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Everything posted by BookJumper
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Agreed, on both counts. However, it may come as a comfort that some translators are better than others: Penguin (the ones with the black covers, I'm pretty sure it's a series...?) do very good translations (for the philosophy half of my B.A. degree I needed to read Greek/German/Danish/etc. texts and couldn't have hoped for more understandable versions), as do Vintage ("The City of Dreaming Books" by Walter Moers, for example, I only realised was translated when I read the author's bio and discovered he was German - the translator has done such a splendid job the language reads beautifully and seamlessly). Usually if I want to read a book in translation I tend to get it in Italian, just because I consumed so many foreign classics in that language as a child my brain likes it better that way. Even then, I distinguish between publishers: Garzanti is my first choice (I read Victor Hugo's "Les Miserabl
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Unfinished books.. will you pick them up again?
BookJumper replied to Michelle's topic in General Book Discussions
There is, I find, a huge divide between putting a book down and abandoning it. Books I've abandoned include Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose", Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust", HP 7 and Scarlett Thomas's "The End of Mr. Y" - I knew when I abandoned them that I wouldn't change my mind at a later date because they were, respectively: pretentious and boring, padding Christopher Marlowe's much better play to about five times its original length, pandering to the masses and completely unedited, and too insistent on shocking the reader. On the other hand, I have put down books which I was enjoying immensely (including Jasper Fforde's "The Well of Lost Plots" and Walter Moers's "The City of Dreaming Books") through loss of mojo non-dependent on the quality of the books themselves. Those I will definitely pick up again - after I've finished Terry Pratchett's "The Truth", itself a recent re-pick-up. -
If you can cramp wishlists under the TBR umbrella, in excess of 100. As for the books on my shelf currently awaiting completion/consideration, 22.
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Oh, I don't love him in that sense - me and Tommy Stoppard are far too similar to survive together; put all that academia, all that clever-cleverness, all that nudging and winking and witty pretentiousness in one room, and the room is likely to implode...
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I read most of my mum's copy of this before having to give it back; I really need to get my own because I loved what I read, especially the sheep's unique wolly logic (reminiscent of Paddington's unique bear reasoning), I thought, was as amusing as it was convincing.
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List adjourned. Books I have/intend to sell/swap/etc. have been removed, as well as my impossibly ever-growing wish list (we'll get to that once it starts actualising on my shelf); while the eight books I acquired from Oxfam this morning due to a complete lack of self-restraint have been added. I'm doing prodigiously well (considering the decided lack of mojo, time and opportunity) with Terry Pratchett's "The Truth" - less than 100 pages to goo *woot*! I love William de Worde, I think I need to pester Terry to give me a sequel. What should I read next, do you think?
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Fess up - how big is your Amazon wish list?
BookJumper replied to crotalus_p's topic in General Book Discussions
Somehow, the grand total has just transmuted into 104 although, all of ONE of those is a DVD. The fact it's a DVD based on a play itself based on Shakespeare's Hamlet is besides the point, I'm sure you'll agree. ... not that I can afford to buy any of this . -
Fess up - how big is your Amazon wish list?
BookJumper replied to crotalus_p's topic in General Book Discussions
Having adjourned as well as (because I'm a very bad girl) shopped around a bit, the grand total now reads 94 items across 10 sub-wishlists . -
This book was one of the cutest, funniest, most ingenious things I've read in years... are you enjoying it Ruth? If so, you'll be pleased to know (I'm 99.9% positive about this) that it's the first in a series.
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What author would you marry and why?
BookJumper replied to Christie's topic in General Book Discussions
Agreed, he is rather dishy ! -
... maybe it's an interactive book that seeks to make its readers blind so that they might feel more like a part of the story?
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Are you put off with less than 100 pages?
BookJumper replied to Colin Jacobs's topic in General Book Discussions
On the other hand (adding to my previous post re: extortionate price of short books), they are pretty good to slowly tempt one's lost mojo into coming back. If I'm in a bit of a reading rut I may well begin a book that's 500 pages and by page 50 think, "Oooh look at the pretty daffodils"; while at page 50 of a book that's 90 pages long I'm likelier to kick myself into that last burst of concentration. Returning to the price tag, the prime culprits are poetry and drama - spending -
Fess up - how big is your Amazon wish list?
BookJumper replied to crotalus_p's topic in General Book Discussions
35, divided into nice little sublists because I'm OCD like that - although they should be adjourned to include the 43 written down in pen in my book journal's own wish list, about half of which you guys are responsible for... feel bad now. It's gotten to the point where I'm on the verge of running out of space and needing a new bookjournal... . -
This book might well not exist
BookJumper replied to BookJumper's topic in Book Search and Reading Recommendations
I actually haven't already read this, it shall be looked into - thanks for the suggestion. ... oh, do!! Pretty please ?? -
More books added also, Ben - I've decided you're having that book whether you want it or not so expect post soon!
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To correct, or not to correct?
BookJumper replied to chesilbeach's topic in General Book Discussions
I've never come across corrections in margins in my library books, however most of them are heavily underlined, annotated, page-corner-turned, and full of makeshift bookmarks. I understand that these are study books but surely if I can find alternative ways of keeping track of quotes and passages in books, so can other people? My inner librarian gets annoyed to no end re: this, which is why (though it's hardly within my power to remove the underlining and annotation, especially when - horror! - it is done in pen or coloured pencil) I make a point of always folding the corners back out again and removing any extraneous pieces of paper from the volume before returning it. I must be the only person in the world whose library books return in a better condition than they were taken out in... -
I do not tolerate white wine anymore sadly, although it doesn't sadden me as much as the thought of suddenly not tolerating red does. I do like the idea of a BCF film night, although I'd have to get someone from home to send me a bottle of Sangue di Giuda (yes, it does mean Blood of Judas and despite the slightly blasphemous name it is the most scrumptious sweet red I have ever tasted... and I have tasted a few) I think. A special occasion warrants a special drink. I've actually acquired that, although I plan to afford (I want the pwetty sparkly hardback!) and read the book before I watch the film - I hardly want to read the book having spoiled the entire plot for myself. After obtaining Legend and watching a few scenes I realised that I had indeed seen it and removed it surgically from my brain lest it scarred me - a bit like the Dark Crystal, or The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (both of which gave me nightmares as a child). Beautiful film that. Such an adorable love story betweel odd but lovely people *sigh*!
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That's reassuring ! I'll start hunting for a non-tacky cover of "Bitten".
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To think I've avoided these in the past because the rather title of the first, along with the rather cover, put me off... would a non-Meyer fan enjoy them, do you think?
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I shall keep my eyes peeled during my next visit, whereupon it shall be decided whether I am actually blind or not...!
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I love this man. He has wooed me with the historically inaccurate yet dreamily atmospheric Shakespeare in Love, made my head spin with the meant-to-be-confusing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (or Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are Dead, or Rosenstern and Guindencrantz are Dead... it doesn't make a difference and that's the whole twisted beauty of it!) which up until now I regarded as the witty academic's play of choice. However, posters plastered all over the London Tube have alerted me to the current production (and existence) of a play of his called Arcadia, which apparently meshes Byronic conspiracy theory, science, and landscape gardening. Who could ask for more? *runs off to look for affordable student-y tickets, and acquire the text off Amazon*! Will review as soon as I have read and (hopefully) seen it, in the meantime... any other fans of this quirky genius? Note: if you love Fforde (Jasper, not Katie obviously), you'll love Stoppard! Quote of the day (from Shakespeare in Love); I even squeezled it into an essay about authorship last term: Man pointing finger at Will, busy raving about his latest dramatic offering to the assembled actors: Who's that? Philip Henslowe, theatre impresario (dismissively): Nobody - the author.
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... this sounds interesting Charm, what is it and is it any good?
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... a lot of people seem to be remarking re: the availability of free bookmarks in Waterstone's but I think my local ones might be hiding them, as I don't recall ever seeing any - or maybe I'm just blind . Where are they usually kept? ... OMG I do that!!! A SHELF TWIN, every bit as Beatle-mad and OCD as myself !!
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Obviously over-use of anything is bad (Stephen Fry is currently in my head, exasperated, crying "Too much is that quantity which is excessive! That's what it means! Too much water would be bad for you!"), although given that in my case the expression was employed by post modernists who don't believe in syntax, let alone figures of speech, I interpret "over-use" to have meant "any use at all, like, ever" - just as I interpret "over-written" to have meant "employing polisyllabic words". Re: words, I am nursing a newly-sprung love for the word swordsmanship. It contains within itself a whole romantic world of swashbuckling derring-do (as a failed but wistful fencer, I like this), as well as the word wordsmanship (guess why I like that one...). Derring-do itself is another good one, I find.
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24 on Saturday... could you tell??