What Are You Reading??

Finished Apologies Forthcoming by Xujun Eberlein. Great collection of Cultural Revolution-themed short stories. Now I'm flipping through NYT magazines and articles my parents gave me...trying to decide what to read next. Still haven't read Hessler's Rivertown or Mahfouz's Palace Walk.

J. Maarten Troost's "Lost on Planet China' and Simon Winchester's "The Man who loved China" - the story of Joseph Needham.

Both very interesting.

just finished 'The Kitchen God's Wife' by Amy Tan.  Couldn't put it down for the past two days until I finished it.  'The Bonesetter's Daughter' is on my shelf, but I'm not letting myself start it until I get my teaching plans for the semester done.  I'm so bad once I get my nose in a good book.

Read Austen's "Sense and Sensibility." Wow. I've not invested in characters like this in a LOOOOOOOONG time.

A while back the Bookworm's had authors coming through. Met one of them named Patrick Gale. On to his "most controversial book" called "Rough Music" now.

Having finished that spectacular but very long book Confusion by Neal Stephenson, I moved on to a lighter book that Pashley also lent me, Sharpe's Devil by Bernard Cornwell.  Sharpe, the title character, is a British soldier who fought at Waterloo (there's over a dozen of these books); this one takes place in Chile, while the nationalist revolutionary government is doing war with the Spanish colonial government.  Great history lesson, believable characters, and convincing battle scenes.  Great light fare.

Also read The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult.  It was okay. 

A Patricia Cornwell, but I don't like this one as much as the others.  Written in the 3rd person rather than 1st - spoiled the character I think.

I used to be a solid Cornwell reader. After listening to her books read aloud, I was turned off. Still not sure if my dislike is due to the reader or that I've outgrown the books. Which one did you finish, LE?

Book of the Dead.  I have read most of hers but got a bit out of sync here.

I haven't read that one. You've made me curious.

This afternoon I read The Little Prince for the first time in, um, decades I think.  Forgot what a beautiful little story that is.  I can't think of what books I can even compare it to; it's truly a unique work. 

My copy (14 kwai!  ) comes with a DVD, but one of those tiny ones that my laptop can't play.  I'll have to take it to work.

Re-reading "The Pickwick Papers". It's brilliant.

Re reading an Agatha Christie collection which includes both dear old Miss Marple and Inspector Pierot. Sheer joy. Plus Herman Wouk:  City Boy The Adventures of Herbie Bookbinder.

 I started Wild Swans today. Why have I not read this before? Let's just say that China holds a lot more interest for me now than it did before.

 I planned on reading 30 pages or so...I read a hundred. Un put downable. I am determined to finish it by the end of the week because I seriously want to pass it on to some Chinese friends. Damn near made me cry at times.

Wives of the East Wind (similar cultural revolution story) is much thinner but equally engaging and moving.

I had a review copy to read but since those buggers are unedited it had mistakes that were a bit distracting.

 Chronicles of a Blood Merchant by Yu Hua (I think...) is also a very good book with similar subject matter. It is fiction, and the protagonist is male, but a very poignant and moving story against China's most turbulent times.