Friday 25 August 2017

Weekend Blog Hops - 25 August 2017

http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2017/01/book-blogger-hop-january-13th-19th.html
Have you ever read a book written in a foreign language you might be fluent in, and then read the same book in English?
Actually, for me it tends to be the other way around. I've read a number of books in translation, only to read them in the original language later. I have studied a few foreign languages, but I'm only proficient enough in French and German to read novels with any degree of ease. I will occasionally attempt something lighter in Italian, Czech or Danish, but I need a dictionary to hand for those and it takes a while to get through a story. I think the only time I read anything in the original language and then in English was Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther.

http://www.rosecityreader.com/ http://www.fredasvoice.com/

Opening sentence:
At seven o'clock on a January morning, as the sky over London was growing light, a row broke out in a bedroom between a husband and wife.




From page 56:
Pepys was not accustomed to failure--he was the success of the family, the boy who did well and won scholarships--and the separation from Elizabeth, which lasted for many months, was terrible to him.




 

My Current Read 
Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self
Claire Tomalin

For a decade, beginning in 1660, an ambitious young London civil servant kept an astonishingly candid account of his life during one of the most defining periods in British history. In
Samuel Pepys, Claire Tomalin offers us a fully realized and richly nuanced portrait of this man, whose inadvertent masterpiece would establish him as the greatest diarist in the English language.

Against the backdrop of plague, civil war, and regicide, with John Milton composing diplomatic correspondence for Oliver Cromwell, Christopher Wren drawing up plans to rebuild London, and Isaac Newton advancing the empirical study of the world around us, Tomalin weaves a breathtaking account of a figure who has passed on to us much of what we know about seventeenth-century London. We witness Pepys’s early life and education, see him advising King Charles II before running to watch the great fire consume London, learn about the great events of the day as well as the most intimate personal details that Pepys encrypted in the Diary, follow him through his later years as a powerful naval administrator, and come to appreciate how Pepys’s singular literary enterprise would in many ways prefigure our modern selves. With exquisite insight and compassion,
Samuel Pepys captures the uniquely fascinating figure whose legacy lives on more than three hundred years after his death.

39 comments:

  1. This sounds like a fascinating read! Love the first line. Intriguing!

    Here is my book choice for this Friday: http://bit.ly/2w2KkmL

    Have a great weekend, Nicki!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmm. Never heard of this guy but now i am curious. I guess that is the point. My Book Beginning is at the bottom of the book review page

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds so interesting. Thanks for mentioning the book!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would really like to read this one. Have read tiny parts of his diary. "Regicide" is not a word I know. Will have to look it up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Regicide is the killing of a king, in this case it references Charles I of England.
      If you're a GOT fan, Jaime Lannister committed regicide. :)

      Delete
  5. That's so cool that you can read in other languages!! Have you ever run into a situation where the english translation was WAY off?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not too much in books so far, but I do notice that a little bit with opera surtitles and definitely with subtitles for films/TV shows. Sometimes what the subtitles say is completely different from what the actor just said. Often it's quite amusing.

      Delete
    2. That's so interesting! And ha!! I bet those mistakes are so much fun to catch!

      Delete
  6. I am a little bit in awe of people who can read/speak more than one language. My brain does not seem to take to languages. - Katie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've always loved them. The only issue I have is that I constantly want to learn new ones when I have precious little time to practise the ones I already know!

      Delete
  7. Great excerpts, and the blurb piqued my interest. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think that's an awesome answer :) I wish I remembered enough Spanish from high school to read a foreign book. Great answer :)

    Megan @ Ginger Mom & the Kindle Quest

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds fascinating. My teasers are from a historical mystery - A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Samuel Pepys sounds like a must have for history buffs. Diaries can be such a gold mine. Thanks for sharing, because I hadn't heard of this one.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I admire you for your ability to read in multiple languages. I probably could muddle my way through a book in Spanish with the help of a Spanish to English dictionary, but it wouldn't be pretty. I took Spanish in high school and college, but I never put it to use and have lost most of what I learned all those years ago. :-(

    I really like the opening you shared, Nicki. I've got the scene set in my mind's eye. This sounds like an interesting book. I hope you are enjoying it!

    Thank you for sharing! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi. Thanks for stopping by. I love learning other languages; it's a great passion of mine.

      Delete
  12. WOW, it's GREAT that you know so many languages!! You're AMAZING!! And it's also GREAT that, even though you need a dictionary for some of them, you're still able to read books in those languages!

    I did study French in high school, and was even fluent enough to write to a pen pal in Morocco for some time. Sadly, I've since lost my fluency... So now I would not even attempt to read a book written in French. I should really do some brushing up!

    What a FASCINATING book you've shared today! I've heard of Pepys, but have never read his diary. This biography sure sounds like it brings the man and his times alive in very well-written prose. I'm adding it to my Goodreads shelves right now! Thanks for putting it on my radar!!

    Have a WONDERFUL weekend, Nicky!! <3 :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maria. Thanks for stopping by.
      I've always loved learning languages, and luckily I seem to have a good ear for them. If you take up French again, I'm sure you'll be surprised how quickly it all comes back to you!

      Delete
  13. An excerpt like this makes me yhink that maybe it is better to have a little failure in your life. Have a lovely weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ohh great answer Nicki I am Bilingual, but I only read in English. Thank you so much for the awesome post and here is my blog hop link on my blog.

    http://katisbookaholicramblingreviews.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-blogger-hop-55.html

    ReplyDelete
  15. Marvelous that you can read in other languages.

    ENJOY your weekend.

    Happy Hopping!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Blogger Hop

    ReplyDelete
  16. It is amazing that you can read in a number of languages and are able to retain them too. I am fluent in speaking another language besides English, but I am lacking when it comes to reading the language - so I've only ever read books written in English. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Taz. I'm passionate about languages, so I do my best to keep them up through reading, pen pals, foreign movies etc.

      Delete
  17. It sounds like a fascinating read! Happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yay! It's great that you are able to read books in foreign languages! I can barely do that myself!

    Here’s my Book Blogger Hop!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ronyell. Thanks for visiting this week. Happy Hopping!

      Delete
  19. WOW. It's so cool that you're able to read books in so many languages. There are probably all kinds of small details that are lost in translation. I'm sure you've worked pretty hard to learn so many languages. Congratulations! Thanks for hopping by my page!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kymberlee. It's always a work in progress with language learning, but it's something I really enjoy. It really helps you connect with a country's culture.

      Delete