The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman

 

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A while ago, I gave a brief post about The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman, and I said I would do another post when I finished the book. I had completed it a while ago, but I simply forgot to do this post. So, without further introduction, this is a wonderful read, and  I recommend it highly!

Gaiman’s book is a collections of short pieces he has written for a variety of reasons, including people, films, books, writing, and life. If you love his books, then you should enjoy his book.

Here are a few quotations from this wonderful book:

“What speculative fiction is really good at is not the future, but the present. Taking an aspect of it that troubles or is dangerous, and extending or extrapolating that aspect into something that allows the people of that time to see what they are doing from a different angle and a different place. It’s cautionary.” (178)

“Ideas, written ideas are special. They are the way we transmit our stories and our ideas from one generation to the next. If we lose them, we lose our shared history. We lose much of what makes us human. And fiction gives us empathy: it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the gift of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over. ” (181-182)

“And now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art.” (459)

I give this book five stars out of five!

Gaiman, Neil. The View from  the Cheap Seats. HarperCollins. 2017.

Quotations on Education

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“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”

                                                                      Margaret Mead

 

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“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.”

                                                                     Thomas Paine

 

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“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”

                                                                     Plutarch

 

Quotations on Compassion

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“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”

                                                                  Plato

 

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“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”

                                                                Dalai Lama XIV

 

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“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. ”

                                                               Martin Luther King Jr.

Quotations on Justice

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“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

                                                                      Elie Wiesel

 

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“No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expediency.”

                                                                      Theodore Roosevelt

 

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“When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?”

                                                                       Eleanor Roosevelt

Quotations on Education

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“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”

                                                                        Walter Cronkite

 

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“He who opens a school door, closes a prison.”

                                                                        Victor Hugo

 

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“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”

                                                                        Malala Yousafzai

 

Liebster Award!

Thank you very much to Angie Dokos for nominating me for the Liebster Award! It is always an honor to be recognized by other bloggers, so I am happy and humbled. Please visit Angie Dokos at https://angiedokos.wordpress.com and you will find a lively, intelligent, and entertaining blog.

The Rules:

• Say thank you to the person who nominated you for the award.
• Answer the 11 questions you have been asked.
• Nominate and notify 11 bloggers for the award.
• Ask those you have nominated 11 questions.

The Questions:

1. Why did you choose book blogging over something else?

Actually, I blog about books, writing, film, tv, quotations, and anything else that comes to mind!

2. What is one thing you’re really passionate about beside books?

I love to learn about the world, in a myriad of aspects. This includes philosophy, art, physics (although I do not have great math skills), and many other areas of exploration.

3. Have your reading tastes changed over the years?

Not counting being very young, I have always loved reading a wide variety of kinds of books.

4. What is your favorite vacation spot?

Either going to a lake or for a vacation of the future–going to Italy!

5. Do you collect anything (other than books)?

I have a collection of odd knick-knacks related to books, superheroes, and fishing.

6. What has been your favorite book so far this year?

I reread The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and it remains one of my favorite books!

7. What is one law you would change if you could?

I would have all states have immediate voter registration as people turn 18. Voting should be inclusive not exclusive.

8. If you had to donate money to a charity, which one would you choose?

To Teddy Atlas’ foundation — The Dr. Theodore A. Atlas Foundation — which serves the needy in New York. It is not well known,  but he does extraordinary work with this charity.

9. What is your favorite genre to read?

This is difficult, since I love so many, but if I had to choose, it would be Gothic.

10. What is your dream car?

A reconditioned 1967 Volkswagon Beetle!

11. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

I finally finished my Ph.D. in English Literature several years ago.

My nominees:

K. D. Dowdall   https://karendowdall.com/

Sarah Higbee  https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/

Chape  https://chapeblog.com/

Shehanne Moore  https://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/

Yinglan  https://yzhengblog.wordpress.com

David Prosser  https://barsetshirediaries.wordpress.com

Jeanne  https://seasonsapoeticjourney.com/

Annette Rochelle Aben  https://annetterochelleaben.wordpress.com/

Esther  https://femiiesther.wordpress.com

pjlazos  https://greenlifebluewater.wordpress.com/eco/

KSBeth   https://ididnthavemyglasseson.com/

The Questions:

1.) What is your favorite, or one of your favorite, movies?

2.) What is your favorite breakfast?

3.) What was the last live performance of a play that you attended?

4.) Are you a day or night person?

5.) Are you writing something now? If so, what are you writing?

6.) What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

7.) Is there a book that you reread?

8.) Where would you like to visit that you have not yet gone to?

9.) Do you have a historical time period with which you are fascinated?

10.) What is your favorite season of the year?

11.) Do you prefer coffee or tea?

 

Again, I thank Angie Dokos for nominating me for the Liebster Award.

 

 

Quotations by Mark Twain

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“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

 

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.”

 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

 

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