tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16359253311919069862024-03-14T05:38:25.611-05:00Little Miao's Book MewsReading in the company of kitties...little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-91226435872289208272012-02-29T08:05:00.000-06:002012-02-29T08:05:05.160-06:00where are the miaos?the miaos are too lazy to maintain a book blog, though occasionally we post about books on our otherwise catnap-focused <a href="http://littlemiao.wordpress.com/">miao chronicles</a>. the good thing about reading is that it is best done with a cat on your lap and possibly on your book.little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-31781828430008167632009-09-01T10:01:00.001-05:002009-09-01T10:01:36.202-05:00I forbid you to turn the pages.<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3875622307/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2590/3875622307_48c44612f4.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3875622307/">I forbid you to turn the pages.</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />I suddenly remembered that I have a book blog.<br /><br />I also have a very large (and warm) paperweight that prevents me from getting any work done.</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-69779321154213975752009-06-24T19:43:00.003-05:002009-06-24T20:05:19.786-05:00A delightful discoveryI realized that the local public library system has quite a collection of Chinese language literature. I've been meaning to read more in Chinese, but my old books just aren't catching my interest.<br /><br />I googled contemporary Chinese fiction recommendations, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Serve the People</span> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Lianke">Yan Lianke </a>was the first thing to catch my eye. "Serve the People" was one of Mao Zedong's favorite slogans, so I expected it to be political satire. I'm in the mood for some political satire. Amazingly enough, the library has it! It should be in my hands within a week.<br /><br />After requesting the book, I read the wiki article (linked above), which has a synopsis of the novel. It should be interesting, though lacking in subtly (if you read the wikipedia description especially in regards to the depiction of Mao Zedong, you'll see what I mean). I haven't had good luck with choosing Chinese novels in the last few years, so I'm quite skeptical about this one, but I'm determined to read it from cover to cover nonetheless.<br /><br />Other recent library acquisitions include <span style="font-style: italic;">Deep Wizardry</span> by Diane Duane and <span style="font-style: italic;">"M" is for Magic<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span>by Neil Gaiman. Still working through the Saki collection... and I'm currently reading a Nero Wolfe mystery, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Final Deduction</span>.<br /><br />Funny how I usually blog more when I'm procrastinating the night before big exams. I'm quite pleased that despite being extraordinarily busy these past weeks, I've still managed to find time to read.little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-77653264216269786612009-04-21T09:49:00.001-05:002009-04-21T09:49:28.198-05:00Reading Choices<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3458599503/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3628/3458599503_c2a4493822.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3458599503/">Lotus and Book</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />I'm having such trouble deciding what books to take along on my little spring break adventure. A hard-covered book might be too much of an effort to hold while I'm vacationing. A short book would be easier to hold, but not last as long. If I bring more than one book, I might not finish a single one and then I would have wasted valuable packing space. Ah, tough choices.<br /><br />In other news, my camera case will most certainly not arrive in time. Perhaps I will have to wrap my precious camera in a fleecy pillowcase. It's only just shipping today or tomorrow.</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-32388201063951311052009-04-19T12:19:00.001-05:002009-04-19T12:19:07.742-05:00little study nook<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3419096275/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3328/3419096275_02951c10ee.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3419096275/">little study nook</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />I miss little study nooks like this one. I miss being in a place where the library was open on Sundays during breaks.<br /><br />Oooof, must get back to work.</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-4892535646667174232009-04-16T21:32:00.001-05:002009-04-16T21:55:44.596-05:00Colorful poetrySome of Saki's satirical poems are kind of funny. Like this one, composed by the recurring character Clovis - a color painting of "the dawn coming up over the Brahma-putra river":<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">"The amber dawn-drenched East with sun-shafts kissed,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Stained sanguine apricot and amethyst,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">O'er the washed emerald of the mango groves</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Hangs in a mist of opalescent mauves,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">While painted parrot-flights impinge the haze</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">With scarlet, chalcedon and chrysoprase."</span><br /><br />I did not know the hue of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysoprase">chrysoprase</a> until I looked it up on wikipedia, though I had a vague suspicion that it was greenish.<br /><br />And that is all I have to say. Though if I get my act together, there is one story I want to comment more extensively on... perhaps this weekend.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">* "The Recessional" in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Complete Saki</span>, p. 202</span>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-11906160389951048282009-04-15T18:39:00.002-05:002009-04-15T20:04:25.851-05:00Thought for the day<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">"[W]hen once you have taken the Impossible into your calculations its possibilities become practically limitless."</span><br /><br />Saki did not mean this in an inspirational, motivating sort of way.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />* p. 189 The Complete Saki (Penguin)</span><br /><br />The book is due back at the library soon. I am reading at such a languid pace, it may take me all year to finish. Only 700 pages to go.<br /><br />Why am I not outside enjoying the beautiful weather and the late sunset? Because I am inside finding 1,001 ways to avoid studying for tomorrow's exam. My final final of the term. I just want to get it over with, but since I can't take it this instant, I am obligated to fill the intervening time with studying.little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-40712090712025106002009-04-13T15:29:00.001-05:002009-04-13T15:29:22.314-05:00Glareful Prince Tantra punishes the unworthy<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3371871394/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3472/3371871394_fca86fb74e.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3371871394/">Glareful Tantra</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />Because it was ever so much more important to finish reading Sandman Vol. 4 than to study for one of the four exams I have coming up in the next three days.<br /><br />My Miao Brothers are ever so disappointed in me.<br /><br />(Actually, I expect that with the exception of the stern Prof Tash, they don't really care how much or little I study because it won't bring me home any sooner. Alas.)</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-49198944709539248622009-04-12T17:53:00.002-05:002009-04-12T17:57:15.522-05:00A book meme<div class="asset-content"> <div class="asset-body preview-links"> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Stolen from <a href="http://fatcat.vox.com/library/post/book-meme.html">Fatcat</a> (on vox) and first posted on the <a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/">Miao Brothers' Vox</a>.</span><br /></p><p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1.) Which author do you have the most books by?</strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);"> </span> Marion Zimmer Bradley. My mother gave her entire MZB collection to me. Otherwise maybe P.G. Wodehouse or Rex Stout, but those books are technically my father's though I borrow them often.<br /></p> <p><strong>2.) What book do you have the most copies of?</strong> One of each, more or less.<br /></p> <p><strong>3.) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?</strong> What comes to mind first is <a class="snap_shots" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radcliffe_Emerson">Professor Radcliffe Emerson</a> of Elizabeth Peters' Egypt series.<br /></p> <p><strong><br /><strong>4.) What book have you read more than any other?</strong></strong> <em><span style="font-style: normal;">Hard to say. Probably any of the Ramona books. I read those a lot when I was little.</span></em><em style=""></em></p> <p><strong>5.) What was your favorite book when you were ten?</strong> <em>Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH </em>by Robert C. O'Brien. I re-read that one a lot too. I loved and still love <em>A Little Princess</em> and <em>Secret Garden</em>. <em>The Little House on the Prairie</em> and all the other Laura Ingalls Wilder books were/are some of my absolute favorites.</p> <p><strong>6.) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?</strong> A couple disappointing young adult novels that I won't bother to mention. <em>Outlander </em>by Diana Gabaldon on audio book (another case where I chose the book because of its length and not much else - maybe I should have read reviews)<em>.<span style="font-style: normal;"></span></em></p> <p><strong>7.) What is the best book you've read in the past year?</strong> Like Fatcat, I'm having a hard time picking one. I began reading <em>Sandman </em>this year and I love it immensely. <em>The Wee Free Men </em>by Terry Pratchett was marvelous. I just finished <em>Upon the Head of the Goat</em> by Aranka Siegal - I'll call it a haunting memoir of ww2 Hungary because it has haunted me ever since I finished it.</p><div enclosure="asset" xid="6a00c225256b2c604a011015f8a846860b 6a00c225256b2c604a01101676e798860d 6a00c225256b2c604a011015f60579860b" format="strip-horizontal" align="center" class="enclosure enclosure-center enclosure-strip enclosure-strip-horizontal"> <div class="enclosure-inner"> <a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a011015f8a846860b.html" class="enclosure-strip-link" title="Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary, 1939-1944"><img src="http://a6.vox.com/6a00c225256b2c604a011015f8a846860b-120pi" alt="Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary, 1939-1944" class="enclosure-strip-image" /></a> <a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a01101676e798860d.html" class="enclosure-strip-link" title="The Sandman Library 4: Season of Mists (The Sandman)"><img src="http://a0.vox.com/6a00c225256b2c604a01101676e798860d-120pi" alt="The Sandman Library 4: Season of Mists (The Sandman)" class="enclosure-strip-image" /></a> <a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a011015f60579860b.html" class="enclosure-strip-link" title="The Wee Free Men (Discworld)"><img src="http://a1.vox.com/6a00c225256b2c604a011015f60579860b-120pi" alt="The Wee Free Men (Discworld)" class="enclosure-strip-image" /></a></div> </div> <!-- end enclosure --> <p> </p> <div enclosure="asset" xid="6a00c2252569968fdb00e398d4fe540001" format="medium" align="center" class="enclosure enclosure-center enclosure-medium collection-enclosure"> <div class="enclosure-inner"> <div class="enclosure-list"> <div class="enclosure-item collection-asset last"> <div class="enclosure-image"> <a href="http://fatcat.vox.com/books-2008/" title="Books 2008"><span class="asset-overlay"></span><br /></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div><!-- end enclosure --> <p><strong>8.) If you could tell everyone you know to read one book, what would it be?</strong> Another hard question. I feel guilty if I recommend a book to someone and they don't like it. And I'm not quite sure there's a single book everyone should read. Except maybe this one:</p><p> </p> <div enclosure="asset" xid="6a00c225256b2c604a01101676af9d860d" format="small" align="center" class="enclosure enclosure-center enclosure-small book-enclosure"> <div class="enclosure-inner"> <div class="enclosure-list"> <div class="enclosure-item book-asset last"> <div class="enclosure-image"> <a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a01101676af9d860d.html" title="The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out"><img src="http://a5.vox.com/6a00c225256b2c604a01101676af9d860d-120pi" alt="The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out" /></a> </div> <div class="enclosure-meta"> <div class="enclosure-asset-name"><a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a01101676af9d860d.html" title="The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out">The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div><!-- end enclosure --> <p><em style=""><em></em></em></p> <p><strong>9.) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?</strong> <em>Soul Mountain </em>by Gao Xingjian. I read it in Chinese. He got the Nobel prize in literature a few years ago and I made the mistake of thinking that made it worthwhile. Maybe I ought to re-read it and give it another chance. It was difficult because it was pointlessly and deliberately frustrating.<em style=""> </em><strong></strong></p><p> </p> <div enclosure="asset" xid="6a00c225256b2c604a0110163e3290860c" format="small" align="center" class="enclosure enclosure-center enclosure-small book-enclosure"> <div class="enclosure-inner"> <div class="enclosure-list"> <div class="enclosure-item book-asset last"> <div class="enclosure-image"> <a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a0110163e3290860c.html" title="Soul Mountain"><img src="http://a0.vox.com/6a00c225256b2c604a0110163e3290860c-120pi" alt="Soul Mountain" /></a> </div> <div class="enclosure-meta"> <div class="enclosure-asset-name"><a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a0110163e3290860c.html" title="Soul Mountain">Soul Mountain</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div><!-- end enclosure --> <p><br /><strong> <strong>10.) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?</strong></strong> No preference, really. But I guess I read more French authors than Russian ones. Russian books are so daunting in length...<br /></p> <p><strong>11.) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?</strong> Shakespeare<br /></p> <p><strong>12.) Austen or Eliot?</strong> Austen</p> <p><strong>13.) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?</strong> I claim to love Shakespeare but I still haven't read all of his plays or sonnets. I haven't read much poetry. I should read more Chinese language literature - I haven't read much for at least a couple years now. I don't have much of a selection available, and I'm just not in the habit any more.<br /></p> <p><strong>14.) What is your favorite novel?</strong> Impossible to answer, but for now let's say <em>Little Sister</em> by Kara Dalkey. And always, <em>Dream of the Red Chambers</em> by Cao Xueqin.<br /></p> <p><strong>15.) Play?</strong> I would be lying if I said that I liked <em>Hamlet </em>more than <em>A Midsummer Night's Dream</em>, but it wouldn't be a very big lie.<br /></p> <p><strong>16.) Poem?</strong> Like I mentioned, I don't read much poetry. This is something I'm working to remedy.</p> <p><strong>17.) Essay? </strong> Um, "Of cannibals" by Montaigne? Maybe.<br /></p> <p><strong>18.) Short story?</strong> Not sure. I'm reading and sort of enjoying Saki's short stories right now, but I wouldn't call any of them favorites. <a class="snap_shots" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_Xun">Lu Xun</a>, perhaps the greatest Chinese writer of the 20th century, wrote many short stories. It has been a few years since I read any, but "<a class="snap_shots" href="http://www.coldbacon.com/writing/luxun-calltoarms.html#Madman">A Madman's Diary</a>" stuck with me (it has a cannibalistic theme).<br /></p> <p><strong>19.) Non-fiction? </strong><em><strong><em style=""><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></em></strong></em><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><em>Walden</em>.</span> <br /></strong></p> <p><strong>20.) Graphic novel?</strong> I just began <em>Sandman</em>. In fact, I've spent most of the day reading Vol. 4 rather than studying.<em style=""></em></p> <p><strong>21.) Science Fiction?</strong> <em><em style="">Not sure. I do read sci-fi, though sometimes I'm unclear on the line between sci-fi and fantasy.</em> And my italics won't unitalicize themselves.</em></p> <p><strong>22.) Who is your favorite writer?</strong> Shakespeare.</p> <p><strong>23.) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?</strong> Not sure.<br /></p><p><strong><br /><strong>24.) What are you reading right now? </strong></strong><em style=""></em>Saki's short stories. Sandman Vol 4. <em>How the Other Half Lives</em> by Jacob Riis, which I began months ago but can't stand<em style="">.</em> I still intend to finish it, though. I'm also reading Jorge Luis Borges' <em>Book of Imaginary Beings</em>.<br /></p> <p><strong>25.) Best memoir?</strong> <em style="">I just finished <em>Upon the Head of the Goat by Aranka Siegal, a memoir of her childhood as a Jewish girl in wartime Hungary.</em> Very haunting.<br /></em></p> <p><strong>26.) Best history?</strong> <em>The Speckled Monster: A Historical Tale of Battling the Smallpox Epidemic</em> by Jennifer Lee Carrell. Very thoroughly reasearched, but written like a medical thriller. Anything by Jonathan Spence. esp., <em>The Death of Woman Wang. </em><br /></p><div enclosure="asset" xid="6a00c225256b2c604a01101818b816860f 6a00c225256b2c604a011017b9b77e860e" format="strip-horizontal" align="center" class="enclosure enclosure-center enclosure-strip enclosure-strip-horizontal"> <div class="enclosure-inner"> <a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a01101818b816860f.html" class="enclosure-strip-link" title="Death of Woman Wang"><img src="http://a6.vox.com/6a00c225256b2c604a01101818b816860f-120pi" alt="Death of Woman Wang" class="enclosure-strip-image" /></a> <a href="http://littlemiao.vox.com/library/book/6a00c225256b2c604a011017b9b77e860e.html" class="enclosure-strip-link" title="The Speckled Monster"><img src="http://a6.vox.com/6a00c225256b2c604a011017b9b77e860e-120pi" alt="The Speckled Monster" class="enclosure-strip-image" /></a></div> </div> <!-- end enclosure --> <p><strong>27.) Best mystery or noir?</strong> Nero Wolfe.</p> <p><strong>28.) Best romance?</strong> I don't usually read or like romances, or maybe my idea of a romance is too restrictive.</p> </div> </div>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-19797060762640543332009-04-12T10:41:00.003-05:002009-04-12T10:50:53.624-05:00A delicate balance"Tell me a story... One just true enough to be interesting and not true enough to be tiresome."<br /><br />--- Saki<br /><br />From <span style="font-style: italic;">The Complete Saki,</span> "The Story of St. Vespaluus (p.166).<br /><br />I'm working my way slowly through Saki's short stories. I'm not entirely convinced that the book (Penguin edition) <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> complete, having seen references elsewhere to writings of Saki's that don't show up in the book. Or maybe they do.<br /><br />A volume such as this, in my opinion, needs an introduction. The lack of an introduction leaves me feeling unanchored.<br /><br />There is something fascinating and disturbing about these stories. Maybe it has to do with the variety of ways women can be killed by wild beasts.little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-896152769439899602009-04-06T08:23:00.002-05:002009-04-06T08:25:24.469-05:00Brighten your Monday with unicorns and rainbows!<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3407761775/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3599/3407761775_e2a4f8dece.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3407761775/">Ping, cornified</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />King Ping gazes benevolently at the world through a wreath of rainbows and unicorns.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.cornify.com/">here</a> to cornify your Monday too!</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-60634682434511029932009-04-03T12:28:00.004-05:002009-04-06T08:25:41.498-05:00It was waiting for me all along<p>I finally have a copy of <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/262431182&referer=brief_results"><em>The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out</em></a>. It was sitting in the rental office for two weeks because I was under the impression that UPS couldn't deliver it, owing to the fact that I received an email from amazon.com to that effect. It took me two weeks to call UPS and ask what's up, only to find out that the book was waiting here for me all along. If only I hadn't been too scatterbrained to check the UPS tracking number online. Sometimes I wonder if I have any brains left to scatter.</p><p><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51O9Yj79pCL._SL160_.jpg" alt="" width="160" height="159" /></p><p>I still need to ask for a signed bookplate, if there are any left.</p>The book is beautiful, to say nothing of the comics themselves, which are genius. <div class="enclosure-image"> </div>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-57019232369167218942009-04-02T21:01:00.002-05:002009-04-03T08:41:19.814-05:00Goal for this evening<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3408477950/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3629/3408477950_dc0a2ea0c6.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3408477950/">Mani's reading time</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />I'm going to finish reading The Wee Free Men tonight.<br /><br />Mani is going to nap.</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-75151176670390487622009-04-02T20:28:00.004-05:002009-04-02T20:41:09.504-05:00Fictive shelvesI find it intriguing that the Sandman comics are shelved under adult non-fiction at the local library.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/27056703?referer=list_view">fourth volume</a> is waiting for me. I'll pick it up tomorrow. yay!<br /><img src="http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/servlet/DCARead?standardNo=1563890356&standardNoType=1" alt="The sandman : season of mists" />little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-18780112851615891002009-03-23T19:59:00.004-05:002009-03-23T20:20:16.667-05:00My thoughts exactly<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21Qidk06wGL._SL160_.jpg" alt="" width="104" height="160" />I just finished listening to the audio book version of Jodi Picoult's <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289278230?referer=di&ht=edition"><span style="font-style: italic;">Change of Heart</span></a>. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/books/24masl.html?_r=1">This</a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/books/24masl.html?_r=1"> New York Times review</a> by Janet Maslin echoes my criticisms so well, I won't bother to add anything. <span style="font-style: italic;">Change of Heart</span> was my sixth Picoult book, and I found it to be her least impressive effort so far. And here I must make a confession. None of her books have truly engaged me, yet I keep coming back for more. I can't explain why. It could be a function of Audible's selection (her books tend to be long, so I get more minutes per credit), or maybe they're my version of escapist television (since I have no TV). All I know is that I have three more Picoult novels waiting in my iTunes for the next time I need literary accompaniment to my apartment-cleaning endeavors.<br /><br />I linked to the NYT review to avoid being critical myself, and since I seem to be veering in that direction, I'll stop now.little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-82759404188673717592009-03-23T19:43:00.005-05:002009-03-23T19:59:09.621-05:00Dream come trueEver daydreamed unicorns and rainbows into existence right before your eyes? Well, now it doesn't have to just be a daydream. Scroll down to the end of the right-hand column and click on the "<a href="http://www.cornify.com/">cornify</a>" button. I promise you won't be disappointed.<br /><br />Prof Tash declares that the Miao Library is off-limits to cornification. But even his stern glower can't keep them from his book blog.little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-65707534580777886982009-03-22T20:38:00.005-05:002009-03-23T13:10:10.749-05:00Louisa May & Mr. Thoreau's Flute by Julie Dunlap and Marybeth Lorbiecki, illustrated by Mary Azarian<img src="http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/servlet/DCARead?standardNo=0803724705&standardNoType=1" alt="Louisa May & Mr. Thoreau's flute" /><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44750662&referer=brief_results">Louisa May & Mr. Thoreau's Flute</a> by Julie Dunlap and Marybeth Lorbiecki, illustrated by Mary Azarian<br /><br />Papa Miao rescued this charming book from a school library discard pile and gave it to me. It recreates how the young Louisa May Alcott discovered "her own inner music" and wrote her first poem. The free-spirited "Louy" longs to spend her time on Mr. Thoreau's nature walks exploring the Concord woods, not cooped inside with household chores. Mr. Thoreau's flute melodies enthrall her and she struggles to express her own music. The vibrant woodcuts by Mary Azarian add historical detail to the text and mirror Louy's bold spirit.<br /><br />The friendship between LMA and Thoreau was real, but authors had to furnish the details. Thus, Thoreau may or may not have said of a cobweb: "That's a lace handkerchief dropped by a fairy." Perhaps <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeline_Bassett">Madeline Bassett</a> was an admirer of Thoreau?<br /><br />In honor of springtime, which is finally showing itself in these parts, here's LMA's first poem, "<a href="http://www.poetry-archive.com/a/to_the_first_robin.html">To the First Robin</a>":<br /><br /><dl><blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><dt>Welcome, welcome, little stranger, </dt><dt>Fear no harm, and fear no danger; </dt><dt>We are glad to see you here, </dt><dt>For you sing "Sweet Spring is near."</dt><dt><br /></dt><dt>Now the white snow melts away; </dt><dt>Now the flowers blossom gay: </dt><dt>Come dear bird and build your nest, </dt><dt>For we love our robin best. </dt></blockquote><dt><br /></dt></dl>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-12580131707485975942009-03-22T09:56:00.002-05:002009-03-22T13:49:29.161-05:00Book + Sun + Nap = Happy Kitty<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3371867018/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3371867018_b8a525c08b.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3371867018/">Lotus and his book</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />Another photo from when Lotus was reading THE LONG PATROL last month.</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-10644544408315119182009-03-19T19:40:00.003-05:002009-03-22T13:50:35.198-05:00Four Things for Thursday<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3054514676/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/3054514676_1b2e1db2f1.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3054514676/">Tashi</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />1. Tashi is beautiful.<br /><br />2. It works best when I write my book reflections soon after reading, rather than waiting a few years.<br /><br />3. Blogger does not like it when I copy and paste text from Microsoft Word. It refuses to let me modify the font.<br /><br />4. Tashi abhors procrastination. If you intend to catnap, then catnap! If you need to wash your dishes, just get them done! And if the first five items on your to-do list are STUDY, then what are you waiting for?</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-54233252878763263592009-03-19T19:31:00.007-05:002009-03-22T13:52:41.785-05:00Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/isbn/0399238549?loc="><img src="http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/servlet/DCARead?standardNo=0399238549&standardNoType=1" alt="Alt ed" /><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Alt Ed</span></i></a><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" > by Catherine Atkins</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">(Read today!)<br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >An unlikely group of teens are thrown together by their “alternative education” class – a last chance for students facing expulsion.<span style=""> </span>The six students – the preppy overachiever, the popular jock, the mean redneck, the school slut, the fat girl, and the gay kid – become mirrors for each others’ insecurities and strengths.<span style=""> </span>The bullied confront their bullies, the victims realize their power, and everyone comes out with a fuller understanding of themselves.<span style=""> </span>I don’t mean to sound skeptical or dismissive.<span style=""> </span>I can’t fault the book for its neatness (okay, maybe I can), and certainly it’s nice to end with a positive message.<span style=""> </span>Contrived, yes, but perhaps it is a commentary on the contrived nature of high school itself… and beyond that, all of human society.<span style=""> </span>The characters are well-formed, not just cardboard cutouts of their high school type.<span style=""> </span>The protagonist, a lonely overweight girl who is dealing with the death of her mother as well as daily bullying at school, is a refreshing narrator because she isn’t bogged down in self-pity.<span style=""> </span>And she has a kitty.<span style=""> </span>Overall, a nice read, with convincing characters and occasionally thought-provoking dialogue.</span>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-89690631488550803762009-03-15T13:33:00.003-05:002009-03-23T22:07:52.756-05:00Our Little Librarian<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3341491321/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3335/3341491321_7a991a13d8.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3341491321/">Tashi</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />Professor Tashi S. Miao keeps a mental catalog of all the thousands of books in the Miao library, and he always knows just where to find each volume.<br /><br />Here he can be seen at his library post, guarding the Egyptology collection.</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-4733007086264785822009-03-08T08:19:00.003-05:002009-03-23T22:08:26.835-05:00Still Reading The Long Patrol<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3317290001/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/3317290001_fef25145b5.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3317290001/">Lotus Paws Up</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />All those catnaps are getting in the way of finishing the book. Lotus fell asleep dreaming of deeper 'n ever pie.</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-22895256197463624202009-03-01T08:47:00.004-06:002009-03-02T14:44:52.426-06:00Reading goals for 2009We're already two months into 2009, but I don't suppose it's ever too late to make reading goals, just like it's never too early or too late to procrastinate studying, which is exactly what I'm doing now (procrastinating, not studying).<br /><ol><li>Borrow more from the library, buy less (I'm already doing well on this one)</li><li>Read 60+ books this year (including short children's books and picture books, so it's not really such an impressive number. Last year, I managed approx. 50 books even though I hardly read for 3 months).<br /></li><li>Read more non-fiction than last year (last year I only read 3 or 4 non-fiction books, not counting parts of books for academic research. This year, I'm aiming for 10-12 - there are just so many things I want to read that I never get around to).</li><li>Read more poetry<br /></li><li>Finish books I began last year and/or have been meaning to read for a while (most of these I began but got distracted in the middle):</li></ol><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Placebo Effect</span>, ed. Anne Harrington</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Foucault's Pendulum </span>by Umberto Eco</li><li>Zhuangzi</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">King Arthur </span>by Norma L. Goodrich</li><li style="font-style: italic;">The House of Thirty Cats</li><li>The final Harry Potter book</li><li>Finish the Dark Is Rising series (2 to go, I think)</li><li>Dickens' Christmas Carol</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Genealogies of Religion </span>by Talal Asad</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Open </span>- Agamben</li><li style="font-style: italic;">How to write</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Question of Hu</span><br /></li></ul>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-54595848244454992052009-02-28T20:57:00.003-06:002009-03-23T22:08:45.200-05:00Storytime for Lotus<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3318116458/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3654/3318116458_5a1c68e172.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3318116458/">Storytime for Lotus</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> .<br />The Long Patrol by Brian Jacques. Begun while on a brief visit home... Now I'm back up to five books on the go at once.<br /><br />It has been a long time since I've read a Redwall book. I've read (and re-read) most of the earlier ones, but this will be my first time reading The Long Patrol. It's already gotten off to a fun start, with the requisite menus of delicious food. I forgot how well those woodland critters eat.<br /><br />Lotus was enjoying a sunbath with the book this morning and he wouldn't let me take it away from him.</p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1635925331191906986.post-54948829215878748942009-02-23T19:34:00.003-06:002009-03-23T22:09:11.328-05:00Kemi enjoying a good book<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3219994753/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3219994753_76a844a66b.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaochronicles/3219994753/">Kemi, Dec. 2008</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/miaochronicles/">littlemiao</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> </p>little miaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09786368400876912738noreply@blogger.com2