Sunday 31 March 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 13

Jerrey treeoo hiaghtin jeig ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

The Last Lingua Franca (Nicholas Oster)

Ta'n lioar shoh cur geill da linguas franca as yn eie dy nee Baarle ee y lingua franca fondagh er son dy bragh nish; ny dy jig Sheenish, foddee, 'syn ynnyd eck. T'eh mie dy liooar, agh shegin dou gra nagh dod mee jannoo briwnys er cre'n lhaihderaght chiarit eck. Ta'n lioar beggan trome myr çhengoaylleeaght y theay, rere lioaryn elley ta mee er nyn lhaih; er y laue elley, cha nel ee ny tekslioar noadyr. Lhaih mee ish moal dy liooar, er y fa dy v'eh orrym ram shennaghys, tashtyn-fockle joarree a.r.e. y hoo stiagh marish yn eie hene. Shen Oster cur geill da feanish, as shen red mie; beggan ny sloo, foddee? Mannagh vel anaase as fys ayd hannah er ny cooishyn er lheh, s'doillee eh cummal seose geill; ta cabdil feer liauyr er Pershish as mean Euraishey, as lhie eh dy trome orryms; cha nee cooish chadjin studeyrys 'sy Heear... Cha s'aym c'red vees share. Ghow mee soylley jeh, as er lhiam dy vel briwnys s'jerree ny lioar fondagh dy liooar. Er y laue elley, ta mean ny lioar myr obbyr chlooidee, er lhiam - cha row snaie fondagh roie ny trooid (wahll, cha nee lioar oaylleeaght chreoi t'ayn, agh cooish heshoil). Myr shen: t'ee feeu, agh t'ee beggan quaagh as er lhiam dy vees eh ny share da'n chooid smoo jin gyn eab dy hoiggal (ny lhaih) dagh ooilley red 'sy liooar mannagh vel fys ayd er hannah.

Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day (Philip Matyszak)

Ny coontey mie, aitt as ynsee jeh'n Raue mysh 100BNJ, lane vynphoyntyn shennaghyssagh as cultooragh. T'eh beggan trome lesh fysseree ny keayrtyn, agh cha nel eh ort cur gys cooinaghtyn dagh nhee 'sy lioar. Ta aaraaghyn as meeryn cooie breckey y clane dy mie as soilshaghey magh bree as annym ny Romanee, chammah's y coontey shennaghyssagh ainjyssagh (as craidagh ny keayrtyn) ta Matyszak hene cur dhyt.

Dyn y Syrcas (Derfel Williams)

Cooinaghtyn dooinney preaban, voish toshiaght e ghraih er y phreaban derrey daag eh y bea arraghee er son bea smoo shickyr as soit. Anaasoil dy liooar, agh beggan aaobbragh er lhiam, gra ny reddyn cheddin dy mennick. Agh ta'n skeeal shoh er son lhaihderyn moaley as myr shen s'cosoylagh dy vel eh beggan aashagh er y fa shen.


The end of week thirteen of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

The Last Lingua Franca (Nicholas Oster)

This book's about linguas franca and the ideas about English remaining as an eternal world language, or being overtaken by Chinese or what-haveyou. It's decent enough, but I've got to say I couldn't quite fathom the intended readership. It's really pretty dense as a piece of pop linguistics (I've read my share) but it's clearly not a textbook either. It goes into quite a lot of historical detail, and throws in lots (really, really lots) of linguistic examples throughout, which is excellent scholastic practice but does make it pretty heavy unless you're really into those languages and cultures - there's a very long section about Persian and mid-Eurasia, for example, which most people in the West (like me) are utterly ignorant about, so that was heavy going. I'm not really sure what I think would improve it, though - it's just in a slightly odd niche. I'm glad I've read it, and I agree broadly with the book's conclusions, though I've got to say I didn't really feel like there was a strong thread of argument running through the book - it's more a patchwork most of the time, but then it's social and cultural linguistics, not physics. So, broadly, it's worth a look, but be aware it's slightly genreless and you'd probably do best to just flick through it and focus on the bits you're most interested in, rather than trying to soak in everything.

Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day (Philip Matyszak)

A fine, amusing and educational account of Rome in about 100AD, full of cultural and historical detail. It's a little bit dense at times, but it's not like you're obliged to memorise all the names and cross-references. The main thread of the account (which is pleasantly wry) is peppered with pithy quotes and fragments that illustrate the Roman character, attitudes and concerns of the day.

Dyn y Syrcas (Derfel Williams)

Reminiscences of a circus man, from his boyhood love of the circus to the end of his own career in search of a more settled life. Interesting, though a bit repetitive to be honest; however, it's part of a Quick Reads initiative partly for people who don't read much, and that may be partly why.

Thursday 28 March 2013

Shaddoge sauçhey

Pomelos - Grapefruits

Ta lus-oayllee Ollooscoill Florida croo shaddoge vees ny sauçhey da sleih ta goaill stoo lheeys. Rere coontey jeianagh 'sy Canadian Medical Association Journal, ta 85 stooghyn lheeys ayn (ec y chooid sloo) nod eddyr-obbraghey marish shaddoge. Shimmey stoo lheeys cadjin ta nyn mast'oc as ad cooney noi cooishyn slaynt scanshoil. Chammah's shen, ta'n earroo shen gaase dy jeianagh: ayns 2008, va 17 stooghyn ayn dod eddyr-obbraghey marish shaddoge as croo fo-eiyrtys trome, agh shen 43 rish 2012. T'ad goaill stiagh shiartanse dy statinyn, stooghyn lheeys noi çhingyssyn cree as canghyr, as noi-veiyn.

Ta ny stooghyn lheeys shoh goll er ee. Ta bea-feddynaght ("bioavailability") injil oc, dy ghra myr shen, cha nel agh beggan jeu roshtyn ny killagyn erreish da goll er ee; myr shen, ta'n towse beill foddey ny smoo na'n chooid vees bentyn rish y chorp. Chammah's shen, t'ad goll er soe-obbraghey ec yn ensyme CYP3A4. Dy meeaighar, ta shaddoge as messyn mooinjer lhiettal CYP3A4 dy neuchaghlaaee. Shen eiyrtys stooghyn kemmigyn, furanocoumarinyn. T'adsyn lhiettal CYP3A4 do nagh dod ad lheie ny stooghyn lheeys; myr shen, ta cooid foddey smoo roshtyn y fuill, myr anlught. Foddee sleih surranse failleil aarey, ennalagh ny baase doaltattym kyndagh rish.

Ayns y çhalee, ren lus-oayllee towse cooid furanocoumarin ayns ymmodee arraghyssyn shaddoge, as feddyn aalaghtyn-meshtit as towse furanocoumarin feer veg oc. Er lhieu dy vel cooid furanocoumarin fo stiurey un yienntag, er y fa dy dooar ad co-cheintys feer 'ondagh. Myr shen, er lhieu dy nod ad sheelraghey arraghys sauçhey da sleih ta goaill ny stooghyn lheeys 'sy chooish; as t'ad er ngoaill toshiaght er yn obbyr shen. She aalaght-meshtit pomelo as shaddoge jiarg t'ayn, as she mess s'miljey va dean bunneydagh ny shalee. Er lhieu nagh bee y mess noa ry-gheddyn ec y theay rish queig ny shiaght bleeantyn.

T'ad er nyannoo prowaltys seyrlann er eiyrtys soo ny shaddogeyn "sauçhey" ("UF914") er killagyn deiney, as cha vaik ad fo-eiyrtyssyn jeeyllagh erbee. Ny yei shen, bee eh orroo prowaltyssyn-lhee deiney y yannoo dys shickyraghey nagh vel doilleeid erbee ayn.

Imraaghyn

Genetics and Breeding: Characterization of Furanocoumarin Profile and Inheritance Toward Selection of Low Furanocoumarin Seedless Grapefruit Cultivars
Chunxian Chen, Paul Cancalon, Carl Haun, Fred Gmitter, Jr.
Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
2011-09, 136:358-363

Grapefruit–medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences?
David G. Bailey, George Dresser, J. Malcolm O. Arnold
Canadian Medical Association Journal
2012
DOI:10.1503 /cmaj.120951

Wednesday 27 March 2013

Lectraghys shooylagh

Ta Buffalo Grid (colught Lunninagh) prowal aght dy lhieeney shooylvaneyn liorish jeshaght lhieentagh ymmyrkagh ta croghey er soilshey ny greiney. Ayns çheeraghyn ennagh, cha nel lectraghys ry-gheddyn dy aashagh; t'eh ort shooyl ymmodee meeilaghyn dys balley as gienneyder pooar pedryl echey. T'eh deyr myrgeddin, faggys da faill lane laa 'sy çhiaghtin ny keayrtyn. As er y fa nagh vel monney tooryn çhellvane ayns ardjyn çheerey, ta'n çhellvane ceau ny smoo pooar dys troggal kiangley fondagh na ayns ardjyn as ram tooryn ayndaue.

Ta'n saase noa lughtey kishtaghan-pooar ymmyrkagh liorish soilshey ny greiney, as eh y chur gys balley ennagh er roar. Ta kionneyder cur çhaghter teks dys kionnaghey lectraghys: shen mysh 20% costys lectraghys gienneyder pooar. 'Sy traa ry-heet, by vie lesh Buffalo Grid ny colughtyn shooylvane y choyrlaghey dy cooney lesh y costys shen; nagh beagh sleih ceau ny smoo argid er shooylvaneyn dy beagh lectraghys ry-gheddyn gyn costys?

Chammah's shen, ta sleih jannoo ymmyd jeh shooylvaneyn er son dellan nish: kionnaghey reddyn ny eer geddyn faill. T'eh fo Buffalo Grid prowal elley y yannoo ayns Sierra Leone, raad ta delleyderyn caffee kiarail dy chionnaghey troar caffee liorish shooylvane. Ta'n lheid scanshoil ayns ynnydyn gyn coryssyn argidoil fondagh as sheer-ry-laue. Ta argid glass gaueagh dy liooar, nagh vel? Shen un fa nagh vel shin shooyl mygeayrt as lane phoagey d'airh ain (agh er lhiam dy noddin dy hurranse un cheayrt gyn assee...).

Art New Scientist er y chooish, liorish Anil Ananthaswamy.

2013-03-09, earroo 2907: "Text your way to a phone recharge"

Monday 25 March 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 12

Jerrey nah hiaghtin yeig ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Toradora! y.l. 1 (Takemiya Yuyuko, Zekkyo)

She skeeal beggan neuyerkallit t'ayn. T'eh gra dy vel eh mychione gilley doaieagh as cummey kimmee er, as cagh credjal dy nee drogh-eean t'ayn, ta tayrn er hene corree inneen veg elgyssagh as cummey millish urree. Er lhiam dy beagh shen anaasoil, jeeaghyn cre'n aght ta'n gilley boght dellal rish drogh-ourys ny paitçhyn elley. Agh feer tappee, ta cagh feddyn magh nagh vel eh olk, as ta'n skeeal loayrt er yn aght t'eh jannoo lieh-charrey jeh'n inneen as t'ad cooney y cheilley rish cooishyn graih. T'eh mie dy liooar, as aitt, agh ta mee beggan mollit nagh vel cummey olk y yilley ny chooish smoo 'sy skeeal ny yei shen.

The Valley of Fear (marish The Hound of the Baskervilles) (Arthur Conan Doyle)

Cha by vie lhiam y skeeal shoh, trooid as trooid. Er lhiam nagh vel noaskeealyn Chonan Doyle feer vie; t'ad laccal bree sheiltynagh ny skeealyn beggey, as t'ad feer chasley rish y cheilley. Ta'n skeeal shoh gollrish Study in Scarlet as skeeal ny ghaa elley: dooinney ta goll er lorgey ec possan dy gheiney olkey kyndagh rish taghyrtyn foddey erash, as y chooid smoo jeh'n skeeal inshit myr shennaghys persoonagh ass cummaght Holmes as Watson. Ta fer ny ghaa jeh'n lhied mie dy liooar, agh ta mee jeant lhieu nish. Chammah's shen, ta'n shennaghys hene groamey ass towse: lane ghlioon fo chummaght heshaght ghunveragh, as Conan Doyle dty woalley er y chione reesht as reeshtagh lesh drogh-yannoo er drogh-yannoo jeant oc, as douyrid y chooish. Fy-yerrey t'ou feddyn magh dy vel ard-ghooinney'n skeeal ny chronneyder, cha nel ny chimmagh (mannagh row uss jerkal shen) as t'eh dyn nglackey. As eisht t'eh goll er marroo 'sy loayrtys jerrinagh ec Moriarty, as ta'n clane chooish scuirr gyn jerrey fondagh agh Holmes guee cooilleen er. Lhaih mee eh dys y jerrey, agh... v'eh groamey agglagh, as cha row eh noa, as cha row monney ard-inçhynys ry-akin ayn, ny monney Holmes noadyr. Er lhiam nagh row eh feeu.

Lhiah mee Hound keayrt ny ghaa hannah as cha nel mee son screeu er. T'eh foddey ny share.


The end of week twelve of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

Toradora! v. 1 (Takemiya Yuyuko, Zekkyo)

A slightly surprising story. It sets itself out as the story of a harmless lad with a misleadingly thuggish appearance, who falls foul of "the ultimate mean girl" who looks sweet and innocent. I was quite interested in the experiences of our lad Takasu and how he deals with universal suspicion. However, very quickly everyone seems to realise he's harmless, and the story winds up being about his not-quite-friendship with the girl, and their joint efforts at romance. It's decent enough, and fun, but I was a bit disappointed it wasn't quite what I expected. I also found his relationship with Aisaka a bit worrying, as he's more a bully's gopher than an actual friend.

The Valley of Fear (with The Hound of the Baskervilles) (Arthur Conan Doyle)

I was not at all a fan of this story. I don't reckon much to Conan Doyle's novels, to be honest; they seem unimaginative for their length, and they're quite similar. This one's much like Study in Scarlet and, I've just been told, another couple of stories: a man's being hunted by a sinister organisation because of past history, and most of the story is told as a personal history with no trace of Holmes and Watson, or any equivalently interesting detection. One or two like this are okay, but I'm done with them now. Also, the history itself is extremely depressing, with a whole valley under the thumb of a murderous gang, and Conan Doyle beating you over the head with the foul murder they plot and the misery of the whole situation. Finally, you find out that the presumed protagonist isn't, as he initially seemed, a murderous thug, but (if you hadn't guessed) a detective here to break up the gang, which explains why the last few are hunting him years later after they get out of prison. Then he gets killed in the epilogue, offstage, by Moriarty, with no attempt at mystery or explanation, to make some point or other about the Holmes-Moriarty setup for later use. I mean, I finished it, but I pretty much wish I hadn't. There's not much of the usual investigative cleverness in there, it's not that original, it's incredibly depressing (not ideal for the likes of me) and I just don't think it's remotely worth it.

I've already read Hound years ago, at least a couple of times. It's far better in every way.

Monday 18 March 2013

Laccal fys

Hayrn mee red noa.

Haghyr shen dou shiaghtin ny ghaa er dy henney. Cha ren eh mee bwooise.

This actually happened to me a couple of weeks back. Not exactly impressed, I wasn't.

Sunday 17 March 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 11

Jerrey un shiaghtin jeig ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Farlander (Col Buchanan)

Va mee treishteil dy nee skeeal taitnyssagh fansee v'ayn, agh daag mee jeh dy leah. Shen er y fa dy vel Buchanan son screeu dy "dorraghey", shen dy ghra, lane drogh-reddyn nagh row mee son lhaih orroo. Dy shickyr, lught caggee olk jannoo tranlaase er cagh, ta mee ainjyssagh rish y lheid. Agh aght ennagh, cha ghow mee monney taitnys jeh'n skeeal hene v'ayn. Cha row eh er, er lhiam, soilshaghey dy cruinn as dy liauyr cre'n aght ren ad marroo pobblaght y balley. Ny cur wheesh geill da fer smooinaghtyn er goaill sleab er egin. Jus, va ram jeh'n lheid 'sy chied cabdil ny ghaa, as cha row aitt erbee, ny karracteyr feer anaasoil, ny coloayrtys feer schlei, as myr shen er lhiam dy nagh beagh cormid y skeeal ry-heet taitnyssagh dou. S'treih shen.

Bakuman y.l. 13 (Ōba Tsugumi, Obata Takeshi)

Ym-lioar aitt, sheeynt as lane anaase. T'ad boirey dy kinjagh er ny deanyn as saase t'ad er nyn reih, as shen creeney. T'ad ooilley tayrn cooyl voish y cheilley beggan er veggan, agh fy-yerrey ta reddyn dy mie reesht. As va aase Hiramaru (aase aigney as ambee) noi my yerkallys, as feer vie lhiam. Ta eddyr-obbraghey as cormid ny karracteyryn taitnyssagh foast. Yn un red nagh by vie lhiam, shen y skeeal noa ta çheet rish ec jerrey ny lioar - cha mie lhiam lheid y skeeal er chor erbee, as s'treisht lhiam nagh bee monney jeh ry-heet, agh cha nel shen bentyn rish mieys Bakuman hene.

Twisting the Rope (R. A. MacAvoy)

Skeeal quaagh dy liooar. Ta blass fansee er nish as reesht - t'eh jeeaghyn dy vel pooar neughooghyssagh ec Long (as eshyn ny veishteig ayns cummey deiney, rere ny lhaih mee er y roie-lioar), as ta fys ny ennaghtyn quaagh ec sleih ny keayrtyn (chammah's bree aigney y phaitçhey Jude). Ny yei shen, t'eh bentyn rish seihll ainjyssagh son y chooid smoo, ga dy vel mee shickyr my she y seihll ain t'ayn, ny lhieggan elley jeh raad ta stoo ny h-Eash Noa firrinagh as fys ec cagh er shen. By vie lhiam ny karracteyryn as yn aght screeuee, as ghow mee taitnys jeh'n 'olliaght whaagh v'ayn, agh shegin dou gra nagh row feaysley ny folliaght wheesh vie as va mee jerkal. Ta MacAvoy ceau brat feddyn magh harrish brat feddyn magh, as ta breag geiyrt er breag, as fy-yerrey cha nel monney fondagh faggit 'sy skeeal. T'eh jannoo skeeal Agatha Christie ass skeeal folliaght phisagagh, as er lhiam nagh nee caghlaa rea v'ayn. T'ad ooilley goaill rish gyn boirey dy vel fer jeu ny ghunver, as myr shen shegin dou er gredjal dy row pooar neughooghyssagh jannoo orroo, agh er y fa nagh row y chooish shen feer vaghtal, cha dod mee goaill rish shen dy aashagh.

Bakuman y.l. 14 (Ōba Tsugumi, Obata Takeshi)

Ny jeeagh orryms myr shen.

Ta'n ym-lioar shoh cruinnaghey dy slane er irree ellyneyr noa: shenn ard-jeeaneyder Muto Ashirogi (shen ard-yillyn y skeeal) ta son eiyrt orroo. T'eh caarjoil as oney dy liooar, dy baghtal, agh t'ad feddyn magh dy leah nagh vel eh lane 'irrinagh. Ta'n ellyneyr aeg croghey er possan eddyr-voggyl ta cur eieyn as coyrle da, as myr shen t'eh jannoo obbyr vie, agh er lesh Muto Ashirogi as adsyn elley ta feddyn magh, cha nel shen kiart er chor erbee. Ta caggey ellynagh as fallsoonagh lostey nyn mast'oc. Share lhiam, foddee, yn aght so-chredjue ta saaseyn as ymmyrkey Tohru jannoo assee da beggan er veggan, gyn y skeeal çheet dy vel moralagh dree.


The end of week eleven of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

Farlander (Col Buchanan)

I was hoping this would be an enjoyable fantasy story, but I ended up abandoning it after a couple of chapters. Apparently Buchanan wanted grimdark for his fantasy, which is to say it's full of grim depressingness I had no interest in reading. Okay, fine, an evil army that crushes everyone, I'm au fait with that sort of thing. But somehow, I couldn't get any pleasure out of the story itself. I didn't feel he needed to go on about the precise way they'd murdered the population of a town, or dwell on one of the oppressors as he contemplated raping a slave. I mean, the first couple of chapters were full of this stuff, while there was no humour at all, the characters weren't especially interesting (aging assassin, adoptee-to-be, feisty love interest, dead pet existing only to show character of owner), the conversation wasn't particularly scintillating. I just felt the balance of the story wouldn't be remotely in my favour. Shame.

Bakuman y.l. 13 (Ōba Tsugumi, Obata Takeshi)

A fun volume, tense and interesting. The lads spend most of it worrying and wondering about their goals and the methods they've chosen, and quite rightly too. The protagonists start to draw apart from each other, but it works out in the end (and the drawing apart is partly down to already-established character traits). Hiramaru's personal and mental growth was unexpected, but welcome. The interaction of the characters remains a pleasure, and the art's still great. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the new manga introduced at the end of the story (by an unknown author) but I can't exactly hold that against Bakuman itself.

Twisting the Rope (R. A. MacAvoy)

A strange book. It's got a bit of the fantastical about it, with hints of supernatural power about Long (I believe the first book established this firmly) and others showing a touch of the pyschic. There's also some fairly obvious psychic influence at the mysterious child Jude. Despite that, it's set in the world pretty much as we know it; I couldn't work out to what extent New Agey stuff was supposed to be established reality, or whether it's just basically our world. I enjoyed the characters and the style, and the mystery that was growing up. I've got to say, though, the ending didn't do as much for me. MacAvoy layers lots of revelations, as well as a string of lies, making this shift a bit suddenly from a sort of supernatural story to an Agatha Christie-style string of "Aha!"s. The actual solution was a bit convoluted, and involved the reader (and all the characters) accepting some degree of pyschic influence from Jude, but that whole side of things was a bit vague. That made it hard for me to follow their shrugging acceptance that one of them was (basically) a murderer.

Bakuman y.l. 14 (Ōba Tsugumi, Obata Takeshi)

Yes, yes, I know.

This volume focuses entirely on the ar- of a new -rival, an old fan of Muto Ashirogi (the protagonists) who wants to follow in their footsteps. Apparently friendly and outspoken, he turns out to be rather less candid that he seems. In fact, he's taken Muto Ashirogi's calculated artistry and taken it to a whole new level, using a whole range of dubious methods to garner attention and create his stories; for him, professional pride is just a conceit that gets in the way of success. Muto Ashirogi, and his editor, are appalled by the idea, and an artistic war breaks out between him and Muto. I particularly liked the interplay of emotions here - the artists won't reveal his secret out of honour, while his inexperienced editor is crushed into compliance, under the threat of losing a promising artist (and internet sensation) to another magazine. I also loved the slick and entirely believable way that Tohru's own methods and behaviour slowly sabotage his early success, without the story getting moralistic about things.

Sunday 10 March 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 10

Jerrey jeihoo hiaghtin ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Towards the End of the Morning (Michael Frayn)

Ta jerrey'n lioar shoh gra lheid y red: "Classicagh"; "screeudeyr s'aittey Hostyn, foddee"; "cur ort gearey dy kinjagh"; "gamman pokyr yindyssagh as tappee, as scaaghyn Wodehouse as Waugh cur sannishyn coyrlagh da'n ughtar".

Loayr carrey aym, as mish er chur er clashtyn rish yn accan shoh heose, ta'n aggyrtys-kaartyn kiart dy liooar myr shen; cha nel yn derrey yeh ny'n jeh elley cur monney taitnys agh er yn ughtar hene.

Dy meeaighar, cha nel mee er ngearey foast, as lhaih mee mysh tree-kerrooyn assjee. Ta breneen ny ghaa aitt ayn, agh son y chooid smoo t'ee lane charracteyryn goit seose lhieu hene, nagh vel feer chenjal as nagh vel jannoo reddyn anaasoil. Ta'n aitt, choud's noddym dy 'akin, croghey er nearey ny karracteyryn nish as reesht, as er corvian gyn oyr. By vie lhiam red ny ghaa - m.s. y reagheyder cho faitagh nagh dod eh meeteil rish peiagh erbee - agh hug mee my ner fy-yerrey dy by gummey lhiam jerrey'n skeeal as erraghyn ny karracteyryn.

Un lioar ynrican! Atreih...


The end of week ten of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

Towards the End of the Morning (Michael Frayn)

The blurb says things like: "classic novel", "probably England's funniest writer"; "keeps you laughing"; "like a brilliant, fast game of poker with the author holding all the best hands, and the ghosts of Wodehouse and Waugh whispering advice over his shoulder".

Sadly, I still haven't laughed once and I've read three-quarters of it. There's specks of humour here and there, but for the most part it's a book about self-absorbed people who aren't particularly nice and don't do anything particularly interesting. The humour, where I can find it, seems to rely on characters being embarrassed and on self-importance. I liked a few elements - like the editor so shy he can't actually meet anyone - but eventually I noticed I didn't care what the end of the story was or what happened to the characters.

As a friend commented on putting up with me moaning about this: "Actually that's sounds quite a lot like the poker game - not much fun for anyone but the author."

One solitary book! That's not so great...

Sunday 3 March 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 09

Jerrey nuyoo hiaghtin ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Walkin' Butterfly y.l. 1 (Chihiro Tamaki)

Mie dy liooar. Ta'n ellyn neuchramp, stark as niartal, shen cooie da'n ard-charracteyr feie corvaalagh, as da'n skeeal lhome. Cha nel reayrtyssyn mea ry-akin, ny caghlaaghyn myn aght tayrnee ta lhiasaghey Bakuman as e lheid. Shoh skeeal elley, skeeal uillinagh as corree. T'eh ard-haghyrtagh, as cha nel eh cho neuchramp as yerk mee; eer rish jerrey'n chied lioar, cha nel yn ard-charracteyr er gooilleeney monney agh gientyn eie ny ghaa er caghlaa y bea eck.

Snuff (Terry Pratchett)

Fondagh, as breck dy eieyn noa as aitt ny trooid. By vie lhiam y shilley bieau er Quirm, Fenney as Jefferson. Er y laue elley, dennee mee nagh row ee lane saiagh; myr dy row cooishyn gyn jerrey ayn. Myr sampleyr, ta'n lane 'o-skeeal er y gharey tombagey jeant rish duillag ny ghaa, trooid pishagys noa. Ta unggue feer scanshoil hoshiaght, agh t'eh skellal roish ass y skeeal. Cha nel rheamys dy liooar da Miss Beedle, as ta peiagh scanshoil ny ghaa cooilleeney obbyr e lane vea, bunnys, dy aashagh, liorish cuirrey kiaullee as beggan tutlerys. Ta fo-skeeal ny briwnyn beggey caillt, bunnys, as bea thie y Curnal marish, ga dy row eh jeeaghyn dy ve anaasoil hoshiaght. Ta'n Summoning Dark 'sy skeeal, agh... wahll, cha red eh red erbee. Ta Stinky quaagh as neughooghyssagh, agh cha nel oo feddyn magh cre'n fa, ny cre'n kiangley t'eddyr eshyn as y Summoning Dark as... jee ny goblinyn, foddee? Quoi ec ta fys?

Chammah's shen, er lhiam nagh row karracteyryn y skeeal shoh casley rish obbraghyn s'leaie. Ta ny fir noa laccal beggan bree, er lhiam; ta Fenney mie dy liooar, agh cha ren eh monney, she skeeal Vimes v'ayn. Ta Stapleton ny ghunver as shen ooilley: va Carcer, ny Pin & Tulip, ny Teatime foddey ny s'mea myr karracteyryn. Cha nel oo geddyn monney ass ny sleih noa, son y chooid smoo; ny sharvaantyn, theay y valley... As er lhiam, ta Wilikins er ngoll tessen linney ennagh, ass "karracteyr mea anaasoil neuchadjin" dys "cool badass". Keayrt dy row, she fer quaagh v'ayn, dooinney boght straiddey v'er naase as er nynsaghey as er ngheddyn staartey mie ayns thie berçhagh gyn jarrood ny coayl lessoonyn aegid; dennee eh myr feer dooinney, son s'cramp eh bea, as skeeal cooyl cagh. Agh nish, aght ennagh, t'eh gennaghtyn dou myr stereotype: y marrooder kiune mie-choamrit. Ta Miss Beedle, er yn eer-vun, jus ny Miss Dearheart gyn wheesh rheamys.

Ec y traa cheddin, denee mee dy vel eh er nyannoo badass elley ass Vimes. Gyn scansh da eash nish, t'eh ny s'niartey as ny share na row eh. T'eh bwoalley deiney ass mioyr lesh un woalley, as geddyn laue yn eaghtyr er dunveryn reesht as reesht. Ta pooar neughooghyssagh echey, y Summoning Dark. Aght ennagh, cha nel eh wheesh failleilagh as v'eh, ny wheesh so-lhottey; as she dooieaght as troccairys Vimes by vie lhiam. Ny yei shen, ta cur caa da Stapleton (dunver agglagh) dy varroo eh gyn oyr ennagh - my ta fys ayd dy nee eshyn t'ayn, cre'n fa cloie mygeayrt lesh? Greim er! Ta fer ny ghaa elley 'sy skeeal - Wee Mad Arthur, a.r.e. - agh she Vimes ta cooilleeney dagh red, faggys.

As shen eh. T'eh mie dy liooar, ta spotçhyn 'sy chooish, as er lhiam dy row blass rieaughid ec Young Sam, agh... v'eh laccal kianglaghyn, as cooilleeney, as va scaa Vimes skeaylt harree.

Bakuman y.l. 12 (Ōba Tsugumi, Obata Takeshi)

Kionnit er son turrys barroose 4-oor, gyn eiyrtys er y rolley.

Ym-lioar vie elley. By vie lhiam fakin Mashiro as Takagi rheynn voish y cheilley dys prowal reddyn noa, as feddyn magh beggan rieughid nagh ren ad plannal noi, shen politickaght keirdey cur magh lioaryn as anime. Va erree Moriya ry-yerkal, er lhiam, agh va so-chredjal ny yei shen (ta "ellyneyr coayl noa fer aeg jeean" shenn dy liooar, agh ta Moriya dy kinjagh currit gys ellyn hene as beggan ard-wannalagh myekione). Er y laue elley, va kynney Shiratori rouyr dou... y woir ro ard-wannalagh as ooilley shen, as ga nagh row fer erbee elley coardail ree, cha ren ad shassoo noi er chor erbee. Agh by vie lhiam ny karracteyryn hene.

Rhapsody in Black (Brian Stableford)

Skeeal taitnyssagh dy liooar, far-skeealaght heanse creoi (wahll, lieh-chreoi) mychione seihll as sleih credjue er lheh cummal ayns moggyl dy huill gollrish conningyn. Ta Grainger, ard-charracteyr y skeeal, goit oc erreish da imman lhong spoar da'n teihll dys dellal er son red ennagh gyn enney t'ad er ngeddyn ayns ooig follit. T'eh shirrey raad ass, as garganey ec y traa cheddin noi sheadane aigney ghreim er bleeantyn er dy henney er seihll caillt. V'eh mie dy liooar, agh dennee mee dy row eh laccal red ennagh. Cha nel Grainger loayrt rish monney sleih, as cha nel monney dooghys hene ocsyn t'eh loayrt roo. Cha nel eshyn jannoo monney 'sy skeeal shoh agh scapail, as feddyn magh red ny ghaa. Er lhiam dy nee shen doilleeid ard-charracteyr nagh vel ny 'eniagh, ayns skeeal lieh-chontoyrtyssagh gyn monney aase persoonagh. Aght ennagh, yiarrin dy nod oo er nyannoo skeeal giare jeh as eshyn lane vree, agh t'eh ro-liauyr myr noaskeeal. Cha nel mee shickyr.

The Celts: An Illustrated History (Helen Litton)

Coontey giare, aashagh agh scoillairagh dy liooar jeh ny Celtiee, as Celtiee ny h-Erin erskyn ooilley. T'eh goaill stiagh fys far-skeealagh, studeyrys shen reddyn, coontaghyn Romaanagh er ny Celtee, beggan çhengoaylleeaght as ooilley 'syn un lioar veg. Mie dy liooar. Un red, hoshiaght t'eh jeeaghyn dy derragh eh dhyt coontey unnanit er ny Celtiee, agh erreish da'n ghoan foshlee, t'eh rheynn ayns cabdillyn er cooish er lheh.


The end of week nine of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

Walkin' Butterfly v. 1 (Chihiro Tamaki)

Decent. Quite simple art fits the angry, chaotic protagonist and the story's stripped-down feel. There's none of the lush backgrounds and delicate changes of style that lend richness to the likes of Bakuman here, but that's not a problem. It's a different kind of story. Dramatic, and not as simplistic as I was initially expecting; the protagonist's barely made any progress by the end of the volume, except to develop some ideas on changing the course of her life.

Snuff (Terry Pratchett)

A decent enough book, sprinkled with novel ideas and entertaining moments. I enjoyed some brief glimpses of the still-vague city of Quirm, as well as the characters of Fenney and Jefferson. However, I found it unsatisfying; unfinished somehow. The goblins' culture of unggue is thrown in as an apparently significant element early on, but basically dribbles out of the story. The entire tobacco plantation end of the goblin slave trade is over in two pages, through a new kind of magic Pratchett introduces (which feels rather deus exy), so the expected Ankh-Morpork end of the story is extremely sparse. The story of the crooked magistrates boils up early on, as significant as the plotting businessmen in Going Postal, only to melt away with only a note in the epilogue. The Summoning Dark crops up bodingly two or three times, but does nothing except granting Vimes some supernatural knowledge. Stinky the goblin is clearly something strange and supernatural, but you never find out what, how, or what the hinted-at relationships are between Stinky, the Summoning Dark and... something else, maybe, that seems to exist between the lines?

As well as that, the characters just didn't seem as alive as in earlier books. The new ones felt rather cardboardy; Fenney seemed promising but did virtually nothing. Stapleton is a killer and nothing more, without any of the depth of Carcer, Pin & Tulip, or the insane Teatime. The servants and locals don't really do anything, despite early hints that they'll be important or interesting. I also felt that Wilikins had crossed some kind of line, between "a rich, interesting and unusual character" and "cool badass". Over time, he turned from a snooty name into an odd fish, the poor street kid who'd fought his way up society into a decent job in a rich house, never forgetting the life-lessons of his youth; he felt to me like a real, complicated person. But now, somehow, he's drifted into a sort of stereotype, the polite well-dressed killer. Miss Beedle, when you get right down to it, is just an undeveloped Miss Dearheart, who doesn't even get the satisfaction of goblin emancipation: a couple of nobs (the Vimeses) effortlessly accomplish her lifelong goals with a concert and a bit of gossip. She's basically pointless.

At the same time, Vimes has turned from his usual flawed, angry and self-knowing self, an aging man forced into an unwelcome world he detests, into some kind of badass. Despite his age, he's tougher and better than ever. He takes out opponents with one blow, and repeatedly gets the better of Stapleton through violence, not just cunning (though in fairness, there's plenty of that too). He's gained a full-blown supernatural power in the Summoning Dark, which no longer really feels like an enemy. He doesn't feel as fallible as he used to, nor as vulnerable, and the humanity and flaws of Vimes were what endeared him to me. Despite all that, he allows the dreadful murderer Stapleton a chance to attack him by pretending he doesn't recognise him, which achieves literally nothing and just allows the man better opportunities to hurt him or someone else. Why play with a murderer? Catch him! There's a couple of other people in the story, but they never feel anything more than bit parts to Vimes.

And that's it, really. It's okay, there's jokes and some interesting bits, and Young Sam felt very convincing to me, but... it felt disjointed, and unpolished, and inconclusive somehow, and entirely under the increasingly long and all-engulfing shadow of Sam Vimes.

Bakuman v. 12 (Ōba Tsugumi, Obata Takeshi)

Bought for a 4-hour bus journey, so no effect on the list.

Another good volume. It was good to see Mashiro and Takagi going their own ways in pursuit of their art, and facing some realities they hadn't planned for in the shape of the social politics of publishing and television. Moriya's arc was a bit predictable (the arty one is turned down for the punk kid, who'd've thought it..?), but not unbelieveable considering Moriya's snooty approach to manga. On the other hand I found the Shiratori family a bit much, with the rest of the fairly normal family failing to resist the mother's high-handed arrogance despite disagreeing with her, and in some pretty serious circumstances. I liked the characters, mind.

Rhapsody in Black (Brian Stableford)

A decent bit of hardish sci-fi about a world where a religious colony inhabit a network of underground tunnels. Grainger, the protagonist, is drawn in when he pilots a spaceship to the world, taking his employer in search of an unnamed treasure they've unearthed. Most of the plot follows Grainger's arrest, escape and attempts to get offworld alive, while he argues with the psychic parasite he picked up in a previous book. It was fine, but felt a bit flat somehow. I think it's just maybe not quite enough of anything. Grainger doesn't talk much except to his parasite, and there are enough locals involved in the case that none of them get enough time to feel like substantial characters; the parasite conversations are a bit repetitive (and cover similar ground to the last book) so that's not giving you loads of rich development either. On the other hand, mostly what Grainger does is run away, observe and follow instructions, and it's not quite adventurous enough a book to be thrilling, while the speculative crunch of the mystery isn't substantial enough to make a whole novel either. That leaves it as neither one thing nor t'other, and therefore slightly unsatisfying. I got the feeling it might have made a better short story, cut heavily to focus on the highlights, where the flatness of the characters might not be so apparent.

The Celts: An Illustrated History (Helen Litton)

A brief, accessible but scholarly introduction to the Celts, and especially the Irish Celts. It includes legendary, archaeological and linguistic information, as well as accounts from Roman and Mediaeval scholars. A decent book, though it starts out seeming to offer a coherent narrative and then mostly seems to just split off into themed chapters.