Books...
Well, I've read _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy (again). I've also read _Kindred_ by Octavia Butler and _The Girl who Played Go_ by Shan Sa. Right now I'm reading the Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman (again) and also _Cousin Bette_ by Balzac (which is going somewhat slowly).
I'm sitting in on two French classes at the University. One is the highest level French that the U. offers. Not that that really means much because the U. has a rather pathetic French system. I still need to improve my listening comprehension. The Prof. will say something to me and I'm just like, "Comment?" She will then repeat it, significantly slower, and I'm still like, "Comment?" She then has to say it in English... quite embarrassing and frustrating.
I'm also sitting in on an English class. Victorian Literature. I don't think it will be too interesting, but the Prof. seems quite good and this will fill in one of my more substantial gaps in the English Literature canon.
Anyway, I liked _The Girl who Played Go_. I read it in one day. The writing was graceful and action-centered without a lot of descriptions (Which is why Balzac is taking me so long this time). Made me want to learn more about Chinese history. It's really amazing to think about the temporal length of the Chinese culture. Even compared to Western Civilization, China is ancient. And compared to Europe, America is so young. I can't even comprehend the temporal differences between Chinese culture and American culture. Just boggles the mind, don't it?
_Kindred_ was good too. Butler wrote about what would happen if a Modern African-American woman were sent back to a slavery plantation in Maryland. I thought the heroine's reactions were very believable. She didn't try to fix the whole problem but rather she concentrated on smaller problems. The novel did change the way I look at slavery. I had never considered how I would have reacted to slavery if I were a slave. It made me realize how being White changes the way one perceives slavery.
I'm sitting in on two French classes at the University. One is the highest level French that the U. offers. Not that that really means much because the U. has a rather pathetic French system. I still need to improve my listening comprehension. The Prof. will say something to me and I'm just like, "Comment?" She will then repeat it, significantly slower, and I'm still like, "Comment?" She then has to say it in English... quite embarrassing and frustrating.
I'm also sitting in on an English class. Victorian Literature. I don't think it will be too interesting, but the Prof. seems quite good and this will fill in one of my more substantial gaps in the English Literature canon.
Anyway, I liked _The Girl who Played Go_. I read it in one day. The writing was graceful and action-centered without a lot of descriptions (Which is why Balzac is taking me so long this time). Made me want to learn more about Chinese history. It's really amazing to think about the temporal length of the Chinese culture. Even compared to Western Civilization, China is ancient. And compared to Europe, America is so young. I can't even comprehend the temporal differences between Chinese culture and American culture. Just boggles the mind, don't it?
_Kindred_ was good too. Butler wrote about what would happen if a Modern African-American woman were sent back to a slavery plantation in Maryland. I thought the heroine's reactions were very believable. She didn't try to fix the whole problem but rather she concentrated on smaller problems. The novel did change the way I look at slavery. I had never considered how I would have reacted to slavery if I were a slave. It made me realize how being White changes the way one perceives slavery.