Everything Is Better With Dragons
Book blogger, Autistic, Probably a Dragon
Drat it!
I started writing a review of Blackout, by Mira Grant on my break today at work (WordPress for Blackberry, brilliant app), tried to find it to finish writing it this evening, and its gone walkies.
I could have sworn I’d saved it on my phone.
Oh well, I’d better re-write it. Thank goodness I always write everything down in my notebook.
I went to the library yesterday morning and had a look at the new books they’d got available. I picked up three, two from authors I’ve read before and one from an author I’ve not read at all, although I have seen her books on the library shelves.
The books were
1. ‘Kiss the dead’ Laurell K Hamilton
2. ‘Forge of Darkness’ Steven Erikson
3. ‘The falcons of fire and ice’ Karen Maitland
So that’s three more books I shall be reviewing in the next few weeks.
Bye
It’s been over a year since my first blog post
Not sure how that happened, to be honest. How has time passed so quickly, with my noticing it? And I still feel like I’ve made no further progress than I did this time last year.
But I shall keep going.
Coming up: a review of Deadline, by Mira Grant, in a couple of weeks there will be a review of ‘Blackout’ as well; also, just because I feel like a change from books to music, a review of ‘The Rasmus’ by The Rasmus. I’m going to see them live in Nottingham in December, so I’ll review the concert as well.
Bye
Rose
I’ve been working on something for the best part of a year, a small booklet about Anglo-Saxon women who are only remembered in specialist circles but who were well known and respected in their day. It came out of a series of articles I wrote last year.
I haven’t made any progress on it in months, but then I was looking something up a few days ago and came across a reference to St Aethelthryth of Ely, and she seemed like an interesting person. So today I went through a few of my books to find out more. And then wrote it all down. Usually that’s what I do.
At the minute I have the barebones of eight biographies that I intend to make in to a small ebook, eventually. I made progress today. I’m quite pleased with it so far.
Coming soon: Review of ‘Deadline’ by Mira Grant
Bye
Rose
Good morning.
Something on Facebook caught my attention yesterday. It was a joke about language, something along the lines of a lecturer saying in English a double negative become a positive, in some languages a double negative is still a negative but in no language does a double positive become a negative. And then the punch line is someone says ‘Yeah, right.’
Well that got me thinking. And yes, before anyone says anything, I do know its a joke, but that’s doesn’t stop me thinking these things. Imagine going to the cinema with me, its hell I’m told.
Its a fairly common statement that two negative words make a positive statement, but that makes no sense. You don’t write or say ‘No never’ and mean ‘Yes’, it emphasises the negative meaning. And I’m certain I’ve seen somewhere, in one of the books I have about Old English that the double negative is used to emphasise the negative point, in Old English.
So why, if logically this idea makes no sense, do people continue to perpetuate it?
I have two hypotheses as to why this is.
The first involves maths and science; in these subjects it is the case that a negative number added to a negative number gives a positive number. Thus the idea is drilled in to young minds that this is the case in ALL things.
But language and maths are the same things and they don’t have the same rules, so the rules of mathematics are irrelevant when it comes to language.
My second hypothesis involves people who think that there is only one ‘correct’ way to speak/write English. Perhaps, some years ago, when mass education arrived in England, some people got sick of others saying ‘aint nowt’ or similar phrases. These are perfectly correct dialect ways negate a sentence, but they aren’t standard English. And so began the myth of the double negative. Snobbery is responsible, not logic.
I have absolutely no proof that either of theses ideas are relevant, except personal experience – I had a strong
regional accent as a child and was repeatedly told I must lose my accent and speak out of dialect (to borrow a phrase) or I’d never get anywhere in
life; the reasoning behind this? The person who told me so had been told the same thing by his teachers seventy years ago so it must be true – and logic.
So is it true that a double negative in English makes a statement positive? No, not at all. As far I am aware. Let me know if I’m wrong, I’d love to see the sources. Seriously, I would. I’m a bit strange like that.
Bye,
Rose
I know, two posts in a day, how unexpected!
After I finished writing my last post I had a few jobs to do before I could go to the library. I had to take a book back. Well, I just made it, they were closing the blinds, a minute more and I’d have missed them entirely.
We’re fairly lucky, I suppose, that despite the threats to close local library’s we’ve managed to keep ours, if at reduced hours. Until late last year the library was open until half seven three nights a week and until 5.30pm the other two nights, plus 9 – 2 on a saturday. It is now open 9 – 5.30 everyday and 9 – 2 on a saturday. And the next nearest is only a half hour bus ride away. So, fairly lucky.
Many communities have not been so lucky. This is terrible. I know from a lifetimes acquaintance with the local library that it is not just a place to borrow books. Its a community centre and meeting place, local notice board for clubs and societies, access to the internet, a safe place for children to do their homework, an extension to the local schools and somewhere those who might other wise be isolated can feel welcomed and included. Staffed by members of the community (mostly, here at least) and provided for the community, they are essential, especially in isolated areas.
Not long ago the library got flooded and was shut for the best part of a month. The staff put on a skeleton service in the civil hall next door and tried to carry on, but everyone was pleased when it re-opened. The building is a dodgy sixties prefab, too small for the community, which has grown so much since then. There are only two computers, constantly in demand and booked. We could do with a new, bigger and more comfortable building to house what is essentially our community centre.
But we won’t get it.
Cuts in council budgets mean that when other libraries are closing the local county council won’t spend money improving an old one, and the town council can’t afford to.
And the provincial in me wants to say that the county council has no love for my little town, despite it making significant contributions to the council’s budget, so we won’t get anything even if we need it. Yes, that feeling is fairly common, although not necessarily justified.
So, value your library, its not just a building full of books.
Bye.
Rose
I’ve officially given up attempting to read 50 Shades of Grey and its sequels. Sorry if you wanted a review, all can say is I got so bored of the bad writing and repetition I gave up. I’m glad I didn’t buy them, only borrowed them, because they really aren’t worth the money. You can get better smut free on the internet – go have a look around Live Journal or http://www.archiveofourown.org for instance.
However, I will be reviewing ‘The Long Earth’ by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. I had to wait a month to get it because out library got flooded in June (we had flash floods) and has only just re-opened. I started reading it this morning, If I hadn’t had other things to do I’d have finished it this evening. Safe to say so far i like it. So, review sometime in the next few days, dodgy internet connection and other commitments (a.k.a. work, why do I have to work? I’d much rather spend my time reading and writing than go to work) permitting.
Bye for now,
Rose
I know I said I’d read and review EL James’s 50 Shades trilogy but I got 150 pages in to the first one and got sick of it. I am going to finish reading them, eventually. So far the writing is poor. It’s really not that shocking in its contents, so I really don’t know what the fuss is about. I’m more irritated by the poor writing than anything else.
Give me a few weeks and I might actually post a review.
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I was going to send this to the local paper but I decided to post it here instead.
I was listening to some small children the other day talking about what they do after school. A surprising number of them did organised activities: football, swimming, dancing, Guides/Scouts etc. A few days later I saw adverts for summer holiday sports groups, I think it was for rugby.
It got me thinking; how many children take part in organised groups and activities and what do they get from it? I also wandered what would they do if they didn’t have them to go to. So I did a quick survey (I asked my nine year old niece).
Quite a few primary school children, it seems, like to go to organised activities, because their friends go, because it’s fun and because they get to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily get to do like going to camps.
They aren’t just being left there by parents who want an hour’s peace then? Nope, they go to these groups because they want to be there. Although I suspect that parents also quite enjoy their freedom for the small period in time when the children are elsewhere. Children seem to gain something from the experience, spending time with others the same age, maybe a little older or younger, doing communal activities. They develop confidence in themselves and learn new skills. And it’s outside the confines of school, so they don’t feel forced to be there, which makes it all so much more enjoyable.
This is interesting, especially since there seems to be a pervading image of children ‘these days’ being couch potatoes obsessed with computer games. If we are to believe certain newspapers children are either obese, electronics obsessed brats, or hooded thugs causing trouble on the streets menacing the elderly.
If that were truly the case then a relatively small town like Immingham wouldn’t be able to support not just groups of Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Cubs, Beavers and Scouts, but also junior football and rugby clubs, a swimming club, majorettes, an archery club, a boxing club, as well as the Air, Army and Sea Cadets. Not to mention the fishing pond at Homestead Park and the recently opened skate park which attract a decent number of eager patrons.
Lazy they are not, in fact many primary school age children seem to have incredibly busy lives. Let them enjoy it while they have the chance, and support your local sports clubs and youth associations.
Our local paper does this section called ‘First Person’ and recently the asked for submissions to it. I’ve been thinking about what I’d write about. And then, because they are awesome, my niece and nephew provided the inspiration.
I’m going to write a 400 word article about the importance of youth groups to primary school children, email it in and hope to get it published. Wish me luck.
Rosemarie
xXx
Everything Is Better With Dragons 