Introduce yourself

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by Hopee

I love writing and literature.. I study English literature.

Hello, Hopee. Who do you like reading?

[katrina]

Hi, I was directed over here from bookcrossing as I'm am challenging myself to read one book from each of the countries competing in the Olypics, and I have been told this place has great recommendations.
I like the idea of reading books written bu authors from all different countries as I always feel I should broarden my horizons

[Stewart]

Nice to know the site's getting heard of. I hope you find the recommendations you need to complete your challenge, katrina. And if it's not here, I'm sure just asking will bring some further suggestions out of the woodwork.

[GreenDoor]

Hello,

My name is Julia, I'm Russian.

I am orientalist, translator from Chinese, teacher of Chinese.

I have 2-years old son.

This month I will go to China to improve my language level and at the same time to work there as a teacher of English.

I am confirmed maniac of reading. I like light simple books about strange and good people (like Remark) and complicated books where the allusions and reminiscences are the integral part of the narration (like Eco). And I like miracles and books about it - not something like Harry Potter , but something like The Master and Margarita of Bulgakov.

I really like to read books in original, but now I can do it only on Russian, English and Chinese. One of my dreams is to read Spanish and German books in original too.

[Stewart]

Hello Julia, and welcome to the forum. You may find the Russian Literature and Chinese Literature links of interest, given your details.

[Mirabell]

Originally Posted by GreenDoor

Hello,

My name is Julia, I'm Russian.

I am orientalist, translator from Chinese, teacher of Chinese.

I have 2-years old son.

This month I will go to China to improve my language level and at the same time to work there as a teacher of English.

I am confirmed maniac of reading. I like light simple books about strange and good people (like Remark) and complicated books where the allusions and reminiscences are the integral part of the narration (like Eco). And I like miracles and books about it - not something like Harry Potter , but something like The Master and Margarita of Bulgakov.

I really like to read books in original, but now I can do it only on Russian, English and Chinese. One of my dreams is to read Spanish and German books in original too.

Very cool. where in russia are you from?
and I loves me some miracles as well
there's so much remarkaraculous fiction around
if you haven't
I urge you to read William Gaddis'
utterly astonishing
The Recognitions
one of the three best novels I have ever read
full of wit, pun, jokes
allusions, feeling
art, revelation
mystery, music
and other things, for instance
martinis.

[spooooool]

chipping it to say hello to Julia, since i'm a grumpy Brit and otherwise not terribly sociable, and yes, the Recognitions is magnificent, and likely my favourite US novel after Moby-Dick some, many Faulkner

[GreenDoor]

Stewart, I have looked through these threads, I hope I will help do it more lively.

Mirabell, yes! All these (and martini, of course) are the promise of good book . I will start The Recognitions soon. I live in Chelyabinsk, in the Urals, at the border of Europe and Asia.

Thanks for warm welcome!

[Jayaprakash]

Hello.

I write for a living - corporate communication, advertising, journalism even a bit of technical writing. I do have a few (three) short stories published (only one professional sale though; don't get excited) and am writing a novel that is more for the writing than the reading.

I read many things. Favourite books include Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, JRR Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, J-K Huysman's Against The Grain, Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, Martin Amis' London Fields, Cordwainer Smith's The Rediscovery Of Mankind, China Mieville's Perdido Street Station, Milorad Pavic's Dictionary Of The Khazars and many more.

Cheers.

[Stewart]

Hi Jayaprakash. Interesting list of favourites. Personally didn't like Perdido Street Station and couldn't be bothered finishing Fellowship Of The Rings, even though I had one chapter to go. But I do love Foucault's Pendulum and would, one day, like to read Dictionary Of The Khazars.

[Teen Queen]

hi
how are you everyone
I am a new member from kuwait
and I am 15 years old
^^
I will be happy if you visit my site
It's about my favourite poet he is an arab but I have transalated his biography and poetry to three different langauges
I wanted to transalate to other langauges but Unfortunately I only know these langauges
Na9er-al-faraanah
have a look at it and tell me what you think
I would be pleased with your notes and comments and I will be so happy if you sign in the guestbook
thank you
and I hope you will Accept me as a member here

[Jayaprakash]

Did you get bogged down in Elrond's Interminable Council? That's where my wife tuned out.

The books were my first really ambitious reading venture as a beginning reader and I still hold them in fond regard, while having failed to seriously re-read them for about a decade now.

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by Jayaprakash

Did you get bogged down in Elrond's Interminable Council? That's where my wife tuned out.

No. I only had one chapter to go, we were past all the council and Moria and whatnot. There was a river, I think. But that's about all I can remember.

[abecedarian]

Originally Posted by katrina

Hi, I was directed over here from bookcrossing as I'm am challenging myself to read one book from each of the countries competing in the Olypics, and I have been told this place has great recommendations.
I like the idea of reading books written bu authors from all different countries as I always feel I should broarden my horizons

Hi Katrina, glad to see you. I know you'll enjoy reading around the world and hope you'll share your finds with us here.

[DreamQueen]

Hi everyone,

I found this forum listed on a great reading blog called Sweet Gypsy Mama. I was posting on another lit blog but it keeps crashing so figured it was time to expand into other forums because I miss being able to chat about books!

I'm a huge reader, mostly of fiction, but try sometimes to force myself to go where there be dragons by reading non-fiction in various forms.

I love cooking and baking and riding my bicycle.

I am ALWAYS looking for hilarious books - they're surprisingly hard to find!

[Sybarite]

Hi DreamQueen and welcome.

You say that you like "hilarious" books – have you tried Tom Sharpe and/or Terry Pratchett and, if so, did you find their work funny?

[titania7]

Hello. I'm Alexis. I'm a writer, a public speaker, and a voracious reader. I've always had a passion for Russian literature.
Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Turgenev, Gogol, Tolstoy, and Gorky are some of my favorites.

At the moment, I'm going through an Eca de Queiros phase. I've recently finished reading _The Maias_. I'm now reading _The Crime of Father Amaro_. Are there any other de Queiros fans around?

I'm looking forward to meeting others who are as enthusiastic about classic literature as I am. I trust I will find out about new, exciting writers, as well.

Be well.

Titania7 (Alexis)

[DreamQueen]

Originally Posted by Sybarite

Hi DreamQueen and welcome.

You say that you like "hilarious" books – have you tried Tom Sharpe and/or Terry Pratchett and, if so, did you find their work funny?

Hi Sybarite,

Thanks for the welcome! I haven't yet gotten to any Tom Sharpe, but recently read Pratchett's The Colour of Magic. I enjoyed it, but didn't laugh out loud a lot. However, I've got The Light Fantastic on hand, and am going to check it out soon.

Books that have made me laugh a lot: anything by P.G. Wodehouse but especially Leave it to Psmith and Summer Lightning, At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien, and right now The Man Who Was Thursday is giving me some good chuckles.

[DreamQueen]

Originally Posted by titania7

Hello. I'm Alexis. I'm a writer, a public speaker, and a voracious reader. I've always had a passion for Russian literature.
Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Turgenev, Gogol, Tolstoy, and Gorky are some of my favorites.

At the moment, I'm going through an Eca de Queiros phase. I've recently finished reading _The Maias_. I'm now reading _The Crime of Father Amaro_. Are there any other de Queiros fans around?

I'm looking forward to meeting others who are as enthusiastic about classic literature as I am. I trust I will find out about new, exciting writers, as well.

Be well.

Titania7 (Alexis)

Welcome, Titania. I've read only de Queiros's The Sin of Father Amaro but I really enjoyed it. I've been meaning to check out more of his stuff but it doesn't show up much in used book stores.

[Sybarite]

Originally Posted by DreamQueen

Hi Sybarite,

Thanks for the welcome! I haven't yet gotten to any Tom Sharpe, but recently read Pratchett's The Colour of Magic. I enjoyed it, but didn't laugh out loud a lot. However, I've got The Light Fantastic on hand, and am going to check it out soon...

Hi DramaQueen.

Personally, I think that the Discoworld novels get a lot funnier after the first two. Those two are good, but he started moving away from fantasy-comedy into satire and, increasingly as the series has progressed, he's satirised such difficult subjects as patriotism (Jingo) and religious fundamentalism (Thud!), and done so (in my opinion) very successfully – and very funnily. Of the earlier books, I still think Witches Abroad is very funny – he manages some lovely twists on fairy tales and, as almost always in Pratchett, one or two very moving moments too. The same can be said of Reaper Man. And, that, for me, is one of the key things that makes Pratchett special: he can make you laugh out loud one moment (I cannot read Pratchett in public for that reason) and cry the next.

In terms of Sharpe – he's vicious; really cruel, but evenhanded in his cruelty, and wickedly funny. His first two novels (Riotous Assembly and Indecent Exposure were set in the supposedly fictional South African town of P'emburg during apartheid. It's actually a real place in Kwa-Zulu Natal called Pietermaritzburg. Sharpe himself taught and did social work there before being chucked out by the government. His P'emburg is completely recognisable (I've stayed in 'Maritzburg twice with my other half's family); indeed, I think I've met at least one of the characters!

Personally, I also think that Blott on the Landscape and Porterhouse Blue in particular are hilariously wicked.