The Curious Incident

The title of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and its cover make this novel seems as a children's book, but it surely aren't that. The main character is a 15-year-old Christopher Boone, with his own words 'a mathematician with some behavioral difficulties'. Eventhought the writer has denied it and it's not said in the book, the summaries in the cover still claim he would have Asperger syndrome. But sure is Christopher has a severe problems to regonise and understand emotions.
   One night on his night-time trips in the neighbourhood he found his neighbour's dog Wellington cruelly murdered with a garden fork. Against his father's will he start to investigate the dead of Wellington and eventually he'll reveal some other secrets too...
   The narration is an interesting mix of scientific facts and childish naivety. Chapters are numbered with prime numbers, there's some graphic problems, mostly on math.  The title is a quote of Sherlock Holmes in the short story Silver Blaze.
   Christopher aren't the most easiest character to identify, but his narration voice force the reader to look things for his point of view, which is a fascinating experience.
   The whole reading experience could be described as a one word: interesting.

Mark: 6-

Victorian bachelor party

Like with 'J. Edgar', I'm not so sure what I should think about the newest Guy Richie's film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. A tiny voice in the back of my head  can't stop from screaming 'sacrilege!', but other voice tell me it's just entertaiment.
   The film is a sequel to Richie's first Holmes film, which became a blockbuster. A Game of Shadows is placed in time after the first part. Watson is finally going to married and the evil mastermind professor Moriarty intrigues. With these ingredients come into being a wild adventure throught continental Europe, reminding misleadingly a victorian bachelor party. There's suspicious foods, dancing, a man in woman's clothes and of course lots of explosions.
   Sherlock Holmes was a refreshing exception in Holmes canon. It brought a new perspective to original stories. But I can't say same from A Game of Shadows. It, like so many other Hollywood sequels, ride on success of it predecessor. It doesn't have the same wit and all marvellous hints to original stories had been replaced with populist jokes. Especially the handling of the character of Holmes' brother Mycroft and the connection to lower its quality. As a vacant eye candy the film work perfectly, but that's all.
   And the tiny voice keep screaming in the back of my head.

Mark: 7-

J. Edgar

I watched the Clint Eastwood's latest direction, J. Edgar, but don't have a clue what to think about it. As the name says, the film tells about J. Edgar Hoover, the founder of FBI.
   I don't know is the fault in me or the film, but it didn't caused any emotions in me. It was like staring a wall: it makes you feel just, well, hollow. Mayde it's 'cause I'm not an American. I don't know.
   So, I can't give any review. But if want to see Leonardo DiCaprio in dress, then go ahead.

Some videos

At last for those, who doesn't like english subtitles: now there is a great part of Finnish animation and comedy, Pasila, finally dubed to english. If interested, you can find it from site of Finnish National Television YLE.

Another video is a peak about something that I have also waited: first part of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. Now I can enjoy (finally) an OFFICIAL trailer.

Animal's revolution

George Orwell's Animal Farm is one of those books: everyone praise it, but I can't see what for. Yes, there was some good notices about power and it's using and it predicted pretty well the future of the Soviet Union. But still it's not more than one of those books which don't have any kind of impact on you.

   For those who haven't ever heard of this book: in Animal Farm animals start to rebel and they depose people and form nation where every animal are equal, at least in the beginning. Orwell who supported socialism, wrote his short novel as a satire about Soviet Union, which he think had forgot basic values of socialism.

Even if the novel based on clever thinking, it doesn't shine with literary merits. Comparisons to animals are too obvious and the text is way too pointing and underlining. It isn't funny or even entertaining. The spark that make you want to read more is conspicuously absent.

Mark: 5

In my bookshelf right now

One of the main battlefields, a city of Tampere, in 1918

• Väinö Linna's 'Under the North Star', parts 2 and 3. It tells about the same family, Koskelas, as the previous novel. Second part is placed around 1918, when there was Civil War. Third part place around Second World War.
• Criminal Minds, seasons 1 and 2. An American police series, which follows a profiler team from FBI's Behavior Analysis Unit (BAU).
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust. A tragic play about a scholar and a Devil.

Indrotuction

First part of Väinö Linna's trilogy, Under the Northen Star, is a bit confusing reading experiment. It's really slow and some times almost wearing stable, but still some how interesting. I don't know is it Linna's way to write or his accurate character description or what, but underneath a ordinary and prosaic there is a small tone, which makes you want to read more.
   The novel starts when Jussi, a crofter of a local clergyman, examine a marsh going to build his croft on it. The old clergyman gives a premision and with his wife Alma his start to desiccate the marsh and clear fields. The croft is named as Koskela (koski=rapids, -la=common ending in place's names). The whole trilogy follows life's of Koskela's occupants.
   The first part is truly prosaic, slow. Major events are among other things weddings, funerals, confirmations, births, common celebrations... In the beginning the novel tells the life of Jussi, but starts soon to follow the life of his son, Akseli. There is also some other important characters, like a self-educated socialist, taylor Halme and clergyman and his wife and crofter family of Kivivuori (kivi=rock, vuori=mountain), expecially the daughter Elina. Entire village of Pentinkulma (Pentti=Finnish man's name, -n=ending of genetive, kulma=corner) is filled with colourful people.
   The first part doesn't work as a independent novel, there isn't enough happenings to that. It's like a introduction, a beginning for something bigger and darker. That promise can be seen in the last sentences of the novel, which end a beautiful wedding episode: "Finnish summer is beautiful. But short."

Mark:   8 1/2