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Post by Nikudou Natsumi on Jun 12, 2015 15:28:46 GMT
. . . Nevermind. Riddle of the Gnome happens AFTER Thief and the Beanstalk. Guess the black-bearded man wasn't Finch, then . . .
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rainbowcupcake
Full Member
JA is so absurdly gorgeous it's not even funny anymore. It's ruining my life
Posts: 142
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Post by rainbowcupcake on Jun 12, 2015 22:04:53 GMT
I've started reading 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' and it's really ... weird. At times, the story or a name or place feels so familiar that it makes me think I've read it before, but I don't actually remember ever reading it. Not even the title of the book rings a bell. *scratches head* I have no idea what's going on.
Never mind, I looked through my ebook collection and it's there, but it's the german version. Guess that explains that. Makes me wonder if I lost interest in it or didn't like it, because it's the first in a series, and usually if I like the first book of one, I get at least the next one too. Or I read it before the sequels came out and then just forgot about it. Hm. I shall read it again, in english this time, and find out.
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Post by Nikudou Natsumi on Jun 13, 2015 3:21:11 GMT
So I, uh, started reading The Mad Apprentice, but by the second chapter, I got suspicious and looked it up. Yeah . . . It was the second book of the series. Oops.
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Post by Mikauzoran on Jun 13, 2015 3:55:26 GMT
Today was a very productive reading day. I read A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. They were both really cute, enjoyable collections of stories. I remember a lot of them from my childhood watching Disney's versions, but the dramatization I listened to was so fun! In the original, Pooh comes up with a lot more poems and songs than I remember in Disney's. I liked Rabbit a lot more in the original, Tigger a lot less. Eeyore was really funny without meaning to be. I liked him a lot. In Disney, Eeyore just seemed depressed whereas in the original, he was kind of uppity, very prim and proper, bordering on pompous. All in all, it was really nice, whimsical. The stories really are timeless.
I also read The Giver by Lois Lowery. We had started reading it in grade school when I was thirteen, but we stopped not too far into it, right before the explainations, so it was really weird and had yet to start making sense. I remember my immature classmates made fun of it (they were like that. I hope that they've since grown up), but I didn't dislike it. I wish we'd gotten more of a chance to get into it.
Anyway, twelve years later, I think it's a cool book. The concept is really interesting. It kind of lost me at the very, very end, though. ^.^; I might have to consult wikipedia or sparknotes or something to fully appreciate the symbolize and all that at the end. :/
Next, Franz Kafka's The Trial, I think.
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Post by Nikudou Natsumi on Jun 14, 2015 2:12:08 GMT
Oh, I forgot to say what I thought of the Riddle of the Gnome, didn't I? I think I like the Thief and the Beanstalk better, but that's mainly cuz of Rum's (no, not that Rum's) personality. Always yelling and calling Tom (the main character) an "idjit" and getting mad whenever he's asked a question and many things like that. It got much better by the end, though, starting with Rum explaining the actions that made him a wanted criminal (Tom hadn't known that before, and the gnome really did have a change of heart). He seemed more like a misunderstood creature than an evil one at that point. And then more action and suspense came, and a couple surprises at the end, too. I'm glad the slow beginning and personality of Rum didn't make me lose interest in the book, and I got to the ending point easily.
Soon after finishing Riddle of the Gnome, I realized . . . The only version of Rumpelstiltskin I've ever heard was the Muppet version . . . And now that I think about it, King Midas, too. I've only seen the Muppet version *shakes head* Makes me wonder what other versions there are, and what the originals were like, too.
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Post by Mikauzoran on Jun 14, 2015 2:25:28 GMT
Oh my gosh!!! The Muppets! Gosh, I had that on VHS...I STILL have that on VHS gathering dust. Now the Rumpelstiltskin song (gotta get that name) is stuck in my head. -.-;
Those aren't Grimm's fairy tales, are they? I've read some, but a lot of the stories were just told to me as a child. My grandparents, Grandpa in particular always used to tell me the stories, and we'd act out Little Red Riding Hood, Bo Peep, and Billy Goats Gruff and all that. Well, as for the originals, you'd have to google it, but my bet is Grimm's Fairy Tales.
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Post by Nikudou Natsumi on Jun 14, 2015 3:33:19 GMT
Nooooooo, my whole long post got deleted as it was being poooooosted!!!!!! *sighs* Okay, I'll write down what I remember of it . . .
Oh, I haven't heard that song in so long! And I wouldn't even have recognized it if you hadn't said "gotta get that name". Now you're making me want to look it up again . . . Speaking of that, how did they find out his name in the Muppet version anyway? Didn't they look at the tag on the back of his shirt or something, or am I thinking of something else? Either way, in the Riddle of the Gnome version, a servant caught Rumpelstiltskin dancing and singing and his name was in part of the lyrics.
Maybe . . . You know, I don't know how I first found out about any fairy tales, really. I don't remember any specific moment when I first found out about one; I just feel like I've known them all my life. Hm, I know I've read another version of The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf, but I don't really remember the events of it. I remember the Muppets version of it, though, much better than Rumpelstiltskin and King Midas. I still remember the sheep spitting a bit of water on the one blue Muppet with the beak and bleating "Tidal waaaaave!" Ohhh, the tune and the lyrics of that song are right on the tip of my tongue! Gah, I can't remember! . . . I think all those fairy tales were part of one big Muppets movie, where they were being acted out in a theater. I think Billy Goats Gruff was one of them, too. Ohhhh, what was the name of that one Muppet . . . ? Gonzo! That's it! Yeah, Gonzo and the rat Muppet were putting on a play for the viewers, and the rat kept getting into Gonzo's popcorn. *sighs* I should rewatch that . . . I should read the original fairy tales, too XD
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Post by Mikauzoran on Jun 14, 2015 4:54:12 GMT
Haha. Yeah. Gonzo and Rizzo have always been my favorite Muppets, and the shirt tag thing is right. I don't remember what all was in that movie. I know The Emperor's New Clothes with Fozzie Bear was and The Three Little Pigs with Miss Piggy...what else? King Midas and The Boy Who Cried Wolf and Rumpelstiltskin... Did they do something about shoes? I don't remember. I remember Elvis making an appearance, but I don't remember the name of that story. Something about a father and son...Kermit and his nephew...making shoes, but then elves or something would come at night and make shoes for them... Ah well. That's all I remember.
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Post by Nikudou Natsumi on Jun 14, 2015 5:03:26 GMT
They might've done blue suede shoes. Yeah, I think so. I've heard about other versions, but once again, the only one I've really seen is the Muppets version XD Wow . . . And now I'm going to rewatch the Rumpelstiltskin one and wow I already found a difference between the two versions.
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Post by Nikudou Natsumi on Jun 14, 2015 5:21:07 GMT
Just looked it up (or rather, saw it in the youtube suggestions after watching Rumpelstiltskin) and it's called The Elves and the Shoemaker. Yeah. Pretty obvious, now that I think about it.
You know, rewatching the Boy Who Cried Wolf Muppet version makes me think . . . It's really the sheeps' fault (at least in the Muppet version), since they're the ones who instilled those ideas in the shepherd's head.
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Post by Mikauzoran on Jun 16, 2015 1:36:58 GMT
I started listening to the audiobook version of Kafka's The Trial today...only I didn't get around to the actual text. There was seriously an hour of audio content about the history of the book and the translators notes and everything. On one hand, it was kind of annoying because I just wanted to READ THE BOOK ALREADY. But then on the other hand, the history and translator's explanations were really fascinating! As a fellow linguist and having translated on my own before, it was something I could really relate to, and I think it helped my appreciation of the work. I really wish I could read German. I truly do prefer the original version of texts because I feel like I'm waaaay missing out whenever I read something that's been translated. :/ One cannot speak ALL languages, though.
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Post by Mikauzoran on Jun 19, 2015 2:31:49 GMT
So I finally finished slogging through Franz Kafka's The Trial today, and I honestly hated it. The concept was interesting, but the book itself wasn't. Mostly I was just thinking, "This is silly". And not the "Haha!" kind of silly or the "That's kind of cute" silly either. This brand of silly was much closer to "inane".
I don't know. Maybe I missed something. Maybe Kafka's skill is much too clever and subtle for me or something, but I just didn't find this to be a great piece of literature. Then again, it is an unfinished novel published posthumously, so... I mean, if someone were to look at my unfinished novel and judge my merit as a writer based on that, I would think it very unfair, so I intend to give Kafka another chance someday, but I don't think The Trial was as good as it's said to be. I was disappointed.
Now I'm reading a collection of ancient Greek and Roman myths. They're all mostly stories that I've heard before, but I quite enjoy classic mythology like that, so I'm enjoying it. Plus, every retelling is just a tiny bit different, so it's fun to hear the stories again.
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Post by Nikudou Natsumi on Jun 19, 2015 2:45:09 GMT
Ooh, how are you reading the myths?
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Post by ichthyophobia on Jun 19, 2015 4:08:55 GMT
"Inane" is a good way to describe what of Kafka's stuff I've read. I think he's very much a nihilist, and that definitely comes out. I always thought reading his stuff was super stressful, so I typically avoid it. Good luck with giving him that second chance, though.
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Post by Mikauzoran on Jun 19, 2015 10:57:55 GMT
Oh. Oh well. I'll give him one more shot, and then I'll give up on him. Thanks for the heads up!
I'm actually reading a collection called Stories of Old Greece and Rome by Emilie Kip Baker. It's quite enjoyable! I've always loved these stories. Like ninety-five percent of my reading nowadays, I got the collection in audiobook format from librivox so that I can listen while I work. That and the library have been such great resources for me. Once in a blue moon I find a reader that I can't stand, but the majority have been good experiences so far. Still...I wish I could have a real, paper book in front of me. That's always been my preferred medium, even though just listening isn't necessarily bad.
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