Modern English Prose

Vladimir   Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:13 am GMT
Davis:

I believe Koontz was Kuntz originally and it is obviously German. But living in America, it might be pronounced as "cunts". I think what is why he altered his name a bit.

DEAR MODERATOR : I read all the 8 forum rules thoroughly and found no objection to four-letter words.
Robin   Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:23 am GMT
This book has caught my eye, but I have not got round to reading it. I am just starting a Higher in English, so I might have some better ideas soon. When you see a book in a book shop, it is usually quite expensive. I asked the Polish Libriarian in my local library about it, just for joke really. She did not know what I was talking about.

"A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" by Marina Lewycka

Synopsis
For years, Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, raised in England by their refugee parents, have had as little as possible to do with each other - and they have their reasons. But now they find they'd better learn how to get along, because since their mother's death their aging father has been sliding into his second childhood, and an alarming new woman has just entered his life. Valentina, a bosomy young synthetic blonde from the Ukraine, seems to think their father is much richer than he is, and she is keen that he leave this world with as little money to his name as possible. If Nadazhda and Vera don't stop her, no one will. But separating their addled and annoyingly lecherous dad from his new love will prove to be no easy feat - Valentina is a ruthless pro and the two sisters swiftly realize that they are mere amateurs when it comes to ruthlessness. As Hurricane Valentina turns the family house upside down, old secrets come falling out, including the most deeply buried one of them all, from the War, the one that explains much about why Nadazhda and Vera are so different. In the meantime, oblivious to it all, their father carries on with the great work of his dotage, a grand history of the tractor.
Robin   Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:47 am GMT
Dear Vladimir

I have found a good site for you to look at: The Tesco Book Chart. This is a Top 30 of Books, as determined by what sells. They also promise to be cheaper than Amazon.co.uk. It does not say whether the book is English or American. But from the site, you can get some idea of what the book is about. To be honest with you, I know nothing about most of the books. The only book I have bought from Tesco was: "The Family Survival Guide" by Trisha, which turned out to be a disappointment.

http://www.tesco.com/books/pricecheckbooks.asp?item=fiction
Robin   Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:58 am GMT
Robin   Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:27 pm GMT
Dear Vladimir

I have just come from my 'English' Higher class. We were given two texts in class, to read. It was an exercise in 'Close Reading'. Reading carefully, and then talking about what we had read afterwards.

The first bit of prose was a very short story or passage by Janice Galloway called 'Fearless'.

The second piece was called 'Feathered Choristers', and was by Brian McCabe.

Both pieces were written by Scottish Authors, and are very Scottish. So much so, that some English people might have difficulty with them. Although, most people if they do not know a word, just make a good guess.
Robin   Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:26 pm GMT
Taming the Beast

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Taming-Beast-Emily-Maguire/dp/1852428961/sr=1-1/qid=1158333640/ref=sr_1_1/202-4594379-4387059?ie=UTF8&s=books

The Beast in question is: the beast with two backs from Othello

Does that mean anything to you Vladimir?

"Taming the Beast" Emily Maguire