[Your Age?]

I will be 25 in July.

[Are you the 'main reader' in your house?]

I am pretty much the only reader in my house.

My dad has never read anything except school books - I remember him buying a copy of Treasure island, he kept reading the first 20 pages over and over because he couldn't remember what he'd just read... My mum rarely reads, maybe 2 or 3 books in the summer, she keeps herself busy with her thousand other hobbies!

[Do you have to read in order?]

I accidentally began Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series from book 2, Drawing of the three. I would have preferred reading them in order, but I enjoyed them anyway.

[What was for lunch?]

Risotto with mushrooms

[Dirty Sexy Money]

I watched it on Tuesday (First look) the epsiode where they are in Italy.

 

 

I missed the part with Tripp and Tish, which one of the Darling children are not Tripp's?

 

Here's your answer -->

It's Brian, the reverend!

 

[What's the last CD you 'bought'?]

There will be blood OST, by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood

[Harry Potter - why such a phenomenon?]

Don't get me wrong - Rowling deserves credit, just not hype. Whenever advertisers and the public go hairy-mental over something, it makes me reluctant to indulge, for fear of an Emperor's New Clothes experience.

 

I agree with you on this.

I think the hype is a consequence of marketing, and not directly linked to JK Rowling's writing ability. As a matter of fact, before the movies were made, Harry Potter's success was a product of word-of-mouth, there wasn't any massive commercial campaign (at least here in Italy).

[Harry Potter - why such a phenomenon?]

Event though I'm not the biggest JK Rowling fan (nor a big fan of fantasy in general), I recognize that the story is very well written. You can clearly see that the plot was very carefully planned and structured, every single detail makes sense in the end. She is also very imaginative in the use of the language, which makes the books a very pleasant and entertaining reading.

[What do you stubbornly refuse to read, and why?]

After having to read Foe for a literature exam, I vow never to touch any of Coetzee's novel again!

[The Rights of the Readers - Daniel Pennac]

Well, this is a classic to me, I was surprised not to find it in the forum so I thought I might share:

 

THE RIGHTS OF THE READER by Daniel Pennac

1. The right not to read

2. The right to skip

3. The right not to finish a book

4. The right to read it again

5. The right to read anything

6. The right to mistake a book for real life

7. The right to read anywhere

8. The right to dip in

9. The right to read out loud

10. The right to be quiet

 

I especially love the right number 3! I know many people who feel terribly guilty leaving a book unfinished, but I never feel obliged at all to finish a book I don't like... Why should I spend my time on that one when there are thousands of better books waiting to be read?? Besides, I always like to think it is not entirely my fault, had the author done a better job, I would have been more than happy to finish it! hahahah

 

So, what about you? Do you have a "favourite" right or one you use very often? Or else one you don't agree about? Please share

 

V.

 

PS: You can also find a cute illustrated poster here.

[1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die]

If you don't mind me saying, ValenCina - you're very well read! You've read most of the novels that are on my to-be-read pile!

 

I don't mind at all, I'm very flattered actually!

[1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die]

Here are the ones I've read:

 

1. Fury

[ValenCina's reading log 2008]

The little prince: I read this for the book club I attend with my friends and it got very mixed reviews. Some of us liked to be brought back to childhood and see everything afresh through the little prince's eyes; others thought that it was not actually a book for children, but a book for adults who idealizes childhood, since real kids are nothing like the little prince.

 

Personally I agree with the second analysis and I think most of the book is pretty corny to an adult reader - especially the ultra-famous episode about the fox domestication. There are however some pretty good passages with really interesting characters, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for you so we may discuss this after you read it if you wish!

 

Foe: Well, I have also read Waiting for the barbarians and Disgrace by Coetzee, I have liked neither of them and this one is no exception. Coetzee's flaw I notice ever time is that his female characters are not believable, they do not seem women at all to me, but rather the male projection of what a woman should be. Other than this, I find this work too cerebral and academic, nothing about it really appealed to me.

 

Well, let me know your thoughts when you read them!

[ValenCina's reading log 2008]

1. The movable parts - Wang Meng

2. The carpenter's pencil - Manuel Rivas

3. The little prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

4. Tomorrow in the battle think of me - Javier Marias

5. Fox Volant of the snowy mountain - Jin Yong

6. L'élégance du herisson - Muriel Barbery

7. Fictions - Jorge Luis Borges

8. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

9. Foe - J.M. Coetzee

10. Chaka - Thomas Mofolo

11. Kin dei Monti - Piero Burzio

12. Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys

13. The Master And Margarita - Michail Bulgakov

14. Disillusion - Mao Dun

15. Imaginings of Sand - André Brink

16. Away - Jane Urquhart

17. Trilogy of The Family - Athol Fugard

18. A Garden of Repose - Ba Jin

19.

[Book Condition]

When I read I just HAVE to underline and take notes on margins, and I don't really feel like this is "ruining" the book, to me this is all about making it mine. And I love reading my thoughts on a book years later I first read it.

Of course, no notes or underlining if the book is not mine, that's why I try to avoid borrowing books as much as my finances allow me to!

[ValenCina's Olympic Training]

Thanks for the advice March, I don't know any Malaysian nor Singaporean writers so I would definitely take it into consideration. I haven't found any book entitled A leap of love on Amazon, but the other titles by Lim seem pretty interesting. Have you read any other of her books?

[What's for Dinner Tonight?]

quiche lorraine & spinach leftovers

[Ciao!]

Thank you all for welcoming me!! I am enjoying my time on the forum already, too bad over the last couple of days I have spent more time online than actually reading...

 

@nicnic: the cat in my avatar is my own. He is chartreux mixed with russian blue, he is 12 now and still a much lively big guy!

 

@JudyB: my favourite Italian author ever is Italo Calvino, although I haven't read all of his books. As I put in my profile, my favourite books by Calvino are those in the trilogy of Our ancestors: The Cloven Viscount, Baron in The Trees and The Invisible Knight. I would recommend any one of them, but Baron in the Trees is my absolute favourite.

[ValenCina's Olympic Training]

Wow, I am totally in for this! My university exams surely help me: this year I am taking Italian literature, Chinese literature and Post-Colonial English Literature hehe .

 

red: books I plan reading

green: books I have already read (since December)

pink: books I am currently reading

 

* Afghanistan

* Albania

* Algeria

* American Samoa

* Andorra

* Angola

* Antigua and Barbuda

* Argentina --> Fictions, Jorge Luis Borges

* Armenia

* Aruba

* Australia

* Austria

* Azerbaijan

* Bahamas

* Bahrain

* Bangladesh

* Barbados

* Belarus

* Belgium

* Belize

* Benin

* Bermuda

* Bhutan

* Bolivia

* Bosnia and Herzegovina

* Botswana

* Brazil

* British Virgin Islands

* Brunei

* Bulgaria

* Burkina Faso

* Burundi

* Cambodia

* Cameroon

* Canada --> Away, Jane Urquhart

* Cape Verde

* Cayman Islands

* Central African Republic

* Chad

* Chile

* China (PRC) --> Disillusion, Mao Dun

* Chinese Taipei (TPE) --> Crystal Boys, Bai Xianyong

* Colombia

* Comoros

* Congo DR

* Congo Republic

* Cook Islands

* Costa Rica

* Côte d'Ivoire

* Croatia

* Cuba

* Cyprus

* Czech Republic

* Denmark

* Djibouti

* Dominica --> Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys

* Dominican Republic

* Ecuador

* Egypt

* El Salvador

* Equatorial Guinea

* Eritrea

* Estonia

* Ethiopia

* Fiji

* Finland

* France --> L'élégance du herisson, Muriel Barbery

* Gabon

* The Gambia

* Georgia

* Germany --> A Clown's Opinions, Heinrich Boll

* Ghana

* Great Britain --> Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

* Greece

* Grenada

* Guam

* Guatemala

* Guinea

* Guinea-Bissau

* Guyana

* Haiti

* Honduras

* Hong Kong, China --> Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain, Jin Yong

* Hungary

* Iceland

* India --> The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie

* Indonesia

* Iran

* Iraq

* Ireland

* Israel

* Italy --> Kin dei Monti, Piero Burzio

* Jamaica

* Japan --> I Am a Cat, Soseki Natsume

* Jordan

* Kazakhstan

* Kenya --> A Grain of Wheat, Ngugi wa Thiong'o

* Kiribati

* Korea, South --> Our twisted hero, Yi Munyol

* Korea, North

* Kuwait

* Kyrgyzstan

* Laos

* Latvia

* Lebanon

* Lesotho --> Chaka, Thomas Mofolo

* Liberia

* Libya

* Liechtenstein

* Lithuania

* Luxembourg

* FYROM

* Madagascar

* Malawi

* Malaysia

* Maldives

* Mali

* Malta

* Marshall Islands

* Mauritania

* Mauritius

* Mexico

* Micronesia

* Moldova

* Monaco

* Mongolia

* Montenegro

* Morocco

* Mozambique

* Myanmar

* Namibia

* Nauru

* Nepal

* Netherlands

* Netherlands Antilles

* New Zealand

* Nicaragua

* Niger

* Nigeria --> Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe

* Norway

* Oman

* Pakistan

* Palau

* Palestine

* Panama

* Papua New Guinea

* Paraguay

* Peru

* Philippines

* Poland

* Portugal

* Puerto Rico

* Qatar

* Romania

* Russia --> Master and Margarita, Bulgakov

* Rwanda

* Saint Kitts and Nevis

* Saint Lucia --> Omeros, Derek Walcott

* Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines

* São Tomé and Príncipe

* Samoa

* San Marino

* Saudi Arabia

* Senegal

* Serbia

* Seychelles

* Sierra Leone

* Singapore

* Slovakia

* Slovenia

* Solomon Islands

* Somalia

* South Africa --> Foe, Coetzee; Imaginings of Sand, André Brink

* Spain --> Tomorrow in the Battle Think of Me, Javier Marias

* Sri Lanka

* Sudan

* Suriname

* Swaziland

* Sweden

* Switzerland

* Syria

* Tajikistan

* Tanzania

* Thailand

* Timor-Leste

* Togo

* Tonga

* Trinidad and Tobago

* Tunisia

* Turkey

* Turkmenistan

* Tuvalu

* Uganda

* Ukraine

* United Arab Emirates

* United States

* Uruguay

* Uzbekistan

* Vanuatu

* Venezuela

* Vietnam

* Virgin Islands, US

* Yemen

* Zambia

* Zimbabwe

 

Updates coming soon

[Italian risotto]

I suggest a further passage: right after you've added rice, pour some wine and don't add stock until it has completely dried. White wine is good in most cases - with vegetables, mushrooms or cheese - but red is ideal when you use sausages or other kinds of red meat.

 

And if you feel adventurous, try risotto with strawberries or oranges and some light cheese. Not very traditional but still yummy!

[Book Groups & Reading Circles]

Your English is excellent ValenCina

 

Thank you so much!

[Top 5 books you would not recommend]

1. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

2. Waiting for the Barbarians - Coetzee

3. The Tartar Steppe - Dino Buzzati

4. Tomorrow in the Battle Think of Me - Javier Marias

5. Anything bu Alessandro Baricco

[Book Groups & Reading Circles]

We have recently *found a new one

 

Sorry, founded.

 

PS: please be patient, English is not my mother language

[Book Groups & Reading Circles]

I have been participating in a reading group for the last 3 years.

We meet once a month in a member's home, and one of us presents a book he has read and that the others don't necessarily know. The main point we always focus on is "Why is this book considered literature?". What I love about this kind of organization is that people who have never read the book allow you find out a lot of things you have never thought about while reading the book. You consider it from some brand new perspectives and might find out that it has man more layers of meaning than what you thought before presenting it to the club - well, this happens if it's good literature of course .

 

We have recently found a new one, with female participants only, where we have made the rules a bit more flexible. Sometimes we choose one book we all read, other times one reads the book while others watch a related movie, or we even choose one author and each one of us chooses one of his/her book to read. I haven't experimented this last solution yet, I'll tell you at the end of this month

[Do you use a dictionary?]

If it's something that is really bothering me, I'll look it up, but otherwise I try to guess the meaning of the word from its context.

 

So do I. Using the dictionary every time takes away the pleasure of reading.