Books read recently by J. Zimmerman
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Books read Best books read in 2012. Best writers of poetry and prose |
My chocolate of choice for a NaNoWriMo attempt: |
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Reader's Bill of Rights [after Daniel Pennac in Better than Life
from November 2003 Utne Magazine] includes the rights to:
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"Scaffolding holds up confidence when you have none"
Zadie Smith in Changing my Mind (essays) |
{ December : juu-ni-gatsu (see also books on learning Japanese) 2012 }
(12.31.2012)
See also her The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales.
Cordelia, a wise innocent, solves a murder and ensures that the right thing is done.
P.D. James' books read include:
Set in 1535 and narrated from the point of view of Thomas Cromwell (chief Minister to Henry VIII), the book tells a rather soap-opera tale of romance and betrayal at the court of the king and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry, angered that Anne has not delived a son for him, becomes attracted to the virginal Jane Seymour. The narration is confused by Mantel's ambiguous use of the 3rd person pronoun for Cromwell on almost every page, so the reader has to do a double-take and reread a paragraph to discover who is really speaking or acting.
Includes haiku by moi.
{ November : juu-ichi-gatsu (see also books on learning Japanese) 2012 }
(11.28.2012)
Although 6 years outdated (in particular was given before Rowling's excellent ending to Harry Potter punched her series into the Pantheon of great fantasy), the whole thing is pretty good at highlighting what is great about various books in the genre: Drout is a BIG-time Tolkien scholar so half of the lectures are on Tolkien's contributions (which is almost 50% more than I need!). Still it's a great discussion of world-building, the value of linguistics (Tolkien) and anthropology (Le Guin) in making in-depth and self-consistent worlds, the ways some fantasy is derivative, how to minimize impoverishment in your fantasy novel, etc.
Disappointing — an unbelievable plot; under-developed characters; several character pop in purely to make the author's point; rather too much philosophizing (although I believe the author is a professional philosopher and therefore self-seduced into using her novel as a place to present philosophy-for-all.
Ryokan (1758-1831), a Zen monk of the Soto sect, a hermit, and a poet.
{ October : juu-gatsu (see also books on learning Japanese) 2012 }
Terrific — I admired Mitchell's book, and while this is a fast and loose adaptation, it is very apt in its intertwining of the 6 time lines (as opposed to onion-skinning them). The many plot changes seem to work well! The re-occurrence of actors in different roles is an added delight. One of the movie's recurring theme is slavery, though which it explores what it means to be human, no matter what kind of human we are.
Issues previously read:
Interesting plot; weak characters; multiple earths.
This and its companions (Bloodsucking Fiends (1995) and Bite Me (2010)) are the funniest books I've read this year — even if I did read them in the wrong sequence, ending with the 2nd book due to profound lack of nerdism on my part, happily something that Abby would appreciate.
She endears herself further to me by saying "Artichokes? Who eats something like that? I thought it was a weapon." Let's face it, Jody is ostensibly the female lead, but it's Abby who will rock your stripy socks.
Books by Christopher Moore include:
The 2nd book written in the Narnia seven-book series, but the 4th one in the Narnian Chronology: the four children return centuries after their golden age in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
C.S. Lewis' books read:
Brilliant — a worthy winner of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize For the Translation of Japanese Literature.
between
the chimes of the clock shooting stars |
Includes haiku by moi and essays:
Comments on issues of: Modern Haiku:
Related pages:
Books on Buddhism. Books on Learning Spanish. Poetry - Learn How to Write Your Own. Forests of California and Trees of the World. |
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