Le Baron's casual reading log

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tungemål
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby tungemål » Fri May 20, 2022 2:51 pm

Interesting topic. We also use the word krem in that sense in Norwegian.
The cream is basically the fat of the milk. I'm guessing the expression was natural in a time when fat was regarded positively (in contrast to today) as something valuable and associated with festivity. By the way, the word apparently originated from celtic.
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Le Baron
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby Le Baron » Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:02 pm

I rather foolishly started reading Plástico cruel by José Sbarra. Couldn't get into it, couldn't even read some of it. So I'm either too adventurous or just not clicking with it. Or I could just be becoming an idiot? I'll have to return to this.

In general though I'm up to date with reading goals. It's mostly been translated literature - and also a mix of things: fiction, non-fiction, plays. With one book being more extensively read for the 'goal'. So I've done a couple of Camus's plays in Spanish translations. One of the them Les Justes I don't think I've read in any language before (or maybe I have?). So I'll re-read that in French to see if I understood it properly. I'm right that it's a comedy, yes?

Since I'm coming up to some holiday time I might freeze the Spanish for that period and read an English book. I thought about a Graham Greene book. Maybe The Quiet American or The Comedians. I also have a couple of Dutch books, Louis Couperus's Noodlot and Hugo Claus's Een Zachte Vernieling. I liked Claus's other books I've read (De Koele Minnaar and his first one De Metsiers). I never remember if I actually finished his Het verdriet van België.

I've gone against my plan not to start another French book. Which was in order to leave more reading space for Spanish. So I'm reading Le journal, d'Hélène Berr. I know it will end on a sad note.
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Le Baron
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby Le Baron » Thu Jun 09, 2022 12:27 am

Alors, je crois que c'est un bon moment pour faire le point sur mes progrès (ou leur absence). Qu'ai-je fait ces six dernières mois de 2022? Franchement pas grand chose de nouveau et c'est là que le bât blesse peut-être, car ce n'est pas exactement là où je voulais être. Par conséquent je manque un peu de motivation. Ce n'est pas que je n'ait fait rien, bien au contraire! Je ne dirai pas cela, mais j'ai atteint un plateau épouvantable à force de labourer le même sillon (et en utilisant trop de métaphores épuisées peut-être? :lol: ). De quelle façon? En écoutant les mêmes genre de podcasts, en lisant les mêmes genre d'articles. En ne m'adressant qu'à ce qui m'est assez familier. C'est contre-productif et je le ressens intuitivement.

Oui, j'ai besoin d'un nouveau plan.

Quand même, en ce qui concerne les livres que je lis actuellement, ça se passe assez bien. J'en suis content. Comme toujours dans l'apprentissage des langues la lecture semble progresser plus rapidement que d'autres choses! Mais ça aussi c'est un choix. Si l'on veut s'améliorer dans quelque chose, il faut faire cette chose...mais pas au point de se paralyser. Maintenant je suis paralysé, je dois réapprendre à marcher. Peut-être que j’exagère un peu, mais le coeur de ce que j'essaie de dire est plus ou moins exact.
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Le Baron
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby Le Baron » Wed Jul 13, 2022 7:42 pm

Over a month since my last entry! Must be all the endless fun I'm having re-flagging the patio.

I've done very little in the sense of languages 'work'. In fact apart from casual reading and the radio I've done very little Spanish at all. Most of the spare time (in-between actual work and the self-imposed slavery of lugging around concrete flags with a 'superviser' making suggestions) I've been watching films. Most of them French though and a few other examples of 'world cinema'.

I have a slight ache in my wrist and it's my birthday today. I was allowed to stop work and go off to a restaurant in an ex-stately home in Zeist. There was a woman with a very loud and annoying voice like a braying donkey. I think there should really be a voice test before people are allowed into civilised restaurants. Or at least a special room off to the side, where you can isolate them once they start playing up. My word.
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby cito » Wed Jul 13, 2022 9:32 pm

Bonne anniversaire!
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50 French Books: 20 / 50
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(On Pause)
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Le Baron
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby Le Baron » Wed Jul 13, 2022 10:25 pm

Merci!
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby Cenwalh » Wed Jul 13, 2022 10:26 pm

Happy birthday!
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Double SC films: 200 / 200 (updated 2022-07-28)
Double SC books: 34 / 200 (updated 2022-07-28)

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Le Baron
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby Le Baron » Wed Jul 13, 2022 11:02 pm

Cenwalh wrote:Happy birthday!

It's over now, you ruddy latecomer. :lol:
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby BeaP » Thu Jul 14, 2022 1:00 pm

Happy birthday, Le! As we say in Hungary, "May your ear reach down to your ankle". (It looks like something from hobbit culture, but it's our unique way of saying something stupid as a greeting. We also pull each other's ear with force.) By the way, my birthday was on the 4th, so we're close. ;)
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Le Baron
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Re: Le Baron's casual reading log

Postby Le Baron » Thu Jul 14, 2022 1:48 pm

BeaP wrote:Happy birthday, Le! As we say in Hungary, "May your ear reach down to your ankle". (It looks like something from hobbit culture, but it's our unique way of saying something stupid as a greeting. We also pull each other's ear with force.) By the way, my birthday was on the 4th, so we're close. ;)

That is a most unusual greeting. Any idea about its origins? Happy belated birthday greetings to you.
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