Finished Sue Grafton's "V is for Vengence"...

Now starting, by the same author... "W is for Wasted"...

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Looking forward to winter break and being able to catch up on some of my Murakami novels while I'm flying/waiting for my flight. :3 My boyfriend seems to like the Mandarin translations of his books the best. My friend who runs a used bookstore recently got her hands on the 2nd printed edition in English of one of his earliest books so it's worth a lot of money, I suppose. I'm trying to convince her to sell it to me.

Also got a couple books signed by a Vietnamese-Canadian writer. She got excited because I actually have an out of print book of hers that she couldn't even get her hands on. I found it in the used bookstore unexpectedly. My friend had two copies of this book and I think the other is worth even more (mine is 2nd edition). The author was excited because I guess the artwork is different from the latter editions. Mine is hardcover. She seems to be doing pretty well for herself as a writer. She's even going to Denmark or somewhere in January to meet the queen there. She's this super quirky, funny lady. She told us a bunch of funny stories about her life, especially about adapting to Canada when she arrived her at 10-year-old and couldn't speak French, or English (her first English word she learnt was hilarious).

Any Japanese authors or others that you guys could recommend? Since I'm heading to NY I'll be able to find more books than I can find in my little cubby-hole of a place.

He's British really, having only lived in Japan for a few years as a child and he doesn't have much connection to Japanese literature either, but I really like Kazuo Ishiguro's books. Never Let Me Go is one of my absolute favourites, and the others have something about them too.

Incidentally, I'm not a big fan of Murakami. So don't expect anything very similar.

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Reading the last book of Gregory Maguire's "The Wicked Years" Saga, "Out of Oz". I've only read the books in succession once; especially since I bought the last one several years ago at a book signing event with the author.

quote:

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Originally posted by arren18
He's British really, having only lived in Japan for a few years as a child and he doesn't have much connection to Japanese literature either, but I really like Kazuo Ishiguro's books. Never Let Me Go is one of my absolute favourites, and the others have something about them too.

Incidentally, I'm not a big fan of Murakami. So don't expect anything very similar.

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Being historically minded, no, not just 'cause I'm old, lol...

I recently acquired a second printing, first edition of a book by William Banning and a Capt. Banning titled "Six Horses". It is about stagecoach travel in the US and how it developed. It was written by people that were there and has numerous prints and photos. Williams' father was Phineas Banning, a developer of stage and railroads in Southern California and is credited with being the founder of the city of Wilmington, California. It also ties in with where I live to some extant. It was printed in 1930.

And, interestingly enough, I was also offered another book titled "Scouting on Two Continents" by Major Frederick Russell Burnham DSO, Chief of Scouts under Lord Roberts. It was printed in 1926. It seems that Burnham scouted both in the American southwest and in Africa (one of the map illustrations is dated 1893).

Surprisingly, I was given the second book for free!

@FFF
I used to hang out at used book stores a lot when I was a kid and young adult. Not so many of them about now...


ps:
Is Major Burnham or Lord Roberts known to any of you in the UK?

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I like my non-fiction. Currently engrossed in:

"Wellington's Navy - Sea Power and the Peninsular War 1807-1814" by Christopher Hall and "The Spanish Army in the Peninsular war" by Charles Esdaile.

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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

I like bookstores a lot. One of my Japanese friends runs a bookstore nearby. She grew up near where Murakami would have and lived beside the university he attended. Her grandfather is also a notable figure in Japanese publishing, especially for manga.

I have trouble finding books I like. :/ In English, we can find a lot. But as much as Woolf and Plath are interesting, they're not my favourites.

Reading "My Neighbor Totoro, The Novel" original Story and Art by Hayao Miyazaki
Novel by Tsugiko Kubo

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Abhorsen by Garth Nix. I read the series was younger but never got through this oneā€”not because it wasn't good but because I'm awful at finishing things.

The series really holds up! The setting is FANTASTIC and Nix is great at writing good characters. His writing style itself isn't great, but whatever. I can get past that.

Finished the "Totoro" book. Having seen the movie, I anticipated too much of what was happening in the book. Things were a bit different, but still not a bad book to read.

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Currently way to into Agatha Christie. My personal favorite? The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

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3,2,1, Let's jam.

I have read so many of her novels..

If you like her books, try some Dick Francis novels. He was once a Steeple Chase jockey and has written a number of, IMO, very good books. About horseracing connected mysteries... and his heros are not supermen, they do get hurt...

I likewise love Louis L'Amour and Tony Hillerman as well.

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Thanks for the tip, Husky! I'll check him out.

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3,2,1, Let's jam.

I'm now reading the novel, "When Marnie Was There"...

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Really? Never heard of it. What's it about? Does it have a movie adaptation?

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3,2,1, Let's jam.

I've just atarted the book, so I don't know that much about how the book story goes. I have and have seen the anime so I have an idea from that, but books are frequently different to some degree or another so I will have to wait for a few chapters.

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"Moving Target" by J.A. Jance... An Ali REynolds novel finished at 4am this morning... Got up at 8am to go do some historical work... lol

Starting to read another book by the same arthor..."Second Watch"... A J.P. Beaumont novel...

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Reading "Catch Rope: The Long Arm of the Cowboy" by John R. Erickson...

As a youngster, I tried ropin' things with my little lasso made of sash coed or clothesline, never very good at it, lol. I once had a REAL rope made of rawhide, but it was brand new and stiff and hard... Again, never did any good with it. sigh...

I'm learning a lot about the construction of the ropes and methods of usage by the various groups. For example, one style was the tie the loose, or 'home', end of the rope to the saddle horn, usually with a shorter rope, abt 30' while another style was the 'dally rope' usually longer, up to 60' or so and when the rider made his catch, he took a turn or two around the saddlehorn. If he got into trouble, he could let the cow take off with the rope and recover it later. Maybe, lol...

The first style, if he got into trouble, he was stuck to the end of it unless he had a sharp knife handy.

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Reading "Scouting on Two Continents" by Major Frederick Robert Burnham D.S.O. Chief of Scouts under Lord Roberts.

Printed in 1926...

"In real life he is more interesting than any of my heroes of romance"
Sir Rider Haggard

"I have seldom been as much taken with a narrative"
Rear Admiral Wm. S. Sims, U.S.N.

"I have read it all with enthralled interest"
Theodore Roosevelt

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