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15 posts tagged books
15 posts tagged books
So I was thinking of reading this book, since I just saw Killer Elite. Yeah, I’m doing it in reverse. I like espionage & foreign lands. But WTF, why are the prices that high?? Might as well put in a bid for a Gutenberg Bible.
“…the French devour books like Americans wolf down brownies. In a nation of readers, writers are revered in France like pro football players are in America”
I’ve been listening to a lot of people talk about literature recently. When I hear/think of the word literature I think of leather or canvas bound dusty books, with their distinctive smell of paper, glue, & dust. I love the smell & texture of old books, especially if you’re in a grand library.
I also think about my education. I think I’ll blame Political Correctness. In my high school & university there was a major push for diversity, especially by the English departments. Whether they were tired of teaching the classics or it was a personal matter I’m not sure.
In my high school, they barely taught any of the classics: Shakespeare, Keynes, Faulkner, etc. Instead we read books about poor ethnic Americans; though limited to Mexican & black Americans.. (My school was made up of people from many ethnic, religions, & economic backgrounds.) Being that we were already a diverse group & some of us, like myself, had traveled a lot into diverse zones. It was almost like the English teachers themselves had the ethnic blinders on.
Interestingly in my lower school (at the same school), I read more classics. Such as I read Ulysses in 4th grade. I’ve read most of the classics on my own, but I do blame my school for not teaching them. As much as I believe all art is what you choose to make of it, often having a discussion with others (in a class room or dinner party) can increase your appreciation of it.
Here are the books which I read this year, I read less than normal; but I did speed up once I got a kindle. Those in italics & bold were favorites. In no particular order. All with Amazon links. [Idea came from Apsies.]
“And that’s when I realized the first of my two problems. I was slumped against my hotel room—I had that right—but, rather than being inside the room, I was outside, in the corridor. The second of my problems—and certainly the most pressing—was that I was stark fucking naked”
Finally finished this. Was sometimes long winded, nonetheless enlightening.
Locations discussed = DRC (AKA The Congo), India, Mexico City, & Walt Disney World.
Rather interested in visiting DRC at some point. India sounds similar to China, except dirtier. Having been to the poorest part of Mexico, I’m not sure I need to see the City. WDW, I do agree on some of what he says. WDW doesn’t frighten me, though does explain why non-travelers have a whitewashed view on the real world.
“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”
(via caseylapoint)
Reblogged from bookoasis-deactivated20120227
“…one should never let one’s own moral compass go unchecked for long. The world changes too fast. The worst thing is to become stagnant. Comfort is the enemy of creativity.”