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Took last week off, spent it at my in-law's house reading and vegging out. These all get at least one from me, but my favorites were easily Fake Fish (for the pictures and descriptions of plays I wish I could have seen) and The Wendigo (for keeping me up in front of a fire half the night on Christmas Eve, but also because it's a kick-ass story). I also read some comics, which I may add later.

The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City by William B. Helmreich
Oddly enough, the fact that a neighborhood has a bad reputation reduces the likelihood of certain kinds of violence. Because of that reality, people are far more careful about what they do. They will not jump out of their cars to complain if someone has double-parked and blocked them. They will not easily argue with people. Why? Those people could kill them.
Tamburlaine the Great, Part I by Christopher Marlowe
Enter TECHELLES with a naked dagger.
Techelles.
See you Agydas, how the king salutes you.
He Bids you Prophesy what it imports.
Fake Fish: The Theater Of Kobo Abe by Nancy Shields
Abe explained why in his opinion Mishima "who adored actors so much" was not able to become "a capable actor": "The reason is simple. He was constitutionally incapable of understanding the neutral physical expression which is an indispensable requirement for the actor. Even if he could have understood it, he may have been like me, unable to put it into practice. However, if Mishima had exercised just a bit of self-control and restricted himself to directing, as I have done, he might have become just the sort of pioneering, revolutionary director I am. (If this were published as dialogue, we'd have Laughter here.)"
The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood
"The allegory is significant," he remarked, looking about him into the darkness, "for the Voice, they say resembles all the minor sounds of the brush -- wind, falling water, cries of animals, and so forth. And, once the victim hears that -- he's off for good, of course! His most vulnerable points, moreover, are said to be the feet and the eyes; the feet, you see, for the lust of wandering, and the eyes for the lust of beauty. The poor beggar goes at such a dreadful speed that he bleeds beneath the eyes, and his feet burn."
Teaching & Learning Vocabulary by I.S.P. Nation
One of the educational values of learning a foreign language is seeing how the foreign language divides up experience in a different way from the mother tongue. From an Indonesian point of view, fork is defined mainly by its function -- something to push food onto your spoon. From an English point of view, fork is defined by its shape. Treating meaning in English as if it was just a mirror of the mother tongue hides this difference.
Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick
If I turn it on, I’ll hear them talking about me.
He reached out his hand, hesitated, and then turned the radio on. The radio began to hum. Gradually the tubes warmed; sounds, mostly static, faded in. He fiddled with the volume as he drove.
"... afterwards," a voice said squeakily.
"... not," another voice said.
"... my best."
"... okay." A series of pops.
They’re calling back and forth, Ragle said to himself. The air-waves filled with alarm. Ragle Gumm eluded us! Ragle Gumm escaped!
The voice squeaked, "... more experienced."
Ragle thought, Next time send a more experienced team. Bunch of amateurs.
"... might as well ... no further..."
Might as well give up, Ragle filled in. No further use in tracking him. He’s too shrewd. Too wily.
The voice squeaked, "... Schulmann says."
That would be Commander Schulmann, Ragle said to himself. The Supreme Commander with headquarters in Geneva. Mapping the top-level secret strategy to synchronize world-wide military movements so they converge on this pick-up truck. Fleets of warships steaming toward me. Atomic cannon. The usual works.
Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary Wolf
"Play it your way then, but if it turns out to be Jessica who killed me, I don't want her punished for it. I want you to get her off the hook. Will you at least humor me that far?"
"That's about the dopiest thing I've ever heard," I said.
"What did you expect from a rabbit?" said Roger.
The Man Who Turned into a Stick: Three Related Plays by Kobo Abe
[The director is free to choose the part of the man's anatomy which will represent the keyhole.]



Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. Long time since I saw the film, so the book surprised me plot-wise. But it was its language that was the real blunt trauma. An impeccably-written novel: sentence for sentence, word for word, this was probably the finest book I read this year. (Runners-up: Open City by Teju Cole and The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton. But not in that order.)
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www.esotericrabbit.com



Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. Long time since I saw the film, so the book surprised me plot-wise. But it was its language that was the real blunt trauma. An impeccably-written novel: sentence for sentence, word for word, this was probably the finest book I read this real. (Runners-up: Open City by Teju Cole and The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton. But not in that order.)
didn't know there was a film but remember liking the book Disgrace a lot. He is a fine writer. Not read either of your runners up, but am interested



Lone Wolf and Cup - 20 chapters, decided to stop waiting for the new edition to come out. More of the same, but now it appears that Retsudo is getting really frustrated as Ogami Itto has killed hundreds of assassins already. If that tale were minimally realistic, Ogami would have died several times, even the most skilled warrior in the world cannot beat 50 enemies alone in the open field.

+1,300 pages

3,090 pages out of 70,000 goal for 2015!



Lone Wolf and Cub
- Finished it, finally, life changing masterpiece of graphic fiction. Last 50 chapters, a total of 3,300 pages, for

6,390/70,000 pages read

One of the finest works of literature ever written. Incredibly influential as well, reproducing the essence of the bushido.

Needless
first 8 chapters really boring comedy action manga, nothing interesting going on.

Madoka & Kamen Raider (one shoot amateur manga)
Worst manga I ever read.

Magi
16 chapters

+570 pages

total: 6,960 pages



Pluto (Urasawa)



Being a big fan of 20th Century Boys and Monster, I decided to read Pluto, indeed, it's being a great read so far dealing with all the sci fi themes involving artificial intelligence. reminds me of I Robot but with actually good writing.

68 chapters (1,840 pages)

total: 8,800 pages



My top 5 graphic novels, so far:

Lone Wolf and Cub


Perhaps the greatest achievement of all time in the medium of graphic fiction and certainly one of the most important works of art of the 20th century.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind


Miyazaki's true Magnum Opus. Can be regarded as his most serious and sober work as well, lacking the flaws present in his films, as the medium allows for him to deal with his environmentalist themes in a serious way with all it's complexity.

Battle Angel Alita


Cyborgs are a common element of science fiction, however, so far I have known only one work of fiction centered with the theme that can be regarded as a true masterpiece and it is this manga.

20th Century Boys


Urasawa's Magnum Opus about the effects of childhood on the entire lifetimes of persons: the manga quickly shifts from the 1960's to the 2010's, depicting characters when they were 10 and when they were in their 60's.

Gunslinger Girl


Br00tal tale of little girls turned into killing machines for use against terrorist organizations in a fictional Italy divided by underground civil war. Artistically I would rate it as the weakest of the 5 mangas but perhaps the most entertaining.

The art is also very "otaku-like", unlike the four mangas above with have a more distinctive style from the conventional mangas. The clean straight lines and angular designs, characterize most manga made today.



Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor

A cracking tale set in 1847 during the Irish potato famine. The action alternates between Ireland, London and the events onboard the Star of the Sea, a ship on it's way from Ireland to New York carrying our main characters. Amongst the passengers are a diminishing number of starving Irish folk, whose deaths daily form a paragraph of the Captain's logbook. Also on board is David Merridith the Lord Kingscourt, his wife and two sons as well as various others - a clergyman, doctor, writer - it's like a microcosm of Ireland itself. Merridith is an Irish landowner, who if you know the history of Ireland at the time you'll know his tenants would've had the worse of times as the country was thrown into starvation. The story is told in flashback unfolding the dreadful secrets of all the main characters.

I could hardly put it down, it was so engrossing




Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
Father remembered the baseball at Harvard twenty years before, when the players addressed each other as Mister and played their game avidly, but as sportsmen, in sensible uniforms before audiences of collegians who rarely numbered more than a hundred. He was disturbed by his nostalgia. He'd always thought of himself as progressive. He believed in the perfectability of the republic. He thought, for instance that there was no reason the Negro could not with proper guidance carry every burden of human achievement. He did not believe in aristocracy except of the individual effort and vision. He felt his father's loss of fortune had the advantage of saving him from the uncritical adoption of the prejudices of his class. But the air in this ball park open under the sky smelled like the back room of a saloon. Cigar smoke filled the stadium and, lit by the oblique rays of the afternoon sun, indicated the voluminous cavern of air in which he sat pressed upon as if by a foul universe, with the breathless wind of a ten-thousand-throated chorus in his ears shouting its praise and abuse.
The Making of King Kong: the Story behind a Film Classic by Orville Goldner
"No picture of mine is going out in thirteen reels!" Cooper exclaimed. "I'll shoot an extra sequence to bring it up to fourteen reels."



there's a frog in my snake oil


Heaven on Earth - A Journey Through Shari'a Law - by Sadakat Kadri

Never afraid to mock hilarious and hateful expressions of Islamic thought, this investigation still remains respectful and constructive thanks to its focus on jurisprudence. (Although as he points out, this is the only area of dogma which is really open to debate). There are surreal excerpts & edicts aplenty, from condemnation of 'frequenters of see-saws' to restrictions on non-military hair-dye, but his core aim is to trace the overarching development of the major schools of Shari'a thought.

From the first 'legal' inter-Islamic assassinations of the Ḥashshashin, to the birth of suicide bombing, and the rise of Wahhabism & other ultra-traditionalist stances, he explores the geopolitical and spiritual tussles that have lead to the current landscape. As a humanitarian lawyer he seeks out the contradictory and unjust, but also highlights mechanisms that do work in practice, even if some seem ugly or redundant at first glance.

His frequent reminders that extreme punishments have rarely been put into practice until recent years sometimes feel a tad desperate, but when he visits areas such as Pakistan and challenges those who support the flimsy use of 'ta'zir' to fill gaps in the Koran (such as the infamous case where a rape victim was charged with having sex outside marriage) it's clear that he's no apologist for institutional or pious depravity.

His visits to key locations and groups enliven the history, and are often well captured. From the grave-shrines where his own ancestors spread mystic Sufism, to influential Madrasas, and even pro-Caliphate fringe groups in the UK, he tries to capture the local mood while still asking awkward questions.

Surprising norms emerge along the way, such as Iran topping the transgender charts after a passing Khomeini fatwa, and the earthy language of some of the Hadiths ('If men had been forbidden to make porridge out of camel dung they would have done it', Mo supposedly said). And of course there's some sly fun to be had (and eye-rolling dismay) involved in the interplay between tradition and technology, including the modern online fatwa Q&As. (To not update your Facebook status would be a sin ok )

A book of such huge scope can never hope to tackle every aspect satisfactorily, but it's a very effective overview and humanised take on the key Islamic strands and schools of thought at play today.

--
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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here



Not sure if it counts, but since it doesn't has any gameplay element in it, I'm currently reading a visual novel called "Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!!" (literally "Love Me, Seriously!!").

It's a fun Japanese story about samurai girls set in the modern age. It does have your traditional harem moments, much like your typical visual novel, but its characters are decently-written enough to make the experience fun.

Just finished reading one 'character route', and I'm currently working on my second one. It's not bad so far, and I've had a few laughs, but it's nothing impressive yet compared to other VNs.
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“It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so ****ing what." - Stephen Fry, The Guardian, 5 June 2005



Accounting for reading, all highest form of manga art :

Otokonoko wa maid fuku ga osuki (350 pages)

Usagi Drop (320 pages)
(get's weaker)
Azumanga Daioh (400 pages)

K-On: College (150 pages)

Full Metal Panic Sigma (200 pages)

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (200 pages)


total: 1,620 pages

adding up to my total it's 10,220 pages. Have to focus on manga to have a shoot at reaching my self challenge of 70 thousand pages.




A reread. I'm at the prologue now. I've never been much of a reader; always found reading texts to be a dreary task, but the Mass Effect franchise has interested me enough that I felt like reading up the novel-trilogy as well.

It's obvious from the prologue that the story has a more realistic take, or at least a more fleshed out story with more depth than the stories in any of the three games. It's a shame that Drew Karpyshyn, author of Mas Effect: Revelation, and lead writer of Mass Effect and possibly Mass Effect 2 retired all too early before being involved with Mass Effect 3; god knows that game could have been a hell lot better with him involved. I'm still interested in the 'dark space' sub-plot Drew had in mind.



Haven't updated my comic-reading in quite a while



2 would-be Dustin Hoffmen get into an argument and flee a wedding in Naoki Yamamoto's Dance till Tomorrow

Dance till Tomorrow vol. 3-7 (end) by Naoki Yamamoto
Niji Iro Togarashi vol. 5 by Mitsuru Adachi
How Sluggo Survives (Earnie Bushmiller's Nancy vol. 2)
Popeye (Thimble Theater) vol. 1-3 by E.C. Segar
Krazy and Ignatz (Krazy Kat), 1929-1930: A Mice, a Brick, a Lovely Night by George Herriman
The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger: The Kin-Der-Kids and Wee Willie Winkie's World (wonderful art tho)

And it wouldn't be a reading-tab post without finishing a few books...

Tamburlaine the Great: Part 2 by Christopher Marlowe (including the hundred-page intro by editor J.S. Cunningham, which doesn't figure into my rating)
Hamlet's Father by Orson Scott Card
Essential Idioms in English by Robert James Dixson (skimmed it for ESL lesson-plan material, haven't found a use for it yet but this rating doesn't reflect its potential value for the intended audience of ESL speakers.)




And it's yet another visual novel, this time, the infamous School Days HQ that's notorious for its multiple 'gory' endings.

I've always loved this one, because unlike other visual novels, it has full-length animated cut-scenes instead of the standard static background with the character sprite. More importantly, it's a non-linear VN with A LOT of branching storyline that even Clannad would be envy of. This was definitely a high-production value visual novel that other VN creators unfortunately didn't follow in its footsteps.

The story's a little thin, but I've always found it fun as long as you don't take it too seriously. My favorite character of the story is definitely Sekai, not Kotonoha. I have little pity for Kotonoha, unlike the majority.



The Adventure Starts Here!
I'm currently in the middle of three different books... two on two different Kindles and one in trade paperback. On my Kindle Touch right now is this:

... which is interesting so far.

On the Kindle Paperwhite is this:

...which is also interesting.

In trade paperback is this:

...which was a Christmas gift from my youngest offspring, Addie. So far it seems to have the kind of snarky, edgy writing I'll appreciate.

So, depending on the time of day or where I am in relation to any of these three devices/books, I'm reading all three concurrently.