So, it is party time again, folks!

[wiseheart]

Each year this time, we launch my virtual birthday party, which starts on October 1 and ends on October 9 at midnight, sharp. The goals of the party are to post as many comments and collapse as many threads as possible, on as many new pages as we can. It is always great fun, as you can see if you check out the similar entries of the last few years.

This year, I'll also throw the real party at mid-time - and post the recipes of all the food that will be there for you, so that you can all participate if you want to. Virtual food has no calories.

Fandom-related discussions are as welcome as the ones about coffee or chocolate (just to name a few favourites from previous years), and, of course, pictures and recipes of birthday cakes. ;)

So, drop by, tell your story, post your pics or silly poems, ask questions you always wanted to ask and have a good time!

Soledad, in excited expectation




Oh, and by the way, to provide birthday gifts hobbit-style, I've got a revived story and a Kansas 2 update for you.

Enjoy!

Comments

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

Before I head off to bed, I thought I would contribute one more top level comment and a topic for discussion:

Have you seen the film The Princess Bride? A friend of mine introduced me to it a few years back, and I loved it in all its rather silly glory. Then this summer I found out that there was actually a book as well; indeed the book came before the film. So I bought the book (and the film) and now I have just 33 pages left of the first chapter of the fictional sequel, that is appended at the end of my edition of the book. (If you haven't read the book or seen the film, that comment will probably make absolutely no sense what-so-ever, in which case I would like to apologise in advance. On the other hand, if you haven't I have just given you a suggestion for an interesting read and/or watch, so hopefully that makes up for it!)

[sammydragoncat]

I love The Princess Bride - I haven't read the book yet, how is it?

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

It is a bit different, most notably in the frame story. This is more substantial in the book, with quite a few sarcastic asides from the 'abridger' about the bits he is cutting out. This gives that part of the story a different feel, in some ways much more grown up than the film. The Princess Bride Florrinese adventure story bits are very similar. What we get is a bit more back-story for especially Fezzik and Inigo. I loved the book, but for once I wouldn't say absolutely that it was better than the film. This might be partly because the author of the book also wrote the script for the film.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I find with films that are novel adaptations my degree of dislike of the film depends on whether I read the novel first or later. I'm much more capable of tolerating divergence when I read the novel only afterwards.

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I also find myself much more able to tolerate differences, when I saw the film first. However, in most of those cases I still think that the book is better, and so much better that it is noticeable. Here, I love both and perhaps because they are different enough find that I don't actually have a marked preference.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I think the only time I've loved the film more than the book is Howl's Moving Castle, where Miyazaki's film has a much darker take on the universe than the Diana Wynne Jones original -- but in that case I saw the film first. They are so different it would be easy to consider them different takes on a similar idea that happened to use the same names.

Though there are some adaptations that provide wonderful eye candy for the heterosexual female/gay male -- Maurice and the television version of Brideshead Revisited spring to mind.

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I did love the film Howl's Moving Castle, from the first time I saw it. There were bits that only made sense much later when I read the book though. I agree they two stories are very different, and I am inclined to indeed think of them as two very separate entities. I like the book better though, mostly because of my love of the Sophie in it.

I haven't seen Maurice, but I do indeed remember there being quite a bit of eye candy in Brideshead Revisited!

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Sophie is a wonderful character in both book and film. Have you read the sequels (I have yet to)?

What's your favourite Diana Wynne Jones? Mine is probably Power of Three though I love Eight Days of Luke and find the Dalemark universe fascinating. I haven't read a lot of her later books -- I grew too old for them as a child, and have only learned recently to return to children's lit.

If you liked Brideshead Revisited, Maurice is definitely worth a try. It has an early Hugh Grant, before he stopped acting and his looks went off, plus a very early Rupert Graves. And there's the most candid m/m sex scene I can recall from films of that era.

[sammydragoncat]

It does make a difference when the author of the book also does the screen play. I will have to read the book.

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I definitely recommend reading the book! :-) I was very pleased to find out that there was a book, but then a bit apprehensive that I wouldn't like it as much as the film, but those fears were unfounded. :-)

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

I've seen the film but not read the book. It is on my list to read, especially given what several people have told me about it.