sábado, 30 de maio de 2009
O que o Dia deve à Noite - Crítica
quinta-feira, 28 de maio de 2009
Ida à Feira do Livro de Lisboa (2009)
Gostei dos stands novos, e todos os livros que comprei estavam com promoções de 20%. Não tencionava ter comprado tantos (quatro), essencialmente porque recebi muitos nos anos e receio não ter tempo para todos. Mas não resisti...
Deixo com vocês algumas fotografias que tirei (todas elas são da minha autoria) destas duas tardes bem passadas na Feira do Livro de Lisboa que, mais uma vez, se realizou no belíssimo Parque Eduardo VII. Boas leituras... e até para o ano, feira!
domingo, 24 de maio de 2009
Parei de ler o Brisingr
quarta-feira, 20 de maio de 2009
Danças na Floresta - Crítica (Tiago)
sábado, 16 de maio de 2009
Semana Marillier: Três coisas
sexta-feira, 15 de maio de 2009
Semana Marillier: Entrevista EXCLUSIVA (Parte 3/3)
Se quiserem ler esta parte da entrevista em português carreguem aqui, mas para a comentarem façam-na neste tópico do blog principal (o outro serve apenas para usos em caso destes de traduções).
15º - You would like to make a project in partnership with another writer? Who you will choose to work with you?
I can’t imagine doing this, but if I did I would choose a writer whose approach to storytelling is reasonably similar to mine. Perhaps Australian author Kate Forsyth, author of the Witches of Eileannan series, or Celtic historical novelist Jules Watson.16º - Exist some book of other writer that you liked to write but "unfortunately" that person had that idea first?It’s not so much other writers choosing an idea I had thought of, more that there are certain books I admire very much and wish I had written!
17º - You came to Portugal last summer. Did you enjoyed?
Yes, I did, especially my trip to the fascinating historical buildings of Sintra and the opportunity to meet so many fans. I was made extremely welcome. The signing in Lisbon was great, too. I hope I will come back some time soon and perhaps stay in Portugal long enough to see a little more of the
country.
18º - And some time you thought that you could write a novel passed in Portugal, or Spain?
It’s a possibility for the future. I have an interesting story line that could commence in Portugal or Spain, then take the characters on a lengthy voyage elsewhere – it would be more of a historical novel than a fantasy.
19º - Do you like animals?
I love animals. My life revolves around my two dogs and one cat. I have a tendency to adopt waifs and strays, and currently have a dog whom I adopted when she was old, blind and homeless. I’ve just had some new author photos taken, in which the other dog, Gretel, appears with me. When I watch television, it is usually programs about vets or animal welfare.
20º - Recently Juliet caught a big scare when was diagnoses a tumour. Fortunately the situations are going well. But how did you deal with that? What changed in your life?
I’m still dealing with it – the news was quite a shock. Yes, it has gone well so far but I am heading into a long period of treatment which is going to make me quite sick, so I will be working hard to show courage and stay calm. After being quite upset for the first week or so, I decided I would not listen to any negative talk about my situation, so I have posted some rather bossy statements on my website telling readers to send only positive messages (and I’ve received some wonderful emails.) What changed in my life? Quite a bit. I am noticing all the beautiful things around me, and thinking
about all the good experiences I’ve had in the past, and what I’ve achieved in my life. On a more practical level, I’ve gone onto a strict low-fat diet, am trying to keep up my exercise routine in a modified form, and am drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day! And I am not doing quite as much writing as usual. A lot of this is in preparation for chemotherapy, which takes quite a toll on the body. Having a rest from writing will probably allow me to read more books (yay!) and do some handiwork like knitting.
21º - During this interview you told us a little bit about yourself and about your methods of writing. The Portuguese fans would like to receive some words, advice, want you want to tell them something.
I don’t want to sound too serious here. For the last month and a half my mind has been on big
issues: life and death, sickness and health, what makes people brave, and so on. Really, I would like to say to my Portuguese fans a big thank you for supporting me so wonderfully and continuing to read my books with such enjoyment and appreciation. It means a lot to me to know you love my writing so much. I have found my Portuguese readers highly intelligent (as demonstrated by the
kind of questions you ask) and extremely courteous and friendly. For those of you who are writers or
creative artists, keep on working hard, follow your dreams and have faith in yourself! For those of you who just love to read, I hope your reading sweeps you away into worlds of the imagination and makes your daily life brighter.
Por hoje é tudo, e assim se conclui a terceira parte da entrevista a Juliet Marillier. Mas a semana dedicada a esta autora ainda se prolonga até Domingo, por isso continua atento! Existe uma falha, no entanto, de acordo com os planos originais: era previsto eu a Patrícia termos feito uma pausa nos livros que estávamos a ler para lermos um da Juliet, e no sábado e no Domingo cada um fazia uma crítica ao livro que lera. Só que a Patrícia já me disse que não teve oportunidade de ler um livro da autora... e eu ainda tneho 100 páginas para ler do meu! Por isso, a minha crítica fica para Domingo. Para amanhã, prepara-te para uma miscelânia de curiosidades e informações acerca da escritora. Boas leituras!
quinta-feira, 14 de maio de 2009
Semana Marillier: As três sugestões da Juliet
Saga: Trilogia Sevenwaters
Sinopse: Passada no crepúsculo celta da velha Irlanda, quando o mito era Lei e a magia uma força da Natureza, esta é a história de Sorcha, a sétima filha de um sétimo filho, o soturno Lorde Colum, e dos seus seis amados irmãos.
O domínio de Sevenwaters é um lugar remoto, estranho, guardado e preservado por homens silenciosos e Criaturas Encantadas que deslizam pelos bosques vestidos de cinzento e mantêm armas afiads. Os invasores de fora da floresta, os salteadores do outro lado do mar, os Bretões e os Viquingues, estão todos decididos a destruir o idílico paraíso. Mas o mais urgente para os guardiões é destruir o traidor que se introduziu dentro do domínio: Lady Oonagh, uma feiticeira, bela como o dia, mas com um coração negro como a noite. Oonagh conquista Lorde Colum com os seus sedutores estratagemas,; mas não conseque encantar a prudente Sorcha. Frustrada por não conseguir destruir a família, Oonagh aprisiona os irmãos num feitiço que só Sorcha pode quebrar. Se falhar, continuarão encantados e morrerão!
Então os salteadores chegam e Sorcha é capturada, quando está apenas a meio da sua tarefa... Em breve vai ver-se dividida entre o seu dever, que lhe impõe que quebre o encantamento, e um amor cada vez mais forte, proibido, pelo senhor da guerra que a capturou.
Saga: Wildwood
Sinopse: Esta é uma história mágica, que transita entre um mundo mítico e um castelo na Transilvânia... Jena, uma jovem de 15 anos, o seu sapo de estimação Gogu e suas quatro irmãs guardam um segredo: desde pequenas, em todas as noites de Lua Cheia, fazem sombras com as mãos contra uma pedra, abrindo um misterioso portal para uma floresta mágica, onde dançam com encantadoras e bizarras criaturas fantásticas. Porém, elas não imaginam que as suas vidas vão mudar drasticamente: o pai adoece e, por recomendações médicas, vai para uma região onde o inverno é mais ameno. Jena e sua irmã Tati ficam encarregadas de cuidar dos negócios da família no castelo Piscul Dracului. As coisas vão bem até que um trágico acidente deixa tudo fora de controle. Para piorar, sua irmã se apaixonara por uma das misteriosas criaturas da Clareira Dançante da floresta...
Aproveitem estes conselhos da autora para começarem a ler os maravilhosos livros de Juliet Marillier. Amanhã não percas, no Lydo e Opinado, a terceira e última parte da entrevista a Julit Marillier, na qual, entre outras perguntas, a autora dirige uma mensagem especial aos seus leitores/fãs portugueses, fala acerca da possibilidade de escrever uma história passada em Portugal, ou de como o diagnóstico do cancro da mama detectado há dois meses mudou a sua vida. Boas leituras!
quarta-feira, 13 de maio de 2009
Semana Marillier: Entrevista EXCLUSIVA (Parte 2/3)
8º - Your characters reflects persons that you know or are just totally original from your imagination?
I think all writers use material from people they know when creating characters. The raw material for all fiction is the writer’s personal experience. However, I don’t base characters on individuals I know – they are always a blend.9º - And your creativity to write stories? Where your imagination come from? Some time you based in something that happened to you?
This is extremely hard to answer. I don’t know if people are born with a creative imagination or whether they develop it through nurture, or partly both. I was certainly brought up surrounded by books and stories, and was encouraged by my parents to read and write.
I do sometimes build my personal experiences, fears, misgivings and beliefs into the books. For instance, when Paula is on her quest in Cybele’s Secret, I gave her some challenges that represent my own worst fears (crossing a shaky suspension bridge, and being underground in pitch darkness.)10º - You are a writer that has a schedule to write?
I have a fairly well-organised working day, with a schedule based around the walks and meals for my animals! Generally I follow the same schedule every day, but sometimes I spend the time writing the new book, and sometimes I need to do editing, answer emails and letters, work on my accounts, and a lot of other tasks that are part of a professional writer’s work.
11º- You listen music when you write? Which are your favorite singers?
While I’m writing I often prefer silence, and if I do listen I will chose something purely instrumental, because I’ve found the lyrics of songs are distracting. Favourite singers: I like Loreena McKennitt, Karen Matheson from Capercaillie, and Irish folk singer Karan Casey. I love the Celtic bands Capercaillie, Runrig and Solas. Closer to your part of the world, I also enjoy the music of Carlos Nunez and the group Luar na Lubre.12º- Recently you wrote “Heir of Sevenwaters” (that will be published in portuguese on May 8). Was for you a good experience return to the characters and sceneries of the trilogy that enchanted
so many people?
I enjoyed writing Heir to Sevenwaters very much. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about going back to that world and those characters, but once I started it felt very natural.13º - Between the books you wrote, you have a favorite? And, of all the books you wrote, you can suggest one of them to someone that want to start reading your books?
Choosing a favourite is difficult, because I have different reasons for liking different books. I think it’s a tie between Son of the Shadows and The Well of Shades. Son of the Shadows because I really loved creating Bran’s band of outlaw warriors, and The Well of Shades because I think it contains my best, most mature love story.
Which to start with? Either Daughter of the Forest, Wolfskin or Wildwood Dancing – it depends on the reader.14º- Actually you are reading a book?
I’m about to start reading Revelation by C J Sansom. His books are great! They are historical detective stories, set in the time of Henry VIII. Sansom really makes the period come alive.
terça-feira, 12 de maio de 2009
Semana Marillier: Trilogia Sevenwaters
Na minha opinião, sem qualquer dúvida a trilogia que me deu mais gosto de ler em toda a minha vida. Com cenários ricamente descritos, paisagens de florestas e mar, um ambiente puramente irlandês... embora estes três livros tenham sido os únicos que já li da autora, arrisco-me a dizer que Sevenwaters é a obra-prima de Juliet Marillier.
segunda-feira, 11 de maio de 2009
Semana Marillier: Entrevista EXCLUSIVA (Parte 1/3)
Segue-se a primeira parte, de três, da entrevista à Juliet, que amavelmente e de forma extremamente simpática se dispôs a responder. Se são fãs desta autora, ou se quiserem passar a conhecê-la melhor, vão visitando o blog ao longo desta Semana Marillier.
Ah, se quiserem ler a entrevista em português carreguem aqui.
1º - Can you tell us your age when you started to write stories, even that the stories don’t have the structure of a novel?
I started writing stories at about the age of seven. I still have one of them, about a rampaging robot. It was quite a violent story – hundreds of people died in it!
2º - While child, which books and writers you selected as your favourites?
Beatrix Potter, Alison Uttley (the Little Grey Rabbit books), Tove Jansson’s Moomin books, C S Lewis’s Narnia books. When I was a little older, I loved Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. I also liked Rosemary Sutcliffe’s historical novels. By the age of twelve I was reading mostly adult books.
3º - Let’s talk about school. When Juliet was a student, you had good grades?
Yes, I did have good grades, especially in anything to do with language or history. I managed quite well in maths and science, too, but I never enjoyed either and I gave them up as soon as I could. I was not good at sports. I had to wear very thick glasses, and I had no confidence at all with physical challenges.
4º - The editors accepted immediately your first novel, “Daughter of the Forest”?
I did send it to one local publisher who sent it back with a nice letter saying although it wasn’t their kind of book, one of the mainstream publishers might be interested. I did a little editing then submitted it to Pan Macmillan in Australia, and they accepted both “Daughter of the Forest” and “Son of the Shadows”, which was only partly written at that stage.
5º - When you had the idea of publish “Daughter of the Forest”, you thought that you could have such success that your books will have in the future? Which were your expectations?
My expectations were not very high. I had written the book with no intention of publication – really, I wrote it because I had a strong wish to tell that particular story in that way. So I was extremely excited to be having a book published, and I did not think very far beyond the thrill of seeing my novel on the shelf in the book shop.
6º - What fascinate you in the Irish sceneries that you use so much in your stories?
My ancestors lived in Scotland and Ireland, and I grew up reading mythology and folklore from the Celtic countries. Also, in many ways that landscape is similar to the part of New Zealand where I was born and grew up, so I think forests, lakes and islands were part of my psyche from early days.
7º - You have for habit travel to the places and then include them in your stories?
When it’s possible, I like to go to the places where the books are set, yes. I usually travel part-way through writing the book. When I return, I work on the descriptions of wild nature, the way the light looks, the weather, the terrain and so on. It is possible to get a lot of that information from books or the Internet, but nothing is quite as effective as going to the country itself.