i am such a pathetic reader... it's rather depressing sometimes... especially when there are more interesting things to add to the growing list... or stack of books i place next to my pillow on my bed (maybe tiger-ente and teddy amuse themselves when i am out?!) or pile on the carpeted floor...
have started a few... but i am not good with doing multi-readings...
-- Vehicles Experiments in Synthetic Psychology by Valentino Braitenberg (a xmas pressie from f which is something i'd wanted to get for a while... it is written by an emeritus prof. in the Max Planck Institute in T?bingen. the book consists of a collection of essays on thought experiments with pictures that describe how the nervous system might have developed to render us sensing and feeling and interacting like we do using hypothetical thought-creations call vehicles to help illustrate his points... i shouldn't take that long but each little chapter is doing my head in -- i feel terribly dumb...)
-- Where I'm Calling From by Raymond Carver (i rediscovered this gem when i went back to singapore... it was sleeping in my bookshelf... i'm catching up on some of the short stories i've read before or have skipped in the past... i like short stories... makes me feel good when i've finished one... because i am so slow! but imagine the delirium i'd feel finishing something bigger?!)
among the to-reads are:
-- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
-- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (monoceros has recommended this and i was rather taken by the brief browsing i did in Kinokuniya so i bought it but alas! i've not quite managed reading it properly...)
-- In Search of Fatima by Ghada Karmi (this is a memoir by a Palestinian)
-- Persian Brides by Dorit Rabinyan (i found this at the Oxfam books section; it's by an award winning Israeli writer whom i am totally ignorant of -- was just intrigued by it)
----- a stack of books related to motor control/neuroscience, including those that CT-emeritus prof. helped me ordered with some 75% discount from OUP (he's so kind!)...
things i'd like to check out:
-- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (the novel is nominated for the James Tait Award)
-- Songlines by Bruce Chatwin
and of course... amazon.co.uk is sending me some new books i've just ordered... there is so much (it's uncountable to me) interesting writing out there... help.
posted by ~overacuppa~ on Tuesday, 1 February, 2005 at 11:25 hrshey! was just about to post on the same subject/ i am terrible at finishing books too ... took me 2 months to finish Angels and Demons (probably coz it was so poorly written) But like you, i have a whole pile of half finished books lying around ..
Posted by: stel on Wednesday, 2 February, 2005 at 02:49 hrsDan Brown's Da vinci Code was quite a fun read though... and that for the rare record saw me finishing it in a day! i don't know about Angels and Demons but people i know who've read it rave about it too... hmm. i guess everyone's different.
Posted by: hrm on Wednesday, 2 February, 2005 at 11:25 hrsI suppose Dan Brown's books are more entertaining than anything else. More genre fiction than literary fiction, which is what Raymond Carver's work is! Genre fiction aims to entertain while literary fiction aims to say something about the human condition, and at the same time, strives for layers of meaning and artistic heights.
Tigs, your booklist is impressive. Although I'm biased, of course, since I recommended a couple of those =). Another to add to your list: "Reading Lolita in Tehran." My godmother, who was my Lit. teacher in JC, loved it. You put books on your bed too!
Posted by: monoceros on Wednesday, 2 February, 2005 at 21:01 hrsI've just finished Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Pretty interesting...i liked the book's narrative structure.
"Reading Lolita in Tehran" is also a book on my must-read list. Read a synopsis of it some time back and it sounded very good. Haven't gotten round to getting hold of the book though.
Posted by: dsd on Thursday, 3 February, 2005 at 00:24 hrsaah... yes.. human condition.. Carver does a brilliant job with his stories... wish i could write like him!
monoceros, i am sure i wouldn't have come across as many interesting reads or titles without yours and DSD's and D's recommendations! Frauke has a copy of "Reading Lolita in Tehran" which she bought from Waterstones when she was recently here to visit! it sounds very interesting... maybe i could borrow it from her when i visit Tuebingen! heee heee =Cp
Posted by: hrm on Thursday, 3 February, 2005 at 00:28 hrsCloud Atlas is good. But I'd recommend another by him called Ghostwritten: it's fantastic.
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