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Post by DaveTheRake on Oct 13, 2005 9:05:55 GMT 2
It's sad that we left this thread fall into the vaults of oblivion!
Last two books I've read have been quite good ones. First I read "The Adventures of Captain Alatriste" by Arturo Perez Reverte; it's an Spanish writer who is near to be the best-selling Spanish writer; one of his previous books was taken to the big screen with Johnny Depp as star, in Spanish it was called "El Maestro De Esgrima"; the book I read, Captain alatriste is a great piece of literature, the story of a former soldier in Madrid during XVII C. If you have the possibility of reading it, I strongly recommend it, though some people say the style of Reverte is shit...well, he introduces a lot of thoughts and reflexions, sometimes breaking the rythm of the narration; but I find it quite great. Today I'll finish the continuation of The Adventures with the second part, "limpieza De sangre" (sorry, I don't know how it was translated, but it's something that has to do with blood and purity); is a good continuation to the first part, though a bit worse. There's still 3 parts left to read, which I'll do soon.
The other book I've read lately and which I loved was "The Long Goodbye" (or maybe The Long Farewell) by Raymond Chandler, one of the books of the Phillip Marlow series... a good book of detectives; you don't know what one thing has to do with the other untill the end of the book, and even so it sounds coherent throughout all the book. Quite enterteining book, perfect for long rainy evenings.
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Post by MaliceGarden on Oct 13, 2005 12:51:57 GMT 2
i've been reading d.quixot or d.quijote or what the hell. for the lst 2 motnhs. i think it will take me maybe another 4 months to finish it. :]
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Post by Humppaporo on Oct 13, 2005 12:58:45 GMT 2
I have an advantage to you Malice, my father read that (Don Quichote) to us, when I was little...
Now trying to find the time to read 'Montruous regiment' by Terry Pratchett and the Kalevala, also in English. I've bought the translation of Keith Bosley, was said to be good, it's a very beautiful book as far as I have read it (had to read over 50 pages foreword first...)
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randy
Eagle
?idin pieni sieni
Posts: 84
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Post by randy on Oct 21, 2005 9:53:59 GMT 2
i read the notes from undergroud by dostoevsky. and well, what can i say... it was by dostoevsky, no one can write like he does... really great book, in away its even better than criem and punishemnt, and that really is a lot.
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Mou
Eagle
Posts: 75
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Post by Mou on Oct 27, 2005 9:20:14 GMT 2
JRR Tolkien, HP Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov, Jaime Centurión & Unai Elorriaga...
books, 'LOTR', 'Silmarillion', 'The Shadow Out Of The Time', 'Foundation' saga, '2 corriendo por 3 calles', 'Tocandome los cojones', 'Un tranvia en SP'
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Post by thyr on Oct 27, 2005 17:30:22 GMT 2
Mika Waltari- Sinuhe (I don't know what's the english title, but in the hugarian edition was it Szinuhe)
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Post by DaveTheRake on Nov 7, 2005 10:14:26 GMT 2
On Saturday I finished a book that I think I've already mentioned before, The Shadow Of The Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón; it's the most translated Spanish book after Don Quijote, and it's been a success never experienced before in a Spanish writer. Mine was 45 edition, but there are still more editions. The story itself takes place in Barcelona in the post-war years. A boy of 10 is taken by his father to a building called "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books", where he will take a book that will change his life, a life that will be intertwined with the story of the writer of the book. It's a deep story that gets the reader into the plot. It has a great combination of mistery, thrill, humour, love, eroticism... it's remarkable the bitter sense of humour throughtout the story, lying specially on the character of Fermín; in the use of humour it will be easilly recognizable -for those who know him- the admiration of Ruíz Zafón for Eduardo Mendoza, another great Spanish contemporary writer.
So, since it's easy that you'll find on your language this book, make yourselves a gift and read this book, you'll love it!!!!
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Post by CrazyMary on Nov 7, 2005 15:34:40 GMT 2
That's bizarre Dave, I just finished reading that book. My mother recommended it to me, almost as highly as you do. I have to say that it didn't impress me at all. The writing was lazy, the plot very basic. I kept expecting something wonderful to happen, something to make me fall in love with it, but I got to the last page and hadn't found it. Maybe it's a Harry Potter or Da Vinci Code kind of thing - all hype and no substance.
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Post by DaveTheRake on Nov 7, 2005 21:23:01 GMT 2
Well, of course everybody has its own opinion, but for me the book is not so empty as you have found it, and comàring it to Dan Brown or Harry Potter is going a step too far; Harry Potter is just a story for teenagers, so you can't ask for the peak of literacy on it. Dan Brown for example never developes is characters, which are mre likely to characters of Knights Romans; throughout The Shadow Of The Wind evey single character has its own developement, some more marked than others. Fermín for example has little developement; Daniel on its side is developement on itself. So this is for example a great difference, though it's true that both writers has acquired a similar success. The Shadow has its weakness, of course, but I don't fiend the plot basic, or better I say its an easy plot with not a basic developement. Everything is coherent on this book, everything has its explanation that supports why this is happening... not as for example in the da vinci code, where just to mention one thing, the bad one is the bad one just because of the bollocks of Dan Brown. You can like more or less the situation or the events, but can't find them uncoherent. Its true that you're not going to find on this book a philosophical explanation to the movements of tides if that's what you mean with the absent of substance, but neither this book is sold by anybody as a philosophical stone. It's just a fantasy story, but I don't think Zafón has written it with any methaphysical intention. Though if he had, you're right in thinking he didn't succeeded. But as we all know, for tastes we've got colours
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Post by teuton on Nov 7, 2005 23:36:13 GMT 2
"La muraille invisible" by Hennig Mankell (I think it's called "Firewall" in English, I am reading it in French )
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Post by DaveTheRake on Nov 12, 2005 18:09:58 GMT 2
Yesterday I finished the last of the Captain Alatriste's book, "El Caballero Del Jubon Amarillo" (don't know how the fuck it's in English) and so far is the best book of the saga with the first one. A lot of action from the very first moment, great historical background (as usual through the saga), an interesting plot... just one thing bad, there are no more alatriste's books up till now, so now we've got to wait for the upcoming film and then wait for what's suppossed to be the next two books, La Venganza de Alquezar (ALquezar's Revenge) and Mision in Paris (no use for translations).
Now reading El Maestro de Esgrima, also from Perez Reverte, not so good as Alatriste's Saga. This was also taken to the screen, and I think JOhnny Depp made the film
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Post by SkogRoar on Dec 14, 2005 0:12:12 GMT 2
Currenty I'm reading the poetry of the late Jim Morrison, singer and frontman of one of the most innovative bands of all, The Doors. It's amazing how Jim writes and thinks. He has his own, beautiful and yet frightening world, wich torns the flesh from reality, and lets u see, what realy lies under the skin. Jim's personality is very ambivalent. U can adore or hate him. No other option. But the most important is, that you can never ever understand his genius. it is like a strange jewel. U can see that is beautiful, but u don't know why or where is it from. Has someone else read his poetry? (Dave, at lest u did, dont u )
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Post by jarmo on Dec 14, 2005 14:48:48 GMT 2
I read mostly books by Feist...
And some Marten Toonder books.
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Post by ina on Dec 14, 2005 15:37:02 GMT 2
I noticed that there were some discussion about F.M. Dostoyevski and I have to admit that i'm addicted to his book the idiot. So i guess i could call it my favourite book though it's very difficult to name just one. I also like Turgenev and Pushkin.
Now i've been reading plays from Minna Canth, August Strindberg and Anton Chekhov.
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Post by dravenath on Dec 16, 2005 5:35:47 GMT 2
I'm always torn between sci-fi and fantasy style books. But i really do need to read more, i know i enjoy it but never seem to get round to it. Of the little i read i enjoyed Asimov. And my fantasy series of choice would be Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman's DragonLance books.
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