tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post2516301005660780293..comments2024-01-06T00:28:45.062+08:00Comments on Bibliobibuli: Abandoned City ... and Citybibliobibulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456636355933524132noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-4227541774983011952010-07-07T23:08:30.044+08:002010-07-07T23:08:30.044+08:00Yeah, Eeleen Lee also told me she disagrees with m...Yeah, Eeleen Lee also told me she disagrees with me and finds this a very good book. Just it did not suit this picky reader.bibliobibulihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16456636355933524132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-15418033881118851842010-07-07T16:12:21.514+08:002010-07-07T16:12:21.514+08:00I rather liked City and the City actually! I liked...I rather liked City and the City actually! I liked the idea of having two cities built and grown on top and in between of each other, but I guess one reads Mieville for his ideas rather than his prose?Ted Mahsunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13555225524434639998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-31844946298448697482010-07-01T07:48:50.418+08:002010-07-01T07:48:50.418+08:00As it is, it is jarringly ungrammatical, Zed. &quo...As it is, it is jarringly ungrammatical, Zed. "despite" is not more casual, but "though" would be ok if you wanted to go down the formality stakes.bibliobibulihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16456636355933524132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-67454252559424448902010-07-01T01:51:49.349+08:002010-07-01T01:51:49.349+08:00Ah, I see. Yeah, "although" is a better ...Ah, I see. Yeah, "although" is a better option. But I think I prefer the casualness of the original line if they stick with "despite". I feel like if you add "the fact", it becomes somewhat "bookish" and too formal. Isn't narration, after all, spoken by a narrator/storyteller or a character? I mean when we speak, we don't speak like a textbook, and I always feel that a writer is merely transcribing whatever some narrator or character is telling. What's your opinion on this, commenters?<br /><br />And yeah, I loved 'How Not To Write'! Makes learning so much fun and memorable.Dingodingohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05471672149689376105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-75163652520339776102010-06-30T16:16:50.021+08:002010-06-30T16:16:50.021+08:00Frank ... first 100 pages (so roughly a third) and...Frank ... first 100 pages (so roughly a third) and last two chapters. Your difficulty in reading is a problem with bad writing, so don't blame yourself.<br /><br />Chet - go to top of class. "despite" must be followed by noun phrase. in this case "although" is a better option.<br /><br />Zed - How Not to Write a Novel is fun, isn't it? Enjoyed that one.<br /><br />Thanks so much all of you for sharing your reads, and I'm tempted by some of them (nearly bought The Children's Book the other day and perhaps now will.)bibliobibulihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16456636355933524132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-445338110331708132010-06-30T10:27:28.049+08:002010-06-30T10:27:28.049+08:00"... despite that we had an unmarked car"..."... despite that we had an unmarked car"<br /><br />Should be "despite the fact that we had an unmarked car", or "although we had an unmarked car", or "even though we had an unmarked car"<br /><br />Right?Chethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743260318771644192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-30390115581062537122010-06-30T04:43:58.167+08:002010-06-30T04:43:58.167+08:00I’m about 3/4 into “A Children’s Book” by A. S. By...I’m about 3/4 into “A Children’s Book” by A. S. Byatt. Sophisticated writing and fantastic societal/cultural commentary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-25000348524218627952010-06-29T22:45:43.057+08:002010-06-29T22:45:43.057+08:00I bought the book from Amazon.co.uk and only manag...I bought the book from Amazon.co.uk and only managed to read through a couple of pages before reaching for another book... I don't know if I would be enjoying the book in the future, and maybe I simply didn't dig deep enough to get into the plot and narration style. But I did have a bit of problem with the work's language. Given a chance, I would still give the book a try in the future. Many years ago, I didn't get into Burgess's "A Clockwork Orange" too! But thoroughly enjoyed it the last time I retried reading it. How many pages have you gone through (The City and the City) before giving up?Frank, Wonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02219802332423235192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-53092229242942353262010-06-29T10:07:03.980+08:002010-06-29T10:07:03.980+08:00Reading Doris Lessing's The Sweetest Thing. It...Reading Doris Lessing's The Sweetest Thing. It's a good book, and I'm glad I read it. <br /><br />Sadly, no major disappointments lately. (Perhaps that's a good thing?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-48142532396906031962010-06-29T08:58:03.488+08:002010-06-29T08:58:03.488+08:00Reading "Art Explained: The World's Great...Reading "Art Explained: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained (Annotated Guides)" by Robert Cumming.<br /><br />Awesome! :)Oxymoronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12476290895680339395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-56345554682404798132010-06-28T21:19:04.855+08:002010-06-28T21:19:04.855+08:00Zed - i'll leave you in suspense just a bit lo...Zed - i'll leave you in suspense just a bit longer ... see if anyone else can fathom itbibliobibulihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16456636355933524132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-77020863177003824342010-06-27T23:08:09.590+08:002010-06-27T23:08:09.590+08:00I can't spot what's wrong there, haha. Enl...I can't spot what's wrong there, haha. Enlighten us, Sharon. Is he saying that driving an unmarked car is illegal but the driver made no effort to disguise herself so as not to get caught or something?<br /><br />Btw, I'm reading <i>How Not To Write A Novel</i> by Sandra Newman & Howard Mittelmark. Useful quick tips on writing, made me think twice about my approach and presentation.Dingodingohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05471672149689376105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-78339291387976602202010-06-27T22:36:17.477+08:002010-06-27T22:36:17.477+08:00What better book than Snow to bring up when descri...What better book than <i>Snow</i> to bring up when describing a long, boring novel? I still wish I could get those hours back.<br /><br />I'm currently reading <i>Brooklyn</i> by Colm Toibin and quite enjoying it.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17314532356599241748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-12918880329022125182010-06-27T22:24:50.495+08:002010-06-27T22:24:50.495+08:00Hi Sharon,
My recent read was Hector and the Sear...Hi Sharon, <br />My recent read was Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord. Essentially a self-help book on one's journey to find happiness written in a quirky, nonsensical way reminiscent of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery. It was originally written in French and translated to English. <br /><br />It tells the story of Hector, a psychiatrist who was dissatisfied with himself that he can't help his patients to be happy. Furthermore, he finds that his patients were unhappy for no apparent reason. Thus, he embarked on a working-holiday to try and find out whether there is a guide to achieve happiness; and through this journey he was able to analyse and observe what makes people (and himself) happy and unhappy. <br /><br />It's a good read for those looking for a short book to 'lift the soul', so to speak. (:<br /><br />Thanks for asking us about our literary indulgence! <br /><br />p/s: re mylocalspace- Angela's Ashes is McCourt's finest, to me. (:lyanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11275354420229649534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-738662671661640582010-06-27T22:21:55.290+08:002010-06-27T22:21:55.290+08:00Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby. Funny, insightful. A...Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby. Funny, insightful. Also Amir Muhammad's Rojak. Ditto. :)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06864901910322509435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-25898618722398120782010-06-27T22:11:34.635+08:002010-06-27T22:11:34.635+08:00Hi Sharon, i've just read Overheard in a Dream...Hi Sharon, i've just read Overheard in a Dream by Torey Hayden,psychologically fascinating but there was this story inside the story part which I really skipped as the story was interesting enough already without the 'sub-story'-wud avoid that style if I were to write one on my own. The best one recently read was Angela Ashes, made me feel born again with better appreciation of life. Thanks Sharon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com