First Up: What I'm Reading Now

First, a confession. I'm not reading per se, but listening. Audiobooks rock, plain and simple. At least, the unabridged ones do. With that said... my current selection is the classic Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.


Interesting because as much as I adore the works of Verne, I had not actually read the full version before. On the other hand, I saw the movie several times as a child. Quite a different thing, totally diff storyline. On the upside, my memories of the film do allow me to better visualize some of the (overly wordy) descriptions of settings and surroundings.


As I am listening to the book via IPod, I am not sure how far into it I actually am. As far as the story itself goes, the prof and Hans have just found Harry and the latter is in the middle of being awestruck by the underground sea.


Ah yes, Harry. (Axel in some versions.) Dear, dear Harry. The beloved nephew and companion of the illustrious professor. A multi-faceted character who... bleh. I hate Harry. Seriously.


He is the whiney, wussy, obnoxious, pathetic sort. In the beginning, he seemed like a reasonable enough sort of chap. Common sense and a healthy zest for survival can be a good thing, after all. Outright cowardice? Not so much. I think I finally lost all patience with him when he flat-out fainted, not at the site of some hideous chasm or vicious beast. No, it was... a wall. A simple, dead-end tunnel made this pansy keel over. The one positive thing I can say for him is that he is honest. Harry never attempts to make himself out a hero or hide his failings.

I have to wonder what it would be like from the viewpoint of Hans, the steadfast guide. Probably about 1/4 of the length, if that. Still, what did he observe? Was he ever torn between the need to honor his word and keep his end of the bargain and... you know, life? This man marches head-first into danger and what seems like certain doom all for the sake of a contract and a few coins he might never have the chance to spend. Bravery and integrity, or blind loyalty and stupidity?

Harry rant aside, I am truly enjoying this book. There are rather wordy, overly descriptive bits but on the whole I think Verne did a great job painting his otherworldly landscapes and giving insight into the personalities of his characters. The view is still somewhat one-sided, but so far so good. The creativity of the landscapes coupled with the scientific explanations were far ahead of their time yet hardly seem dated. I have to admit that when forced to turn it off, I wonder what idiocy Harry will fall into next just as much as I ponder the possibilities of the new sights and wonders the travelers will discover.

So, back to my listening and more further along.

A Forward (aka The Warnings Nobody Reads or Takes to Heart)

Right. This, one of many attempts at blogging by yours truly, will be dedicated to not-quite-literary critiques. Think of it as snarkmentary, commentary + snarkiness. Some will be good, some wretched. Sort of like books, only not quite as well written as some. Possibly better than others. Hm…

Since I don’t always have time to read (the greatest agony of being a librarian—like being a diabetic kid in a candy store) I may occasionally hit on other topics. These may or may not include: WoW, D&D, life in the library, the color of the sky, or any and everything else. Including inane and/or insane rants. Consider yourself warned.