I checked The Black Dahlia out from the library. I’m reading it for a work project, and since I’ve been curious about the case (and have read a little bit about it) plus I’ve never read Ellroy, now’s a good a time as any.
For starters, it’s almost embarrassing that as I was reading it during the break in my Psychology class, the tutor* told me it was one of his favourite books. That and we were talking about The Game as well, now everyone’s going to think I’m trying to curry favour with him.
But what of the book? I like noir, I think. I’ve always found the noir voice highly entertaining (hardboiled — like an egg), and if it’s a film, visually amazing. Nothing says ‘sophisticated’ like a noir in black and white, where women are dames and men are… quaintly macho.
I’m really enjoying the book — I’m about a quarter of the way through at the moment. I’m intrigued by authors taking a real-life event (or case, in this case) and weaving a fiction around it.
* He also recommended My Dark Places, Ellroy’s memoir about trying to to solve his mother’s murder.
Cool — a steampunk art exhibition. I hope it travels to Scotland!
My dream mobile phone (someone please make one and I’ll buy it if it’s unlocked and not ridiculously expensive):
- Runs Android (of course)
- Amazing battery life
- Great call quality
- Address book function
- SMS function
- QWERTY keyboard (not touchscreen)
- Access to the App Market
- A killer browser like Opera
- MicroSD storage
- Tri- or quad-band
- 3G, Wi-Fi
I don’t need apps or widgets to bloat my phone and I bet I’m not alone in this. I just need a good, secure browser so I can access my email, calendar, Facebook, RSS feeds, and other websites as needed. And if I decide I want mobile applications, I can download them from the Market.
We were studying memory in the psychology class today when I had that revelation that I think most students who’ve been schooled in East Asian methods (i.e. rote learning) must have when they are introduced to the concept of memory in introductory psychology classes. It is this:
The system of rote learning in education and examination isn’t there to make students’ lives harder, it’s there to make teachers’ lives easier — when they’re marking our exam papers, it’s either right or wrong with rote learning. If it’s about how much we actually understand a concept or an event or even a word, teachers will have to interpret our comprehension of said concept / event / word and that requires them to exercise their brains.
(Neil adds that this also means the teachers will have to have a thorough understanding of the topic.)
And this system is meant to educate children. Does that make you worried?
It’s done! Let the Right One In is great! Perfect reading for a ‘dark and stormy night’.
Overall, I would say that the movie does a great job of compressing the narrative into something feature film-length. The book is magnificent and gives us loads of depth into the characters. I won’t spoil anything, but the things Eli says in the film actually mean a lot. A whole lot. This child vampire’s story is horrific.
If you loved the film and aren’t really keen on books, this novel is worth reading because it tells you so much more, and now you have faces to place with names. I think one of my favourite minor characters has turned out to be Mr Avila, Oskar’s PE teacher.
The Grauniad seems to want to skewer Flash Forward with bitchy analysis – why be so serious about entertainment? It’s a television series aimed at distracting us from our real lives, not a documentary or dramatisation of something that actually happened. I don’t care if there are plot holes and silly moments. In fact, these ‘moments’ prevent the series from being shite due to excessive gravitas.
It’s also science fiction (the sample chapters I’ve read actually seem quite good). If we aren’t suspending our disbelief and having expectations of it making a whole lot of sense, we’re being pretty damn stupid.
(Terry — gee, thanks pal, heh — mentioned in the comments in an earlier post about critical reviews of the programme that got me curious enough to look things up. I’m done looking up any episode blow-by-blows, it’s a waste of time.)
If it starts taking itself way too seriously I’ll stop watching it. In the meantime I’m being entertained. What more do I need?
“Skinny but tough” — yep, that’s me too. We should really let him have more time to put America back on the road to decency. He’s not going to be able to do much, but a little positive progress is better than a lot of the negative kind.
I would’ve read more of Let the Right One in last night (less than 100 pages to go, I think), but we’ve just acquired a new addiction to the science fiction fun that is Flash Forward. You know all’s lost when it’s Neil who says, “Let’s just watch one more episode…”
But, yes. Swedish vampire novels. I am thoroughly enjoying the Lindqvist and I definitely remember seeing his backlist being repackaged to match — I’m not sure I would buy any more unless the plot sounded good. But I think Let the Right One In will go on my Highly Recommended ‘shelf’ on Goodreads, unless the ending is shit.