Name of the Rose and Sarum

Last night, in the early hours of the morning, I finished the Name of the Rose, thereby concluding my reading of all of Umberto Eco's novels. The Name of the Rose, had in my opinion, the best ending of all his books. The solution to the crimy mystery was a good one, surprising, but still possible to realise ahead of the protagonists, as long as you think some. The story was well paced, the characters good and interesting. All in all, a very good book and a recommended read.

So, now I have, in the span of two weeks, read all five of Umberto Eco's novels. The best one would have to be Focault's Pendulum, but that might be because it dealt with the subjects I am most interested in, occultism and hermeticism. The Name of the Rose comes a close second I think, but they are all so good it feels wrong to choose one over the other. Baudolino was really good as well, and had, I felt, the best translation. Queen Loana dealt with more recent subjects, books and comics from the first half of the century mostly, and really appealed to my own love of books. The Island of the Day Before was my least favorite I guess, but could have suffered from mediocre translation. I somehow felt the ending didn't deliver, mostly language wise. Eco's writing is so poetic and beautiful, it leaves a hard and demanding job of the translator. One day I have to learn Italian and read these books in their original language. All the books are high on my list of favorites, and I greatly recommend all of them.

I have now started on Sarum: The Novel of England, by Edward Rutherford, a historical fiction about the Salisbury Plains in Southern England, where Stonehenge is located. This is a massive book, over 1300 pages, and with an equally massive scope. It starts with the ending of the last great Ice Age, the creation of the British Isles, tells of how the Salisbury Plains then was populated, then continues through history up to recent years I guess. I have only just come to the erection of Stonehenge, 200 pages into the book. So I still have a long way to go. Could take a few days to read, i guess, but updates will follow. So far I like the book, it is written in an easy way, a lot of history is injected into the book, not only of the british isles, but of the rest of Europe as well, making it easy to know where in history you currently are. The chracterisation is lacking in certain spots, but that is mostly due to the few pages some characters receive (and I guess the simple hunter-gatherers at the time didn't have the same emotional range as us). Since the book covers thousands of years, it is apparent that every character cannot be given a lot of room. Rutherford does a good job of describing the society and culture existing at the different historical periods though, this is a book teaching you a lot of British History. So far, so good.

Well, another day off work. Yeay!! Plan to do some more reading, and tonight my dad is having a birthday party (his birthday was on friday). So I guess this is it for now. Until next time

cya

Heavy Metal

As a fan of heavy metal music, Trondheim is becoming a very good place to live nowadays. Last year Ozzy Osbourne graced us with his presence (which unfortunelately I missed since I was in Australia, and had to settle for Heaven and Hell, or Black Sabbath with Dio), and this year things are really taking off. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Def leppard are all playing, as well as Deep Purple, who has a concert outside the city, about half an hours drive from here. Can't wait for the summer. Already got my ticket for Iron Maiden, and as soon as my wallet has fattened up a bit I will get the other tickets. Wonder if this year can be topped by forthcoming years. I guess Led Zeppelin has to show up.

As for reading, I have had a lot of time for that today. No work today, and no plans either. Just a quiet and relaxing day, spent in the sofa with my books (The Name of The Rose). Should finish that one soon, and still not sure what to continue with. Maybe Paulo Coelho, my mum has most of his books, if not all, and as I have only read the Pilgrimage and the Alchymist, there are a lot of new books there to be discovered. And of course I still have the books I got for Christmas, and Century Rain by Alastair reynolds, which I bought a few days ago (my reward for putting in all those hours at work. Couldn't really afford it but... I really wanted it).

The Name of The Rose, by the way, is a really good book. A crime story injected with lots of historical observations, theological discussions and thoughts about books, literature, knowledge and signs. In the usual Eco fashion, reading this book will fill your head with new information, and enhance your love of books. Also, unlike the English translations of his other books I have read, the Norwegian translator translates all latin quotes as well (but doesn't omit the latin either, here you get both). This was great, since my fluency in Latin is rather limited (but I have actually studied it for a few months, but my vocabulary is rather limited). This way I can read both the Latin quote, try to figure it out and then look at the translation. In the other books where only the Latin quote was included in many circumstances, I could only pick out a word or two and had no idea of what it said really. Not only do I get the meaning this way, I can also pick up some on my Latin, which I plan to start learning again some time in the future. I actually started learning Latin with a friend, we both wanted to learn another language, and picked Latin for fun, since we figured that would be the most pointless and least useful language to learn. Or the most useful maybe, knowing Latin probably makes it easier to learn other European Languages, and helps in figuring out the meaning behind new and comlicated English words, many that derives from Latin counterparts. Anyways, back to the Name of the Rose. This is Eco's first book, and is both very similar and dissimilar to his other works, as all his books really are. The books are all set in different time periods, and is filled with information and knowledge from those time periods. The style of writing is the same in his books, maybe with the exeption of Focault's Pendulum, which is like Eco times 5 in many ways. Where the other books focuses on a story and injects discussions and information into that story, Focaul't Pendulum is more like an occult history book disguised as a story. The vast volume of historical information, many times greater than in his other books, is immense, and tends to confuse the reader. Sometimes it just seems to much, I actually finished this book only on my third try, the first two times I gave up, having lost track of all the names, secret societies, historical events etc.. A certain knowledge of the Templars, Masons, occultism, hermeticism and European history is recommended before reading this book. I recommend reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail before reading Focaults Pendulum, and maybe some books on the Kabbalah (especially the Tree of Life and the Sephiroth) and the Free Masons as well. This will prepare you, to a certain extent, to the flood of information you are about to receive.

Well, it's getting late here, and I plan to finish The Name of the Rose before falling asleep, so I guess I have to go now. Until next time

cya

Long Live the Weekend

Finally, my first weekend without work in a month or so. That's gonna be so good. Since I haven't gotten my pay check yet, I'm practically broke, so plan to spend weekend reading and relaxing. I am very tired from all the shifts at work lately. My last day off was Christmas Eve, so two days off in a row is gonna be good.

Haven't had much time too read lately, still reading Name of the Rose, only about 50 pages a days. This book I'm reading in Norwegian as opposed to English, kinda weird actually since I usually just read in English. Like the book so far, written in typical Eco-style. The story is a crime story, sorta, about some murders in an abbey, and the two munks trying to solve the case. The book also includes several discussions about theological views, and the living conditions at the time (14th century europe).

Hmm, what elso to write. Television, which used to be such an integral part of my life has now almost vanished. i used to watch the telly for hours every day, just lying in bed and switching channels. Since I came home from Australia in the beginning of December I have hardly watched any, maybe because my sister has taken my TV now, and I don't have one in my room. I don't miss it though, it was just the other day I realised I have quit watching. Interesting. Maybe watching Tv was just a symptom of my laziness, it was so easy to reach out for the remote and watch meaningless dribble for a few hours, putting my brain on stand-by. Nowadays, I don't do that anymore, I either chose to read or sleep instead (and of course with all the extra working I don't have mush time for TV anyways, I have been working a lot in the evenings, when all the interesting shows are on, what is showing at day time stinks anyways).

Well, not much has happened lately, so not much to write about. And now I'm gonna go back to reading again. Until next time

cya

The Island of the Day Before Completed

Today, I woke up very early, around 4a.m actually. I was very tired yesterday, and went to sleep around 10, so that's probably why. Anyway, lying in bed in the early hours of the morning I finished Eco's the Island of the Day Before. The book was good, not his best one though. The ending was very trippy actually, but good, mixing storylines and 'fact' and fiction in interesting ways. Reading a story about a man making up a story which he eventually starts believing is real can be quite funny. The book also has a quite funny explanation of how God could flood the whole world during the great flood.

I have now started on the last of Umberto Eco's novels, The Name of the Rose, which happens to be the first he published. So in a few days I will be finished with Eco's books, wonder what to read next. I actually bought a book today as well, Century Rain, by Alaister Reynolds. Alaister Reynolds is definelately one of my favorite authors. His books are Science Fiction or space opera, but he writes with a lot of scientific knowledge. Having studied physics and astronomy, and worked for the ESA (European Space Agency), I guess you can imagine he knows what he is writing about. His books are well researched, well structured and has interesting plots and characters. Amny of his books are also set in the same universe, but can be read as stand alone books. If you like SF, you should definelately check out Alastair Reynolds.

Well, that's all I'm writing for today I guess, gonna head back to the couch and read some more, before going to work in a few hours. Last day of night shift for a while, then day shifts, leaving more time availiable. Working during the evening kinda ruins the whole day, as I never seems able to get up in early, and end up just sleeping till I have to go to work. From tomorrow I'll be off work at 3p.m. so I can do something fun and useful during the evenings (if I just had some money). Well, well. Until next time

cya

Happy New Year

So, 2008 is finally here. New Year's Eve was mostly spent at work, or home alone, so no extravagant celebration for me. Enjoyed a good book and a glass of red wine.

Still reading the Island of the Day Before, but coming closer and closer to the end (of course I am, I'm not reading it backwards). Have also been reading a lot of Freud's writings lately, thought I would find out what psycho-analysis really is. Quite interesting really.

So, what will the new year bring for me, I wonder. I guess only time will tell. But I'll make sure to post whatever happens on this blog, if it is interesting of course. Won't write about any minor event, and mostly about my reading. Well, supper is coming up, I am tired, don't really feel like writing much now. Until next time

cya

Hmm

Finished with Queen Loana, the book was good allthough the translation wasn't as good as in the other Eco-books I have read lately. The story was good though, with lots of references to old books and comics; perfect for a book lover. The book was about an antique book dealer who loses his memory, and returns to his childhood home to roam through old books and comics, trying to regain his lost memory. Very good book.

Now I have started on The Island of the Day Before, only two more books and I have finished all of Eco's books. Reading them all one after another is something I recommend. A lot of the themes are repeated over several books, hard to notice if you only read one. By reading them all, one after another, several times have I found a chapter, theme, paragraph or even just a sentence mirroring something I read in one of his other books. Very interesting.

Of course, since Eco writes in Italian, I have to read translations of his books. I usually try to read the original text, at least for Norwegian and English authors, since I like to read the authors own words. The translations of Eco's books are usually good. The best so far has to be Baudolino, with Foucault's pendulum not far behind. Queen Leona I found to be the worst translation of the books I have read so far. After reading them all maybe I'll write some more about the translations.

New year is coming up soon, but no celebration for me. Working both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. need the money. Well, no more time to write now, busy busy. Until next time

cya

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana

Last night, after returning from a short shift at work, I sat down in my room, poured myself some whisky and finished Focault's Pendulum. Or actually I only almost finished it, at the end I got so tired and went to sleep. The book was finished in bed after waking up this morning. The book was really good, with a very good and thoughtful ending. Definelately a recommended book, very insightful, eductional and exciting.

I have now proceeded to The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, the only book by Eco I haven't read before. Therefore, I am very much looking forward to this book. The story is about an antiques book dealer, who looses his memore, or rather, he can remember the plot of every book and comic he has read, but can remember nothing of his personal life. A very interesting plot, leaving room for Umberto Eco, in his usual style, to integrate countless references to books and comics in his writing. I have just started on this book, a more detailed review will follow some other day.

Living in Norway, I am used to having white christmases, something which haven't been fulfilled in the last few years. Last christmas was completely void of snow, while this year we had snow in the beginning of December, but by christmas it has mostly melted. But tonight we did have some snow (only a millimeter or so though), so maybe we will have a white January. Personally I don't like cold weather and haven't been too disappointed in having a mild December. But Christmas could still be white though.

Anyways, soon I must once again go to work, another 8 hour shift. And I still have six more days of working before having a day off next Thursday. Well, well, I need the money. Until next time

cya

Umberto Eco

Baudolino is finished, and it reminded me of how good an author Umberto Eco really is. The story is great, but what really makes the book good are all the religious and philosophical discussions he inserts into the story. When you read a book about Umberto Eco, it's not just the story that is important. You learn something as well.

The book begins in 1204, during the sack of Constantinople. A historian, Niketas, is saved from the invaders byt Baudolino, who preceeds to tell the story of his life. Baudolina was once a simple farmer, but at age 12 or 13 he was adopted by the holy roman emperor frederick. As the emperor's son, he becomes obsessed with finding the kingdom of Prestor John, a mythical Christian kingdom which lies in the far east. I don't wanna reveal too much of the story though, but it is great. During the whole book, Umberto Eco inserts in his usual style long discussions, discussions about the vacuum, the shape of the world and different christian views that prevailed during that age. Of course, the wholy grail, or the grasal, also make an apperance, with many discussions about the true nature of the grail. A highly recommended book. Umberto Eco's style of writing is so moving, the language is beautiful and the dialoges and discussions are insightful. If you are only gonna read 100 books next year, don't start with this, because you will run the risk of the rest of the books being disappointment after disappointment.

After reading Baudolino, and remembering how much I like Umberto Eco, I decided to read all the rest of his books as well, and as fast as possible. I have now started on Foucault's Pendulum, reading over 300 pages today. This book, over 600 pages, contains a story that could probably be told in about 100 pages. The rest of the pages are filled with discussions about hermeticism, alchemy, secret societies, the knights Templar, rosicrucians, magic, philosophy and so much more. If you read the DaVinci Code, and liked it, you should read this book, as it makes the DaVinci Code look like an animated Children's book in comparison. It could also be read as a very educational book, as it writes page after page about different religions, sects and secret societies in the world. As usual, Umberto Eco's writing is awesome, the language is beautiful (the translator has done a great job as well), and the pages keep flowing.

So, over the next week or so, I will immerse myself in Umberto Eco's books. I am really looking forward to it. Until next time

cya

Christmas Presents

The tradition in Norway is to open presents on christmas eve, and now all the gifts are opened. I had already gotten a digital camara from my family, so I wasn't expecting too many presents. i did get some books though, so I have a lot to read in the near future. From my parents I received Renegade's Magic, the third book in Robin Hobb's Soldier Son trilogy. As I have read the other two books and liked them, I can't wait to open this book. From a friend I received Gardens of the Moon, by Steven Erikson. From my brother I received an omnibus containing five of Wilbur Smith's books. I have never read anything by Steven Erikson, and only one book by Wilbur Smith, so I'm looking forward to discovering new authors. Reviews will follow as soon as I read the books.

I have also been reading a lot in Baudolino, and so far I love the book. I love Eco's way of writing, and his knowledge of the historical periods he writes from. If you are interested in historical fiction, you should definelately check out Umberto Eco. More on this book will come when I'm finished (hopefully tonight or tomorrow).

Well, Christmas eve is almost over in Norway, I have loved having a day off work. Tomorrow it's back to work. My next day off is the 28th, other than that I will be working every day until at least the 2nd of january. Until next time

cya

Christmas Eve

Christmas is finally here, and the smell of good food is filling the house. Unfortunelately, we don't have as much snow as I would like, christmas is supposed to be white.

Today I finished Perdurabo. The book was good, although, at times, it mentioned a lot of names in a short period of times, making it hard to keep them from each other. Crowley certainly lived an eventful life, totally dedicated to what he saw as his mission in life. Can't say I agree with all of his ideas, but I believe the common view of him, as 'the Wickedest Man in the World' is unfounded. He had a mission in life, to bring to the masses the religion of Thelema, and did so as best he could. If you are interested in religion and the occult, I certainly recommend reading this book, as well as other Crowleyana.

I have now started on Baudolino, by Umberto Eco. I have always liked Unberto Eco's books, ever since reading Focault's Pendulum. I read that book right after reading the DaVinci Code, and was utterly impressed. Bringing up a lot of the same themes, the Pendulum comes across as a hundred times better, much more intelligent and a lot better researched. Umberto Eco certainly knows what he is writing about. I have read Baudolino before, I remember buying it at the airport in Hong Kong, the first time I travelled to Australia. I read it during the 9 hour plane ride from Hong Kong to Brisbane. That was three years ago and I don't really remember much from the book now. I usually forget books after a year or so, which I think is great, since I can reread great books several times. Of course, after three or four reading I remember more of it, and have to wait longer before reading it again. Well, I certainly look forward to reading Baudolino again and will post my thoughts on the book here on the blog as I read. Until next time

Merry Christmas

cya