Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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Jul 22, 2019 02:08AM
Good luck with your cat, Darren, it sounds like he’s settling well into Slug Towers! He must think he’s picked a good human family, cats are always in charge :)
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Darren wrote: "glad to see the New vs Old Book Smell debate rumbling on! ;o)meanwhile, our cat arrived last week and while initially nervous he now seems to think he owns Slug Towers
name: Bucky (apparently a c..."
Congrats, hopefully there arn't to many other males around your area, it can get pretty chaotic if there are.
Tales of BROCCOLI KITTY - Friends and Enemies:
So somewhere at the back of us lives his original enemy, a black cat we've nicknamed JINGLES. It has a bell but it no longer works, which is frankly a bit of a relief, as it never helped actually locate the sneaky littl git. It was like a horror movie.. jingle...jinglejingle..ohgodwhereisit?..jungle...jingle...jinglejingleJINGLEarrrggghhhhh! :lol .
Now from out the front somewhere comes the HAIRY MONSTER. Giant black lookslikesatanincatform beastie. This thing cares nothing for puny mortals. We've sprayed it with water, shot it with nerf darts, chased it repeatedly down the road, it remains unfazed. Its so scary last time it went for him BROCCOLI jumped in the window, across the kitchen and out into the hall before he felt safe :| , one room is not enough distance.
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On the upside a new female has moved into the neighbourhood we're calling it the OCELOT because it looks really weird and very much like a black and white ocelot.
Date 1:
So the OCELOT turns up on the side wall but BROCCOLI's brother is around and proves far more confident than BORCCOLI, despite it being our garden they're in, so not a great start.
Date 2:
But she returns and no brother in sight this time. She hops into a tree near the wall however the only way into or out of this tree without an 8-9 foot drop is back onto one spot on the wall between two trellises. Naturally being an ass, BROCCOLI plants himself right there, trapping her in the tree.
A few minutes of stalemate go by but before we can decide to intervene, along comes the MOMMA, passing along the wall from the front to take a shortcut through the back and home.
MOMMA walks up ignoring the two of them until she can't get past because the idiot is in the way. I'd say she gave him about two second but he didn't move so there was a hiss and a swipe of the paw which sent him fleeing for his life, then she trotted on. The OCELOT hopped out of the tree and followed her to see the aftermath.
So BROCCOLI is cowaring on his back windowledge, OCELOT is watching from the wall and the MOMMA is waddling around the garden hoovering up any food, wandering in and out of the shed (also peeing in front of the shed) before finally trotting off towards the back... where she is immediately ambushed by the ever lurking JINGLES! :lol, sending her running over a sidewall while a shout from us sends JINGLES scurrying in a different direction.
Alone at last... but BROCCOLI can't get his courage up and OCELOT gets bored and goes home, only after shes gone does BROCCOLI hop up on the wall to smell about where she was sitting.
Date 3:
OCELOT returns and no family or evil neighbours around this time. They sit facing each other on the wall for a bit till the confident OCELOT slides past him and jumps into the back garden.
He must have been in heaven. She explores everything with him closely behind her, goes into the shed for several minutes and in and out of all the bushes etc. it could not be going better.
Finally she thinks its time to go home and starts along the wall towards the front with BROCCOLI close behind... in fact a little too close.
She turns for a moment to tell him to back off and continues on.. and then it happens, for some bizarre reason he inexplicably bites her tail! maybe he thought a little tug would stop her going away... don't know but the result is an almighty hissing, spitting and screaming.
We go out and herd BORCCOLI into the house, and find the OCELOT in a tall tree.
I make various placating gestures not really expecting her to respond but she does and comes down out of the tree pretty quick. I back off to give here plenty of room to get by me but she barrels right for me and starts rubbing off me... while also still hissing, she even let me pet her although i was somewhat wary due to the randomly intermittent hissing hissrubrub...hissrubhissrub...hiss .
I think she was saying "i'm really angry..but not at you..but i'm still really angry" :lol . So she eventually went on her way down the road.
Hopefully he'll have learned his lesson and won't be so grabby in future if she ever returns :) .
Mod
meanwhile, our cat arrived last week and while initially nervous he now seems to think he owns Slug Towers
name: Bucky ..."
"Haha! I love the "Saga of Broccoli Kitty!" It has everything: setting, a sympathetic protagonist, antagonist, developing plot with a possible love triangle, and a disapproving mother.
Mod
About library books. I carefully examine books before I take them, especially from the children's section. I tend to take out new books that look like they have not been checked out much. This is because frankly sometimes people act like pigs. The same rules apply for library book sales.
Wreade1872 wrote: "Darren wrote: "glad to see the New vs Old Book Smell debate rumbling on! ;o)meanwhile, our cat arrived last week and while initially nervous he now seems to think he owns Slug Towers
name: Bucky ..."
Wreade, I am so enjoying The Tales of Broccoli! I read your story to my husband as he likes cats, and we both had fun envisioning this cat soap opera and are looking forward to the next episode! Lol!
Lynn wrote: "Wreade1872 wrote: "Darren wrote: "glad to see the New vs Old Book Smell debate rumbling on! ;o)meanwhile, our cat arrived last week and while initially nervous he now seems to think he owns Slug ..."
I love it! Cute comment! ;)
On YouTube there is a video (basically a picture with audio) of James Earl Jones reading The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.If you like either one, go check it out!
Mod
If you like either one, go check it out!"
There is also one with Christopher Walken. It's really creepy.
This is a nifty list packed full of translated classics, modern and otherwise: https://www.listchallenges.com/the-10...Thoughts? Feelings? Suggestions? Corrections? I'm at 28 read and 16 on the TBR, but I'd definitely swap out some works for others.
Hi All. In case anyone would like to participate, there is a 24-hour readathon Dewys 24-Hour Readathon that might help cut the tbr. Let me know, and I will hook you up.
Aubrey wrote: "This is a nifty list packed full of translated classics, modern and otherwise: https://www.listchallenges.com/the-10...Thoughts? Feelings? Suggestions? Corrections? I'm a..."
There was a group on Goodreads that used this list as a guide--it had a brief revival earlier in the year, but I haven't seen anything from the moderator in a while.
I'm right behind you on this list--25 read (not counting one each of the Cairo Trilogy and Proust's In Search of Lost Time I've read), and about 20 I've got on my shelves still waiting for me to get around to them. I think it's a pretty good list--lot of stuff on here I'd still like to check out.
Aubrey wrote: "This is a nifty list packed full of translated classics, modern and otherwise: https://www.listchallenges.com/the-10...Thoughts? Feelings? Suggestions? Corrections? I'm a..."
looks like an excellent list
I've read 30 and have about another 35 on my TBR
but I will deffo look at the others in more detail
Solaris seems to be listed twice!?
most glaring omission imo is João Guimarães Rosa's The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
Darren wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "This is a nifty list packed full of translated classics, modern and otherwise: https://www.listchallenges.com/the-10...Thoughts? Feelings? Suggestions? Cor..."
They have 'Solaris' twice cause of some issue with translator editions. Not sure what's up with that.
They're also missing Genji, and God's Bits of Wood, and Gosta Berling. Plenty of room for improvement.
Aubrey wrote: "This is a nifty list packed full of translated classics, modern and otherwise: https://www.listchallenges.com/the-10...Thoughts? Feelings? Suggestions? Corrections? I'm a..."
I usually never go for lists like these, but this is one of the better ones I've seen.
Mod
Yes. A wonderful writer and a fine lady.
Aubrey wrote: "Rest in peace, Toni Morrison."Such a loss for the world.
This isn't a list entirely of classics, so I didn't go to that particular board. However, the crowd generated 100 Best Books by Women in Translation (into English) of 2019 has been posted, and there's a fair number of qualifying classics that made the list. Which of your favorites made it in? http://biblibio.blogspot.com/2019/08/...
What a neat list! The only book I recall reading from the list is The Vegetarian. It was well done, and I remember enjoying the main character a lot.
I'm curious to see what favorites come up for others.
Aubrey wrote: "This isn't a list entirely of classics, so I didn't go to that particular board. However, the crowd generated 100 Best Books by Women in Translation (into English) of 2019 has been posted, and ther..."I think the list is relatively well represented by various parts of the world, which pleases me. I have read several and there are many more on my TBR. Can't wait to see the full list.
Aubrey wrote: "This isn't a list entirely of classics, so I didn't go to that particular board. However, the crowd generated 100 Best Books by Women in Translation (into English) of 2019 has been posted, and ther..."Great list--thanks, Aubrey! My three favorites from here are classics: The House of the Spirits, Memoirs of Hadrian and Kristin Lavransdatter.
I'll be reading #2 in the KL series this year, along with a few more on this list I hope, including Revenge.
Kathleen wrote: "Great list--thanks, Aubrey! My three favorites from here are classics: The House of the Spirits, Memoirs of Hadrian and Kristin Lavransdatter."Hadrian and Lavransdatter were two of the ones that I nominated, and considering how the numbers turned out, I'd like to think I did my part.
Aubrey wrote: "This isn't a list entirely of classics, so I didn't go to that particular board. However, the crowd generated 100 Best Books by Women in Translation (into English) of 2019 has been posted, and ther..."Thanks SO much for sharing this. What a wonderful resource to have. The efforts taken to put this together are appreciated. It did, however, shuffle my want-to-read list all over the place!
Thanks again,
T
Aubrey wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Great list--thanks, Aubrey! My three favorites from here are classics: The House of the Spirits, Memoirs of Hadrian and Kristin Lavransdatter."Hadrian and Lavransdatter were two ..."
Yes! Well done, Aubrey.
I can tell already I'm going to spend lots of time with this list--I really do appreciate you posting. First one I hadn't heard of that is going right onto the must read soon list is The Weight of Things. Sounds fantastic.
I feel bad, I have not read hardly anything in the last few weeks. I have had a lot going on in my life lately. I have been remodeling my parents bathroom, my father had to go into a rehabilitation center because he has grown old and feeble and we have been dealing with that, and I have a new girlfriend whom I have been spending much of my time with lately.I hope to make it back here soon when things calm down.
Life can do that sometimes, Mike. You sound like you are super busy right now! It's nice that you have someone to spend time with.
Mod
I have a couple hours free now. My girlfriend had to go take her daughter to the doctor. I will try to use this time to work on finishing a book. That will make me feel a little better.
I think everyone should give themselves permission to read or not read, as the situation dictates. Life is meant to be lived, and it sounds like that's exactly what you're doing, Mike. Personally, I don't think reading should take the place of that--it's like the old commercials for kid's cereal; the announcer always came on at the end and showed the cereal alongside a plate of eggs and toast, some pancakes and a bowl of oatmeal and would say, 'XYZ Cereal...a delicious part of a complete breakfast', even though everyone knew that the kids were sitting six inches from the TV with bowls of cereal on their lap while they watched Wile E Coyote and the Roadrunner.Anyway--reading is the delicious part of a complete life. If you find yourself in a period where you can't read as much, it'll be that much more enjoyable when you can make time for it. If you find you've no interest right now in reading, that's okay too. Sometimes I like Ice Cream, sometimes I like Tuna Fish sandwiches. I don't think I'd like Tuna Fish Ice Cream. Cheers mate
Take Care Mike. We will be here when you get back.
just found this fun Listopia "There Ought To Be A Band"in which are suggested book titles that would be good names for a Band or an Album
top voted is "The Night Circus"
other good ones include "Slaughterhouse-Five", "Station Eleven" and "Stoner"
but my fave is "Dead Bitch Army"!
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
I just saw a review today pop up on my feed of the book Marshal Mannerheim & The Finns where the reviewer said the same thing--it should have been a 50s band.
There was a band called Silver Chair in the 90s. I wonder if they took their name from one of the Narnia books?
Darren wrote: "just found this fun Listopia "There Ought To Be A Band"in which are suggested book titles that would be good names for a Band or an Album
top voted is "The Night Circus"
other good ones include "S..."
I added a few of those myself:
I think they're pretty nifty.
"The Fire Next Time" is a great one!I added a few myself, headed by "Extinction" (thinking death metal here!) and "Death and the Penguin" (quirky indie?)
The "There Ought to be a band" chatter cracks me up. I think Extinction would be a fantastic band name.I'm way behind on my reading this month. I've gotten sucked into my gourmet club dinner planning and once the theme comes to me, I can't think about much else. The theme's working title is "Hey Food - A Meal Inspired by The Beatles". It's really starting to come together (heh heh heh).
Drink: Lovely Rita's Margaritas
Appetizer: Strawberry Field's Roasted Cranberry Sauce w/ Ricotta on Crostini
Salad: Ringo's Octopus Garden Salad
Soup: Mother Mary's Let it Bean Soup
Main: I Want to Hold Your Ham Served with w/ Mean Mr. Mustard
Side: Happiness is a Warm Bun (homemade Dinner Rolls)
Side: Glass Onion Flowers (these are roasted red onions)
Dessert: George's Creme Tangerine Cake
Feel free to make suggestions. The appetizer is a weak link, but I have a few weeks until I have to plan. I'm also thinking about what the table needs to look like. I'm thinking black cloth with Abby Road crosswalk. This is what I do when I'm not reading.
Tammy wrote: "The "There Ought to be a band" chatter cracks me up. I think Extinction would be a fantastic band name.I'm way behind on my reading this month. I've gotten sucked into my gourmet club dinner plan..."
Drive My Caranberry Sauce Roasted w/Ricotta on Crostini
Beep Beep Yeah, Marilyn.! That is a much better play on words. My Cranberry Sauce reference is kind of obscure. It sounds like John says I Bury Paul at the end of Strawberry Fields, but he's really saying Cran...Berry...Sauce. I'm also considering Why Don't We Do it in the Roe (Caviar on toast points with Creme Fraiche) or Peas Peas Me Pea Bites with Prosciutto and Mascarpone for the starter!
Tammy wrote: "Beep Beep Yeah, Marilyn.! That is a much better play on words. My Cranberry Sauce reference is kind of obscure. It sounds like John says I Bury Paul at the end of Strawberry Fields, but he's really..."On the flip side, you could have "fish and finger pies," whatever those are... (?)
eta:
I think Paul was getting a little dirty on that one, Christopher, but it would be funny.
Hi everyone,I'd like a piece of advice. For several years I've been dealing with depression. In the past few years, as I started getting better, I started reading more. I had big plans for this year. However, in July I felt good enough to get a job (I haven't had one since 2012) and I did. I like it and I've been doing fine. Except that at the end of the day I'm always so tired that I can't focus on anything serious. Sometimes I reread the same page over and over and I couldn't tell you what the characters are talking about or what the author is describing. Since everybody here reads classics and I assume that most (if not all) of you have jobs, do you have any tricks? Is there something that helps you clear your head in order to focus on reading?
When I went back to school in 1991 to get a teaching degree, plus having a family to look after, I set aside a specific time slot every night as scheduled reading time, generally half an hour. I also read only short books that I could finish in a short time. I saved the long books for vacation time.If you like classics, there are a lot of fun adventure books or classic British mysteries to help you relax. The books of P.G. Wodehouse are a lot of fun too.
I don't know if this will work for you, but it did for me.
Jehona wrote: "Hi everyone,I'd like a piece of advice. For several years I've been dealing with depression. In the past few years, as I started getting better, I started reading more. I had big plans for this y..."
Hello Jehona. As someone with depression, creating a calming space and having set rituals helps. Scented candles, taking regular breaks during reading, changing up the reading to avoid fatigue...all of it goes towards prioritizing myself first during any activity, including reading. I also recognized that it takes time and lots of reading to build up the endurance for bigger projects. I've been at this for a while, and I still limit my truly huge reads (1000+ pages) to once a year.
And of course, medication, therapy, and other more clinical methods are always valid. There's no shame in finding a way to live and love the living.
Hi Jehona. This is such a good question, because I often wonder how people have the stamina to read long or intense books too. Rosemarie and Aubrey's suggestions sound good to me and are encouraging.I'll just share that there is nothing I would rather do after work than read. I'm tired, stressed, annoyed, whatever. But it turns out it's not a good reading time for me. It's important for me to try to do something active at the end of the day. If you're having trouble focusing when you read after work, that might be true for you too. If I come home and do something mildly physical instead of reading, my mood is better and my evening lasts longer. For me, it works better to read in the morning, and on breaks when I can.
Jehona wrote: "Hi everyone,I'd like a piece of advice. For several years I've been dealing with depression. In the past few years, as I started getting better, I started reading more. I had big plans for this y..."
I have found that it helps me to alternate between two or more books whenever I feel stuck in one book. I read 1-2 pages of one book then switch back to the other. I try to pick books that are different genres so they don't run together in my mind. Maybe that will work for you but if not I hope you find something that does.
There are some good ideas here! I find that I can't always concentrate when reading, especially when something stressful is happening in my life. But a couple of things I do are -- listening to some soft instrumental music as I read. It helps me focus by soothing the part of my brain that wants to keep spinning. Also, I often limit myself to only 10 pages/day (especially if the book is pretty long). That way I don't feel pressure to read a lot, and also I always look forward to reading the next day because I only "have to/get to" read 10 pages (& I might have stopped at an exciting part the day before!).I like some of the suggestions above of reading out of your usual genre, or reading something lighter (I agree that Wodehouse would be excellent) or even something like Swallows and Amazons or The Swiss Family Robinson for some adventure! Or read a series where you get involved in the characters and can easily go from book to book such as The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
Just a few suggestions -- we all get in some kind of slump sometimes -- this group is very supportive :)
RIP, Ernest Gaines.
If you have never read any of his books, take the time to do so. He was a great writer.
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
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