Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Junior]

Anything interesting? Give us a brief quotation if you like..

I'm on "The unbearable lightness of being" -(Milan Kundera) right now...

very easy read. Some nice insight on Czech history. His dialogue of female conquest seems a bit contrived and self-glorifying somehow. Nice philosophic angle though. 3 stars.

-..my favorite paragraph:-

[Louis VI]

On Sunday I read Malcolm Gladwell's The Outliers and found it much better than his Blink, largely because I found the ideas more intriguing, his logic and use as sources still as sloppy as any typical magazine writer.

I'm re-reading Garbriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold and am halfway through a collection of his short stories, respectful of his original style but peeved at his lack of understanding of female characters, noticing his only insights into a woman's life are aspects of behaviour gleaned through the eyes of a leering old man. Story after story re-inforce this blindspot of the author's, just like Hemingway couldn't transcend himself much in his characters.

Last week I finished Graham Joyce's Smoking Poppy, a tale about a father's journey to find his daughter in a Thai jail, pretty much about parental guilt and cultural conflict; obviously he's been to northern Thailand as I have. Not a bad read but kinda eh, won't be reading anything else of his.

I am glad to have meandered slowly through E.M. Thomas' The Tribe of Tiger, a nonfiction book long on interesting stories about Africa and cats and anthropological reflections on felines in history and nature. I kept putting the book down, taking a long time to finish, just to savour and ponder the book's ideas and details. An academic and someone with significant experiences and enough talent to describe them and try to understand them in a broader context. I recommend this book to anyone interested in animals, especially cats, or in ecology and Africa.

I'm starting the one George Eliot book I'd panned back in my university days, Silas Marner, as the story of an old guy in a rural setting didn't appeal as much as it does twenty years later and there are few as good as Eliot at character description. Now, excuse me, while I get at it...

[WadRUG'naDoo]

Just finished "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Hemmingway.

Was that the ending? Roberto about to shoot the fascist horseman? Hmm. I obscenity in Hemmingway's milk.

[Globutron]

Just finished A Brief History of Time - Hawkins.

Really quite an amusing book. I only ever read it in the 30 minutes before I start work every day so it's taken a good couple of weeks to get through. That and I've had to keep stopping and re-reading parts so I can understand it.

It's very very understandable, but to understand, really comprehend is another thing entirely for a layman like me.

Favourite quote I suppose would be something like

'I was thinking about black hole singularities when getting ready for bed. My disability makes this a long process, so I had plenty of time'

There are a few times he just makes passing comments about his personal life in an almost carefree, humourous way. Entire respect for the man. Next I suppose is this darned Behe book.[/i]

[mm]

I just finished "The Pity of it All" by Amos Elon

Would love to hear more non-fiction recommendations.

[Koveras]

Music and the Power of Sound - Alain Danielou
Titus Groan - Mervyn Peake
Meditations on the Tarot - Anonymous

[NilesQ]

Many leather bound books, in a room that smells of mahogany.

[PatrickBateman]

'Imperial Bedrooms'

How grimly predictable

[Kurtz]

"The Roads to Sata"- Alan Booth.

It's about a guy who walks across the length of Japan (with a ferry ride or two). Written in the mid-80's and set mostly in rural Japan, the parallels between Japan and modern day Korea are hilarious.

In the cargo bay is Conrad's "Nostromo", the brain is going to get a serious work out there.

[morrisonhotel]

Unpopular Essays by Bertrand Russell.

[Patrick Bateman]

I'm reading "My Secret Life" By Anonymous. It's the autobiography of a well-to-do Victorian man. He had a very...active life, and it's quite enlightening to see some of the opinions held at the time. However, the book seems like it could be so much more. I'm about 1/3 the way finished and at this point I'd give it a 3/5 stars being generous.

I'm also reading a short book of poetry called "Actual Air" by David Bernam. I'm not a big fan of poetry, but this book is really good. His works are unique, and I find myself actually having the poetic experience while reading them. A first for me. 5/5 stars.

I have a book club with some Korean teachers, so I'm currently finishing up "Slaugtherhouse5" by Vonnegut. with them. It's my 3rd time reading the book, and I still enjoy it. Next week we start "I, Claudius" by Robert Graves. I've never read it before, but I'm really looking forward to it.

[Underwaterbob]

I'm planning on starting China Mieville's "Kraken" soon. I recently read "Involution Ocean", Bruce Sterling's first book. It's a interesting sfnal take on the Moby Dick theme and comes heartily recommended by Harlan Ellison.

[brickabrack]

Paule Marshall - Fisher King

Malcolm Gladwell - Blink
The guy who wrote Tipping Point

[jvalmer]

Nothing, I don't think I've actually read a book since high school.

[Junior]