What are you currently reading?

[Florestan]

[img height=350]http://i2.best-price.ro/images/preturi/big_new/7/8/6/426786.jpg[/img

This little gem from the above (English translation).

You talk about civilization, and that it shouldn't be,
Or shouldn't be the way it is.
You say everybody suffers, or the majority of everybody,
And it's because humans make things that way.
You say if things were different, we'd suffer less.
You say if things were like you want them, it would be better.
I hear you without listening.
Why should I want to listen to you?
Listening to you won't make me know any better.
If things were different, they'd be different: that's all.
If things were like you want them, they'd only be like you want them.
Oh, you and everybody else going through life
Wanting to invent a machine for making happiness!

[Florestan]

Political ideology:
He believes the monarchy is the ideal system for an essentially imperialistic anarchistic country such as Portugal. Romania. He also believes it is not possible to have a monarchy in Portugal. Romania. Therefore, in the case of a referendum, he would vote, with regret, for the Republic Monarchy. A conservative in the English style, meaning, he admitted liberty within a conservative context and was absolutely anti-reactionary.

The paragraph above describes me to the core. 

[Beorn]

Now reading/still reading:

The Occult Madonna by Douglas D. Hawk (horror)
Punk Rock: An Oral History (non-fiction)
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Alien Legion Omnibus Volume 1 (sf comics)

[Corey]

At the moment:

Thomas Pynchon - The Crying of Lot 49
Helen Waddell - The Desert Fathers

[Wakefield]

I'm very glad to know. 

Oh, I have no such ambition. As good a writer as he was, there are many more at least as good who are in the waiting line. 

For instance, next week I'll be far from the madding crowd and going to immerse myself in these two:



Fernando Pessoa - Poetical Works
Fernando Pessoa - The Book of Disquiet

(both in Romanian translation)

This is one of my favorite books ever (although before this one I had another translation):



I don't know if exists a translation into the Romanian language, but if you write the title in Spanish, there are online translations available. 

[Florestan]

This is one of my favorite books ever (although before this one I had another translation):



I don't know if exists a translation into the Romanian language, but if you write the title in Spanish, there are online translations available. 

The Romanian translation is exactly the one I mentioned:

[Wakefield]

The Romanian translation is exactly the one I mentioned:

Excellent!Quite naively I never imagined that Cartea nelinistirii could mean Libro del desasosiego (Livro do Desassossego). 

[Florestan]

Excellent!Quite naively I never imagined that Cartea nelinistirii could mean Libro del desasosiego (Livro do Desassossego). 

Yes, this is an instance when Romanian, though mainly neo-Latin, is incomprehensible to other neo-Latins! 

Cartea means the book and is derived from the Latin word charta which in its turn comes from the Greek word  χάρτης (khartēs) meaning paper (from the very same source Romanian has hârtie, meaning exactly paper.

neliniştirii is complicated: ne- is a Slavic prefix meaning un-; lin derives from the Latin word lenis, meaning smooth, gentle, kind, mild; -işte is a Slavic suffix which transforms an adjective into a noun, thus linişte means both silence and tranquility; -ire is a suffix which indicates the result of an action; and -ii indicates the genitive of a feminine noun. The final result ne-lin-işt-ir-ii means "of disquiet".

If you ever thought French was the most diffcult neo-Latin language, think again. 

[Jaakko Keskinen]

I think that Dombey and Son and/or Martin Chuzzlewit are read less frequently than Barnaby Rudge.

With Dombey I kind of agree, but chuzzlewit at least has the popular villains Seth Pecksniff and Jonas Chuzzlewit. Pecksniff basically is an incarnation of hypocricy.

My top 10 favorite Dickens novels:

1. Barnaby Rudge.
2. Little Dorrit
3. Great Expectations
4. David Copperfield
5. Nicholas Nickleby
6. Our Mutual Friend
7. Hard Times
8. Oliver Twist
9. A tale of two cities
10. The Old Curiosity Shop


Currently rereading Little Dorrit and David Copperfield. I always loved the characterization of mr. Merdle, William Dorrit, Henry Gowan and Miss Wade. You kind of feel sorry for Merdle even though his actions ruin many people, because he has such a crappy life: he's visibly guilt-ridden (the handcuffing gesture), ill, lonely and everybody just worships him for his wealth. I love the way he is portrayed in BBC 2008 production, when he talks to his pet parrot it kind of brings tears in my eyes. Henry Gowan has probably the funniest line in literature history when he congratulates mr. Sparkler for getting a place in Circumlocution office, calling him the most lovable and wonderful jackass that ever has walked on earth etc. Miss Wade's and Gowan's cynicism kind of reflects my own personality. But the cherry on the cake is William Dorrit's tragicomic end: before falling fatally ill he welcomes dinner guests... to Marshalsea debtor's prison! And of cource everything concerning circumlocution office gets a big laugh out of me. And Pancks, you must not forget Pancks, the guy is genius!

I remember when I read David Copperfield for the first time that while I usually like villains much more than heroes because they have more "freedom" in their actions, the exception came when I read about mr Murdstone. Seriously, the guy is such an asshole that I wanted to spank his ass when he whipped david. Nowadays, I am bit more calm when talking about Murdstones, I acknowledge that he at least seems to feel guilt for some of his actions, while at the same time admitting that the guy is still a massive dick. And I like how Dickens didn't use one of the cliches I hate most on Murdstone: he didn't get some divine karma punishment like usually Dickens villains get, some are even outright ridiculous, like casually saying how Mr. Bounderby died because of fit he had one day while all the good guys never die blah blah blah. Although to be fair, Murdstones actions were completely legal at the time when Dickens lived so it was not like they could have arrested him or anything.
My favorite character in the book is the lovable rogue, Steerforth, maybe because even when he's acting like a dick (like getting poor mr mell fired) I just can't get over how badass and charismatic he is. Many (including me) have known someone like him in school: the rich and popular kid who gets everything he wants and still he avoids being a dull character. And he does seem to genuinely like David...

[Bogey]

[Beorn]

Ugh. Dickens.

[HIPster]

Totally immersed in The Wave, by Susan Casey:
[asin]0767928857[/asin]

[Wakefield]

If you ever thought French was the most diffcult neo-Latin language, think again. 

Yes, it doesn't look easy. When I saw "cartea", I thought it was a sort of epistolary, as "letter" is "carta" in Spanish.

Now I'm reading these two:

[asin]B00D02BM5C[/asin][asin]B000FC1IEK[/asin]

The second is a sort of posthumous tribute to Roger Ebert, recently died.

[Gold Knight]

George R.R. Martin--A Storm of Swords {Book # 3 in the Game of Thrones series}
Arthur C. Clarke--Childhood's End

[DavidW]

Alberich, I also love Little Dorrit.

[modUltralaser]

[Ten thumbs]

If you have read The Sorrows of Werther and enjoyed it, you should also read Emmeline. Charlotte Smith acknowledges Goethe in the first volume but takes the situation to a higher level with penetrating internalization of the lover - reluctant beloved relationship through a series of metamorphoses (at first the pursuit is literal). Whilst recognising the greatness of Werther, Emmeline is surely not less so. Reprints of this novel are fairly expensive but it can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg for various platforms.

[lisa needs braces]

With Dombey I kind of agree, but chuzzlewit at least has the popular villains Seth Pecksniff and Jonas Chuzzlewit. Pecksniff basically is an incarnation of hypocricy.

My top 10 favorite Dickens novels:

1. Barnaby Rudge.
2. Little Dorrit
3. Great Expectations
4. David Copperfield
5. Nicholas Nickleby
6. Our Mutual Friend
7. Hard Times
8. Oliver Twist
9. A tale of two cities
10. The Old Curiosity Shop


Currently rereading Little Dorrit and David Copperfield. I always loved the characterization of mr. Merdle, William Dorrit, Henry Gowan and Miss Wade. You kind of feel sorry for Merdle even though his actions ruin many people, because he has such a crappy life: he's visibly guilt-ridden (the handcuffing gesture), ill, lonely and everybody just worships him for his wealth. I love the way he is portrayed in BBC 2008 production, when he talks to his pet parrot it kind of brings tears in my eyes. Henry Gowan has probably the funniest line in literature history when he congratulates mr. Sparkler for getting a place in Circumlocution office, calling him the most lovable and wonderful jackass that ever has walked on earth etc. Miss Wade's and Gowan's cynicism kind of reflects my own personality. But the cherry on the cake is William Dorrit's tragicomic end: before falling fatally ill he welcomes dinner guests... to Marshalsea debtor's prison! And of cource everything concerning circumlocution office gets a big laugh out of me. And Pancks, you must not forget Pancks, the guy is genius!

I remember when I read David Copperfield for the first time that while I usually like villains much more than heroes because they have more "freedom" in their actions, the exception came when I read about mr Murdstone. Seriously, the guy is such an asshole that I wanted to spank his ass when he whipped david. Nowadays, I am bit more calm when talking about Murdstones, I acknowledge that he at least seems to feel guilt for some of his actions, while at the same time admitting that the guy is still a massive dick. And I like how Dickens didn't use one of the cliches I hate most on Murdstone: he didn't get some divine karma punishment like usually Dickens villains get, some are even outright ridiculous, like casually saying how Mr. Bounderby died because of fit he had one day while all the good guys never die blah blah blah. Although to be fair, Murdstones actions were completely legal at the time when Dickens lived so it was not like they could have arrested him or anything.
My favorite character in the book is the lovable rogue, Steerforth, maybe because even when he's acting like a dick (like getting poor mr mell fired) I just can't get over how badass and charismatic he is. Many (including me) have known someone like him in school: the rich and popular kid who gets everything he wants and still he avoids being a dull character. And he does seem to genuinely like David...

Well put, Alberich.

[Geo Dude]

Currently reading:

Radley Balko - Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces
Alan Moore - V For Vendetta
Maynard Solomon - Mozart
Nigel Spivey - Greek Sculpture


BTW, if anyone can recommend to me a pictorial book of Greek Sculpture (Classical or Hellenestic would be fine, but I'm not picky), I'd be very appreciative.  Spivey's book is a textbook, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it would be nice to have something focused on colored plates.

[Bogey]