Summer reading...

When I am not sitting on my ass at work (what else can one sit on hehehehe), I try to catch up on novel reading at night. It feels so good to read something that is not related to work or school at all... aahhhhh... My summer reading has been on Chinese classics. I am currently reading:



Hong Lou Meng by Cao Xueqin... I am currently on chapter 3. Its been very interesting so far but I can't stand the fact that by only chapter 3, there have already been over 500 characters with names like Quest of Spring (Jia Tan Chun), Timely Old Sister (Jia Qiaojie), Precious Jade (Jia Baoyu) and Precious Virtue (Xue Baochai) hehehehe...so far, I love the taoist poetry within the text, the endless use of the homophones and the symbolism. (I stole the photo of the book from some website... I apologize hehehe). My favorite line so far is:

"When the unreal is taken from the real, then the real becomes unreal; where non-existence is taken from existence, then existence becomes non-existence."

The book does flow from the real to the unreal, to the extent that everything seems real and unreal at the same time (what the hell does that mean??? hehehehe I have to stop rambling)

The classics I've read this summer are: Lun Yu (Kong Fuzi analects), Xi You Ji or Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en and Liaozhai Zhiyi by Pu Songling (which I have read many times already). I recommend all of them... Lun Yu is all philosophy so it might be a bit dry but I loved it none the less. I have learned so much about Chinese history and culture just by reading these books!!! I would say what each book is about shouldn't you find out for yourself? hehehe...

Vive L’été and books!!!!!