A post that is quite appropriate for Halloween, but is also going to make me sound like a liar. I finished Mary Shelly's Frankenstein yesterday whilst waiting for a train connection to take me back to London. Reading Frankenstein has been my first foray into the world of e-books, and I have downloaded an app onto my mobile, which I then use to read books. I have to admit that I am somewhat old fashioned and appreciate the feel of paper books, and the sense of being able to see your progression through a book as you examine where your bookmark is in the overall thickness of the book, and also the sense of achievement and satisfaction that you feel as you close the cover having read the last page. I've been dipping in and out of this novel (I struggle to call it a book, only because I was reading it electronically) on bus and train journeys, whilst standing in never ending queues etc. over the past 4 months or so. Fortunately it is the type of novel that does not particularly require a period of prolonged attention, and the story is so famous that I don't need to give a summary here. In fact, I was surprised to realise that I had never read it before! As the PGCE year progresses, I may have a couple more titles to add to this blog, as I will be commuting for over 2 hours each day, and a little light relief in the form of reading may be required!!!
Monday, 31 October 2011
Frankenstein
A post that is quite appropriate for Halloween, but is also going to make me sound like a liar. I finished Mary Shelly's Frankenstein yesterday whilst waiting for a train connection to take me back to London. Reading Frankenstein has been my first foray into the world of e-books, and I have downloaded an app onto my mobile, which I then use to read books. I have to admit that I am somewhat old fashioned and appreciate the feel of paper books, and the sense of being able to see your progression through a book as you examine where your bookmark is in the overall thickness of the book, and also the sense of achievement and satisfaction that you feel as you close the cover having read the last page. I've been dipping in and out of this novel (I struggle to call it a book, only because I was reading it electronically) on bus and train journeys, whilst standing in never ending queues etc. over the past 4 months or so. Fortunately it is the type of novel that does not particularly require a period of prolonged attention, and the story is so famous that I don't need to give a summary here. In fact, I was surprised to realise that I had never read it before! As the PGCE year progresses, I may have a couple more titles to add to this blog, as I will be commuting for over 2 hours each day, and a little light relief in the form of reading may be required!!!
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
My intention when I started reading this novel, was to be able to finish it before or soon after the film was released. For some reason preparation for my PGCE course, and the first month of study took over, so my normally fairly speedy turn around in reading novels was slowed down, and to be honest, I don't really think I've got the time to watch the film anyway!!!Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is one novel in John Le Carre's Smiley Series. Smiley is a former spy who is given some information which indicates that there is a mole high up within the secret services who is sending information to the Russians. Set in the Cold War era, the novel explores the lives of several spies, and follows Smiley's investigations into the identity of the mole. Far from being a brazen and action filled James Bond-esque novel, Le Carre's novel is a slower, more thought provoking and psychological read that explores the contradictions and contrasts in the relationships of men and women who lie for their living. It is a novel that examines friendships, trust and betrayal on a number of different levels; merging the boundaries of professional and personal lives.
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