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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2010 14:19:55 GMT
Because of my fondness for Harrison,I will bear this in mind Bixa,thanks for the heads up. One of the things I hope this particular thread will do is just what you illustrated. Authors that we may have not previously cared for, we are encouraged to give another try. This has happened with a number of authors I've read about on here. So,if we take the time to maybe mention these little valuable tidbits,we can really keep each other immersed in some perhaps otherwise overlooked great reads. BJD, I am so envious of your reading Marquez's" One Hundred... "in it's original. I always wonder what gets lost in translation. I worked with a woman who was reading Marquez's "Love in the Time of Cholera" in the original Spanish after having read the English translation. She told me it was night and day...
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 18, 2010 14:50:17 GMT
Thanks so much, Casimira. I really, really agree with you on those points.
I'm sure I've mentioned this before: when I started reading "100 Years..." in Spanish, I was stunned to find that it's laugh-out-loud funny. What is so strange about that is the English translation is really good. Why it should be so funny in the original I do not know.
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Post by bjd on Jan 18, 2010 15:57:22 GMT
It's true that I find passages of 100 Years funny in Spanish too. But then, I don't remember much about the English version. It's even more amusing because of all the typos I mentioned on the other thread.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 11:53:02 GMT
I have just completed Naguib Mahfouz's "Palace Walk",book one of the Cairo Trilogy ( and a Tilly recommendation). I loved it immensely and am about to embark on #2 of the trilogy,"Palace Desire". Thanks Tilly for the recommendation!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 20, 2010 16:52:03 GMT
That's a shame you wound up with a bad edition of the book, Bjd. The copy I had was by the big Mexican publisher, Diana, & seemed to be fine. I think I mentioned this somewhere else -- the first edition of the book Oscar & Lucinda was so filled with typos that the publishers pulled it. Who knows how many bad copies are still out there. When I read it the first time, it was a library book and just dreadfully irritating and distracting. I read it again later when I found out it had been reissued. I have to make an effort to read Palace Walk. This is the umpteenth time it's been recommended by people whose tastes I trust. I finished Jim Harrison's The English Major last night, and my impression of it had completely changed shortly after the middle of the book. That goes to show how our expectations can keep us from enjoying something. I was so busy critiquing it because it seemed different from his other books, that I almost missed what he was up to, which were some very fine tricks indeed. So, yes -- I highly recommend it!
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Post by bjd on Jan 20, 2010 17:38:51 GMT
Well, I guess Marquez can afford to live without getting any royalties from this edition. There are letters missing and no chapters. Just one long text with the occasional empty line. I don't know if the original has any or not.
I have had Mafhouz's trilogy on my "to read" list for a long time too. I'll have to see whether they have it at the library. I guess it doesn't matter if it's translated into French or English.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 21:37:58 GMT
I somehow did not catch that you had a bad copy of Marquez BJD. Missed that somehow...pardon. Well,that's tiresome to have missing letters etc. Jeez.
Do check out Mahfouz.
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Post by Jazz on Jan 20, 2010 22:02:48 GMT
I loved Palace Walk! It was my favorite of the trilogy, and I just reread it a few months ago. Recently I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Widow Clicquot which I reviewed in the biography thread. At the moment I am reading two, both excellent. The Edible City: Toronto from farm to fork This is a great and eclectic series of essays on food in Toronto...the history of the St. Lawrence Market, the victory farms of WWII, putting a price on healthy eating in Toronto etc. Unexplored Paris, Rodolphe Trouilleux. I had heard so much about this book but it was so expensive. One day a second hand copy came up on amazon and I pounced. It is the single best book that I have found on the hidden treasures of Paris. (other than Kerouac's essays, of course ) It is small, organized by arrondissement, with a short essay and photo of each unexplored jewel. Most of it is unknown to me.
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Post by traveler63 on Jan 21, 2010 12:59:56 GMT
I am reading Rules of Vengeance by Christopher Reich. It is the second of the Rules books, first being Rules of Deception. The main character's name is Jonathan Ransom and he is a doctor with Doctors without Boarders. I would classify it as a "thriller" some say "sunspense, but it is really rather original. I haven't read the first one, but am thoroughly enjoying it. It is very fast moving and one that I haven't been able to figure out yet and I have 26 pages to go. I highly recommend it, as once you start it is not an easy book to put down. It is about him and his very mysterious wife who appears to be a double double agent and he has had no idea that she absolutely is not anything near being who he thought he married. He tries to find her after the black ops called the Division tries to kill her, she disappears and he ends up on the side of a English policewoman trying to find her
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Post by bjd on Jan 21, 2010 13:41:17 GMT
I just went to the library and got the first volume of the Mahfouz trilogy. Am still reading 100 years of Solitude and my History of Byzantium.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 21, 2010 16:50:10 GMT
After I finished the Jim Harrison, I picked up a book that was highly recommended by the person who loaned it to me. I don't like it! The book is A Happy Marriage by Rafael Yglesias and I stolidly read 65 pages of it before deciding that it had failed to make me care. What I find odd is that the person who recommended it is a person who is pretty impatient generally. I, on the other hand, am cheerfully distracted and entertained by detail, but found the book unbearable because of its incessant piling on of detail. I'm going to give Hunting Unicorns one more chance today with the happy option of visiting the library tomorrow if it fails to satisfy. That would mean I could get Palace Walk!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 27, 2010 19:58:12 GMT
boo hiss to Hunting Unicorns. I did go to the library, but didn't feel in the mood for Palace Walk. I got: The Bellini Maddona by Elizabeth Lowry, Surveillance by Jonathan Raban, The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, The Elephanta Suite by Paul Theroux, The Courts of Love by Ellen Gilchrist, and the fabulous novel I just this minute finished. The novel is By a Slow River by Philippe Claudel. (originally published in French as Les Âmes grises in 2003), and works on so many different levels that I'm still working them all out. First and foremost is the writing itself, which is as deft as anything I've ever read. That's not quite the right word, but I want to convey a delicacy of touch that is by turns spare, profound, dramatic, or even somewhat slangy, but always precisely right. Truly, at times I became indifferent to the plot, which turns on a mystery, because I was so caught up in the moods created by the writing. The sheer quality of the prose made me wish I could read it in French. If the translation is this exquisite, what heights must the original reach? One device employed throughout is that of contrasts, most notably that of the first world war raging literally just on the other side of a hill from where the events narrated take place. Claudel doesn't simply mention this once, he forces the reader to take note, effectively coercing us into the world view of the narrator, a narrator who could be described as a compassionate cynic. I can't recommend this book highly enough, and will seek out his others as soon as possible.
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Post by traveler63 on Jan 28, 2010 20:55:22 GMT
Jazz, Thank you for your post on the Unexplored Paris. There is a website that you and others might be interested in. It is; www.littlebookroom.com I found it by chance through Borders Books. We have a brick and mortar store here and I was in the France Travel section and ran on to a little book about 6" long; 4 1/2 "wide and not quite 1" thick called: The Patisseries of Paris. It is arranged by Arrondismonts for some of the better known patisseries. It is wonderful, pictures are beautiful and the write up really gives you a lot of information. The size is great because it will fit easily in most anything. So I bought it and then went on line to check the publisher out. There are 15 similar books about Paris, from brasseries to flea markets and everything else. The second one we purchased is called The Brasseries of Paris. In addition to Paris, there is also books on various other places in France, Italy, U. S. as well as other items, such as journals, notecards, etc. This site is wonderful!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2010 21:04:39 GMT
I haven't read anything by Philippe Claudel, but "Les Ames Grises" was made into a movie (unsuccessful). In 2008, he wrote and directed a movie that was an IMMENSE success -- "I've Loved You So Long" starring Kristin Scott-Thomas. If you get a chance to see it, it is considered to be the best performance ever by that actress, and the movie raises some extremely troubling questions itself.
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Post by traveler63 on Jan 28, 2010 22:41:47 GMT
I finished The Widow Clicquot. Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin. It is a very good biography and really was worth the read. If you are interested champagne, I really recommend it. Tilar Mazzeo, the author did a lot of research and spent a lot of time in the Champagne region. There is next to nothing available for the early years and she spent an enormous amount of time just talking to everyone she could find. It is amazing how the widow Clicquot just did it under very turbulent times. It also sort of explodes the myth of how champagne was discovered. It is a good read for a biography which sometimes can be a little dry.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2010 17:56:58 GMT
"Well, I'm back" I am currently reading After the Funeral by Agatha Christie and slow-reading Danube by Claudio Magris. Additionally, I am participating in 2 online reading challenges and doing three personal reading challenges. I was in India for 5 weeks, visited 3 out of the 4 people I had planned to visit, went to Shimla, Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur and Coorg and ended the trip in Bangalore, where I discovered the most amazing second-hand book shop and ended up bringing back 21 books (I could have kicked myself when I discovered I only had 15 kilos of luggage when I left - I would have bought 10 more books had I known On the job front I have a job as a translator and started last Monday, so I am still learning the ropes.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2010 18:16:08 GMT
Wow! Icy is back!!! I am thrilled.
Even though you have a new job, I hope that you will write us a report (illustrated??) about India!
And of course you must continue to report to us about books!
*runs away before icy does*
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 1, 2010 18:46:52 GMT
*wriggles with delight* It's absolutely fantastic to see you here again! Love your comment about wishing you'd hauled back even more books -- a true reading-addict statement. Congratulations on the new job, which I hope you find enjoyable and satisfying. Ditto what Kerouac says about reporting on India when you have time ( ). Hey, installments would be great. I've seen your incredible photography on your websites, and it would be an enormous treat if you include some here. I've never really known what a reading challenge is, but it sounds as though you thrive on challenges!
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Post by bjd on Feb 1, 2010 20:13:21 GMT
Welcome back, Icy. I'm glad to hear you found a job.
I just finished 100 Years of Solitude. Great book, despite the typos all over. I just gave up looking up the words I didn't know -- there are too many of them anyway.
The other day I went to the library and found a book of short stories by Margaret Atwood -- translated into French, unfortunately, but the original is called Moral Disorder. I'm still reading my Short History of Byzantium and still waiting for two books I ordered from Amazon in the States. Apparently there have been problems with postal delivery here in France (I was told at the post office today), so I don't know where the problem is. Since they are second hand, there is no tracking on them.
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Post by bjd on Feb 1, 2010 20:15:44 GMT
Forgot to say I think I will give up on Naguib Mahfouz. I read the first couple of chapters of the first volume of the trilogy, but I get really annoyed by the fact that the wife wakes up at midnight to welcome her husband home and help him undress after he is out carousing every night. I flipped ahead to see if it improves and saw some stuff about the British in Egypt, but I don't know if that will make me continue.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 1, 2010 23:54:08 GMT
Bjd, I forgot to mention this earlier -- I was told by someone here that Cien Años de Soledad is full of words that are either specifically Columbian or that are considered somewhat archaic. I'm a little reluctant to pass this on, as it was told to me by a Oaxaqueño. I have always noticed that people here don't have much of a vocabulary even if they're well educated. It's a joy to talk with a Chiapaneco, on the other hand, as they literally use more words, obviously choosing them to impart nuance and flavor to their speech.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2010 3:02:13 GMT
Welcome back Icy! You were missed.
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Post by bjd on Feb 2, 2010 8:13:59 GMT
Bixa, I know that Marquez's vocabulary in the book contains Colombian words and others that probably don't come up in everyday speech, especially since the book is not exactly realistic. My problem is simply lack of vocabulary in general since I never studied Spanish and have just been learning on the fly and by reading in the past couple of years. I started with the first volume of Harry Potter in Spanish!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2010 12:41:49 GMT
"Difficult Loves", Italo Calvino, a wonderful collection of four sections of short stories somewhat loosely interwoven. Would love to read it in the original Italian!!
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Post by bjd on Feb 7, 2010 12:50:31 GMT
I'm halfway through volume 4 of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond saga. I finally received it last week, 2 months after ordering it. I'm trying to read it fast so that I can lend it to a friend who has just finished vol 3. I am also trying to figure out why I like those Dunnett books so much, because they are really quite improbable -- the hero survives every possible mistreatment. But I think it's because the author really researched all the historical background for her books, and also describes places and scenes that I don't know much about -- like Malta at the time of the Knights of St John or Trabizond and Bruges when it was a great trading city. When I went to Bruges, it had been silted in for years and is no longer a port.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 7, 2010 18:25:36 GMT
I am a huge Paul Theroux fan, and was overjoyed to find The Elephanta Suite in the library. It consists of three very slightly linked novellas. All writers must have reasons for which novellas they group in a book such as this. What subtly links these stories is the way the reader is carried along to the point of arriving simultaneously with each character at moods, revelations, etc., with the groundwork being laid in one story and collected on in another. And once again Theroux shows his strengths as a story teller. There was one major thing in the book that really bothered me, though, and I'm quite curious as to whether or not anyone else had the same perception. (Looking at the Amazon reader reviews, no one there did.) What bothered me is that Theroux seems to genuinely dislike Indians. At first it seemed part of the character exposition for the people in the first novella, but the negative tone persists through the book, with hardly anything to redeem it. =============================================== The book I am presently reading, and which I wholeheartedly recommend, is The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. This book, which takes place during the siege of Sarajevo, may well become one of my all-time favorites. The elegant simplicity of the writing works perfectly to put the reader completely into the setting and into the minds and deepest hearts of the various characters. This is one of those books which make me wish I'd not read even the jacket, instead allowing each event to come to me as Galloway wrote it. For those who'd like a little more plot background: www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307397034
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Post by lola on Feb 8, 2010 7:23:33 GMT
I just finished The Secret History, by Donna Tartt; got captivated by it.
It's set in a college that's pretty obviously based on Bennington, a school my younger daughter was looking at seriously for next year and I was relieved when she dropped. Even more so now.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2010 8:23:06 GMT
I am between books at the moment -- and I have so many unread ones from which to choose, lying all over the place.
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Post by spindrift on Feb 8, 2010 8:49:50 GMT
I am reading My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons. It's a light enjoyable tale set in Shanghai. I bought this book for 20p at a charity sale. I shall pass it on. It's not one I'd wish to keep on my shelves.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2010 10:45:49 GMT
I just finished The Secret History, by Donna Tartt; got captivated by it. It's set in a college that's pretty obviously based on Bennington, a school my younger daughter was looking at seriously for next year and I was relieved when she dropped. Even more so now. Lola,I read this last year and was captivated by it as well,downright chilling. I had several friends who attended Bennington and was familiar with the campus and it's environs. Does your daughter study Classic Greek? I found this aspect of the novel the most interesting,wish I had studied it.... Seems every university has a microcosm of these type of characters on campus somewhere.... I am rereading a Annie Dilliard novel,supposedly her last as she said somewhere that she is not going to write anymore. The novel is "THE MAYTREES", eccentric characters abound in a section of the Cape Cod area (natives). I thoroughly enjoyed the first go around a few years ago. She is such a sensitive writer,and funny, in a morose kind of way. Of course, being a nonfiction writer of nature,her attention to detail of the natural surroundings is superb.
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