The picture of Dorian Gray

Hi everyone, a little while ago I read 'The picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde and I thought I'd do a quick review on the book for you. This was the only novel that Oscar Wilde published as he mainly wrote plays, poems and short stories. As I've mentioned previously I had wanted to read this for a while after it had been mentioned to me by a friend.

This book was a fantastic read, the writing was poetic and the plot riveting. It tells the story of a vain young man who has his portrait painted by a friend. Afterwards he realises that while he will grow old and lose his looks the portrait will always remain the same. He wishes that it would be the opposite and after a while realises that the portrait has indeed changed and is ageing while he remains the same.

I love the way that this book explores the ideas of perfection and how it condemns people to a life without change. Throughout the book Dorian travels and attempts to find hobbies that interest him. He spends a fortune indulging in hobbies that interest him for only short amounts of time. Throughout the novel Dorian becomes increasingly more paranoid about his ever changing portrait, coming to dread leaving it for any length of time and even suspecting his manservant of sneaking around the portrait.

This is brilliant and definitely worth a read. It's Oscar Wilde, gothic horror and a classic. In short, just read it! Until next time,

Catherine

Bookshelves??

Hello everyone. So this week I will admit that I have been very lazy. Well, not quite. I've been very hard pressed to come up with a topic for this weeks post and after quite a lot of thinking, I've come up with nothing. It's actually quite strange when I think about it because I do have several post ideas but none of which were for this week. Either I've just done a similar post and don't want to do two almost identical posts in two consecutive weeks or I haven't finished or started that particular book yet.

Therefore I have, after much deliberation, come up with this weeks post ( and as I said its quite lazy of me). Over time I have built up a huge collection of bookshelf images and this week I thought I'd show you my favourites. I love reading and looking at these posts. It sparks my interest and to tell the truth, I love looking at book collections. I'm the person who will walk into a book store and even if I have something specific to buy I will do a lap around the store just looking at the books. Unless I'm with someone. Then it's just strange.

So here you go, a collection of bookshelf images from around the Internet. These range from unknown pictures, famous libraries, famous bookstores (like Shakespeare and Co. in Paris where I really want to go!), book collections from famous people and even a couple of my own images. Enjoy! 

Lovely little reading nook isn't it?

Lets face it, this just looks incredible.

Americana book shelving.

Dutch artist, Job Koelewijn created this. I'm not entirely sure how to get to the centre though.

I love this rotating bookshelf, I don't have much bookshelf space so this is perfect.

Strahov philosophical hall, Czech Republic

Library of the Benedictine Monastery of Admont, Austria 

Shakespeare and Company, Paris

Trinity College Library, AKA, The Long Room, Dublin, Ireland

I used to love Borders, mainly because of the comfy arm chairs they provided, I was sorry to see them go out of business.

An image from The Book Grocer, not captured by me. I do love the layout of this store.

Karl Lagerfeld's library, it's just big. That's all.

A very cute little spiral bookshelf. Makes for nice wall decor as well.

Not very practical but good for those with lots of empty wall space. It does look nice though.

Not entirely sure where this is but doesn't it look phenomenal?

Another lovely reading room.

Mine!! (And mums) 

And finally, one of my pictures that pretty much sums me up.

Hope you enjoyed my selection. Until next time,

Catherine

Introducing... Seth Grahame-Smith

Hello everyone, this week I thought I'd do another author introduction although this time with someone a little better known. Seth Grahame-Smith recently wrote a few books that fit into the recent monster mash-up genre, taking classic or well known stories and adding a few monsters here and there. Example? Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I did discover him a couple of years ago through his book Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter which has recently been made into a very awesome movie. He has remained a favourite writer of mine ever since. 

For a start he is a brilliant writer, his expression in fantastic and I find I just sink straight into his books. He also has a remarkable talent of being able to mimic other writers styles. For instance, for those of you who have read the entire Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy will know that the first and third were written by someone else and the writing styles vary greatly between the books. The first and third have a very modern writing style with some older words thrown in here and there. However Seth Grahame-Smith's book remains very true to Jane Austen's writing style with some additional zombies thrown in. His books are adventurous and full of gory scenes which I think I love a tad too much.

Books:

I'll start with the ones I own

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I've already said heaps about this, it's an awesome book but I will say that it's a bit more Jane Austen than zombies, some reviews will make you think that it's packed with brain eaters but it does stay quite true to the original Jane Austen. I personally like that a lot.

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. This is another genius book but this one is a bit more vampirish. It sticks with Abraham Lincoln's tale but completely changes his reasons for doing everything that he does. It is incredibly well thought out and very well written. If you did happen to see the movie, it did not do the book justice. The book is very different but a lot better then the movie. So go and read the book!

Unholy Night. This book was incredible. It is the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. But in this version the three wise kings are actually skilled thieves on the run. This delves a lot more into how things were in the time before Jesus, both in terms of religion and society. It makes for a great read and is very fast paced. But be warned, it can get pretty gruesome!

How to Survive a Horror Movie. This was a bit difficult to track down but I eventually got it as a gift. I really love this book, it's no so much a novel but rather a guide book. It's a very lighthearted read and as it says, tells you how to survive being in a horror movie. First he helps you figure out if you are in one, what kind of horror movie you're in and then goes through your basic survival methods. He then has chapters dedicated to each type of horror movie and the best ways to survive each one. Because of this it can sometimes get repetitive but otherwise it is a really fun read.

That's the end of the ones I own but just a quick look at the ones I don't.

The big book of porn. This is a delve into the history of on-screen pornography including major events and biographies on the mega-stars of the industry. Not really an interest for me nor is it on my reading list. It was his first book and many reviews recommend it for bachelor/bachelorette parties.

The Spider-Man handbook. Similar to How to Survive a Horror Movie but this time with superheroes. Any young boys dream I'd imagine.

Pardon My President. This is supposed to be a book of apologies to various people and party's from anyone who voted for President Bush. The description says to sign, stamp and send. This was one of his books that I hadn't heard of and I'm not surprised. It doesn't sound like anything that would interest me but it may be an amusing read for Americans.

Did you know? Seth Grahame-Smith also writes screen-plays. His include Dark Shadows, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter and the next Fantastic Four due to come out in 2015.

Wow, he is one busy guy. I highly recommend any of his books, I think he is a fantastic writer. Well that's all for this week. Until next time,

Catherine

My wish list

Hello everyone, this week I thought that instead of making a list of books that I have, I would write up a list of books that I don't have, a bookworms wish list. I am an avid book collector and have quite an extensive personal library but I'm always finding new books. It seems like I just don't have enough time to collect and read them all. So here is a list of books that have been on my list for a while.

Now I am just abut heartily sick and tired of the sparkling vampire genre however I do still enjoy a good, dark vampire tale. Recently I read 'food for the dead' which was an anthropologists study of real vampire cases in Rhode Island. This was filled with vampire fiction and non-fiction recommendations which have made it onto my list.

The vampire in Europe by Montague Summers. Another study of vampire folklore, especially from ancient civilisations in Europe.

The apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker by Cynthia Defelice. A fictional tale of a man whose family is taken by consumption. He finds an apprenticeship with a doctor and discovers supernatural folk remedies that could have saved his family.

The haunting of Carrick Hollow by Paul Sledzik and Jan Burke. A short story based on true tales that investigate the vampiric practices of New England.

The plague and I by Betty Macdonald. Not exactly about vampires. The author writes about her nine months in a sanatorium to cure her tuberculosis.

Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend. A big book of mythology and legend. I want it.

Vampires by Norine Dresser. An exploration of vampiric roles and symbolism in America.

Danse macabre by Stephen King. A series of essays on horror fiction and typical horror archetypes. I've wanted to read this for a while.

As you can see, lots of vampire related stuff. Recently I've also gotten very much into biographies. I recently picked up one on Jane Austen but there are a couple more that I would like to have. 

 Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light by Patrick Mcgilligan. I am a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock and have several of his anthologies. Since the movie Hitchcock came out I've been wanting to find out more about him so I'm looking forward to buying this. 

Dracula: A Biography of Vlad the Impaler 1431-1476 by Radu Florescu, Raymond T. McNally. I have been fascinated by Vlad the Impaler for a very long time and read everything I can about this iconic figure. A biography would be fantastic to have.

And now for some extras.

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens. By Charles Dickens, need I say more?

And the mountains echoed by Khaled Hosseini. This books has fantastic reviews. A father tells his children a folk tale and the next day they leave for Kabul. The story follows tales of their descendants, spanning decades.

Burial rites by Hannah Kent. A young Icelandic woman is accused of murder in the year 1829. I am obsessed with historical fiction and mysteries. This is a must for me.

The war of the worlds by H. G. Welles. I loved the movie and have really wanted to read this for quite some time.

 The red queen by Maragret Drabble. Narrated by a queens ghost it tells the tale of her unhappy marriage and end. Based on true events.

The master and the margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. A satire about soviet life under the rule of Stalin.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore. Although technically not a book I will include it. I've recently grown to love graphic novels and this is one I became obsessed with. I started reading online but now I want my own copy! 

As you can see I have a serious problem. And this isn't even a complete list! This was just the ones featured in my notebook, I have other lists in other spots. So what are some of the books that made it onto your extreme reading list? Until next time,

Catherine