Book clutches

As you may know, expresslit loves beautiful books. When we stumbled across these beautiful embroidered clutches, thanks to stylist magazine, we just had to share.

These little bags are handmade in Paris and come in a range of favourite literary classics from Lolita to Dracula.

They’re the perfect gift for a book lover, although perhaps not very practical for fitting anything more than a book in…

You can view the collection and shop online at Olympia Le Tan

 

Three books to read for 2012

Christmas is over and we only have a few days left of the 2011. What then shall we do with the rest of our holidays? And more importantly, what shall I spend all of my Christmas money and vouchers on?

expresslit. has lined up three books to read now before the movies come out in the new year.

1) Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is the first book in a trilogy of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The young adult novel is being made into a film due for release in March 2012.

Synopsis (from wikipedia): The Hunger Games introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where the countries of North America once existed. This is where the government, working in a central city called the Capitol, holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of 12 districts for a massive televised battle in which only one person can survive.

It’s on my ‘to read’ list, and is well worth a read considering how big other teen novels (The twilight saga, Harry Potter) have become once the film adaptation has been released.

2) Perks of Being a Wallflower

I first read Perks a few years ago and will definitely be rereading before the film is due for release in 2012. Stephen Chbosky’s epistolary novel covers some deep topics through the eyes of socially awkward school boy Charlie. Inspired by Catcher in the Rye, Perks is a novel that often seems to slip through the net when it comes to literary recognition.

The film has Emma Watson cast in the role of Sam, which has sparked much debate from fans who championed more “alternative” actresses. There hasn’t been an official trailer released yet, but there are a couple of stills from the movie which show Emma in scenes with American actor Logan Lerman who plays Charlie.

3) The Hobbit

I have an confession to make. I have never read The Hobbit. I own it, it sits on my shelf at home. But I’ve never read it. I’m sure this has come as shocking revelation and I’ve now gone down in your literary estimation but I promise that I will have read it before I see the movie.

So I’m not going to even look at the plot synopsis for this one, but if it’s got hobbits and dragons in it, I’m pretty sure I’ll be won over…

Considering how brilliant the Lord of the Rings movies were (and they were adapting much longer stories), I have high hopes for the new film.

Guest blog: Altered books

Guest blogger Antonia Hawken explores an innovative way to recycle old books and create new literature.

It can seem, at times, that as English students we spend our lives purchasing book after book, only to use them for a few weeks and then discard and forget. Despite my ever growing literature tab and the gentle covering of dust some seem to have accumulated, I will never find the courage to put them back on Amazon (unless things get really desperate). In my attempts to rationalise this lifelong commitment to my paperbacks, I delved deep into the online world for inspiration.

To my delight, I stumbled upon the art of turning a much loved novel into an entirely new piece with ‘Altered Books’, simply by circling or highlighting interesting phrases or words and joining them together to create poetry. I was inspired by http://www.logolalia.com/alteredbooks/ which gives a brief insight into the concept:

The Idea

“Cut the bindings off of books found at a used book store. Find poems in the pages by the process of obliteration. Put pages in the mail and send them all around the world. Lather, rinse, repeat.”

Many of the remaining words are surrounded by rough, dull scribbles in order to make them boldly stand from the paper, whilst others have been decorated and personalised with equations, doodles and colours making the pieces even more unique.

You can completely change the tone of chapter, develop new characters, and become the hidden voice of the writer by transforming their works, developing and altering to suit your mood.  Some of the entered poems are inspiring and it would be fantastic to see what examples we at Razz can unearth.  Start simple with a few pages of an old book you don’t mind altering and see where it takes you.

Follow Antonia on twitter @xantonialouisax

Sherlock Returns

BBC’s modern day remaining of Arthur Conan Doyles classic adventures will be gracing our screens once more in the new year.

The beautiful Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse) returns as an enigmatic Sherlock and is joined once again by Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Office) as Dr John Watson.

Sherlock’s co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss shared the writing responsibilities of the three new episodes. Steven chose to do the twisted love story of episode one,  whilst Mark chose the famous Gothic horror in episode two  and Stephen Thompson (Silk, Dr Who) wrote the thrilling finale.

The first episode is A scandal in Belgravia and will be aired on New Year’s Day

Can’t wait!

Guest post: The screenwriting of 50/50

An expresslit. guest blogger explores the screenwriting in recent black comedy 50/50

Many great Hollywood films have had stories and scripts derived from popular novels and adapted. However, every once and while a script is written from scratch that proves a hit on the big screen. 50/50 provides exactly that, a recent Drama-Comedy directed by the young and talented Jonathan Levine, tells a story of man in his late 20’s experience of a rare cancer that, as the film’s title suggests, offers him a 50% chance of surviving.

Who wrote it?

The film is based on the real life experience of Will Reiser who also wrote the screen-play for the movie. Will Reiser who is portrayed as Adam in the movie is coincidently best friends with established Hollywood comic and actor Seth Rogan, both of whom used to write on the Ali-G show. It was Rogan who reportedly convinced Reiser to write a script based on his experiences.

What drives it?

First off, this movie is not a big blockbuster with Avatar special effects or lavish Inception sets but driven by a script that brings honesty, integrity and comedy to an otherwise bleak subject. It offers not only one man’s journey through cancer but also explores his relationships with his girlfriend, friends and family and how they alter with the prospect of death wedged between them. It gives audience members a chance to empathise with the main character whilst enjoying breaks of comedic interaction between to the main characters which essentially carries the movie.

Who’s in it?

The main character Adam played by 500 Days of Summer’s, Joseph Gordon Levitt who gives a thoughtful performance showing  absolute dedication to the role by actually shaving his head which was not set out in the original script. Other main cast members include Seth Rogan who plays the comedic best friend and Twilight’s Anna Kendrick playing an inexperienced trainee psychiatrist. All cast members deliver strong performances and paired together with a great script this makes for a great watch.

http://youtu.be/mMaJET7mD0M

Top literary tattoos

It’s a pretty big investment to get a tattoo, and it’s something most people (if they’re sober) will give a lot of consideration to before they decide on what to have and where. Lines of text are increasingly popular, and for this, people often look to their favourite novels, plays and poems for inspiration. Here are a few of the famous literary tattoos, and a few that are more unknown…

Megan Fox

Fox has a partial quote from King Lear inked on her back, her tattoo reads: “We will all laugh at gilded butterflies” which is a section plucked from a speech King Lear gives to his daughter Cordelia in Act V.

The full quote is as follows:

No, no, no, no! Come, let’s away to prison.
We two alone will sing like birds i’ th’ cage.
When thou dost ask me blessing, I’ll kneel down
And ask of thee forgiveness. So we’ll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues
Talk of court news;

Angelina Jolie

A serial tattoo lover, Angelina had the subtitle of Tennessee Williams 1941 play Stairs to the Roof tattooed on her left arm. It reads, “A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages.”

Orlando Bloom

To commemorate his role as Legolas, he and several other cast-mates had the word “Nine” tattooed on their wrists in the fictional language of Elvish. It stands for the nine actors who starred as the fellowship in The Fellowship of The Ring.

tattoolit.com

This is a great website showcasing people’s tattoos and their reasons for getting them. I liked the photo above, although I hadn’t heard of it’s literary origin. “This is a quote from one of my favorite short stories, The Other Side of the Hedge, by E.M Forster. It represents one of my strongest beliefs; to live a life free of monotony and always jump for something new even if your not sure where you’ll land.”

Longest Literary Tattoos

A great compilation of longer text tattoos over at http://www.oddee.com of those who couldn’t decide on a quote, so got the whole passage or poem instead. This one is affectionately dubbed “Longest and most romantic tramp stamp.” Bonus points are offered if you can find the grammatical error…

Awesome literary tattoos

I have yet to read House of Leaves, but I liked this tattoo because it there is meaning in making the words visual. Like some poetry, the positioning has a reason equal to the words themselves. This features at number 16 on buzzfeed.com list of 20 most awesome tattoos.

Other sites

If I’ve left you wanting more, then you might like the ten best fictional tattoos at The Guardian or if you already have a literary tattoo you might be able to get part of you into a new anthology. I’d also be interest in a photo/your reason behind the tattoo, so get in touch!

What would you get?

 

Cardiff and the Short Story

With the commercial value of short stories low and cuts to the arts scene high, expresslit. investigates the short story scene in Cardiff over the last year.

Results of expresslit’s recent poll found that short stories take up only 5% of most people’s bookshelves

As a form of fiction, short stories have been around for hundreds of years. In fact, some of the most famous works of literature in our canon today, such as Dickens, were initially serialized in the form of short fiction.

In the fast pace of everyday life, with quick commutes and dwindling attention spans, is it possible that the short story will make a comeback?

Editor of short story journal Riptide, Sally Flint, said, “Short stories seem better suited to fitting into a busy life style – they can be dipped into as and when the reader has time to catch a glimpse of other worlds.”

So how does the short story scene in Cardiff shape up over the past year?

The launch of the Raconteur took place in Chapter last Wednesday

Quarterly literary magazine the Raconteur has relaunched in print this December. The first issue themed ‘America’ contains short stories, articles and poetry from a range of writers, including local writers from Wales.

The Raconteur was relaunched in print

Editor Dylan Moore said, “The issue highlights the amount of talent in the immediate facility.” With an increase in self-publications and personal blogs there has been a proliferation of short story writing on online platforms.

“Publications like this are an important outlet for short fiction,” said Dylan. “It’s a trusted outlet so you know what you’re getting is good.”

Despite an international distribution, the Raconteur has strong roots in Wales and is published by Welsh publisher Parthian Books.  Co-editor Gary Raymond said, “We want to promote Welsh writers and do things for Welsh culture.”

The second of the Nu anthologies to be published

The last year has been a big year for local short story publications with Parthian books publishing Nu2: Memorable Firsts in June, the second volume of a collection of short stories, microfiction and poetry by new writers from Cardiff.

The book aims to give a voice to emerging Cardiff writers.

Editor Tomos Owen said, “It was both an intention of ours to give a platform to a group of writers that were already out there but in doing that the hope was that that it would spur on more people to start writing.”

expresslit. talks to Dr. Tomos Owen about the Nu anthologies, Cardiff’s literary scene and the medium of the short story.

Also published in 2011, in September, was The C Word: An anthology of writing from Cardiff.  Editor Kate North already has plans for further editions and believes the anthology is an essential tool for young short story writers. “If an aspiring author has a publication on their CV,” said Kate, “it helps agents and publishers sort the wheat from the chaff.”

Why does Kate feel it is so important to give short story writers a space to display their work?

She believes there is an industry problem in the UK. “Marketers and publishers think they will have an easier time selling products they can define with little ambiguity such as romantic fiction or crime,” said Kate. “So short story collections are not solicited nor are they promoted terribly well.

“When was the last time you walked into a bookshop and noticed a short story collection or a poetry collection on the table as part of the ‘three for two’ offer or with a Richard and Judy Book-club sticker on it?”

Despite innate problems with the short story industry, with a range of smaller publications of short stories, and a rich literary heritage it is no wonder Cardiff is home to some great new short story talent.

Cardiff-based writer Joao Morais, who was a runner up in the 2009 Rhys Davies Short Story competition, finds Cardiff an inspiring city to work in.

“Cardiff is an excellent place for writers of short fiction to be based,” said Joao. “There’s a lot of prizes, magazines, journals and readings here. As a capital city, people tend to take more notice of the scene compared to comparable-sized scenes in Bristol and Manchester.

“The good thing about Welsh institutions,” said Joao, “is that they are (to paraphrase the Gettysburg Address) ‘for the people, by the people.’ It’s good to know that you have someone on your side.”

Cardiff is a vibrant city for a young writer of short fiction to be based. This year has proved there is a strong platform of journals, anthologies and prizes striving to recognise and promote local talent.

Finally, express lit. leaves you with one we made earlier. A short story called Little Mahal.

Worst similes ever

Whether these similes are the result of a bright mind purposefully writing badly, or actual attempts at figurative language, nobody knows, but they’re guaranteed to give you a good laugh. This list has been making its way around blogs for a while and I can see why!

The duck one is my favourite.

1. Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center.
2. He was as tall as a 6′3″ tree.
3. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
4. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
5. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
6. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
7. The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
8. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
9. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
10. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.
11. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM.
12. The lamp just sat there, like an inanimate object.
13. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
14. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
15. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at asolar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
16. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
17. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
18. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.
19. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
20. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.
21. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth.
22. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River.
23. Even in his last years, Grand pappy had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it hadrusted shut.
24. He felt like he was being hunted down like a dog, in a place that hunts dogs, I suppose.
25. She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword.
26. She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.
27. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
28. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
29. “Oh, Jason, take me!” she panted, her breasts heaving like a college freshman on $1-a-beer night.
30. It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.
31. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
32. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
33. The politician was gone but unnoticed, like the period after the Dr. on a Dr Pepper can.
34. Her eyes were like limpid pools, only they had forgotten to put in any pH cleanser.
35. Her date was pleasant enough, but she knew that if her life was a movie this guy would be buried in the credits as something like “Second Tall Man.”
36. The thunder was ominous-sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play.
37. The red brick wall was the color of a brick-red Crayola crayon.
38. She caught your eye like one of those pointy hook latches that used to dangle from screen doors and would fly up whenever you banged the door open again.
39. Her pants fit her like a glove, well, maybe more like a mitten, actually.
40. Fishing is like waiting for something that does not happen very often.
41. They were as good friends as the people on “Friends.”
42. Oooo, he smells bad, she thought, as bad as Calvin Klein’s Obsession would smell if it were called Enema and was made from spoiled Spamburgers instead of natural floral fragrances.
43. The knife was as sharp as the tone used by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) in her first several points of parliamentary procedure made to Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) in the House Judiciary Committee hearings on the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton.
44. He was as bald as one of the Three Stooges, either Curly or Larry, you know, the one who goes woo woo woo.
45. The sardines were packed as tight as the coach section of a 747.
46. Her eyes were shining like two marbles that someone dropped in mucus and then held up to catch the light.
47. The baseball player stepped out of the box and spit like a fountain statue of a Greek god that scratches itself a lot and spits brown, rusty tobacco water and refuses to sign autographs for all the little Greek kids unless they pay him lots of drachmas.
48. I felt a nameless dread. Well, there probably is a long German name for it, like Geschpooklichkeit or something, but I don’t speak German. Anyway, it’s a dread that nobody knows the name for, like those little square plastic gizmos that close your bread bags. I don’t know the name for those either.
49. She was as unhappy as when someone puts your cake out in the rain, and all the sweet green icing flows down and then you lose the recipe, and on top of that you can’t sing worth a damn.
50. Her artistic sense was exquisitely refined, like someone who can tell butter from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.
51. It came down the stairs looking very much like something no one had ever seen before.
52. Bob was as perplexed as a hacker who means to access T:flw.quid55328.com\aaakk/ch@ung but gets T:\flw.quidaaakk/ch@ung by mistake.
53. You know how in “Rocky” he prepares for the fight by punching sides of raw beef? Well, yesterday it was as cold as that meat locker he was in.
54. The dandelion swayed in the gentle breeze like an oscillating electric fan set on medium.
55. Her lips were red and full, like tubes of blood drawn by an inattentive phlebotomist.
56. The sunset displayed rich, spectacular hues like a .jpeg file at 10 percent cyan, 10 percent magenta, 60 percent yellow and 10 percent black.

Via you might like this blog. And thanks to Jade Price for bringing it to my attention! Enjoy and share!

How long is your favourite fiction?

Some of the greatest literature has been written in the form of a short story.  Even what we now consider as the “classic novel” by writers such as Dickens, were originally released a few short chapters at a time in journals. But currently short stories don’t appear to be ‘on trend’ in the consumer world. Is this because they are easily accessible online or seem less value for money in print?

Do you regularly read short stories, and where from? What types of books are on your shelves? Please let me know by answering the poll below (select three answers) and commenting with any further opinions.

Thanks!

I am currently reseraching a feature piece on the short story. The feature will specifically relate to short fiction writers, groups, awards and book shops found in Cardiff, more information (for you Glyn) can be found on the features page.

Three reasons to watch the latest Jane Eyre adaptation

“Oh but they’ve changed the book, the novel was so much better. They’ve ruined it for me! Forever! They missed out x, and put in y!” These are some of the many comments thrown about by   book lovers after one of their favourite novels makes the shift in medium from imagination to screen. Adaptation rarely lives up to readers’ great expectations, but TV and film companies are constantly remaking old classics and new works for the screen.  Sometimes they get it right and sometimes they get it wrong. We still get excited/nervous when a new adaptation is announced, and we still go and see it, even if we complain the whole way through that it’s ruined everything (I’m talking to you mum: Knightley’s Pride and Prej, 05).

Jane Eyre was released this autumn in the UK by director Cary Joji Fukunaga and stars Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. I’ve seen several Jane Eyre adaptations in my time and particularly enjoyed the BBC’s four part series with Ruth Wilson. If you are a fan of the original text, there are three reasons why I think this version is better than other adaptations.

REASON ONE- THE ENDING

Not the ending of the film, but the ending of the book. In fact, the end forms the start of the film. The last third of Jane Eyre is always the rushed part, in reading and in films. Adaptations often linger over every detail of Jane’s youth and her interactions with Rochester. Then they gloss over, or cut completely, the last third of the novel in a rush to get Jane back across the moors and into  the arms of her (slightly singed) lover.

This version starts at the end. It then retells Jane’s childhood and her time and Lowood through a series of flashbacks. While many parts of the novel’s last third are still missing or skimmed over, the film gives equal importance to all three parts of Jane’s life through the way her story is retold.

REASON TWO- MIA WASIKOWSKA

I love Mia. Like Ruth Wilson, she fits the ‘pretty-plain’ mould necessary when actresses audition for the role of a plain character. I think Mia’s unique features suited this role well. What I liked most about her in the role, was that she reminded me that Jane is just a girl. Without losing the sexual chemistry/curiosity with Rochester or her underlying, quiet confidence, there is an overriding sense of innocence and youth from her that made everything more believable.

REASON THREE- BLANCHE IS BRUNETTE

One thing that always wound me up about Jane Eyre adaptations (and here I come close to a  “How dare they change the book!” rant) was when they had a blonde Blanche Ingram. I don’t know whether this was because, visually, directors thought this set up a good contrast between fair Blanche and dark Bertha, with mousy Jane somewhere in the middle? Or maybe because, with a name like Blanche, she sounded fair?

BUT WHY???

The novel describes Blanche several times as a dark haired beauty, and while it may seem like a small detail to get hooked up on, I think it’s an important aspect of the book. Blanche is supposed to mirror Bertha, not act as her opposite. She is a dark, exotic looking temptress wanting to marry Rochester for his money. The fact that Blanche reminds Rochester of his first wife is exactly why he is not interested in her, and would therefore prefer someone completely different, like Jane.

As the detailed diagram below illustrates, this version had a dark haired Blanche, and therefore I was happy. Well done Fukunaga.

Still not convinced? Well, the whole thing is beautifully shot and atmospheric, it has Judi Dench in it, and although I’ve yet to see One Day, I’m sure it’s safe to say that Mia’s yorkshire accent is a lot more believable than Anne’s.

Reviews I enjoyed (and that obsess less over hair colour):

veryjaneausten.com 

themotiononline.co.uk

Reasons to hate the film? More reasons to like it? Opinions on adaptations? Feel free to comment.