What Are You Reading??

Sorry on. Can't help you. I lent that book to someone and it hasn't come back yet, so I can't look it up. Good read, though. I also got a Lisa See book as a gift. Basically, yer average whodunnit, set in China...for extra flavour.

Yes, George, that was me you lent it to.    I'll post the name tomorrow.

I forgot!  I popped down to Bookworm the other night to read peacefully, and they were having a reading by Andy Williams, who wrote The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure and The Emperor's Bones.  There a third book out, hence his reading, but the sticker price is Y180. 

Yes, George, that was me you lent it to

Gotcha!

I'm reading a Russian-English dictionary to beat Jorge in Scrabulous! 




P.S. I'm joking. I'm reading Modern Bride magazine because I want to make a dress for upcoming Latin Charity Ball.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.

I took a short break from the eighteenth century yesterday, sometimes one does need to read something a bit lighter than Locke and Swift, and started a book called "The Heart-shaped Box" by newcomer Joe Hill. It is amazing.

I was looking for examples of flash fiction for my P/G Lit class and came across this gem.
Hilary Jenkins "Learning the Western Alphabet".

A set of flash fiction stories told from the point of view of a Chinese student and an FT. My students enjoyed them - especially "Green Ghost".

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LearAlph.shtml

Yeah, I enjoyed it. 

I just checked out One Hundred Years of Solitude.  It figures in nearly all of my friends' favourites list, including Raoul's and half of y'all.  The copy is small, with appallingly tiny font, so this will be a little grueling, but great lit's great lit.

"The Heroin Diaries: a year in the life of a shattered rock star" by Nikki Sixx

amazing journey inside the mind and tribulations of an addict

Finished "The Moonstone" and have now tucked into "The Woman in White". 9 Dickens novels, all wonderful Oxford University Press editions, arrived yesterday.

Journey to the West, Monkey King is insane! I love it!

Read Ha Jin's 'In the Pond' last night.  Interesting read set in the early years after the revolution. 

But I am curious to know why my Dean sent me an SMS at 1:15am asking me if I was still awake. Was he walking home and saw my light on, did he just take a punt in the dark?

Bought Chinese-English versions of "The Little Prince", "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam'  and Tagore's "Stray Birds" yesterday.  Plus a dictionary of Chinese idioms used in different fields (politics, economics etc).  There is a new bookshop near the uni, and it was offering good discounts.  Plus it has a lounge area at the back that they gave me cards to enter, so I can sit and read comfortably. Should I introduce the concept of (free) coffee and cake to them?

Gao Xingjian's "Buying a fishing rod for my grandfather".  Nice collection of short stories by the Chinese Nobel Lit. winner.  Gives interesting insight into some behaviours.  "The Accident" was especially good.

Finished "Black" by Christopher Whitcomb (thanks DS - and I'm now looking for "White"), plus The Little Prince.  Half way through Life of Pi - and it's good!!  Lovely writing.

I am currently reading The Once and Future King by T.H. White, a classic King Arthur story.