Mostly about books

[vilakins]

I heard a transformer blew up in Melbourne and a lot of people are without power in the heat. I hope kerravonsen and anyone else in the area is all right.

I now have bronchitis; oh joy. The antibiotics the doctor gave me right at the start clearly didn't work at all. I'm supposed to go and see a contracting agency who used to get me work (all their staff have changed and they don't know me any more) but I can't feeling like this, and hacking disgustingly.

I am consoling myself with books.

I recently read An Assembly Such As This by Pamela Aidan; an account from Darcy's POV of the events of Pride and Prejudice, and the first in a trilogy. It's well written in the style of Austen (except for rampant said-phobia which Austen never suffered from; she never used "intoned" and "supplied" etc) and entertaining enough for me to want to read the other two. It was however full of the most terrible typos, spelling mistakes, and punctuation errors (e.g. "Here, here" instead of "Hear, hear", apostrophes in plurals, "who's" / "whose and "its" / "it's" being swapped). Was this even edited? Shame on you, Wytherngate Press.

I also enjoyed Sherlock Holmes: the missing years by Tibetan author Jamyang Norbu, which was recced on someone else's LJ. It covers the adventures of Holmes in India and Tibet in the two missing years after he was assumed dead, and is a ripping yarn with a touch of the Indiana Jones, told by Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, the Babu of Kipling's Kim. He makes an amusing and fun narrator (his Holmes is very in character too), and on the strength of this book, I've decided to reread Kim.

I'm also rereading the Earthsea Quartet, and am still slowly working my way through the Discworld novels, the last one being Carpe Jugulum, which was fun but not up to the level of a good City Watch book.

Comments

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

I also enjoyed Sherlock Holmes: the missing years by Tibetan author Jamyang Norbu

You know, I read that one ages ago and remember being dissatisfied with it, though I can't now remember exactly why... I have the vague impression that it featured some rather mystical elements that I felt were out of place in Holmes' universe.

I'm also rereading the Earthsea Quartet, and am still slowly working my way through the Discworld novels

Truly excellent choices!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

it featured some rather mystical elements that I felt were out of place in Holmes' universe.

It did--Tibetan Buddhism--but I enjoyed it anyway, and the Indiana Jones style of that part amused me. I think Holmes became rather Marty Stu there, but Hurree was such a funny narrator, even there, I didn't mind.

[kindkit.livejournal.com]

I have the vague impression that it featured some rather mystical elements that I felt were out of place in Holmes' universe.

*nods* I read it recently too, and that's exactly why I didn't love it the way I'd expected to. Not only was there a clash of universes, as it were, but some of it felt very proseletyze-y to me. And I'm no more fond of Buddhist proseletyzing than any other kind.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I found it rather out-of-place and also OTT, but as it was through Hurree's eyes, I didn't mind too much. It was a fun escapist yarn. I didn't think it was proselytism either given that Hurree retained his own beliefs (science and his religion). I did find the prologue with the history of Tibet under Chinese occupation and the author meeting the monk quite unnecessary. The book would be better without that and the partially fake forward.

[kerravonsen]

It was however full of the most terrible typos
Really? Either I didn't notice, or I was reading a different edition.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Maybe they fixed them in a later edition. I must have found more than 20; not what one expects in profic. Stray apostrophes were the worst offenders, but there were also things like "by" instead of "my". I hope the other books are better edited.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

And you're all right! You have power!

[kerravonsen]

Yes, I do, thank God! Thanks for your concern.

[azdak.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'm re-reading Kim right now! How serendipitous!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Cool! What made you decide to reread it?

[azdak.livejournal.com]

I wanted Wolfgang to read it, so I ordered a copy from amazon, and now he's finished and it's my go :-) He loved it - I thought he would!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's a ripping yarn! I'm starting it right after "The Tombs of Atuan", probably today or tomorrow.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Bronchitis in that heat is no good...Get better soon!
Funny, one usually discoveres that only being ill brings a chance to read the books.
Speaking about POTENTIALLY good books, there is Alexander McCall Smith and his Kalahari novels and...and all his novels. It is so pleasant to read but I need at least a flu to stay in bed and finish at least one of them...:-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I love the Ladies Number 1 Detective Agency books! I must see if another one has come out. You don't have time to read them otherwise? They're fairly short books; I eat them far too fast.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

I am g¨lad you like them. My problem actually is that we have only one print of each volume ib the library and as soon as ANY McCall Smith appears on the shelve, it is out. People who like the books even snatch them from me at the moment someone brings them back. I am just waitin for a chance to hide one under my counter:-)

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I've not read that Holmes book, I'll have to get it!

I hope you feel better soon x x

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's a fun read and an interesting crossover. The end's rather OTT but I enjoyed it filtered through Hurree's humorous narrative.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Hope the bronchs clear soon!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks; so do I! I'm coughing so much, my chest hurts and my appetite's gone. But the second part is probably a good thing.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I'm also rereading the Earthsea Quartet,

As you probably know, it's now a quintet, and the fifth book, "The Other Wind", is well up to the standard of the others IMO. (I also liked the book of Earthsea short stories, "Lost Tales", though I know of at least one person who didn't.)

and am still slowly working my way through the Discworld novels, the last one being Carpe Jugulum, which was fun but not up to the level of a good City Watch book.

But then what is? :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I do know there are more books (I believe there are five?) but the volume I have is the quartet. I wanted to reread them before the ones I haven't read yet.

What is, indeed?

[crycraven.livejournal.com]

Get well soon - those chest infections can get nasty. *hands you flowers*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I still feel pretty crap, but slightly less than yesterday. (She thinks hopefully.)

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

It's books like those that proves the value of fandom!
Nowadays no one seems to proofread, they leave it to the computer. With sometimes hilarious consequences, but more often annoying ones.

PS

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Re: PS

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Awwww, thanks! That is so cute. I had Jasmin cuddled up to me most of the night, and Ashley in the morning.

How did you find that picture? I've tried to find good ones on the glitter graphics site, and failed.

Re: PS

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

It's a screencap off "Kiki's Delivery Service" the cat in question is called Jiji.

I use this site

http://glitter-graphics.com/gallery.php?categoryID=45

As "Get Well Soon" wasn't producing good results I tried "Sorry you are poorly"and a few pages in there he was.

Re: PS

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I thought the cat looked familiar! I love Miyazaki films!

Huh! I find searches don't work well there and return far too many results; the more keywords, the more results, which is counter-intuitive. I tend to use google instead, but them means I have to download the pictures. I couldn't find your picture with any keyword combo. :-(

Re: PS

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

Sorry I forgot I gave up on that one and tried
"Hope You Feel Better". Jiji is on page 2

I tend to plug in various words and see the results and refine accordingly. Sometimes one word change can make a difference.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Still, a good editor should find and correct authors' mistakes. It's a pity as otherwise it's well written and in Austen's style, except for the said-phobia. I notice that some of the Amazon reviews said it was the best of the P&P spin-offs.

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

Well hopefully they'll have ironed out most of them by the 3rd edition, providing people tell them they are there.
Perhaps you should send them your list.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Too late; the book's gone back to the library. Maybe they did correct them; kerravonsen didn't see any errors.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Poor you, coughing is no fun at all. Are you getting different antibiotics?

Good luck with everything else.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I don't see the point if the other ones didn't work. I'll wait it out unless it gets worse, and really, they've never done much good when I've been like this. It's the weekend anyway so I can't see the doctor till tomorrow at the earliest.

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

I do hope you feel better soon :(

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[alinewrites.livejournal.com]

The book (Sherlock HOlmes...) seems to be a great one. I'm so in need of a good book. And Kim is one of my favourite books since I'm 13 (I didn't understand much of it then, and probably re-read it a hundred times since then)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's a little OTT at the end, and I think the prologue is unnecessary, but I found it very entertaining. Hurree is a fun narrator.

[merrymaia.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry! Bronchitis is just horrible. I hope you feel better soon! *Hugs you*

I am consoling myself with books.

Books are the best thing to console oneself with.

I read the Earthsea books for the first time in 2005 (http://merrymaia.livejournal.com/tag/earthsea). I've been meaning to re-read them - you just inspired me to do so!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I've been doing a lot of rereading lately of books I read long enough ago that I don't remember them clearly so that aspects are new to me. Also, books I read as a child are often quite different when read as an adult.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the bronchitis, and hope it clears up soon so you can get to the agency. Not to mention the benefits of feeling better!

I'm glad you've got books (and cats) to keep you going.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Books are always good, and the cats are a sheer joy, whether they're sleepy and cuddly or wild and playful: they're funnier than any YouTube vid.

How is Tabitha?

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Feel better soon. you.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I really, really hope so. My voice is going now with too much coughing.