Animal Farm, or, Farmacology: Power is the Drug of Choice for Animals

Before I jump in with talking about Animal Farm, can we please acknowledge that title? I am legitimately proud of that title. Honestly. I literally fist pumped the air after coming up with it. I appreciate puns and witty wordplay, and I can only hope that other internet adventurers are similar. 

Obligatory explanation because my sister told me this joke might not make sense to people: Pharmacology literally translates to the study of drug in Greek, and now it is "the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action" (courtesy of Wikipedia) I know it's a bit of a stretch, but I had to choose between clarity and the integrity of the pun. And I know it's pharmacology and not farmacology- the joke wouldn't have hit home as well if I had used correct spelling. I wanted to make a joke about pharmacology and how religion is the opiate of the masses, but there wasn't much mention of religion in this book so...

I know summer has just started for many people, which means it’s time to scour the newspapers for those lists of new books to pick up this summer. Or, in my case, it means to cross some old ones of my list first, especially when some of them are considered classics. In this case, it was Animal Farm by George Orwell. While many people read it for a high school English class, somehow I slipped through that one. I did, however, have to read A Tale of Two Cities. That was torture.

I am nothing if not a slave to culture, so I decided to cross the classic political satire off that long reading list of mine.

Animal Farm is a thinly veiled social commentary for abuse of power, especially in the cases of fascist and communist dictatorships. I don’t mean thinly veiled as an insult here; Orwell had a point to make and was not going to obscure his references, his characters or his message by writing subtly or complexly. That being said, the reader can easily decipher his meaning and decide if they agree with him.

As someone who disagrees with injustice or taking advantage of people, I was easily angered by the farm injustice and some of the animals. (Hey, I was Orwell’s target audience!) Even more frustrating was that this actually happened and even occurs to this day, but to different degrees and circumstances. It’s a quick read, and if you have an appreciation for classic literature, I would rent or buy this book ASAP. You may want to have the internet handy to look up references, which character means which and situations that the farm occurrences represent. For the sake of clarity, I will include some links to websites that do exactly that, because honestly, summer means no thinking or work. There’s something to be said as holding true to your mantra, isn't there?

1. Spark Notes, because it saves our ass in not only classes but in leisure reading, too, apparently.

2. Someone’s blog on class stratification.

3. A study guide pdf on the entire book- handy! 

Picture on right by chrisoatley on DeviantART, picture on right by John Lee on keebs.com. 

It was a refreshing change of pace to read a classic work of literature with a message and metaphors and symbolism, wasn't it? Well it's not going to happen again. I'll go back to reading my mindless, entertaining novels, thank you very much. 

Society Girls: More of that Brit Chick Lit

This week here at Brumbles Publications (if you can call a blog that even), we’re gonna switch it up! So far, I have reviewed dystopian fiction, young adult, an autobiography, science fiction, humor, and fantasy. Which, granted, isn’t too diverse, but hey, it’s better than reading the same genre every week. This week we’re reviewing chick lit!! Hooray! Something light and fluffy and not hard to concentrate on during finals week! And even better than that, it’s British chick lit.

Let me start off by saying one of the best, funniest, most entertaining and well-written chick lit books I’ve ever read is Playing James by Sarah Mason. (Holly Colshannon is a reporter for the Bristol Gazette and is assigned a piece that entails she follows Detective James Sabine around. Holly is clumsy, hilarious, outgoing and pretty impetuous. She is such a funny character, and naturally, chaotic and hilarious mishaps occur all around her, usually because of her doing.) I’m not reviewing that book because I read it a while ago and I just think you should read it, if you like a little Brit Chick Lit every once in a while.

The Colshannon adventures continue with Holly’s sister, Clemmie. Clemmie was an art appraiser until her boyfriend got her fired, so she took a year off to travel. Now she’s back in Cornwall to recover when Holly drags her into the missing case of Emma McKellan, who was a writer for the Bristol Gazette until she disappeared just days before her wedding. It’s like mystery lite, but with more eccentric characters and no murder. Of course, no book could top Playing James, so it’s tough to read a book by the same author and expect the same thing. But I’ll try.

Clemmie is a lot like her sister in the sense that she’s clumsy, headstrong, happy-go-lucky and funny, but she’s less successful career-wise and she has a very eclectic sense of style. To me, she was the slightly odder  but no less lovable one of the pair. Just because she wasn’t Holly didn’t mean she wasn’t endearing. Holly, on the other hand, was more subdued than in the first book. Perhaps it was because we were seeing Holly from another character’s point of view and we couldn’t hear the running monologue in her head or get her perspective on events. Or, maybe it was because Holly had to be toned down a little to make Clemmie shine. Either way, you get the effect that this isn’t another book about Holly, but Clemmie was the focal character. It is her book after all.

I loved the main plot of locating Emma because there was just as much hectic chaos and interesting turns of events. The rest of her large and eccentric family is more present in this book, and as I am from a large family, I can relate to that aspect. Except for the animals. We did not have a zoo in my house at any time. The romantic aspect of the book was predictable, but that is to be expected. I mean, come on, that’s the point of chick lit. People wouldn’t read it if it weren’t predictable. I mean, could you imagine a chick lit (not a drama book, there’s a difference) where one of them dies in the end or middle? 

Oh wait, that does exist! Introducing,Nicholas Sparks: killing off characters in Chick Lit since 1995. 

So if you’re looking for something to read on the beach, or in your room, or on a bus, or pretty much anywhere, but you just want to be along for the ride in a funny British rom com book, I would bring Playing James and Society Girls. I can guarantee you will laugh. Unless you have no sense of humor, in which case, get off my blog and go buy one. 

Night Circus: What's Black and White with Hints of Red?

“The circus arrives without warning.

No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.”

The whole idea of the Night Circus is simply charming. That is honestly the best word I can use. I’ll have you know, however, that charming just barely beat out about 10 other words: mysterious, intriguing, beautiful, elegant, ethereal, magical, provocative, dreamlike, captivating and exciting. These are only some of the words that could describe this book. There are hundreds more, but I highly doubt someone would want to read several paragraphs of synonyms. If you do, go outside, man. Stop going on thesaurus.com and go live your life. 

The idea for the Night Circus starts when wealthy and eccentric businessman Chandresh Lefèvre decides to hold these magnificent Midnight Dinners, to which he invites some people with unusual, if not extraordinary talents. Mme. Ana Padva is a former Romanian prima ballerina who now has a unique and gorgeous eye for fashion, Ethan Barris  is an amazing architect and engineer who can create almost anything, Tara and Lainie Burgess are jacks of all trades (dancers, librarians, consultants, actresses etc) who create a sense of atmosphere, Mr. A.H. is a mysterious man in a gray suit and Tsukiko is a contortionist of unparalled talent. Together, they create Le Cirque des Rêves. 

I had heard the book described as a mysterious circus and people wear red to distinguish the true enthusiasts  but the book is so much more than that. Marco and Celia are two children picked to be rivals by two opposing magicians, but “magicians” is an understatement. Prospero the Enchanter, also known as Hector Bowen, has a talent for magic that is beyond tricks and illusions. It’s….well, it’s more like magic, really.  His daughter is chosen to compete in a game of skills against Marco, a young boy selected by Bowen’s main opponent, Mr. Alexander H. (usually just A. H.). It is a test to see if more unconventional methods and the practical application of magic works better than a more studious and academic approach through books. However, as Celia and Marco compete through this circus, everyone’s lives in the circus becomes more and more tangled in the competition and the stakes constantly rise.

The great thing about this book is that the writing juxtaposes the theme and the purpose of this book perfectly. The writing is so graceful and descriptive, yet subtle at the same time. This is the Night Circus; it is not ostentatious or outlandish, but it is beautiful, rich and elegant. Everything Erin Morgenstern describes is just stunning: the food, the clothing, the locations, the circus, the tents and the acts within them. Describes isn't even the right word. She paints it for you. The foods at the Midnight Dinners sound so delectable. Every word she chooses is perfect and makes you hungry at the same time. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! Oh wait, it’s 7:15 and I am currently making dinner. Whoops.

Seriously, I just ate and I'm hungry again. What the hell?

The circus she creates out of words seems so real, and again, the descriptors are chosen with great contemplation. It’s just a beautifully written book for a beautiful circus. But that doesn't do it justice, because the circus is so much more than that! It’s mystery, it’s something that some of us may dream of at night, it’s a place to escape to, somewhere beyond the natural confines. Such an imagination deserves applause in my book, but I am a bit biased as I like to think of myself as imaginative as well. Look, I’ll create something imaginative right now! Uh, this group of humanoid mythical beings go on a quest to defeat a dragon and claim the treasure! And there’s a wizard there, and trolls, and elves and…. Oh crap. That’s the hobbit. No wait! Okay, how about toys that wake up when their owners are gone and they have adventures and stories and maybe a fight and…. That’s Toy Story.

Moving on.

I could not put this book down, and I would heartily suggest you pick it up and give it a go. It is also nothing like Water For Elephants if that's what you're worried about. Except it has a love story and takes place in a circus... but that's beside the point. Who wouldn't want to read an enchanting tale about a magical circus, two young lovers, exotic locations, fascinating characters, an ongoing battle and impossible acts? I know I would. Wait, I just did. 

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Don't Panic. Continue Not Panicking.

“The Story so far:

In the beginning the Universe was created.

This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”

-The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Douglas Adams

Could there be a more perfect beginning to this book? No, there is not. The opening to the book, perfectly combining humor, satire, history and science (I’m being facetious here) sets the bar pretty high for Douglas Adams’ sequel to the brilliant Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Luckily, he set the bar himself and knows how to vault over it like the literary genius/comedian that he is.

I do not think I can summarize the plot of this book, if the difficulty of wrapping the first book up into a neat little abstract has anything to say about it. The best I can do is give you a short play-by-play of the highlights of the book, so about every other paragraph (and that’s just an average). I think just the best of the best will suffice.

The introduction of Ursa Minor Beta, or “one of the most appalling places in the known Universe,” is just genius. It “is excruciatingly rich, horrifyingly sunny…[and] it can hardly be insignificant that when a recent edition of Playbeing magazine headlined an article with the words ‘When you are tired of Ursa Minor Beta you are tired of life,’ the suicide rates there quadrupled overnight.

Not that there are any nights on Ursa Minor Beta.”

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (also known as Milliways), is a pretty hilarious concept, too, but only because your preconceived notions of the context of the word “end” here are shattered. When he writes “end” in the same phrase as “universe,” we all think of physical end, as in location, but Douglas Adams means “end” as in “destruction.” The restaurant is protected by a time bubble that resets itself every meal period so the diners can witness the end of the Universe. As it is a “time location” and not a “location location.” This way, you can come back multiple times.

As usual, Douglas Adams likes to shoot all your ideas about time travel and relativity to hell. Also, he introduces an amazing new tense that tells you how “to describe something that was about to happen to you in the past before you avoided it by time-jumping forward two days in order to avoid it.” Of course, that means that you must describe the event differently depending on if you’re talking about it in the future, the past, natural time, etc. It is known as the Future Semiconditionally Modified Subinverted Plagal Past SubjunctiveIntentional. This is to replace the “Future Perfect.” I cannot even describe this tense. It is practically a new language even J. R. R. Tolkien might be a little proud of.

"Legolas! What wioll haven do your elf eyes willan seen?"
"They're willing taken the hobbits to Isengard!"

The existence of a spaceship so black you cannot make out its shape or even tell how close you are to it, let alone distinguish any of the controls in the ship. Because it’s black on the inside, too.

Then there's the almost-paradox of writing the guidebook: “The simplistic style in which [the statistics of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] are written is partly explained by the fact that the editors, having to meet a publishing deadline, copied the information off the back of a packet of breakfast cereal, hastily embroidering it with a few footnotes in order to avoid prosecution under the incomprehensibly tortuous Galactic Copyright laws. It is interesting to note that a later and wilier editor sent the book backward in time through a temporal warp, and then successfully sued the breakfast cereal company for infringement of the same laws.” Amazing. Simply amazing.

I hesitate to disclose my favorite part of the novel, the end, but truthfully, I don’t think you can really have spoilers in a Douglas Adams book. Each sentence is not so much a an event not to be disclosed to non-readers, but more of another piece of an adventure. A stepping stone, if you will. If each Douglas Adams book were a ladder, each chapter is simply a piece of wood (or metal, depending on the type of ladder you’re imagining) that makes up the ladder. If you remove a splinter or even a rung, the entire ladder will not fall apart, but it does take away from the ladder’s essence.

So when I tell you my favorite part, it does not make the story unreadable. In a way, it’s like the universe itself; the story and the universe are infinite and could continue in any direction indefinitely.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe ambled along, delighting me with every page, but the best (and funniest) part was the ending. Arthur and Ford end up on this spaceship, Ark B, to find millions of bodies in suspended comas. What kinds of people are they? “‘Hairdressers, tired TV producers, telephone sanitizers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, security guards, public relations executives, management consultants, you name it.’” Why, you ask? And actually, Ford and Arthur essentially ask it themselves. “‘The idea was that into the first ship, the ‘A’ ship, would go all the brilliant leaders, the scientists, the great artists, you know, all the achievers; and then in the third, or ‘C’ ship, would go all the people who did the actual work, who made things and did things; and then into the ‘B’ ship–that’s us–would go everyone else, the middlemen.’” As funny as it is, it just keeps getting better. The planet they came from, Golgafrincham, sent Ark B off to “rid themselves of an entire useless third of their population. The other two-thirds stayed firmly at home and lived full, rich and happy lives until they were all suddenly wiped out by a virulent disease contracted from a dirty telephone.” Oh, the irony.

Of course, the downside to sending a colony of people such as these off to a new planet is that some things hold precedence over others. For instance, hairdressers electing to create curling tongs instead of developing fire. And in creating the wheel, the marketing department must first decide on a color. And instead of exploring the area, their film producers make a documentary on the indigenous cavemen in the area.

  

"I've always been told hairs before bears. As in protecting yourself from bears. You'd be surprised
 how much perfectly styled tresses can ward off danger."

But the most hilarious of all, and most satirical, is that they develop a fiscal policy. Ford wants to know how they can have money when they don’t make money. As a response to saying it doesn't grow on trees, the management consultant says “‘Since we decided a few weeks ago to adopt the leaf as legal tender, we have, of course, all become immensely rich… But we have also run into a small inflation problem on account of the high level of leaf availability, which means that, I gather, the current going rate  has something like three deciduous forests buying one ship’s peanut.’” So, to revalue the leaf, they are going to burn down all the forests. I cannot stress how loudly I laughed at this point.

I think Douglas Adams just sat in his room and decided to make fun of everyone he could think of. And as they say, the pen is mightier than the sword. The worst part is that I can actually see this playing out in similar situation, if to a lesser degree. I am just glad that Adams has commemorated it on paper. And, er, Ebook/tablet screen.

The book ends with Arthur trying to teach the cavemen to play Scrabble with rocks, “‘but they only word they know is grunt and they can’t spell it…. [He’s] probably spelled crzjgrdwldiwdc again, poor bastard. I keep on telling him there’s only one g in crzjgrdwldiwdc.’” Man, on a triple word score, that word would be pure gold.