The Book Thread

[Defiance]

i've just received a package that contains something i was searching from 2 long years!
i'm soooo fucking excited and satisfied
it's a book which collects all the norwegian tales written by Asbjornsen and Moe. it's the only edition of those tales avaiable in italy, and has stopped to be produced since the 80's (maybe 90's)
so you can understand why i wasn't able to find it!
this edition is from 1974 (older than me ) and i payed it quite a lot, 45 euro + 10 of shipping, while the actual sale price is of about 60-80 euro, so i was a bit lucky!
but it worthed! the volume is perfect and so beautiful! very elegant, with drawings, rigid slipcase, cotton bookmarker....i love it!

Looks like a very nice and interesting book, congrats!

I just finished reading 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' from Truman Capote. I've decided I don't like him, although I guess I should read 'In Cold Blood'.

EDIT: That book looks very nice Lefay is this similar? Can you post a link of the place where you bought it?

 

[Djöfull]

That sounds so fucking cool. How much was it? Did you just get it off Amazon?.

It was cheaper on amazon, but they don't send it to Europe. Bought it of the NGshop site. It was about 115 dollars( half of it shipping cost) Then I had to pay toll here(if I stick to the dollars that would be 40)

 

[Allfader]

Currently reading 'The Trail Of Cthulhu 'rpg - keeper's manual. I'll be the keeper for a couple of stories. I played it past week; awesome and even better than Call of Cthulhu (at least as a purist session).

 

[lefay82]

i'm reading the courtly romances by Chretien de Troyes, Perceval, Erec and Enid, Cliges, now i'm reading Lancelot.
fucking awesome. people who loves fantasy should read those instead....this is the real fantasy

 

[Allfader]

Yesterday, after getting my paycheck I went to a bookstore and asked, hopeless, for some Dostoyevsky books. It had 'The brothers Karamazov' in a beautiful edition of 2 volumes, so I bought it and I'm currently reading it. Probably tomorrow I'll look for some other interesting stuff. I need to expand my Poe and Nietzche collections.

 

[tobz]

I've just finished reading Vampire Hunter D 13; love how this series has really gained momentum over the last couple of books. Really good already from the start, but the last two-three books have been increadible!

Next up is either some more Pratchett or my newly acquired Poe collection, haven't decided yet...

 

[Erik Erna]

There is an unreleased Hunter S. Thompson book coming out in February, and I am counting the days. This is worse than waiting for an album to come out.

 

[Agah]

I just started reading Gudenes Fall by Cornelius Jakhelln. A bit hard to read, as it is written in a really vocal way, but it's very interesting.

 

[Sigurðr]

I've just finished the 3 first books about the viking saga from bernard cornwell, actually it's the third time that i did read these 3 books but i bought the 4th and 5th recently so i read the 3 first books again and now im reading the 'Dance of death' from Stephen king..I don't know how is the english name of this book... I think it's dance of death

 

[lefay82]

i'm just reading the Kalevala (nearly ended). simply awesome.
i really regret i haven't read it before!

 

[Alteredmindeath]

Just finished reading I am Ozzy.

 

[Djöfull]

Just finished reading I am Ozzy.

I read it the other day. About the funniest book I've ever read! I borrowed it. So I think I just might buy it later as the stories there are unforgettable.

I'm reading Life and how to survive it - a conversation book by John Cleese and a a psychiatrist called Skynner.

Quirkology - Richard Wiseman
A psychologist studies everyday human behaviour like jokes and altruism.

And I'm trying to read about 4-5 other books as well. Haven't really started on some of them. Jared Diamond for instance.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

Book was fucking great man.

 

[Defiance]

i'm just reading the Kalevala (nearly ended). simply awesome.
i really regret i haven't read it before!

Tsk tsk, you disappoint me young Padawan. Kidding, I haven't finished the Kalevala myself. I find it much more interesting than Viking mythology, but I guess I'm biased because I'm pissed off that every metal head feels "Viking" nowadays; it got too popular so it makes me dislike it. Still, Odin's journey and the wedding (lesson: Be a transvestite if you want your hammer back ) remain some of my favourite parts.

I'm reading Gulliver's Travels, can't wait to get to Laputa.

 

[lefay82]

Tsk tsk, you disappoint me young Padawan. Kidding, I haven't finished the Kalevala myself. I find it much more interesting than Viking mythology, but I guess I'm biased because I'm pissed off that every metal head feels "Viking" nowadays; it got too popular so it makes me dislike it. Still, Odin's journey and the wedding (lesson: Be a transvestite if you want your hammer back ) remain some of my favourite parts.

I'm reading Gulliver's Travels, can't wait to get to Laputa.

i was totally unaware of finnish mythology before reading this. i had only read some books about sami people and shamanism (also siberian shamanism which is really similar for many aspects) so it was a beautiful discovery to learn about the gods reading these poetic pages.
kalevala is in some ways more poetic than the edda. it's less epic and less epic things happen, but more space is left to descriptions, magic, spells, introspection.
everything is moved by love, all the 3 main characters are moved by the love for some girls living in the north (in the obscure land of pohjola), and from this feuds and battles are born.
i find those heroes (or gods) more human than the ones in viking mythology, and i really like the shamanic aura that floats around all the poem.
i'm loving it. but only 40 pages left to end it

 

[Defiance]

i was totally unaware of finnish mythology before reading this. i had only read some books about sami people and shamanism (also siberian shamanism which is really similar for many aspects) so it was a beautiful discovery to learn about the gods reading these poetic pages.
kalevala is in some ways more poetic than the edda. it's less epic and less epic things happen, but more space is left to descriptions, magic, spells, introspection.
everything is moved by love, all the 3 main characters are moved by the love for some girls living in the north (in the obscure land of pohjola), and from this feuds and battles are born.
i find those heroes (or gods) more human than the ones in viking mythology, and i really like the shamanic aura that floats around all the poem.
i'm loving it. but only 40 pages left to end it

Indeed, the ones of the Kalevala are much more human than the ones of the Eddas. And it's true, the main theme is love; the story revolves around it. And witches trying to steal your sword so they can do evil things with it .

Any books you recommend on the Sami?

 

[lefay82]

Indeed, the ones of the Kalevala are much more human than the ones of the Eddas. And it's true, the main theme is love; the story revolves around it. And witches trying to steal your sword so they can do evil things with it .

Any books you recommend on the Sami?

i've enjoyed a lot a book called "the lapps" from an italian writer, Bosi, which is together an etnographical book, a rapid summary of their history and an intorduction to their mithology.
i also loved "legends from lappland" by Luciana Vagge Saccorotti, who is a scholar of subartic cultures.

 

[Defiance]

i've enjoyed a lot a book called "the lapps" from an italian writer, Bosi, which is together an etnographical book, a rapid summary of their history and an intorduction to their mythology.
i also loved "legends from lappland" by Luciana Vagge Saccorotti, who is a scholar of subarctic cultures.

Thanks will check them out!

 

[lefay82]

ended kalevala yesterday
now reading "the reindeer from the sky, writings about nordic shamanism"
it's a collection of short essays from diverse writers about many aspect of shamanism, finnish and siberian mostly.
there's also an essay about a sami drum which is held in an italian museum (rome), with a cool explanation of the drawings on it.

i didn't know we had it in your land.
beautiful, isnt' it?

 

[Sigurðr]

@lefay
Kalevala is very magical and peaceful for reading..lefay if you liked i think you might like some estonian mythology, it's very similar...there are correspondent gods in both finish and estonian mythology like the god UKKO in finnish mythology, in estonian is UKU.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_mythology