Three impotant British personalities have died this week: Anthony Minghella, Arthur C. Clarke and Paul Scofield. Who were they? Click on their names to read about their work and lives and then try this short matching activity.
Sonya Worthy, an American in San Francisco (CA), goes around the city photographing people and talking to them about their reading habits and the books they are reading at that moment. She then posts the information on her interesting blog People Reading. Why not visit her site and leave a comment? by Fernanda W.
Here in Brazil we’re approaching to summer holidays and if you’re looking for a good book to read, don’t miss John Grisham’s The Innocent Man. In fact, this is not really a new book – it was released almost a year ago, but it is his most recent one (at least here) - and didn’t get the coverage it deserves, again, at least in our country. And with the banning of death penalty in New Jersey its central discussion is strengthened.
In his first incursion to non-fictional books John Grisham tells the story of Ron Williamson, a baseball player from Oklahoma, who had a brilliant future, but at some point of his life derailed and started to decline mentally and physically due to drinking and drug abuse. He was arrested and charged with a crime he didn’t commit in a succession of malpractices made by the police and the prosecutor – who were under pressure to find the murderers – and by representatives of the legal system – who refused to acknowledge that he wasn’t mentally capable to face a trial.
Don’t be discouraged by the fact that the book deals with heavy subjects and portrays such a tragic character: John Grisham is absolutely brilliant in catching and holding the attention of any reader. Actually he teaches how a real story can be as thrilling as a fictional one.
Although the book appears to be strongly biased - it doesn't look like that Grisham's journalistic job covered all the angles - it raises issues related to American criminal system which need discussion and surpass the death penalty itself: the false testimonies produced by the possibility of penalty reduction, the weaknesses of polygraph tests and other doubtful tests presented at court room as scientifically consistents, the difficulties of finding the real criminals when the police focus on a single suspect and closes the possibilities of investigating other suspects...
All these questions make this moving and compelling story a must read. And when it comes to the death penalty discussion, if you're against it, you’ll feel that your arguments are validated; if you’re pro, you’ll have second thoughts. Moreover, if you believe in America’s penal system, you’ll be shocked to discover that Ron Williamson’s case is not an exception…
Check also:
An interview with John Grisham on The Innocent Man (video)
DNA tests get man freed after 26 years
Dear friend Nina Liakos, from the U.S., has sent me an invitation to join this very cool community. Shelfari is for all bookworms who love reading and talking about books. You can see what your friends are reading, what others with similar tastes have enjoyed, and even get and give book recommendations. Joining is free and you can create your own "virtual shelf" and share it with other members. Visit Shelfari and be part of the group!
If you are anything like me and do not have any magic powers, you are a 'muggle'. And if you are like millions of muggles around the world, you must be looking forward to the seventh - and final - instalment of Harry Potter's adventures, to be released on July 21st, 10 years after the first book was published. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' will supposedly answer all the questions that are still unanswered and show the final confrontation between the wizard and his enemy Lord Voldemort.
A lot is already being said about the book and the recently released 5th movie of the series (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), so here's a series of interesting links to articles and activities about the world of Harry Potter:
- How much can we speculate about the new book by analyzing its cover? Here are some interesting ideas to start you thinking;
- Find the names of some of the most important characters in this wordsearch activity (the words may be found across, down or diagonally, in any direction!);
- What do you know about the writer J.K. Rowling? Try this fun quiz and test yourself! Then learn more about her reading her biography and trying a reading activity;
- Here is a question & answer activity to know more about Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who plays in the movies the most famous wizard in the world;
- Have you read any of the other Harry Potter books? Why not write a short review? Click and see what other people have written. The fun part? Your review must have a maximum of 7 words!
by Daniel R.
Since we are talking about books this week, here's a beautiful song written by Sting. It describes a character from the book "Interview with a vampire", the best-selling novel written by Anne Rice. It talks about the life of a vampire in New Orleans, whose fate it is to live forever in the dark and never see the sunlight. Look at the lyrics. What can we learn about this man?
If you would like to know more about the novel, click here.
There’s a moon over Bourbon Street tonight
I see faces as they pass beneath the pale lamplight
I’ve no choice but to follow that call
The bright lights, the people, and the moon and all
I pray everyday to be strong
For I know what I do must be wrong
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over Bourbon Street
It was many years ago that I became what I am
I was trapped in this life like an innocent lamb
Now I can never show my face at noon
And you’ll only see me walking by the light of the moon
The brim of my hat hides the eye of a beast
I’ve the face of a sinner but the hands of a priest
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over Bourbon Street
She walks everyday through the streets of New Orleans
She’s innocent and young from a family of means
I have stood many times outside her window at night
To struggle with my instinct in the pale moon light
How could I be this way when I pray to God above
I must love what I destroy and destroy the thing I love
Oh you’ll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet
While there’s a moon over Bourbon Street
Do you know the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover"? It's true that we shouldn't form our opinion about something or someone based simply on what they look like, but we can say a lot about a book by looking at its front and back covers. Have you ever tried doing that?
Click here to see the front cover of Peter Mayle's bestseller, A Year in Provence. What can you say about the book by looking at its cover? How does the illustration help you anticipate what the story is going to be about? What images come to your mind when you think about the French countryside? Do they correspond to the images you see on the cover? What kind of people will Mayle meet during the time he is there? What do people eat and drink there? What kind of problems is he going to have?
Now click on back cover on the left side of the webpage. What other information do you have about the book? What adjectives are used to describe it? Who is talking about the book? Who are they? Why do you think their opinions appear there?
Did the covers help you have an idea of what the book is about? Do they make you curious about the story? Is this a book you would like to read?
And how about trying a vocabulary activity?
What are you reading at the moment? Are you reading (or have you just read) any interesting book in English or in your own language? What is it about? Are you enjoying it? Tell us a little bit about it in our 'comments' area! Then we can make a list with our readers' suggestions. If you prefer, you can send us your post/message (platypusmail@gmail.com) to be published on the blog!
Bill Clinton called it "The Woodstock of the mind". The Hay-on-Wye International Festival of Literature and Arts is celebrating its 20th anniversary in an informal atmosphere, with writers and readers meeting to talk about art, literature and writing in every medium.
Hay-on-Wye (also known as Y-Gelly, in Welsh) is located near the English border (click on the map to expand the image), and every year thousands of book lovers flock the small Welsh market town to participate in what is considered to be one of the most important (and fun!) literary festivals in the world. It's a great place to find second-hand and out-of-print books, and also a good starting point to explore the Brecon Beacons National Park, with its mountains and breathtaking landscape.
This year, the festival goes from 24th May to 3rd June. Here are some of last year's attractions.
Here is a puzzle for you. Put the pieces together to form the cover of a classic novel by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice. Have you ever read it? Have you ever read any of her books?
Did you know that it is possible to download this novel for free? Just go to Project Gutemberg's website, click on the title and choose one of the many files available, or read the book online. You can also download the audio file.
Trying to get the names of some authors and their books right is not easy sometimes... Here is a text (written originally in Portuguese) by Luis Fernando Veríssimo.
- Ok, let’s start again. It´s D.H. Lawrence, of Arabia. T.S. Lawrence wrote ‘Lady Chatterley…’.
- Exactly. Wait! No. It´s T.S. Lawrence of Arabia. D.H. Lawrence wrote ‘Lady Chatterley…’.
- Are you sure?
- Wait a minute. It´s not T.S. Lawrence. It´s T.S. Eliot.
- Eliot of Arabia?
- No! Eliot the poet. It´s E.M. Lawrence.
- E.M. Forster. A Passage to India.
- Then it´s H.G. Lawrence!
- Isn´t it H.G. Wells? War of the Worlds?
- That’s right… So the guy from Arabia is…
- D.H.!
- D.H. wrote Lady Chatterley. Didn’t he?
- Ok, so it´s D.H. Lawrence, T.S. Eliot, E.M. Forster, H.G. Wells and… W.H.! That´s it! W.H. Lawrence, of Arabia!
- W.H. is Auden.
- So it must be V.S.. V.S. Lawrence, of Arabia.
- It´s V.S. Naipaul. Or is it W.H. Naipaul and V.S. Auden?
- Naipaul?
- Of India?
- Bingo!
- Why ‘Bingo’???
- I don't know… Oh well, let´s start again…
Different places, different people, different customs. Learning about cultures is an exciting adventure that starts with the way we say hello. Imagine someone arriving in Brazil for the first time; what would you tell him or her about how Brazilians greet friends and strangers? Who do we hug and kiss? When do we shake hands? Do we greet men and women differently?
