I've spent the day filming today. Well, no, that's not entirely accurate. I spend the morning sleeping and listening Jonathan Ross, natch, and the afternoon filming. The filming has been for 'The Secret Diary of Sam Jackson' and the story of how this all came about is far too long-winded to go into just now but maybe I'll tell you all later. Suffice to say that it is a (sort of mock) documentary I've been involved in for quite some time now, which had finished filming until Guy, the director, decided we needed to bung a few more bits in to make it make sense. Am I making any sense? Anyway, much fun and chocolate (Dairy Milk: it's in my contract) was had by all.
Harry Potter. Ah Harry Harry Harry. I finished the Order of the Phoenix (book 5) again the other day and immediately picked up book 1 to begin the whole wonderful thing all over again. I really can't wait for book 6, which will be entitled The Half-Blood Prince apparently, to come out. If you haven't read them up to now, I URGE you to go out and do it now. Why would I want to read a kid's book, you may well ask? Well, what I think is most remarkable about these books is that, as you may be aware, each book details another year in Harry's school career. This means that in each successive book, Harry is a year older (beginning at 11 and currently 15) and along with this, the reading age of the book goes up. The first is a kid's book - clever and absorbing undoubtedly, but a kid's book. But by the time you get to book 4, the Goblet of Fire, it really is very very dark indeed. The end of book 4 is genuinely chilling, I get goosebumps reading it. And don't come to me with all your 'But the films are out, why don't I just watch them instead' nonsense. If that is really what you think then you have no soul, none whatsoever. How can a film EVER give you what a good book can? An experience so individual, so personal to the reader that it touches you in a way nothing else ever could - it is assimilated into your consciousness and changes you and the way you think forever.
Oh dear, that's all a bit wanky, isn't it?
True though.
And I've got a bit of a thing about Professor Remus Lupin at the moment too. THAT'S how real a book can be.
Yes, I am obviously a bit sad.
In other news, my ex-brother-in-law (who still counts as family as far as I'm concerned!) Mick, has been involved in a rather interesting project recently. They've produced some dress-em-up fridge magnets, Mag-Babes and Mag-Boys, which I urge you to check out and play with but ONLY if you are open minded and don't mind seeing men's and women's rude bits. VERY rude bits... I like Nico best.
P.S. Still sparkling...
4 comments:
Have you read Phillip Pullan's Northern Lights and the other two (the trilogy has a name but M has been awake all night and at the moment all I can think of is 'his master's voice', which I am pretty sure isn't it)? I have similar feelings about them and they are supposedly kids' books too.
Bah. I left you a comment yesterday but it has disappeared into the ether somewhere. It was very well-thought-out, erudite and profound, of course, but the gist was: have you read Phillip Pullman's his dark materials trilogy? Cos i liked them too.
(And as I post this I am almost sure we've had this conversation before. Ah well.)
Oh what do you know? Now they are both there.
(sulk)
I have indeed read His Dark Materials (Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass) and absolutely loved them - I think they are my Desert Island Books in fact. I've just managed to get Tudor to start Northern Lights, he seems to be enjoying it so far... I wouldn't normally go for a 'fantasy' type novel but everytime I read them (and it's probably into double figures now) I just marvel at how delicately Philip Pullman weaves the elements of the story together, many of them very weighty and complex for a so-called children's book, to create a rich tapestry of intellect which is as accessible to an 11 year old as it is to an 81 year old.
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