Scribbles on books

As a child I read  a lot.

I was that really cool kid who read chapter books before everyone else. 

As a pseudo adult I read more than most people my age - it will never be enough though.
The novel is (I must admit) becoming an obsolete form in popular culture. Regardless, I will always read.

here are some scribbles about my favorite books.

Why?- because I believe that taste defines a person.
I have missed a great many books but here is a portion.
I  listed these in a sort of chronological order. They are grouped semi thematically.

Wind in the willows

I remember having this read to me when I had the chickenpox.

Harry potter
I do not care for anyone's opinion on these books. For me these books have been with me for many years. The novels grew with the reader, they were timely and were a positive  exercise in escapism.

The Bell Jar-Sylvia Plath
A cliche book for female university students to like but I don't care , I love it. I read it years ago-still interesting.

Galax Arena-Gillian Rubenstein
This is so underrated as a youth novel. I read this book for the first time when I was about 11 and I still enjoy it.


Frankenstein -Mary Shelley
I had to include this as apparently my family are descendants of the author. The novel (not the film) is great.

 Do we look alike?

Dracula-Bram stoker
-I include this as I not only love horror, but I also am really fascinated by 'Vlad the Impaler' who Stoker based the title character on.

Interview with the vampire - Anne Rice
I love it when vampires are done well. Without any extra additions to the myth - It is just a straight vampire story that doesn't rely on gimmicks( Diamond skin, teen drama) to convey meaning.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde- R. L Stevenson
Obviously.

The Walking dead-Robert Kirkman,Tony Moore,Charlie Adlard
Obviously.

Watchmen-Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
 I really hated the film adaptation of this Graphic Novel, What the very fuck Zack Snyder?


Fun fact: I genuinely love Legend of the Guardians : The Owls of Ga'hoole .   It is one of the best Australian films . Happy Feet can suck it.


The collected works of Edgar Allen Poe
Because I am wicked angsty.


Macbeth- The big Cheese
Lady macbeth is the greatest character in literature.

She is like the swag king.
I went there.

American Psycho-Bret Easton Ellis

Obviously.



Fight club/Choke-Chuck Palahniuk
 Obviously.


And the Ass saw the Angel- Nick Cave
Is really gritty like everything he does. 

Middlesex
The Virgin Suicides
-Jeffrey Eugenides
Eugenides is one of my favorite novelists. Crazy good.
 
Hells Angels-Hunter S Thompson

I could include every HST piece in this list - I have literally read them all. Hells Angels is his first 'novel' and it was the one that made me love his work.


On the road- Jack Kerouac. 
obviously.


The Road- Cormac McCarthy 
So bleak - so fresh. Also Nick Cave did the score for the film-
Which was probably one of the best adaptation decisions ever.


Candy / God Of Speed-Luke Davies 
Luke Davies is an amazing Australian writer.  Both novels are worth reading.


1984-George Orwell
I have read this many , many , many , many times.
 I like to read it while listening to the Bowie Album . It goes off.

The Death of Bunny Munroe- Nick Cave
 -DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH-
shit gets real.

that is it for now.
I know I've missed many things.
I like making lists though

-Caribou out.

Zombies equal to or > Vampires>ghosts

Torture Porn is not my cup of tea.
Mainly because I am of the opinion that tea is better without a woman's severed toe floating in it.
I miss 80's horror - wherein wholesome looking boys and girls were chased through suburbia while synths and drum machines gave the scene pace.

I miss terrible puppets.

I also don't understand why Breasts must be revealed in order for a killer to seem competent.

It is my feeling that violence in film needs reason. This isn't to say that I am opposed to violence in cinema. I hate films or shows that fade to black to avoid moral discrepancies.  If i had to assume a stance I would be pro violence for the sake of realism.

The film  'Matyrs' for instance is a film wherein some fairly hardcore violence takes place - but it isn't totally contrived.

Films like 'Let the right one in' based on the amazing novel by  John Ajvide Lindqvist can be violent - without sacrificing story.  I would argue that it is the silence and suspense that makes that film great. It is the deep breath before the violence that makes horror great.

I love monster movies.... and I think they should be violent

When it comes to monsters I feel like the absence of violence is pointless. What is the threat of a vampire if it doesn't suck blood? Doesn't that just make it a goth? Think about it, would movies like 'Suspiria' be any good if the witches just broodily looked out of windows?


Zombies are usually the easiest translated of all the 'classic monsters' . I think this is because Zombies can't be pretty or clean. This usually means they get a fairly fresh representaion.

This is a pretty hilarious photo from the set of 'the Walking dead' based on the graphic novel/s by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard

I have come up with a formula for the supernatural :
Zombies equal to or >Vampires>Werewolfs > Shapeshifters>ghosts >Poltergeists>magic soot> gnomes.

This is an abridged version .

To be continued....