by Yann Martel
Story of a boy who accidentally brings a Bengal tiger onto his lifeboat. Kind of an amazing survival story - 227 (or so) days at see. In the end he tell an alternative story to the Japanese investigators who don't believe his animal story. Both are hard to believe but I'd much rather believe the animal story. Probably because I don't want to hear more stories about how brutal humans can be.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
God and Harvey Grosbeck
by Gilbert Millstein
Took me ages to finish this book. But I did read "Life of Pi" in between (during my trip to NC and PR). Serves me right for judging a book by it's cover. A really nice cover. The book was nice too, but I think it was hard for me because it used a very rich vocabulary and there were a lot of words that were unfamiliar to me. Someone less lazy than I would have used this opportunity to expand their vocabulary...
Took me ages to finish this book. But I did read "Life of Pi" in between (during my trip to NC and PR). Serves me right for judging a book by it's cover. A really nice cover. The book was nice too, but I think it was hard for me because it used a very rich vocabulary and there were a lot of words that were unfamiliar to me. Someone less lazy than I would have used this opportunity to expand their vocabulary...
Friday, August 29, 2008
The Missing (Hane'edert Menahal Zin) [Hebrew]
I found this book in the Hayden Library! They have lots (well, more than I expected) of Hebrew books. It would be handy to keep in touch with the Israeli literature.
It's about a girl who not only wants to die, she also wants to be present at her own funeral. So she stages her own death and then watches the whole country's reaction to it, including her grief-stricken mother, who had already lost 2 sons from previous marriages.
It's about a girl who not only wants to die, she also wants to be present at her own funeral. So she stages her own death and then watches the whole country's reaction to it, including her grief-stricken mother, who had already lost 2 sons from previous marriages.
Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons
By Kurt Vonnegut
This book took me much longer than I expected. Although I did finish it more than 2 week ago. It wasn't as interesting as I expected, but then again, it is a collection of essays, not a story.
This book took me much longer than I expected. Although I did finish it more than 2 week ago. It wasn't as interesting as I expected, but then again, it is a collection of essays, not a story.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
by Victor Hugo
My intention was to take a book that will be hard for me to read, and therefore easy for me to put aside when I need to do other things. I was partly successful with this book. I knew it would be hard to read it. I tried before, in Hebrew. Couldn't get past the first 20 pages! It was an old version, in old Hebrew, I guess. This one, too, was hard to read: small font on yellow pages, a 1960-something edition... Some chapters are just ridiculously long and tiresome descriptions of places. And there were a lot of words that weren't familiar (old English, or something). Still, it was an interesting book, and, at times, I couldn't put it aside. **sigh**
No wonder I was surprised by the way the book ended: all the adaptations I saw were completely disloyal! Shame on them!
My intention was to take a book that will be hard for me to read, and therefore easy for me to put aside when I need to do other things. I was partly successful with this book. I knew it would be hard to read it. I tried before, in Hebrew. Couldn't get past the first 20 pages! It was an old version, in old Hebrew, I guess. This one, too, was hard to read: small font on yellow pages, a 1960-something edition... Some chapters are just ridiculously long and tiresome descriptions of places. And there were a lot of words that weren't familiar (old English, or something). Still, it was an interesting book, and, at times, I couldn't put it aside. **sigh**
No wonder I was surprised by the way the book ended: all the adaptations I saw were completely disloyal! Shame on them!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Doctor Fischer of Geneva OR the Bomb Party
Graham Greene
I already read this book twice before, but it was in Hebrew. Besides, I didn't remember quite how it ended. I wanted to see if I would still like it, and what its like in its original language. I wasn't disappointed. Just like the other times it was captivating, and so I finished it fairly quickly.
Now, so I won't be so consumed by reading, I just started a book that will be much easier for me to lay down and go and do something else...
I already read this book twice before, but it was in Hebrew. Besides, I didn't remember quite how it ended. I wanted to see if I would still like it, and what its like in its original language. I wasn't disappointed. Just like the other times it was captivating, and so I finished it fairly quickly.
Now, so I won't be so consumed by reading, I just started a book that will be much easier for me to lay down and go and do something else...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
A Thousand Splendid Suns [Hebrew]
By Khaled Hosseini
An interesting story about two women in Afghanistan as their lives change and merge with the historical changes that occur their from the '70s to just a couple of years ago.
I found myself wanting to come home early from work to finish the book. It was tense at times, and had scenes that I absolutely would not want to see in a movie. Books are so much better in this regard - I can take a lot more when I don't have to see it (and can use my imagination to make it less horrible, I guess).
An interesting story about two women in Afghanistan as their lives change and merge with the historical changes that occur their from the '70s to just a couple of years ago.
I found myself wanting to come home early from work to finish the book. It was tense at times, and had scenes that I absolutely would not want to see in a movie. Books are so much better in this regard - I can take a lot more when I don't have to see it (and can use my imagination to make it less horrible, I guess).
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