Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

I don't think Ryvita has ever been called a cracker in London, either 1940 or now. It's always been called a crispbread, as far as I know. According to Wikipedia the company was founded in 1930 and Ryvita holds a royal warrant

Originally Posted by issybird

And you make a good point. I don't think Ryvita is called a cracker here, either, now that you mention it.

I was too lazy last night to check, but I had the feeling I might in fact have some Ryvita in my very own American cupboard. I was right; I looked this morning and it's a crispbread here, too. I guess our typical shopper is smarter than our typical reader.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

but always as a "crispbread", not a "cracker" which is not a British English term.

Which is why it jarred. I don't know what other Americanisms I might have skipped over, but I'll be watching for them now and it's going to take me out of the story.

Originally Posted by stuartjmz

Perhaps not so much an anachronism, as a transpondian translation, like "Sorcerer's Stone" for "Philosopher's Stone"?

Perhaps not so much an anachronism, as a transpondian translation dumbing-down, like "Sorcerer's Stone" for "Philosopher's Stone"?

Why, Hachette, why?

"dumbing-down" Hah! And here was I from trans the very much bigger pond, trying to be all diplomatic and polite by NOT describing it thus

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

... not a "cracker" which is not a British English term.

Except for a cream cracker - can't get much more British than that - think of Wallace (& Gromit) with his Wensleydale

I promise to stop with the cracker talk now!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Except for a cream cracker - can't get much more British than that - think of Wallace (& Gromit) with his Wensleydale

I promise to stop with the cracker talk now!

But that's completely different. Jacob's Cream Crackers.

Oh, OK, I did forget about them. But it's always "Cream Crackers" never "cracker" on its own.

Oh - and I'm now reading Rashomon Gate by I J Parker. Looking very good so far. I might have to buy the first one (chronologically) in the series.

[Dngrsone]

I agree on the American publishers' need to translate Her Majesty's English into 'murican, and the HP books were a particularly egregious offense to me... until I realized that they were translating for children, who probably have no idea what a Philosopher's Stone is.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

... until I realized that they were translating for children, who probably have no idea what a Philosopher's Stone is.

You don't think there were any U.K. children who had to ask what a "Philosopher's Stone" was?

EDIT: a serious question, by the way.

[DiapDealer]

I've been reading Elizabeth Bear's The Stone in the Skull. The characters are great and her writing is excellent, but I can tell by how close I am to the end that there won't even be a tiny bit of closure to this story. As entertaining as parts have been, it's still little more than a novel-length intro. I should have known better. I'll wait 'til she decides to be done with this series before picking it back up.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

You don't think there were any U.K. children who had to ask what a "Philosopher's Stone" was?

EDIT: a serious question, by the way.

And a serious answer - I had to look it up, being neither from the UK, nor a child. I assumed it was something to do with alchemy, so was a little closer than assuming it was some sort of Kant cant.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by stuartjmz

And a serious answer - I had to look it up, being neither from the UK, nor a child. I assumed it was something to do with alchemy, so was a little closer than assuming it was some sort of Kant cant.

So would "Sorcerer's Stone" have had you better prepared to enjoy the story?

[MickeyC]

Just finished Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking and it was a very interesting and, since he knew he was dying as he wrote it, a very emotional read as well. I highly recommend it.

[Dngrsone]

Finished Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie. Pretty good, I thought.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I've been reading Elizabeth Bear's The Stone in the Skull. The characters are great and her writing is excellent, but I can tell by how close I am to the end that there won't even be a tiny bit of closure to this story. As entertaining as parts have been, it's still little more than a novel-length intro. I should have known better. I'll wait 'til she decides to be done with this series before picking it back up.

As suspected; no resolution whatsoever. I thank you for "louche," though.

Re-reading the first 4 Old Man's War before moving on to the two I haven't read before, nearly done with Ghost Brigades

[covingtoncat73]

European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewoman. It's hella fun.

[Rev. Bob]

Currently reading Dawn’s Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, in their “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences” steampunk series. This one’s been collecting e-dust for a while; high time I got to it.