Recently read books
Dec. 6th, 2013 10:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Översättarens anmärkningar. Dagbok från arbetet med Ringarnas Herre, by Erik Andersson
Ha, this book was total win (if you read Swedish). It's a journal from the translator who did the recent re-translation of LotR into Swedish. The previous translation is acknowledged to be, well, not all that faithful to the text, although of course I still loved it when I was younger. The new translator was not a Tolkien fan at all--he'd only read half the first book and didn't much like it. But being a translator, he's still a language geek, and it was so interesting to read about his struggles with the text and with all the names, many of which had to be translated, and about his communications with the Tolkien fans who were his proofreaders and reference group.
Mockingbird, by Sean Stewart
I liked this! It's about a woman whose mother was a witch, and who inherits those powers when her mother dies, even though she really doesn't want to. The main character has a warm and immediately engaging voice, and the book also has a great sense of place.
The Golden Mean, by Annabelle Lyon
Read for my book club at work. This is a historical novel from Aristotle's perspective about his time with Alexander the Great. Meh, I found it boring--I just never cared about any of the characters (which for me is the death blow for a book). I probably should've read Mary Renault instead.
Ha, this book was total win (if you read Swedish). It's a journal from the translator who did the recent re-translation of LotR into Swedish. The previous translation is acknowledged to be, well, not all that faithful to the text, although of course I still loved it when I was younger. The new translator was not a Tolkien fan at all--he'd only read half the first book and didn't much like it. But being a translator, he's still a language geek, and it was so interesting to read about his struggles with the text and with all the names, many of which had to be translated, and about his communications with the Tolkien fans who were his proofreaders and reference group.
Mockingbird, by Sean Stewart
I liked this! It's about a woman whose mother was a witch, and who inherits those powers when her mother dies, even though she really doesn't want to. The main character has a warm and immediately engaging voice, and the book also has a great sense of place.
The Golden Mean, by Annabelle Lyon
Read for my book club at work. This is a historical novel from Aristotle's perspective about his time with Alexander the Great. Meh, I found it boring--I just never cared about any of the characters (which for me is the death blow for a book). I probably should've read Mary Renault instead.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-12-06 12:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-12-06 01:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-12-06 06:57 pm (UTC)That sounds fascinating. Shame I can't read this one, but I do adore books like that.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-12-06 09:53 pm (UTC)