Bryce Courtenay,
After 24 years of writing, 21 Published Books, many of which are Best Sellers; Courtenay bids farewell to his fans after his battle of Stomach Cancer
It is sad how comfortable we are with our rut of a life, unwilling to change, and protesting it when we are forced to commit to something new and different, changes in laws, regulations that don’t suit our lifestyle; and yet, we advocate for difference, advances in technology, shifts in medical and social acceptance such as abortion and gay rights.
We sweat hypocrisy and yet look upon those with contempt who themselves are considered hypocrites, continuing the trend of paradox and equal hypocrisy.
We are free to make our decisions, but forced to make them providing they reside within legal boundaries, considering ourselves full of “free will” yet, at every corner subtly informed of our “choices”: The ‘best’ cologne, make-up, outfit, diet, and the newest gadget designed especially for “you”.
At every waking moment we are convinced, lied to, promised of better things, guaranteed to, to ensure that we remain “Happy”. Yet, are we truly happy? No. Each time we are gullible enough to believe such outlandish sayings, politicians, the most un-trustworthy of all human beings; ironically designated the role of ‘leading’ our countries, left to make the decisions. Guarantee’s for products that won’t break, yet more often do. Convinced of the best and “only” products on the markets whilst competitors make the exact same products.
We see poverty, slavery, famine, rape, murder and sadness ripping through our own countries as well as our neighbours. So comfortable we are, that for the fleeting moment that we are introduced to the idea that harm is coming to someone other than ourselves, we feel guilty, donating money and pledging to turn our lives around, doing something for them, the 40-hour famine and so forth. Yet by the time the week is out, our minds have consumed us into our monotonous life once again, the suffering of the people forgotten until once again reminded, ready to repeat the process again.
Our lives are nothing but ironic and full of hypocrisy, moreover, after reading this, nothing will change, we will not modify our behaviour until forced to do so, because this is the paradox of the human mind:
Change is good, but it will not occur until we are forced to do so.
Cést la vie.
(Source: roaringfox)
The amount of books I have is ridiculous.
(On libraries) “What’s great about them is that anybody can go into them and find a book and borrow it free of charge and read it. They don’t have to steal it from a bookshop… You know when you’re young, you’re growing up, they’re almost sexually exciting places because books are powerhouses of knowledge, and therefore they’re kind of slightly dark and dangerous. You see books that kind of make you go ‘Oh!’”
- Stephen Fry
I love this man.
Today, she announced the title,’The Casual Vacancy’, and a worldwide publication date, Sept. 27.
In her announcement this morning, Rowling said the book will be set in an English town called Pagford where things are not as idyllic as it seems on the surface.
Here’s what Little, Brown Book Group posted about the book on its web site this morning: “When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?”
Rowling’s first novel following the mega success of the seven Potter novels, which center around the adventures of the beloved boy wizard, will be published as a hardcover and as an e-book.
‘The Casual Vacancy’, the publisher says, will be “blackly comic.”
I think personally a lot of people will get overly excited about this book because it’s”The next book from J.K Rowling”. After Harry Potter, you have to realise that this isn’t going to suit the same tastes of those who are reading it.
I think a lot of people will be disappointed, one because it’s a completely different story and genre, and two because it’s not targeted towards a child/adult audience, mainly towards an adult audience. Which most people will choose to ignore.
I’m not sure how J.K Rowling has written this, but I’m sure she has taken this into consideration, but I think people should be aware that it’s not necessarily going to be “The next Harry Potter”.
Then again, I could be horribly wrong…
I need a new bookshelf.
