Bookblogging

[tarigwaemir]

Haste Street on the Feast of St. Marcellinus

I wrote up a to-do list of things I wanted to get done during this past week, but of course, I've only really accomplished the least important items. Spent today half-heartedly organizing all the papers I've downloaded for class (but not reading or reviewing any of them) and updating the reading blog by adding my reviews for bibliophages as well as writing about some recently read books. I've been doing very badly in my resolution to blog about every book I read, so I made up a list of my backlog and posted it here. If you want me to post about any of the books on the list, leave a comment (either there or here), and it'll give me incentive to start filling in the gaps in my bookblogging.

Posted review of Shusaku Endo's Silence at bibliophages here (also crossposted to the reading blog for the very few of you who follow both).

Old news, but Wordpress 2.5 apparently includes a stats widget for the Dashboard. I ought to update my installation but am too lazy to download the .zip. >_> Will get around to it, I'm sure, when I've run out of other venues of procrastination.

Real-life update later; I need to at least make a pretense of having done something productive this weekend.

Yours &c.

Post-script: ambientlight asked for:

Top five themes in fiction
1. Metafiction: In the loosest sense, books about books. The more self-referentiality involved the better. Also see: typographical experimentation, scrambled narratives, footnotes, breaking the fourth wall, reviewing nonexistent books.
2. Geniuses: Subsets include polymaths, polyglots, child prodigies, etc. Am not picky as to area of talent. More generally, I suppose I like reading about people who are passionate about what they do, even to the point of being self-destructive or at least extremely dysfunctional.
3. "Fall of" or "fall from": The part of me that likes tragedy, I suppose. I like reading about Icaruses, the end of Golden Ages, idealists who have their ideals shattered, decaying aristocratic families, dying cities.
4. Strategy: Anything that involves someone trying to outwit or outmaneuver someone else. Hence the fondness for mysteries, political intrigue, military tactics, and mind games.
5. Fidelity: One of the five Confucian virtues. I think I like stories about friendship the most, but loyalty to anyone (family, lover, gang) or anything (nation, God, the Revolution) can be moving especially if it's loyalty in spite of betrayal. Blind loyalty can come off as disturbing of course, but even then, it's kind of fascinating to read about.

Post-post-script: It is really bizarre when you get an email from Facebook saying that someone with your own name has friended you. O_O

Comments

[ambientlight.livejournal.com]

thanks for answering! i find the last one particularly interesting, since it doesn't seem that common (at least in the sense that it appears to seldom be explicitly mentioned as a favourite theme, even if readers do enjoy it).

1. i take it that you like Danielewski's writing, then? his are the only books i know of which feature 'typographical experimentation', not to mention all the other features you listed. ^^;

[troisroyaumes]

Hm, I suppose fidelity isn't usually considered a "literary" theme, but it's often an important plot element. It occurred to me because I was trying to synthesize my fondness for, say, stories about the mafia as well as stories about lifelong friendships.

I haven't read Danielewski yet, although I suspect from having looked at The House of Leaves in bookstores that I would enjoy him very much. I've seen other authors experiment with typography, although in nowhere near as radical a fashion as Danielewski.

[ambientlight.livejournal.com]

mm, that makes sense. there seems to be quite a bit of bleed between plot elements and motifs and themes, anyway.

danielewski may be accused of being somewhat gimmicky, but reading House of Leaves was certainly an experience. i haven't read his other works, though. out of curiosity, which other authors have you seen experimenting with typography?

[phoenixgold.livejournal.com]

Metafiction's definitely my #1, and I'm definitely with you on 2 and 4. I'd tell you my other three, but after I put some more thought into it. XD

I've been absent from LJ for awhile, so I only just noticed how fabulous your reading blog is. <3333

[troisroyaumes]

Haha, thank you very much! I fail at updating the blog regularly though.

Would be very interested in hearing your other three themes, once you've decided on them! ^_^

[phoenixgold.livejournal.com]

I realized you had three themes, I agreed with already, so I was just unable to count earlier. XD I'll throw in a third anyway.

In no particular order:

• Family history/legacy—I love reading about the past's bearing on the present, what we inherit from our forefathers, and what we pass on to our children.


• Antiheroes—It's more fun when the protagonist's personality is a challenge! XD I also find antiheroes a more interesting reflection of heroism itself.


• Magical realism, especially if epic romances are involved—Between Marquez, Allende, and Calvino in If on a winter's night ..., I don't know what to do with myself except rolling around and dreaming of BOMBASTIC and GLOBETROTTING escapades in the name of TRUE LOVE. It's a sickness. XDDDD

[lawnmower-elf.livejournal.com]

MOMMY!
Long time no see/speak/write. :(
In the middle of Shoryuhai now, but Izzy let slip that you were now dating?! (am currently sworn off Facebook, due to addictive and time-consuming side-effects)

...And er, yeah... A team didn't do as well this year (maybe they really shouldn't have made me taisho, but)...but UC Davis totally beat everyone to come first, even UCLA and UCSD in a complete upset, so yay! The tyrannical duo's reign is over. :)

Will get sleep now before individuals.

[troisroyaumes]

!!! GO UC DAVIS!

How did the round robins go? Which teams were in your bracket? Also, good luck on individuals tomorrow!

Ahaha, yes, I am. If you scroll back, you will see a few posts that mention him and a few posts that talk about him in great detail. (Not going on Facebook is a good thing; I've been trying to wean myself off it.)

[lawnmower-elf.livejournal.com]

Re: Shoryuhai - Deserves a much longer and more detailed reply than I can give now in my mental/physical state (read: exhaustion) so will give you an IOU for now

Re: You + Your Beau (!)
I just read your entry thingamambobs and !!


...Too cute for words. :)

But yes, gossip later... and gosh darn it, I abandon LJ for a while and the world goes topsy-turvy.

[troisroyaumes]

Ahaha, not the first time I've asked Kofi for romantic advice either. Well, I guess I'm closer to him since I knew him before he became an alum. (Should that be capitalized to emphasize its significance? An Alum!)

Am sure you're busy with end-of-year events plus reading period, but would love to hear your update on Shoryuhai when you get the chance! Saw that UG and her brother took home individual trophies. Also, the frosh on the EC list sound adorable! (Am still quietly lurking on the list until someone forcibly takes me off.)

Anyway, am always up for gossip, so feel free to email/call if you need a venue for procrastination. ^_^