Can you wear yellow?

[bethnoir]

I reading this book at the moment,
it's one of those "throw you in at the deep end" ones with a very alien world, hundreds of new creatures, places and concepts to comprehend. I'm enjoying it, but it's quite hard work. Do you love it when words you've never seen written down before appear regularly? The last time this happened for me was Umberto Eco I think, had to keep a notebook.
Might have to pick up something more relaxing today for when I'm tired.

Had a cool dream last night. I was at school/university in an English lesson. The female teacher was jumping from subject to subject, asking questions and then not letting anyone answer and basically not providing a very coherent lesson, which was annoying me. Suddenly she said she was going to show us a film which cheered me up.

It was projected onto a big white screen at the back of the room, it was Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie singing a song I'd never heard before, in a refectory somewhere. Siouxsie was wearing a lemon coloured minidress with a peach cardigan draped around her shoulders and Budgie was looking super cute. They were both really young, teenagers I think. There was some screaming at the end, kind of punky, but that's all I remember. In the dream, I was singing along, entranced by the song and decided that the teacher wasn't so bad after all.



Wonder if it exists? Siouxsie can even look good in yellow velvet, what a woman.

Comments

[wolfy-codex.livejournal.com]

She does indeed look good yellow, although perhaps, umm, just ever so slightly she may also give off something of the appearance of a melancholy banana. Still, I suppose that can't be helped.

Your dream sounds all sorts of fun though. Hm, I wonder if the song you dreamed was entirely made up or a subconscious memory of something you've heard sometime before? Well, these things are usually complex constructs but you can pride yourself methinks on having evidence of a most creative and imaginative subconscious!

Ooh, I must read some China Mieville someday. But then there's a lot of books I must read someday. Annoyingly everything I have to read at the moment seems exceptionally flawed in one way or another and it doesn't make fitting readings into the rest of my busy schedule any easier. Oh well, maybe I shall yet be pleasantly surprised one of these days. Hopes your intricate sci-fi proves suitably engrossing. :)

melancholy banana *giggles*

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

I'm still not sure he's a "Must Read", but I'm enjoying his imagination at the moment. This one is even longer than Kraken, I fervently hope there isn't really rubbish non-ending here too. I had nothing else to read, this has a train ticket from 2002 I was going to use as a bookmark in it, which shows how long things stay in my "to read" pile!

I think it was a totally new song, but I'm not an early Siouxsie expert, so it is possible that I heard it somewhere and subconsciously remembered it, I prefer goth Sioux to full on punk Sioux really. I think she's the best melancholy banana I've ever seen :-)

Oh whilst I remember, I did see a Mills and Boon vampire romance in the charity shop the other week, I couldn't actually bring myself to buy it, but I was impressed that it existed. Someone was obviously tidying their bookshelf as there were loads of urban fantasy paperbacks there too, again not tempted to actually pay for them, but amazing to see how many authors are getting published doing this kind of thing these days!

Re: melancholy banana *giggles*

[wolfy-codex.livejournal.com]

Well, he's an interesting guy that Mr. Mieville and not just because of his silly name. Hee, his middle name is Tom! Still, any D&D playing Lovecraft and Tolkein inspired member of the Socialist Workers party must have something interesting to say you would have thought.

Well indeed, of all the great many melancholy bananas it has been my privilege to know I must say that Miss Sioux is the best looking one. *nods* Hm, I do prefer goth Sioux to punk Sioux as well but then I prefer goth to punk generally. Her newest new solo album was ok, but I can't say I got too overexcited.

Teehee, ah yay for the Nocturne series which is naturally not at all a blatant cash in like all the myriad of others that are popping up now. We've had a fair few urban fantasy stuff at the shop lately too, and some silly steampunk affairs but mayhap that will appeal to the goths? Still, you have to admit, they tend to have quite easily parodied covers!

book cover poses

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

That man has no vanity does he?

I like these photos too, that is one impressive beard

http://laughingsquid.com/men-ups-men-posing-like-classic-female-pin-up-models/

There was a whole article I read the other day, getting annoyed about women on film posters posed so their bottoms are facing the viewer, tipped up at an unnatural angle whilst they look back over their shoulder, usually holding guns. Double standard much?

I love my bear.

[wolfy-codex.livejournal.com]

Hee, Mr. Hines really is quite a silly man but there is a point to his playfulness. He previously did a recreation of typical female cover poses to illustrate just quite how unnatural they tend to be, and that the male versions, though equally unnatural still tend to be more about manly power and dominance than objectifying sexuality. So yes, a good man too.

It is a highly impressive beard indeed though! :D

Re: I love my bear.

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

from the female cover poses it was pose 3 I was trying to describe. I wonder who decides that these poses are a good idea?

I often think it's odd how in successive editions they change the covers, as if they've decided they need to appeal to a new audience or they've gone off the original artistic vision. I get confused about some books and can't remember if I've read them or not.

The Terry Pratchett and JK Rowling 'grown ups' covers seem a bit insulting to original readers, or is that just me? I really don't think I've ever bought a book on the strength the cover, although I avoid pink girlie covers in the library, how about you?

Re: I love my bear.

[wolfy-codex.livejournal.com]

I do find it striking just quite how similar a lot of those fantasy covers are to all the myriad Mills & Boon books I sort through each day at the shop. That in itself has rather put me off reading a lot of them. It rather gives the impression they are less about the story and rather more to some mythical romantic ideal and whilst of course it may be all silly fantasy stuffs, some nod towards content rather than style might be appreciated, especially since they all end up looking the same and so rather continue to uphold fantasy's bad name as not being a proper serious genre.

I was always rather puzzled by the 'grown up' covers for Pratchett though. Josh Kirby's art always seemed quite grown up enough for me. The 'Adult Editions' as I find them amusingly entitled on Amazon, of Harry Potter are really just a bit weird. Both are really in no way representative of the books which they, umm, enjacket! (To invent a fun new word!) I'm not sure how insulting it might be but it's certainly a weird logic. People are embarassed to be seen reading a book with a 'childish' cover? Doubtless these people would be among the first to claim that adults can enjoy them too if they were caught out on the matter. So doesn't hiding from the fact rather undermine that more noble sentiment?

I assume most revamps of covers are largely to do with marketing more than anything else but in the end I don't suppose I mind too much. The obsessive perfectionist in me does rather like to have a series of books on the shelves all in the same cover style. It is nice to have pretty books but its far from the biggest factor for me. I've certainly never chosen a tome purely because of the cover art but I can't say I'm probably not more naturally inclined to a book that looks interestingly artistic if not dark and gothy to one that does not. I suppose it starts to matter a bit more now that kindles and such are taking off, the paper book needs that extra aesthetic quality to keep hold of its value as an object alongside its downloadable cousin perhaps.

book covers, I lied

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

Oops, I just remembered that I lied, I did buy the Necronomicon in Waterstones because I wanted to own that particular edition, but usually the cover is not so important.

I just got a book from the library which the librarian told me was worth £300. Curious, when I looked it up on Amazon it costs £18 so it must be more available than it used to be. She seemed dubious about letting me take it away (it's an obscure anthropological book from 1972, hardly in demand), I assured her I wouldn't eat and orange whilst reading it or read it in the bath.

The prices things sell for and the value of them are not always the same are they? Would you consider having a kindle? Mr Bethnoir is quite keen on the practicality of them, but I do like the physical presence of a paper book.

Re: book covers, I lied

[wolfy-codex.livejournal.com]

*gasps* How can I ever trusts you again?! Erm, in fairness though it sounds that it was still the book you wanted rather than the cover.

Hm, is the book a swishy first edition or somesuch? Does it perhaps contain Lucifer's hidden code to unlock the Ninth Gate?! Hee, well I'm sure you'd be no more likely to damage it that you might any other book from the library. Perhaps you should take it with you to the beach and have an ice cream? :)

Ah, well I have a kindle but as yet I haven't really found any great use for it. Mostly this is because it only works through a wireless connection and my home interweb is very much wired. I do prefer the physical book myself too though the electronic reading device does have potential for the creation of new media experiences, integrated stories with video and such but for the simple reading of a story there is no greater device than the book. :)

kindle

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

oh, I thought you could download stuff and read it anywhere, but if it's dark you need a light, so not quite anywhere. I'm not really tempted, except when I run out of books I want to read or when they're out of print, but seem to cost about £1.50 on Amazon.

Re: kindle

[wolfy-codex.livejournal.com]

Well the kindle isn't backlit like a mobile phone might be so indeed you can't read it in the dark. The rationale seemingly being partly to reduce screen glare since many kindle readers read outdoors and also to increase the length of time between charging. Apparently you can get little lights that attach to it though that isn't really any different to reading a book with a nightlight. Still, I can't say I've really found much use for mine but then I has plenty of real books yet to read. Also the wireless only thing isn't really convenient for me, although you can get models that work through 3G as well, but mine is just the basic flavour.

[miss-october.livejournal.com]

I love that pic of her.

I cannot wear yellow. The only yellow I own is a black top, that has colorful beads on it, and some of the beads are yellow.

I think when you have black hair, you can get away with any color!

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

well, I had black hair for a few years (I can tell you're surprised, what with me being a goth and all) and I could definitely wear red, which I can't now, it was mainly an accompaniment to black though!

Yellow is a no no for me too. I was trawling the internet for photos of Siouxsie in yellow and this came up, it's a nice photo isn't it? I didn't like the album the photo was taken for that much, but it would be worth buying just for the photo on the front really :-)

[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

Ah the divine Ms S - I named my black cat after her 20 years ago. If I wear yellow, I look like I have a kidney complaint :-)

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

yes, I look jaundiced too. It must suit someone, not sure who though (apart from Siouxsie). How is the recovery coming along? Hope you're regaining your energy.

Getting There

[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

I have gone back to doing my English, primarily because I had good grades and I didn't want to sit through this all again at my own expense next academic year.

Must admit, it has all but polished me off. I am exhausted. I spent 4 hours on Tuesday writing a 1st person narrative, a talk (Room 101 and what I would put in it) and a rold play sequence where I had to play a reformed drug addict (do not underestimate my need for cake LOL). Spent the following day in bed!!! Recovering though and I have to look down the barrel of a 4 hour stint re Romeo and Juliet :-D

Re: Getting There

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the Romeo and Juliet, I'm sure you'll do a good job of it when you are revived by cake. I had need of a chocolate muffin on Friday and my lovely manager bought one for me, felt much better afterwards.

Re: Getting There

[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

Chocolate muffin sounds good to me :-9

[tzuki17.livejournal.com]

I used to wear a yellow kimono -ish robe that I bought because of a character in an Iris Murdoch novel who wore one and because I'd read somewhere babies focus on yellow and I was having my first baby & wanting to do it all properly so took that kind of thing oh-so-seriously (son number 2 getting any such considerations!)

[bethnoir.livejournal.com]

I'd never read that babies like yellow, I did find black less practical than before with small babies as I was constantly covered in possets of first milk then fromage frais, or so it seemed!

I bet you looked gorgeous in it.