100 Books to read before I die (30 before 30)

 Just a quick post to make public my list of 100 books to read before I die. I've crossed out ones I've already read at this point. I intend to read a further 5 before my 30th birthday. Currently I'm reading my number 7. Wolf Hall. I will be updating on my full 30 before 30 challenge in the next few days.

 1. The colour purple – Alice Walker

2. Crime and punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky 

3. Utopia – Thomas More

4. Around the world in 80 days – Jules Verne

5. Hound of the Baskervilles – Arthur Conan Doyle

6. The name of the rose – Umberto Eco

7. Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel

8. The Trial – Frank Kafka

9. Slaughterhouse 5 – Kurt Vonnegut 

10. Tom Browns School Days – Thomas Hughes

11. The Odyssey – Homer

12. The Shooting Party – Anton Chekov

13. New Grub Street – George Gissing

14. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley 

15. A room with a view – E M Forster

16. The turn of the screw – Henry James

17. The Prince – Nicola Machiavelli

18. A Tale of two cities – Charles Dickens

19. The Fall – Albert Camus

20. The Moonstone – Wilkie Collins

21. The Republic – Plato

22. The Red and Black – Stendhal

23. Nausea – Jean-Paul Sartre

24. The Home and the World – Rabindranath Tagore

25. Six easy pieces – Richard Feynman

26. To Kill a mockingbird – Harper Lee

27. One hundred years of solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

28. A bend in the river – V.S Naipaul

29. The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett

30. Tom Jones - Henry Fielding 

31. Walden – Henry David Thoreau 

32. Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray

33. The Rape of the Lock – Alexander Pope

34. Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathon Swift

35. Germinal – Emile Zola

36. A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess

37. The Warden – Anthony Trollope

38. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

39. The Saga of the Volsungs – Jesse L Byock (translation)

40. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey

41. Candide – Voltaire

42. Last of the Mochicans - James Fenimore Cooper

43. Old Goriot – Honore Balzac 

44. King Solomens Mines – H Rider Haggard

45. The Lost World – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

46. The Monk – Matthew Lewis 

47. The Castle of Ortanto – Horace Walpole

48. The Fall of the house of Usher – Edgar Allen Poe

49. The Call of Cthulu – H.P Lovecraft

50. I Robot – Isaac Asimov

51. 2001 a space odyssey – Arthur C Clarke

52. The Tin Drum – Gunter Grass

53. Dracula – Bram Stoker

54. All Quiet on the western front – Erich Remarque

55. The Snows of Yesteryear – Gregor Von Rezzori

56. A Grain of wheat – Ngugi wa Thiong’o

57. Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe

58. Invisible Man – Ralph Elison

59. The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri

60. Rashomon – Ryunsuke Akutagawa

61. The Satanic Verses – Salmon Rushdie

62. Young Adam – Alexander Trocchi 

63. The God of small things –Arundhati Roy

64. Life Of Pi – Yann Martel 

65. Three Kingdoms – Kuan-Chung Lo

66. Monkey – Wu Ch’eng-en

67. Jamaica Inn – Daphne Du Maurier

68. The Good Soldier – Ford Madox Ford

69. Diary of a nobody – George Grossman

70. Three men in a boat – Jerome K Jerome

71. Faust – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

72. Bel-ami – Guy Maupassant

73. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck

74. Long walk to freedom – Nelson Mandela

75. White Teeth – Zadie Smith

76. A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemmingway

77. The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Victor Hugo

78. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

79. Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

80. For Whom The Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemmingway

81. Importance of being earnest – Oscar Wilde

82. Brighton Rock – Graham Greene

83. Fathers and Sons – Ivan Turgenev

84. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson 

85. Frankenstein – Mary Shelley

86. A Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

87. Lord of the Flies – William Golding

88. The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald 

89. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

90. Invisible Man – H G Wells

91. Moby Dick – Herman Melville 

92. The Riddle of the Sands – Erskine Childers

93. The Catcher in the Rye – J.D Salinger

94. Catch 22 – Joseph Heller

95. The 39 Steps – John Buchan

96. The Canterbury Tales – Geoffrey Chaucer

97. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad

98. Paradise Lost – John Milton

99. Ulysses – James Joyce

100. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy 

Dapper Chapper film reviews - Star Trek into darkness/Iron Man 3

Well as any of you who read my post about my 30 before 30 challenge one of my aims is to review films that I see in the cinema. Well I’ve got the week off work at the moment so I’ve been able to get to cinema a few times this week. I’ve already been twice this week to see both Star Trek into darkness and Iron Man 3. I will not go into them too much just a brief overview followed by my opinion. I will not be giving a star rating or anything like that. I will simply leave that to your own judgment. So here goes.

Star Trek Into Darkness

First off I should probably make clear I’m not a Trekkie. I have watched a little bit of the original series, some next generation and a few of the films including the 2009 Star Trek. So I would definitely put myself in the casual viewer category. It was the 2009 JJ Abrahams reboot that got me excited about seeing the new one. I really enjoyed the pace and scale of it. Into Darkness picks up with crew of the enterprise a few years down the line. They are out exploring the universe as in accordance with their role. However things get thrown up in the air when a terrorist from within Starfleet starts a one man war against them. Of course it’s down to captain Kirk and his crew to stop him. It’s not that simple of course. 

The film kicks off at a break neck speed and barring a few talky scenes, it hardly lets up for the entire 2 hour 20 minute runtime. From my limited watching of the show it was never that fast paced which is probably one of the reasons I never got into it. Sure it was interesting but never caught my imagination. It may sound an odd thing to say as it’s an incredibly successful tv show but I think star trek is far better suited to the medium of film instead of television. The sheer scale of ideas means only a movie budget can do it full justice. However I’m straying from the point so early in this review, I’ll get back to it.

I’ll get the bad things out of the way then move on to the good. The bad things are not so bad it ruined them but it wouldn’t be fair not to mention them. The pace of the film does overshadow some of the weaker parts of the movie, most notably the plot that doesn’t really make sense if you think about it too hard. There are moments that I wont mention in fear of spoiling for people, however there are parts that for me are set up and resolved so quickly you don’t get a chance to really care about it. There are a lot of twists and turns in the story but unfortunately some of them were a little bit too predictable. 

On the good side there is some brilliant acting all round in this but there were two cast members that really stood out. First of all that of our very own Benedict Cumberbatch who is not only the possessor of one of the worlds best name, but he is also of a sublime acting pedigree. He plays dark and brooding so brilliantly that even though he is the antagonist here a bit of you wants him to win. The other great performance was that of Zachary Quinto who doesn’t just play Spock he IS Spock he inhabits the role in a way changes a great recital to an outstanding one. The central relationship between him and Kirk, that really holds the film together.

One of my favourite things about the 2009 Star Trek was the score and the same is true of this instalment. The best soundtracks are ones that make you fill up with emotion just on hearing it.  As soon as that main theme kicked in I was there with it, rooting for the crew. There are so many action sequences in this film it’s hard to pick out a favourite but for the most part they are done exceedingly well. I’m glad I saw this film in 2D as I think there is no way my brain could have kept up with the pace in 3D. I’m certainly not sold on 3D and frankly I find it hard to see how a film that looks as brilliant as this could be improved with something flying out at your face every five minutes.

To sum up I very much enjoyed this film. I can’t say it was as good as the last because although on an action front it was certainly cranked up a few more notches it seemed to lack something that the first one had. I’m not sure if it’s the slightly wonky plot or the fact I could see most of the major points coming but it didn’t quite hold my attention in the same way. That said I still left the cinema with a large and satisfying grin across my face and I’m interested to see what will come next in the franchise. Also the quality of the action set pieces makes me glad that Abrahams is the man in charge of the next Star Wars film. I don’t think it could be better hands we certainly know it’s been in worse.

Iron Man 3

 

As with Star Trek aside from the marvel films I know literally nothing about the Iron Man universe. So I’m not going to review it based on any super nerdy background knowledge of it. So if they have made a heinous error I simply wouldn’t know about it. The movie picks after the events of Avengers Assemble which have certainly left their mark on Tony Stark. In fact he’s suffering from insomnia and post- traumatic stress disorder which is at least partly debilitating. To top it all a new threat has reared its head. A terrorist simply known as the Mandarin who has launched several attacks on American soil and utterly destroys Tony’s world. An angry Tony vows to take the Mandarin down. However, he is stranded in the middle of nowhere with only a broken prototype version of his suit and a small boy for company. 

So I will start off with what I didn’t like about the film again because I think it’s always nice to end on a high and frankly there is not much that I don’t like about this film so it’s good to get it out of the way. Again I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I will keep details to a minimum. One of the things that took me out of film a bit as I tried to work it out but the main adversary’s motivation does seem a little bit abstruse. To be honest I’m still not really sure why they do what they do. The other problem for me was with the powers that the enemies have which just seem a little ill- conceived and inconsistent in their portrayal. As with Star Trek these things didn’t ruin the film but they do knock a few marks off.

The good things about this film are far more numerous. One of the over arcing themes of the movie is that when bad things happen society craves a scapegoat, a hate figure someone to put up as the face of evil. It also heavily suggests that certain governments are quite happy to find and promote such an idea. It’s rare you get a blockbuster movie of this size tackling such subjects so a lot of credit has to go to the writers for bringing that to the fold.

The action sequences in this are as ever pulled off very well and as with Star Trek before I’m glad I saw this in 2D not 3D as I’m sure you would have thrown up trying to keep up with it. Unlike Star Trek where there are twists they are on the whole pretty unpredictable. One in particular will definitely catch you out unless you have been scouring the internet beforehand to find all the spoilers. There are moments of general peril that do make you worry for your protagonist. The enemy do provide a credible threat and it does not descend into the transformers-esque robots hitting each other.

Probably the most interesting aspect of the story is that Stark spends comparatively little time in his suit. A large chunk of the film is spent with him alone on the road and this made t a lot more enjoyable for me because you get to spend a lot of time with Tony as Tony. The one liners, the false bravado and the reminders that this guy is a genius and given scant resources’ can still kick some serious arse. 

Iron man has always been on the more humorous side of the comic book adaptations and this is one of things that make it stand out. Ultimately many super hero stories follow a very similar path. It’s what you do to dress it up that makes the difference between the Batman’s and the Green Lantern’s. Tony Stark is an interesting and controversial character and it’s Robert Downey Jnr that ultimately holds it together. It’s rare that a 3^rd instalment in a franchise is anything more than a cynical cash grab on the back of the success of the original. I’m glad to say this is a very successful buck of trend. That being said its hard to say how much further it could go.

The Dapper Chappers 30 before 30 challenge

I recently turned 29 and though I probably should have done this about 10 years ago I’ve decided to set myself a 30 before 30 challenge. As I have less than a year to complete this challenge the list beneath contains achievable goals. With limited time (and money) there will be no visiting of exotic climbs or learning of new languages. Those are goals I must set for life as a whole. Neither will be be there any silly goals like learning an instrument or discovering a new species of beetle. Those are probably just fantasy. There are however plenty of things that I’ve always intended to do but for one reason or another never have. To complete the challenge I need to complete all of the following goals.  For those that are applicable I will keep a blog which in itself will help with one or two of my aims. So the list is as follows.

1.       Lose at least 3 stone

2.       Set  a date for our wedding

3.       Brew an alcohol

4.       Attend the Sheffield beer festival

5.       Learn and use a new word every week

6.       Get a new Job

7.       Go to new restaurants

8.       Visit the cinema at least once a month

9.       Learn a new photography technique a month

10.   Go to a film festival

11.   Do something to raise money or awareness for charity

12.   Go on at least one long distance walk (10 miles plus)

13.   Start writing a book and keep going.

14.   Help around the house more often.

15.   Start Swimming/exercising again and keep it going.

16.   Go palm oil free

17.   Find and join a photography club

18.   Enter at least  5 photo competitions

19.   Start reviewing movies on my blog.

20.   Do something nice for Laura at least once a week

21.   Watch the sunrise/sunset on the beach

22.   Be more green

23.   Make vegan truffles for Laura

24.   Read 5 books from my 100 book to read before I die list

25.   Blog at least once a month

26.   Spend less, save more

27.   Make somebody a gift from scratch

28.   Visit Scotland, Ireland or Wales

29.   Go to the Harry Potter studios.

30.   Make a giant version of a confection.

The Rings of Akhaten review

 

“We don’t walk away”

Well the first thing I have to say about this episode is its very different from last weeks. The opening scenes provided a little more insight into Clara’s background. We see the meeting of her parents her some saves her father from being run over after he staggered into the road because he was hit in the face with a falling leaf. This scene reminded me of Rose saving her dad in Father’s Day. There are more scenes on the Doctor “stalking” Clara as she grows up. We see where Clara gets her 101 places to see book and that her mother died when she was growing up. It’s something that obviously affected her and would come to have greater relevance later in the episode.

So after the still awesome new titles; we catch up with Clara grasping her book and waiting for the Doctor like she said she would. Taking her travelling in the TARDIS for real for the first time she asks to see “something awesome” and he does just that. As I mentioned last week, Doctor Who has never looked better and this week’s episode showed that off in spades. The visuals just get better and better, I loved the look of the meteorites that made up the rings of a very Saturnian looking Akhaten, all surrounding either a sun or more likely gas giant type of planet. 

That said when we get down on to one of the asteroids it does have a lot more of the feel of RTD era Who with different aliens milling about. The costume department must have had a field day but for me it brought to mind “The end of the world” and to a lesser extent “Turn left” even the musical sting seemed to scream the reference. There are a lot of nice interactions between Clara and the aliens and the new world she’s in here. This Culminates in a slightly daft barking alien which while is probably chucked in for the kids does give chance to introduce an important plot point. They don’t use money; things of sentimental worth are traded instead. A great concept but probably a pain in the arse when you pop to the shops for a pint of milk and some bread and all you have on you is your wedding ring.

When the Doctor and Clara are split up she meets a young girl known as the queen of years. Her elaborate costume and title tell us she’s not superfluous to this story. Indeed this scared little girl has an integral role to play and it was nice to see the interaction between her and Clara because it shows of one of the strengths she has as a companion.  She’s inquisitive and compassionate with a sense of adventure. Far more so than I think Amy ever was. I really like her however the Tardis doesn’t seem to; it wouldn’t let her in just as it wouldn’t let Jack in after he became immortal. There’s something about her that’s not usual and clearly the Tardis knows it.

Blimey I’ve done four paragraphs already and we aren’t that far through. I’ll try to be more succinct. Clara has convinced Merry (the queen of years) to perform her song. A crowd is gathered of which the Doctor and Clara form a part and the next few scenes are some of my favourite from the whole episode. The central concept being that Merry’s people sing songs to the “grandfather” or god to keep him appeased. The ritual being passed on from generation to generation. A second more mature male chorister stands much nearer to the “god” and also sings to him. The singing and all round performance of Merry was astounding. The songs themselves felt ethereal the kind of music that I’d love to fall asleep to. It really stuck with me since seeing the episode I’ve been humming bits to myself at random.

Unfortunately the singing does not seem to be working this time. Merry gets captured and of course it’s up to the Doctor and Clara to save her. To follow Merry they must hire a kind of space moped to hop to the next asteroid. Here Clara is made to give over something of huge sentimental value, her mother’s ring, in exchange for the moped. Though surely the Doctor could have given up something instead? Maybe he is just testing her mettle as a companion. They chase her down and follow her into a sort of chapel/tomb. It was nice to see the sonic screwdriver being used for what its original purpose, opening doors, even immensely heavy ones.  It’s also later put to use in a sonic battle with the creepy vigil that was more than a little akin to the battles between Voldermort and Harry Potter.

It’s at this time where we learn that the big bad, a kind of vampire of souls with a mean looking face and a temper to match isn’t really the big bad at all but just his “alarm clock” The real enemy seems to be the Planet/Star itself. I have to admit that while I enjoyed the premise it’s nice to have an enemy that isn’t conveniently humanoid in appearance but I did find the pumpkin face a bit silly but I like the episode far too much to let that spoil it. The speech the Doctor gives at the end of the episode is emotional and wrought with a passion that shows that Matt Smith just IS the Doctor these days. It’s clearly effortless for him and that’s what makes him the best Doctor in new who by some margin.

The doctor of course is always better when working with a companion and this episode was no exception. The central conceit being that the Planet/Sun feeds of memories or stories means that Clara becomes incredibly important. The leaf that she keeps in the front of her book, the same one that caused her parents to meet is, to her, the most important leaf in human history. Filled with the memories of her mother’s premature death means its imbibed with all the possibilities of a life cut short. For me personally that was very powerful and a great way to defeat the enemy. Essentially force feeding it too much memory until it imploded.

Like I’ve already said or at least implied I really enjoyed this episode. I’ve mentioned a few of the references and pop culture mentions already but there are a lot more than that sprinkled in there. I really enjoy things that are heavily referential it brings out the nerd in me, well I say brings out it feeds the nerd in me. What I’ve really enjoyed about these first two episodes is on first viewing they are easy to follow and enjoyable stories. On the second or third viewing you get more from it, you notice little things that may or may not be significant. It’s like having a puzzle in part work, every episode adds more pieces but also jumbles them around a little just for fun. Something the first part of the series lacked was continuity. The much maligned (wrongly) arc is back and long may it continue.