tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29012168.post2621713679933088446..comments2010-02-13T09:27:25.935-05:00Comments on JenEpting.com: BeginningsJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141478780466093475noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29012168.post-88143618330173665742010-02-13T09:27:25.935-05:002010-02-13T09:27:25.935-05:00"He has the ability to imagine himself a mino..."He has the ability to imagine himself a minor incident in the lives of others. It is not an abstract thing. He would not know quite what you meant by 'abstract': he is twelve. He simply knows that if he imagines swimming in the sea, well, while most children will think immediately of the cinematic shark below them, Alex-Li Tandem is with the lifeguard. He can see himself as that smudge on the horizon, his head mistaken for a bobbing buoy; his wild arms hidden by the roll of the surf." <br /><br />(the following sentences are even better, but i'll leave them for you to read!)<br /><br />-The Autograph Man by Zadie Smithevnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29012168.post-57080616436854656342010-02-12T06:18:05.997-05:002010-02-12T06:18:05.997-05:00I just want to leave a comment (the book i'm r...I just want to leave a comment (the book i'm reading isn't a novel, it's called "mobilization, participation, and democracy in america", so it's not worth writing about!).<br /><br />It's SO WEIRD that you just wrote about that book. I *just* bought it as a present for Marie-Laure, Damien's roommate!Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01540479473220038904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29012168.post-66876157687916082772010-02-11T21:35:59.690-05:002010-02-11T21:35:59.690-05:00"Even now, six years after the generals loose..."Even now, six years after the generals loosened their hold on Argentina, after their manicured hands were pried away from the delicate white throats of the disappeareds and the doors of certain buildings were closed and locked, even now Carlos Rueda's gift retains it's mystery". I'm not reading it at the moment but this is the first line of one of my favorite books- Imagining Argentina by Lawrence Thornton- and what I love about it is how incredibly visual it is. I read that first sentence and BAM!, my imagination was swimming with images and colors and questions that I wanted answered and so began my journey into the unknown. As you mentioned in relation to On Chesil Beach, part of what drew me in was the juxtaposition- in this case between very palpable imagery and the elusive subject matter.Simanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29012168.post-23066870825753066852010-02-11T20:25:37.529-05:002010-02-11T20:25:37.529-05:00"What should we have for dinner?
"This..."What should we have for dinner?<br /> "This book is a long and fairly involved answer to this seemingly simple question. Along the way, it also tries to figure out how such a simple question could have ever gotten so complicated. As a culture we seem to have arrived at a place where whatever native wisdom we may once have possessed about eating has been replaced by confusion and anxiety. Somehow this most elemental of activities--figuring out what to eat--has come to require a remarkable amount of expert help. How did we ever get to a point where we need investigative journalists to tell us where our food comes from and nutritionists to determine the dinner menu?"<br /><br />The Omnivore's Dilemma<br />by Michael PollanBritthttp://www.gfinthecity.comnoreply@blogger.com