tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.comments2023-09-10T19:29:28.614+10:00Bait For BookwormsThe Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09438661852327001822noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-5517983641438069312016-03-03T07:57:06.142+11:002016-03-03T07:57:06.142+11:00I wish! It's such a brilliant concept and whil...I wish! It's such a brilliant concept and while I've had a couple of dreams that were, to my mind, truly lucid, I've never been able to exert control over their trajectory.The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09438661852327001822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-36074019632402903092016-03-02T22:32:00.149+11:002016-03-02T22:32:00.149+11:00Have you ever lucid dreamed?Have you ever lucid dreamed?Adam for all Seasonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16318002356390924859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-5526559488368110732016-01-10T16:04:51.466+11:002016-01-10T16:04:51.466+11:00Show-off. ;) I probably am reading into things too...Show-off. ;) I probably am reading into things too much. Just perplexed by her character...Rachel Powerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18076347414401820489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-59661451043683225752016-01-10T11:28:39.472+11:002016-01-10T11:28:39.472+11:00Hmmm I don't remember thinking that but, to be...Hmmm I don't remember thinking that but, to be fair, I don't recall all the finer points because it's over 130 books ago! I suppose he could have dropped a few ambiguous lines in and left it to the reader but it certainly wasn't something that I took from it.The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09438661852327001822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-28382622024646709122016-01-08T22:59:12.977+11:002016-01-08T22:59:12.977+11:00Like your promo technique there, Bram. ... A paltr...Like your promo technique there, Bram. ... A paltry 122? Jeez, that would be a bonanza for me! But good goals for 2016. Love to hear more about this kids' book idea... You're in the right masterclass! ;) Hey, one thing I've been meaning to ask re 'Stoner'. Do you think there's a suggestion that the wife was sexually abused by her father? Or was I reading too much in to a couple of references (something about a belt; and the mother's comment about their closeness; not to mention her general weird uptight-ness...).Rachel Powerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18076347414401820489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-82953697171039741552015-12-19T08:21:38.383+11:002015-12-19T08:21:38.383+11:00Hi Rachel. No comment on the writing. Been doing a...Hi Rachel. No comment on the writing. Been doing a lot of note taking and research on a new section so hopefully that counts. As for Stoner, there isn't anything I don't love about it. Absolutely agree the wife is intriguing/enigmatic/tragic. The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09438661852327001822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-87228533770308186912015-12-18T23:42:41.806+11:002015-12-18T23:42:41.806+11:00Bram, I really can't believe you could devour ...Bram, I really can't believe you could devour ten books in two weeks? I'm impressed. But are you doing any writing?! I also read 'Stoner' this year. Could there be a book that creeps up on you more quietly? I felt almost destroyed by the end of it. And his wife! Surely one of the most intriguing characters in literature, what do you think?Rachel Powerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18076347414401820489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-35448897280767370552015-11-21T20:59:06.078+11:002015-11-21T20:59:06.078+11:00real good review Bram.
miles real good review Bram. <br /><br />miles Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-36494134796358517452015-10-13T19:10:16.001+11:002015-10-13T19:10:16.001+11:00Not a bad bet. Of the books that I don't think...Not a bad bet. Of the books that I don't think will win, it's the one that I suspect is most likely to prove me wrong. Who does your friend think will win?The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09438661852327001822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-89353863832674224162015-10-13T18:44:07.813+11:002015-10-13T18:44:07.813+11:00I haven't read any of the shortlisted titles b...I haven't read any of the shortlisted titles but I placed a bet on the Marlon James novel. Not on Ladbrokes though; just a friendly bet with a fellow enthusiast.Angus Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15409191679985833467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-44144947077144639332015-07-30T08:11:50.461+10:002015-07-30T08:11:50.461+10:00I happened to be flying to Detroit to visit my nep...I happened to be flying to Detroit to visit my nephews. It's a 15 hour flight to Dallas (the easiest route) and I'm not good at sleeping on planes so I read The Luminaries in one sitting. I felt I'd climbed Everest by the end.<br /><br />I'm with you on The Chimes. Haven't read it, been meaning to and now have good reason to push it up the pile. Got four or five short books to read first (two Modianos and two Garniers) but will definitely get to it.The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09438661852327001822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-36755286031162071542015-07-29T23:27:18.326+10:002015-07-29T23:27:18.326+10:00I've heard wildly-differing responses to Amnes...I've heard wildly-differing responses to Amnesia and decided to read it and see for myself. I haven't read it yet. Have heard similarly to you about the Tyler, and similarly to what you've said about O'Hagan's book. The Chimes is the one I'm most excited about. Haven't read it but it was recommended to me two days ago by someone I trust. And what is the story with The Luminaries? And a single sitting? Took me about four months, I read about nine books in between, it bored me shitless for more than half of it, but then something clicked and by the final page I was spinning. Most extraordinary reading experience *of my life*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-17532122888301297872015-07-25T22:26:49.669+10:002015-07-25T22:26:49.669+10:00I just bought Andrew's Brain the weekend befor...I just bought Andrew's Brain the weekend before he passed away. I definitely want to read something of his and wished I went to the Barnes & Noble author event/book signing he held a few years back. I will have to check out his other works as well, especially The Book of Daniel.Josh Caporalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-60109776353373169462015-04-15T23:08:43.184+10:002015-04-15T23:08:43.184+10:00Oh I hadn't heard about Transtromer. That'...Oh I hadn't heard about Transtromer. That's sad. Yes, I agree with your sentiment about Grass's chequered past. Also, I don't think it detracted from the importance of his work.The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09438661852327001822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-65073526856300689992015-04-15T12:48:33.230+10:002015-04-15T12:48:33.230+10:00It is unfortunate that the world of literature has...It is unfortunate that the world of literature has lost another Nobel caliber writer. Tomas Transtromer also passed away a few weeks ago and he was a remarkable poet. I will have to check out "The Tin Drum" and Grass' other works. He had that demon hiding in his past, but it's important that he let it out before he died, which in the greater realm matters most.Josh Caporalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12388877987189461463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-44294387653113957762015-03-06T08:43:01.562+11:002015-03-06T08:43:01.562+11:00If Ploeg was a double agent why was he assissinate...If Ploeg was a double agent why was he assissinated by the resistance? <br />Could he have been murdered by one part of the resistance that did not know he was a double agent because he was working for another part of the resistance? That would certianly be plausible as the resistance in each NAZI occupied country was a loose coalition of groups that ranged from traditional conservative to Stalinist. But I think that if you know the history of the Netherlands you could come to an even more incredible conclusion.<br />If the secret that was explicitly revealed in this book left you in a state of shock, as it did me, the secret hinted at over and over but never stated anywhere, and that I think the book challenges us to discover, will knock you off your feet. <br />It is for this reason that I think that this book is the most underrated book of the 20th century.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-75406488697991474892015-03-03T03:41:06.487+11:002015-03-03T03:41:06.487+11:00Could there be an even deeper secret be found in t...Could there be an even deeper secret be found in the book than the one that was actually revealed at the end of the book? Does one secret explicitly revealed hide an even deeper secret that is only implied but is of even of a much greater magnitude than the one that is feed to the reader? Early on in the story Anton is reading about a time capsule. His father states, the better you understand history the better you understand the present. Later when Anton is in the jail cell with the woman who was wounded in the attack on Ploeg and captured afterwards, she tells Anton, Ploeg had to die because he could have betrayed many more. I have to wonder what made Ploeg different from any other member of the Gestapo who the collaborators worked with? Was Ploeg different? Was Ploeg actually an Idiot as the Gestapo agent who conducted the interrogation of the Kortiwiks claimed when he remarked that only an idiot would ride home at night in the dark on a bicycle when he was working for the Gestapo? Did the author actually spell the truth out for you but you could not recognize it because it would mean you would have to confront something so terrifying and so troubling you would prefer not to deal with it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-76547016445894633072014-12-02T00:37:14.467+11:002014-12-02T00:37:14.467+11:00Equal parts Shakespeare, Nabokov, and Pirandello, ...Equal parts Shakespeare, Nabokov, and Pirandello, this novel is a blast. It is the best riff on the reality v. illusion theme I've encountered in a long while -- certainly the most literate.<br /><a href="http://www.theclimatetech.com/ac-repair-plano/" rel="nofollow">AC Repair Plano</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00118707550077647899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-39146434545186518452014-07-24T16:18:13.629+10:002014-07-24T16:18:13.629+10:00You might also like Sting of the Drone by Richard ...You might also like Sting of the Drone by Richard Clarke (http://www.amazon.com/Sting-Drone-Richard-A-Clarke/dp/1250047978) and “Bullets and Train” written by Pakistani author Adeerus Ghayan ( http://www.amazon.com/Bullets-Train-Adeerus-Ghayan-ebook/dp/B00LJK7KZ8 ) . Latter is available for free download at Amazon Kindle and looks at the matter from a purely Pakistani point of view. It is interesting how authors from two different parts of the world convey the same message that drones are fuelling terrorism.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17761913515980159828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-65842053004246534232014-04-26T17:38:02.843+10:002014-04-26T17:38:02.843+10:00This is a beautifully written mystery novel that i...This is a beautifully written mystery novel that is very evokative of the West coast of the South Island of New Zealand and the period in which it is set. Despite its length I found it eminently readable and I intend to revisit this novel in the future. I felt the 2013 Man Booker would be a contest between The Luminaries and Harvest, the outstanidng finalists, and believe this choice was a brave one by the judges who clearly grapsed the concept of the international scope of this award.medical escort miami informationhttp://www.a1medicaltransportservices.com/Service-Area/Non-Emergency-Medical-Transport-Mediacl-Escort_Miami-FL.phpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-74792986134199200122014-04-18T16:25:51.009+10:002014-04-18T16:25:51.009+10:00Chronicle of a Death Foretold is an awe-inspiring ...Chronicle of a Death Foretold is an awe-inspiring novella. I liked it better than 100 Years, which I wasn't as blown away by as some readers (I guess having read a lot of Gunter Grass beforehand, "magical realism" wasn't as much of a novelty for me). Still, one of the 20th century's greats.Evannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-58510575482123890702014-04-04T21:38:11.379+11:002014-04-04T21:38:11.379+11:00These blogs and articles are fully good enough for...These blogs and articles are fully good enough for me.<br /><a href="http://uraniumbikes.com/" rel="nofollow">Uranium Bikes Blog</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-61655090672930303932014-03-28T14:20:11.890+11:002014-03-28T14:20:11.890+11:00The entire last page of The Great Gatsby does it f...The entire last page of The Great Gatsby does it for me. Also sublime.Evannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-27675953203510034252014-03-25T21:09:31.916+11:002014-03-25T21:09:31.916+11:00Yeah I've always wanted to learn German just s...Yeah I've always wanted to learn German just so I could read The Trial as Kafka wrote it. Then Breon Mitchell came along and... well... I haven't learnt German.The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09438661852327001822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5916640680794365241.post-59402306435849364302014-03-25T20:50:27.307+11:002014-03-25T20:50:27.307+11:00I've read this twice already - in the Muir and...I've read this twice already - in the Muir and Hofmann translations respectively. I remember the outcry that greeted Hofmann's choice of "cockroach" for the insect, but not naming it at all seems a wise decision. <br />I might decide to revist The Metamorphosis in Bernofsky's translation. Unless I decide to learn German before then...Evannoreply@blogger.com