Day 3: "I know by heart the works of the four greatest poets of all time -"

[heywilma]

"- Rumi, Iqbal, Mirza Ghalib, and a fourth fellow whose name I always forget."

Looooooooooool brisneyland drama.

Anyway, moving on, because I in no way derive joy from that sort of thing, nope.

For one week, recommend / share:
→ Day 1: a song
→ Day 2: a picture
→ Day 3: a book/ebook/fanfic
→ Day 4: a site
→ Day 5: a youtube clip
→ Day 6: a quote
→ Day 7: whatever tickles your fancy

Honestly, I'm a little bit stuck on this one. Lately all the fics I read have been Speed Racer (oxymoronic has some excellent ones), yes, it's a disease/I am terrible etc. Got directed to atrata's heartbreaking The Princess Bride fic via newredshoes a while back, and I thought it was definitely worth a mention, because even though it is heartbreaking, it's truly fantastic, and you should read it if you haven't already.

My book list was not all that big of a help, because a lot of the ones on there are critically acclaimed (thank you, English lit course), and they really don't need me to laud their virtues when dozens and dozens of reviews have done it already. I am currently writing an essay on The White Tiger 200... more... words, however, and I can attest to the richness of that novel, especially if you're keen on dissecting its themes from a colonial standpoint. The quote up the top there is from that book. I lol'd.

Perusing my list, though, I did spot one that was fairly obscure, one that I'm sure not a lot of people have heard of - Pyongyang, by Guy Delisle. I first spotted this book at Borders a few years ago, but it disappeared off the shelf (nicely done, stranger who bought it. Nicely done) and it apparently didn't occur to me to look elsewhere. Say, a comic shop. Because it's a comic.

The next time I spotted it was on ittykat's shelf, and I pretty much immediately snatched it up. Now I have my own copy, and have been trying to flog it to Dad, to no avail, because he doesn't read. The subject is interesting – it documents the author's time spent in Pyongyang for work, and his various misadventures. It's nonjudgmental, and not at all politically skewered, just one man's experience in one of the most secluded countries in the world. The art is simple but incredibly charming, and I really enjoyed the matter-of-fact way events are presented, with (as far as I know), little embellishment.

Related, but not as compelling as Pyongyang was, is Delisle's Shenzhen, A Travelogue from China. I also would love to get my hands on Burma Chronicles, and will definitely be keeping an eye out next time I'm at the comic store.

I feel like I may be in need of a more book-y reading icon.

Comments

[sly-cult-race.livejournal.com]

I agree about LOLling over Brisneyland drama llama

[dammitliv.livejournal.com]

I need to put these things in mind.