I've now learned that everything I've previously read in The Handmaid's Tale is both potentially incorrect, and a reconstruction. Come chapter 23, Offred reveals that she's only just found the means to record stuff that's been happening. She admits that it may be inaccurate, which is, as far as I can tell, fully intentional. An interpretation of this could be that Atwood is trying to show the reader how variable and potentially unreliable human memory is. She uses this to great effect, Offred frequently questions herself, and never seems fully certain about what she remembers.

On another note, It was my birthday the other day, and one of my presents was the sequel to Oryx and Crake; The Year of the Flood.
Admittedly, I've not started it yet, which probably isn't a bad thing, as that would be my A Level in Literature out of the window. I'm left wondering, what books have you anticipated most, and why?

Song of the day: Mechanical Adventures - Aberto

Thought for the day - "They told me it wasn't music... I don't care."

To put it bluntly, I've not read much more of The Handmaid's Tale. It doesn't seem beneficial to do so, seen as we keep doing bits that I've already read in class, and that it's gotten a bit too disturbing for my liking.

In other literature, there are these things called magazines that commonly get overlooked. We read them most days, in one form or another. They provide many views on just about everything. For example, Mountain Biking UK is the authority among most of the mountain biking community. Thrasher is for the skateboarders, there's Good Housekeeping, Good Food, Air Gunner, Classic Motorcycle Mechanics... There's everything.
Magazines offer multiple opinions on a topic that not many non-specialized books would look at. Magazines normally also have a section where readers (yes, that's us) can give their views, or send in pictures, or advice.
So, go and read a magazine today, they're good for you!

Song for the day - Alpha Centauri - Noisia (Excision and Datsik Remix) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opiKgbc8cPk)

I read some of The Handmaid's Tale, and, naturally, I regretted it. I have suitable bags under my eyes to prove that.
Effectively, the impregnated handmaids are now stored (stored seems to be the word that best describes the situation) in almost an encampment in a separate house. The commanders are all in a "hideout"; this practically smells of cigarettes and alcohol, as is seen in near enough any James Bond film where many "gentlemen" are concentrated.

On the topic of books, there is a book called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by a man called Mark Haddon. It's about a boy of 15 years called Christopher Boone. Christopher has Aspergers syndrome, to the point where even small changes in daily routines can spell disater. It caused a fair bit of disquiet in the field of those on the Autistic Spectrum, and the people caring for those on the spectrum. This is down to the fact that Haddon's book provides an extremely narrow, if not inaccurate view of the people who do have Aspergers. Christopher has all of the stereotypical tendencies, but to a degree where such tendencies are blown way out of proportion. As I said a few days ago, Aspergers is caused by the brain functioning in a different way to that of the normal human, with the outcome being extremely variable. For example, I know of/have met people with Aspergers who use it to their advantage (being able to remember certain facts about certain stuff, with me, it's mainly mountain bikes, longboards and dubstep), others who don't like talking to people that much (this doesn't make them nasty, some of the most inspirational and lovely people I know aren't so keen on interacting with people), and, most commonly, there is a very set routine (this is generalizing a little bit, but as a general rule, there is something set in place, ranging from the order that clothing are applied, to how things on a desk are set out).
Christopher is extremely keen on complex mathematics, and ends up sitting an A-Level maths paper early. He gets arrested for hitting a policeman who puts a hand on him (Christopher hates physical contact to the point of lashing around), and, upon release, sets about finding out who killed Wellington, the neighbour's dog.
Unfortunately for Christopher, in the process of trying to help people, he ends up getting misinterpreted, and ends up making people cross.
This is where Haddon understands the nature of Aspergers a little bit. He knows that what people with Aspergers face every day is a world that we do not understand, that doesn't understand us. The thought I want you to take today from reading this is that; if you don't understand something, it's alright really, there's probably a logical solution.

Song for the day - Vancouver Sleep Clinic - Vapour (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p3sTork75o)   

No I have not read any more of The Handmaid's Tale. Yes, it is because I find it disturbing. Yes, I will get round to it at some point.

Seen as I've not done nearly enough reading to warrant a decent blog post, today's post will be very music based, as I'm listening to that near enough constantly (For those of you who actually come here for literature based opinions, I swear it'll all be back to normal tomorrow).
My favourite styles of music right now has to be neurohop and glitch hop. An example of neurohop is a song by Kursa called Just a Glitch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Fa5HscIQ4), whilst the Receptor remix of Noisia's Alpha Centauri (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYmEf6i9g54) is glitch hop. The Receptor remix is exactly what my brain sounds like, I'm not exaggerating at all when I say that.
At heart, though, I shall always love dubstep. Dubstep is typically 140 beats per minute, normally 70 if you allow for half-beats (I am aware that this is subject to continuous debate, but that's what I was always told). Excision and Datsik (two thoroughly awesome Canadian producers) remixed Alpha Centauri too (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opiKgbc8cPk); a prime example of how diverse a song can be, as well as the diversity of human thinking.
There is another side to electronic music. The extremely chilled-out "liquid" variations of dubstep, glitch hop, neurohop, drum and bass... The lot. A producer called Vancouver Sleep Clinic has made what I would call the most enchanting music in existence. The song is called Vapour (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p3sTork75o), and it will send you to your happy place. Honest.

Song for the day: ... Look up!

Thought for the day: "When a man is faced with his own death, he finds the impossible less of a barrier"
                                       -Prince of Persia  

The Handmaid's Tale is still grim. Nothing has changed there, if anything, it's only gotten worse. I'm not prepared to discuss it until it's sunk in properly. I will, however, say that the women of Gilead have had their fertility damaged due to nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare. This is why the handmaids are so prized, due to their reproductive capability. They're seen as machines. Being human is something completely different to the people of Gilead. There is also a specific means of transporting pregnant handmaids, known as "the Birthmobile". Seriously, do not read this book when you're tired, I was forced to go and overhaul my longboard trucks due to doing so being therapeutic.

There is a book that is infinitely more light hearted than Atwood's book, and forget what I said about dark books being better than other books, this one re-writes everything. The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed Out of his Window and Disappeared is perhaps... Sod it, it's the best thing you'll ever read. It's near enough what it says on the tin, but it's all about a Swedish man called Allen Karlsson, who's life story is told throughout the book. At the age of 15, he owns a dynamite/other explosives factory. He goes on to meet and deal with the likes of Josef Stalin, President Truman and Albert Einstein's brother (the book will explain). Karlsson was instrumental in many events throughout history. Whilst Karlsson is, sadly, fictional, he could all too easily have existed.

Song for the day: Two Shoes - The Cat Empire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRUyRuouppw

Thought for the day: "Work Hard. Be Smooth. Live Free."
                                   - BC Longboards

Let's talk about happy books now.
No, seriously. There is one author that, most likely, the majority of the literate population has been exposed to at some stage. His work introduced children everywhere to the beauty of words and wordplay. To name a few titles, there's the Fox in Socks, Green eggs and Ham (Sam I am) and The Cat in The Hat. The author, if you hadn't already guessed (if you haven't, I urge you to get out from whatever rock in the Himalayas you've been hiding under for all this time), is Dr Seuss.
Seuss is the definition of easily accessible literature, for all ages. If an adult can read a Dr Seuss book without smiling, they either can't read, or haven't experienced childhood before. Dr Seuss is why kids get into books, which is an achievement; considering that words of wisdom today come from corporations like Treyarch and Infinity Ward (The two main companies responsible for the content of the Call of Duty franchise).
Dr Seuss, as well as being an amazing author, was an extremely wise man. If you google Dr Seuss quotes, I can guarantee that you'll find something that is significant to you, and what you feel.

 "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities."
Treat this as the thought for the day.

On the topic of the extremely cheerful The Handmaid's Tale, chapter 16 finally tells the reader what the purpose of the handmaids really is.
Handmaids are, quite literally sexual and childbearing objects for the commanders (this made me feel quite unwell), so as to keep a strong race going. Because what's a better way to oppress people than indoctrinating and producing only indoctrinated children? Gilead is at war, according to chapter 5, and people who believe only in Gilead will fight this war to the point of their own deaths. It's a sickening idea, but look at human history; the wars all over the Middle East, the Chinese revolution, the Great Purges. It's happened all before. This book, in all of it's patriarchal, dictatorial, freedom-restricting elements has happened before.
If literature is the container of an idea, and ideas can become reality, by that logic, literature can contain reality.
Remember that.

Song for the day -  Boss Wave - Xilent (Dodge and Fuski Remix) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa1VixqOfb0

Today, I actually remembered to talk about The Handmaid's Tale, so this entry may be a bit more coherent.
At chapter 15, the book remains about as dark as the cave system under Florida. I've lost track of the amounts of suicide references that have been made. It would seem that, in Atwood's world, the patriarchal society that the Tudor and Victorian kingdoms stuck to so rigidly has been revived.
The evidence to support this is there; Gilead (the superpower that has replaced Uncle Sam) is a place run by a religious section of Christianity. This has caused a massive falling-out between Gilead and the other Christian sects, to the point of full scale warfare. Gilead (at chapter 15, at least) is at war with the Baptists (this could be symbolic, I suppose, of things that are supposed to do good going belly-up, love thy neighbour and all that), and I get the impression of warfare in parts of Canada.
It's worth pointing out at this stage that Atwood is from Canada, which is a nice place, and a war that concerns Canada is about as likely as instant worldwide stock market recovery, but that's another story.

In other news, Oryx and Crake.
This is another Atwood book, and, you guessed it, it's as dark as the ace of spades. It's set in the future, where genetic modification has gotten loose, but the protagonist keeps flashing back to how things were before the horrifying creatures with enough teeth to wreck the afternoons of no fewer than many people started escaping. If you play as many video games as I do, this book is like the offspring of Bioshock and Fallout 3.
The book touches on many major issues, and how they effect people. It ranges to child abduction and exploitation to totalitarian pharmaceutical rule to Asperger's Syndrome. The latter of those points bears specific importance as far as I'm concerned, I'm slap-bang at the Asperger's end of the Autistic Spectrum (there is a lot of stuff going around about AS that is either untrue or extremely stereotypical. Please, take it from me, we're nice people (we sometimes just like our own space), there's a Facebook page called Aspergers Syndrome awareness, seriously, give it a look). This is why my writing style is, I quote "weird".
Enough of my brain and back to Oryx and Crake. The main character is a very, very sad fellow indeed, a-

Maybe it's best to talk about something happier.
If you're into Mountain biking, Morewood have announced a new downhill build fr 2014, which shouldn't be shown before 9:00 pm, and the Santa Cruz V10 Carbon remains as beautiful as ever.

The song for today is: Dissolve - Kai Wachi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRGasCS5MHo (If you're worried about me posting lots of electronic music, I'll try and be varied)

And the thought for the day is: "We are all human"
                                                  - Prophet (Crysis 3)  

OH GOD, I NEARLY FORGOT
I actually need to write about what I'm reading an class, otherwise this whole thing loses a substantial amount of meaning.
So, I'm reading this book called The Handmaid's Tale, by a Canadian author called Margaret Atwood. It's a dystopian novel, or, as Atwood would have you call it, speculative fiction. In essence, society is extremely patriarchal. That means that men run near enough everything, women have no identity, women cannot own property or have independence. It's a bit like apartheid, but replacing skin colour with gender. I think the best way to describe reading it is with a morbid fascination.
Anyway, that's an overview, I'll probably go into a bit more depth at another stage (when I don't require an external stimulus to make me remember that I needed to write about this book).  

So.
It's probably worth me explaining myself as to why this blog is in existence.
Put bluntly, this is a means of showing myself (and, so it would seem, the wider world) what I've been reading, along with any plays that I've visited.

Anyhow, enough explaining, I need to get down what I've read recently, and I cannot think of a better place to start than The Wasp Factory, by Iain Banks. I warn you now, this book will wreck your afternoon. It's about a fellow around 16-17 years of age, who kills things. More specifically, rabbits and his relatives. He dismisses killing three of his relatives as a "phase". The most notable of these murders, or at least the one that amuses me the most was that of his cousin Esmerelda (who was, if I remember rightly 3-5 years old). At that stage, the protagonist, Frank, was into kites and flying them. His method of eliminating Esmerelda concerned a kite constructed of tent components, and a noose designed for two small wrists. He took Esmerelda and the kite to the edge of his family property (which is on an island off of the coast of England), asked Esmerelda if she wanted a go, put her wrists in the nooses, and set her loose over the North Sea.
That said, he subjected another cousin to a terminal case of death by hiding an adder in his prosthetic leg. I shouldn't have found that as satisfying as I did.
The reason why this book will spoil your afternoon is that, after reading it, you'll think: "... I just read a book, in which multiple people were killed, and I laughed at every fatality... Straight to hell for me."

On a brighter note, there are far happier books out there, but on another darker note, they'll never be as thought provoking as the darker, more sinister books. If you want a good read, I recommend 1984, Oryx and Crake, Brave New World... Stuff like that.
And now for a thought for the day: "If it worked the first time, we'd have significantly less experimentation."
                                                          -Josh Ogden (Me)
And a song for the day: Alpha Centauri - Noisia (Receptor Remix) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYmEf6i9g54