Hope you’re having a nice weekend – in the UK we finally have SUN! It’s amazing.
1.) The book – have you read any of Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky’s short stories? NYRB Classics have brought out a few with lovely covers (as per) and I’m currently reading The Autobiography of a Corpse, and finding it… interesting. Jury’s out at the moment. Anybody know anything more about his writing?
2.) The review – one of my biggest surprises in recent years was when Claire/Captive Reader didn’t love the (oh-so-lovely) Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton. So she’s moved down to my second favourite book read in 2012 – although I suspect that is a coincidence – and did end up loving the equally-lovely Blue Remembered Hills by Rosemary Sutcliff. Go and enjoy her review here. And then make sure you read the book.
3.) The link – this one has been doing the rounds in various places, so this is just the most recent place I’ve seen it. First brought to my attention by my friend Hannah, there is an app which will cleverly scroll through words, enabling you to read a book much more quickly than you would moving your eyes across a page. Now, when it comes to reading novels I remain a technophobe, and I certainly shan’t be getting one, but I’m still impressed by the idea…
I finished this collection last month, and found it very uneven–here's a link to the short piece I posted about it: http://anewyorkerinthecountry.blogspot.com/2014/02/sigizmund-krzhizhanovskys-autobiography.html
I'd love to hear more about your response to the stories.
Thanks for the link, I think we are pretty much of the same mind!
I tried the link to the new way of reading – and it made me go cross-eyed!
I don't think that I read at a consistent rate, rather, in an elliptical way – giving each sentence and paragraph a rhythm of its own. I don't think that I want to sacrifice this just for the sake of speed. Count me out!
I do wonder how it allows for looking up from the page, or into middle-distance, or pausing to wonder whodunnit etc.
You haven't been paying attention to my blog, Simon! ;) SK is quite unique – I've read the other NYRB volumes and loved them and have Autobiography on Mount TBR. I can imagine this one might take you a little out of your comfort zone….
As for the fast reading link, my Eldest Child had a go at this and said he could just about keep up but it took all the fun out of reading – so I shall be avoiding it too!
Ah! Karen! I knew I'd seen his name somewhere before, and that there was a reason that I was interested in reading something by him. On the one hand, it's very much in my comfort zone – surreal/fantastic things is what I did my DPhil in, after all – but I'm not sure I've clicked with the style yet.
Thanks for linking to me, Simon! As for the app, I think it's pretty cool; I'm surprised by how easy it is to keep up with 500 wpm and how slow 350 wpm seems.
You're welcome :)
I can't keep up comfortably with the 500, but could do 400 or so. It's interesting just for finding out what is comfortable for each reader!
I am not a technophobe either but going by the comments its 50 50! going to look at it anyway.
It's a nice idea, but I don't think it'll sway traditionalists like me :)
Autobiography of a Corpse sounds very interesting. I'd read before Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis's The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, a book written by a corpse. I wonder how they would compare?
Yes do go to the Captive Reader review, which, I think, will indeed make you want to read Blue Remembered Hills.