stuff I read, read in parts, almost read, etc
Went to Manhattan and hopped over to St. Mark's Bookshop, a charming little establishment near Astor Place in the Village. Checked out a few books.
Book of Mercy by Leonard Cohen (yes, the one who wrote Hallelujah): This was a touching and beautiful, lyrical short little piece.
Daughter of Heaven: The True Story of the Only Woman to Become Emperor of China: I started reading this one and saw it citing Wu Zetian's childhood personal name as Wu Chao (Zhao), which was a name she only adopted long after she came to power. Indeed, it was a character invented only for her. So um, yeah, I kind of stopped right there. -_- I rather liked Shan Sa's translation of "Zhao" as "Heavenlight" in Empress, although judging from the editorial review Ms. Shan also got the name wrong.... -_-||||||
Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex is a collection that I really enjoyed (from the bits I sampled). I'll probably see if a library has it. The New York Times calls it "[a]n eye-opening, occasionally astonishing, brutally honest and frequently funny collection.....unpolished, unpretentious, and riveting...[a] rare ability to tell the truth, an ability that education and sophistication often serve to conceal."
Dan Brown's latest The Lost Symbol has gotten a lot of unfavorable reviews on Amazon, but I'm thinking of checking it out anyway.
「われ御身を愛す」was Asahi's report of the tragic love story between Aisin-Gioro Eisei (niece to the last emperor of China) and Okubo Takemichi, who died together in the mountains when she was 19 and him 20. Trust the Japanese to weave a kind of beauty into a double suicide/murder story.
Book of Mercy by Leonard Cohen (yes, the one who wrote Hallelujah): This was a touching and beautiful, lyrical short little piece.
Daughter of Heaven: The True Story of the Only Woman to Become Emperor of China: I started reading this one and saw it citing Wu Zetian's childhood personal name as Wu Chao (Zhao), which was a name she only adopted long after she came to power. Indeed, it was a character invented only for her. So um, yeah, I kind of stopped right there. -_- I rather liked Shan Sa's translation of "Zhao" as "Heavenlight" in Empress, although judging from the editorial review Ms. Shan also got the name wrong.... -_-||||||
Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex is a collection that I really enjoyed (from the bits I sampled). I'll probably see if a library has it. The New York Times calls it "[a]n eye-opening, occasionally astonishing, brutally honest and frequently funny collection.....unpolished, unpretentious, and riveting...[a] rare ability to tell the truth, an ability that education and sophistication often serve to conceal."
Dan Brown's latest The Lost Symbol has gotten a lot of unfavorable reviews on Amazon, but I'm thinking of checking it out anyway.
「われ御身を愛す」was Asahi's report of the tragic love story between Aisin-Gioro Eisei (niece to the last emperor of China) and Okubo Takemichi, who died together in the mountains when she was 19 and him 20. Trust the Japanese to weave a kind of beauty into a double suicide/murder story.