What are you reading?

[skylee]

I am reading English and Chinese guidebooks on Seoul and Israel, and am about to start reading Bill Bryson's "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" that I've borrowed from our public libraries.

[Koneko]

《你不知道的中国人性格》

K.

[chenpv]

Well, haven't been able to post here for such a long time. To summarize, I finnished Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink, The Lover by Duras, 《伶人往事》 by Zhang Yihe, 《豆棚闲话》by 艾衲居士. Almost finnish Freedom and its Betrayal by Isaiah Berlin, though can hardly gasp the pith. And I am half way through The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, which is unarguably interesting for a read.

[Lu]

The Vagina Monologues... in Chinese translation. Why: because I got the book at a raffle, and as I own it and it's one of the Chinese books I own that I actually can read without a big effort, I might as well read it. The other Chinese book I'm reading is translated from Japanese. After those two I'd better get back to Chinese books in Chinese.

[tokyo_girl]

I've just finished rereading

Like water for chocolate, and The curious incident of the dog in the night,

and just finished

Tuesdays with Morrie.

I popped them in the post today for one of my former students in Xuzhou.

[purepearl]

Recently I have been waiting for a UKvisa endorsement for nearly a month. Waiting is rather annoying, and it keeps people in suspense and even in self-suspect. I just cannot focus on anything to read, even the daily dose of Buddhist teaching. So I have turned to writing. One has to think actively and imagine what would happen next. It is like living my life somewhere else and it just helps a lot to reduce the mental stress I have been feeling for a long time.

But let me choose, I will read Harry Potter (1-6), which I have actually read through with pleasure; and I am anxiously waiting for VII. ( Waiting again!)

[againstwind]

Due to my interest in the history of Tang Dynasty, I am reading some historical stuffs about Tang Dynasty in recent several months. Take 大唐新语, a note - Chinese call its genre as 笔记 - tells some stories from the early period to the mid of this dynasty. Lots of fun in it.

Meanwhile, I am reading Tony Morrison's fiction Song of Solomon which about African American. And I'll almost finish it.

[gato]

I'm reading 轻松学习文言文(高中) to bone up on my classical Chinese.

http://www.tushucity.com/book/1524445.html

Hope to be able to understand 《大唐新语》some day.

Meanwhile, I am reading Tony Morrison's fiction Song of Solomon which about African American. And I'll almost finish it.

Are you reading it in the English original? I read it in college. It's her best book, I think.

[againstwind]

Are you reading it in the English original?

No, I am reading Chinese version.

When I read some translated fictions or non-fictions which is originally in English, I will usually find their English original. As comparing reading, it benefits finding some inadequateness of translation, I think. But unfortunately this time I haven't found Song of Solomon the original in my school library.

P.S.

Are you dealing with classical Chinese? I think you suggested me an idea.

[gato]

But unfortunately this time I haven't found Song of Solomon the original in my school library.

I would imagine that "Song of Solomon" would be very difficult to translate because Morrison uses English very creatively, with lots of puns (words with double meanings). She also tries to write poetically, which sometimes seem overdone, but works well in Solomon, I think.

By the way, do you know that the Song of Solomon is from the Bible? An erotic poem in the Bible actually. Our English teacher had us read it before reading Morrison's book. I thought it was very relevant and beautifully written.

http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Sos&chapter=#n1

Here you can find some religious commentary on the Song of Solomon.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc3.xxii.ii.html

Are you dealing with classical Chinese? I think you suggested me an idea.

Yes, I am studying classical Chinese. What idea?

[studentyoung]

Yes, I am studying classical Chinese. What idea?

本人的意见是，先找唐诗、宋词、元曲以及《西厢记》、《牡丹亭》、《桃花扇》一类的来看看。如果没什么大问题，就看看《聊斋》的原文。如果也没什么问题了，就可以看看《史记》一类的史书。

Thanks!

[Lu]

Oliver Twist, never thought I would like Dickens, but it turns out I do. Will probably read more of him after this.

[gato]

I am reading Tony Morrison's fiction Song of Solomon which about African American. And I'll almost finish it.

againstwind, this article to "Song of Songs" below will be interesting to you. It sheds some light on the relevance of the "Song of Songs" to the book.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2007/04/passover.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Passover, we were taught, is a festival of freedom. It is the holiday to remember our release from slavery in Egypt and to hope for the redemption of the future. Passover is when we are supposed to read from Song of Songs, the love book of the Hebrew Bible, but “What’s Love Gotta Do With It?”

[purepearl]

Thank you, Gato!

The link you've provided is very helpful! I am very happy to learn something about Passover as a holiday. And the message is positive for our daily life: Love and freedom are related. Love without responsibility is selfishness. Freedom without responsibility is chaos. Responsibility elevates love and freedom to the moral stature they deserve.

[gato]

Thanks, purepearl. I also found the point in the article that love offers the possibility of renewal and freedom intriguing and powerful. I didn't know about the tradition of reading the "Song of Songs" during Passover (which commemorates the Jews' return from exile in Egypt). It helps one see Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon," derived from African Americans' struggle from slavery, in a whole new light.

[againstwind]

It makes sense. Thank you gato.

As far as I read, love and freedom are the themes through Morrison's early three novels, Bluest Eye, Sula and Song of Solomon, aren't they? Because I have only read the three novels by now.

BTW, have you guys been to 豆瓣 www.douban.com? It's a wiki website where people show what books, movies and music they are reading, wacthing and listening to. There are lots of relevant comments on books, movies and music too. And its database is connected to Amazon. So anyone who just read English stuff may find what he/she need there. Anyway, it's a good place for literary fans, I think.

Is there some similar sites in English?

[gato]

BTW, have you guys been to 豆瓣 www.douban.com? Is there some similar sites in English?

Yes, it's http://www.douban.net/

[bhchao]

Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse Five, died last night: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/books/12vonnegut.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Slaughterhouse Five and Catch-22, both written during the counterculture of the 1960's, had antiwar themes that resonated strongly amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

[againstwind]

Express my condolence to the master.

Last week I just bought Breakfast of Champions and Jailbird of Chinese version and haven't read. But the auther has actually gone...

[cintiaghimel]

The last one I read was Selected tales by Edgar Allan Poe...now I no longer have time for "non-study related" reading...chinese grammar is all I read now.