like to deny this.

Happy Thursday!

So Winnie the Pooh and Piglet were basically my childhood heroes and so I've named this post in testament to them. I think it's something about Pooh's endless positivity and happiness that means kids all over the world are still reading and loving his adventures today. I saw the picture below the other day and it reminded me that I've been meaning to do a happy post for a while, and basically I'm one of those annoying people who adore positive quotes and dish them out all the time but struggle to live by them myself. But I'm trying. Anyway I'm basically going to post some positive quotes (with some help from Tumblr, ahem) and videos etc. So, as Sting says, "Spread a little happiness!" Brace yourself for a suitably cheesy post.

Also cute animals :). Sleeping puppies will always make me happy and Quokkas must be the happiest things on the planet. I mean, seriously, look at its little face. 

This Eeyore quote is probably quite appropriate for anyone living in the UK, I mean it's April and it's been snowing all day today! Apparently Spring doesn't exist anymore... but at least no earthquakes, yay!!

Another reason why I've related this post to Winnie the Pooh is a book which I first read a few years ago and recently came back to: The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet. It's a really amazing book and can make you feel happy in yourself just through reading the first chapter. It basically relates Pooh and all of his friends to Chinese Taoist beliefs - which I think is basically the art of simply being and taking every day as it comes. But yes, a really good book if you ever get the chance to read it. 

And finally, no positivity post would be complete without some very cheesy songs. Apparently 'I make my own sunshine' was on some kind of American DIY store advert at some point but personally it sounds more like it should be on a yoghurt advert to me. 'Spread a little happiness' just makes me laugh because Sting never really looks quite at home when singing it. I can't remember what film it's from but I like to think it would be a good one :). 

Blogger is being really annoying about the alignment of videos so they're just going to have to be messy. Anyway, for what remains of the day Happy Thursday!!