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Proxy Server Problems
Posted Jun 30th 2008 8:24a.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

It has been brought to my attention that the link to the Project Gutenberg text of "A Chinese Wonder Book" was no longer working (its possible that the proxy server changed IPs). So, here is the original link to the text:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18674/18674-h/18674-h.htm ... Read more »

  • juhuacha @bluecomet91: I don't think too long is the right word, but I definitely think that the single tiered comment system that CW uses means that it will be hard ...
  • bluecomet91 interesting or way too long? yeah, what happened to china (i know, i know...) and i wonder if these stories are told anymore. i am assuming that they were common ...
  • meibaihu wow bluecommet your comments are so interesting! I read these stories and wonder if this China really exhists anymore... I agree, Wade-Giles really annoying.
  • bluecomet91 Now that i am done with my view of the stories, i have a few general questions: what about the other gods? i am sure they probably have some sweet ...
  • bluecomet91 Lu-San, Daughter of Heaven Another cool story, i wish i heard these when i was a kid! it was a nice flip of being beaten every day to having a ...
The Golden Beetle or Why the Dog Hates the Cat
Posted Jun 23rd 2008 7:42p.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

an age-old mystery is cleared up (or something)

I actually found this tale to be rather charming (though again, as previously warned, written in a very "old-timey" fashion). Published originally in 1919, its antiquey enough to be quaint and charming, and is obviously a direct translation from the Chinese phrasing ... Read more »

  • meibaihu I really enjoy the stories, just like some my grand mother tells to me. I am looking forward to discussing the stories tonight 8^)
Gettin' Folksy Wit It
Posted Jun 18th 2008 1:14a.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

(or something)

So... after putting my life on the back burner for the past three weeks (including the book club!) due to a great gig I got choreographing the dancing girls for the new China Doll, I'm only just now getting around to sending out feelers for the text ... Read more »

joyo chooses a bad time to do inventory
Posted May 29th 2008 12:12p.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

So... as I discovered earlier this week, the joyo.com website (China's Amazon.com) was doing a major reinventory (is that a word?) for thw WHOLE week, and nothing would be delivered for another week, so of course the advice I gave to everyone last week was well, not ... Read more »

  • juhuacha PS: People shouldn't forget that they can get a FREE copy of Leona Lewis' latest album just buy commenting at the listing here: http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing ...
Chinese Short Stories
Posted May 22nd 2008 4:36p.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

On Thursday the 29th, we'll be meeting at The Bookworm at 7:30 to discuss some of the short stories from this book. I've only just now ordered it from joyo.com (should get here tomorrow, usually next-day delivery, FREE).

If you'd also like to get the ... Read more »

PS: Holiday Readings
Posted Apr 30th 2008 5:13p.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

Also... there's been a vote and we're definitely going to read Pearl S Buck's "The Good Earth" for the May Book Club meetup, so you could also go ahead and pick up a copy so that you're fully prepared for the actual book club meeting :)

For ... Read more »

  • juhuacha PS: Sorry for changing the book choice last minute, but fear not if you've already purchased a copy, we'll be doing it later this summer
  • juhuacha @meibaihu: Our next meeting is at The Bookworm on the 29th at 7:30, check out the event listing here for more info. :)
  • meibaihu ooh, ihear this is a good book! 8^) but when is the next meeting?
May holidaze
Posted Apr 30th 2008 4:53p.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

Books to read for the May holiday?

Any favorites that you've read that are the epitome of eye candy? Some authors are better for certain environs/times of the year, but certainly some easy-to-get-your-hands-on titles are...

anything by Jane Austen (but particularly Pride and Prejudice)

Harry Potter / Golden Compass ... Read more »

  • juhuacha @kevinliu: 谢谢!
  • kevinliu 《改变西方世界的26个字母》 《经度》
  • juhuacha ooh, whats the title of Alpha Bet in Chinese? :)
  • kevinliu i'm reading 2 books,very interesting... Alpha Beta:How Our Alphabet Shaped the Western World by John Man Longitude by Dava Sobel but they are all in chinese version ;)
Pearl S Buck-ing
Posted Apr 14th 2008 11:24a.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

Now that Wikipedia is (currently) not blocked by the Great Firewall of China, you can check out the link to Pearl S Buck's wiki page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_S._Buck

Not only was she politically involved and worked hard to make a lot of socio-political changes ... Read more »

  • meibaihu why is chinese wiki still blocked? 8^( is it true that pearl bucks was a missionary?
  • juhuacha well... I recommend that you check out The Good Earth (which is the May Book Club choice!) ;)
  • wendywellesley What is the first book/essay, etc. that you/anyone would suggest someone should read?
  • juhuacha @wab: its nice to know that not all 'big noses' are vilified historically ;) @wendy: she's done non-fiction, novels and essays, etc. I don't have an opinion yet on ...
  • wendywellesley What style of writing does she do? Is it socio-political?
Re-Booking :)
Posted Apr 11th 2008 4p.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

Due to popular demand (and the recent availability of the book at a couple bookstores about town) we are going to do another meetup to discuss "Mr Muo's Traveling Couch." We will meet up at the Bookworm in Sanliturn and the Bridge Cafe in Wudaokou, and we're trying ... Read more »

  • meibaihu the book secret life of bees has just been made into a movie, would be fun to read the book when the movie is due to come out 8^)
  • laobeijingren Hey, how about the secret life of bees? its about bees, women and the American South. Although its a bit earth mother holistic, it was a great read and i ...
  • wendywellesley Funny, I didn't see the end of the link I just copy and pasted it... and then I saw it was the article I had already read. There are ...
  • wendywellesley Oh good, I'm going to look at that link so I can find out more about her. On a sidenote that is TOTALLY unrelated, what is markdown syntax? Thanks
  • juhuacha ok... so evidently only markdown syntax works for the comments, the link is here (you'll have to cut and paste it)
Mr Muo's Dream Interpretations
Posted Mar 3rd 2008 9:54a.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

At the last book club meeting, we discussed the beginning of the book "Mr Muo's Traveling Couch" and quickly found ourselves distracted by a very fascinating tangent: that of dream interpretation.

When I had a Chinese flatmate, we would often sit over coffee and discuss/interpret our dreams. She ... Read more »

  • juhuacha I've finished the whole book (it was a great read!) and now my boyfriend's going through it... assuming that everyone can get a chance to read it, maybe ...
  • aliansheng i just start and read a few pages how many of you have finished?
  • juhuacha hmm... ok, will work on that soon. have you two both been able to get ahold of copies of the book?
  • aliansheng sounds interesting~
  • meibaihu when is for next meeting?
Freudian Slips and Foot Fetishes
Posted Feb 15th 2008 11:11a.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

Hi Everyone! :)

I hope that the insane fireworks have scared off all of the bad spirits for the year and leave us all with lots of good luck.

The next book club meeting with be on Feb 21st (next Thursday night) at The Bookworm (6586-9507) at 7pm. We've pre-ordered ... Read more »

  • wendywellesley Why would a chinese man ever write anything in French... I wonder what this says about him...
  • juhuacha fyi: we ended up veering quickly away from the subject of the book at the last meeting and discussing dream interpretation instead, please check out the new blog entry to ...
  • meibaihu I am not a native speaker too but I enjoy the book, very fun to read! When is the next meeting?
  • juhuacha PS: I see from your profile that you're from Hebei, do you find the book easy to read as a non-native speaker of English?
  • juhuacha @zany: glad you're enjoying it, I found the book to be a hoot
Was his defection from 'Communist China" selfish or the right thing to do?
Posted Jan 7th 2008 2:46p.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

The December book, Li Cunxin''s autobiography "Mao's Last Dancer" was a great choice of reads... with the exception that there were no copies available in town ;p

So... to do a quick synopsis of the part in question:

Li Cunxin is China's best ballet student (imagine: late ... Read more »

  • wendywellesley after some minor reflection (the time it took to get the fridge), I think he was being selfish... but he had a right, he was rebelling from all things communist...
  • juhuacha arrg... this is definitely one of the difficulties of doing an English bookclub in a non-English speaking part of the world (ie: getting ahold of the book)
  • wendywellesley I haven't read the book yet either, but this question is compelling...
  • juhuacha the interesting thing is that the author himself doesn't really know if he did the selfish thing or not, though he doesn't regret his decision personally... yes, but ...
  • jhaagen What was the take of the author? On an interesting side note, I tried to defect to the Chinese ballet team, but they wouldn't have me. That is where ...
Did Mao's Last Dancer give up on Mao? When to defect or just dance? Read all about it at the Beijing Book Club
Posted Dec 11th 2007 10:34a.m. by juhuacha (Book Club)

This month (December) the Beijing Book Club will be reading Li Cunxin's autobiography "Mao's Last Dancer." Suggested by one of our members at the last meetup in November (thanks Chase!) it has definitely been a fun read for me. As there were many schedule conflicts with the original ... Read more »

  • chochobook Hello Everyone, I am Echo from Garden Books Beijing. welcome to Garden Books to look for the books you want. Further more, you can subscribe books from Garden Books. visa ...
  • juhuacha PPS: link to the event listing.... here
  • chocojing nope, they read The Kite Runner for November (sorry, Dan posted the previous message about the Kite Runner)
  • jennwong sorry, I'm confused! I thought the bookclub book was The Kite Runner? am I missing something?
  • juhuacha PS: Both the Bookworm and the Chaterhouse Books locations are sold out of copies. However, if you're really desperate and promise to take care of it, you can borrow ...
Beijing Book Club meeting times and books
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 12:44p.m. by dan (Book Club)

BOOK UP FOR DISCUSSION: Kite Runner by Khaleed Hossini.

In The Kite Runner, Amir and Hassan grow up together in Afghanistan like brothers, although they couldn't be more different. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessman, a Sunni Muslim, a Pashtun, and he's educated and reads voraciously ... Read more »

  • maobaiyang I read the story the kite runner before and bought one from Beijing Garden Books at 44 Guanghua Road,Chaoyang District..It is great. And another story ,a thousand splended ...
  • ivana when and where does the book club meet? what are the books for 2008? thanks! :)
  • dan Oh I read that story too. It's pretty scary stuff. I think the trailer looks good but the voice in the trailer sounds like it should be introducing a ...
  • jennwong I read an article in the NY Times a couple days ago about the child actors in the film safely being relocated to the U.A.E. Pretty incredible and ...
  • dan Recommend some books! Better yet, why not share some of your China lit collection with the rest of us?
Must read books about China
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 3:53p.m. by dan (Book Club)

It makes sense to read up on the country we're living in but with so many titles it's hard to know where to begin. Please, all those Sinophiles out there, help us and lend us some advice on what are the essential China reads. Read more »

  • zachary_franklin The first book I picked up before coming to China was Peter Hessler's "River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze." As much as I've heard people say "River ...
  • juhuacha We have picked Pearl S Buck's "The Good Earth" for the next book club meeting (while a bigger-than-normal book, its also a classic about life in China (back in ...
  • maobaiyang I have been to Beijing Garden Books .It locates at 44 Guang Hua Road. There are many books introducing traditional chinese culture from the perspective of foreigners.I think it ...
  • grace2maine I have been reading Foreign Babes in Beijing. I think it's a great book from a laowai lady's perspective. It's both pleasantly and painfully familiar.
  • calumthom I came to China to teach english in a remote area of the country, and nothing could have prepared me better than Peter Hessler's River Town. I understood so ...
Children's books discussion forum
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 12:27p.m. by dan (Book Club)

What are the leading children's books out on the market and where can you go to buy them? Please post your recommendations here and also suggestions on where these can be purchased. Read more »

  • chochobook Where do you get children's books? Garden Books have many many children's book to select. Welcome 44 Guanghua Lu, 2F ( 1F is Sequoia Cafe) www.gardenbooks.cn www ...
  • dan Sorry peggyn, I don't have a clue about where Mei Li could be found... :( In other news, does anyone know about the book "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ...
  • peggyn One of my favorites as a child was a book called Mei Li about a little girl who was unhappy that her brother would be going to the city for ...
  • jennwong Yeeehaw! I am dizzy with glee.
  • dan Add it as a topic! I believe you have editorial powers yes? Wanna be co-moderators?
Fiction book discussion forum
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 12:24p.m. by dan (Book Club)

This is a forum for book discussions on fiction. If one book becomes very popular it will be relegated out into it's own topic. Read more »

  • robertblack I would like to get my novel THE FAKE CELEBRITY IN CHINA featured on this site. How can I do this? Can be viewed online: http://www.poseidonbooks.com/fake_celebrity ...
  • robertblack I just watched Naked again free on PPTV live. One of my favourite movies, so dark.
  • ros I think she contorts her face way too much! She's just not pleasant to look at. But if you check out her photos, if she smiles like any normal ...
  • jennwong Amy Sedaris makes me crazy. I don't know what it is about her, but I find her so abhorrent that I can hardly stand to look at her, much ...
  • ros Yup...I think MTPOD is in between. Book made me laugh! Oh...and I agree...he does recycle his stories. Barrel Fever was an interesting read for me. I think ...
Non-Fiction book discussion forum
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 12:22p.m. by dan (Book Club)

This is a forum for book discussions on nonfiction books. If one book becomes very popular it will be relegated out into it's own topic. Read more »

  • maobaiyang I agree with you,but I think Chairman Mao's poems are more profound and enlightening ,non-fiction is a little bit boring.I like fiction and bought some at Beijing ...
  • dan I agree with Jenn that the Mao book by Jung Chang is a bit too biased to be taken without a liberal grain of salt. I'm attempting to get ...
  • jennwong I picked up a copy in Hong Kong a few months ago, although I believe you can also buy this at the Bookworm, despite it being banned on the mainland ...
Book Swap Forum
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 12:14p.m. by dan (Book Club)

Fiction, non fiction, graphic novels, it's all up for grabs! Post a comment with what you're willing to swap and also maybe have a wishlist of books that you're dying to read! Read more »

  • johnotoole Oh, real quick, I'm also dying to read The Yiddish Policemans Union if anyone has a copy, it was all sold out in Hong Kong. :(
  • johnotoole Hello all, I just bought the movie of Persepolis, but I've really been wanting to re-read the comix. Does anyone have a copy of part 1 or 2? I ...
  • tiramico Does anyone have a book named "blue or another blue"?
  • funkdoctaspoc Hi all, Hope you had a great Xmas. I'm also looking for an LP Thai book. Anyone have one the want to let go?
  • elli_2 I have a Thailand edition, but how old is your Bali/Lombok guide?
Book Mooch - Beijing's first Book Swapping Forum
Posted Nov 23rd 2007 11:45a.m. by dan (Book Club)

Book lovers unite! You have nothing to lose.

WELCOME LETTER FROM THE MODERATOR:

When I lived in the States I heard about this fantastic site called www.bookmooch.com. The concept was simple: good books are meant to be shared. You buy book, you read book, you finish book, you post book online and then you swap the ... Read more »

  • forest Blast !!! once again a typo - Please provide options to preview posts and to edit posts. Otherwise I will have to start copying everything to word prior to posting. Oh the ...
  • forest It sounds to me like a "rose by any other name" game or maybe if it a "smells like a forum, looks like a forum and tastes like a forum ...
  • collin Let me jump in here. The idea behind a "blog forum" is basically to give a writer(s) a blog on CW. They post interesting topics/posts for the whole ...
  • forest @ Dan - that's far better. @ Jenn thanks, I just checked you are not wrong. BTW I know what a blog is. I know what a forum is - I have my ...
  • dan I've added links to the welcome letter. Hopefully that will clear things up. Sorry for the confusion folks. Bear with us. This forum is only 5 hours old!

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