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What are you currently reading?
"organically-powered audio books," LOL!We do that too, but I'm the listener then :)
As I'm in the midst of reading Remembrance of things Past (I've gotten to the fifth book, The Captive) I can't help wanting to share Proust's description of his mother reading to him a novel by George Sand when he was quite young. He was excited because it was the first novel he'd read: "The plot began to unfold: to me it seemed all the more obscure because in those days, when I read, I used often to daydream about something quite different for page after page. And the gaps which this habit left in my knowledge of the story were widened by the fact that when it was Mamma who read to me aloud she left all the love-scenes out." I found that amusing. (I'm also amused by the fact that I'm writing with Grammarly, which has underlined the entire passage by Proust with the note: 'Rewrite for clarity.')
Donnally -The Proust observation is amusing - and yours is hilarious!
This weekend, I'd intended to write a retrospective review of
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, which I'd read back around the turn of this century. But in skimming through it again, I realized that I needed to reread it before I could do it justice. With perfect timing, Barb and I were looking for our next "organically-powered audiobook," so we're now reading it together. (It's a kid's book, but one with enough depth that adults can appreciate it.)
Donnally wrote: "As I'm in the midst of reading Remembrance of things Past (I've gotten to the fifth book, The Captive) I can't help wanting to share Proust's description of his mother reading to him a novel by Geo..."Love the grammarly critique of Proust! What would it say about another classic- "Finnegan's Wake"????
I'm a bit late in realizing my latest read Swann's Way is actually the first in the very, very long Remembrance of Things Past.Tuck Everlasting is one of the few exceptions in which I enjoyed the movie more than the book. On the other hand, I saw the movie first (which I usually avoid). Have you seen the movie, Werner?
Reggia wrote: "I'm a bit late in realizing my latest read Swann's Way is actually the first in the very, very long Remembrance of Things Past.Tuck Everlasting is one of the few excep..."
I'm now into the seventh and final book, Time Regained. I've found it a bumpy ride, but I'm glad I took it. I've never before spent such a long time reading a single novel.
The Swann's Way you linked to, if that's the edition you're reading is a different translation, The one I'm reading is Remembrance of Things Past: Volume I - Swann's Way & Within a Budding Grove Remembrance of Things Past: Volume II - The Guermantes Way & Cities of the PlainRemembrance of Things Past: Volume III - The Captive, The Fugitive, & Time Regained, which is a revision of the original Scott Moncrieff translation that was released in 1982. As I understand it, there are basically two different translations.
The novel took so long to write, Proust died before the final three books were published, so he never revised them and there are some narrative discontinuities. Scott Moncrief was translating them as they came out, and I'm told his translation adds a special style that was all his own, but he died before he'd translated the seventh book, which was then translated by Andreas Mayor. Proust titled the novel A la recherche du temps perdu.
Scott Moncrieff titled his translation, Remembrance of Things Past. Subsequently, the French publisher Pleiade published a revision of the original French text based on extensive critical review of Proust's papers. Following that, in 1982 Vintage released a revision of the Scott Moncrieff translation done by Terence Kilmartin which reflected the changes to the French text. That's the three volume edition I purchased at the time with the intention of reading the whole work, and ended up not getting to till now. Since then, there's been another Pleiade edition in French, and another revision of the same basic Moncrieff translation but now titled, In Search of Lost Time. I read some reader's comments on the new updated revision and it seemed as though it wasn't much changed (other than different titles for the novels and most of the individual books). One reader compared a rather lengthy passage and noted that the only difference was that the original said 'what o'clock it was' and this was revised to 'what time it was'. Given these notices, I felt comfortable retaining my old 1982 volumes which I'd hung onto all this time and reading them.
In 1992 Penguin began a brand new translation also titled In search of Lost Time initiated by Lydia Davis's translation of the first book, Swann's Way. The other books of the novel are translated by different translators. So if that's what you're reading, you won't have the Scott Moncrieff style -- I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes.
Proust's elaborate, ornate sentences and tightly compact form of expression takes some getting used to. But, man, there's just no other book like it.
Reggia wrote: "Have you seen the movie, Werner?"No, Reggia, I haven't. (But I know some viewers complain that it doesn't follow the book very closely in some respects --which is a common problem with Hollywood movie adaptations!)
A common problem in Hollywood, yep! I can understand at times, one can't re-produce narratives and character's thoughts... or they can't devote the amount of hours it would take, that's understandable. However, where I'm really having a problem is when they change so drastically that it alters the story as to be unrecognizable.On the other hand, I often enjoy yet another rendition of A Christmas Carol or Pride and Prejudice. Make it modern, make it Bollywood... just at least be sacred about the author's original characterization of their protagonist/anti-protagonist's dispositions.
Thank you, Donnally, for the background on these translations. Unfortunately, mine is not the Moncrieff translation but the one pictured above. I had bought the book at a discount shop a few years ago simply because I noted Proust was the author, and I thought it time to consume something of his writings. It wasn't until recently that I started indulging in some book talk videos that it came up again for the 9th time, so I went hunting through my bookshelves to see what it was I did have... and was then unaware that it was the initial part of the 7-volume enormity. I suspect it's going to be a lo-ong read for me, but just a little way in, I think I'm going to enjoy the journey.
I'm sure I'll be tempted to view the Moncrieff translation along the way for this first volume, and will definitely seek it out as I progress beyond this first volume, Swann's Way.
This month, I'm taking part in another group's common read of
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill; but I was delayed until I could finish my previous book, so only started this morning. There was a 2012 movie adaptation of the book starring Daniel Radcliffe (which I haven't seen), so I had initially assumed this novel about a ghostly haunting was written around that time. Actually, though, it turns out it was published in 1983 (and it's clearly set in the Edwardian era).
As of yesterday, I've gotten started (barely) on Teaching Students with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia: Lessons from Teaching and Science by Virginia W. Berninger and Beverly J. Wolf. This isn't the type of thing I usually read; but one of my grandsons, who's being homeschooled, is dyslexic, and he's appealed to me to help with his reading instruction. Not having any background in special education, I've turned to this book to (hopefully) give me some kind of handle on what I'm doing.
How wonderful to be able to take part in his education! :-)
Reggia wrote: "How wonderful to be able to take part in his education! :-)"Yes, I'm actually glad to have the opportunity!
Well, my stab at cover-to-cover reading of the Berninger/Wolf book didn't last long. It has a very dry, ponderous style which tends to leave me glassy-eyed, and much of the material isn't directly relevant to my grandson's specific needs, or relevant to a one-on-one homeschooling situation rather than a classroom. From what I did read, my main take-aways are: a.) there's no magic formula for teaching the dyslexic to read, and b.) any successful approach has to be tailored to the needs of the individual learner. So, while I still do plan to use this book as a resource, I think it will work better as a book to refer to at times.Since that decision left me needing a different book to read, I pulled one out of my many TBR piles:
Precious Bane (1926) by British author Mary Webb. It's something of a now-neglected classic, a historical novel set in Shropshire, on the border between England and Wales, around the turn of the 19th century (one of my favorite eras for historical fiction). It's been on my radar since the early 80s, so I'm really glad for this chance to work it in.
Despite all the research showing Lydia Davis's version of Swann's Way to be more accurate, some may still prefer the Montcrieff translation. Even the classics speaker I've been following prefers it, and when I saw quotes in articles comparing different texts I, too, found it more appealing. Still, I don't want to abandon it (at least not yet), but I did purchase a Kindle version (of the Montcrieff translation) for 19 cents!Because this is more than just another book to me, I expect to spend a year on it. Of course, I'll be reading other books as well. Just so excited to get further in it... Anyway, what really sold me on the bargain version was hearing that I would learn more French with the Montcrieff text. Slow but steady, I'm happy. :-)
The chapter "Swann in Love" in Swann's Way is often excerpted and can be read as a stand alone novella. It will introduce you to Proust's style and give you glimpses of some of the major characters. So you can try reading that and then deciding if you want to read the whole seven book novel.I have finished the entire novel, and found it a great reading experience. I think the way to read it is just to dive in and keep going.
In the past few days, I've started two new (to me) books, one that I'm reading to myself and one that I'm reading to my wife. The former is With Christ in the School of Prayer (1885) by South African evangelical leader and preacher Andrew Murray; it's a common read this month in another group. Murray was a prolific and often-reprinted writer, authoring around 50 books. But I've only read one of them, Abide in Christ: The Joy of Being in God's Presence, myself, and that was back in the early 70s.Barb (who's an ardent lover of horses!) and I are reading
Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry, a novel about the origin of the famous breed of Morgan horses (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_... ). Henry was noted for her horse-themed fiction and nonfiction (written for kids, but mostly appreciable by adults as well); Barb and I have previously read and liked three of her other books.
Well, as it turned out, my read of Murray's With Christ in the School of Prayer didn't last long. :-( I don't doubt that the author was a devout, morally earnest and godly man, and that the book is a blessing to many people. But for me the prose style was a tedious chore, and the content simply wasn't substantial enough to make up for it. (In lieu of a review, I'll post a comment explaining my reaction in more detail this weekend.) For two days, i gave it an honest try, but I couldn't justify spending more reading time on it.
Oh dear. It's tough when you look forward to a book and then find it a let-down. I'm in the same position with The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl, which has been on my actual bookshelf for a decade or more, being saved up as a treat ... and now I find it's been a trial to get through the thing :(
Because I'm expecting the arrival of a pretty thick review book later this month (and have a common read scheduled next month), I wanted my current book to be a short one. At 188 pages, Irene Hunt's 1965 novel of the Civil War home front in southern Illinois,
Across Five Aprils, fits that bill. This is a reread for me; but my previous read was as a teen in the late 60s, and I've long felt that I need a refresher before I could do it justice in a review.
Didn't get too far with Hound of the Baskersvilles last year so have added it as my current short read.
Reggia wrote: "Didn't get too far with Hound of the Baskersvilles last year so have added it as my current short read."The Hound of the Baskervilles is my favorite novel in the Holmes canon. (I've read it at least three times.) If you finish it this time, Reggia, I'll be interested in your take on it!
Since I've learned that a review book I was expecting this month actually won't arrive until December, I have an unexpected window of opportunity to make some more headway on a series I'm reading, K. W. Jeter's Kim Oh books. So I'm currently reading the next unread installment,
Real Dangerous People: A Novel. (It will also count towards a challenge I'm signed up for in another group.)
I enjoyed "The Hound" very much! The banter and development followed by reasoning, and therefore more development kept me coming back. I like angles being challenged simply by looking at another angle (And yes, haha, I realize how very elementary that
In another group, I'm taking part in a common read of a Dracula prequel,
The Journal of Professor Abraham Van Helsing by Allen C. Kupfer. So far I'm enjoying it; and at 204 pages, I'm expecting it to be a pretty quick read.
Up to now, I haven't read any books of poetry this year. So, having a window of opportunity, I've started on one that I've long had my eye on in the BU library:
Stars Through the Clouds: The Collected Poetry of Donald T. Williams (2011). Williams teaches English at Toccoa Falls College, an evangelical liberal arts college in Georgia. This will be my first exposure to his work.
Werner wrote: "As of yesterday, I've gotten started (barely) on Teaching Students with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia: Lessons from Teaching and Science by Virginia W. Berninger and Beverly J. Wolf. This ..."How interesting. My son was Dyslexic. I unschooled him. He was not interested in reading, but more in hands on learning. So he didn't learn to read till he was 14 and he needed some encouragement as he was more interested in writing computer programs than reading. I hired a tutor that specialized in Autism. She was a friend of mine. I asked her how to teach him to read. She said that the only way was just to make him read and by doing this he would keep seeing patterns. We started with Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint or a book in this series, because my son was interested in science and experimentation. We did not spend any time on phonics (it hadn't helped up to this point anyway). He had to just read every day.
He didn't really become a "reader" but his reading has improved I am sure. He has always (we bought tape recorders for his Christmas present with a warranty from Radio Shack) listened to books. Eventually (say 4 months) he was able to read on his own (if he wanted). So we found magazines that was about computer programing hacks, that he was very interested in. He had to read them himself and of course we were there to help him...but I think he would just type a word into the computer if he didn't know what it was.
Honestly it wasn't the end of the world that he didn't read early. He wrote a program when he was 18, (took about a day) that over 5 years made 20,000.00. He went to the Sidney University as a artist in resident to teach Virtual Reality. He did not graduate from or go to College.
My favorite teacher who was teacher of the year in NYC for three years, is John Taylor Gatto
You can find his bookDumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling free on the internet.
I am reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Decoded: The Full Text of Lewis Carroll's Novel with its Many Hidden Meanings Revealed. I am really enjoying this book a lot. I like books that have deeper meanings. Since I don't have a classical education it is really nice to read someone else's notes on Alice In Wonderland.I am fixing to read Foucault's Pendulum next (after Christmas). I imagine that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Decoded: The Full Text of Lewis Carroll's Novel with its Many Hidden Meanings Revealed might aid in my understand of Foucalt's Pendulum. Will see.
Reggia wrote: "I enjoyed "The Hound" very much! The banter and development followed by reasoning, and therefore more development kept me coming back. I like angles being challenged simply by looking at another an..."I studied The Hounds of Baskerville last May/June. I was reading it to get a better understanding of The Name of the Rose. I thought it was interesting that Baskerville is the name of a font. It is a fancy font like how some people write Q.
I had a tough time with Foucault's Pendulum, Cosmic, and enjoyed The Name of the Rose better (no reviews I'm afraid, as this was before I was on GR). Both are very complex books by Umberto Eco though, so I wish you well!I'm reading Terry Pratchett's Dodger, which is his take on the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist. It's good - and not at all what I expected from this author! He clearly read Charles Dickens carefully, to include some of the motifs he has picked up :)
Baskerville as a font! So that's where I've seen the word before!The Alice decoded book sounds very interesting. I just read the full Alice in Wonderland version a few years ago. I had such a different feeling for it, then I did when my kids were young and we just had that awful Golden book. I'm going to have to peek at the 'decoded' book now.
My Goodreads friend Heather Day Gilbert writes both historical fiction and mysteries. Unlike me, my wife Barb isn't into the former genre; but we're both fans of this author's mysteries. So, having read the last book in her A Murder in the Mountains series together earlier this year, we've now embarked on her Barks and Beans Cafe series with the first book,
No Filter (2020). Like the other series, it's set in a small town in West Virginia, but features a different protagonist.
The Children's Story by James Clavell. Hard to believe it was written in 1960.
(just moving my comment from the 15th that was in the wrong discussion)I'm reading another light but not-witty-as-usual addition to McCall Smith's Sunday Philosophy Club series: The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds. Still trying to figure out where the clouds come in...
...well, two weeks later, and I have since been seeing the bits of wit I expect from this author. Also, there has been one hint concerning a cloud. ;-)
Last month, Goodreads independent author Liane Zane (who's also a Goodreads friend of mine) generously gave me a paperback ARC of the concluding book in her Elioud Legacy trilogy,
The Draka & The Giant, and I started reading it a few days ago. So, it will be my first read of 2023! So far, it can definitely be described as gripping (it grabbed me by the throat at the outset, and hasn't released me yet :-) ).
I picked up The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. It has been on my to-read list for a while. I am not grabbed by the throat, but I am interested, for sure.
I am reading On Christian Doctrine. In 391, Emperor Theodosius issued a law making pagan worship illegal. During the Golden Age of Athens, politics and man-made laws guided human conduct, and the city-state was viewed as a manifestation of the highest human values, giving rise to political philosophy. Christianity effected a change in the course of Western society, requiring a new cultural identity and a new educational curriculum. With this in mind, Augustine attempted to create an approach to the teaching of scripture that matched the sophistication of the classical inheritance. He wrote the first three books in 396, just before he started work on The Confessions, and then added the fourth book in 426 just after completing The City of God. I am interested to see the instructions he gives for interpreting scripture.At the same time, I am reading The Upanishads. These are sacred Hindu texts, some written as early as the 6th or 7th century BCE, before Buddhism, which lay out the basis of the Hindu philosophy. I am interested to see what correspondences there are in the metaphysical outlooks of these differing religions.
I'm currently rereading Joseph Conrad's Chance. This year I'm going to focus on rereading of previously read books, because I found that I learn more about the story from rereading, and if I do not reread, then the time spent on the first read will be sort of wasted.
Li wrote: "I'm currently rereading Joseph Conrad's Chance. This year I'm going to focus on rereading of previously read books, because I found that I learn more about the story from rereading, and if I do not..."I found that out too!!
I am reading Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes. The author suggest that the only way to understand the book is to read it twice.
It is really fun to pick a book and reading it multiple times. I did this with Anna Karenina one year. It was amazing the things that I didn't see ...and how I was able to study each character on a in-depth level.
Donnally wrote: "I am reading On Christian Doctrine. In 391, Emperor Theodosius issued a law making pagan worship illegal. During the Golden Age of Athens, politics and man-made laws guided human co..."I hope you will come back and let us know what you found out. I love making connections. I love connections that come in ways I didn't expect. This is an interesting comparative religion "study" that you are making.
The library where I work sponsors a face-to-face Book Club, which features presentations on various authors and their work. Because February is Black History Month, we want to highlight African-American writers at next month's meeting. Long story short, I'll be presenting about Octavia Butler (because I'd read and liked a couple of her short stories); so as part of my preparation, I've started reading
Kindred, which has long been on my to-read shelf anyway.
Everyone's reads sound more interesting than mine... a co-worker surprised me with a book loan I wasn't expecting, The Inheritance Games. I read it, period. The time is now gone, so I'm back to Les Mis and Swann's Way... and some very small non-fiction.
Re-reading! I just posted about this on our General Chat thread... hope to see your responses there.
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Yes, there's no expurgated edition of the Adams book. :-) Barb and I read it as one of our "organically-powered audio books," and when I read aloud I edit out bad language and other problematic content. If I were reading it for an official audio recording, I wouldn't have that freedom; but it suits Barb and I.