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akujunkanWow. I've been at this for almost an entire year. That's a strange thought. Anyway, I read two books last week:
1) River Of Lost Footsteps - Thant Myint-U
This excellent book provides a broad history of Burma from prehistoric times to the present day. Myint-U's retelling jumps about chronologically, but the narrative is still easy to follow. He also spices things up a bit with some biographical sketches of various family members, which adds some immediacy to the events he chronicles. Best of all, he does an excellent job of suppling just enough background information on the international players--Britain, India, and China chief among them--that I really felt I had learnt a great deal of world history as well, and he never loses sight of the main narrative. My only quibble with River is that it would have benefited from an index, as unfamiliar names and Burmese terms are sprinkled throughout the text, and it's difficult to remember precisely who did what several hundred pages later. That said, this is a lucid, well written book and should appeal to anyone with an interest in East Asia.
2) Night Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko
Night Watch is the first installment of a blockbuster supernatural thriller by Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko. It reads quickly enough, but my overall reaction was "eh." Honestly, it's nothing I haven't encountered before in a Nancy Collins novel or LARP, and Lukyanenko doesn't do it any better or add any novel twists or perspective, either. I think some of this has to do with the translation--which is excellent, but there are politeness levels, speech patterns, and cultural references and interactions that are of necessity flying right over my head, seeing as I have no great knowledge of modern Russian society and culture. It's also not to difficult to foresee what the ultimate resolution in Twilight Watch, the third book, is likely to be. Still, it makes for good, light summer reading and I'll probably stay on for the long haul.
SBS: One-hundred thirty-six books. How does this keep happening?
That will be all.
1) River Of Lost Footsteps - Thant Myint-U
This excellent book provides a broad history of Burma from prehistoric times to the present day. Myint-U's retelling jumps about chronologically, but the narrative is still easy to follow. He also spices things up a bit with some biographical sketches of various family members, which adds some immediacy to the events he chronicles. Best of all, he does an excellent job of suppling just enough background information on the international players--Britain, India, and China chief among them--that I really felt I had learnt a great deal of world history as well, and he never loses sight of the main narrative. My only quibble with River is that it would have benefited from an index, as unfamiliar names and Burmese terms are sprinkled throughout the text, and it's difficult to remember precisely who did what several hundred pages later. That said, this is a lucid, well written book and should appeal to anyone with an interest in East Asia.
2) Night Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko
Night Watch is the first installment of a blockbuster supernatural thriller by Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko. It reads quickly enough, but my overall reaction was "eh." Honestly, it's nothing I haven't encountered before in a Nancy Collins novel or LARP, and Lukyanenko doesn't do it any better or add any novel twists or perspective, either. I think some of this has to do with the translation--which is excellent, but there are politeness levels, speech patterns, and cultural references and interactions that are of necessity flying right over my head, seeing as I have no great knowledge of modern Russian society and culture. It's also not to difficult to foresee what the ultimate resolution in Twilight Watch, the third book, is likely to be. Still, it makes for good, light summer reading and I'll probably stay on for the long haul.
SBS: One-hundred thirty-six books. How does this keep happening?
That will be all.