Morocco # English board

Hi,

If you are fan of reading, how about sharing your readings in this topic. You might find other people reading the same book as you and this way you get to discuss it and comment on it. All topics welcome and all languages included.

salam

a book i've been impressed by is the portrait of dorian gray...
it is about beauty and its effects and the way oscar wilde handled the subject is brilliant, especially the end.

i was just about to go buy ''Shopaholic and baby'', now that s my kind of book to read.

Hi, thanks for your comments. Aela, your book sounds interesting. I'm in the middle of reading Oscar Wilde's biography, the man is a genius, a bit disturbed but quite fascinating

Bella02, what's your book about? and by which author?

I've just finished reading a book by the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa called Aunt Julia and the scriptwriter and hugely enjoyed it. The author relates his own story of love with a relative of his who was 13 years his senior and was divorcee when he was 18 years old and still a student. The story happens in the very conservative Peru in the 50s and the affair generates a huge scandal in the family. The couple defy everything and everybody and get married and the author tells this wondefrul story in a hilarious way. In parallel, he also portrays the social life and the simple mindedness of people in Peru when at the time television didn't exist and the only possible entertaining way was soap operas on the radio. Llosa who was at the time studying but also working as a news journalist in the radio let us behind the scenes of these serials to discover the actors, the producers and the writer behind the famous serials who became so popular that people were talking about them in the streets of Lima.
A truly fantastic book that i chose by chance at my local library and which gave me the privilege of discovering this excellent writer.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2007 10:44 by Minniemouse.

I've picked up "The Scorpion's Gate" at an airport, the kind of book you buy when you're bored waiting for the plane. It turned out to be surprisingly interesting, Richard Clark knows what he's talking about, he's the one who made that famous speech at the 9/11 commission : "your govt failed, I failed you..."

Scary scenario in the book though, if that ever happens. They'll probably make it a movie soon.

it's summer time so i certainly will not be doing any heavy reading while i'm working on my tan by the pool. that's why I keep it light
Sophie Kinsella's a great author, all her books have been best sellers . So far Shopaholic and baby, is her fifth of the shopahilic series. The name of the book says it all.
She has also written 2 other books NOT in the Shopaholic series called, The Undomestic Goddess and Can You Keep A Secret?
She's by far one of my favorite authors .I can find myself laughing out loud while I'm reading.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2007 07:36 by bella02.

Very nice Idea, thanks Minnimouse, you just reminded me that I have to start reading essays and novels again. In the last 2years I have been reading self help books and technical books only :-(

Anyway, the last essay I read is "on Pre-Islamic Poetry" by the great Taha Hussein. This book was censured and banned in all arab countries. It was however republished in Morocco a few years ago.

If you have studied arabic litterature in your youth and know something about famous ancient arab poets like Abu al-Alaa' al-Ma'arri or al-Mutanabbi, this book will come as shock. The basic Idea is that most of these poets are not real but were invented a couple of centuries later. In the same book, he hints at some similar ideas about the Quraan, no wonder that his book aroused so much anger and was banned! it's however a great book and everyone should read it.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2007 11:53 by Passerby.

'Sophie's world' is a book to read.

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site4everything
'Sophie's world' is a book to read.

haven t we all read that when were still teenagers??? I know I have

It was originally written in Norwegian language in 91 but was made available in other languages 'till 1995.

Bella, i came across Sophie Kinsella more than once in my local library but never picked up one of her books but i might do soon as i too tend to read light books in summer time or if i've just finished reading something heavy. My favourite author for this genre is Chris Manby, i like her because me too i can identify with the characters, some of them are a replica of my colleagues, neighbours etc and what's more, her stories are hilarious and most of the time set in London between Battersea and Wandsworth where i live and it's very amusing to come across a place described in the book when i am in a bus or walking in town...

Chelhman, i went to read the critics for The Scorpion's Gate and they were quite good. The story is gripping and they say there is a plot with a twist which is just what i like so i'll definitely pick up the book if i come across it.

Passerby, i heard about Taha Hussain's book years ago but never got a chance to read it. I personally don't believe in his theory about the creation of all those great poets like al mutanabi, imrouou al qais etc..their existence is very well documented as well as the people they lived with and wrote poetry about however it'll be interesting to read Hussain's arguments and how he defended his idea.

site4everything, i have never read Sophie's world so thanks for the suggestion



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2007 12:12 by Minniemouse.

Do you wanna experience something different ? So I suggest you have a look at a not very common book called "Le livre des ruses" translated in French from Arabic by René R. Khawam, 1976. A book that will teach you how to deal with everyday situations as well as being aware of the linguistic sense and meaning of what is said and what is really meant. Not very easy to read as you might have to review a sentence several times to pick up the meaning. But at the end you feel wiser and wary about social and political matters...in everyday's life.

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shams-al-arab
Do you wanna experience something different ? So I suggest you have a look at a not very common book called "Le livre des ruses" translated in French from Arabic by René R. Khawam, 1976. A book that will teach you how to deal with everyday situations as well as being aware of the linguistic sense and meaning of what is said and what is really meant. Not very easy to read as you might have to review a sentence several times to pick up the meaning. But at the end you feel wiser and wary about social and political matters...in everyday's life.

Excellent suggestion shams-al-arab, just had a look on the net and found a sample of the book, a chapter called les ruses du diable where he reveals at the end the origin of the name "kurdes" lol..it reminded me the old stories of ibnou almouqaffaa and Arabian nights. I wish i could read the original book in Arabic but i don't think it's author is known. Thanks again for this suggestion!!

By the way, just out of curiosity, is shams-al-arab your real name?? i think it's beautiful

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Minniemouse

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shams-al-arab
Do you wanna experience something different ? So I suggest you have a look at a not very common book called "Le livre des ruses" translated in French from Arabic by René R. Khawam, 1976. A book that will teach you how to deal with everyday situations as well as being aware of the linguistic sense and meaning of what is said and what is really meant. Not very easy to read as you might have to review a sentence several times to pick up the meaning. But at the end you feel wiser and wary about social and political matters...in everyday's life.

Excellent suggestion shams-al-arab, just had a look on the net and found a sample of the book, a chapter called les ruses du diable where he reveals at the end the origin of the name "kurdes" lol..it reminded me the old stories of ibnou almouqaffaa and Arabian nights. I wish i could read the original book in Arabic but i don't think it's author is known. Thanks again for this suggestion!!

By the way, just out of curiosity, is shams-al-arab your real name?? i think it's beautiful

Reading this book is always impressive, it just keeps you updated on how to be aware of tricks and how tricks are or were built up through the centuries...and it still goes on...
Anyhow, thanks for the compliment, I really appreciate.

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Minniemouse
Hi, thanks for your comments. Aela, your book sounds interesting. I'm in the middle of reading Oscar Wilde's biography, the man is a genius, a bit disturbed but quite fascinating

Bella02, what's your book about? and by which author?

salam

i like this post, makes u want to read more and more books...if only we had the time. But anyway, we have ideas now.

I have finished reading “the body” by Hanif Kureishi and I enjoyed it very much. I remember someone telling me few years ago that Kureishi was not easily accessible. I don’t know about that but his subjects are certainly very deep and leave you asking questions to which you don’t necessarily find answers!
In this story, the hero, a man in his sixties, is offered the chance to trade his old body with a young, good looking one to experience how young and beautiful people feel and live. He then indulges in many pleasures that life can offer but soon realises that he has made a mistake when he becomes trapped in this new body and can’t get his old one back. There is a lot of humour in Kureishi’s writing and the dialogue is easy but deep at the same time. The story raises many questions on the meaning of life and the link between the body and soul and if one is necessarily complete without the other.

I can’t wait to get my hands on other books by Kureishi.

Hi all,

I’m reading the Geisha for the second time….a real masterwork!!!…

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Ilhem2
Hi all,

I’m reading the Geisha for the second time….a real masterwork!!!…

Hi Ilhem,

Is the book called "the Geisha" by ?? or is it "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. If it's the second one then i agree with you, it's a truly beautiful story. I read it in 1999 and I rememeber thinking it would be fantastic to adapt it to Cinema. However I was a little disappointed when the film came out. It didn't have the magic and it didn't raise the same emotions as the book did.
I still have the book at home and you've just made me want to read it again

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Minniemouse
Hi Ilhem,

Is the book called "the Geisha" by ?? or is it "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. If it's the second one then i agree with you, it's a truly beautiful story. I read it in 1999 and I rememeber thinking it would be fantastic to adapt it to Cinema. However I was a little disappointed when the film came out. It didn't have the magic and it didn't raise the same emotions as the book did.
I still have the book at home and you've just made me want to read it again

Hi Minniemouse,

sorry you're right it's the "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden...I was busy at work and I've written very quickly my message......for the movie I wouldn't say disappointing...of course it wasn’t deep and intense as the book ….many details were missing but I like it as well… this is usually normal when a book is made into a movie…..with words you can describe much better your thoughts…dreams and emotions than the image….so go ahead and read it again...

Salam Everyone !
I'm reading Taha Hussein's essay and i'm actually shocked by the things he was saying ,i realized he's right about a lot of stuff he was discussing and i started to re-think about the history of Arab Poetry during what we call "sho3ara' al Jahiliyyah", actually i'm simply shocked now it's like discovering a dirty scheme after a long period of misleading...
As for the most interesting bestseller i read until now is an Islamic book with a lot of sweet ideas and lot of wise sayings and poetic advices, it's called : " La Ta7zan" (don't be sad), his writer who is actually a Saudi scholar ( 3ayedh AlGarni ) has collected some nice advices , sayings, proverbs, and of course AHadeeths and Coranic Verses, which simplifies you life and makes you feel relaxed ! i advise every moslem to get it, or give it as a present to whom you love !

salam

I'm reading at the moment "DECEPTION PONT" written by Dan Brown (the same autor who has written Da Vinci Code)
Very interesting, a mix between conspiration, secret service, spy-storie and new technologie.

to be continued.

Hi Picollo, I liked Deception point a lot! the plot was great, the characters strong and charismatic and it kept me glued to my seat all the time, I took me 4 days to finish it, like all Dan Brown's books. I read the 4 of them and if you haven't yet i recommend Angels and Demons (my favourite and better than Da vinci code). Digital Forteress is interesting too if you're fan of technology, computers and spy stories

FYI: The Solomon Key is the last book of Brown and is set to be published this year in the USA. It's got Robert Langdon in it (my favourite character ) and it promises a lot of surprises and controversial revelations...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2007 05:20 by Minniemouse.

hello my friends ! ^^

reading? for some weird reasons, since i'm in France (3years) i read all the time... all day... and for some other weird reasons, i didnt finish a book since i'm here...

i had the habit of buying from time to time an interesting book... i always pend some 50€ on books every month and a half... so i have a little stockpile of books... but i didnt read them all, some a little (on a train or such)... that's all...

i dont have time to read what i WANT... i read the books of my teachers (to get good grades, they love to find themselves in your essays... big headed morons)...

but i have some books i love... like Tom Clancy's books... they are fiction and spy/terrorism stories... but it's always interesting, you learn a lot about how it works, and the character isnt a dumb nice guy for a time...
i love evil people... i feel closer to the hero who kills all his enemies rather than to let the justice take care of it (or not)...

but one of my favorite books would be "a Morrocan in New-york" by Youssouf Amine Elalamy...
it's SOOOO funny...

so right now, i read what my teachers ask me to read (sometimes it's obvious, they dont have to ask)... or the rest would be technical stuff on wikipedia...
i'm a big fan of military history and equipment... and history of the military equipment...

so i spend some times browsing this stuff... not the kind of info you could talk about when dating a girl... but i love that...

hi there Lemask !
i think Tom Clancy's books, (i read his "Rainbow Six" are all like those stupid movies we used to watch back in the eighties ( Commando, American Ninja, Predator, Chuck Norris's action-stuffed pictures ...) that show how smart, wise, strong yanks are, and like the whole world is depending on yanks abilities, i ain't saying they quit showing this in recent ones but they're getting smarter in doing it. i like books such as " Silence of the Lambs" ..

Shelby, i'm the first to admit how commercial this kind of books are...

but i dont think that there is that kind of propaganda inside it...
Tom Clancy loves his country...

but i'm more interested in the details... this man is a real encyclopedia about the security/defense/intelligence system in the world...

and it's very interesting to know about all this things... the relation between the CIA and the information services in Europe Etc...

and he isnt in the "Islamic terrorist" propaganda... he is not an idiot. he knows that if there is a a real threat... it would come from the inside or from China/north Korea/Russia/ex-URSS Etc... or a private corporation like in Rainbow Six...

he really have a global view on the intelligence gathering world, and his knowledge about weapons and military traditions-mindset-... damn universe is just tremendous.

i see it more like an encyclopedia...

Hey LeMask,

If you're fan of intelligence and security you may like "The Protector" by David Morrell. It's the kind of books that keeps you hooked from the first page. It's full of plots, secrets on the American army and Defense (DELTA FORCE) and it's nicely written. It;s also accurate as Morrell got some big guys in the US army to give him facts. I must admit, i didn't finish it as i thought it was a bit too heavy for my taste (couldn't cope with all those fancy guns names and training skills lol) but for a man, it could be very enjoyable.

umm, interesting, thanks... i will take a look on this book.

and you know, these "details" are only a small part of the book.
the main characters got a story, a family, a wife/girl friend...

and by reading all his books, you can learn a lot about the story of the main character. it could be interesting... even for a girl ^^ because in the first book of Tom Clancy "without remorse". John Clark, who is the leader of the Rainbow Six unit in "Rainbow Six" was a veteran, returning to the civilian life...

still under the trauma of the war, and before he could recover, he meets a girl. she kind to him, and "desperate" enough to get close to a dark character like him.

and then, her past comes back to the surface and she gets killed...
and then, he is wounded in an ambush... fighting his sadness, helping some policemen trying to solve the murder case, meeting a very helpful and kind nurse (who will be his wife)... and the same time working for the CIA in a special mission... and ...

anyway, i wont give you the whole plot of a book here...

but it's not only the military infos ^^, there is much more...

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LeMask
umm, interesting, thanks... i will take a look on this book.

and you know, these "details" are only a small part of the book.
the main characters got a story, a family, a wife/girl friend...

and by reading all his books, you can learn a lot about the story of the main character. it could be interesting... even for a girl ^^ because in the first book of Tom Clancy "without remorse". John Clark, who is the leader of the Rainbow Six unit in "Rainbow Six" was a veteran, returning to the civilian life...

still under the trauma of the war, and before he could recover, he meets a girl. she kind to him, and "desperate" enough to get close to a dark character like him.

and then, her past comes back to the surface and she gets killed...
and then, he is wounded in an ambush... fighting his sadness, helping some policemen trying to solve the murder case, meeting a very helpful and kind nurse (who will be his wife)... and the same time working for the CIA in a special mission... and ...

anyway, i wont give you the whole plot of a book here...

but it's not only the military infos ^^, there is much more...

That's it, you're spot on!! there is always a personal story in the background, whereby the main character, who is usually tough and cold blooded in action, falls in love or has got some kind of old flame that he lost in the past but which has come back to the surface. The kind of things that would make a girl's heart melt lool.
However, Morell's book is not soft at all, the main character is already settled in marriage so no mercy and no time for romance

I'm feeling rather gloomy and miserable these days so I went to the library and got a pile of humourous and light hearted books on the hope that they would cheer me up and it's working so far. I brought Sue Townsend's series of "Adrian Mole", a sort of diary written by a man during the different phases of his life, from when he was 15 till he became 30. I had to control myself in the tube this morning not to laugh out loud! loving it