Milan Kundera-Slowness
May 16, 2009
translated from French by Linda Asher
A very disjointed link of beautiful sentences and quotable quotes,disjointed by the multiple interventions of intensive stories.The garden walk consist of story A(18th century:a Mdm de T with her young one-night stand Chevalier to fake as her lover,while her real lover, a certain Marquis actually was able to bump into the Chevaliar and understood the happening incident the night before and of coz here’s her real husband who actually excused himself and left them alone) Story B (20th century:some scientists+assistants+social gathering which seemingly danced out an orgy between them)Story C (the writer and his wife Vera.Almost a hardsell of a variety of ideas linking up in someway with are too complicated to be taken seriously.
The book started and ended well with beautiful proses.
Stars: 2.5 out of 5
The Frog Prince by Stephen Mitchell
April 13, 2009
The Frog Prince by Stephen Mitchell
So I finished the book on the Frog Prince on the way to the Lourve,sans doute on the happy everafter ending.It seems so apt holding the green book reading about a story supposingly based on one of the small kingdoms in France narrated by Stephen Mitchell . The version was somehow fractured with miraculous fine details yet not twisted due to the ending.The writer wrote his own version of finding modern true love in a setting centuries ago.
The kick start of the story was amazing,it begun with women seeking for love and having different unexpected expected ending.Princes could turn into frogs or princes but frogs will always be frogs.Many women marrying princes and ended up having frogs,happy is the woman who married a prince and still able to wake up to see the same prince after 25 yrs of marriage.Yet this very princess was able to turn a frog in a prince overnight,forever.
Reading from Paris to Rennes
Talk To The Hand ,Lynne Truss
March 24, 2009
one of my favourite paragraphs :
“Have you ever noticed how many role models there are in popular culture for rudeness, crassness, laddishness and nastiness? “Oh, Anne Robinson! She’s so rude!” “Oh, Jonathan Ross! He’s so rude!” “Oh, Graham Norton! He’s so rude! Count the roles models for respectfulness, on the other hand, and after a couple of hours you will have to admit there is only one: Babe. That’s it. Just one small sturdy imaginary sheep-pig stands between us and total moral decay”.
Written in a slightly jaded way,more pro the French for their good manners than the English.In fact,i do believe that both cultures are authentically well-respected for their culture.Personally,I find the both the English and the French are as well-mannered,just that many people think that the French are aloof to people who don’t try to use some French with them.seriously,ask the English,if they could really hold a simple conversation not using English,many English will give you a look.English is the langauge.But ask the French if they could hold a simple conversation not using French,many would say ‘Mais Oui ! ‘
Back to the book,
I love the way she writes,in fact,I do believe that this book is pinned highly on critics,if you do not enjoy reading reviews and critics ,you can give this book a miss.As this book is about her giving examples of issues with supporting theories and quotes from various big ideologists .Pretty witty,not a page-turning style but its a style that one could adopt and use it on social events to win brownie points on wittiness,provided that you could site the real examples.
The Six Good Reasons are:
1: Was that so hard to say?
(basic manners)
2:Why am I the One doing this?
(the D-I-Y of service providers)
3:My Bubble,My Rules
(concept of personal space,2m infront,1m behind)
4:The universal Eff-Off Reflex
(the pathetic modern parents and the poor rich child)
5:Booing the Judges
(Inflammation,moral contortion)
5:Someone Else Will Clean it up
(the disappearance of graciousness & selfish use of public goods)
My favourite few sentences are:
If you want a short-cut to an alien culture these days,there is no quicker route than to look at a French phrase book.’
‘In the introduction to this book,I quoted banjamin Rush from 1786,to the effect that a schoolboy should learn that he does not belong to himself,but that he is a public property’
We are all equal in the sight of the Highway Code.
and of coz here comes Henry James: Three things in human life are important.The first is to be kind.The second is to be kind.The third is to be kind.
Personally,I have tried,poor as a churchmouse I m,I do believe in parting my cents as appreciation to service providers.i ‘donate’ 20 cents if the cab fare is $8.80.I give my friends some treats whenever I can.It’s nice to know that you have done a good deed.I thank them for providing me the opportunity to grow as a gracious person,without them i could only use it feeding the pigeons.:P
Sometimes,parting away a mere 20 cents gives both parties so much pleasure.So does a ‘Hi’,'Thanks’ and ‘Goodbye’.
Come 1 April where I shall fly direct and absorb the culture of Aliens where everyone says ‘Bonjour’ and where everyone says ‘Merci ,Au revoir’
and now I guess I just have to talk to the hand.
Life and Death in Shanghai
February 24, 2009
Brilliant book much more reader friendly than the books of its kinda(as compared to the Rape of Nanking),written in a journal style,it makes more sense and its much more chronological,and yes,i cried while reading it I cried for the injustice due to being against the Red Army at the slightest action,how past records were digged up (and seriously i wondered at the great lengths how Chinese can be that very efficient when they want to) I realised the silent hatred,the unfair rationing,how friends turn against each other,the poverty and the desperation for food,people sign up to take part in riots so that they would be given a packet of rice(that’s how she was deemed as a spy).Delirium,All is piled on at the very brink of humanity.Seriously not recommended for the maudlin ones,I really want to read through it again so I bought it from the second hand book store.But now I am going to give it away to Metta School this Saturday. 28 Feb
stars: 5 outa 5
(what a hell of a book,simply fabulous)
From Amazon
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This gripping account of a woman caught up in the maelstrom of China’s Cultural Revolution begins quietly. In 1966, only the merest rumblings of political upheaval disturbed the gracious life of the author, widow of the manager of Shell Petroleum in China. As the rumblings fast became a cataclysm, Cheng found herself a target of the revolution: Red Guards looted her home, literally grinding underfoot her antique porcelain and jade treasures; and she was summarily imprisoned, falsely accused of espionage. Despite harsh privationeven tortureshe refused to confess and was kept in solitary confinement for over six years, suffering deteriorating health and mounting anxiety about the fate of her only child, Meiping. When the political climate softened, and she was released, Cheng learned that her fears were justified: Meiping had been beaten to death when she refused to denounce her mother. The candor and intimacy of this affecting memoir make it addictive reading. Its intelligence, passion and insight assure its place among the distinguished voices of our age proclaiming the ascendancy of the human spirit over tyranny. Cheng is now a U.S. resident. BOMC main selection; author tour.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Cheng’s widely acclaimed book recounts in compelling specifics her persecution and imprisonment at the hands of Mao Zedong’s “Cultural Revolution” (1966-1976). Inquisitors accused her of being a “spy” and “imperialist,” but during the harrowing years of solitary confinement she never gave in, never confessed a lie. We read this, not so much for historical analysis, but, like the literature of the Gulag in Russia, for an example of a humane spirit telling terrible truths honestly, without bitterness or cynicism. Highly recommended. BOMC main selection. Charles W. Hayford, History Dept., Northwestern Univ., Evanston, Ill.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Sidney Sheldon-Morning ,Noon & Night
February 18, 2009
Definately page-turning!
This was the book that started me reading on Sidney Sheldon some 13 years ago.
This is my first and perharps only collection of Sidney Sheldon,I rented it from EMF and I enjoyed it so much that I kept it form years.Simply exciting,written in a page-turning style (low lexical density and more narrative than descriptive),twisted and lots of unexpectancy.However,to be totally won over by the plot,you need to throw away the pragmatic and skeptical business mind (because many of such co-operative tricks and luck do not exist in real life).Oh com’on,lets all just read to enter another world.
from Amazon:
Booklist
Prolific storyteller Sheldon is at it again in his latest melodrama. Multibillionaire Harry Stanford leads a double life; to the public, he appears charming and philanthropic, but to those who know him well, he is conniving and utterly heartless. No one knows that better than his three grown children. In spite of their mutual abhorrence for their father, the siblings couldn’t find solace in each other because Stanford’s cruelty kept them apart while they were growing up. It is not surprising, then, that they are filled with glee when they learn of their father’s fatal fall from his yacht during a storm. The reading of the will promises to be a crowning moment for these children, but it is apparent that one of them is up to no good. Then their half-sister, Stanford’s long-lost fourth child, shows up–but can she be trusted? Fans of Sheldon’s previous novels will appreciate his usual quick pace and plot twists, but generally the writing, particularly the dialogue, is stale and forced. Nevertheless, you better stock up. Mary Frances Wilkens
This book is for anyone who will like to have it.
Drop me a note under comments before this Saturday.I will donate to the book shelf at The Hive
(The Hive Backpackers Hostel. Addresse, 269A Lavender Street Singapore 338798. Téléphone, (65) 6341 5041. Fax, (65) 6341 5041 .)
A super nice place which I have been staying!
Personal Rating:
3/5 (as an adult,lacking in educational value)
4/5(as a kid,when I first read it)
Anne Rice-The Queen of the Damned
February 18, 2009
It was rumored to be the best book of her series.
The Queen of the Damned
Even though,I like her writting style,her choice of words are perfect for a student whose need to learn to put the right words at the right place,a variety of sentence structures,a good style to model from.
i enjoyed her style.
However,I have to admit that even if i want to try,still could not bring myself to immerse in the rest of the Vampires Chronicles even by this really legendary writer,whose fame and style ,no other writer of the same genre could hold a candle to,Stephenie Meyer is still far from creating a phenomenon.
Sadly ,I read Twilight,in French,with half the comphrension.(just for the sake of exposing myself to the French language)
Back to Anne Rice whose stories could be linked to her late husband,this book is for anyone who will like to have it.
Drop me a note under comments before Saturday.I will donate to the book shelf at The Hive
(The Hive Backpackers Hostel. Addresse, 269A Lavender Street Singapore 338798. Téléphone, (65) 6341 5041. Fax, (65) 6341 5041 .)
A super nice place which I have been staying!
Passing it on~
January 9, 2009
The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder
A very touching short story
Thought-provoking and yet very positively entertaining, it has the magic of Jostein Gaarder of Sophie’s World ,but with a much lighter note.Love and philosophy rolled into one.A book which I thought I might just want to keep forever.However,I guess my little room needs to make space for more and what’s the use of hiding a good book at home! Pass it on!
Really a good read.I shall keep it in my cupboard until April before donating it out.If you want this book,let me know before April,I can post to you for free,meet up is subjected to my schedule,
Stars: 4/5
A heartwarming novel of a modern life
Not my usual style of genre,but its certainly page turning and very applicable to today’s modern,fast-paced and seemingly unforgiving society.The same underlying old school story outline that never fails to warm your heart,the question of being able to love again.
I will keep this book until April,drop a comment if you want it.FOC !
stars: 3.5 / 4
