Thanks for the tip Yara, I'll have to keep an eye out for that book! i was about to say 'whats it about?' but I'll just read it and find out! And your written English is perfect, I wasn't being nice! And I know what you mean about your mom's relationship with the 'outer world,' I also grew up in an extremely conservative and inward looking church, and it still amazes me how some people can live (and be very happy!) in such a small world. It took me a while to rebel against that worldview, and it makes me sad to see people living in such isolation - life could be so much fuller for them. And I cringe looking at people I was friends with as a teenager who ended up married at 18 or 19, never worked, never went to college, never made friends outside their own small sub-culture, and their whole life seems to be about their house! But I guess everyone is different and there is a place for all of us! And there is definitely a place for tightknit communities, they can be a haven for hurting people. Anyway, that was a bit lofty and waffel-ly, but hopefully you know what I mean and aren't offended or anything! :)
Taen, is 1984 good? I've always thought about reading it, but it never got around to it.
Tael · Member since
Yeah, it's good. I haven't finished it yet. You should read it sometime.
Marcelo_argentina · Member since
I´m also reading at the moment Lobsang Rampa, as Zebonka..the guy was fucking crazy, but his books are just incredibles if you want to fly a little...also reading Robin Norwood (when I travel to work by Train), Why me, why this, why now?...Intresting stuff..Finally I got "The uses of Literacy" from Richard Hoggart...I will give it a chance soon...Love reading...can´t live with out books around me..
cacatua · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Zebonka12 wrote: [/b]
I've been reading Lobsang Rampa.
[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]
The guy was a COMPLETE fraud but it made for interesting reading.
[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]
My God! I can't believe anyone esle has read him! I was a lot younger then. I think I gave my collection away to the Salvation Army years ago!
cacatua · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Marcelo_argentina wrote: [/b]
I´m also reading at the moment Lobsang Rampa, as Zebonka..the guy was fucking crazy, but his books are just incredibles if you want to fly a little...also reading Robin Norwood (when I travel to work by Train), Why me, why this, why now?...Intresting stuff..Finally I got "The uses of Literacy" from Richard Hoggart...I will give it a chance soon...Love reading...can´t live with out books around me..[/QUOTE]
ANOTHER Lobsang Rampa reader?!! Now I wish I had the books back! I wonder what I'd think of them today.
cacatua · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]My Melancholy Blues wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]Yara wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]catqueen wrote: [/b]
Is anyone reading anything particularly good at the moment? Or in the recent past? Or have any books to recommend? I usually have several books going at a time, which I dip in and out of, although i don't read nearly as much as I used to. At the moment I'm rereading [i]One Red Paperclip[/i], by Kyle MacDonald. Its about a guy in Canada who played a game called 'bigger and better.' He started with one red paperclip, which he traded for a pen (bigger or better then the paperclip). This was traded for something else, and so on. He ended up travelling all over Canada, and possibly part of the USA to make trades. His goal was to get a house in a year, and he did it. Its a great, lighthearted, optimistic and happy book for the extremely bleak weather we're undergoing here.
Anyway, is anyone else reading anything good?
[/QUOTE]
My mother always enjoyed reading Gógol’s books but never had his complete works in their original languages. She’s from Ukraine and she can’t barely speak Portuguese or English to this day - giving books to my mom as a gift is a nightmare because Brazil is not a very good market for books in Russian, Ukrainian and Hebrew.
Anyway, I was recently in New York and managed to buy all the books by this author - some very good editions for a ridiculously low price. The Strand saved me. She was thrilled to have the chance to read again the works of one of her favorite authors in the original language. I read some tales in the plane back home and I enjoyed them a lot. I had only read his masterpiece - ?Dead Souls?. A book I thoroughly enjoyed, and I usually hate reading novels or books on humanities. The book must be seriously good if even I liked it so much.
So we’ve been getting together in weekends to slowly and carefully read Gógol’s ¨Tarás Bulba¨. It’s a fascinating novel in all regards - the writing is incredibly beautiful and the plots and sub-plots are all very compelling and exciting. It’s a story about a Cossack family. It begins this way but gradually becomes something ¨ larger than life¨ as it deals with feelings and issues which transcend the very particular setting in which the novel takes place.
It’s a tale about family ties and community duties, often in contradiction; about the limits of tolerance in a specific historical moment and the clash between many different ethnic groups; about fear of the unknown and, above all, though, about love in its most absorbing and inebriating expression.
It’s an old book. Worse: it’s a book from the 19th Century telling a story which is supposed to happen in the 17th Century! You can probably buy it for U$ 5. But it is surprisingly worth reading.
At least for this math-geek here, it proved to be surprisingly good. : )))
[/QUOTE]
I feel it's a kind of coincidence.
Since Sep 1st I've been reading Gogol's "Dead Souls" for the second time.
Several years ago I was into Russian novels and I also read some Gogol's: "The Nose", "The Overcoat", and "Dead Souls". As to "¨Tarás Bulba", in my childhood I heard about the story.
(I'm Japanese, so all Russian books I've read so far are Japanese translations of them, though)
[/QUOTE]
This isn't necessarily a recommendation, but there was a movie made of[i] Taras Bulba[/i] in 1962, starring Yul Brynner and Tony Curtis. I have to imagine that the book is a lot better. It has been a long time since I've seen it, and my movie book gives it 2-1/2 stars out of 4. They rate the photography well though, and it was filmed in Argentina. I remember being very impressed with the Cossack stuff in it, but as with all things Hollywood, anyone who actually had a real knowledge of that culture could probably pick the movie depiction to shreds.
Loved Yul Brynner!
Lastly, my paternal grandmother was Bohemian. Her maiden name was Rhubee. That's why I am glad to be Bohemian now at QZ! ;oD Otherwise am 1/4 German and 1/2 Danish. My maternal grandfather always used to call grandma "His Little Bohunk", so I thought for a time that I was actually 1/2 Bohemian, but my older cousin says that he just called her that as sort of a pet name.
I hope this doesn't post with all the long spaces in it! If so, then apologies - don't know what sort of poltergiest is in the program now.
dragon-fly · Member since
If you want a movie about Cossacks you'd better get the one which was made in Russia in 2009. The director V. Bortko.
cacatua · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
If you want a movie about Cossacks you'd better get the one which was made in Russia in 2009. The director V. Bortko. [/QUOTE]
What do you personally think of the movie, dragon-fly, being Ukranian?
The Amazon listing has a very long and opinionated review of the movie if you scroll down. In some ways he liked the 1962 movie with Yul Brynner better. I don't know quite what to make of it after reading the reviews, because there are so few. At the amazon link there is yet another link to the Bortko movie DVD, with English subtitles, where this review is repeated, and a couple of others are there as well, but still only 3.
I guess now I'd like to see both movie versions and read the book now. I'll have to check and see if they have both of them to rent here.
Thanks for the info about the new version.
PauloPanucci · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Mr.Jingles wrote: [/b]
They even mentioned that some of the stories were so raunchy that they could only talk about them on satellite radio.
[/QUOTE]
my God[img=/images/smiley/msn/whatchutalkingabout_smile.gif][/img] kkkkk
Yara · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]cacatua wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
If you want a movie about Cossacks you'd better get the one which was made in Russia in 2009. The director V. Bortko.
[/QUOTE]
What do you personally think of the movie, dragon-fly, being Ukranian?
The Amazon listing has a very long and opinionated review of the movie if you scroll down. In some ways he liked the 1962 movie with Yul Brynner better. I don't know quite what to make of it after reading the reviews, because there are so few. At the amazon link there is yet another link to the Bortko movie DVD, with English subtitles, where this review is repeated, and a couple of others are there as well, but still only 3.
I guess now I'd like to see both movie versions and read the book now. I'll have to check and see if they have both of them to rent here.
Thanks for the info about the new version.
[/QUOTE]
The book has a very universal appeal. The author didn’t intend to write an accurate historical account of 17th Century Ukraine. All one needs to know about Cossacks and their culture in order to enjoy the reading is told by the author in the book itself: what makes the novel so riveting is the way he aptly unfolds to the reader this different, remote world while highlighting certain aspects of it which we all can identify with or relate to, regardless of nationality.
Besides, the book is cheap and quite short. Do read it. : -))) You’ll find out that you are as qualified to review it as anyone else.
All I am saying is: give the book a chance! :op
dragon-fly · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]cacatua wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
If you want a movie about Cossacks you'd better get the one which was made in Russia in 2009. The director V. Bortko.
[/QUOTE]
What do you personally think of the movie, dragon-fly, being Ukranian?
The Amazon listing has a very long and opinionated review of the movie if you scroll down. In some ways he liked the 1962 movie with Yul Brynner better. I don't know quite what to make of it after reading the reviews, because there are so few. At the amazon link there is yet another link to the Bortko movie DVD, with English subtitles, where this review is repeated, and a couple of others are there as well, but still only 3.
I guess now I'd like to see both movie versions and read the book now. I'll have to check and see if they have both of them to rent here.
Thanks for the info about the new version.
[/QUOTE]
I personally think (being Ukrainian) that you'd better read the book first:). It'll be much easier for you to judge both movies after the book. It'll give you a possibility to make your own decision. So, the best way to get everything:).
And, don't you think to take seriously this cock's fighting (Ukrainian president vs Russian ex-president from the first link).
I'm starting to read again stories by Ostap Vyshnja- that's a laugh!
Sergei. · Member since
[IRRELEVANT]
When I was returning from Germany there were a bunch of Ukrainian teenagers on my flight that were going on exchange in the United States (I knew since their passports all said "UKRAINA" in Cyrillic). I hoped for one of them to sit by me, but instead I got an Italian guy who watched movies like "Monsters vs. Aliens" and didn't understand the concept of how small airplane seats are. <3
[/IRRELEVANT]
As for Really Good Books, over my holiday in Europe I read "City of Thieves," which is a very short read and a very great one. Funny, too! I loved it.
Also, I recommend the Spook's Apprentice series even though it's for children and teens and there aren't that many people of that demographic on here anymore.
Other books that I plan to read soon are:
Q&A by Vikas Swarup –– What "Slumdog Millionaire" was based off of, so it must be good!
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby, Jr.
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
I could continue book recommendations forever but I don't think anyone cares, and this isn't the "Sergei recommends his favourite books to everyone" thread anyway.
PS: Now I'm getting ads about "Find your Ukrainian Beauty Today!" at the top of the page.
cacatua · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]cacatua wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
If you want a movie about Cossacks you'd better get the one which was made in Russia in 2009. The director V. Bortko.
[/QUOTE]
What do you personally think of the movie, dragon-fly, being Ukranian?
The Amazon listing has a very long and opinionated review of the movie if you scroll down. In some ways he liked the 1962 movie with Yul Brynner better. I don't know quite what to make of it after reading the reviews, because there are so few. At the amazon link there is yet another link to the Bortko movie DVD, with English subtitles, where this review is repeated, and a couple of others are there as well, but still only 3.
I guess now I'd like to see both movie versions and read the book now. I'll have to check and see if they have both of them to rent here.
Thanks for the info about the new version.
[/QUOTE]
I personally think (being Ukrainian) that you'd better read the book first:). It'll be much easier for you to judge both movies after the book. It'll give you a possibility to make your own decision. So, the best way to get everything:).
And, don't you think to take seriously this cock's fighting (Ukrainian president vs Russian ex-president from the first link).
I'm starting to read again stories by Ostap Vyshnja- that's a laugh!
[/QUOTE]
I suppose that reading the book first would be the correct order of things, though you might be surprised at how many people, having seen the movie version [i]Lawrence of Arabia[/i], which had little to do with real events, then went on to find Lawrence's book, [i]Seven Pillars of Wisdom[/i], about his experiences in the Arab Revolt. Too bad George Bush never read it! Anyway many of these people now hang out over at TEL Studies, and have seen the movie (Which is such an epic that even with its immense factual flaws is breathtaking.) and read Lawrence's book many times.
Anywho...........I'm not sure in what order I will get to these, but as tasks on my list go, life would be sweet if they were all this good!
Yara · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]cacatua wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]cacatua wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
If you want a movie about Cossacks you'd better get the one which was made in Russia in 2009. The director V. Bortko.
[/QUOTE]
What do you personally think of the movie, dragon-fly, being Ukranian?
The Amazon listing has a very long and opinionated review of the movie if you scroll down. In some ways he liked the 1962 movie with Yul Brynner better. I don't know quite what to make of it after reading the reviews, because there are so few. At the amazon link there is yet another link to the Bortko movie DVD, with English subtitles, where this review is repeated, and a couple of others are there as well, but still only 3.
I guess now I'd like to see both movie versions and read the book now. I'll have to check and see if they have both of them to rent here.
Thanks for the info about the new version.
[/QUOTE]
I personally think (being Ukrainian) that you'd better read the book first:). It'll be much easier for you to judge both movies after the book. It'll give you a possibility to make your own decision. So, the best way to get everything:).
And, don't you think to take seriously this cock's fighting (Ukrainian president vs Russian ex-president from the first link).
I'm starting to read again stories by Ostap Vyshnja- that's a laugh!
[/QUOTE]
I suppose that reading the book first would be the correct order of things, though you might be surprised at how many people, having seen the movie version [i]Lawrence of Arabia[/i], which had little to do with real events, then went on to find Lawrence's book, [i]Seven Pillars of Wisdom[/i], about his experiences in the Arab Revolt. Too bad George Bush never read it! Anyway many of these people now hang out over at TEL Studies, and have seen the movie (Which is such an epic that even with its immense factual flaws is breathtaking.) and read Lawrence's book many times.
Anywho...........I'm not sure in what order I will get to these, but as tasks on my list go, life would be sweet if they were all this good!
[/QUOTE]
List? What LIST? READ THE BOOK!!! Just grab it and let it take you wherever your imagination wanna go to. I’m seriously thinking about sending the book to you by mail! I’m starting to get exasperated. And I know what the answer will be: "I have a life outside of the world of the novels...". I can’t stand this line and its variations anymore, I’m going slightly mad.
READ THE DAMN BOOK! :op
It’s short and cheap. That "Everyman’s Library" Collection has a whole volume devoted to his tales, I’m almost sure Tarás Bulba is there.
It’s sheer pleasure and I’m quite sure you finish reading it in two or three days.
SHEER pleasure. You read it in one go. Bring the Cossacks to your bathroom. Bring them on! To the kitchen. To BED - the whole horde of Cossacks. : -))
cacatua · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]Yara wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]cacatua wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]cacatua wrote: [/b]
[QUOTE]
[b]dragon-fly wrote: [/b]
If you want a movie about Cossacks you'd better get the one which was made in Russia in 2009. The director V. Bortko.
[/QUOTE]
What do you personally think of the movie, dragon-fly, being Ukranian?
The Amazon listing has a very long and opinionated review of the movie if you scroll down. In some ways he liked the 1962 movie with Yul Brynner better. I don't know quite what to make of it after reading the reviews, because there are so few. At the amazon link there is yet another link to the Bortko movie DVD, with English subtitles, where this review is repeated, and a couple of others are there as well, but still only 3.
I guess now I'd like to see both movie versions and read the book now. I'll have to check and see if they have both of them to rent here.
Thanks for the info about the new version.
[/QUOTE]
I personally think (being Ukrainian) that you'd better read the book first:). It'll be much easier for you to judge both movies after the book. It'll give you a possibility to make your own decision. So, the best way to get everything:).
And, don't you think to take seriously this cock's fighting (Ukrainian president vs Russian ex-president from the first link).
I'm starting to read again stories by Ostap Vyshnja- that's a laugh!
[/QUOTE]
I suppose that reading the book first would be the correct order of things, though you might be surprised at how many people, having seen the movie version [i]Lawrence of Arabia[/i], which had little to do with real events, then went on to find Lawrence's book, [i]Seven Pillars of Wisdom[/i], about his experiences in the Arab Revolt. Too bad George Bush never read it! Anyway many of these people now hang out over at TEL Studies, and have seen the movie (Which is such an epic that even with its immense factual flaws is breathtaking.) and read Lawrence's book many times.
Anywho...........I'm not sure in what order I will get to these, but as tasks on my list go, life would be sweet if they were all this good!
[/QUOTE]
List? What LIST? READ THE BOOK!!! Just grab it and let it take you wherever your imagination wanna go to. I’m seriously thinking about sending the book to you by mail! I’m starting to get exasperated. And I know what the answer will be: "I have a life outside of the world of the novels...". I can’t stand this line and its variations anymore, I’m going slightly mad.
READ THE DAMN BOOK! :op
It’s short and cheap. That "Everyman’s Library" Collection has a whole volume devoted to his tales, I’m almost sure Tarás Bulba is there.
It’s sheer pleasure and I’m quite sure you finish reading it in two or three days.
SHEER pleasure. You read it in one go. Bring the Cossacks to your bathroom. Bring them on! To the kitchen. To BED - the whole horde of Cossacks. : -))
