BookJumper

What is, pray? You've lost me:lurker:!

One of my favourite books as a child also; the time has definitely come to re-read it, as it's one of those the only thing I can remember about is that it was awesome .

... and what to say of its related noun, 'singularification' ?

That is indeed a lot of maternal love, Chrissy. Make sure he gives you them back; Good Omens is class. As for my very own activities: The bad: received my last mooched book but one today, a hardcover copy of Pet Sematary by Stephen King which I'd specifically chosen for the collectable, pretty, non-tacky design... now I find that the giver couldn't even be bothered to state "cover different from picture"; obviously, it's precisely the kind of horrible edition I was trying to stay away from. It looks suspiciously like a first edition but I don't care, it's ugly - the dust jacket is positively repellent:motz:. The very good: LibraryThing runs a SantaThing every year, very much like our Secret Santa - I couldn't afford it, but thanks to one of many generous members willing to adopt lesser fortunate ones, I now get to surprise someone with $25 worth of books they might like and be surprised by the same amount worth of books I might like based on my library... how lovely is that ? It's nice to be reminded that there's nice people out there.

Re: your first two marty, I have beg to differ. I don't read Kafka often as I find him bleak and depressing, but I'll happily admit he's an extremely skilled writer (if he weren't, he wouldn't depress me so much); as for LOTR, yes it requires dedication but the storytelling is magnificent and the descriptions are never superfluous. I didn't think the poetry bad, either; it did the job.

I remember loving I Wanna Hold Your Hand, howeved I did see it at least ten years ago... maybe youthful fandom made it seem better?

Raskolnikov - I'd second Beckett (only the combined stage presence of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart managed to make me stomach Waiting for Godot); but... The Little Prince? Granted, I haven't read it for about a decade, but I'm sure I remember it being a lovely little book, delivering important messages to children in unassuming terms. The pictures were brilliant, too.

Just read a few chapters of Generation Dead, around 100 pages to go can't wait to finish, I'll try and get 50 or so done tomorrow. I am, however, pondering designating an alternative book specifically for bedtime reading, possibly one about pink bunny rabbits - YA or not, this book has given me zombie nightmares before:lurker:!

That's what Research Councils are for I can't afford my proposed PhD either, hence why I need to apply real early in order to then be able to apply for AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) funding.

Same as it's always been; anyway Amazon is your best option, as the cheapest secondhand copy (

Brian the Palma's Mission to Mars.

I think "instincts" is the right word in my case - I used to have terrible trouble learning stuff for school unless I liked it, and if I liked it I would learn it automatically regardless of whether or not it was asked of me. Which brings us to an intriguing tangent: why is it that I cannot remember my own poetry by heart, hard as I may try? Following the numerous file losses of my creative life, I've often managed to more or less reconstuct the vital bits of my prose - yet the poetry was always lost forever. I wonder why this should be; surely my own work should be instinctually closer to me than that of others? T'is peculiar, I tell you . With some difficulty ; particularly as Italian has two words for 'lovers': 'amanti' denotes a sexually consummated relationship, 'innamorati' doesn't disclose and is therefore a softer, more romantic term - hence the need for the translator to speculate biographically. After three months and seven drafts, I rendered it as 'conservato negl'occhi d'ogni innamorato', which literally means 'preserved in th'eyes of each person in love' (note: I had to singularify* 'lovers' to achieve the final rhyming couplet).* pretty sure I've just invented that one !

I like all of them for different reasons, however the one which resonates most personally is Byron - I feel a special kinship with his heightened language, powerful rhymes and grand sweeping themes that isn't matched by the more intellectual (i.e. less immediate and instinctual) admiration I have for the other two. My very favourite by him is The Lament of Tasso... and I even hate (Torquato) Tasso, namely the dreariest epic poet Italy ever produced! I am thinking about what poetry to recommend to you, by the way when and if you come up with other preferred thematic elements, hit me (metaphorically) and I'll throw them into the brainstorm.

Yet upon first reading it, it seems a perfectly understandable and uncomplicated line - odd, isn't it? Incidentally, I find that since realising the extra layers of meaning brought about by translation I'll translate everything I read in English into Italian as I go along - which further slows down my already hyperanalytical reading... aaaargh ! @ Ben: First of all, let me be impressed by your knowing the Ancient Mariner off by heart - that is indeed one long poem. What you say about peculiarity of language making certain pieces easier to remember makes sense, after all we're likelier to have a clear image of what a Dal

Might it be the protagonist of Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves?

Your enticement is making me itch to dive back into the wild world of Moers again he's such a wordsmithing genius.

Barbarism? Incivility? Disrespect? Death-wish?

I haven't read The Historian yet but many on here have and have loved it; I believe there's a dedicated thread in the Horror section you might like to peruse I have seen the edition you refer to and indeed it's very snazzy, although I'm saving up for the New Annotated .

Thad Beaumont from Stephen King's The Dark Half ticks writer, married, two kids, and people coming to life; however I don't remember a teddy bear and Thad was only famous when writing as George Stark so I'm not sure... .

The Gutenberg Project is to my knowledge the most extensive free database of such material; just stick the title of the book you're looking for and "Gutenberg" in Google, that usually does the trick for me.

It's hardly surprising to be honest; even as far as high street chains go they're expensive - I for one have never bought a book from Borders in my life, could never afford it.

*clicks on clicky* oooh, do want!

The first (how my dissertation was received) is a question I don't have an answer for, it hasn't come back to me marked yet - for all I know I might not even have passed:lurker:! As for the correlation: My dissertation was on translating the Sonnets, and obviously as a translator I had to look at Shakespeare criticism; I argued in my tangent that a creative individual such as a translator would best be served by fictional but passionate accounts of the truth behind the Sonnets rather than plausible but sterile criticism. One such account is Wilde's short story The Portrait of Mr W.H., which casts the fair youth of the Sonnets not as the traditional wealthy patron but as a beautiful boy actor from Shakespeare's theatre company, i.e. the one he rendered immortal in parts such as Viola and Cleopatra.

That is despicable, BigWords. As is the fact that people see it fit to identify remaindered books with big black marker slashes across the bottom of the page why would I want to pay a couple of pounds for a book so ruined? A couple of pence, maybe, and then only if the book was out of print and absolutely unfindable.

I see no point in brutally arguing anything like Henry Higgins quoting Macbeth, I have 'the milk of human kindness, by the quart in every vein'. I too have seen vicious arguments on forums (thank goodness, not on this one; that's why I'm still here), and have no desire whatsoever to instigate their like. I am actually genuinely interested in other people's point of view, in this instance re: disliking poetry, as it is an attitude that mystifies me. As for your prophecy... I'd count myself happy and honoured were it to come true.