tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post2532814374787818365..comments2024-02-26T13:12:10.143-05:00Comments on Lizok's Bookshelf: The 2017 NOS Award LonglistLisa C. Haydenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-61596141013312822162017-10-02T17:31:12.790-04:002017-10-02T17:31:12.790-04:00How nice that Vladivostok is such a short trip, Ph...How nice that Vladivostok is such a short trip, Philip! I've never been to either Vladivostok or Khabarovsk -- only quick stays in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Yakutsk, and Magadan -- but have always heard good things about both cities. Of course the important thing is that you were able to go to bookstores! Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-69180448169865915402017-10-02T16:18:53.804-04:002017-10-02T16:18:53.804-04:00I live in Tokyo, so it was just a short hop to Vla...I live in Tokyo, so it was just a short hop to Vladivostok, and from there a night on the train to Khabarovsk.<br /><br />Vladivostok isn't much of a looker, but had a real buzz about it, whereas Khabarovsk was much more beautiful but also more stately and calm. I really liked them both.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10854662951424834267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-16170541764966782322017-10-02T08:29:45.725-04:002017-10-02T08:29:45.725-04:00Thank you for this report, Philip! Though I'm ...Thank you for this report, Philip! Though I'm sorry to hear about the book: I do appreciate a good, solid narrative arc. On the bright side, it sounds like you're enjoying <i>Чертово колесо</i>. I hope so, anyway. <br /><br />I also hope you had a great trip to the RFE! I had an all-too-quick trip there many years ago and especially loved Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: it was so nice to be on/in the ocean after feeling landlocked for so long. Happy reading!Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-70779065354376961382017-10-02T04:17:48.820-04:002017-10-02T04:17:48.820-04:00Ooh, I've got a bit of a head start on you (fo...Ooh, I've got a bit of a head start on you (for the first and last time ever, I'm sure)! I've just been in the Russian Far East for ten days, and spent a considerable proportion of my time scouring bookshops, mostly for Заххок, which from your descriptions sounds fantastic.<br /><br />I had no luck finding it, though, so, determined to buy at least something, I picked up Не боюсь синей бороды. I'm about 70 pages in, and I thought it started really well but quickly got bogged down in long speeches about the moral failings of the Soviet Union, all reported verbatim by the young girl narrator. I also suspect it's another of those episodic novels, rather than a story with a beginning, middle, and end.<br /><br />I'll persevere for a bit longer, because there are still some really lovely bits about the Estonian village and its various inhabitants, but I have a feeling I'll be back with Чертого Колесо before long.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10854662951424834267noreply@blogger.com