I think authors are taking us back to WWII times recently. I just had a strange juxtaposition. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I have been listening to:
The Final Storm by Jeff Shaara, which is a fictional account of the last days of the war in the Pacific and includes the horrific battles at Okinawa and the bombing of Hiroshima.
By coincidence, I recovered a mislaid book, about 2/3 of which I had already read. I sat and reread it last night and finished it this morning:
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata; Edward Seidensticker, Translator
Kawabata was born in 1899, took his own life in 1972, received the Nobel in literature in 1968. This story seems to be about a rich dilettante who leaves his family year after year to visit a resort in the snow country of Japan, a place known for its simple Geisha girls, where he meets the same woman each trip, but not always without betrayal. What is particularly haunting me today is what the relationship of the story to the years in history in which Kawabata lived. The introductory notes do not suggest that there is one.
I would love to hear comments from anyone who has read/studied this story. It is definitely a read that I would recommend. The writing is compared to haiku. Time and place are not always easy to decipher. There is a fascinating digression on chijimi.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mboogiedown/212421634
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu87wIliMwk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KXbotKCG_M&feature
Peppermill wrote:
I think authors are taking us back to WWII times recently. I just had a strange juxtaposition. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I have been listening to:
The Final Storm by Jeff Shaara, which is a fictional account of the last days of the war in the Pacific and includes the horrific battles at Okinawa and the bombing of Hiroshima.
By coincidence, I recovered a mislaid book, about 2/3 of which I had already read. I sat and reread it last night and finished it this morning:
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata; Edward Seidensticker, Translator
Kawabata was born in 1899, took his own life in 1972, received the Nobel in literature in 1968. This story seems to be about a rich dilettante who leaves his family year after year to visit a resort in the snow country of Japan, a place known for its simple Geisha girls, where he meets the same woman each trip, but not always without betrayal. What is particularly haunting me today is what the relationship of the story to the years in history in which Kawabata lived. The introductory notes do not suggest that there is one.
I would love to hear comments from anyone who has read/studied this story. It is definitely a read that I would recommend. The writing is compared to haiku. Time and place are not always easy to decipher. There is a fascinating digression on chijimi.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mboogiedown/212421634
9/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu87wIliMwk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KXbotKCG_M&feature
=relmfu
Hi Pepper, I haven't read the book but I do agree with you that there are a lot of recent WWII novels out there right now, in fact our February 2012 feature is about WWII Paris Noire.
This is the review I posted on the blog:
Have I ever told you guys how much I love my sense of humor. It tends to lean towards the darker side of things, which is why I find some circumstances funnier than most will. I guess a perfect example, a short one anyway, is from the movie Titanic. I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about, though I didn't really enjoy it that much. There is one moment that cracks me up every time I see it though. When the boat is sinking, tail end up in the air, passengers start to fall like confetti. There is one in particular that makes me laugh out loud, I know it's callous but sorry. It's the guy who falls and hits the propeller blade, the thunking sounds he makes sends me into stitches. Now you might say I'm morbid, but it will give you an insight into why I loved this book so much.
I'm not saying that I laughed out loud the entire time I was reading it, because I didn't. But I did find a lot of it humorous enough to say this was one of the most entertaining books I've read in a long time. Jean is one of those rare characters that I love despite everything that she does. She is a woman lost in pain who decides on being practical for the first time in her life. Unfortunately for her friends, that means killing them off before they grow old and suffer in the way her mother did.
It was a joy and a thrill to to watch the internal conflict as she meandered her way and started knocking of those closest to her. The only stipulation is that she has to make them as happy as she can before she does it. In once case that involves sleeping with the one that has had a thing for her since college. I love the way Jean is able to twist herself in an elaborate pretzel in order to justify what she is doing. Much like Serial Mom and those college kids from The Last Supper, Jean starts off doing what she thinks is right and just. For the most part, she is firm in that thinking by the end as well. She has her moments of doubt, but all it takes is remembering the pain and suffering her mother went through for Jean to realize she is on the right path no matter the consequences to herself.
This was a wonderfully complex and inspired look at friendship and morality in an age where both things seem to be expendable. The author, through dark humor and brilliant writing, was able to bring Jean and her friends to life in such a way that made me want to be Jean's friend, despite the risk.
pjpick wrote:
Ryan_G wrote:
Wow, that's definitely an original plot! I know the perfect person to recommend this to. LOL! Can't wait to hear your opinion of it.
I just finished and reviewed
you know me, romance buff that I am I loved it.
http://thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com/2011/11/revie
I also just finished Marilyn Brant's newest novel which will be out in early December
my review will be up tomorrow, it was fabulous and I've invited her back to feature it in May. She was with us last year so many of you may remember her.
Hi Everyone - I just finished the next book in Angus Donald's Robin Hood series - Holy Warrior. I really liked it. Angus is really a good storyteller and his characters are wonderfully drawn. Since there was a huge battle and many other smaller ones, it was quite bloody, but essential and true to the history of the events. I've also downloaded the next book in the series, but I have many others to read next. Happy Reading...
Anne
Ryan_G wrote:This is the review I posted on the blog:
Have I ever told you guys how much I love my sense of humor. It tends to lean towards the darker side of things, which is why I find some circumstances funnier than most will. I guess a perfect example, a short one anyway, is from the movie Titanic. I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about, though I didn't really enjoy it that much. There is one moment that cracks me up every time I see it though. When the boat is sinking, tail end up in the air, passengers start to fall like confetti. There is one in particular that makes me laugh out loud, I know it's callous but sorry. It's the guy who falls and hits the propeller blade, the thunking sounds he makes sends me into stitches. Now you might say I'm morbid, but it will give you an insight into why I loved this book so much.
I'm not saying that I laughed out loud the entire time I was reading it, because I didn't. But I did find a lot of it humorous enough to say this was one of the most entertaining books I've read in a long time. Jean is one of those rare characters that I love despite everything that she does. She is a woman lost in pain who decides on being practical for the first time in her life. Unfortunately for her friends, that means killing them off before they grow old and suffer in the way her mother did.
It was a joy and a thrill to to watch the internal conflict as she meandered her way and started knocking of those closest to her. The only stipulation is that she has to make them as happy as she can before she does it. In once case that involves sleeping with the one that has had a thing for her since college. I love the way Jean is able to twist herself in an elaborate pretzel in order to justify what she is doing. Much like Serial Mom and those college kids from The Last Supper, Jean starts off doing what she thinks is right and just. For the most part, she is firm in that thinking by the end as well. She has her moments of doubt, but all it takes is remembering the pain and suffering her mother went through for Jean to realize she is on the right path no matter the consequences to herself.
This was a wonderfully complex and inspired look at friendship and morality in an age where both things seem to be expendable. The author, through dark humor and brilliant writing, was able to bring Jean and her friends to life in such a way that made me want to be Jean's friend, despite the risk.
pjpick wrote:
Ryan_G wrote:Practical Jean by Trevor Cole
Wow, that's definitely an original plot! I know the perfect person to recommend this to. LOL! Can't wait to hear your opinion of it.Thanks for posting your review here, Ryan, especially since I don't have yours or really any other book review blogs on my regular scan list!
Just listened to the Great Course's take on Crime and Punishment. Your review makes Practical Jean sound like a 2011 version (perhaps a sitcom rip?), i.e., decent person committing crime towards "good" purposes!
1AnneB wrote:
Hi Everyone - I just finished the next book in Angus Donald's Robin Hood series - Holy Warrior. I really liked it. Angus is really a good storyteller and his characters are wonderfully drawn. Since there was a huge battle and many other smaller ones, it was quite bloody, but essential and true to the history of the events. I've also downloaded the next book in the series, but I have many others to read next. Happy Reading...
Anne
Thanks Anne, are you all powered up no loss of lights. How much snow is still on the ground
dhaupt wrote:
1AnneB wrote:
Hi Everyone - I just finished the next book in Angus Donald's Robin Hood series - Holy Warrior. I really liked it. Angus is really a good storyteller and his characters are wonderfully drawn. Since there was a huge battle and many other smaller ones, it was quite bloody, but essential and true to the history of the events. I've also downloaded the next book in the series, but I have many others to read next. Happy Reading...
Anne
Thanks Anne, are you all powered up no loss of lights. How much snow is still on the ground
Hi Debbie - We lost power for about 28 hours but my sister lives in upstate CT and she just got her power back about 2 hours ago. She came down here to get warm !!! We only got about 3 inches, but 10 miles north got 10 or more inches !!! All things considered, we got lucky !!
Anne
Hi Anne & Debbie,
Hi Anne, I'm also in CT. I'm glad your sister has power now but we're still on generator. At least now we have cable and Internet, so it's a start anyway. It's been surreal; it's almost been seven days, and it seems like longer. But still, many towns are out near the northern border. My daughter moved to the southern part of the state recently and she was lucky and never lost power. We got about a foot of snow but it melted quickly and now it's almost all gone. 
Optic
dhaupt wrote:Optic, I'm so sorry to hear that you're still without Power, generators are wonderful things. We have one here at home and it's helped immensely sometimes. But without my gas fireplace we would have had to seek refuge elsewhere a number of times in the cold.
I hope you're restored soon.
You are in my thoughts as are all the people still in the dark.
Thank you Debbie, thats nice to hear ! Optic
optic_i wrote:Hi Anne & Debbie,
Hi Anne, I'm also in CT. I'm glad your sister has power now but we're still on generator. At least now we have cable and Internet, so it's a start anyway. It's been surreal; it's almost been seven days, and it seems like longer. But still, many towns are out near the northern border. My daughter moved to the southern part of the state recently and she was lucky and never lost power. We got about a foot of snow but it melted quickly and now it's almost all gone.
Optic
Hi Optic - Sorry to hear the you've been without power so long - Hope it's back by now (Sun. AM) I was just sitting hear listening to all the news reports - we here in SW CT had it easy compared to others in the CT.
Anne
1AnneB wrote:
optic_i wrote:Hi Anne & Debbie,
Hi Anne, I'm also in CT. I'm glad your sister has power now but we're still on generator. At least now we have cable and Internet, so it's a start anyway. It's been surreal; it's almost been seven days, and it seems like longer. But still, many towns are out near the northern border. My daughter moved to the southern part of the state recently and she was lucky and never lost power. We got about a foot of snow but it melted quickly and now it's almost all gone.
Optic
Hi Optic - Sorry to hear the you've been without power so long - Hope it's back by now (Sun. AM) I was just sitting hear listening to all the news reports - we here in SW CT had it easy compared to others in the CT.
Anne
Hi Anne,
Thanks, no power here yet though part of my town has power now. It's been a long week! We might have to wait till Wednesday. Everyone says it could be worse. It could have happened in January when it's freezing. I really don't want a repeat of last winter. Somehow I feel like we are in Disasters 101 and I don't remember signing up.
Optic
The One You Love by Paul Pilkington is what I am currently reading, and I have no idea what will be next. I never know until that night when I get ready to read, doesn't matter what is on my shelf, has to hit me when it is time. I'm sure it will be a suspense novel though, seems to be what I lean towards.
Pepper, how true it is about all the disasters we've experienced in the last year or so. Let's hope for a very non-eventful weather year in 2012, I think we deserve it.
Kayden, that novel looks very good, be sure and tell us why you liked it when you're done.
Right now I'm reading
and am enjoying it very much as the whole family goes to Dublin for the Holidays.
Over the weekend I read two of my books for the February issue of RT magazine
and finished
by our good friend and past featured author Deborah Cooke. It's book two of her new YA Pyr series.
you can read my review here
I am currently reading this. Joel is one of my favorite authors.
The Brotherhood (Precinct 11 Series #1)
