Author Topic: Now reading...  (Read 244575 times)

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Offline Markus

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #480 on: March 28, 2012, 08:30:46 am »
Dear Dr. One,

thank you for pointing our attention to that specific item, which is of the greatest interest to our common field of studies!

Yours sincerely

Markus
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Offline Agnes

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #481 on: April 09, 2012, 03:46:27 pm »
Just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the 3rd time, I think :)

Offline Persephone

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #482 on: April 09, 2012, 04:06:22 pm »
I just finished this awesome book :) It's years since something got me so deeply.



But then again, who does.

Offline Markus

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #483 on: April 09, 2012, 09:33:19 pm »
Has it, Kris? :) What was so touching about it, if I may ask?

Cheers!

Markus
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Offline Persephone

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #484 on: April 09, 2012, 10:14:20 pm »
Yes :)

When I read the first 2 pages (first novel is called The Bamboo Sword) I was in the tram and I had close the book because it was so sad I would start crying. :)
There are (except one or two I think) stories about samurai describing situation when their time was almost over. After centuries of wars the Tokugawa family brought Japan to "peace" and lot of the samurai were not needed anymore - not as warriors. They simply lacked the positions for them. So the samurai became ronin ("unemployed" samurai) and they had to start settling into mundane jobs - llike merchants etc. It had to be hard for someone being born and brought up in war to suddenly lack the fight and "become peaceful". I mean, it's not anything rare - look at the veterans from WWI and WWII - after they came back from war, nobody employed them. The same happens to people for example in U.S. Army - the soldiers come back from Iraq or Afghanistan and when they are out of service - nobody employes them.

So each story describes a life of such people. Samurai looking desperately for a position to feed his family... and such. It's very sad reading if You ask me. The author describes it very well and there isn't lack of the samurai culture & ethiquette description - I want to say that I do not of course believe that all samurai would be noble honorable men, always there are better and worse, good and bad - but by the original ethiquette they were supposed to be the righteous, honorable, noble ones. And with exception of those few stories about some other caste people than samurai - the story describes such a life of lower or higher rank samurai with their families - with all his/their mistakes. But You simply cannot start feeling sorry. Noble person holdin service for years and then - turning into a poor person not being able to feed own family not cause of being bad - but because of lack of jobs.

Each story is very touching. You can see how the huge dominion is filled with intrigues and such. Stories are quite short but it's enough. Usually they have no good or bad ending.

I like the fact how Fujisawa shows the samurai (also 2 his other books are like this - based on this two books two movies were made - awesome ones!) as people, like each other - with their everyday life, family problems, survival problems - not just as a killing machine which is so very favourite in our time...

"How are things with your wife?" Hankuro asked.
"Not so good," Jinnai replied with a scowl. "When I got home last night she knew right away that I was drunk and barred the door."
"What did you do?"
"I just lifted the whole thing off its runners. Women can be so childish sometimes."


For example - this part made me laugh. Given away from the context it might seem rude but when You read the whole story it's bit funny cause You know that Jinnai is not a bad man who would be hurting his wife, they just lack money and have a lot of children so both are not satisfied - he goes sometimes for a drink with his friend and the wife does not like it of course but it is not any major problem.

I loved the book so much that I immediatelly spent the money I did not want to spend and bought it on Amazon. Hope it arrives home this week.
Every single story made me hold my breath until the end even thought it's not any action movie :) AND the author is absolutely brilliant with describing intimate things. So... gently nothing explicit which would disgust You. Only few authors do that. Now it's so modern to be explicit and also describe sex and intimate stuff the most disgusting way it's possible cause - I do not know - is it cool or what? Fujisawa's literature lacks this horrible thing and does not insult women and their dignity and does not make intimate things profane.

I can surely say already now, that this is going to be one of few on the list of the best books of my lifetime. :)
But then again, who does.

Offline Persephone

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #485 on: August 24, 2012, 08:48:17 pm »
Lately I finished Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. I liked that book very much... if Your mind diggs into it - You can definitely reach some kind of other view on the things. :)


Now reading The Thanatonauts by Bernard Werber... next book on the list is Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. :) As You already know NASA decided to call the Curiosity's landing on Mars Bradbury's Landing... so during the chat with JPL while they were broadcasting the news I decided that this book is definitely something I should read and I am sorry I missed that one so far even though I read so much of other Bradbury's stuff. :)
But then again, who does.

Offline The One

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #486 on: August 25, 2012, 07:40:10 am »
I recently finished a compilation of H.P. Lovecraft stories. Quite good, but the man's stuff is definitely heavy reading, even if the story is only a couple of pages long.

Right now I switched to Snow by Orhan Pamuk.
"All men are intellectuals, but not all men in society have the function of intellectuals" -Antonio Gramsci

Offline Persephone

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #487 on: August 25, 2012, 10:10:29 am »
How do You like it? I have to say so far I wasn't able to get into Mr. Pamuk's work... I tried few books but non of them got me so after some pages I put them away.
But then again, who does.

Offline The One

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #488 on: August 25, 2012, 04:04:24 pm »
I dig it. It's enjoyable. It also reminds me a lot of certain someone.
"All men are intellectuals, but not all men in society have the function of intellectuals" -Antonio Gramsci

Offline Persephone

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #489 on: August 25, 2012, 04:09:18 pm »
I dig it. It's enjoyable. It also reminds me a lot of certain someone.

I know what You mean :)
But then again, who does.

Offline Lady Sa'iltu

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #490 on: October 09, 2012, 02:06:18 am »
Plato "Dialogues"...
"Die gewöhnlichsten Irrschlüsse der Menschen sind diese: eine Sache existiert, also hat sie ein Recht." (F. Nietzsche)

Offline Lucy

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #491 on: February 04, 2013, 02:32:14 pm »
Harry Potter VI. :unsure:

I've never seen the films, and now we've watched I-V because we had those on DVD. Now I've jumped on the next book... this stuff is still so contagious as it's been five? years ago.

Offline Markus

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #492 on: February 04, 2013, 03:04:26 pm »
Not bad, Lucy! Enjoy your reading. Are you reading translations or the original?

Cheers!

Markus
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Offline The One

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #493 on: February 04, 2013, 04:55:06 pm »
A combination of Michael Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation, North American Popular Music by Glen Appel, David Hemphill and Matthew Vanderwoude (the last is also a pretty awesome professor), Computer Organization and Design by David Patterson and John Henessy and The C Programming Language by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie.

Academia doesn't leave me time to read comic books. :ninja:
« Last Edit: February 04, 2013, 04:56:49 pm by The One »
"All men are intellectuals, but not all men in society have the function of intellectuals" -Antonio Gramsci

Offline Agnes

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #494 on: February 04, 2013, 05:14:34 pm »
For me original Harry is too difficult to understand - Rowling's language I mean. I read translations. Harry Potter is great!

@Lucy - we can talk about Harry if you have some time :)

Offline Persephone

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #495 on: February 04, 2013, 09:55:48 pm »
Hey Lucy! :-)
Great! I really loved Harry Potter in original language! The Czech translation was well made but somehow... I cannot imagine Hogwarts without the proper sound of British English!  :wub:

Next to the stuff I need for studies... It's "Golden Compass" and "Miss Smilla's Sense for Snow" :-) in English, using Kindle :-)
But then again, who does.

Offline Luth

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #496 on: February 04, 2013, 10:47:37 pm »
I've read them (twice) in English too. True: you must imagine the British English when you read. If not, it's not the same  :insane:
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Offline Agnes

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #497 on: February 05, 2013, 10:33:38 am »
With my English it would end with a dictionary (but there is a way..since I remember the Polish version, I can understand more or less, the English one ;) )

Offline Markus

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #498 on: February 05, 2013, 11:27:53 am »
That's quite smart! I mean, you can only expand your language abilities by going to their limits - i.e. read stuff that is a bit too difficult for you to understand without a dictionary or other help (like having read the translation before). :thumbup:

Cheers!

Markus
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Offline Agnes

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Re: Now reading...
« Reply #499 on: February 05, 2013, 01:06:51 pm »
unfortunately, I forget the new words very quickly.. :(