• Raymonde said on Aug 17, 2006....

  I read about society,philo etc which I think you can conclude them in the term 'liberal arts'. A while ago I was going through depression so I didn't read a lot back then for fear that it would lead me to some extremes or put any kind of ideas in my head.But I do have favourite authors though,it's Milan Kundera,because I feel he writes about people's bizarre behaviour under extreme situations and the animal-side/psychological truth of human is thus revealed,although he's always been a narrator from the outside I get the feeling he's actually speaking from the inside of each of the character,and he shows the human sexual instinct's mysterious role in actions,the whole book is usually 'scented' with a hit of sex,not porn-sex,but beautiful and sometimes ironic,even laughable sex.

• Raymonde said on Aug 17, 2006....

  I read about society,philo etc which I think you can conclude them in the term 'liberal arts'. A while ago I was going through depression so I didn't read a lot back then for fear that it would lead me to some extremes or put any kind of ideas in my head.But I do have favourite authors though,it's Milan Kundera,because I feel he writes about people's bizarre behaviour under extreme situations and the animal-side/psychological truth of human is thus revealed,although he's always been a narrator from the outside I get the feeling he's actually speaking from the inside of each of the character,and he shows the human sexual instinct's mysterious role in actions,the whole book is usually 'scented' with a hit of sex,not porn-sex,but beautiful and sometimes ironic,even laughable sex.

• justop26 said on Aug 18, 2006....

  Raymonde: Milan Kundera, huh? I think I've read that name before... maybe in a Logics class. I, on the contrary, read a lot more when I was going through depression. Books of adventure, fiction, stuff like that, so that I could escape my world for a while. What you describe of that author sounds very interesting. Maybe I'll grab a book by him on my next visit to the bookstore. Although I'm not so much interested in the sex part, it's always appealing to know people's view on the human nature. That's why I read Paulo Coelho, his books go into showing the deep, complex nature of humans. And, naturally, includes some sex in some of his works.

• Raymonde said on Aug 19, 2006....

  He's a Czech writer(master maybe),you probably have heard of his most famous 'The unbearable lightness of life'?
  Regarding the sex,he doesn't actually write about the progression (if you will) of it so much as the symblism/irony of it,which also,as you said,reflects some basic instinct of the human nature.
  and FYI,his early works are in Czech while some recent works such as 'The Slowness' are in French.
  p.s.About Paulo Coelho,is he the renowned and controversial Brazillian writer?
  

• yeahbutnobut said on Aug 19, 2006....

  I find I got in phases with my reading. I'll be on a nonfiction binge, then science, or psychology, or thriller, Elmore Leonard, or some one else. Donnie Westlake. Dave Barry. I'll hit a highbrow phase and go for Naipaul. Milan is on my list of authors to sample.
  
  
  I find that Erich Fromm's work says a lot to me, especially "The Art of Being" and Escape From Freedom."
  
  IN THE LAND OF THE WHITE DEATH, a first hand account of being lost in the artic circle for two years. You can't put it down.
  
  Just finished LINES AND SHADOWS, Joseph Wambaughs telling the story of murder in Philadelphia. Reminiscent of the current one in the news in some ways, JonBenet, I mean.
  

• justop26 said on Aug 22, 2006....

  Raymonde: Unfortunately, no, I haven't heard anything about that book. Maybe I should get it, and try something new for a change. Wow, seems like I've still have a lot to learn... I wish I could be in college already, so I could learn a lot more things than just having to read Steinbeck.
  
  Ah, then I would be picking up one of his latest work. I'm studying French on my own, and reading a book by him would be a good way of practicing French AND learning about him.
  
  P.S.: Yes, the renowned and controversial Brazilian writer. That's Coelho.
  
  
  yeahbutnobut: I guess that way you don't get bored of reading the same type of stories everytime. That's a good strategy. That "In the Land of the White Death" sounds really good, I'm going to check it out next time I go to the bookstore.
  
  P.S.: Honestly, in this part of the world, I had never heard of that JonBenet case... I'm only finding out now, with the arrest of the suspected murderer.
  

• yeahbutnobut said on Aug 24, 2006....

  Back in the seventies, Susan Reinert was found murdered, her two kids were never found. And another couple that went missing was also never found. That's what Lines And Shadows is about. Very interesting cast of characters in a Philly Highschool You can look it up on the Court tv website and read the synopsis.
  
  Land of the white death is about an ship that got icebound and crushed in the russian winter of 1911. They finally escaped the artic in 1914. The captain kept a log and it finally got translated a few years back. Out of 24 ppl. Only 5 made it out. It is a hair-raiser.
  
  There are a couple other amazing stories of that kind, like Shackleton's adventure and tale of survival in the S.Pole.
  
  And right around the time of the first one I mentioned, on the siberia/canada side was another drama of a icelocked ship and how they survived. Wow. It is inspiring to read how tough people can be. Resilient mofos, that's for sure.
  

• justop26 said on Aug 28, 2006....

  Wow, those are really cool stories. Those about the shipwrecks sound exceedingly interesting, I'll see if I can get them in my favorite bookstore. Thanks for sharing those with me, yeahbutnobut.
  

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