Riju Ganguly > Recent Status Updates

রকমারি.কম-এর সুবাদে, এবং পোস্টেজ দিতে গিয়ে প্রায় দেউলিয়া হয়েও, মুহম্মদ জাফর ইকবাল-এর ভৌতিক আর কল্পবিজ্ঞান কাহিনিগুলো সংগ্রহ করেছি| কিন্তু এই রেটে আমি যদি বাংলাদেশ পোস্ট-কে অর্থ-সাহায্য চালিয়ে যাই, তারা কি আগামী একুশের মেলায় আমার ঢাকা-যাওয়ার খরচা দেবে?

And now Van Helsing and company are taking on Lucy. The informative notes and the Authorial observations (so helpful in the beginning) are becoming a bit tedious now. From tommorrow, I will simply get on with the story (even after so many cliched discussions and readings, the story packs some punch).

Short, compact, southern legend-based pieces that tell the stories very effectively.

Began this book today, while acting as observer in one of the Departmental examinations! Simply unputdownable, and devilishly enjoyable so far. One has to read this book to believe how terrific a pastiche can be created without invoking the name of Sherlock Holmes at all. If that sounds not even improbable, but altogether impossible, then I can only advise you to pick up this book, and get reading!

About to conclude the reading of the best book by JLP. These stories are structurally different from his other Short Story collections. They are also, even on individual story-by-story assessment, much better than those published in JLP's latest "Wicked Delights". Complete review would, in all probability, be there tommorrow.

Thanks to the annotations, whcih identify Stoker's fascination with several things and numerous unintended mistakes, the reading of this classic have assumed altogether new dimensions. I also came across a reference regarding Kate Reed, a supposedly mutual friend of Lucy & Mina who was there in the draft, but was eventually dropped from the novel. But she eventually played a much greater role in "Anno Dracula"!

I really had forgotten how rich this novel is. Thanks to Leatherdale I am rediscovering Stoker's classic. I have decided to commence reading "Anno Dracula" only after this annotated edition is over. If that implies a long wait, "so be it", as Jason Bourne used to say.

In these days, when horror comes in the shape of huge volumes combining every possible fantastical elements with the mundane realities of small town life or breakdown of social order amidst the chaos of depression & violencce,into an apparently potent brew of mind-numbing boredom (and rarely, I must admit, in the form of something Stephen Kingesque, these short novella length hair-raisers are like manna from heaven!

As a result of Bill Mason's "A Tale From The Crypt", I was compelled to begin a re-reading of this classic, and Leatherdale's annotations are superb.

This book is turning out to be one of the best non-fiction that I have got the opportunity to read in recent times. The author succeeds in explaining pretty tough concepts and dense theories in a lucid manner, which, in conjunction with her personal experiences and photographs, make this book much more than a travelogue. I have a feeling that the BBC series would not have been so much informative-and-yet-enjoyable.

"Carmilla" had been read and re-read by me on so many occasions that there was no particular need to go through it in this book separately. It IS a CLASSIC, and allows a reader to notice newer things and ask newer questions. For example, what is the significance of the heroine being one of the Karnsteins on a distant basis? Why did Le Fanu chose Styria as the background? Who was Carmilla's mysterious companion?

"Carmilla" had been read and re-read by me on so many occasions that there was no particular need to go through it in this book separately. It IS a CLASSIC, and allows a reader to notice newer things and ask newer questions. For example, what is the significance of the heroine being one of the Karnsteins on a distant basis? Why did Le Fanu chose Styria as the background? Who was Carmilla's mysterious companion?

Finished "Mr. Justice Harbottle". Le Fanu gives retribution a new meaning in this novella, as things slowly pile up against the vain & vindictive judge, flipping it all over in a dramatic finale.

This book is not light reading, and hence my slow-but-steady progress. One thing has to be admitted, already I have learnt several new things. I can only hope that by the time I cover this book, myu cup would still not brimmeth over, otherwise where would be the fun of reading!

I have just started reading the book, and have already found it a dense and yet provocative read. Let's see how it goes tomorrow.

A surprisingly consistent collection so far, with the concept of strange stories being given a new form, which is contemporary, and yet pleasantly old-fashioned (if that sounds paradoxical, then check them out yourself). Best thing about this bunch of stories are that the author never belittles the intelligence of the reader, and allows us to draw our own conclusions. Hopefully, full review would be posted tomorrow.

Went past "Green Tea" and "The Familiar". The former excellent, the latter somewhat hesitant. Words are used precisely to build-up the atmosphere as realistically as possible, but the mumbo-jumbo pronounced by Dr. Hesselius were utter rubbish, and spoiled the old-fashioned charm that had been built up in the preceding passages. Also, his rather callous attitude towards the traumatised persons was quite reprehensible.

Succeeded in dragging myself through "The Haunted Baronet". God, this tale could have been told at one-fourth (or even lesser) length of the original, unless, of course, the great Le Fanu had to assume the role of pulp-style authors who got to be paid on the basis of word-count. How could an accomplished wordsmith keep on writing such stuff for pages & pages? But of course, I am not qualified enough to comment, am I?

Completed re-reading two more of the all-time best horror & ghost stories ("Schalken The Painter" and "Madam Crowl's Ghost"), and found them literally skin-crawlingly horrific, even after so-many re-reads.

Have finished the first novella "Squire Toby's Will". Vastly superior compared to the contemporary interminable gothic drudgery, but (of course my personal opinion) even this length could have been shortened significantly.

Such a great writer, and such a shame that this book is not available to those who draw pleasure from Terry Dowling, Stephen Laws and Stephen Gallagher's works.

Saturday, began by putting on the Rakhi sent by sister, looked at the clouds heavy with rain, immersed myself in this page-turner, and now carrying on with "Mr. Standfast".

I had no idea that this book would turn out as such a "page-turner". Truly, the world of books is full of surprises, and many of them are unexpectedly pleasant!