Finally, an update!
So now, I realize some of you have eagerly been seeking updates, though I get the feeling that no one really checks this much anymore, and I can't blame you all. This is the first time I've been to this site in about a month or so. I just added some comments that have been piling up for a bit.
Anyway, so I'm in a new arrangement this year, living in a dormitory in Nishi-Kokubunji (西国分寺), which is very nice. Everything is great, except the meal plan, which I'm thinking of switching out of, opting instead to do my own meal-making. We'll see how that turns out in a bit. All my teachers are nice this year, and one of them lives in the same city as I do, so we'll see what happens there. (For those who don't know, it's very popular in Japan for students and teachers to hang out after school or go out drinking or something along those lines.)
Hopefully the crazy depression that climaxed somewhat with my last journal entry is over, but I have a few more posts I'd like to write eventually about that. One is a little dark, so I'm not sure if the world is ready for it yet (though I've already shared it with some). Oh well. I'm behind on a lot of posts but not on other things. The thing that's really bothering me now is grad school applications. Hopefully those will go out ok, but I do have my fair share of doubts. I can't say I didn't try though.
I've been reading quite a bit lately, just because I can't seem to do any decent writing, so I thought reading would be a somewhat perfectly acceptable substitute. I thought I'd include a reading list at the moment in case anyone feels obliged to either join up with me on a similar book or ask for a recommendation. Here is the list, though it includes everything in my recent "Golden Age" of reading, which started shortly before I came to Japan. For those who are curious, Norwegian Wood was the first book I finished here. Anyway, here is the list:
- O'Brien, Robert C. / Miss Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
- Jones, Diana Wynne / Howl's Moving Castle
- Ende, Michael / Neverending Story, The
- Beagle, Peter S. / Last Unicorn, The
- Kikuchi Hideyuki / Vampire Hunter D
- Murakami Haruki / Norwegian Wood
- Borges, Jorge Luis / Fictions
- Brautigan, Richard / In Watermelon Sugar
- Trevanian / Shibumi
- Gaiman, Neil / Study in Emerald, A
- Lewis, C.S. / Magician's Nephew, The
- Doyle, Arthur Conan / Study in Scarlet, A
- Baum, Frank L. / Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The
* LeBlanc, Maurice & Jepson, Edgar / Arsène Lupin
- Lewis, C.S. / Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The
- Wells, H.G. / Time Machine, The
- Paolini, Christopher / Eragon
- Perez-Reverte, Arturo / El Club Dumas
- Murakami Haruki / The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
So yeah. I guess that'll be it for now. As for what's to come next in the list, a few things are sort of irking at me. Harry Potter, Dune, the rest of Narnia, His Dark Materials, and a few other things are just kind of sitting on my computer begging to be read. C.S. Lewis aside, I'm trying to only read one author at a time, just for the sake of variety. So we'll see what happens. I'll keep you all updated.
Anyone want to hear about some topic in particular that I haven't mentione yet? Tell me! Also, as far as pictures are concerned, I might start updating them once grad school applications are all sent out. Thanks for being patient!
Anyway, so I'm in a new arrangement this year, living in a dormitory in Nishi-Kokubunji (西国分寺), which is very nice. Everything is great, except the meal plan, which I'm thinking of switching out of, opting instead to do my own meal-making. We'll see how that turns out in a bit. All my teachers are nice this year, and one of them lives in the same city as I do, so we'll see what happens there. (For those who don't know, it's very popular in Japan for students and teachers to hang out after school or go out drinking or something along those lines.)
Hopefully the crazy depression that climaxed somewhat with my last journal entry is over, but I have a few more posts I'd like to write eventually about that. One is a little dark, so I'm not sure if the world is ready for it yet (though I've already shared it with some). Oh well. I'm behind on a lot of posts but not on other things. The thing that's really bothering me now is grad school applications. Hopefully those will go out ok, but I do have my fair share of doubts. I can't say I didn't try though.
I've been reading quite a bit lately, just because I can't seem to do any decent writing, so I thought reading would be a somewhat perfectly acceptable substitute. I thought I'd include a reading list at the moment in case anyone feels obliged to either join up with me on a similar book or ask for a recommendation. Here is the list, though it includes everything in my recent "Golden Age" of reading, which started shortly before I came to Japan. For those who are curious, Norwegian Wood was the first book I finished here. Anyway, here is the list:
- O'Brien, Robert C. / Miss Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
- Jones, Diana Wynne / Howl's Moving Castle
- Ende, Michael / Neverending Story, The
- Beagle, Peter S. / Last Unicorn, The
- Kikuchi Hideyuki / Vampire Hunter D
- Murakami Haruki / Norwegian Wood
- Borges, Jorge Luis / Fictions
- Brautigan, Richard / In Watermelon Sugar
- Trevanian / Shibumi
- Gaiman, Neil / Study in Emerald, A
- Lewis, C.S. / Magician's Nephew, The
- Doyle, Arthur Conan / Study in Scarlet, A
- Baum, Frank L. / Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The
* LeBlanc, Maurice & Jepson, Edgar / Arsène Lupin
- Lewis, C.S. / Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The
- Wells, H.G. / Time Machine, The
- Paolini, Christopher / Eragon
- Perez-Reverte, Arturo / El Club Dumas
- Murakami Haruki / The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
So yeah. I guess that'll be it for now. As for what's to come next in the list, a few things are sort of irking at me. Harry Potter, Dune, the rest of Narnia, His Dark Materials, and a few other things are just kind of sitting on my computer begging to be read. C.S. Lewis aside, I'm trying to only read one author at a time, just for the sake of variety. So we'll see what happens. I'll keep you all updated.
Anyone want to hear about some topic in particular that I haven't mentione yet? Tell me! Also, as far as pictures are concerned, I might start updating them once grad school applications are all sent out. Thanks for being patient!
posted by Me at 6:41 AM
2 Comments:
What'd you think of Eragon? I finished it a while back in addition to the sequel Eldest. The series is pretty good, but it's nothing too groundbreaking. Paolini draws a lot of elements from other more well known works such as LotR and Star Wars. His writing is also pretty unrefined, which isn't surprising since he doesn't have a college education. But the books are enjoyable. If you're looking more fantasy to read after you finish all those CS Lewis books, check out the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud.
Haha, I see you finally finished Norwegian Wood. =P Glad to hear you're still among the living. Good luck on your grad school apps. You staying in Japan or coming back?
Note: Eragon spoilers. Stop reading now if you don't want it spoiled!!
Sorry, I haven't checked for comments for awhile. As for Eragon, you're right; it isn't really groundbreaking at all. I wonder how it made New York Times bestseller when the writing is that unrefined. He draws from lots of English myth, the same that Tolkein seemed to have used, though I see a lot more Beowulf here than much else. Hrothgar, the name of the dwarf king is taken right out of Beowulf, and the "dwarf king under the mountain" is certainly a tribute to Tolkein. I haven't read Eldest yet because it's sitting at home unable to be cheaply shipped to me since it the hardback is too big.
As for what I thought of the plot, I really didn't care too much for it at all. I liked Brom's character once he was introduced. However, once he "joined the party," I realized that he was going to turn into Laike (ie: Dragonmaster Dyne) from Lunar, which he did. Actually, a lot of the plot is like Lunar. Galbatorix is Ghaleon. Dragon Riders instead of Dragon Masters. Little difference there. All we need is a floating magic city and we'll see why he didn't need a college education to write this. A few of the latter chapters were written well enough for me to steal from sometime. I won't say which ones, but I will say they exist.
As for Bartimaeus, I have access to the first book, but not the others. I can start it as soon as I finish what I'm reading now: Murakami's "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle," a book I can only describe as 'dangerous,' and Arturo Perez-Reverte's "El Club Dumas," which is also quite good.
- Me
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