Wordly Obsessions

Book Review | ‘The Running Man’ by Stephen King

mywordlyobsessions — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:46:56 +0000

The Running Man by Stephen King My rating: 4 of 5 stars “He understood well enough how a man with …

My Easter reads…

mywordlyobsessions — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:03:43 +0000

One of the perks to being a teacher is the nice holidays you get between terms. As we enter a …

The Book That Cannot Be Read – The Mysterious Voynich Manuscript

mywordlyobsessions — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:22:11 +0000

National Geographic explores the mystery of the Voynich Manuscript – an ancient tome discovered by chance in 1912 by the book …

Gollum Vs. Smeagol Rap Battle

mywordlyobsessions — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 21:03:43 +0000

A new spin on Smeagol’s split-personality syndrome – and he wins hands down because he ‘drops the bass’. LMAO! Only …

2012 in review

mywordlyobsessions — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 14:39:10 +0000

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: 19,000 people fit into …

Best Books of 2012 Round-Up

mywordlyobsessions — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:40:12 +0000

It's that time of year again when I do a little retrospective of best books. I'm quite surprised that I've been a little frugal with my 5/5 stars, but 2012 has certainly put me in touch with some awesome authors I have never heard of or read before. So, without further ado, here's a taste of the best bits of how my reading year went.

Memorable Quote | ‘Fahrenheit 451′ by Ray Bradbury

mywordlyobsessions — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 20:26:46 +0000

Do you know that books smell like nutmeg or some spice from a foreign land? I loved to smell them …

Book Review | ‘The Woman in Black’ by Susan Hill

mywordlyobsessions — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 13:48:00 +0000

This was one of those books that had come to my attention thanks to the Hollywood remake. The visuals in the trailer were fabulously dark and grotesque and held a sort of promise of the type of Gothic we just don't get to see nowadays. But that was the movie, and I so desperately wanted to see it that I had to first hunt down the book. Which, as you know, is just the weird order in which I do things. I finally managed to get a copy and settled down to be scared out of my wits by this 'Jane Austen-esque ghost story', but to my disappointment found it very dry in description and wanting in the scare department. Maybe I had far too high an expectation of what is in reality, just a mediocre chilling tale about a vengeful spirit who haunts a remote backwater village.

Top Ten Most Hated Books

mywordlyobsessions — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 17:43:58 +0000

Recently I stumbled across a comment made by a reader of mine (Caroline Tien) who expressed, quite eloquently, her complete …

Book Review | Botchan by Natsume Soseki

mywordlyobsessions — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 17:38:29 +0000

Botchan' is an amusing account based on the ups and downs of the teaching profession which is closely related to Soseki's own short-lived stint as a teacher in Matsuyama. It is one of the most widely read novels in Japan and I can see why; anyone who has ever been a student or a teacher can completely relate to the many naughty things teachers AND students get up to. Schools were and still are utterly insane environments, and will drive even the calmest person mad. This is very much a summer read. It is mischievous and light-hearted with tones of Twain's 'Huckleberry Finn' running through it, as Botchan our slightly arrogant narrator, describes his early days as a juvenile delinquent and his karmic comeuppance as a pompous maths teacher. In the beginning Botchan comes across as a naughty kid who never really applies himself to his studies (unlike his brother) and is therefore always getting into all sorts of trouble. However, after his mother's tragic death he learns to grow up pretty fast. His father and brother look upon him as a waste of space, yet Kiyo the family servant, treats him like a prince, always telling him how he will one day be a 'great man'.