Yes, it's been a while. Yes, I keep starting posts in this manner. Yes, I'm sorry.
I need to keep this blog going really. It gives me time, in between all the other crazy things I've got going on right now, to sit back and reflect. So let's reflect. What's changed since the last post?
I have a full time job! I am now an assistant librarian at an FE college. I will have been there for two months now, and I really, really enjoy the job. Now that's not to say I come home every night leaping for joy - some parts of the job can be tough. But I will do a separate post on the trials and tribulations of FE employment at a later date, there's way too much to squeeze in here.
I have no permanent home! So the new job was closer to my parents place than my Manchester flat, so for the time being I've moved back to live with them whilst me and JJ attempt to find a house that is commutable for us both. Watch this space for developments on that front.
I got an extension for my dissertation! Because of my shiny new job and the severe lack of time this now gives me to work on my project, they extended my deadline until Christmas. I am very grateful for this and it has basically saved my degree 'cause there was no way in hell that that dissertation would have been finished in time for September otherwise.
Progress has actually been made on the dissertation! I am about half way through, actually understand what it is I'm supposed to be doing, and am fairly on track. Essentially I might actually scrape a pass, and I am feeling marginally more optimistic about the whole situation. Cross all of your fingers and toes that I actually pull this off, as the whole process has been more draining and stress inducing than anything I've ever done in my life before. Ever.
So that's that. The whole last couple of months squeezed into some short points. Perhaps I'll blog again soon as I want to keep track of things I'm doing in my new job, as I love looking back on the posts I did when I was at the school library. Then again, perhaps I'll disappear again until Christmas, who knows.
If you're reading this, thanks.
Over and out.
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Monday, 22 June 2015
School Librarian interview questions
Following on from my last post I had a job interview for the position of School Librarian at a mixed Grammar School recently. Here's the process and the sorts of questions I was asked as part of my interview.
Firstly, I had a tour of the school led by three year eight pupils. This was a good opportunity to ask them any questions about the librarian, the school and anything else relevant. They were fairly chatty, and probably happy to be skipping lessons. This was about 20 minutes long.
I then had my interview. This was given by the Head of English and the Vice Principal of the school and lasted roughly 15-20 minutes. I really should have written down what they asked me but various questions that come to mind include:
- A group of year nine boys are being disruptive in the library, how would you handle the situation? What would you do if they started to undermine your authority?
- What made you apply for the role? Tell us about yourself.
- How would you promote the library, or an event/it's services? Beyond 'lots of posters'.
- How would you entice a group of young teenage boys who do not read for pleasure to use the library?
- [Typical safeguarding question] What would you do if a student came and told you something in confidence.
- Are you still a candidate for the job? (As in...do I still want it? Well duh, if I turned up, surely!)
Lastly I had to lead a book group session. This was observed by an English teacher and the Librarian. I was only told that six children would bring their own books to talk about and I would have to lead a discussion on three things:
'The value of reading'
'What makes a good book'
'Age ranges/suitability'
I had no idea how old these children would be, or how long I was supposed to go on for. I planned something that I hoped I could adapt last minute for age ranges and something in case the kids I got were all super quiet (which they were). The kids ended up being a mix of boys and girls from year eight and I tried to keep it going for about 15 minutes, however I lost track of the time in the end. I don't think I did terribly, but this was definitely my weakest section, despite running book clubs in the past for high schoolers.
Sadly I didn't get the job, however I was by far the youngest there and my feedback was mainly that I needed more years of experience. Le sigh. I hope someone out there finds this useful.
Over and out.
Firstly, I had a tour of the school led by three year eight pupils. This was a good opportunity to ask them any questions about the librarian, the school and anything else relevant. They were fairly chatty, and probably happy to be skipping lessons. This was about 20 minutes long.
I then had my interview. This was given by the Head of English and the Vice Principal of the school and lasted roughly 15-20 minutes. I really should have written down what they asked me but various questions that come to mind include:
- A group of year nine boys are being disruptive in the library, how would you handle the situation? What would you do if they started to undermine your authority?
- What made you apply for the role? Tell us about yourself.
- How would you promote the library, or an event/it's services? Beyond 'lots of posters'.
- How would you entice a group of young teenage boys who do not read for pleasure to use the library?
- [Typical safeguarding question] What would you do if a student came and told you something in confidence.
- Are you still a candidate for the job? (As in...do I still want it? Well duh, if I turned up, surely!)
Lastly I had to lead a book group session. This was observed by an English teacher and the Librarian. I was only told that six children would bring their own books to talk about and I would have to lead a discussion on three things:
'The value of reading'
'What makes a good book'
'Age ranges/suitability'
I had no idea how old these children would be, or how long I was supposed to go on for. I planned something that I hoped I could adapt last minute for age ranges and something in case the kids I got were all super quiet (which they were). The kids ended up being a mix of boys and girls from year eight and I tried to keep it going for about 15 minutes, however I lost track of the time in the end. I don't think I did terribly, but this was definitely my weakest section, despite running book clubs in the past for high schoolers.
Sadly I didn't get the job, however I was by far the youngest there and my feedback was mainly that I needed more years of experience. Le sigh. I hope someone out there finds this useful.
Over and out.
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Library Assistant interview questions
Quick Tuesday post!
So this morning I had an interview. It's the first interview for a library related job I've had since starting my course, for a part time library assistant position at a small public library. I just thought I'd share the questions that I was asked, a) to help me remember for the future and b) to help anyone else out there prepare for a similar interview. I had three people interviewing me, and overall the interview lasted about 30-40 minutes.
*I can't remember the order that I was asked these questions, nor can I remember exactly how they were worded so bear with me on the dodgy grammar here*
How do you like to feel when you come to work in the morning? (This threw me a little, I hadn't prepared for this!)
Can you give some examples of good teamwork you've been a part of in a previous role? What are good teamwork skills?
What do you think are important qualities for a library assistant today? Has the role changed?
How would you suggest a book to someone? [Then after this] How would you suggest a book to someone if a person were looking for a book from a genre you weren't familiar with. What resources would you use?
What do you know about [the library where the role was based]? What services do we offer? Who do we work with?
How would you approach leading a rhyme time session for pre-schoolers?
How would you handle an unhappy library user?
Give an example of a book you read and really enjoyed.
Talk about this years summer reading challenge theme (I was asked to research this in the email that offered me the interview, so could prepare for this).
How do you like to feel at the end of a working day?
And at the end they asked if I had any questions and I had a couple prepared so I didn't do the "ermmmmmm, not really" that I usually do.
And that's all I can remember! There was probably others, but that's all I could dredge from my relieved brain on the train home. I will hear whether or not I was successful tomorrow. For now,
Over and out.
So this morning I had an interview. It's the first interview for a library related job I've had since starting my course, for a part time library assistant position at a small public library. I just thought I'd share the questions that I was asked, a) to help me remember for the future and b) to help anyone else out there prepare for a similar interview. I had three people interviewing me, and overall the interview lasted about 30-40 minutes.
*I can't remember the order that I was asked these questions, nor can I remember exactly how they were worded so bear with me on the dodgy grammar here*
How do you like to feel when you come to work in the morning? (This threw me a little, I hadn't prepared for this!)
Can you give some examples of good teamwork you've been a part of in a previous role? What are good teamwork skills?
What do you think are important qualities for a library assistant today? Has the role changed?
How would you suggest a book to someone? [Then after this] How would you suggest a book to someone if a person were looking for a book from a genre you weren't familiar with. What resources would you use?
What do you know about [the library where the role was based]? What services do we offer? Who do we work with?
How would you approach leading a rhyme time session for pre-schoolers?
How would you handle an unhappy library user?
Give an example of a book you read and really enjoyed.
Talk about this years summer reading challenge theme (I was asked to research this in the email that offered me the interview, so could prepare for this).
How do you like to feel at the end of a working day?
And at the end they asked if I had any questions and I had a couple prepared so I didn't do the "ermmmmmm, not really" that I usually do.
And that's all I can remember! There was probably others, but that's all I could dredge from my relieved brain on the train home. I will hear whether or not I was successful tomorrow. For now,
Over and out.
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
The 'D' word.
No, not that word.
Continuing the theme of getting back into the swing of things, it's that time of the year when the 'dissertation' word keeps popping up in social media feeds and in my own brain once in a while. So far I have completed the taught part of my post graduate degree, which if you study full time at my university lasts from September to May. This gets me a Post Graduate Diploma. To make it into a full Masters degree I have to spend my summer months writing a dissertation.
Now, after the pure hell that was April/May I seriously considered not completing it. Just skipping far, far away with my PGDip and never worrying about it again. However I have decided, against all my grumpy thoughts, to do it. Why? Three golden reasons:
One: I paid lots of shiny money to do this course. I'm getting all the teaching time/access to recourses with my money that I possibly can squeeze from this degree.
Two: It's only 18,000 words. Which sounds like a lot, but it's only a similar length to my undergrad dissertation (even though that one was creative writing based and probably was a lot more fun than this one is going to be).
Three: I'm sort of a completest. I was the kid who had to get every single gem on each level of Spyro. I'm the adult who never (almost) gives up on a book, even if it's awful and boring, because I've started, so I MUST FINISH so I can give it a sucky one star review on Goodreads. So I feel like if I complete this degree to the end, I have completed it, very fully, all levels passed and there's no re-doing it. Inner satisfaction will reign.
I'll hopefully be writing about Mobile Libraries, conducting case study, interview and questionnaire research in order to see how they're utilized today, what communities they serve and review best practise suggestions from leading bodies with the aim of suggesting improvements to either the services or the advice given by leading authorities on the topic. A little side-aim is to help add to the literature justifying the need for Mobile Libraries, as all the articles recently seem to be about closures to services :( All I need is consent from a few county councils to come and look at their vehicles and talk to their libraries, which so far is proving more difficult that I would have guessed. First, no-one will answer your emails, then you're passed from person to person which so far has left me with no-one willing to chat with me about it. I will persevere. I hope the librarian ideals of being helpful and sharing information will come out in some council authorities soon and they'll be willing to work with me. I'm a nice person, honestly!
Wish me luck,
Over and out.
Continuing the theme of getting back into the swing of things, it's that time of the year when the 'dissertation' word keeps popping up in social media feeds and in my own brain once in a while. So far I have completed the taught part of my post graduate degree, which if you study full time at my university lasts from September to May. This gets me a Post Graduate Diploma. To make it into a full Masters degree I have to spend my summer months writing a dissertation.
Now, after the pure hell that was April/May I seriously considered not completing it. Just skipping far, far away with my PGDip and never worrying about it again. However I have decided, against all my grumpy thoughts, to do it. Why? Three golden reasons:
One: I paid lots of shiny money to do this course. I'm getting all the teaching time/access to recourses with my money that I possibly can squeeze from this degree.
You know you're old when this makes you grumpy rather than happy. WHAT AM I PAYING FOR DANGNABBIT?!
(Picture Credit: Reddit)
Two: It's only 18,000 words. Which sounds like a lot, but it's only a similar length to my undergrad dissertation (even though that one was creative writing based and probably was a lot more fun than this one is going to be).
When you over use a thesaurus because you need so, so many words.
(Picture Credit: weknowmemes)
Three: I'm sort of a completest. I was the kid who had to get every single gem on each level of Spyro. I'm the adult who never (almost) gives up on a book, even if it's awful and boring, because I've started, so I MUST FINISH so I can give it a sucky one star review on Goodreads. So I feel like if I complete this degree to the end, I have completed it, very fully, all levels passed and there's no re-doing it. Inner satisfaction will reign.
Nothing felt more satisfying than this ever
(Picture Credit: addictedgamewise)
I'll hopefully be writing about Mobile Libraries, conducting case study, interview and questionnaire research in order to see how they're utilized today, what communities they serve and review best practise suggestions from leading bodies with the aim of suggesting improvements to either the services or the advice given by leading authorities on the topic. A little side-aim is to help add to the literature justifying the need for Mobile Libraries, as all the articles recently seem to be about closures to services :( All I need is consent from a few county councils to come and look at their vehicles and talk to their libraries, which so far is proving more difficult that I would have guessed. First, no-one will answer your emails, then you're passed from person to person which so far has left me with no-one willing to chat with me about it. I will persevere. I hope the librarian ideals of being helpful and sharing information will come out in some council authorities soon and they'll be willing to work with me. I'm a nice person, honestly!
Wish me luck,
Over and out.
Friday, 8 May 2015
I'm back from hell and blogging again. My thoughts on the Manchester homeless protest...
It's been nearly five months since the last post. That's mainly down to the five months of being stuck in an endless cycle of assignment hell. I don't think I've ever been more stressed in my entire life. Never do I ever want to go through that ever again. Ever. My education journey ends when I submit my dissertation in September. But enough of that misery. Something that's very much on my radar right now is the homeless protest at Manchester Central Library.
Now, this is something that both the local and national press have picked up. Even if you don't really know why they're doing it, most in Manchester have now seen the cluster of tents pitched outside the central library building and the adjacent town hall. The council continues to battle to evict them as we speak, and continues to talk with them about their concerns. Their aim, so far as I can tell, is that the protesters want homelessness to be addressed properly by the council, after figures of homeless people shot up within a year: "Government figures show homelessness was up 79 per cent from 24 to 43 people in Manchester between 2013 and 2014" As of the 7th May the court allowed them to stay in their current location for at least another week, until their appeal hearing.
This is all very well, but what does it have to do with the library? Apart from the fact that their tents are pitched all around the entrance? The picture above shows the entrance to the library with tents right up to the front door under the arch. The library itself hadn't been under much fire from the protestors, as they were mainly focussing on the council, who occupy buildings next door to the library. But then this happened:
From The Guardian: “Unfortunately, the protesters had to be removed from central library on two occasions yesterday, after physically attempting to force their way into the building in order to occupy it, causing distress to children and families using the library as well as members of city council staff. Members of the group were arrested for public order offences and assaults on security staff,” he said in a statement.
The library had to close early and as a result homeless persons have been banned from the library, including use of their toilets. Now I have several thought on this.
1) Surely there must be some homeless people not involved with the protest who are now really pissed that a small few have restricted their privilege to what should be a free and open space for all. I'm not saying that the library should become a shelter for the homeless, but I often see homeless persons in the library simply reading the newspaper, or possibly just sitting somewhere safe for a few hours. I've never seen them be abusive or distressing to others. The actions of a few have decided the outcome for a large number of people.
2) A library is supposed to be a free and open space for all. Its one of the only places you can go without a reason to be there. you can just walk in and browse or sit. But when offering a service like this, it comes with a certain amount of trust on both sides. The public trusts the library to provide them with materials and services, the library trusts the public to use them well and fairly. With the storming of the library the balance shifted and there were consequences to this. What did the protestors expect would come of this?
3) One thing it did achieve was to give the protest more fuel, as in: "the council won't let us use the library, our rights are being infringed" etc. The action of barring the homeless from the library paints it in a really bad light, when they really only did what they could do ensure the safety of the other library users. How would they have looked if they continued to allow the group access, and set up camp in the foyer or if something more extreme happened, causing someone from either the protest group, the library/council or another member of the public to get hurt?
4) In the protestors defence, I do believe access to the library should be allowed by all. However after banning the homeless, the library could concentrate more on it's outreach provision. I wonder how much central library does in their provision of services to homeless shelters or temporary housing. This could be a way of appeasing both sides.
5) Homeless people can usually use libraries, provided they abide by the 'house rules' that apply to everyone e.g, not being aggressive or abusive to staff and other members. However many can not become members of the library, one reason for example, might be due to having no address. This is a tricky one. Libraries are underfunded, that's sort of a given right now. So if stock is lent out to the homeless and is either not returned, or returned damaged from rain or other factors that might arise from living outside and being on the move often, then the library will have to replace it. It might be considered a cost that can be avoided. However the library wants to have as many people as possible using the service, so providing materials to the homeless might be one way of boosting usage.
It's a difficult situation, however (and I may be shouted at for this) I believe the library's reaction to the storming was justified. I just think it could have been tailored: perhaps just banning the certain individuals involved in the protest. But overall I think they did what they thought was best for the majority of the library users. I think they need to talk on neutral ground with the protestors about library services for the homeless and re-evaluate what the library expects from it's users to keep the balance of trust. Otherwise this is going to go no-where, and the protestors will continue to use the banning as fuel for their campaign.
On a more light-hearted note, hopefully I'll be blogging more often now the bulk of my work is done, so keep an eye out for further posts. Sorry this was so long and serious!
Over and out.
Now, this is something that both the local and national press have picked up. Even if you don't really know why they're doing it, most in Manchester have now seen the cluster of tents pitched outside the central library building and the adjacent town hall. The council continues to battle to evict them as we speak, and continues to talk with them about their concerns. Their aim, so far as I can tell, is that the protesters want homelessness to be addressed properly by the council, after figures of homeless people shot up within a year: "Government figures show homelessness was up 79 per cent from 24 to 43 people in Manchester between 2013 and 2014" As of the 7th May the court allowed them to stay in their current location for at least another week, until their appeal hearing.
Picture from The Guardian
This is all very well, but what does it have to do with the library? Apart from the fact that their tents are pitched all around the entrance? The picture above shows the entrance to the library with tents right up to the front door under the arch. The library itself hadn't been under much fire from the protestors, as they were mainly focussing on the council, who occupy buildings next door to the library. But then this happened:
From The Guardian: “Unfortunately, the protesters had to be removed from central library on two occasions yesterday, after physically attempting to force their way into the building in order to occupy it, causing distress to children and families using the library as well as members of city council staff. Members of the group were arrested for public order offences and assaults on security staff,” he said in a statement.
The library had to close early and as a result homeless persons have been banned from the library, including use of their toilets. Now I have several thought on this.
1) Surely there must be some homeless people not involved with the protest who are now really pissed that a small few have restricted their privilege to what should be a free and open space for all. I'm not saying that the library should become a shelter for the homeless, but I often see homeless persons in the library simply reading the newspaper, or possibly just sitting somewhere safe for a few hours. I've never seen them be abusive or distressing to others. The actions of a few have decided the outcome for a large number of people.
2) A library is supposed to be a free and open space for all. Its one of the only places you can go without a reason to be there. you can just walk in and browse or sit. But when offering a service like this, it comes with a certain amount of trust on both sides. The public trusts the library to provide them with materials and services, the library trusts the public to use them well and fairly. With the storming of the library the balance shifted and there were consequences to this. What did the protestors expect would come of this?
3) One thing it did achieve was to give the protest more fuel, as in: "the council won't let us use the library, our rights are being infringed" etc. The action of barring the homeless from the library paints it in a really bad light, when they really only did what they could do ensure the safety of the other library users. How would they have looked if they continued to allow the group access, and set up camp in the foyer or if something more extreme happened, causing someone from either the protest group, the library/council or another member of the public to get hurt?
4) In the protestors defence, I do believe access to the library should be allowed by all. However after banning the homeless, the library could concentrate more on it's outreach provision. I wonder how much central library does in their provision of services to homeless shelters or temporary housing. This could be a way of appeasing both sides.
5) Homeless people can usually use libraries, provided they abide by the 'house rules' that apply to everyone e.g, not being aggressive or abusive to staff and other members. However many can not become members of the library, one reason for example, might be due to having no address. This is a tricky one. Libraries are underfunded, that's sort of a given right now. So if stock is lent out to the homeless and is either not returned, or returned damaged from rain or other factors that might arise from living outside and being on the move often, then the library will have to replace it. It might be considered a cost that can be avoided. However the library wants to have as many people as possible using the service, so providing materials to the homeless might be one way of boosting usage.
It's a difficult situation, however (and I may be shouted at for this) I believe the library's reaction to the storming was justified. I just think it could have been tailored: perhaps just banning the certain individuals involved in the protest. But overall I think they did what they thought was best for the majority of the library users. I think they need to talk on neutral ground with the protestors about library services for the homeless and re-evaluate what the library expects from it's users to keep the balance of trust. Otherwise this is going to go no-where, and the protestors will continue to use the banning as fuel for their campaign.
On a more light-hearted note, hopefully I'll be blogging more often now the bulk of my work is done, so keep an eye out for further posts. Sorry this was so long and serious!
Over and out.
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
Harry Potter: am I just fussy?
So Happy New Year! Seasons Greeting to all, and I hope that you all had a beautiful festive season, whether you celebrate a faith or not. It's a busy season for uni deadlines and a busy season in retail. On a student librarian note I was tressss lucky to receive several books and book tokens on Christmas Day (literallysohappy!!) and I had something special in mind for my book tokens.
For ages now I've wanted a nice set of Harry Potter books. The editions me and my brother read as kids are somewhat knackered. There are loose pages, spines are peeling and cracked, chunks of the books are covered in what is probably food (I used to read when eating cereal in a morning before school) and basically one more read might just kill them off. I love the first editions, not because they're particularly beautiful (I remember getting the seventh book when it first came out and being like "whut? Who drew this?"), but because they're my Harry Potter's. They're the versions I couldn't wait to get hold of, they're the versions I spent hours curled over, they're the versions that came with me everywhere, in case there was a spare minute for extra reading.
For ages now I've wanted a nice set of Harry Potter books. The editions me and my brother read as kids are somewhat knackered. There are loose pages, spines are peeling and cracked, chunks of the books are covered in what is probably food (I used to read when eating cereal in a morning before school) and basically one more read might just kill them off. I love the first editions, not because they're particularly beautiful (I remember getting the seventh book when it first came out and being like "whut? Who drew this?"), but because they're my Harry Potter's. They're the versions I couldn't wait to get hold of, they're the versions I spent hours curled over, they're the versions that came with me everywhere, in case there was a spare minute for extra reading.
(Image reference)
Yeah, you know the ones. However, so far as I can find, a box set of these beauties does not exist. And you cannot buy them new, individually without spending a small fortune. So what other versions have come out in the UK? Well, If memory serves me correctly, I remember an 'adult' box set becoming available shortly after publishing houses realised that Harry Potter was just as bigger hit with grown up people as it was with the smaller humans. This is what they came up with:
(Image reference)
Seriously. Yawn. I am not a fan. If I had to pick one, it might be the first, because of the shiny, red stone (basically the only one with any colour). But no, even if you can still get this box set, I don't think I'd bother personally.
The next series I remember (there may have been more series than there are in this blog post, these are just the one's that spring to mind for me), were these simple beauties:
(Image reference)
Now these, I don't mind. I quite like The Prisoner of Azkaban especially. These illustrations were done by Clare Melinsky, who did a good job to be honest. The illustrations stand out against the white backdrop and gone is the gloomy, hideous look of the other 'adult' editions. These would appeal to kids or adults and I enjoy the sparkly Harry Potter signature on the top. If I was going to actively source a newer edition, it would be this one. What are Bloomsbury's latest offerings for HP fans?
(Image reference: Bloomsbury)
Okay, if you haven't seen these for your very own eyes, this picture can be deceiving. The colours are actually very, very bright. Basically it looks like a bunch of highlighter pens had an orgy all over what is actually some pretty detailed illustration. Here's the fourth book as an example:
(Image reference)
Look at the detail behind all that yellow. How awesome would that be as a cover? Now I know I complained about the first lot of 'adult' books being too dull. But this is the opposite problem. THE YELLOW HURTS MY EYES. Though not as much as the florescent pink on the first book. Also: we know who wrote it. We don't need Rowling's name (however awesome and brilliant she may be) taking up half of the page. Even the titles are smaller. Gumbling onwards here is the latest editions, released by Bloomsbury:
(Image reference: Bloomsbury)
Now these have their merits. Unlike my cherished childhood editions, they're all drawn by the same artist, a guy called Jonny Duddle, so continuity is great. It's not a bad set. I love the colours, I love the shadowy, magical element they seem to have. However I have two main problems. Now I know good old Voldy has been made flesh, via the magic of Cinema. We tend to associate him with Ralph Fiennes and this laugh. But one thing I liked about the original covers is that Voldemort didn't appear on any of the covers. It added to his mystery and made him more scary. But lo, see his shiny noggin on the 7th cover. Also, in these editions, Harry seems to grow from age 11...to about age 14. Here's the Deathly Hallows, original and new:
(Image reference)
And if we zooooom:
On the left: The Harry not far off his 20's. On the right: Benjamin Button Harry. To conclude I'm a fussy bugger with book covers, despite the fact you should never judge a book blahblah. What I'd love is a nice shiny set of the original covers for under fifty quid, so I can pretend I'm a kid/teen again when I read them. But if that's not gonna happen I might see if I can source the Melinsky versions. Or just wait and see what Bloomsbury do for the next cover they create.
Are there any other covers that I missed? Which do you like best? Here is a Telegraph article comparing the old and new kids covers if you're interested. I'll update if I ever get a hold of a set. What is important to mention here is that the story (should) be the same no matter what binding and pictures and stuff you cover it in. Long live Harry (even if he's trapped in miserable grey colours).
For now,
Over and out.
Saturday, 27 December 2014
My Top 5 Book to Musical adaptations
I am a huge musical fan. I am also a huge book fan. And musicals based on books? I'm all over them like a rash. There's emotions and storylines you can portray through music, there's characters that seem more real and naked (not literally) and fabulous, after you've seen them belt out, in song, the part of the book that made you weep. Of course you can get it wrong. I'm not saying every book should be turned into a musical, oh hell no. Can you imagine 'Dracula: Broadway's newest fang-tastic opera'? [Edit: Hey, apparently someone tried this... I literally have no words. I still need to find somewhere to watch this bad boy, but for now click here for the full cast recording I found...] Anyway, Dracula musicals out of the picture, here's a countdown of my personal top five favourite book to musical adaptations:
5) Oliver!
Composed by Lionel Bart
Based on 'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens.
4) Wicked
Composed by Stephen Schwartz
Based on 'Wicked: The life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire.
The Wizard of Oz's saucier, more complex, big sister. The storyline focusses on the Witches of Oz pre, during and post Dorothy. The book is rife with politics, sex, rich character development and is written fantastically. The musical doesn't cover everything the book did, but makes up for it with show stopping numbers like 'Defying Gravity' and sprinkles humour into the tale with songs like 'Popular'. The show had more humour, in my opinion, than the book, and obvious changes were made for the stage, such as the particularities of Nessarose's disability. However this was a visually stunning musical to see live and the songs blew me away. This is a soundtrack I listen to regularly and a series of books that I could read again and again. People say the sequels of the first book fall a little flat, but I think that you become so invested in the characters in the first, you almost feel obliged to read the following books so you can understand everything this storyline has to offer.
3) The Phantom of the Opera
So many versions! Here I'll focus on the version composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber with Lyrics by Charles Hart.
Based on 'The Phantom of the Opera' by Gaston Leroux (originally in French)
Dark, brooding. Perfect for Opera. So that's what someone decided to do! A disfigured musical genius haunts an opera house and basically stalks young dancer and soprano Christine. It's sad and depressing with very few uplifting scenes. And these brief uplifting scenes are soon squished by more brooding and depressing solos. It culminates in a spectacular, scary and heart-racing finale in which the phantom's mask reveals his true visage and a chandelier falls onto people and basically it ends well for no-one, disfigured or otherwise. As a reader/watcher your emotions are played with mercilessly: do we feel sorry for this poor phantom genius, or should we be concerned by his lurking and murdering? Do we fancy Raoul, or is he a bit of a douche? Do we like Christine's hair? Well actually yes, it's beautiful. It's the second longest running musical in the West End, and it saddens me to know how few people have read the book. It's a haunting tale that will hover in your reading memory long after you pop it back on the shelf. You'll also start listening to mirrors and walls, to see if your house has a troubled singer making extravagant living arrangements out of your basement.
2) The Wizard of Oz
Composed by Herbert Stothart
Based on 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by Frank L Baum
1) Cats
Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on 'Old Possum's book of Practical Cats' by T. S. Eliot
5) Oliver!
Composed by Lionel Bart
Based on 'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens.
"You gotta pick a pocket or two"
The 1968 film version of Oliver. The Ron Moody one (the best one). Yes, Mark Lester as Oliver Twist, wasn't the Oliver I imagined when reading the book. It probably wasn't his fault, bless his tiny blonde heart, but Oliver is decidedly meek, squeaky and sort of forgettable in this film. So why is it in my list? It's still one of the best adaptations out there. Ron Moody and Jack Wild make the best Fagin and Dodger ever ever ever, as does Shani Willis as Nancy. This sounds awful, as it means missing out on the 'Food, glorious food' number, but skip the first 40 minutes and watch from when Oliver reaches London and meets Dodger. (I can't be the only one that does this?) As with many adaptations, the ending of the film is mighty sweeter than the book. However it does it in such a good way that I almost don't mind. The book is perfect. It was the first Dickens I read and I remember feeling so conflicted all the way through, and so emotionally invested I finished in less than two days. If you've never read Dickens, start with Oliver Twist. If you've never seen the film, watch this version. You'll be singing "Oom Pa Pa" for days and develop a bit of a cockney twang in the process probably.
4) Wicked
Composed by Stephen Schwartz
Based on 'Wicked: The life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire.
Rocky Horror aside, these are the best red lips ever seen on a musical ad
The Wizard of Oz's saucier, more complex, big sister. The storyline focusses on the Witches of Oz pre, during and post Dorothy. The book is rife with politics, sex, rich character development and is written fantastically. The musical doesn't cover everything the book did, but makes up for it with show stopping numbers like 'Defying Gravity' and sprinkles humour into the tale with songs like 'Popular'. The show had more humour, in my opinion, than the book, and obvious changes were made for the stage, such as the particularities of Nessarose's disability. However this was a visually stunning musical to see live and the songs blew me away. This is a soundtrack I listen to regularly and a series of books that I could read again and again. People say the sequels of the first book fall a little flat, but I think that you become so invested in the characters in the first, you almost feel obliged to read the following books so you can understand everything this storyline has to offer.
3) The Phantom of the Opera
So many versions! Here I'll focus on the version composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber with Lyrics by Charles Hart.
Based on 'The Phantom of the Opera' by Gaston Leroux (originally in French)
The true mystery of the Phantom: How does his mask stay on?
Dark, brooding. Perfect for Opera. So that's what someone decided to do! A disfigured musical genius haunts an opera house and basically stalks young dancer and soprano Christine. It's sad and depressing with very few uplifting scenes. And these brief uplifting scenes are soon squished by more brooding and depressing solos. It culminates in a spectacular, scary and heart-racing finale in which the phantom's mask reveals his true visage and a chandelier falls onto people and basically it ends well for no-one, disfigured or otherwise. As a reader/watcher your emotions are played with mercilessly: do we feel sorry for this poor phantom genius, or should we be concerned by his lurking and murdering? Do we fancy Raoul, or is he a bit of a douche? Do we like Christine's hair? Well actually yes, it's beautiful. It's the second longest running musical in the West End, and it saddens me to know how few people have read the book. It's a haunting tale that will hover in your reading memory long after you pop it back on the shelf. You'll also start listening to mirrors and walls, to see if your house has a troubled singer making extravagant living arrangements out of your basement.
2) The Wizard of Oz
Composed by Herbert Stothart
Based on 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by Frank L Baum
"Where troubles melt like lemon drops"
Even if you've never seen the film, you've heard the infamous 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' (unless you literally live at the bottom of the ocean), which won an Oscar for Best original song. It's more family friendly than 'Wicked', and obviously a timeless classic that everyone should see at least once. A few changes were made for the film, like silver shoes being changed to Technicolor friendly ruby red slippers, and the omission of a certain chapter in which Dorothy and friends stumble across people made of delicate China. But overall a good, solid adaptation of the novel. What's great about the novel, that differs from the musical, is that it doesn't make out Dorothy's journey to be a dream, or a vision of delirium, but an actual journey that she actually takes and has to travel back from. She doesn't just wake up at the end exclaiming "you were there, and you were there!" She runs back to her beloved farm and her beloved Aunt Em. I love the use of the sepia to colour in the film, as with the character crossovers and the make up and effects were pure genius (1939!!). Scarily 'Over the Rainbow' was nearly omitted, to shorten the running time. Whoever stomped on that decision needs a medal! A great film to watch on a rainy day. A great book to read in any weather.1) Cats
Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on 'Old Possum's book of Practical Cats' by T. S. Eliot
"Feline, fearless, faithful and true"
What can I say about this musical? If you like a nice, continued storyline, it may not be for you. It's several little stories, with a slightly longer backstory that runs separately. The make-up, the costumes, the songs, the choreography...actually it is the choreography that stands out as one of the main reasons to go and see Cats. The dancing is beautiful. When you see it live, the cats come in amongst the audience. They are positively feline in all but biology. It's funny, it's serious, it's genius. It's my favourite musical of all time, based on a book or otherwise. It's tap, it's ballet, it's opera, it's choral. It's cheeky and tear-inducing. It's Cats. And the memory will live forever. The poems are great for adults and kids alike. What is a Jellicle Cat? Go and read and watch and find out! Go now!
And that concludes the list! Of course there are others. Here are a few:
Les Misererable - Book by Victor Hugo
Matilda - Book by Roald Dahl
My Fair Lady - Based on the play 'Pygmalion' by George Bernard Shaw (Apparently. This is one I haven't actually seen so bear with me here).
Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat - Book by...Well it's the Bible. God?
Apparently even Lord of the Rings has undergone a musical treatment. There's lots out there basically, and recent releases prove that fiction is still an excellent source of inspiration for those looking to write the next musical classic.
I hope this has provided some holiday film ideas. Tis the season for TV binging after all.
Over and out.
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