leisure reading
some thoughts on and excerpts from books i've recently read...
The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin
step into the world of part-time caregiver turned surrogate mother, nanny. you can't help but fall in love with grayer, nanny's newest charge. the depicted situations may be somewhat extreme, but, according to the authors, not highly unlikely. my favorite episode was, hands down, the teletubbies. you just have to read it. more emotional than thought-provoking, with hints of a love interest and a sprinkling of romance, just to keep the ladies interested (and probably giddy). heartwarming, to the point of bringing out my maternal instincts. makes you want to take care of kids for a living. or maybe not...
The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
as the name itself suggests, the whole book is filled with correspondences from a character named screwtape, who is a bureaucrat from hell (hmmm...) to his nephew wormwood, a new tempter. the letters revolve around wormwood's work on his assigned patient, on how he should go about dragging another soul into the underworld.
a very interesting read, highly philosophical.
recommended for truth seekers and deep thinkers.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
if i can get my hands on a copy of the original chinese text, i'd read this story again in dai sijie's own words. and i'd spend time brushing up on my chinese just so i can fully appreciate this work in its raw form. (i'm always suspicious of author's nuances being lost in translation) i may be biased towards this novel because it's set in maoist china. plus, it tackles an idea i love to explore - the power of literature. the language is simple and direct; sijie (and translater ina rilke) effectively transports the reader from the 21st century urban setting to the 1970's rural china. properly paced, never boring, with interesting shifts in narration towards the latter part. but best of all is the beautiful, unexpected ending. leaves you with a strange sense of enlightenment, but also with a number of unformed questions in your head.
The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin
"This is an inside story. The authors have both worked as nannies for well-to-do New Yorkers, and here they fictionalize their experiences to protect the innocent--and the guilty!" - Library Journal
step into the world of part-time caregiver turned surrogate mother, nanny. you can't help but fall in love with grayer, nanny's newest charge. the depicted situations may be somewhat extreme, but, according to the authors, not highly unlikely. my favorite episode was, hands down, the teletubbies. you just have to read it. more emotional than thought-provoking, with hints of a love interest and a sprinkling of romance, just to keep the ladies interested (and probably giddy). heartwarming, to the point of bringing out my maternal instincts. makes you want to take care of kids for a living. or maybe not...
The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
as the name itself suggests, the whole book is filled with correspondences from a character named screwtape, who is a bureaucrat from hell (hmmm...) to his nephew wormwood, a new tempter. the letters revolve around wormwood's work on his assigned patient, on how he should go about dragging another soul into the underworld.
a very interesting read, highly philosophical.
"… the Present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which our Enemy has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them.
… the Future is, of all things, the least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time – for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays."
recommended for truth seekers and deep thinkers.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
if i can get my hands on a copy of the original chinese text, i'd read this story again in dai sijie's own words. and i'd spend time brushing up on my chinese just so i can fully appreciate this work in its raw form. (i'm always suspicious of author's nuances being lost in translation) i may be biased towards this novel because it's set in maoist china. plus, it tackles an idea i love to explore - the power of literature. the language is simple and direct; sijie (and translater ina rilke) effectively transports the reader from the 21st century urban setting to the 1970's rural china. properly paced, never boring, with interesting shifts in narration towards the latter part. but best of all is the beautiful, unexpected ending. leaves you with a strange sense of enlightenment, but also with a number of unformed questions in your head.
posted by super inday at 9:26 am
1 Comments:
hey guess what? well, friends si tolkien tsaka si cs lewis... cool noh? haha =) but no, his books are not inter-dependent like tolkien's (trilogy, same characters, etc.) lewis writes on a lot of different topics and themes, some fiction, some non-fiction. i think he has a bigger repertoire than tolkien. you'll appreciate the way he thinks, 'cause he really delves into the heart of the matter. his views are refreshingly different at times. as for becoming addicted... well =D you know a good writer when you read one, and you'll want to keep reading his works again! =D the screwtape letters is a good start, 'cause it's short and very different from traditional writing =) let me know what you think =)
Post a Comment
<< Home