Review of "Alan Moore's Writing For Comics Volume 1" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Alan Moore's essay on how to write comics is not a groundbreaking guide on how to write like him. Rather, it's a passionate argument for being conscious of the choices you make when writing. He's thoughts on idea, plot, structure and so on are not new, but it's interesting to hear his perspective on it all, and see him analyze his own works. He is a marvelous writer, and the essay ends up being almost more entertaining than it is educational. The highlights are probably when he writes about what makes the comic medium different from writing for movies, and writing novels/short stories. This edition ends with an afterword written many years later, where he reflects and expands on his essay. That addition came 13 years ago. I hope he will revisit it once again.
Review of 'Folkeminne frå Bøherad' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Moltke Moe var sønn av eventyrinnsamler Jørgen Moe (som i "Asbjørnsen og Moe"), og han tok over posisjonen hans far og Asbjørnsen hadde som de viktigste innen folkeminnegranskning i Norge.
I innledningen til denne boka skriver Knut Liestøl nokså rett fram hva man kan forvente av boka: "Mi oppgåve har ikkje vori å leggja fram ei mengd biografiske data; det ytre livet åt ein vitskapsmann er oftast ikkje rikt på hendinger som har ålmenn interesse." Først og fremst er dette ei bok som er ment til å vise hvem Moltke Moe var som vitenskapsmann, hans bidrag til folkeminnegranskningen, nynorskbevegelsen og mer. Det er dermed ikke ei bok som vil være like interessant for alle. Det sagt, så er det flere gode anekdoter i boka, og sjarmerende portrett av en mann som Liestøl tydeligvis hadde mye respekt for.
Høydepunktet i boka, er når Liestøl skriver litt rundt Moltke Moes skrifter, for …
Moltke Moe var sønn av eventyrinnsamler Jørgen Moe (som i "Asbjørnsen og Moe"), og han tok over posisjonen hans far og Asbjørnsen hadde som de viktigste innen folkeminnegranskning i Norge.
I innledningen til denne boka skriver Knut Liestøl nokså rett fram hva man kan forvente av boka: "Mi oppgåve har ikkje vori å leggja fram ei mengd biografiske data; det ytre livet åt ein vitskapsmann er oftast ikkje rikt på hendinger som har ålmenn interesse." Først og fremst er dette ei bok som er ment til å vise hvem Moltke Moe var som vitenskapsmann, hans bidrag til folkeminnegranskningen, nynorskbevegelsen og mer. Det er dermed ikke ei bok som vil være like interessant for alle. Det sagt, så er det flere gode anekdoter i boka, og sjarmerende portrett av en mann som Liestøl tydeligvis hadde mye respekt for.
Høydepunktet i boka, er når Liestøl skriver litt rundt Moltke Moes skrifter, for til tross for hans posisjon i det (nå) nordiske fagfeltet, og alle de viktige rollene han hadde, så var han ikke særlig produktiv når det gjaldt tekstproduksjon. Han skrev ikke mange bøker eller artikler, men hjalp heller andre med deres prosjekt. Liestøl siterer et brev, hvor Arne Garborg forklarer hvorfor han IKKE vil at Moe skal anmelde Haugussa. Moe er, i følge Garborg, uten ego, og vil ta på seg de arbeidsoppgaver man ber han om. På grunn av dette har Moe alltid så mye på tallerknen, at han knapt får gjort noe. Og her skriver Garborg noe jeg synes er fint: "Han maa hindres i at gjøre ale de mangfoldige Ting, som han ubetinget er den bedste til at gjøre, for at han kan faa gjort det, som han er den eneste som kan gjøre [...]."
Denne boka lå igjen på kontoret jeg overtok i høst, og det begynte med at jeg sporadisk bladde i den i pauser fra arbeidet mitt ellers. Nå er det riktignok ei bok som tematisk sett er midt i blinken for meg, men det er også en kjærlig beretning om en mann som gjorde mye, både for sine venner, og for fagfeltet han var en del i. Den er til tider noe tørr, i det den prøver å forklare Moes rolle i utviklingen av nynorsk, men jevnt over er det en god bok.
Petter Dass sitt mest kjente verk er uten tvil et mesterverk, både med tanke på sin pedagogiske utforming og Dass sin mesting av språket. Men hans lange topografiske beskrivelser av Nordland egner seg ikke så veldig bra til lystlesning, om man ikke er spesielt interessert. Jeg er glad for at dette finnes, og fornøyd med å ha lest den, men utover de delene som angikk handelen med Bergen, var det lite her som var særlig spennende for min del. Den Nordske dale-viise, som er lagt ved i slutten av denne utgaven av boken, var noe mer spennende å lese.
Review of "Ray Bradbury's The martian chronicles" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
For some reason I expected this to be a more modern take on Mars and the Martians than what was widely common around the time of its release. This led to the naive descriptions of Mars and Martians being hard to take seriously. But as the book progressed I realized that this is not a book that is loved today for being naive and old fashioned. It's a book that's written in its time as a clear warning against what is happening around it, just as the best science fiction is. The anti-science standpoint it takes in the introduction (and throughout) makes complete sense just after a destructive world war. It's not about going against knowledge, it's against technological advances happening without proper reflection.
I really loved the structure of this book. It's really (and obviously) a series of short stories pieced together to a whole, with some minor links …
For some reason I expected this to be a more modern take on Mars and the Martians than what was widely common around the time of its release. This led to the naive descriptions of Mars and Martians being hard to take seriously. But as the book progressed I realized that this is not a book that is loved today for being naive and old fashioned. It's a book that's written in its time as a clear warning against what is happening around it, just as the best science fiction is. The anti-science standpoint it takes in the introduction (and throughout) makes complete sense just after a destructive world war. It's not about going against knowledge, it's against technological advances happening without proper reflection.
I really loved the structure of this book. It's really (and obviously) a series of short stories pieced together to a whole, with some minor links between them. A few characters shows up (or are mentioned) in several chapters, but most of the chapters offers its own unique perspective on humanity. And it covers racism, love, technology, fear, isolation and several other themes in unique ways.
Review of 'Eventyret og tradisjonsbærerne' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Prosjektet til Hodne er interessant. Heller enn å se på eventyrene som ble samlet inn i en periode i Bø, kikker han på hvem som fortalte eventyrene. Da det var to innsamlere som var aktive i omtrent samme periode, blir det et OK datagrunnlag. Hodne finner så informasjon om de gitte informantene (yrke, kjønn, "stand", alder) og viser hvordan man kan bruke denne dataen til å si litt om tradisjonsbærere. Men der stopper egentlig prosjektet, for mens Hodne får demonstrert sin metode, er det ikke store funn som kommer ut av det. Det gjør at boka først og fremst passer til de som kunne tenke seg å forske videre på de fortalte eventyrene, og ikke de med en passerende interesse i det. Det er likevel et helstøpt arbeid, og et viktig bidrag til forskningen av folketro.
Review of 'The Complete Pertwillaby Papers' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This is a brilliant collection, obviously put together by fans of Don Rosa's work. It not only contains the complete set of Pertwillaby Papers-comics, but also interviews, ads, fan drawings and other material related to the comic and Don Rosa's life at the time. It's a big, beautiful book that gives Rosa's often very detailed art the space it deserves. When it comes to the publication itself, I would have liked to have a longer, more thorough introduction to the different chronicles of Pertwillaby by Rosa. From the preludes, introductions and interviews, you still do get his input.
When it comes to the stories themselves, the quality varies quite a bit. The first stories, told in a very episodic way, and published in his university paper, are a bit crude. They're obviously work by Rosa, but he's still very much finding his way, and limited by the restrictions of the …
This is a brilliant collection, obviously put together by fans of Don Rosa's work. It not only contains the complete set of Pertwillaby Papers-comics, but also interviews, ads, fan drawings and other material related to the comic and Don Rosa's life at the time. It's a big, beautiful book that gives Rosa's often very detailed art the space it deserves. When it comes to the publication itself, I would have liked to have a longer, more thorough introduction to the different chronicles of Pertwillaby by Rosa. From the preludes, introductions and interviews, you still do get his input.
When it comes to the stories themselves, the quality varies quite a bit. The first stories, told in a very episodic way, and published in his university paper, are a bit crude. They're obviously work by Rosa, but he's still very much finding his way, and limited by the restrictions of the format. In the end of that run, and in the later stories, the stories turn more into the grand adventures that he is known for. (And the book does not miss the chance to point out that he was telling these stories before Indiana Jones existed.) Several of the story elements later show up in his Duck-stories, where he (often) puts them to better use. They're still lots of fun in these stories, though the characters he is working with are all a bit dull. The Nazi villain is not that interesting any more, the blonde bombshell sidekick is very dated by now, and the villain's sidekick doesn't really seem to serve any purpose at all. Each story also have pages upon pages of exposition, running through the concepts (time travel, black holes, the position of the north pole) in way more detail. The concepts are fun, though, and it's obvious that he likes to think his ideas through. He just doesn't manage to convey them all that well. (And he is very aware of this, as he mocks himself in the comics itself, warning against the boring pages coming up).
tl;dr: This is a younger Rosa that had not perfected his story telling yet, but the stories are still a lot of fun, and the collection is really well put together.
En lettbeint (men saklig) bok om språk, som svarer på mange spørsmål som er vanlige om språk, og en del spørsmål som nok mest er stilt for å kunne gi morsomme svar. Sylfest Lomheim skyter nå alltid fra hofta, og i boka gir han fra seg kruttsalver i alle retninger.
Samtidig bærer boka noe preg av å være skrevet i 2002, da den refererer til mye som nok var aktuelt den gang da, men som nå virker litt utilgjengelig. Om man har studert språk, er det også mye her som ikke er kjent stoff, men så er nå boka skrevet for et bredere publikum.
An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?
Days after Oasis founder …
Review of 'Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I almost read this book in one sitting. It's very readable, and at times really exciting too. There are some slow parts, but they do not stop the narrative enough to make you want to put down the book.
This book a dystopian look at a near future where real world problems are being shoved aside, while people focus more on the ongoings in a virtual world called OASIS. The VR-technology presented is plausible, and as are many of the uses of it presented in this book. While the book does have some heavy handed moral lessons about seperating reality from the virtual world, it never really delves into what this really would mean. The few times its mentioned, it feels more like an afterthought.
The big "gimmick" of this book is its focus on 80s popular culture, something that I was afraid would be a bit too much. It …
I almost read this book in one sitting. It's very readable, and at times really exciting too. There are some slow parts, but they do not stop the narrative enough to make you want to put down the book.
This book a dystopian look at a near future where real world problems are being shoved aside, while people focus more on the ongoings in a virtual world called OASIS. The VR-technology presented is plausible, and as are many of the uses of it presented in this book. While the book does have some heavy handed moral lessons about seperating reality from the virtual world, it never really delves into what this really would mean. The few times its mentioned, it feels more like an afterthought.
The big "gimmick" of this book is its focus on 80s popular culture, something that I was afraid would be a bit too much. It actually does work, and also serves as an excuse for not having to predict future trends in culture. One could also read this as a comment on the current obsession with popular culture, but the book never really goes there. It's an uncritical love and passion that's shown, and one that's not really argued much for or against.
I can't really fault the book for what it is not, but I really do wish that the book would have grappled more with these themes.
The book also has a tendency to serve big info dumps about the world, which some times feels more motivated by the story than others. Because the world is fun/interesting it works, but I do wish that he would have solved it differently.
But! Despite all this, I did enjoy the book alot. The world was interesting, some of its predictions about technology probably hits more close to home than we would like to imagine, and it's often quite heartwarming.
Tja. Jeg tror ikke denne boken har holdt seg så bra.
Grunntanken liker jeg kjempegodt. Å ta en mindre karakter fra Snorres kongesagaer, fylle ut tomrommene og skrive et episk (i både opprinnelige og nyere betydning) dikt om ham. Problemet er at selve diktekunsten ikke imponerer særlig. Han bytter litt i toner og rytmer, stort sett uten rim, og det hele fremstår mer kjedelig enn melodisk. Det er en noen flotte formuleringer og strofer i boka, men de redder ikke helhetsopplevelsen. Selve historien han har diktet om Arnljot er forsåvidt grei den, med noen litt spennende sekvenser. Høydepunktene var nok "Første sang. Ski-færden", "Femte sang. Arnljots længsel mod havet." (som nok er det som, velfortjent, har fått oppmerksomhet i ettertid) og deler av de siste tre sangene.
Inger Christensen må ha vært en spennende samtalepartner! I denne boka finner man en en nokså variert samling essays og taler (og ett dikt), men som alle sonderer forholdet mellom virkelighet, diktning og språket. Jeg skjønte fort at dette ikke var en bok som burde leses fra perm til perm, men heller en essay nå og da. Av og til ble jeg fristet til å kverulere med Christensen, og noen ganger synes jeg at hennes sveipende påstander om virkeligheten ble for enkle. Men oftest beundret jeg hvor opplyst og reflektert hun klarte å snakke om de grunnleggende ting, men samtidig på en måte som var en fryd å lese.
Mest av alt fikk jeg lyst til å lese poesien hennes, da de lille smakebitene vi får av dem her (og tanken rundt den) er et klart høydepunkt.
Bret Ellis, the narrator of Lunar Park, is a writer whose first novel Less Than …
Review of 'Lunar Park' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
Bret Easton Ellis is a good writer, something I feel is obvious from this book. Had he not been, I would never have finished it. Ellis seems to have several ideas for this book. The false autobiographical story, the meta perspective, the Stephen King-homage, the father and son theme, the satirical look at the direction that modern society. I don't mind any of these, and some of these ought to be rigt up my alley. But to me, the book just didn't work.
It starts of in a really interesting way, and I was curiously tagging along with it, looking forward to where it would take me. But as the story (slowly) progresses, my interest starts to fade. Perhaps it was because he didn't manage to combine all the elements in a satisfying (to me) way? The father/son theme is perhaps the most interesting part of the book, and you …
Bret Easton Ellis is a good writer, something I feel is obvious from this book. Had he not been, I would never have finished it. Ellis seems to have several ideas for this book. The false autobiographical story, the meta perspective, the Stephen King-homage, the father and son theme, the satirical look at the direction that modern society. I don't mind any of these, and some of these ought to be rigt up my alley. But to me, the book just didn't work.
It starts of in a really interesting way, and I was curiously tagging along with it, looking forward to where it would take me. But as the story (slowly) progresses, my interest starts to fade. Perhaps it was because he didn't manage to combine all the elements in a satisfying (to me) way? The father/son theme is perhaps the most interesting part of the book, and you could easily remove it and have the story work about just as well (maybe then only as a horror/satire). Looked at in isolation, the horror elements could have been form a Goosebumps novel, and somehow I feel Ellis could have solved it all in a more clever way. The description of the parties and the lavish lifestyle was most likely satirical, but maybe I just don't know enough about Ellis to get any joy out of them.
Towards the end of the book, it almost feels like Ellis is as bored with the story as the reader is, just checking off the last pieces on the check list before he can call it quits. Going all meta, sentimental, tying up plot elements in a bow, leaving a little bit of mystery and then paint a nice picture. Though I did actually enjoy the last couple of pages of the book. But it was despite the rest of it, not because of it.
I might be a bit harsh here. I did not like the book, but Ellis is talented, and this book probably deserves the love it gets. Just not from me.
Review of 'NATURENS UORDEN OG ANDRE ESSAYS.' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Hans Scherfig har en skarp og god penn, og er på sitt beste når han spankulerer gjennom tema som er i vinnen, for eksempel en bølge med overtro (horoskop) eller synsing om biologi. Han har en evne til å avvepne tema som virker betente, og gå rett i strupen på det noe absurde ved dem. Alle essayen er ikke like gode, og kjedeligst er kanskj dem med en klar politisk agenda. Likevel skriver Scherfig såpass bra, at det er vel verdt å lese.
A field of corpses, laid out in a macabre display…A serial killer who confounds even …
Review of 'Whispers of the Dead' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
This is not the genre I visit the most, but it was the one book in a language I could read in a bookswap. I'm amazed of how readable books like these are. I must admit, the characters and the plot never really caught on with me, but yet I found myself running through the pages of this book. Another positive thing, was that the book felt like it had been researched well.
"I feel that I have spent half my career with one or another Pelican Shakespeare …
Review of 'Comedy of Errors (Wordsworth Classics)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
My first proper meeting with the bard! I started out reading it, armed up with a dictionary and a healthy dose of motivation, but after a couple of pages, I realized that i took the entire fun out of reading the play. Guessing on the (to me) foreign words based on the context, worked well enough for me to read it as any other play - though I am certain that I missed some puns and comical points because of it.
The play itself is a farcial comedy, where two sets of twins both are seperated at birth, causing confusion when they end up in the same city. This confusion is at times hilarious, though Shakespeare could have gone even further with it to make it even more funny.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by American author Bill Bryson is a popular science …
Review of 'A short history of nearly everything' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This book is fantastic for people like me, who has a big awe for the natural sciences, but knows way to little about them. Bryson does two things really(!) well in this book. Everyone has an interesting story, and he uses these to their best effect when describing the scientists. In that way, it's not only easier to remember them, it's very enjoyable reading about them. (Though an argument could be made against reducing people to their quirks.) The other thing he does really, really well, is making a coherent narrative where there isn't necessarily one to begin with. By doing this in both a small level (indivdual chapters) a and a big one (the entire book), it feels more like a proper journey through (nearly) all that we know and how we know about it.
The book is already a bit dated, but I am sure there will be …
This book is fantastic for people like me, who has a big awe for the natural sciences, but knows way to little about them. Bryson does two things really(!) well in this book. Everyone has an interesting story, and he uses these to their best effect when describing the scientists. In that way, it's not only easier to remember them, it's very enjoyable reading about them. (Though an argument could be made against reducing people to their quirks.) The other thing he does really, really well, is making a coherent narrative where there isn't necessarily one to begin with. By doing this in both a small level (indivdual chapters) a and a big one (the entire book), it feels more like a proper journey through (nearly) all that we know and how we know about it.
The book is already a bit dated, but I am sure there will be updated editions of it, if there aren't already.
![Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson: Arnljot Gelline (1917, The American-Scandinavian foundation; [etc., etc.])](https://files.books.babb.no/images/thumbnails/covers/78a6ec0e-71b3-4ac0-87c6-bd78704cb55b/596e8cb87b02a0adc885ebe0c6dab78e.webp)
