Zombie vs Vampire stories - undead by another name or fundamentally different?

Do you think there are story elements that tend to be particular to zombie or vampire stories?

What's so cool about being dead?

Why do you think that undead creatures have had such a long and illustrious career in cultural history, literature, fashion and our psyche?

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Hi All!

Well, first a big thanks to Nicole for the Myths and Fairytales month.

Heather and I will be hosting this months theme (which is almost an extension of last months) where we'll be looking at the undead - in particular Vampires and Zombies!

Before we begin its very important everyone declares their allegiance...

Are you going to be eating brains with Team Zombie or sucking blood with Vampires R Us?

Also, just wondering if anyone has any idea of what they might be doing? There's tonnes of stuff out there for people to do - books, movies, games etc. Feel free to do whatever type of medium you like (and maybe even more than one if you like!).

Enjoy!

What's your favourite myth?

I think mine might be the King Arthur myths - I love nearly all of them.  Myths seem to be inherently sad stories, I'm struggling to think of one that has a happy ending.  There was an interesting book by Tanith Lee called "White As Snow" which mixed the Persephone myth with the Snow White fairytale - deeply skin-crawly in parts, but good.

Are there only a small number of plots in the world?

Right, lets start with fairytales.  I think it is fascinating that nearly every culture has a "Cinderella" story, the article I read said one of the earliest is from China, I think circa 800 AD (featuring a talking, prophetic fish - but lets not get into that...)  Does this tie into the idea that there are a limited number of plots in the world and no new material, merely interpretations?

Micah sent me a very funny email on the subliminal messages of the Disney princesses, all along the lines that beauty is their only skill, which is interesting as I don't remember it as being such a focal point of true fairytales, aside from Snow White's "skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood".  Also, very few Disney-fied happy endings, fairytales were originally intended for an adult audience and very dark, often without happy endings.  So what would our view of fairytales be like, had we not had a Disney-fish-eye on them?

Myths and Fairytales

This picture (left) is why I bought a particular, unknown book from a bargain bin years ago.   And because of it I discovered urban fantasy which has become my favourite type of book to read.  Maybe it's because I want to believe there is a little bit of mystery in our world.  The best of the genre is beautiful and strange and I hope you enjoy whatever you choose to read in November, so lets start with who's reading what...

Wow, October already. Thanks Nic for such attractive looking backgrounds. I have been leaving it open for you to chose your own Tim Winton title to read. A lot of them have been reserved for Kincumber's Book Club but there is a box of Breath (so to speak) which I could order if people would like. Breath comes very highly recommended. So I guess my first question would be - what are you reading and why?

Suggested reading for next month

I’m just going to briefly cut in on Rebecca’s month to give you a suggested reading list for next month.  Some of the books below are not held by Gosford Library, but are held by me and I would be delighted to share them, let me know if you want to borrow any.

The Wood Wife, by Terri Windling – Native American

Almost anything by Charles De Lint, my favourites are Forests of the Heart and Someplace to be Flying – Native American & Celtic

War for the Oaks – Emma Bull – Celtic

Almost anything by Neil Gaiman, my favourite is American Gods – Eastern European, Norse

Beauty, Rose Daughter, Spindles End, Deerskin by Robin McKinley – retold fairytales

Almost anything by Patricia McKillip, my favourites Ombria in Shadow and Winter Rose – loosely retold fairytales, mostly just have the same flavour

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier – retold fairytale

Valiant, Tithe or Ironside by Holly Black – Elves, fairies, goblins etc in the modern world

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett – Green Man myths

Almost anything by Mary Renault – retold Greek and Roman myths

Almost anything by Rosemary Sutcliff – retold Greek, Roman and Celtic myths

Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor – fairies

Yes, vampire books count too J

 

Further excellent recommendations can be found on the Endicott Studio site.

 

 

"I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat"

Howdy all,

Well this month is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, one of the first & in my opinion one of the best true crime novels.

The book investigates the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family in rural Kansas. I found it particularly interesting the way it covers all aspects of the crime - looks at the family, the members of the community & the affects it had on them, the law officals trying to solve the case & of course the 2 men convicted of the crime.

I love Capote's writing style - even though you know the outcome from the beginning he still manages to create a sense of tension, you find yourself wishing that this family will somehow survive the terrible event that is about to happen.


I have a copy of the book if anyone would like to borrow it. Also the library has a copy of DVD Capote - which looks at the research he and Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird)did into the crime & the relationship he built up with the killers.

I also found this fantastic website that looks at the crime & has some great images. I found that the 2 killers were exactly as I imagined them!!

http://www.ljworld.com/specials/incoldblood/personalities.html

The Perfect Hero?

Here's my question - is Westley the perfect hero?  Did you find Buttercup even a little bit annoying?  Is this the most perfect love story ever written? (Okay, so it was several questions, but they are all related!)

Just for fun...

A Lord of the Rings/Princess Bride script mashup :)

"Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die."

Welcome to August, the month of the Princess Bride!

I haven't finished reading the book yet but I have seen the movie a zillion times. Played and replayed on the good old VHS (CDs were non existent) my Dad "copied" for us. He even photocopied the cover and we had a proper case for it, that's how much we loved this movie at my house!

SO, what I was wondering to start with, have you seen the movie? Have you read the book? What do you think is the best line/monologue in the book or movie?

And did you know that S. Morgenstern is also a "fictional character" in Goldman's novel??

Feel free to make any suggestions/comments as I have no idea what I'm doing :D

The Princess and the Bookclub Meeting

Hi Folks!

I am scheduling a bookclub meeting at my home for next Tuesday (August 4th) from say around 6.30pm. If you would like to come, please email me (Larissa) and I will forward out my address if you don't already have it.
- Lock

The Princess and the Bookclub Meeting - Locked

I want to know!

What did you read?

What did think of it?

Did anyone try SciFi for the first time and did you like it, loathe it or couldn't get into it?

The challenge...

Heather set it up - find a sci fi in which AI, or the like, ended well and humanity suffered naught...

I can't recall one, so I'm doing some research.  Here's my tribute to the weird things you find on any search, I'm not too sure what to make of this article, or the website itself, but if you follow the "singularity" wiki link from the "About" section you find one of the greatest fears of the God Sci Fi realm.

And this quote "The WWW trilogy is my attempt to revisit that question, and see whether there is a plausible way for us to survive the advent of nonhuman superintelligent while still retaining our essential humanity and individuality." Leads me to think that this book may do it, though I haven't read it myself, happy to see we have a copy in Admin!

I think AI would mostly be given a bad rap because of our inherent control-freak natures.  We don't understand how most things work in our world, but we trust that someone, somewhere, some-what like us does understand how it works and can control it or fix it.  What happens if someone non-human has a say in how our world works? How would human interests be of most imortance  to a non-human mind?  Is it residual guilt - look how badly we have treated the world, would someone else assess the needs of the planet ahead of our need?

Ok, i'm going to go read a kids book - this is hurting my brain.

Next Month - Sci-Fi!!

I have picked a book for us to read for next months Sci-Fi theme: Edenborn by Nick Sagan.

Since I officially know NOTHING about science fiction, I decided to select a title from the recommended reads listing on Novelist. If you can't get a copy of Edenborn, I suggest you find your way onto Novelist and pick another title from the same science fiction genre (there are a heap to choose from). Just look for the heading of 'Playing God'.

Writing for writing's sake

I find it really interesting the response to the importance of narrative structure in the books we are reading.
I've also recently read The razor's edge, by Somerset Maugham and Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, who, in telling other people's stories, have written themselves into that story as well, making the books a 'semi autobiographical fiction.'
There is evident structure in these books, even if time is played with in Slaughterhouse 5, but they are easy to follow and the purpose of the books is easily identified.
So, what I am getting at I suppose, is:
Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac- writing for writing's sake?

how bout an easy question....

What are you reading and do you like it?

Character identification

Henry Miller's works often delve into a stream of consciousness type detour from the story. I find this is the place you find the real gems in fabulous quotes on how he sees the world.

How do you relate to the characters in your book? Do you feel like you know them better in that they are real experiences being described rather than ficticious events (whether you are reading it as a work of fiction or not)?

The journey

Kerouac himself described 'On the road' as (and I paraphrase) a book about two guys searching for something that they never actually find.

How does your autobiographical fiction selection differ to the normal narrative that you are used to? Is there a clear beginning, middle and end? How do you feel about the shift in literary conventions and bounds?