Books I have read recently...

Witches Incorporated by KE Mills. Promoted as a “rip-roaring Harry Potter for grown ups” (Herald Sun) on its cover this book is a fantasy set in a world (representing Victorian era Britain) where the use of magic is commonplace and where most of its major characters are witches, wizards and their supporters. The book is reasonably entertaining with a good plot but I actually prefer the Harry Potter novels. One thing I didn’t like was that the 4 main characters constantly squabbled. I think it was meant to be witty and flirtatious banter, but I found their dialogue to be tedious and thought that the book lost momentum when they interacted too much.

Children of the Night: The 6 Archetypal Characters of Classic Horror Films by Randy Loren Rasmussen I can recommend this book for avid fans of black and white horror films. I have seen only a few. My television arial does not work so I rely on DVDs for my viewing entertainment. The DVD collection of Northcote Library has been an absoluter boon as it has quite an interesting collection of DVDs that covers not just movies, but documentaries and television series as well. In the interests of filling the long, cold, dark, lonely nights at home (cue violins) I frequently load up with DVDs, including some I would not ordinarily watch (just to fill in the hours). I don’t mind this at all as I think it is probably a mind broadening exercise that will shore up my knowledge in pop culture and challenge preconceptions I have of certain films and programs. Because of this I have watched a few black and white horror films. I hate modern horror films. I am an abject coward – it takes very little to frighten me and, unlike horror fans, I don’t like being scared. I also hate brutality and the explicit tortures that are lovingly filmed in detail in modern horror films leave me sleepless for days on end. But the old horror films, while still not among my favourite films, are far less scary and rely on creating psychological thrills (rather than close ups of minced flesh) for effect. This book has a very good premise for examining these films. The author makes a strong case for there being 6 archetypes – heroines, heroes, wise elders, servants, mad geniuses and monsters. The basic structure of the book is that there is a chapter devoted to each character type, and a brief paragraph devoted to a specific character in a specific film. The upside of this is that Rasmussen is able to undertake a very comprehensive survey of characters, the downside is that it all starts to get a bit sameish. I struggled to sustain my interest towards the end of the book, but die hard fans of the genre may find it more interesting.

Also:
Ulysses by James Joyce
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Eat the Rich by PJ O’Rourke
The Illustrated Virago Book of Women Travellers edited by Mary Morris with Larry O’Connor
Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon.
Why did it have to be snakes by Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg
Death Sentence – the decay of public language by Don Watson
Miss Marple Omnibus by Agatha Christie
The Mating Season by PG Wodehouse
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
To the Ends of the Earth by Paul Theroux
Discovering King Island by Jean Edgecombe
The Prester Quest by Nicholas Jubber
Mr Wong Goes West by Nury Vittachi
City of Shadows – Sydney Police Photographs 1912 – 1948 edited by Peter Doyle
Guards! Guards! By Terry Pratchett