SBD: still more typos

[jmc_bks]

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow shall keep me from posting for SBD!

Actually, all the snow gave me a valid excuse for doing nothing but reading and watching DVDs all weekend, in between bouts of (futile, Sisyphean) shoveling.

I read a historical romance by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon (a/k/a KateR of the SBD), which was pretty good.  I may even get organized enough to tell you more specifically what was so good.  I mean, other than in addition to the writing, the plot and the characters and the setting.  Really, you should just read it and see for yourself.  If I could figure out a good (legal) way to share or gift ebooks, I'd offer to give a copy to a random commenter.  

Anyway, I also attempted to read a contemporary anthology.  DNF.  Have reached the point where I have to wonder about the perception of the reviewer who praised this book.  Taste is variable, which I'm cool with.  But how on earth did s/he *not* notice the typesetting problems?  The grammar?  The outright WRONG words used?  

Some examples:

• feeling "self conscience" instead of "self-conscious" (twice!)
• missing direct address commas fairly regularly...but making up for them by inserting random commas elsewhere
• referring to a "gallop" poll, rather than Gallup poll
• use of possessive pronoun "your" and "their" when the sentence actually needed the subject and verb contraction "you're" or "they're"

And so on. 

Also, in terms of word choice and usage:  there is no such thing as a "vice grip", although a "vise grip" is a handy thing to have in a workshop.  And "whelp" may be a noun meaning young canine or a verb meaning to give birth; it is not a sound.  Perhaps yelp or whine would have been more appropriate.  One last thing:  how does one snarl up one's lip?  Is that short hand for saying he turned up his lip in a snarl?

The typesetting...well, the wonky pagination could be a function of the Kindle.  But I've never seen typesetting this bad on the Kindle before.  It leaves the FL problem of last week in the dust.  No paragraph breaks in dialogue, single words on a line for no apparent reason, etc.

I've begun a mental list of ebook publishers that seem to have little or no editing.  This is not the first book I've bought from this publisher with poor editing, so it's being added to the list.

I might've been more tolerant of the poor presentation if I'd been engaged by any of the characters.  But no. 

Also for SBD, since it's Valentine's Day between now and the next potential SBD:  what is up with the Lyric Opera having Bizet's Carmen as its show on Valentine's Day?  Yes, it's a passionate love story of sorts, but, hello, Don José kills Carmen in the end. What message does that send? That it's okay to kill a woman when she dumps you?  I have a love/hate relationship with this opera that dates back to the first time I saw a film adaptation of it, Carlos Saura's Carmen as part of his flamenco trilogy (see also Boda de sangre and El amor brujo). ( My favorite lines of the film are mentioned here.)  Carmen is a not-entirely admirable character, but she owns herself and her sexuality, which I appreciate, so killing her in the end because she has chosen another bothers me.  A lot.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I've never quite enjoyed Carmen either. The whole thing sort of feels as if I'm being pounded over the head: It's CULTURE! It's SPAIN! It's ROMANCE! It's OPERA!

None of which is particularly enjoyable.

For Valentine's Day I'd probably take Der Rosenkavalier -- not particularly intense, but it does have that "love at first sight" thing going for it which could fit a Valentine's Day theme. (And, uh, no one dies that I can think of.)

Susian

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the Der Rosenkavalier (The Red Knight?) recommendation. Love at first sight works. As long as no one is killing his lover, claiming to be maddened by love, I'm game. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Der Rosenkavalier means "The Rose Carrier" or the messenger with the rose. It's about a young man (played by a woman) who delivers a rose to a young woman so that an older man can show his love for the young lady. The messenger falls in love with the beautiful lady, and then you have two pairs of lovers going off and singing about love (with only one male voice). There's a famous trio at the end of the third act which is quite lovely.

Of course, I think Strauss is a better composer than Bizet, so the music is better overall.

And uh, yeah opera is operatic in its scope, characterizations and plots. Really over the top. Totally.

Suisan

[(Anonymous)]

you run a mini-contest and I'll give away one of my author copies. God knows I'm tarred tarred tarred of running contests.
xxoo
Kate R

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Okay, lemme get organized and I'll post about it. Random commenter? Preferred time frame?

[(Anonymous)]

No preferences about any of it. Except maybe you shouldn't require any nudity? Then again, your contest, your rules.

Kate R

Old post

[(Anonymous)]

I came across your blog during a Robyn Donald search. I too share your guilty secret. What are your favourite books by her?

Did you end up liking the books the filipino lady suggested? Robyn Donald is getting a bit too royal for me lately..guess NZ's Northland ran out of gentlemen landowners (she could always kill a few of the old ones).

Also - ever thought of sharing your favourite romance movies? I'm a huge fan of period pieces such as "North and South" (the English not American), Persuasion with Rupert Penry-Jones (I could worship that man), forever of Pride and Prejudice. I recently came across a couple of "romantic" movies I haven't watched but sounds 'interesting' - "The Inheritance" and "A hazard of hearts" (boham carter's first movie).

Re: Old post

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

My favorites are A Forbidden Desire and Bay of Stars. I tend to enjoy Ms. Donald's older books more than her newer ones; the royal characters don't thrill me.

I did try several books by one of the authors the Filipino lady suggested. Armstrong, I think? Enjoyed them, but can't remember the titles offhand.

Think I remember "A Hazard of Hearts" - was it a TV movie? Based on a Barbara Cartland novel? Not sure I've seen it, but I remember seeing mention of it.

Oh, my favorite romance movies. Off the top of my head: While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman; Persuasion (not the Rupert Penry-Jones version, I'm afraid); North & South (UK version); Sense & Sensibility (Emma Thompson/Ang Lee version); Mostly Martha (German film, remade badly into No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones); Sixteen Candles; The Truth About Cats & Dogs.

Re: Old post

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for sharing :) I think you're right about Hazard of Hearts, I've yet to enjoy that bit of romantic dribble

I'ts the anonymous poster (on Robyn) this time on Carmen

[(Anonymous)]

Operas are mostly silly melodramas, I can't think of any with good plots. Now a heroine I kinda dispise is Mimi in La Boheme, she sure has a long death for a tuberculosis ridden hag (oh pardon me, it was consumption..groan).

Now the music is beautiful, marvellous, romantic..viva bel canto!!

Carmen is silly in that it's a Frenchman writing a story about "exotic" Spain. I was in Seville recently and did think of Carmen :)

Re: I'ts the anonymous poster (on Robyn) this time on Carmen

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

When I visited Seville, I went on a walking tour and the tour guide walked us past what was once a tobacco factory that was a "setting" for the opera.

I've been to very few operas. So I should expect silly melodramas? Very few seem (to me) to end happily. Or perhaps I've just seen too few of them.

Re: I'ts the anonymous poster (on Robyn) this time on Carmen

[(Anonymous)]

yep most are over the top. Mozart is fun as they're more comedic, still no real depth to the stories. I'm not a Wagner fan but believe many are based on Norse myths (so if you can handle the shrieking..er..music.