Luna’s Prose Ramblings

This new segment has been brooded on for a while and I’m glad to show it the light of day now.

Ever since I started this website, I have been thinking of a way to make not only the reading list, but also the review process interesting for the visitors to read. I was milling it over one night while I was reading the Twilight Guy website (remember him ?) and I had a brainwave.

As opposed to writing a review on every book I read (…believe me you don’t want me to, there are too many), I will keep the mundane thoughts to myself and just keep you updated on what I am reading through the reading lists. Select books however, I will enter into my new segment; the Read-through review.

The Read-through review will be an on-going write-as-I-read reviewing process in which I will read a chapter and immediately post about that one chapter. Hopefully in this way, you as readers will follow me through the process. And credit where credit is due, this is the whole premise of the Twilight Guy website, only unlike him I will not restrict myself to one author and one series by that author.

Perhaps, as readers, you could pick the book up with me and see where I have different impression than you, or if you already have read the book, you might read my failing prognostications as they develop and pick up on the plot in the book that sends me amiss. Which is bound to happen often !

Anyway, I am planning to round-off any Read-through review with an interview with the corresponding author in case he or she is willing. Mostly, I will choose new or unread books by authors that I am already familiar with, so that I will have some context from previous work for the interview. But of course during the read I hope to pick up a lot of questions pertaining to the book under Read-through review to spice up the conversation.

When I start a review, I hope to post a chapter about every week running the length of the book. For longer books, I might post more often. For in the case of, say one of Ms. Meyer’s lengthy works, a chapter per week will result in one book a year. And that’s just a bit too hefty a time.

Well, the first up for Read-through…. you guessed it;
Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book !

PS. Have I plugged the Twilight Guy enough ?

Don’t we know that technology is engrained in our society when we get the urge to back to how it used to be ?

If you ever have the urge to turn your computer into a no-nonsense, two finger operated, no editing allowed, old-fashioned typewriter, this is the freeware for you !

You have all seen them and they are all different – whether they are compiled by columnists, publishers, readers or – for the people that have an account – float around facebook.

So many people, so many tastes. But which books make your eyes water ?

The Guardian wrote a nice article, but of course you should read the summary of events by the man himself.

Ultimate creative recycling for writers of notes and novels. Don’t suck on your pencil tip though !

Quack research is not only confined to the realm of science. Since the closure of the Harry Potter series, literary criticism, academic analysis and unfortunately also quack research has jumped on the creation by J.K. Rowling.

Professor Stephen Brown of Ulster University, marketing expert, has conducted research among readers ages 7 and over. The results showed Harry Potter readers divided into four groups that corresponded to the four houses of Hogwarts. From the Telegraph;

His research found ‘Hufflepuff’ readers take the tales at a slow, steady and systematic pace and enjoy re-reading the books over and over.

‘Gryffindor’ readers are eager and energetic and will devour the latest Potter book in one sitting, but quickly move on to new things.

‘Ravenclaws’ are subversive and take the stories with a pinch of salt, while ‘Slytherin’ readers are not fussed about the books. They prefer the films but pretend to have read the books when it suits them.

The interesting thing that Prof. Brown says is that ‘[t]he less committed types will now begin deserting Harry Potter, jeopardising sales. It is an interesting time in the development of the Potter brand because a lot of people have moved on. It will only be people who revel in his world who will continue with their admiration of the brand’.

While first of all I question the validity of the research and would like to know how large the group of interviewees was and how the research was conducted, there are some very well-worded opinions on the topic over at The Hog’s Head, like this one by Red Rocker;

What does that mean exactly “deserting Harry Potter”? Not buying any more of his books? Although there are some extremists out there who might buy more than one copy of a book, most readers only need to buy one copy and re-read that if they feel the need. Books are not like boxes of cereal, which need to be replaced once consumed. So what is he talking about when he talks about the HP brand? The movies? the hats and cards and costumes and wands and Hallowe’en costumes? The books about HP? The merchandising stuff has nothing to do with the staying power of a book.

(…) As for equating the four kinds of readers with the four houses of Hogwarts, there are is a big problem with his logic. As explained above, brand loyalty doesn’t apply to books, even to a series, because most series end. (And this series has definitely ended). There could be loyalty to the author. But Brown doesn’t talk about that. So being a “Hufflepuff” vs being a “Gryffindor” or “Ravenclaw” or even “Slytherin” has no meaning in terms of buying behaviour. In terms of marketing, a “Slytherin” who buys but does not read a HP book is no different than a “Hufflepuff” who buys a book and is eternally loyal to it ever after.

So readers of Harry beware, according to this research you should first do an online check of the Hogwarts house that you’d most likely be in, so that you know whether you should be rereading to book or not.

For the attentive visitor, welcome to our new location. For the not so attentive visitor (and now… don’t get upset, I didn’t call you obtuse), look at the address bar. I’ve got a new site ! I never thought I’d ever say it ever again, but Dax and I have split.

He’s happy at Stereodax all on his own now that we are no longer sharing the umbrella.

Welcome to LunaLouise.com !

Dearest Stephenie,

I just cannot express what I feel right now. I must say I was surprised when I saw the RSS title in my browser and devastated now that I have read your post. I didn’t even know there was a leak. And if it hadn’t affected you as much as it has, I wouldn’t have cared that there was.

I can thoroughly sympathise. I am sure that I don’t know how you feel. My hurt is most likely a fraction of yours, but I responded the only way I knew how. I wrote a post here, on my own little book blog universe. I’m sure it doesn’t get read much, but at least I could vent. And I’m sure there are thousands out there that are doing just that.

We all sympathise. But still through this address, I would like to let you know that I, like so many Twilight fans will not read the draft – leaked, or posted by you on your own website – unless you give us no hope. Although I see why you feel the need to take your distance from the writing, I still have hope that some day your calm will return and you will let the world meet Edward the way they are supposed to. Unless you specifically tell me that you will never finish Midnight Sun, I will not touch the draft with a 10-feet-Abobe-open file-click.

I – and I think I can speak for many – so thoroughly want you to finish the book if you can. We want to get to know Edward and his family the way you do. We want to see the world and others’ thoughts through his mind. We want to learn about Jacob, Renesmee, the pack(s), Charlie, Renee, the other humans, the Volturi. We want to learn it all. I know you were only writing Twilight’s companion, but believe it or not, we want it all. Because with Edward’s view you would not give only his, but the thoughts of them all. Of all our beloved characters.

Take the time you need. But please remember that there are more people out there NOT reading the draft than you think. I would even be happier if you took down the link to the Midnight Sun draft. We’d rather have Midnight Sun as it was meant to be, than the draft that is up now. We will wait. And if the day comes that we shouldn’t wait anymore, because the actions of a few have hurt you too much to continue, please tell us so that we can mourn with you the loss of a book that should have been.

My thoughts are with you,
with all my heart.

The horror !

Midnight Sun was going to be Stephenie Meyer’s compa- nion piece to the Twilight series. This was before some a**wipe of a person – probably through a lot of nagging and annoying the hell out of one of the trusted in-crowd insiders of the Twilight realm – got their hands on an unfinished, not ready for publication, very very rough draft of the first twelve chapters of the manuscript and… well, decided it was time that it was exposed to the world.

Very understandably, Stephenie feels that the publication was a very dishonest, hurtful and disappointing thing to do. I can imagine that she feels like a painter or sculptor from whom a rough unfinished piece of art has been taken and displayed before the world without their permission. Aired out as if it were the very best the artist could have done. Put up for criticism it was not supposed receive. She must be angered and disillusioned.

She expresses that she feels that there is no way to continue. And I can understand that. How can she continue on a book, while the world has read the first bile of a draft ? How can she pick up the writing knowing that whatever or however she writes from now on, the first half or third of the end product will already be out there. Chewed over by many for so many months before it was supposed to be let loose into the world ? In a less than perfect form. In a form that is so inferior to what she wanted it to be. In a form that has so little context because it lacks the end, is not part of the whole. How can she continue indeed ? Well, short answer…?

She won’t. She has put Midnight Sun off indefinitely. My guess…?

Permanently.

What do I say to that ? S***w you, you a**wipe, for the violation of Stephenie’s trust. I was waiting for that book. Waiting for that book even more than the final installment that was published only weeks ago. Thanks to you, I won’t get to read it.

Ever !

Have you met Twilight Guy ?

Most important question I think is; do you even know what Twilight is ?

If you do you’re probably a teenage girl with an infatuation for Edward. Or a Twilight Mom happy to swoon back to her younger days…

I am in the second category.

Twilight Guy is Kaleb Nation. College undergrad, radio show host, writer, but most importantly a guy. A guy who at college was intrigued by the fact that all the girls seemed to hunger after Edward, whoever he may be. Every girl seemed to be convinced that boys like Edward aren’t made anymore and that their next boyfriend’d better sparkle.

Twilight Guy soon discovered the source of all the commotion, Twilight. Now he proclaims;

Attention: This is not really a Twilight fansite.

I cannot honestly be called a Twilighter yet. This site is about me reading the books for the first time. I am not a ‘Twi-hard’ or any other name for the fans of Stephenie Meyer. However, I am a reader. And I am a guy. I may be one of the first guys to read Twilight and actually admit it. But I’m only doing it as research and not because I’m curious.

At least, that’s my alibi.

- Kaleb

Well… we’ll see about that !

No, seriously. Kaleb has been sucked into the whole Twilight scene. He started in Twilight and is publicly reading the series for the first time. While he reads chapter by chapter and posts his (more often than not hilarious, due to his photoshop-ed commentary,) research conclusions on his blog, Kaleb also provides a soap box to other guys to proclaim their Twilight fandom. Naturally the soap box comes with option for anonymity if desired. And believe me there are some endearing stories of reluctant guys out there.

Kaleb would have held onto his credibility as an objective researcher if he’d stopped after Twilight. But no, he’s onto New Moon now.

What can we say…. I wish my guy was a Twilight Guy !

Now go read his blog, really…
it’s hilarious….

Now !