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ivyWhat I’ve Just Finished Reading
I did finish Mirna Valerio's "A Beautiful Work in Progress" before the end of January, and near-immediately started recommending her to people. She's funny, insightful, and a great "you can do it!" read for people who don't necessarily look like the popular conception of an athlete. In addition to being generally interesting, if you have a body like hers, you may get some particular tips on useful gear and physical hazards to watch out for. (I may try her body lube approach for very long runs... I'm not sure if our skin reacts the same way, but oooh I would have been so much happier after the Star 50 if I had done *something* of the sort beforehand.) Five cheering strangers out of five.
I did not finish "Beautiful Country, Burn Again", and I'm not sure I am going to pick it up again in March. I was kind of hoping for more, given the author's NPR interview and all the details therein, but for as far as I got in the book, it was basically a stream of consciousness litany of all the things that happened in 2016, and I know that already. I was hoping for a more developed thesis; I hope this isn't one of those books where you can get the best part of the ideas from reading the insert on the cover.
What I’m Reading Now
Further adventures in "Trumptaí Dumptaí agus an Falla Mór" ("Trumpty Dumpty and the Big Mistake"). I am now on page 25, and the snail has not reappeared, and appears to have nothing to do with anything? I have determined that this is a book for teenagers and adult learners, it's classed as a short story (gearrscéalta), and so the surrealism is probably either political satire or Joycean stream of consciousness rather than the delight children's books take in breaking the rules of the world. Good to know? The White House has had an aide call the construction company owned by two Irishmen, and the Irishmen have Googled and looked at the White House staff page to verify that this person actually does work for the President, so I have learned something about how to say things like "index" and "list" and "staff directory" as Gaeilge. I am also pondering how best to translate the offhanded use of "An Trumpach" to refer to the President. "The Trumpinator"? It's about the best I can do so far, but we'll see.
What I Plan to Read Next
My current book has 140 pages and I'm on page 25, so, I'm expecting to be there for a while. If I somehow finish, though, it's back to "An Túr Solais" ("Tower of the Sun"), which is definitely a children's book as Gaeilge. I like reading books for adults or teenagers better than I like reading children's books... at least I have a better sense of what's going on. I wonder how much of that is the expectations of an adult mind striving to understand, versus the expectations of a child's mind and what it delights in as it learns. Other adult learners of languages, which do you prefer, and why?
I did finish Mirna Valerio's "A Beautiful Work in Progress" before the end of January, and near-immediately started recommending her to people. She's funny, insightful, and a great "you can do it!" read for people who don't necessarily look like the popular conception of an athlete. In addition to being generally interesting, if you have a body like hers, you may get some particular tips on useful gear and physical hazards to watch out for. (I may try her body lube approach for very long runs... I'm not sure if our skin reacts the same way, but oooh I would have been so much happier after the Star 50 if I had done *something* of the sort beforehand.) Five cheering strangers out of five.
I did not finish "Beautiful Country, Burn Again", and I'm not sure I am going to pick it up again in March. I was kind of hoping for more, given the author's NPR interview and all the details therein, but for as far as I got in the book, it was basically a stream of consciousness litany of all the things that happened in 2016, and I know that already. I was hoping for a more developed thesis; I hope this isn't one of those books where you can get the best part of the ideas from reading the insert on the cover.
What I’m Reading Now
Further adventures in "Trumptaí Dumptaí agus an Falla Mór" ("Trumpty Dumpty and the Big Mistake"). I am now on page 25, and the snail has not reappeared, and appears to have nothing to do with anything? I have determined that this is a book for teenagers and adult learners, it's classed as a short story (gearrscéalta), and so the surrealism is probably either political satire or Joycean stream of consciousness rather than the delight children's books take in breaking the rules of the world. Good to know? The White House has had an aide call the construction company owned by two Irishmen, and the Irishmen have Googled and looked at the White House staff page to verify that this person actually does work for the President, so I have learned something about how to say things like "index" and "list" and "staff directory" as Gaeilge. I am also pondering how best to translate the offhanded use of "An Trumpach" to refer to the President. "The Trumpinator"? It's about the best I can do so far, but we'll see.
What I Plan to Read Next
My current book has 140 pages and I'm on page 25, so, I'm expecting to be there for a while. If I somehow finish, though, it's back to "An Túr Solais" ("Tower of the Sun"), which is definitely a children's book as Gaeilge. I like reading books for adults or teenagers better than I like reading children's books... at least I have a better sense of what's going on. I wonder how much of that is the expectations of an adult mind striving to understand, versus the expectations of a child's mind and what it delights in as it learns. Other adult learners of languages, which do you prefer, and why?
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Date: 2019-02-06 08:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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