Tuesday, August 25, 2009

...blogs

I choose books in an unorthodox way. I hate knowing what will happen in a story so I pick a book based on a weird bunch of criteria and then leave it to serendipity. It is a blend of known authors, price of book, what prizes it may have won, pretty cover. Pretty silly way, but I love reading. I even enjoy reading the occasional bad book as it lets me sink my teeth in.
So the other day I chose a book with a pretty cover called Petite Anglaise. A complete fluke, I picked up a book about a young mother who's life is overturned by discovering another life for herself on line.
http://www.petiteanglaise.com
real life Catherine Sanderson begins a blog and ends up meeting a fellow on line. The story follows the journey that this takes her on.
I am reading the book and I am torn between compassion, discomfort, curiosity and more besides.
I have found it startling to find how much I have in common with her and wonder then at how the internet is reshaping all our lives if something so modern is creating such strong parallels in the lives of complete strangers.
In the end I broke my rule and I looked her up in google and wiki and now I know how the story will go. Things do not go so well for her after a while.
I am hoping that my experience is better than hers.

A strong difference between her blogging and my own is that she used her everyday to write a little drama. Editing her days to make better reading. I haven't been able to do that and more often than not I have tried to edit out the drama. Often leaving out the very most important events of my sl while covering the minor ones in greatest detail.
She relishes in the thousands of people who read her blog. Me? I shake my head because I don't know why I write this.

PS if you want to know a good book, go find the Book Thief. It is a "head and shoulders over the rest" book

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Audrey is most definitely correct in recommending The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Not only should you read it you may find this YouTube clip of Markus talking about his book - Part 1: the Writing Process

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8054724110862905452

I found it most interesting and for those of you who have read the book and know nothing of the author I wonder is he at all as you imagined him to be?

Perhaps Audrey may allow people to comment as to what they thought Markus was like and has seeing and hearing him changed their thoughts
on/experience of the book?

This is naturally entirely up to Audrey to say, this is her blog, however I am sure she will leave a comment either way, I can see reason for and against allowing or not allowing comments on the author.

Audrey, you put the question "I am hoping that my experience is better than hers." all I can say is I sincerely hope so as you definitely deserve it. :-)

Rory