The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. – The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft
When I am feeling backed into a corner by life’s events, it
has always been my nature to retreat into the comforting embrace of the written
word.
This week I have again found solace in books, two in particular that I picked up at the library. The first (on the recommendation of Dr. J) is The Taking, by Dean Koontz. I’ve never been much of a fan of his work- only Intensity and Watchers really kept my attention. But this one is different, and I must agree with the good doctor and recommend it wholeheartedly. The plot is: alien invasion. That’s really all you need to know. I should have seen the end of it coming, but I was so wrapped up in the vivid descriptions and horrific scenes that I missed some clues and was delighted to discover answers at the same time as the remaining characters. Good read, and it actually referenced several times the other book I’m reading…
Tales of H.P.
Lovecraft. Now I know what the Call
of Cthulhu is all about, even though it seems to me that Cthulhu’s most
likely course of action upon being awakened from his slumber would be to ingest
his worshippers. My favorite description is that the Great One “…was of
somewhat bloated corpulence…” Ewwwww.
I’ve long loved the way that Lovecraft crafts his sentence
structure- his work is elegant, educated horror.
Randomness: In reading a favorite Lovecraft story of my
mother’s, The Colour Out of Space, I came
upon a word I’ve never seen before, although after looking it up it seems like
I should have. I try to learn something new every day, so here is today’s
offering:
Chiaroscuro-
· The technique of using light and shade in
pictorial representation.
· The arrangement of light and dark elements in
a pictorial work of art
The Stand, Space Trilogy, Lord of the Rings, A Ring of
Endless Light, The Rainbow Goblins, The Bunnicula series, The Girl of the Sea
of Cortez, Insomnia, The Dark Tower Series, Narnia Series, The BFG… more to be
added as I think of them.
ps- Thanks for all of your supportive comments and emails regarding my shitty job. You guys rock. And Tom gave the advice that is most pertinent for the present: "Don't let the bastards get you down."
"When I am feeling backed into a corner by life’s events, it has always been my nature to retreat into the comforting embrace of the written word." Well said. I love this sentence(and I read for the same reasons!)
Posted by: Melissa | August 11, 2005 at 08:12 PM
Good books!
Even though they are avid readers themselves, the boys still like for us to read to them at night. Part of that is them procrastinating going to bed, the other part is the enjoyment of a good story (and hopefully time with Mom and Dad).
We started Narnia with them a while back and are currently working through "The Silver Chair". We did the Bunnicula series a couple of years ago. I picked Bunnicula up thinking I was going to be reading them a story about a rabbit, which of course it really isn't. Just thinking of the cat (Chester?) makes me smile.
Like you, the only Koontz that did much for me was "Watchers" and I've read that twice. I think I will try the one you suggested.
Posted by: TomC | August 11, 2005 at 09:43 PM
Have you read The Kite Runner?
Posted by: snowbird42 | August 12, 2005 at 08:17 AM
Tom-
Oh crap...I didn't mean to inadvertently recommend a book to a WRITER. Here's hoping you like it- remember, I love nothing more than a good alien/zombie/destruction yarn. That doesn't necessarily translate to "great literature."
Snowbird-
Weird...I JUST checked the local library website for The Kite Runner after hearing the author on Fresh Air last night. As soon as I finish The Life of Pi I'm planning to read it.
Posted by: Leila | August 12, 2005 at 09:26 AM