Comments for Bibliophilic

Comment on Graphic Novels for People Who Hate Comics by Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:58:22 +0000

Hi. I’m happy to see other blogs recommending Hagio’s work, first of all. By the way, I just discovered your blog today and I’ll definitely be spending some time here. Also, speaking of Hagio Moto, my Japanese husband and I just started a blog where we translate and discuss one of the classic shojo manga of hers, “Poe no Ichizoku”. It’s a complex, poignant story about a family of vampires who travel through time. Please stop by and leave comments–we’d love for this groundbreaking manga-ka to gain a much wider audience outside of Japan, and eventually want to translate as many of her works as we can (as you already mentioned, currently very little is officially published in English) Thanks again and I’ll be back!

Comment on Book Group: Undaunted Courage by jerry thomas

jerry thomas — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 01:08:14 +0000

I would like to ask Mr. Ambrose about his claim that the members of the expedition ate Twelve Pounds of meat every day —— each !!

It would take a substantial amount of fire to cook that much meat (30 X 12 = 360 pounds) AND at least four hours for the cooking. Plus at least four hours for the eating.

Farther on, he says that the band of Indian Chiefs en route to Washington, D. C. ate Nine Pounds of meat daily ——— each.

Comments ?

Comment on The Great Conversation by lance

lance — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:26:45 +0000

Back in 2001 I just by chance decided to pick up How to Read a Book and have become a devotee of that reading list since. I think I combined it with the goal of reading 50 books a year from not only the “great books” lists like the ones mentioned but also just what’s popular now or recommended by others. Time being a factor, audiobooks and even ebooks have allowed me to maintain that pace the past few years.

I feel it has made life richer in picking up subtle context and in-jokes as part of the conversation, and I certainly dazzled during trivia night when the literature category came up.

Your mention of discussing with Lisa about a book and that seems very important as well for synthesizing the ideas and connections. To that aim myself I joined in some online discussion groups done by barnes and noble that were interesting. Two of note were Michael Crighton’s State of Fear and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Of note, I was not a frequent reader while in school, but it was picking up that book by Adler that changed my course.

Comment on Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Nick

Nick — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:07:24 +0000

I, too, love this book, and it reminded me of Austen and O’Brian as well. Have you ever read The Quincunx by Charles Palliser? It doesn’t have the magic element that Strange and Norrell has, but it’s very much a Victorian story. Palliser writes more like Dickens than like Austen, but if you haven’t read it I think you’d enjoy it. It’s mysterious, suspenseful and literary and very thought-provoking. Thanks!

Comment on The Children’s Picturebook Price Guide by Marty Weil

Marty Weil — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 17:44:42 +0000

Thanks for the nice write-up about my interview.

Comment on Are Libraries Obsolete? by Hans Persson

Hans Persson — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 10:38:43 +0000

I’d say that the above list displays a little bit of insight and a large dollop on a listmaker being run over by evolution in action. Most of the items on the list can easily be turned around to argue in the opposite direction.

Not everyone has access to the internet.
Sure. Not everyone lives close to a library either. Actually, more people probably have a phone line (and thus, the opportunity to use the net) than proximity to a library.

Physical libraries are adapting to cultural change.
This has to be the best item on the list. Libraries adapt to cultural change, and, by implication, the internet does not? The mind boggles trying to conceive of the thinking that would put an item like this as an argument for paper vaults.

Library attendance isn’t falling — it’s just more virtual now.
Uh, yes… Thanks to what? The internet, by any chance?

I could go on and on, but I think this should be enough. I’m not saying libraries are useless. Librarians that think the internet is, though, are.

Comment on Graphic Novels for People Who Hate Comics by Hans Persson

Hans Persson — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 10:27:33 +0000

I can also recommend the work of Moto Hagio, who unfortunately has seen very little translation into English. Her A, A’ is excellent, though, as is the collection They Were Eleven which contains one of her stories. This is people-centric science fiction with a plenty of gender issues.

Also have a look at Emma (seven parts) by Kaoru Mori. A lavish manga about a love story between a maid and a tradesman’s son in 1899. An impossible romance in a victorian setting. Very detailed and well researched, apart from being a good story.

Comment on Writing for Money: The New Way and the Old by Nick

Nick — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 07:46:54 +0000

Any tips for someone who’s just getting started in trying to make money writing on the Internet? Maybe one or two things that have had the biggest impact in your ability to make a living writing?

Comment on Book Group: Undaunted Courage by pdxWoman

pdxWoman — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 18:37:14 +0000

I just picked this up at the Goodwill on Saturday. Since I have read the Journals of Lewis and Clark (the complete unabridged set, no less!) it will be interesting to see Ambrose’s vision of Lewis.

Looking forward to more book reviews!

Comment on Writing for Money: The New Way and the Old by pdxWoman

pdxWoman — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 18:30:02 +0000

Writing is writing. When patronage was in, writers made money writing one-act plays for the aristocracy to act out during slow evenings on fox hunting weekends.