Bookstore! Bookstore!
May. 1st, 2003 09:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bronwynrhI looooooooves the bookstore!
Oh, yes I do :-)
Mom and I went to Borders yesterday evening after dinner. It was the last day of the month, I still had money in the bank and I'd just had a conversation about books with some ladies on LJ. I was pumped.
I'd been reminded of a couple of books that I'd wanted to read, and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
suladog had mentioned some American authors she's been reading. . . I was ready as I approached my Heaven on Earth.
Gibbon's Rise and Fall. . . I'd like to own the Real Thing (tm), but Borders didn't have it. They had the Penguin Classics abridged version, which looked to be a great edition, but I decided to hold off for now. I know the Rise and Fall is huge, but if I'm going to do it, I'd like to do it right, you know, even if I have to pick it up one volume at a time. Eh. I'll keep thinking about it.
I checked out Jim Harrison and Michael Chabon. . . couldn't find Maxine Kingston (weird!) and was surprised. I hadn't put two-and-two together that they were authors whose books had been put on the silver screen - Legends of the Fall and Wonder Boys. I enjoyed the movies, but never thought I'd like them as books :-) Heh. Suladog, I'll force myself eventually, but I already had two must-haves in hand (actually, four). . .
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu is considered by many to be the first novel ever written. It was written by a woman in the Heian emperor's court 1000 years ago and it covers almost 3 quarters of a century in time. It's not like any novel you've ever seen (it was the first, after all!). I think I'm going to read this one in installments, like the people at court must have done. I can imagine them passing the few copies of a chapter amongst themselves and then waiting impatiently for the next to be written. :-)
Baudolino by Umberto Eco is the latest of Eco's work. It isn't as deep as the Rose or the Pendulum, but I really enjoyed The Island of the Day Before - I like it when Eco has fun, so I'm looking forward to Baudolino.
The only thing is, I've found Baudolino for 30% off at Amazon, and I think I may want Mary Renault's The Persian Boy and Funeral Games. I just finished reading the Alexander the Great trilogy by Valerio Massimo and am pondering whether or not I want to read Mary Renault's take. I'm hesitant only because Renault isn't an archeologist - I trusted Massimo's work because of his archeological qualifications. . . Heh - it's also the version that's going to be made into a movie - one in which Leonardo diCaprio wants to be the star 8-O *whine* PLEASE don't let him do it! PLEASE! */whine*
Debate debate debate
I think I'll skip Renault's trilogy and just get Funeral games to get the scoop on what happened after Alexander's death. Massimo's trilogy stopped at that point (just about killed me, too!).
As for my day. . . my cultures were overgrown, so I'm annoyed about that. I have to start over again, two days behind. Shit. I have plenty else I can do in the meantime.
Oh, yes I do :-)
Mom and I went to Borders yesterday evening after dinner. It was the last day of the month, I still had money in the bank and I'd just had a conversation about books with some ladies on LJ. I was pumped.
I'd been reminded of a couple of books that I'd wanted to read, and
suladog had mentioned some American authors she's been reading. . . I was ready as I approached my Heaven on Earth.Gibbon's Rise and Fall. . . I'd like to own the Real Thing (tm), but Borders didn't have it. They had the Penguin Classics abridged version, which looked to be a great edition, but I decided to hold off for now. I know the Rise and Fall is huge, but if I'm going to do it, I'd like to do it right, you know, even if I have to pick it up one volume at a time. Eh. I'll keep thinking about it.
I checked out Jim Harrison and Michael Chabon. . . couldn't find Maxine Kingston (weird!) and was surprised. I hadn't put two-and-two together that they were authors whose books had been put on the silver screen - Legends of the Fall and Wonder Boys. I enjoyed the movies, but never thought I'd like them as books :-) Heh. Suladog, I'll force myself eventually, but I already had two must-haves in hand (actually, four). . .
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu is considered by many to be the first novel ever written. It was written by a woman in the Heian emperor's court 1000 years ago and it covers almost 3 quarters of a century in time. It's not like any novel you've ever seen (it was the first, after all!). I think I'm going to read this one in installments, like the people at court must have done. I can imagine them passing the few copies of a chapter amongst themselves and then waiting impatiently for the next to be written. :-)
Baudolino by Umberto Eco is the latest of Eco's work. It isn't as deep as the Rose or the Pendulum, but I really enjoyed The Island of the Day Before - I like it when Eco has fun, so I'm looking forward to Baudolino.
The only thing is, I've found Baudolino for 30% off at Amazon, and I think I may want Mary Renault's The Persian Boy and Funeral Games. I just finished reading the Alexander the Great trilogy by Valerio Massimo and am pondering whether or not I want to read Mary Renault's take. I'm hesitant only because Renault isn't an archeologist - I trusted Massimo's work because of his archeological qualifications. . . Heh - it's also the version that's going to be made into a movie - one in which Leonardo diCaprio wants to be the star 8-O *whine* PLEASE don't let him do it! PLEASE! */whine*
Debate debate debate
I think I'll skip Renault's trilogy and just get Funeral games to get the scoop on what happened after Alexander's death. Massimo's trilogy stopped at that point (just about killed me, too!).
As for my day. . . my cultures were overgrown, so I'm annoyed about that. I have to start over again, two days behind. Shit. I have plenty else I can do in the meantime.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Books, Books and more books
Date: May 1st, 2003 09:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: May 1st, 2003 11:27 am (UTC)After months of having a secondhand copy on my bookshelf and years of intending to read it I picked up Euripides' Medea. I forgot how wonderful Greek tragedy is. The language is beautiful and the story of a scorned woman who's done bad things to people in the past and is now desperate for somewhere to turn and for revenge has me on the edge of my seat.
I haven't actually read any Umberto Eco yet but in University he was referred to a lot. Semiotics was discussed a lot in my Film courses and Mass Communication (my major) courses.
I totally understand where you're coming from.
(no subject)
Date: May 1st, 2003 11:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: May 2nd, 2003 09:52 am (UTC)