What are you reading right now? (SEE NEW THREAD) Showing 101-150 of 7,588

[Chrissie]

Laura - EXACTLY!!!!

[[deleted user]]

I still have the very nice book on my shelf in a prominent place. I will put it on my tbr list, too!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Survivor is Thursdays at eight. (Yes, it's a TV show.)

Reading the Peter Wimsey novels for the first time? What a treat.

I love the Count. A good translation helps; there are some bad ones out there.

[Joy]

I'm reading Juliet,Naked by Nick Hornby. I love Hornby so it's a comfort book to me - really great!

[Chrissie]

Susanna, thanks for clueing me in!

EDIT:
Thank you too Jeannette!

[Manybooks]

Chrissie wrote: "Katri, When I first came to Sweden I learned the language at Kursverksamheten,back in the 70s the state encouraged foreigners to learn the language so it cost nothing. I did the complete crash cour..."

I do that as well, I mix up German and English quite readily, and French and Spanish (the little Spanish I do know). My German is getting rusty (actually, more my spoken German, I haven't visited my family for quite a while). But, I've always been better at reading and writing languages (all languages) than speaking and/or pronouncing them.

[Chrissie]

Gundula, I don't think

[Manybooks]

Chrissie wrote: "Gundula, I don't think

Thanks, I just noticed it. I was away from my computer for a few days and just catching up with email and/or GR discussions.

[Peregrine]

I'm just into Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I'm reading along with the audiobook. I suspect that bedtime will not be soon for me tonight. "Sartorially dyslexic," hahaha!

[Lori]

LOVED the Count! I was towards the end and had to leave a party, because I was desperate to get back to Edmund, o Edmund! I'm wondering what translation you have, Susanna is absolutely right, I spend some time in the store reading the first several pages of about 5 translations, and they all led to such a different reading experience.

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Gundula, I don't think

We started the new thread not because we were "supposed to" but because this one was getting cluttered with our language chat. :) I think "Learning a new Language" is a perfect fit for Gundula, too! Welcome back to the threads!

[Lisa]

Yes, Any topic that has a lot of interest/many comments, it makes sense to give it its own thread - once we notice that it's a popular topic.

Also, anyone can start a special topic thread in the Just To Chat - Off Topic folder.

[Chrissie]

Jeanette, that IS what I meant - we are not suppose to talk about it HERE! Thanks for setting up the new thread. The thing is it is so hard to stick to JUST ONE TOPIC when one starts talking. Don't get me wrong, I DO agree with you guys! Otherwise things can get cluttered.....

[Laura]

take it easy....

[Chrissie]

Laura, :0)

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Jeanette, that IS what I meant - we are not suppose to talk about it HERE! Thanks for setting up the new thread. The thing is it is so hard to stick to JUST ONE TOPIC when one starts talking. Don't..."

Sorry Chrissie -- online chatting is never as understandable as talking face-to-face. I just wanted to be sure you knew that I started a new thread to be polite and to make it less confusing, with our language threads and the other books threads. I didn't want you to feel that we had been sent away because we aren't supposed to be talking here. Lee and Lisa and everyone else in this group are some of the friendliest people I've come to know. (Well, now I'm worried that I'm repeating what you already knew, yet again!) :-)

[Chrissie]

Jeanette, no problem! We are all in agreement! Don't worry about anything!

[[deleted user]]

I'm just starting Then We Came to the End...I needed something funny. Anyone read that one?

[Diane]

i'm reading "coming home" by rosamunde pilcher. this is my second book by her and am really enjoying it.
read "shell seekers" first. i think i like "coming home" better time frame wise. i also have "september" on my book shelf to read sometime.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Chrissie wrote: "Jeanette, that IS what I meant - we are not suppose to talk about it HERE! Thanks for setting up the new thread. The thing is it is so hard to stick to JUST ONE TOPIC when one starts talking. Don't..."

All I can say is I love the passion and conversation here. I'm happy to see these wonderful discussions taking place and appreciate the way you are all seeing what needs to be done in terms of thread management. :-)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Lori wrote: "LOVED the Count! I was towards the end and had to leave a party, because I was desperate to get back to Edmund, o Edmund! I'm wondering what translation you have, Susanna is absolutely right, I spe..."

I have the Penguin Classics, which seems to be a good translation.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Diane wrote: "i'm reading "coming home" by rosamunde pilcher. this is my second book by her and am really enjoying it.
read "shell seekers" first. i think i like "coming home" better time frame wise. i also hav..."

Diane, I once read a book by Rosamund Pilcher's son and the title now escapes but it was pretty good. I'll have to go and check my shelf for the title. It was a comfort type read.

[Lori]

Susanna, I think that's the one I ended up buying!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I thought it was a pretty good translation.

[Mary]

I finished the amazing Let the Great World Spin - 5 stars. Now, though, I need some comfort so I am re-reading Chocolat before starting The Girl with No Shadow: A Novel.

[[deleted user]]

Mary wrote: "I finished the amazing Let the Great World Spin - 5 stars. ..."

Hey, that's on my Kindle...goodie! I got a surprise Jodi Picoult in the mail today (Diane, I pre-ordered that well before the challenge so it doesn't count! Haha!)

[Mary]

Christine wrote: "Mary wrote: "I finished the amazing Let the Great World Spin - 5 stars. ..."

Hey, that's on my Kindle...goodie! I got a surprise Jodi Picoult in the mail today (Diane, I pre-orde..."

I love surprises!! And I hope you like Let the Great World Spin as much as I did!!

[Diane]

Jeannette wrote: "Diane D. wrote: "I am reading Shutter Island -- definitely not a comfort read!"

Is this the book from the creepy looking movie??"

Jeannette -- I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. We were without a home computer so once I left work for the weekend, that was it! I did not think Shutter Island was "creepy" in a horror sort of way. More of a mystery/psycotic (sp?) thriller. A page turner for sure!

[Diane]

Now I am reading Half Broke Horses. Since I read and loved The Glass Castle, I wanted to read this one.

[[deleted user]]

Diane D. wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "Diane D. wrote: "I am reading Shutter Island -- definitely not a comfort read!"

Is this the book from the creepy looking movie??"

Jeannette -- I'm sorry it took..."

But there is a movie out right now with DiCaprio called "Shutter Island" and the previews are definitely creepy!

[Chrissie]

Jo, I loved this, but read it very long ago. I bet I would love it even more now.... You know there is a sequel entitledThe Kindness of Women. I have not read anything but the Empire of the Sun! Has anyone read several of this author's books and can recommend another that is good? I have read that some are science fiction, and I don't like that! Any tips out there? Jo, enjoy what you have in your hands - it could be the best by this author.

[Gabriele]

Diane wrote: "i'm reading "coming home" by rosamunde pilcher. this is my second book by her and am really enjoying it.
read "shell seekers" first. i think i like "coming home" better time frame wise. i also hav..."

I loved Coming Home even more than The Shell Seekers. September is pretty good as well. I have the Coming Home DVD, which I thought was quite well done - 4 hours of delight! Definitely a comfort read and movie for me!

[Peregrine]

I am beginning Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.

[Shelly]

I am currently reading The Year of Pleasures it's good but a little slow going. I am going to the library tomorrow to pick up When The Bough Breaks anad start that one. I read about another book by the same author here and decided to start the series from the begining.

[Lisa]

Shelly, I liked that book. I've read quite a few by Jonathan Kellerman, but I eventually stopped reading them. I'm only up to date with a very few mystery series.

[[deleted user]]

I am reading The Summer Book. I almost can't describe it. The writing, the imagery and the characters are all so fascinating.

[Chrissie]

Jeannette, that is Tove Jansson for you! Great huh?! Too bad you are not reading it in Swedish. I wonder if the translation could be as good as the original.

[Sheila]

One of the books I am reading right now is Mount Vernon Love Story aka Aspire to the Heavens by Mary Higgins Clark. This book was published clear back in 1960 before MHC got into her more creepy mysteries. It is really a neat historical fiction love story. It flips back and forth between 1750's to the 1790's when George has just retired from the Presidency. I've enjoyed the book very much.

I actually only started reading it because I tend to be somewhat ocd about reading an authors entire bibliography when it is someone I really like. There was a 15 year gap between this book (which was her first) and the next one.

I recommend this book

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Hi Sheila, I didn't know Mary Higgins Clark wrote anything but creepy mysteries! That's pretty neat that you discovered something different written by her.

[Hannah]

Sheila wrote: "One of the books I am reading right now is Mount Vernon Love Story aka Aspire to the Heavens by Mary Higgins Clark. This book was published clear back in 1960 before MHC got into her more creepy m..."

Hi Sheila - and welcome! I enjoyed Mount Vernon Love Story also, and was surprised to find that Mary Higgins Clark had written it. Very nice book, indeed!

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Jeannette, that is Tove Jansson for you! Great huh?! Too bad you are not reading it in Swedish. I wonder if the translation could be as good as the original."

Sorry -- can't read Swedish. But, I like the book. It isn't gripping and it really doesn't have an obvious plot, so it's hard to categorize. Is it autobiographical at all?

[Chrissie]

Not that I know of. It is the writing style that is so different with Tove Jansson. I do not know if that gets across in a translation. I am glad you are enjoying it.

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Not that I know of. It is the writing style that is so different with Tove Jansson. I do not know if that gets across in a translation. I am glad you are enjoying it."

The writing style and the interaction of the girl and her grandma. They spar and grumble but they truly love each other. And Sophia is so wise for her age and yet still a child. I love the image of the old lady hobbling out to look for the little house that was washed away and then working late to recreate it (dirt and all) to reassure the little girl.

[Lisa]

I just finished The Neverending Story and I'll start Snow Crash next. (Yes, another member reading Snow Crash, a few days to a week behind where I wanted to be, but just in time.)

[Margaret]

I'm finishing Things I know by Lynne Hinton and I'm loving each sentence. I don't know what I have up next, but I hope it as good as The things I know Best.

[Katri]

Well, I've always only read Tove Jansson in Finnish translation. :P And she's still one of the most popular authors among Finns, so I'd say something surely does come across in translation. Really, I think people are sometimes too hard on translations - of course there are authors whose style is particularly hard to translate into another language, but I think most of the time a good translator will be able to deliver most of the original's voice, style and content into a new language. There also being bad translations doesn't mean that all translations are bad.

[Chrissie]

Jeanette, that is fun that you like Tove Jansson. Try some Moomin troll books maybe. I don't remember any particular one that I liked. Maybe Katri can recommend one.

Katri, of course - there wil be good and bad translators. A good translator will not translate the text word by word, but instead simply get the feeling and message across. I did translation when I was in Sweden and the funny thing is how you sometimes find yourself fixing crappy original text. However some texts ARE harder to translate than others. Take poetry - that must be almost impossible!

[Manybooks]

Katri wrote: "Well, I've always only read Tove Jansson in Finnish translation. :P And she's still one of the most popular authors among Finns, so I'd say something surely does come across in translation. Really,..."

My main problem with some translations (at least some of the German translations of books I have read in both German and the original) is when whole sections are abridged and/or changed. I know that is what happened with Enid Blyton in German translations and I don't think that is suitable. On the other hand, I have also read some slavish English translations of German children's literature, where the translators have tried to translate word for word and parts (especially those that use idiomatic expressions) end up sounding forced and unnatural. Translation is an art form and not at all easy. It takes both language knowledge and a feel for both of the languages.

[Chrissie]

Gundula - I certainly agree! Yup translation IS an art form. There are no pat rules to go by.

[[deleted user]]

My husband's company was purchased a few years ago by Siemens. The CEO is (obviously) German and gave a big speech in English to the new "team" members to rally them to beat the competition. He meant to say something like "we'll leave them shaking in their boots." Instead the CEO took the German saying "machen sich in die Hose" and translated it literally to English "they will pee their pants". When my husband told me about this language gaffe, I just shook my head. My husband cringed at the time; his co-workers just looked momentarily stunned. He couldn't think of the appropriate English phrase on the fly, either!