I don't remember the last sequel I read. Probably when I re-read the LOTR before the movies opened!

Hah. I actually found LOTR (book) to be actually kind of dull. I never even finished the third book, ever. In fact, (this is blasphemy, but) I found the movies to be better paced and more concise.

sinister, I completely agree with you.

But my actual reason for coming here was to praise the new Will Hutton book about the rise of China:- The Writing on the Wall: China and the West in the 21st Century. Hutton is a trusted English writer on economics.

It tackles the economic growth of China as measured against its terrible social mechanisms, censorship, pollution, corruption et al.

Researched brilliantly, Hutton has delineated the key factors in how China has found itself where it is, how it is dealing with the encroachment of the West, and what it needs to do to avoid disaster.

China will affect us all in major, major ways sooner than later. Everyone should read this.

quote:

Originally posted by Sinister:
Hah. I actually found LOTR (book) to be actually kind of dull. I never even finished the third book, ever. In fact, (this is blasphemy, but) I found the movies to be better paced and more concise.

Blasphemy indeed. I think I spent less time reading those books than I did watching the movies. I liked the movies, but man those books were fast. I read the entire trilogy in about a week.

quote:

Originally posted by Ishmaels coffin:

But my actual reason for coming here was to praise the new Will Hutton book about the rise of China:- The Writing on the Wall: China and the West in the 21st Century. Hutton is a trusted English writer on economics.

It tackles the economic growth of China as measured against its terrible social mechanisms, censorship, pollution, corruption et al.

Ishy, how can you get ahold of stuff like this in China? It sounds like the sort of stuff the Party would ban.

yes, k/c, its intriguing ain't it?

The book is highly critical of China. As is Wild Swans which is now available in China, having been banned until last year. I don't quite know what to make of it, except that the Party seem to be tolerant of foreigners reading this stuff inside the country; but to take it out is very difficult.(a lot of cases of Westerners and Chinese having books confiscated on their way out of China).

I haven't received satisfactory answers on this. Most Chinese I speak to are almost completely apolitical, and either have no opinion or fear to give their opinion.

China still tells its people in its government controlled papers that to read Western books is a sign of decadence and shameful, so these books tend to be read only by we Anglo types.

I sit with my Chinese g/f and read her passages from this and other books/sites about modern China, and she is stunned. She has NO idea what goes on. The media is held as tight as a pitbull at a ballet recital.

Fascinating. There have been a few recent revisionist biographies of Mao. Have these filtered into China. What do the legacies of Mao and Deng look like to current Chinese?

About 15-18 yrs ago, I read a wonderful book about the two called "The New Emperors." Informative, but trashy at the same time. Ever heard of it?

I look for all the controversial dissident material of course ha ha, but there is still very little.

Books directly addressing Mao are almost non-existent as far as my detective work has uncovered. The Party claims that 70% of what Mao did was terrific, and he made 'errors' with the other 30%. He is still an inviolate institution for all practical purposes.

Haven't heard of 'The New Emperors.'

Talking about Mao usually elicits a smile and a strategic exit from the conversation, as he is simply not understood by the vast majority of Chinese. As I wrote, he is still the great 'hero' who created modern China, and people will say sumthin' like, 'Oh great man, making a few mistakes along the way, as all leaders do, c'mon, he wasn't perfect, but how dare you criticize him'

Attempts at conversations about Deng get blank stares for the most part. He exists outside peoples consciousness it seems. These guys are in Beijing doing something, 'but I don't wanna know.'

Although I'm sure I wld get different responses out in the far Western provinces where Deng is hated for his land theft and 'reformation' policies.

This country desperately needs to be free of the Party. Censorship is rampant, corruption is endemic and pollution is mostly ignored. The economic 'miracle' is a bit of number juggling too.

I just hope they don't declare war on Taiwan while I'm here ha ha

A light, pre-summer read: Dark Light by Randy Wayne White. Part of the Doc Ford series. Don't know why I read this stuff as the main character annoys me. Oh well.

THE WHEELMAN by Duane Swierczynski.

Imperium by Robert Harris.

Excellent, excellent recreation of the life of Cicero as seen through the eyes of his slave. Terrific mainstream fiction.

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster.

I know, I'm like 20 years late, but hey.

The 1st ALIENS V PREDATOR Omnibus from Dark Horse Comics.

Tackling my first Kafka novel - The Trial.

Wow. At your age, I barely knew what a trial was.

My 2 cents of advice: read it sloooowwly, savour the rhythms of speech and description, and the ever so subtle humour.

quote:

Originally posted by Sinister:
Tackling my first Kafka novel - The Trial.

Nice. It may be my favorite Kafka.

About halfway through. It's great. The ironic humor is masterful. And the best part? I got the book for 25 cents at a school book fair. (An 8 book bag. They were all big fat hardcovers - and the bag weighed about 30 pounds in the end (or 13ish kilos, for all of you metric lovers.)

EDIT: Hey, lookie, I'm a guru!

I just read "The Road" last night while I was stuck in an airport for seven hours. Pretty decent book. The writing style was a bit repetetive, but interesting enough. I'm sure it would've gotten a bit irritating had the book been longer, but it's a good length.

!
I liked the book, but devouring it in an airport seems a bit like the wrong place.

I'm almost done with Jurassic Park, and after that, I'm reading The Lost World. (Crichton)