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Pu the Owl · Jan 13th, 2008, 08:19 AM

Coelho? Never looked very intriguing to me. Seemed one of these editorial cases that appeal a vast audience without really deserving it. I tried reading some pages in bookstores, just to have an idea, and I always ended being convinced it wasn't worth the time.

I just finished reading The Prestige by Christopher Priest. After watching the movie and being completely baffled by the idiocy of some of its elements, I decided I wanted to give the book a try to see if it was also like that. I admit both movie and book, despite being silly for many reasons, are quite entertaining. Maybe the written material even more than the movie. The book is a good "bathroom" book, one of those I like reading especially while taking a bath or in other moments when I don't want anything taxing. But honestly, some plot elements were way too lame

I've been reading the book by Priest as a break from other two books I am in the middle of reading. Magic Seeds by V.S. Naipaul and The Last Days by Raymond Queneau.

The Naipaul book I was particularly enjoying, but some plot events created in me a sense of unrest and anxiety and I couldn't go on. I intend to finish it soon though. Something similar happened before with other books, the worst case of it being The Count of Montecristo, where a plot twist resulted so unbearable that for a month I could not think about opening the book again

I haven't finished the book by Queneau simply because it is not one of those books you have to read with great attention. There isn't a plot or anything, there are only characters, with names I have to say I forget at times. I find it a witty and extraordinarily ironic work, at the same time very relaxing. Too much relaxing in fact... I cannot read it all the time.

I'm nearly done with Banana Yoshimoto's Umi no futa. I got it as Christmas present, but started reading it only two days ago. I don't know if the book has an English translation yet. The works from this writer have always been linear and refreshing, something you can only appreciate if you're in the right state of mind. I also liked the positivity contained in them, despite it being a little simplistic. But it's been like this for years. She's starting to irritate me: she never renews her stories and situations, it's all variations on the same theme, with less than satisfying results during the last years because she lost some of the genuine touch she used to have.

Another book I am reading very slowly is The Long dark tea-time of the soul by Douglas Adams. This one I am reading slowly for a different reason: it's the last Douglas Adams book I have, after this one I know there will be no more and it makes me quite sad to think about it. I know I can re-read all the others again and again till the end of times, but you know the feeling when you like something and you know there will be no more of it? Well, I'm trying to make it last longer!

I am also reading Once on a time by A.A. Milne. I started it yesterday and the first half of the book is gone. I think I will finish it today. It's a lovely and hilarious book where a typical fairy tale turns into a parody of fairy tales themselves. And I have a side note on this book: I got it used from an amazon seller as it is out of print. It's a very old copy printed in 1968, there are no new editions. The inner cover has written on it in blue ink with a very childish and sloppy hadwriting "LET ME OUT OR I WHIL TELL DADDY". After much speculation about the story behind this sentence - who was writing? who was the other person? why was this person being held somewhere? why writing on the book istead of telling the other in person? where were these people at the time the sentence was written? were they both kids? did daddy actually solve the matter among the other two? were they really only two or the person writing had more opponents? etc. - I decided some mysteries are better left unsolved. I'm still very curious about it though.

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Jan 13th, 2008, 08:19 AM	#4
Pu the Owl Useless Oracle™ Joined: Jan 2002 Location: Everywhere Posts: 5,136	Coelho? Never looked very intriguing to me. Seemed one of these editorial cases that appeal a vast audience without really deserving it. I tried reading some pages in bookstores, just to have an idea, and I always ended being convinced it wasn't worth the time. I just finished reading The Prestige by Christopher Priest. After watching the movie and being completely baffled by the idiocy of some of its elements, I decided I wanted to give the book a try to see if it was also like that. I admit both movie and book, despite being silly for many reasons, are quite entertaining. Maybe the written material even more than the movie. The book is a good "bathroom" book, one of those I like reading especially while taking a bath or in other moments when I don't want anything taxing. But honestly, some plot elements were way too lame I've been reading the book by Priest as a break from other two books I am in the middle of reading. Magic Seeds by V.S. Naipaul and The Last Days by Raymond Queneau. The Naipaul book I was particularly enjoying, but some plot events created in me a sense of unrest and anxiety and I couldn't go on. I intend to finish it soon though. Something similar happened before with other books, the worst case of it being The Count of Montecristo, where a plot twist resulted so unbearable that for a month I could not think about opening the book again I haven't finished the book by Queneau simply because it is not one of those books you have to read with great attention. There isn't a plot or anything, there are only characters, with names I have to say I forget at times. I find it a witty and extraordinarily ironic work, at the same time very relaxing. Too much relaxing in fact... I cannot read it all the time. I'm nearly done with Banana Yoshimoto's Umi no futa. I got it as Christmas present, but started reading it only two days ago. I don't know if the book has an English translation yet. The works from this writer have always been linear and refreshing, something you can only appreciate if you're in the right state of mind. I also liked the positivity contained in them, despite it being a little simplistic. But it's been like this for years. She's starting to irritate me: she never renews her stories and situations, it's all variations on the same theme, with less than satisfying results during the last years because she lost some of the genuine touch she used to have. Another book I am reading very slowly is The Long dark tea-time of the soul by Douglas Adams. This one I am reading slowly for a different reason: it's the last Douglas Adams book I have, after this one I know there will be no more and it makes me quite sad to think about it. I know I can re-read all the others again and again till the end of times, but you know the feeling when you like something and you know there will be no more of it? Well, I'm trying to make it last longer! I am also reading Once on a time by A.A. Milne. I started it yesterday and the first half of the book is gone. I think I will finish it today. It's a lovely and hilarious book where a typical fairy tale turns into a parody of fairy tales themselves. And I have a side note on this book: I got it used from an amazon seller as it is out of print. It's a very old copy printed in 1968, there are no new editions. The inner cover has written on it in blue ink with a very childish and sloppy hadwriting "LET ME OUT OR I WHIL TELL DADDY". After much speculation about the story behind this sentence - who was writing? who was the other person? why was this person being held somewhere? why writing on the book istead of telling the other in person? where were these people at the time the sentence was written? were they both kids? did daddy actually solve the matter among the other two? were they really only two or the person writing had more opponents? etc. - I decided some mysteries are better left unsolved. I'm still very curious about it though.