Short Story Reading Club for 2014

[Shelley]

Using an tablet, laptop, computer or even smart phone to read books is not just a simply a case of installing a reader and then starting to read.

 

Good e book readers give you lots of settings, when I read on my tablet I have set the paper colour to a straw yellow with black text. This is so the contrast between the text and the paper is not so harsh.

 

Turn the brightness down till it is comfortable on your eyes, what is good for general computing may not be comfortable for reading for extended periods, i also find that I sometimes start with one level and then as my eyes tire turn it down a bit more to stop the glare, This is also useful if you are reading in bed and do not want to disturb a partner. Also do not read by the light of the device only, have a small light on around round you, if you have only one light source it can give you eye ache as you go from light to dark repeatedly.

 

Some e readers also have night reading option this basically swaps black and white to stop it being so glaring. This can be a bit odd but some people like it, but choosing a different paper colour is similar to this effect and is not so strange.

 

There is free program (for your PC or MAC) called Calibre that is an e book manager and converter. Excellent bit of software for keeping your e books sorted. You can load e books to your device having converted it to the format you need.

 

There are more and more devices out there that can handle Chinese characters it should be standard on most devices soon (I hope ) If your device has a PDF reader then that usually copes with characters.

 

Explore your e reader, there is usually a restore default settings so if it all gets out of hand you can reset and start again

 

I would suggest a tablet or smart phone as opposed to a laptop or pc as the laptop can be heavy and get hot, reading at a desk from a pc is not very comfortable for me. IMHO a tablet mimics the idea of a book better.

 

You can actually pick up a 7" tablet of reasonable spec for around £60.00. Maybe not too expensive to put on a Christmas present list or even get 2 or 3 people to pitch in and get it as Xmas or birthday present.

 

I like e books for several reasons, one is it stops a lot of trees from being chopped down, the cost of books is much cheaper and the resources on the internet offer a huge choice of books and I can carry a complete library around in my pocket.

 

As you have probably guessed I am a big e book fan, I had a franklin e book reader in the late 90's and i have been hooked ever since.

 

However having said all this I do still like and appreciate books for their content and beauty. But I would like to reserve my bookshelf space for books of art, language, atlases, etc.and mainly reference books and keep all my reading books and fiction electronic.

 

I also suggest a device that is not just an e reader as you will find the other things tablets can do great fun and useful. If you are a multi device person then a dedicated e reader would be ok.

 

e books yeah

[Elizabeth_rb]

I'd be happy to join, but I'd prefer not to buy (m)any more books.  If there are some stories that are in the public domain, that would be ideal.

 

PS I don't have a tablet or e-reader and am, frankly, not in a position to buy/expect one as a gift, so if there are any on-line texts, that would be of serious interest.

[Meng Lelan]

Finally, here it is, my short list of short stories for 2014. This is a very long post so get a cup of 咖啡 or 茶and peruse this post. Now, keep in mind this is not a final list of short stories. I plan to pop up here every so often to throw in another short story into this eclectic mix. So, if you rapidly read through all the selections here in a nanosecond don’t despair/rejoice/gloat with glee because when you hear the anguished collective cries of “Meng Lelan is BAAAAAAAACCCCK!!!!” that means there could be yet another one to three stories popping up here.

 

These stories should be available online in both simplified and traditional characters. I can only search out and select appropriate stories for each level meaning it is up to the members of the forum to find and share where the electronic versions can be found (especially renzhe who kindly volunteered earlier in this thread to assist) so you can fire up your Kindles, iPads, whatever you Young Whippersnappers are using while some of us (especially us Oldies but Goldies) are quite likely to pull a paperback off our antiquey and creeky bookshelves. Actually I have caught myself reading Chinese short stories off my iPhone, especially at some of the boring idiotic meetings I sometimes have to attend.

 

When you read these stories think about how these stories apply to Chinese life, culture, history, philosophy, and so forth because there are real reasons for each selected short story. Some stories were selected to compare and contrast conflicts within Chinese society, some were selected to show Chinese attitudes towards certain groups such as the disabled, women, etc.

 

Beginners: Assuming you have been studying Chinese for at least 12 months you should be able to read about 800 to 1000 characters. You should also know how to look up unfamiliar words through a reference of your choice (MDBG, paper dictionary, Pleco, online pop-up dictionaries, etc.) and be familiar with some simple sentence patterns (for example, 在blah blah上,    把blah blah). I selected a couple of stories to get you started up. The selection was based on content that contains common core knowledge in the Chinese reading world, such as myths, fables, and stories that may later support your understanding of Chinese readings in the intermediate and advanced levels.

 

杯弓蛇影 is a fable, albeit sort of a silly one that my Chinese class made into an even sillier skit some years ago. This is a good one for beginners. Tales and Traditions by Yun Xiao has this one with glossary and pinyin support. You can also try 井底之蛙 from the same book.

 

年獸的傳說  / 年兽的传说is a fable relating to the Chinese New Year. This story is often told to children and staged in skits around Chinese New Year time. Here is a version in traditional characters:

http://www.minghui-school.org/school/article/2005/2/1/40782.html

 

早安北京 ( 徐坤) . I consider this a good reading for insights in the conflict between city and country in the 1990s. This may be ok for beginners who can handle looking up a good number of unfamiliar words or those who have a copy of the Graded Chinese Reader (this story is in one of the volumes but I packed up my set in my move to a new house so can’t find it now) that has a glossary running along the margin and pinyin support (though the book comes with a free paper “pinyin mask” that forces you to read the 汉字 not the 拼音). Actually I kind of should be putting this in Intermediates, so if you Beginners feel like this choice was way too much then let me know.

 

Intermediates: Assuming you have been studying Chinese for two to three years, you should be able to read about 1600 to 2000+ characters (I say 2000+ because some Intermediates are able to read 2500 or so), be familiar with a good number of sentence patterns, and have a fairly good foundation of familiarity with Chinese culture, history, and society.

 

魚（黃春明） A must read for junior high schoolers in Taiwan. If you are more into literature from Taiwan like I am then do this one. If you already read this one or don’t like this one then try 像我這樣一個女子（西西）.

 

 孔乙己 （鲁迅）This is a MUST read for the intermediate level. Every Chinese is required to read something by Lu Xun in school. If you don’t like this one or already read this one then consider 狂人日记. By the way Kevin Nadolny included those two stories in his book Short Stories from Lu Xun’s Nahan so if you need pinyin support and glossaries, look there.

 

Advanced: Ok, what can I say about you Advanced students, you survived three years of Chinese and you are either in fourth or fifth year Chinese or simply on your own. You should be able to read just about (gulp/gasp/gag) anything. I chose selections recommended by roddy and imron and threw in an advanced reading of my choice.

 

中国式青春 Roddy’s pick so pick on him for this one. All I know is it features some superhero or some sort.

 

Or this pick from imron, 盗官记 which can be found here http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/chapter/147014/98426

 

Or this choice, considering my love of Chinese literature dealing with the plight of the disabled in China, by 余华. I don’t enjoy his writings very much in general but this is an outstanding exception, if you can endure the cruelty presented in this short story: 我没有自己的名字

 

 

Have fun kids! Any questions comments concerns dilemmas post them here. 

[skylee]

像我這樣的一個女子 is too sad.

[Meng Lelan]

Cheer up skylee maybe next time I can throw in a comedy or two. 

[Ruben von Zwack]

Thank you so much Meng Lelan!!!

Regarding Beginners:

It seems that 早安北京 by 徐坤 is in the Graded Reader 1 (Sinolingua Press; Bilingual edition (December 15, 2007), ISBN-10: 7802003741, ISBN-13: 978-7802003743)

It's only called "Good Morning" in the summary on Amazon, but it's by 徐坤 so it's got to be the very one.

[Meng Lelan]

Yes you are correct!

[renzhe]

狂人日记 Ebooks

Most of the others are not out of copyright, but are easily found online, just search for title + TXT. Most ebook readers can read TXT and html fine.

[Meng Lelan]

renzhe 謝謝！

[KaerH]

If we are going to be purchasing books I think the Chinese breeze readers would be more appropriate for us beginners or better yet these new books look interesting:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFXR6W0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0YDAE9589V9B5SGSKZ3Q&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H3KL5AO/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0YDAE9589V9B5SGSKZ3Q&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FK6X1T6/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0YDAE9589V9B5SGSKZ3Q&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GCGFEUM/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0YDAE9589V9B5SGSKZ3Q&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMMU2S0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0YDAE9589V9B5SGSKZ3Q&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

 

All level 1 readers and easily accessible no matter where you are or what device you're using (even a hacked nook can run Kindle reader) 

 

How are we going about this? Do we start reading any old book on the list and then eventually get to discussing it or will it be more structured? I'm excited! 

[Meng Lelan]

How are we going about this? Do we start reading any old book on the list and then eventually get to discussing it or will it be more structured? I'm excited! 

 

 

So am I! Welcome to this thread. We used to run this as a month by month project until we saw newcomers jumping in the middle of the year or middle of the month or whatever only to discover a story had "expired" so to speak.. And roddy has ordered all of us regulars to be nice (or nicer) to newcomers.  So yes, to be nice to our newcomers, you can read any story you like on the list and jump into the discussions. I have been splitting stories off into separate threads labeled by the story name, then a hyphen, then the phrase Short Story for 2014. And you can jump into the right thread when you've found it. 

 

Heh...just saw your reading list has the new story "Country of the Blind". I guess the editor John Pasden wanted to honor my career aspirations in blind rehab. So touching. Anyway that is a good list you have and I will look more into it after I finish splitting off stories. 

[li3wei1]

我没有自己的名字 is in Advanced Reader of Contemporary Chinese Short Stories, Reflections on Humanity, by Ying Wang and Carrie Reed, which I recommend (I think it's been recommended here before). Another story in that book that I found very good is 喷壶 by 梁晓声. One of the few Chinese stories that's really gripped me.

[Meng Lelan]

我没有自己的名字 is in Advanced Reader of Contemporary Chinese Short Stories, Reflections on Humanity, by Ying Wang and Carrie Reed, which I recommend (I think it's been recommended here before). Another story in that book that I found very good is 喷壶 by 梁晓声. One of the few Chinese stories that's really gripped me.

 

Yes, that book has been recommended here. I am about to split off 我没有自己的名字 into a separate short story thread and will try to find an online version. 

 

Looks like the Beginner and Intermediate stories are getting some attention though not sure how much interest there is in the Advanced stories, but we'll see. Like I said before I will come around again and again to throw in another batch of short stories into this mix. 

[stivb]

Not sure if this might be of interest to you.  I organize a London Mandarin Learner's meetup group - and we attempt to meet together a couple of times a month to read bilingual articles and shortstories (Chinese native speakers read in English, everyone else reads in Chinese).  We do it on a paragraph by paragraph basis.  Our next one is Lu Xun's Kong YiJi.  Materials for this meeting are at

 

http://www.meetup.com/londonmandarinlearners/events/160493302/

 

but if you look through the <past meetups> for that group and search for "Reading Meetup", you can also see materials for previous meetings.  We read 狂人日记 - though my favorite Chinese short story of all time is Can Xue's 清路笔记 (An Affectionate Companion's Jottings - found in her translated short story collecton Vertical Motion)

 

We tend to do reading on an Intermediate to Advanced basis - the pinyin version means that the less expert can participate.

 

I am looking for more material for our meetup - so I am happy to generate pinyin versions for stories suggested here

 

Steve

[Meng Lelan]

Many thanks for posting that information here, stivb, and great meetup page you have got there. Makes me wish I could live in London just to have a meetup like that. I think you will find more material for your meetups if you peruse the Chinese Forums. 

[Shelley]

Meng Lelan, first of all a Big Thank you  for organising this Short story reading group.

 

One problem though, I have got completly confused as to which story is for which group. It is my fault, not paying attention and losing track of what was what.

 

Could you clarify which stories are for beginners please?

 

Thank you

[Meng Lelan]

Good to have you with us! Take a look at post #43 in here (it's got a "Popular Post" gold star on it) in which I put forth the stories for each group. The stories for beginners are as follows. I split each story off into a thread of its own. 

 

 杯弓蛇影 

 

年獸的傳說  / 年兽的传说i

 

早安北京

[jbradfor]

Ms. Meng, a couple of questions on how you envision this.

 

I like the questions, but are you expecting answers?  Would you welcome answers in spoiler boxes, or are they just for our thinking? 

 

Do any of these stories have English translations?  Yes, I've heard of this thing called "a search engine", but I'm lazy and wondering if people already know.  If there are, could you post a link to them?  I like them to "check my understanding" at the end.  If there are none for a given story, I might give a translation a try.

[Meng Lelan]

Ah, I wasn't "expecting" answers though answers would be nice if anyone wanted to give those questions a try, spoilers or no spoilers. Those questions are really there to guide the reader through the story in terms of what is going on in the story and what the story is communicating to us. The stories that I chose, many don't have English translations that I am aware of (which makes them more appealing to me, heh, as I tend to be pro-immersion). 

[Jamasian]

I'd like to join a reading group for intermediate. Is anyone available? I can buy a few cheap short stories, but I'd like to also use the books I've already got piled around. T.T