Member: selin1005

Noticed you liked Fight Club, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing my new novel and posting your comments here as well as a few other book-related sites. Thought you might like my book since it's also about a disturbed bunch of kids and a bit dark :) I could e-mail you the novel in an e-book format if you'd like (I'm out of physical copies at the moment). Let me know if you're interested. Here's a link to a summary in case you're interested:

http://christophertusa.com/

Thanks,

Chris

posted by cmtusa at 11:18 am (EST) on Jul 28, 2009

Thanks so much for the info on 1602! Turns out it is a book that she doesn't have yet. I love finding out about new books! Have a great day!
--BJ

posted by billiejean at 3:42 pm (EST) on Apr 25, 2009

Hi, Selin!
Thanks for the friends invitation and for the info on Terry Pratchett. I think that Good Omens is an amazing book, but I am also interested in checking out the discworld books, too. Looks like there are lots of them. Have a great day!
--BJ

posted by billiejean at 2:53 pm (EST) on Apr 6, 2009

Hi Selin

I've just realised I never replied to this. How rude you must think me!
I think your comments are really interesting and I think you maybe understand the book better than I did. I agree it's possible to know what may happen in such a situation as that.
I haven't read any more Saramago yet, but am considering Seeing. Would it be worth reading do you think?

Liz

posted by jbeast at 3:36 pm (EST) on Mar 8, 2009

Hi Selin

Here's my opinion of Blindness, copied from my 50 book challenge post.
Would be interested in your comments.

Finished it:
32 [Blindness] by Jose Saramago.
Ok, so I liked it, and thought it was really well written, and he captured the despair inherent in the situation brilliantly.

I couldn't help thinking though, that in the situation of everyone gradually becoming blind with no discernible explanation, civilisation wouldn't collapse that quickly. We are given no coherent timeline to follow, but they seem to be losing their inhibitions about bodily functions after very few days. I think people would hold onto their dignity for longer. Later, when they leave the asylum, several months have apparently elapsed, which left me feeling disjointed and confused. I don't necessarily believe in the plausibility of rape scenes either - wouldn't they just help themselves... Even if they are willing to extort money and valuables from others for food to survive, this shouldn't necessarily turn them into complete animals: I found it a leap too far.

Though perhaps this is the point - nobody knows what would happen, so it's open to debate and gets people thinking and discussing.

The writing style is not at all easy to follow, in my opinion much harder than [The Road]. Long paragraphs with little indication of proper speech don't work for me; I get bored trying to entangle them.

Saramago makes some very insightful statements and it's a very deep book. And I think the ending was great. Can't say I was blown away though.

posted by jbeast at 7:14 am (EST) on Sep 19, 2008

selin

Thanks for your comment - you've made it sound like something I would very much enjoy and is now on the top of my to read pile. So will give you feedback as soon as I've finished.

posted by jbeast at 6:06 am (EST) on Sep 13, 2008

hi Selin,

i read ur thread in 50 challenge...and i'm happy to find someone who adores Saramago as much as i do. and congratulations on reading Levantado do Chao...it has not been translated into English, but i know that this was his "coming out" novel and considered in Portugal to be his best. how did u find it? i look forward to reading it in the original, as soon as i feel a bit more confident about my grasp of Portuguese. and just a small detail, the correct English title of ur latest read is Death at Intervals. i read it a few months ago and as usual, enjoyed it. but not as much as i did Blindness, and Baltazar and Blimunda, my other favorite of his. i learned just recently that he's got a new book coming out late this year. something to watch out for then...

posted by deebee1 at 4:37 am (EST) on Sep 12, 2008