Here's an article from the beginning of the year regarding Vladimir Nabokov's final and incomplete manuscript that goes by the name of The Original of Laura. Nabokov wanted it destroyed but his son, Dmitri, is trying to decide whether he should honour his father's wishes or get it published anyway. I'm in two minds about it, myself (like my opinion matters!)
And a story pinched from another blog about various items that have been found in books - some interesting stories there!
By the by, I'll be moving out of home soon (got my keys on Monday), and I'm moving into a 3-bedroom place, so I'll be able to do justice to my book collection (present and future) and house them in their very own library. I'm going to buy a stack of bookcases from IKEA - the famous Billy bookcases. Think I'll get 5 bigguns to start with, and we'll see where to go from there. I'm planning on putting in a comfy lounge as well that will double as a sofabed for guests (who of course will be under strict instructions to keep their mitts off my books). The room is pretty small, but it'll do - it's nice and cozy.
Showing posts with label book articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book articles. Show all posts
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Good article on the '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die' by Peter Boxall.
I agree that the book is lacking in a lot of areas while overdoing others. Even I, massive Jane Austen fan that I am, don't really think it's necessary to include all of her novels.
Of course, these lists are completely arbitrary. No-one is ever going to be satisfied with such lists unless they've created them themselves (and possibly not even then). I still always enjoy looking at them though - maybe it'll introduce me to an author I would otherwise never have noticed.
So far I've read 52 books from the list (a measly 5.19%), with a further 104 books on my TBR pile (either hard copies or ebooks), and another 114 on my wishlist. That only adds up to about 27%, which is fine by me. Despite creating a 1001 Books Challenge for 2008, I have absolutely no intention of ever trying to complete this list. As with all of these lists, the interest for me is in the novelty of it. I like to count up my numbers and feel pride (or, more often, disgust) at the how many I've read.
Incidentally, Arukiyomi's website contains a spreadsheet that you can download containing a complete listing of the 1001 books. It's set up in such a way that you can keep count of what you've read (hence me being able to give a percentage). I've tweaked it a little to customise it for my own needs.
Arukiyomi also has great book reviews of the 1001 books, which I've been neglecting for about a year. Looks like I have a bit of catching up to do.
I agree that the book is lacking in a lot of areas while overdoing others. Even I, massive Jane Austen fan that I am, don't really think it's necessary to include all of her novels.
Of course, these lists are completely arbitrary. No-one is ever going to be satisfied with such lists unless they've created them themselves (and possibly not even then). I still always enjoy looking at them though - maybe it'll introduce me to an author I would otherwise never have noticed.
So far I've read 52 books from the list (a measly 5.19%), with a further 104 books on my TBR pile (either hard copies or ebooks), and another 114 on my wishlist. That only adds up to about 27%, which is fine by me. Despite creating a 1001 Books Challenge for 2008, I have absolutely no intention of ever trying to complete this list. As with all of these lists, the interest for me is in the novelty of it. I like to count up my numbers and feel pride (or, more often, disgust) at the how many I've read.
Incidentally, Arukiyomi's website contains a spreadsheet that you can download containing a complete listing of the 1001 books. It's set up in such a way that you can keep count of what you've read (hence me being able to give a percentage). I've tweaked it a little to customise it for my own needs.
Arukiyomi also has great book reviews of the 1001 books, which I've been neglecting for about a year. Looks like I have a bit of catching up to do.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Bookish Articles
Interesting article from the NY Times about the roles that books play in our relationships.
Long live the semi-colon! The world would be a poorer place without them. I do my part in keeping them alive when I'm proofreading papers.
And here's an article about a previously unpublished (and incomplete) manuscript by Alexandre Dumas (author of the brilliant The Count of Monte Cristo) called The Last Cavalier. It was completed by a French scholar named Claude Schopp and published in France; it became an instant best-seller. I think it'll be published in English some time this year. If you follow the links, the first 6 chapters have been posted online. I'll look forward to reading this when it's published in full!
And here's a cute Rights of the Reader poster, illustrated by Quentin Blake. I've printed it out and hung it on my desk at work. I'm such a nerd :)
Long live the semi-colon! The world would be a poorer place without them. I do my part in keeping them alive when I'm proofreading papers.
And here's an article about a previously unpublished (and incomplete) manuscript by Alexandre Dumas (author of the brilliant The Count of Monte Cristo) called The Last Cavalier. It was completed by a French scholar named Claude Schopp and published in France; it became an instant best-seller. I think it'll be published in English some time this year. If you follow the links, the first 6 chapters have been posted online. I'll look forward to reading this when it's published in full!
And here's a cute Rights of the Reader poster, illustrated by Quentin Blake. I've printed it out and hung it on my desk at work. I'm such a nerd :)
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