What AMMO read 2009!

[intellectualammo]

Hi everyone. Thought I'd compile my readings for this year tonight. Took a good hour or so to make this, but it's done. This is what I have read this year, and there might be one or two more I will add, since I'm waiting on one to be ILL'ed to me, titled Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships written by David Levy and will start it as soon as I am notified of it's arrival at my library for pick-up.

So here it is:


The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett introduced by Sophie Dahl
Narcissus and Goldmund by Herman Hesse
Inside the Secret Garden A Treasury of Crafts, Recipes, and Activities by Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson
The Practical Cogitator The Thinkers Anthology selected and edited by Charlvs P. Curtis, Jr. and Ferris Greenlet
Becoming a Writer by Dorthea Brande, foreward by John Gardner
Pegasus Pulls a Hack Memoirs of a Modern Minstrel by Berton Braley
Gone With The Wind authored by Margaret Mitchell and preface by Pat Conroy
Sara Teasdale's poetry collection titled Love Songs
Flame and Sword a poetry collection by Sara Teasdale
Rivers to the Sea a poetry collection by Sara Teasdale
The Letters of Emily Dickinson edited by Thomas H. Johnson (Volume 1)
Sara Teasdale's Dark of the Moon
Sara Teasdale's Stars To-night
Sara Teasdale's Strange Victory
Rainbow Gold Poems Old and New Selected For Boys And Girls (selected by) by Sara Teasdale With Illustrations by Dugald Walker
The Letters of Emily Dickinson Volume #2 edited by Thomas H. Johnson
Treasury of Love Poems by Adam Mickiewicz, compiled and edited by Krystyna S. Olszer
Pan Tadeusz or The Last Foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz, translated by Watson Kirkconnell with an introductory essay by Dr. William J. Rose and notes by Professor Harold B. Segel
Selected Poetry and Prose of Adam Mickiewicz Centenary Commemorative edition, edited, with an introduction by Stanislaw Helsztynski
Polish Greats by Arnold Madison
Polish Romantic Drama Three Plays in English Translation, selected and edited by Harold B. Segel
Adam Mickiewicz by David Welsh
Laments by Jan Kochanowski translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Seamus Heaney
Jan Kochanowski by David Welsh
Stephen King's UR
Edward Cline's Sparrowhawk Companion book (to his Sparrowhawk Series)
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (the magnum opus) of Adam Smith's
Edith Wharton's The Hermit and the Wild Woman And Other Stories
Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Truancy Origins by Isamu Fukui
Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson
Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery
The Daughter of a Magnate by Frank H. Spearman
The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896 to 1901 by Lucy Maud Montgomery, published in 1901
Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith
What Narcissism Means To Me poems by Tony Hoagland
When The Perfect Partner Goes Perfectly Wrong: Loving or Leaving the Narcissist in your Life by Mary Jo Fay
Help! I'm in love with a Narcissist written by both Steven Carter & Julia Sokol
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1902 to 1903, by Lucy Maud Montgomery , published in 1903
The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1904 by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Your Own True Love: The new positive view of narcissism; The person you love the most should be...you, by Richard C. Robertiello, M.D.
Identifying and Understanding the Narcissistic Personality Disorder by Elsa F. Ronningstam
The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Prisoners of Childhood by Alice Miller
When You Love a Man Who Loves Himself by W. Keith Campbell
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Trapped in the Mirror adult children of narcissists and their struggle for self, by Elan Golomb, Ph.D
Man's Aggression the defense of the self by Gregory Rochlin, M.D.
Echo and Narcissus One Act Play by Gerald P. Murphy
The Portable Nietzsche by Walter Kaufmann
Aria Da Capo by Edna St. Vincent Millay (a play in one act)
The Lamp and the Bell by Edna St. Vincent Millay (a drama in five acts)
General William Booth Enters into Heaven - and other poems, by Vachel Lindsay
The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems by Vachel Lindsay
The Book-Bills of Narcissus by Richard Le Gallienne
Hawthorn and Lavender with other verses by William Ernest Henley
The Song of the Sword and Other Verses by W.E. Henley
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Vachel Lindsay his The Congo and Other Poems
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde
The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus w/translations by Sir Richard Burton
Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy the translators, Louise and Aylmer Maude
Androcles and the Lion by George Bernard Shaw
Henrik Ibsen by Edmund Gosse
Love's Comedy by Henrik Ibsen translated by H.C.Herford
The Rebellion of Margaret by Geraldine Mockler
Early Plays by Henrik Ibsen (included Cataline, The Warrior's Barrow, Olaf Liljekrans) translated from the Norwegian by Anders Orbeck, A.M.
Arnold Bennett's book titled Hugo: A Fantasia on Modern Themes
Lyrics of Earth by Archibald Lampman
Alcylone by Archibald Lampman
Among the Millet and Other Poems by Archibald Lampman
Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughs
Malignant Self Love by Sam Vaknin
Pygmalion's Spectacles by Stanley Grauman Weinbaum
Sappho: One Hundred Lyrics by Bliss Carmen
Liber Amoris, or The New Pygmalion written by William Hazlitt
Imaginary Friends by Yolanda Jackson
Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher
Kate Chopin's The Awakening & Selected Short Stories
The Doll and Her Friends, or Memoirs of the Lady Seraphina published in 1853, but the author of it is unknown...
The Collected Poems [of] Sylvia Plath, edited by Ted Hughes
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, edited by Karen V. Kukil
Sylvia Plath: A Literary Life, written by Linda Wagner-Martin
Sylvia Plath: A Biography written by Linda W. Wagner-Martin
Her Husband: Hughes and Plath - A Marriage, written by Diane Middlebrook
Wintering: A novel of [about] Sylvia Plath written by Kate Moses
Divine Madness: Ten Stories of Creative Struggles by Jefferey A. Kottler
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength, by Laurie Helgoe Ph.D.
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
Ted Hughes Collected Poems, edited by Paul Keegan
Virginia Woolf: An Inner Life by Julia Briggs
Sylvia Plath: Method and Madness, Edward Butscher
Anne Sexton written by Diane Wood Middlebrook
Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, Sylvia Plath
Anne Sexton: The Complete Poems, edited by her friend Maxine Kumin
The Art of Sylvia Plath, A Symposium, edited by Charles Newman
Letters Home by Sylvia Plath Correspondence 1950-1963, selected and edited with commentary by Aurelia Schober Plath
[edit to add]Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships written by David Levy

also throughout I have read these Emily Dickinson Journals:

Volume 6, Number 2, Fall 1997 (currently reading this one)
Volume 6, Number 1, Spring 1997
Volume 5, Number 2, Fall 1996
Volume 5, Number 1, Spring 1996
Volume 4, Number 2, Fall 1995
Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 1995
Volume 3, Number 2, Fall 1994
Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 1994
Volume 2, Number 2, Fall 1993
Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 1993
Volume 1, Number 2, Fall 1992
Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 1992

[neilgee]

Blimey, that's one formidable reading list, Mr Ammo.

I just counted through and found I'd read only eleven of those [five of which are either by Virginia Woolf or about her].

[intellectualammo]

Blimey, that's one formidable reading list, Mr Ammo.

:)

I think my list for last year is just a little longer.

I'll have to edit it to include this in the list for this year, since I just finished it tonight:

Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships written by David Levy

[Jez]

Hi Ammo. Nice list! I have a few questions for you about it.


Gone With The Wind authored by Margaret Mitchell and preface by Pat Conroy How did you like this one? As an Objectivist, how did you like this one? Scarlet seems like she might embody some of things Rand might find admirable, but I've never read the book to know for sure.


Edith Wharton's The Hermit and the Wild Woman And Other Stories I read Wharton's Ethan Frome and didn't like the story very much. Her characters were very weak and detestable. I did like some of her writing style, however. How did you like these stories? Would you recommend them? Have you read Ethan Frome?


Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson I read this this year too. I liked it very much, but I think knowing the secret before reading spoiled the story for me in a way. I wish I could have read it and discover the secret as the story unfolded, as was intended. Did you like it? Have you read Stevenson before? I picked this one up because I read and loved his Treasure Island.


Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley This one is one of my favorites, though it's been, oh, probably about 8 or 9 years since I read it. How did you like it?


Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughs I think I've asked you before, but I don't recall the answer- how is Hugo's political philosophy, and how much does he inject it into his books? I'm curious about Les Mis, in particular, if you've read that one.

[intellectualammo]

Hi Ammo.

Aww! Hi, Jez!! :) Nice surprise seeing you here again! :) A nice way to spend the holidays, seeing those you value. ;)


I have a few questions for you about it.

OK, I con only address some of them right now, because I have to look over some of it to make a better response to your questioning.


How did you like this one? As an Objectivist, how did you like this one? Scarlet seems like she might embody some of things Rand might find admirable, but I've never read the book to know for sure.

I loved the interaction between her and Butler in the first 1/3 to haldf of the book, I remember that much. So much detail about the historical backgoround taking place, I totally flew through those parts, because that's not what I read for. Let me look over my notes, I read it in book form, so it might take a while to find them in my pile.


I read Wharton's Ethan Frome and didn't like the story very much. Her characters were very weak and detestable. I did like some of her writing style, however. How did you like these stories? Would you recommend them? Have you read Ethan Frome?

I read this on my K2 and it looks like I highlighted and bookmarked heavily only this Hermit and the Wild Woman story. I think I read it due to the solitude involved, because it had heavy religious overtones throughout, loud explicit tones, but their interaction, and his premise on trying to be good, I could understand. I try to live accoring to principles, not commandments, but it can parallel some with my own life. I would only recommend this particular story, but to you?, if you read it the way I do, perhaps, but the rest of the stories NO, because if I have no annotations from the rest of it, that's means it's not interesting enough for me to clip.


[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson]I read this this year too. I liked it very much, but I think knowing the secret before reading spoiled the story for me in a way. I wish I could have read it and discover the secret as the story unfolded, as was intended. Did you like it? Have you read Stevenson before? I picked this one up because I read and loved his Treasure Island.

I don't think I ever read any of his other works. I'd have to look over my K2 notes on this one too, but I did like it, but can't really comment any further than that.


This one is one of my favorites, though it's been, oh, probably about 8 or 9 years since I read it. How did you like it?

There was a topic started on this by puglover and I think my comments about it are there. i'll find the topic, then maybe you could check it out and include your thoughts there if you'd like. She was teaching it in a class of hers, if I recal right. [edit: here is said topic http://www.literaturejunction.com/classic-literature/18788-mary-shelleys-frankenstein.html


I think I've asked you before, but I don't recall the answer- how is Hugo's political philosophy, and how much does he inject it into his books? I'm curious about Les Mis, in particular, if you've read that one.

I discoverd Hugo, through Ayn Rand. He writes grand scale like she, and he influneced the hell out of her writing. [edit to add: According to the Ayn Rand Institiute Hugo was the writer she most admired] Les Miserables is I think still my favorite work of his that I have read, Only read a few. I recommened it highly, I love the characters of Jean Valjean and little Cosette. I recommend more the abridged version than the unabridged version, translated by Charles Wilbour. It's incredibly entertaining, and filled with literary goodies, making is a fast paced and sweet read. Fantine, what she does for her little Cosette is heartwrenching, what is done to Cosette by the Thenardier's is heartbreaking, I wanted to jump into the novel several times to help them, I love this work, I cherish is very dearly, it was important to me personally because I ca relate to some of it from an experience in my own life with my daughter around the time I divorced my wife. After one reads it, then read the unabridged. But I highly recommend a sequel (not written by him) and I have a topic on that particular book on this form. I'll find it later and link to it. I'll come back and make this post better in a little bit. [edit to add said link http://www.literaturejunction.com/modern-literature-fiction/10217-cosette-sequel-les-miserables.html. Margaine read some Hugo this year too, his Hernani (in French), I think she and I discussed it somewhere, probably in a thread on something else though :), so it would be hard to search for, but I'll try. Here is a topic I started on Hugo, but read like the only the second page if interested, talks more about various works, the other page is more on Les Miserables http://www.literaturejunction.com/classic-literature/10195-victor-hugo.html Here is a discussion about NotreDome de Paris http://www.literaturejunction.com/book-club/15888-february-book-club-discussion-victor-hugos-notre-dame.html Thatis' the original title not that Hunchback title, more about that can be found here http://www.literaturejunction.com/book-club/15860-vote-february-book-club-read.html#post133348

It's not his political philosophy that interests me as much, just like with Rand, who's political views differ from his, but it was his sense of life, and man, that she admired, here is from her introduction to his Ninety-Three


If you are struggling to hold your vision of man above the gray ashes of our century, Hugo is the fuel you need.
One cannot preserve that vision or achieve it without some knowledge of what is greatness and some image to concretize it. Every morning, when you read today's headlines, you shrink a little in human stature and hope. Then, if you turn to modern literature for a nobler view of man, you are confronted by those cases of arrested development—the juvenile delinquents aged thirty to sixty—who still think that depravity is daring or shocking, and whose writing belongs, not on paper, but on fences.

If you feel, as I do, that there's nothing as boring as depravity, if you seek a glimpse of human grandeur—turn to a novel by Victor Hugo.

[Jez]

Aww! Hi, Jez!! :) Nice surprise seeing you here again! :) A nice way to spend the holidays, seeing those you value. ;) Thanks :) Nice to see you, too. :)


OK, I con only address some of them right now, because I have to look over some of it to make a better response to your questioning.
No problem. Take your time.



I loved the interaction between her and Butler in the first 1/3 to haldf of the book, I remember that much. So much detail about the historical backgoround taking place, I totally flew through those parts, because that's not what I read for. Let me look over my notes, I read it in book form, so it might take a while to find them in my pile. Sounds good. Shifting up the pile. :) I have a beautiful copy of this book. It's a shame it not being read.


I read this on my K2 and it looks like I highlighted and bookmarked heavily only this Hermit and the Wild Woman story. I think I read it due to the solitude involved, because it had heavy religious overtones throughout, loud explicit tones, but their interaction, and his premise on trying to be good, I could understand. I try to live accoring to principles, not commandments, but it can parallel some with my own life. I would only recommend this particular story, but to you?, if you read it the way I do, perhaps, but the rest of the stories NO, because if I have no annotations from the rest of it, that's means it's not interesting enough for me to clip.
Ah, good to know. Thank you.


I don't think I ever read any of his other works. I'd have to look over my K2 notes on this one too, but I did like it, but can't really comment any further than that.
Take your time. I recommend Treasure Island then. It was a fun read.


There was a topic started on this by puglover and I think my comments about it are there. i'll find the topic, then maybe you could check it out and include your thoughts there if you'd like. She was teaching it in a class of hers, if I recal right. [edit: here is said topic http://www.literaturejunction.com/classic-literature/18788-mary-shelleys-frankenstein.html
It's been so long since I've read it that I don't know if I have anything worthwhile to contribute at this time, but I'll definitely check out that thread to see what you wrote on it. Thanks.



I discoverd Hugo, through Ayn Rand. He writes grand scale like she, and he influneced the hell out of her writing. [edit to add: According to the Ayn Rand Institiute Hugo was the writer she most admired] Les Miserables is I think still my favorite work of his that I have read, Only read a few. I recommened it highly, I love the characters of Jean Valjean and little Cosette. I recommend more the abridged version than the unabridged version, translated by Charles Wilbour. It's incredibly entertaining, and filled with literary goodies, making is a fast paced and sweet read. Fantine, what she does for her little Cosette is heartwrenching, what is done to Cosette by the Thenardier's is heartbreaking, I wanted to jump into the novel several times to help them, I love this work, I cherish is very dearly, it was important to me personally because I ca relate to some of it from an experience in my own life with my daughter around the time I divorced my wife. After one reads it, then read the unabridged. But I highly recommend a sequel (not written by him) and I have a topic on that particular book on this form. I'll find it later and link to it. I'll come back and make this post better in a little bit. [edit to add said link http://www.literaturejunction.com/modern-literature-fiction/10217-cosette-sequel-les-miserables.html. Margaine read some Hugo this year too, his Hernani (in French), I think she and I discussed it somewhere, probably in a thread on something else though :), so it would be hard to search for, but I'll try. Here is a topic I started on Hugo, but read like the only the second page if interested, talks more about various works, the other page is more on Les Miserables http://www.literaturejunction.com/classic-literature/10195-victor-hugo.html Here is a discussion about NotreDome de Paris http://www.literaturejunction.com/book-club/15888-february-book-club-discussion-victor-hugos-notre-dame.html Thatis' the original title not that Hunchback title, more about that can be found here http://www.literaturejunction.com/book-club/15860-vote-february-book-club-read.html#post133348

It's not his political philosophy that interests me as much, just like with Rand, who's political views differ from his, but it was his sense of life, and man, that she admired, here is from her introduction to his Ninety-Three

Ah, that is all very good to know. Thank you for all that information. I think I'll order Les Mis once I've returned some of the books from the huge stack I took out from the library.

[intellectualammo]

Thanks :) Nice to see you, too. :)

Awww! I'm happy and proud that I can make a woman like you, say something like that still! Here's to me! ;)


Ah, that is all very good to know. Thank you for all that information. I think I'll order Les Mis once I've returned some of the books from the huge stack I took out from the library.

This is the one you want, I'd sooooo buy it and send it to you, but I am scared that I will not be able to control my spending on you...

A Charles E. Wilbour abridged translation, like this one, there might be other editions, but HE IS THE ONE YOU WANT TO READ AS THE TRANSLATOR:

http://www.syndetics.com/index.aspx?type=xw12&isbn=0449911675/SC.GIF&client=davsp&upc=&oclc=

It was my avatar for a while here, might have been my first avatar when I came aboard here.

[Jez]

:) Of course you can.

No, no, you have done enough and I cannot repay you! :p Do you recommend the abridged version then? Or, here is an unabridged with the same translator: Amazon.com: Les Miserables (Modern Library) (9780679600121): Victor Hugo, Charles E. Wilbur: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Miserables-Modern-Library-Victor-Hugo/dp/0679600124/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261872014&sr=1-2) Which do you think would be better?

[intellectualammo]

Do you recommend the abridged version then?

Yes, definately. It flows smoother without the digressions. F=MA so the impact is harder when the momentum of the story is faster, not being slowed down with his digressions. :)

You want this one, this is the ISBN number for it:
0449911675

I can't find an abriged version, other than that one, that is the exact copy I read, and it was my avatar for a while. Check you library for a copy or here if you want to buy:

http://www.biblio.com/search.php?keyisbn=0449911675+


Or, here is an unabridged with the same translator: Amazon.com: Les Miserables (Modern Library) (9780679600121): Victor Hugo, Charles E. Wilbur: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Miserables-Modern-Library-Victor-Hugo/dp/0679600124/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261872014&sr=1-2) Which do you think would be better?

That's fine, if you are going unabridged. I think he is a recognized translator of Hugo's, authority, like how Kaufmann is for Nietzsche. But since F=MA, the digressions will slow it down considerably, and it won't impact you as deeply, at least I think so. WHen I read the unabridge, I soon knew why it was abridged. :) I told a friend of mone like a year and a half or so ago about Les Mis, she was interested, got the unabridged, and really couldn't get settled into it, esp. with the talk of the Bishop in the beginning. If you, I mean, you will like the story, so you then can read the unabridged, and the sequel that I recommend. This is the way I want to navigate you, Jez, on these paper plains. You'll find the trail exhilerating if you start with the abridged.

[Jez]

Yes, definately. It flows smoother without the digressions. F=MA so the impact is harder when the momentum of the story is faster, not being slowed down with his digressions. :)

You want this one, this is the ISBN number for it:
0449911675


Convinced and ordered (through the library). :) Should come sometime next week or the week after.

What is F=MA? I get the feeling it is an equation I will quote many times. ;)

[intellectualammo]

Convinced and ordered (through the library). :) Should come sometime next week or the week after.

Great.


What is F=MA? I get the feeling it is an equation I will quote many times. ;)

Jez, it's Force = Mass (times) Acceleration. It's Newton's Second Law of motion. Without the digressions, you are able to proceed at a much faster rate, thereby increasing the force, the impact on the reader. :) WIth digressions, it's weighed down way too much to get good acceleration, so it's not as impactive on a reader. Now with Atlas Shrugged, it's got both the weight and acceleration, so that's why it impacts ones so very deeply. ;)

I think that when saying "Les Mis" I think people refer to the musicals, not the novel, when they say "Les Mis" at least that's what I gather, so be careful calling or referring it to Les Mis with others, until I get that starightened out. Never saw any of the musicals, heard some of the tracks off the original, that I think is the best, because of Francis Ruffle's voice, the 1987 or 1986 original Broadway score.

Also I own this:
http://www.aynrandbookstore2.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MM71M
The ARB was selling off their cassette tapes, and I got that at an incredible price, as you can see how much the cd's are! I have discussed this elsewhere online, but it's interesting because Rand's favorite character in it, was not who many (if not all of us) thought it would be. But that's all later, all depends upon how much you actually get into the work itself. You know how I get when I get interested in something! :):):)

[Jez]

Jez, it's Force = Mass (times) Acceleration. It's Newton's Second Law of motion. Without the digressions, you are able to proceed at a much faster rate, thereby increasing the force, the impact on the reader. :) WIth digressions, it's weighed down way too much to get good acceleration, so it's not as impactive on a reader. Now with Atlas Shrugged, it's got both the weight and acceleration, so that's why it impacts ones so very deeply. ;) Ah, and here I thought it was some literary equation. Like Fun= momentum*action or something better worded. :p Though that is an excellent and apt application of Newton's equation, and one I will use in this manner in the future. :)


I think that when saying "Les Mis" I think people refer to the musicals, not the novel, when they say "Les Mis" at least that's what I gather, so be careful calling or referring it to Les Mis with others, until I get that starightened out. Never saw any of the musicals, heard some of the tracks off the original, that I think is the best, because of Francis Ruffle's voice, the 1987 or 1986 original Broadway score.

That's interesting. I really have no idea which "Les Mis" is supposed to refer to and if it is only one. My introduction to the work is through the musical, so I'm influenced that way. Thank you for the word of caution.

I fell in love with Francis Ruffle's voice. Éponine was one of my favorite characters, in large part because of Ruffle's On My Own. Such a sad character.

[intellectualammo]

My introduction to the work is through the musical, so I'm influenced that way. Thank you for the word of caution.

So then you are familiar with that one I mentioned then. No idea how similar and different they are. There are many musical versions, I think.


I fell in love with Francis Ruffle's voice. Éponine was one of my favorite characters, in large part because of Ruffle's On My Own. Such a sad character.

YES! I actually recall you saying this to me in a different thread somewhere now that you said it here. I thought it was you that did. On My Own is my favorite! Esp. when taken out of context. I heard a few tracks before I even read the work, I think. (I edited my above post, I didn't know you were here to respond so quickly!) :)

[intellectualammo]

Frances Ruffelle, I spelled her name wrong, this is the one (if anyone reading about this is interested):

YouTube - On My Own - Les Miserables (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N0Uhl7poko)

[Jez]

Also I own this:
Victor Hugo's Les Miserables (CD)-Ayn Rand Bookstore (http://www.aynrandbookstore2.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MM71M)
The ARB was selling off their cassette tapes, and I got that at an incredible price, as you can see how much the cd's are! I have discussed this elsewhere online, but it's interesting because Rand's favorite character in it, was not who many (if not all of us) thought it would be. But that's all later, all depends upon how much you actually get into the work itself. You know how I get when I get interested in something! :):):)
I am curious who Rand said was her favorite character. Would it spoil anything for my reading if you told me now? If not, then please share. :)


So then you are familiar with that one I mentioned then. No idea how similar and different they are. There are many musical versions, I think.
Yes, that is the version I grew up with. I don't know how many versions there are either. I think this is the version though, if you know what I mean.


YES! I actually recall you saying this to me in a different thread somewhere now that you said it here. I thought it was you that did. On My Own is my favorite! Esp. when taken out of context. I heard a few tracks before I even read the work, I think. (I edited my above post, I didn't know you were here to respond so quickly!) :)
When I was young, I didn't know anything about the story so when she sang "I know that he is blind" I thought he was actually blind and she was singing about how yeah, he might have a handicap and all, but they can make it work. In my defense, I was probably about six or seven years old at the time. :p

I love that song. There's so much sadness, desperation, and hope. So much emotion and the way she sings it wrings out every drop of emotion and then some. When she sings "A world that's full of happiness that I have never known" (or close enough to that) it's heart-wrenching. How sad, just the whole idea of that one phrase. It made me hate Cosette, even though I know I shouldn't. Even though Cosette suffered so much, she had so much more love than Éponine ever had.

As one dreamer to another, I also loved how she used her imagination to create something different from what she had and transport her somewhere better. Reminded me very much of Anne and her window friend. I love the imagery in the song, especially "In the rain the pavement shines like silver/All the lights are misty in the river/In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight/And all I see is him and me for ever and forever."


Frances Ruffelle, I spelled her name wrong, this is the one (if anyone reading about this is interested):

YouTube - On My Own - Les Miserables (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N0Uhl7poko) Whoops, I don't know how to spell her name either. That is exactly the version. :) Love it.

[intellectualammo]

I am curious who Rand said was her favorite character. Would it spoil anything for my reading if you told me now? If not, then please share. :)

Javert.


Yes, that is the version I grew up with. I don't know how many versions there are either. I think this is the version though, if you know what I mean.

I do. :) Can't stand that Lea Salonga singing the song...


When I was young, I didn't know anything about the story so when she sang "I know that he is blind" I thought he was actually blind and she was singing about how yeah, he might have a handicap and all, but they can make it work. In my defense, I was probably about six or seven years old at the time. :p

Wish I was aqainted with it at that age... But when I first heard it, I knew nearly nothing about the storyline, I thought it was Cosette singing, not Eponine.


I love that song. There's so much sadness, desperation, and hope. So much emotion and the way she sings it wrings out every drop of emotion and then some. When she sings "A world that's full of happiness that I have never known" (or close enough to that) it's heart-wrenching. How sad, just the whole idea of that one phrase.

Reading what happens to her in the story is equally as heart wrenching. I really really like the sequel, it focuses on Cosette and Marius' life together. I guess you are familar with how the story goes already, because of the musical, but I have never seen it, so I don't know. Wonder why I never saw it yet? Still only listened to a few tracks off of it, if that.


As one dreamer to another, I also loved how she used her imagination to create something different from what she had and transport her somewhere better.

Yes! :)


I love the imagery in the song, especially "In the rain the pavement shines like silver/All the lights are misty in the river/In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight/And all I see is him and me for ever and forever."

The part I like, Jez, is the folloowing, because when I lived in the city, Pittsburgh South Side, I had to park my car at the bottom of the South Side Slopes and walk up to the top, since there was never any parking up there once I came home, since it was so late, so this appealed to me:


Sometimes I walk alone at night
When everybody else is sleeping
I think of him and then I'm happy
With the company I'm keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head.

Of course I thought of someone female, but you get the picture.

Then this part gets me:


Without me his world will go on turning
A world that's full of happiness
That I have never known!

I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own.

I loved from afar myself wasn't explicit about it. But I wasn't all sad about it, I accepted it as the way things have to be, and glad there are people I can love, and things I can value in this world, or my world would surely stop turning... I was happy I could find someone to love, I didn't care if that love was returned or not, because it would not alter, that "ever fixed mark". To this day I still don't exactly know explicitly, but...

[Jez]

Javert. Huh, I could see that. I wonder how my understanding of him now relates to him in the book. Guess I'll find out. :)


I do. :) Can't stand that Lea Salonga singing the song...
I don't mind her version that much, but she does not hit the right emotional chords. She's too harsh when she should be soft, too angry when she should be anguished. She just doesn't embody Eponine properly. She sings it well enough, but she isn't Eponine. The other one IS Eponine.


Wish I was aqainted with it at that age... But when I first heard it, I knew nearly nothing about the storyline, I thought it was Cosette singing, not Eponine. That makes sense. Cosette is a lot more well known.


Reading what happens to her in the story is equally as heart wrenching. I really really like the sequel, it focuses on Cosette and Marius' life together. I guess you are familar with how the story goes already, because of the musical, but I have never seen it, so I don't know. Wonder why I never saw it yet? Still only listened to a few tracks off of it, if that.
I can imagine, and I hope it is. Not that I want to torture poor Eponine, but she's a tragic character of the best kind. I know the story basically. I've seen the Broadway musical and the 1998 movie version, but I imagine there is a lot more to the story than what is condensed in those versions.

I recommend listening to the musical. I don't know how it would be listening to it after the book is already dear to your heart. The music touched me long before I understood the story, so it works for me. I think it's very emotional music and most of the singers really captured the raw emotions perfectly.

Some of my favorites:

YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast Recording - I Dreamed A Dream (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYaLvSd5bGs&feature=related)
YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast - Who Am I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RC6zRpgJ9M&feature=related)
YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast Recording - Come To Me (Fantine's Death) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji_PvkD_GHY&feature=related)
YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast Recording - Stars (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0NZPLM91o&feature=related)
YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast Recording - Do You Hear The People Sing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7sx1iQrCPw&feature=related)
YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast Recording - In My Life (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN4_YlkpXvw&feature=related)
YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast Recording - A Heart Full Of Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwWLtLkwmP8&feature=related)
YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast Recording - Bring Him Home (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se9HxpitvRg&feature=related)
And this one got almost as much play time as On My Own:
YouTube - Les Miserables - Original Broadway Cast Recording - A Little Fall Of Rain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLaF1x8kb-M&feature=related)



The part I like, Jez, is the folloowing, because when I lived in the city, Pittsburgh South Side, I had to park my car at the bottom of the South Side Slopes and walk up to the top, since there was never any parking up there once I came home, since it was so late, so this appealed to me:....
I like those parts very much too. :)

[intellectualammo]

Thanks for taking the time to link to all of those. I'm going to listen to them.
I'm very surprised that after all those years you have never read the work yet - but then again why the hell haven't I even watched on musical yet of it? I even read a book on the musicals! :) We're funny. :)

[Jez]

:p We are. I think I avoided it because 1) I already knew the story and there are so many on the TBR pile already, 2) I didn't want to be let down in case I didn't like the book as much as the musical, and 3) It's really, really long!

I think it's good that I waited. I think being older now I'll appreciate the book more now than I would have before.

No problem linking the songs. I just had the excuse to listen to them all again (and cry with them!) :) I hope you enjoy them.