Review: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

Whilst perhaps lacking the majesty and thrills of the blockbuster film of 2013, the cover of this first edition of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) illustrates the charm and innocence that the books have to offer. According to Michael Ward's The Narnia Code, the fifth book in the Narnia series is the sun story, Lewis' exploration into the rising sun and dragons (saura). Dragons make several cameo appearances along the crew of the Dawn Treader's journey towards dawn, as they journey towards Aslan's land, beyond the end of the world. Seemingly lacking in a structure or purpose, the voyage is entirely magical and imaginative - I'm glad to finally get to rereading the series!  

Carpe Diem xx

Review: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

In contrast to the iconic Audrey Hepburn film, the 99-page gem of a book, on which it was based, is far more wide-reaching and all encompassing. In today's literary environment, where epic tomes such as the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Luminaries, are all celebrated for their length, it is refreshing to read Capote's 1958 Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Short Stories. In less than one hundred pages the author manages to say all that needs to be said, leaving extraneous detail for the reader to conjure in their imagination. 

Similarly at odds with the glamour of the later film, the novella is set in sparse 1943 New York, not the sixties. The tale is a reminiscence on a brief encounter with Holiday Golightly, a glamorous but complex call girl. This fact, as well as her apparent mental illness - depression described as the 'mean reds' - is brushed over rather. For anyone wavering over whether to give it a chance, be brave! This one has a lot to give.

Carpe Diem xx

Vintage Spring Style: Natalie Wood

Welcome back to blog! I've been going through my wardrobe, making a few purchases and getting inspiration for the spring/summer fashion season from vintage photos. Classic film stars of the 20th century are extremely useful when taking a elegant, vintage style and updating it with a 2014 twist. 

Born Natalia Zacharenko in 1938 San Francisco, the film star died an untimely death in 1981, at the age of 43. Her death is still shrouded in mystery - she was found drowned in deep water - and her star is largely outshone by the likes of Marilyn and Audrey, but her style is timeless. The 5'2 actress has a lot to give in terms of outfit inspiration, so whether its Natalie or other stars of the 40s, 50s, 60s, get out the vintage clobber and work it.

Happy Weekend!

Carpe Diem xx

Spring 2014: A Book Haul

In celebration of the beginning of spring in the UK, here are four books that I have acquired recently; two at the new year and two last week. 

Ian Fleming - Octopussy and the Living Daylights (Vintage):

At a mere 123 pages I don't think this one will take long, so I hope to get to it soon. Part of the James Bond vintage collection that I treated myself to at the beginning of the year. It contains four short stories based on James Bond's time in New York.

Ian Fleming - Casino Royale (Vintage):

The first of Fleming's 007 novels, Casino Royale is also part of the James Bond vintage collection. In this adventure Bond is desperate during his last chance to bring down SMERSH agent Le Chiffre. As this is the story behind the 2006 film of the same name, which made me fall in love with Daniel Craig, I'm putting this one high on my priority list.

John Williams - Stoner (Vintage):

Originally dismissed when it was first published in 1965, Stoner was so-called 'rediscovered' by the art and literature academia and republished in 2012. Stoner tells the story of quiet teacher William Stoner, through whose life the 'conflicts, defeats and victories of the human race that pass unrecorded' are recognised. As a trainee teacher and recent graduate with a passion for classics, this is a must read.

Hannah Kent - Burial Rites (Picador):

A thrilling crime novel, Kent's debut. A page turner composed of the plot of the last execution in Iceland. I've been eyeing this one for a while, so I can't wait to get started!

Carpe Diem xx

Review: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I thought that as it is nearly a week since my last post, and just four days until Christmas, it is definately time for another review. I have been reading avidly for a few weeks now, but even so my enjoyment of this classic was rather rudely interrupted by tests. In true-to-form style I came round to reading this children's classic in a backwards manner. I was given a beautiful, old copy of Good Wives a couple of years ago and read it before any of the preceding series. I had enjoyed it, and so in my search for classics that I simply must read, I bought and read this lovely Children's Vintage Classics print. Most Booktuber's whom I have seen talk about this book have the Penguin Thread's edition. Whilst it looks nice, I much prefer the illustrations on the front of this one. The story is beautiful if whimsical. It's a tale of the coming of age of four sister's, and also one steeped deeply in Victorian morality. The March sister's lives are heavily based on the author's own life in Massachusetts, and the personal touch stands out. What is amazing is that this 145-year-old story is still around, and I can see why. It says something about it's time, the emotion of the era. For that alone I recommend it.

Carpe Diem xx

The Kite Runner book review

In yet another bid to catch up on the modern classics that I feel I should probably have read by now, last week I finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Published ten years ago in 2003, it became an international bestseller and can claim to be a modern classic. As usually happens when attempting to read books with such hype, I thought that I wouldn't enjoy it and wouldn't find it readable. I was proved wrong once again. Hosseini's work was infinitely readable and I breezed through it in a few days. It is a beautiful story of friendship between two boys, Amir and Hassan, and father-son relationships, set between Afghanistan and Pakistan during the Taliban takeover. The story has harrowing moments but the clear message set out in wonderful prose is one of triumph and love. It would be wrong to call such a serious book escapist, but it's tale and setting definitely did that for me.

Carpe Diem xx

Life of Pi book review

Firstly, I have to put my hands up and admit something. I didn't pick up Life of Pi because I wanted to. I didn't continue reading until the last solemn word because I enjoyed it. I read Life of Pi because I thought I should. It was written by Yann Martel and published in 2001, twelve whole years ago. It won a prestigious Man Booker Prize a year later. It was catapulted to the lofty heights of 'modern classic', and subsequently turned into a feature film in 2012. And so you might think that with this mind set that I didn't enjoy it. I hated it. I got nothing from reading this book apart from being able to add it to a list of 'modern classics I have read'. But that is far from the truth. This is one of the simplest stories you have ever read. Piscine Molitor Patel is stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean for months. With a tiger. Through the tool of first person narrative, themes of growth through adversity, life as a story, and what it means to be human, are interwoven. In this way this fiction book touches on one of the biggest lessons that I learnt during my anthropology degree, more than any other; that reality is the roaming narrative that we each write for ourselves and continually evolve. We create our own meaning. We define our own lives. And that is why I am grateful for this book. Barack Obama was too.

Carpe Diem xx