 | Title: Memoir of a Geisha
Author: Arthur Golden
First publication: 1997
Comments: I decided to start reading some American books to improve my English. My best friend Kirsten suggested me a couple of books: this one and "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson. She lent me this one. I was amazed to be able to read an English book without using the Dictionary... I really enjoyed it. Maybe the happy ending is a bit artificial, but it is a really good book.
Started: Third week December 2000 Finished: January 5th 2001, when Matteo went back to Italy |
 | Title: The seventh gate
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1994
Comments: When I was a young kid I used to read a lot. I was fond of fantasy novels. I started to read
the first book of the "Death Gate cycle" when I was 15. I never had the chance to read the last one.
When I saw it in the bookshop I bought it immediately. I read the book in one day. I waited to read the end of this story since I was a kid.
Started: Jan 5th 2001, when Matteo went back to Italy Finished: Jan 6th 2001 |
 | Title: The lost language of cranes
Author: David Leavitt
First publication: 1986
Comments: This book is a Christmas present. Matteo bought it for me while we were in a bookstore in San Francisco. He really enjoyed the book and he wanted to share it with me. I liked it, but honestly I do not think it is a masterpiece. The book is realist, true, honest and painful. Those are the aspects that make me appreciate it.
Started: January 8th 2001 Finished: February 10th 2001, night |
 | Title: Dragons of autumn twilight
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1984
Comments: This was one of my favorite books when I was a child. I thought it was a good idea to read the
English version now that I am a grown-up. It is an entertaining book. Its strength and limit is to be strongly bound with the RPG game.
I have forgotten the plot, and I really enjoy the original version.
Started: February 11th 2001, on my bed after brunch Finished: February 18th 2001, late at night |
 | Title: You and your aquarium
Author: Dick Mills
First publication: 1998
Comments: As soon as I will be able to do it, I am going to buy an aquarium. This was a simple guide to collecting and keeping aquarium fishes. Interesting. I was unable to finish it because Matteo toke it back to Italy.
Started: January 2001 Finished: May 2001, my parents' house |
 | Title: Snow falling on cedars
Author: David Guterson
First publication: 1995
Comments: This was one of the book Kirsten suggested me. I started it while I was going to the Broadband wireless world forum. It is a good book. I like the way people behave in this book: they are extremely realistic.
Started: February 21st 2001 Finished: May 6th 2001 |
 | Title: La Filosofia Antica
Author: Emanuele Severino
First publication: 1984
Comments: Stressato per via della tesi cominciai a leggere dei filosofi studiati in gioventu'. Una lettura interessante che m'ha fatto riscoprire quelle figure che, a suo tempo, avevo assai sottovalutato.
Started: May 6th 2001 Finished: June 9th 2001, after an evening spent with Matteo |
 | Title: Dragons of winter night
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1985
Comments: I decided to read all the fantasy books I used to read when I was young in their
; original language, in order to improve my English. I was stressed because I was writing my master thesis.
; I needed something not to complex to read. This and the following fantasy books seem to be perfect in that moment. The plot is more interesting in this second volume.
Started: June 10th 2001, stressed because of the thesis Finished: June 13th 2001 |
 | Title: Shadowdale
Author: Richard Awlinson
First publication: 1989
Comments: I really enjoyed this book when I was young. This time I did not like it as much. The characters are incredibly flat and the plot is banal.
Started: 2001, in Venice Finished: 4th July 2001, 12:43, stressed because of the thesis |
 | Title: Tantras
Author: Richard Awlinson
First publication: 1989
Comments: The second book of this fantasy saga is better than the first... but it is not a masterpiece though...
Started: 5th July 2001, in Venice Finished: 23rd July 2001, in Milan |
 | Title: Waterdeep
Author: Richard Awlinson
First publication: 1989
Comments: The end is not as bed as the first volume...
Started: July/August 2001 Finished: August 2001 |
 | Title: Dragons of spring dawning
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1985
Comments: The last volume is a really good one, but the ending... it is not good. It is clear that the authors do not want to finish the story... In order to write other three books!
Started: August/September 2001 Finished: September 2001 |
 | Title: Time of the twins
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1986
Comments: This second group of books is really bad... The characters are often flat, the plot confusing...
Started: September 2001 Finished: 5th September 2001, Sardinia |
 | Title: Honeymoon
Author: Banana Yoshimoto
First publication: 1997
Comments: Amo particolarmente i libri di Banana Yoshimoto. Le trame delle sue storie
spesso contano assai ben poco. I veri protagonisti sono i sentimenti, le
sensazioni, che lei e' abilissima a descrivere in maniera evocativa. Questa e' la storia d'una giovane coppia, sposatasi prestissimo. Il padre dello sposo sembra far parte di una setta religiosa Ho finito questo libro in un giorno assai particolare: il giorno della caduta delle torri. Lo shock m'ha impedito di godermi la fine come avrei dovuto. Sotto quelle torri c'era una parte di me.
Started: 10 September 2001 Finished: 11 September 2001, while the towers were falling |
 | Title: War of the twins
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1986
Comments: As for the first book of the saga this book is not such a good book... The main characters are incredibly flat and stereotypical.
Started: September 2001 Finished: 16th September 2001, early morning, Sardinia |
 | Title: Test of the twins
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1986
Comments: The story does not work, the characterization is poor but... there is a nice end.
Started: September 2001 Finished: 19th September 2001, Sardinia |
 | Title: The second generation
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1995
Comments: The second generation is a good book. It is a collection of short stories.It is well built and it has an interesting plots.
Started: September 2001 Finished: 24th September 2001, Mestre |
 | Title: The turn of the screw
Author: Henry James
First publication: 1898
Comments: I was in Milan when I realized that I have forgotten the book I was reading (Baudolino) at home. I went to Feltrinelli and I bought this book. I have studied Henry James at high school, but my teacher did not spend any time on this gothic novel. It is a typical gothic novel, I did not like it so much. Tomas Hardy was right when he wrote that "[H. James says] nothing in infinite sentences".
Started: Sunday October the 7th, 2001, Milan Finished: Thursday October the 12th, Milan |
 | Title: Baudolino
Author: Umberto Eco
First publication: 2000
Comments: Ho sempre amato i libri di Eco, e anche questa volta
;devo dire che sono rimasto colpito. Eco si libera finalmente di
;quell'ampollosita' e di quelle continue citazioni e digressioni
;che lo contraddistinguono per finire con il far parlare Baudolino,
;nato contadino e arrivato ad essere figlio di Barbarossa.
Started: September 2001, Mestre Finished: October, the 13th 2001, Mestre |
 | Title: Bartleby / Benito Cereno
Author: Hermann Melville
First publication: 1854
Comments: I thought that Melville wrote only long and boring books. It was a prejudice: the first novel is really interesting and modern. The language of the second is pretty hard and the plot is less interesting.
Started: October 2001 Finished: November the 26th, 2001 in Mestre |
 | Title: De brevitate vitae / De providentia
Author: Seneca
First publication: 50 a.d. / 64 a.d.
Comments: Il primo dialogo insegna come la vita non sia poi corta, ma
semplicemente si passi in genere il tempo a sprecarla. Nel secondo spiega come le sventure siano dei provvidi doni del signore per rafforzare i giusti.
Started: October 2001 Finished: 22 October 2001 |
 | Title: A.I. Intelligenza Artificiale
Author: Brian W. Aldiss
First publication: 2001
Comments: Ero a casa di Matteo a Milano, ove m'ero recato per
un colloquio di lavoro. terminato questo aspettavo ora
di cena e cominciai a leggere, terminandolo, il libro
sul comodino di Matteo. Le storie del volume sono abbastanza
insignificanti, la migliore e' quella che ha ispirato Spielberg...
Ma anche quella non e' poi un granche'.
Started: 24th October 2001 Finished: 24th October 2001 |
 | Title: Il fato e la superstizione
Author: Plutarco
First publication: 1st / 2nd century
Comments: Il primo dialogo tratta di libero arbitrio e fato. Il secondo
analizza la superstizione contrapponendola al suo opposto,
l'ateismo.
Started: 27th November 2001 Finished: 27th November 2001 |
 | Title: Favola d'amore
Author: Herman Hesse
First publication: 1922
Comments: "Solo in questo consiste per me la vita, nel fluttuare tra due poli, nell'oscillazione tra i due pilastri portanti del mondo. Vorrei con gioia far vedere sempre la beata varieta'
del mondo e anche sempre ricordare
che al fondo di questa varieta' vi e' un'unita'".
Started: 27th November 2001 Finished: 27th November 2001 |
 | Title: Frankenstein
Author: Mary Shelley
First publication: 1818
Comments: I think this is one of the best books I read in my all life. The book is modern and interesting,
the story is touching, the characters well-rounded and far from the typical gothic novel ones.
Started: 27th December 2001 Finished: 3rd December 2001 |
 | Title: Storia Vera
Author: Luciano di Samostata
First publication: 2ndo secolo avanti Cristo
Comments: Era da tempo che desideravo leggere questo racconto definito da molti
"primo esempio di letteratura fantascientifica". Divertente, interessante,
ma niente di eccezionale.
Started: December 2001 Finished: December 2001 |
 | Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
First publication: 1997
Comments: I really liked the story! It is fun, original and well-written. When you read it, you feel like magic is something real and normal...
Started: December 2001 Finished: 5th December 2001 |
