I didn’t write a Sunday Post last week. I was out of town at the Kenyon Writer’s Workshop for Teachers at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. It was a transformative experience, which I wrote about on my education blog (if you want to read about it). Kenyon has many other writer’s workshops if you are interested.
I didn’t finish reading anything over the last week, excepting the first Harry Potter book, which I finished on the plane. I actually didn’t read those books too long ago, but for some reason, I decided to read them again. I’m not sure I’m investing in re-reading the whole series right in a line, as I have a lot of other reading I need to do and a lot of other reading I want to do, but it’s been nice to get into again. I really love the British versions so much more than the American ones. After about Book 5, I don’t think the differences are all that great, but they sure are in the first couple of books. Language matters quite a great deal. I was always bothered by the fact that Hermione described the difficulties of using Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, trying to “have a pee” while ignoring her wailing. It just didn’t sound like anything Hermione would ever say, and it turns out, she says “go to the loo,” which is totally in character. Might seem like a small thing, but it bugs me a great deal, and I just can’t understand why the American publishers made that change and why they didn’t trust their readers to figure out what “go to the loo” means.
I did add quite a few books to my TBR pile, and I even ordered a few of them already.
All of these books were either recommended by others at Kenyon or else I found them through readings and other circuitous means as a result of being at Kenyon.
How was your reading week?
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, and showcase books and things we have received. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.
Ugh, I hated the changes they made to the American editions of the Harry Potter books. I can understand changing “jumper” to “sweater” and things like that where the words mean really different things in the different countries. But in those early books, they were changing Britishisms all over the place that I am pretty confident most Americans could have worked out on their own.
Enjoy Citizen, if you read it soon! I read it earlier this year and was verrrry impressed with it.
Jenny @ Reading the End recently posted…The Hired Man, Aminatta Forna
Exactly! I find that one example I shared particularly egregious, but there are others. I know there are some that probably need to be changed, but some of the changes are frustrating.
I didn’t realise they actually changed sentences in the HP books, I knew the first books title was changed but I wish they would just leave alone!!!
Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings recently posted…About Me! – On Being Scottish