Still without my laptop

Unfortunately, I still don't have the use of my laptop, though hopefully, today should see the end of that. And quiet fitting too, 'cause tonight, I should be done reading Shogun. It's been quiet amazing to me that I've read the book in less than a week. It's 1200+ pages for the uninitiated.

But what's been ever better is the satisfaction I have got from the book. I get the feeling that it hasn't tried to short change you - trick you into not having to tell you things. It tells you everything you want to know - maybe not right away, but nonetheless - and then some. The details of how Japanese society worked in those days, how people thought, how they behaved, how they survived, how they fought, how they killed, how they treated other's (and the list goes on) continues to enamor me. But the most satisfying part about the book has been about how the politics of the day played out. The trickery, the ambitious forward planning, the treason for more land/women/honor et al were all highly satisfying. There is only one place parts of said statements are missing - the climax. It ends in such a way that leaves you wanting. There was all this foreplay to a war, which never comes. There is no definitive ending - only thoughts (though the book gives u hints as to what to make of that) which give you the feeling that 100-150 pages more should have been written to play out the war and the make the book feel complete. However, I'm not complaining - I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.

My next read is going to be Lolita followed by Babyji - both of which I bought yesterday. I'm excited. During my drive back, I was reading the foreword to Lolita (when the traffic was at a standstill) and I realized that I'll probably need a dictionary to read through the whole thing. So that might be something I will keep in mind when the actual reading gets started - which might not until after next week when my mother leaves.

P.S. - The first half of this post written a couple days back and the second half now. Hence, maybe some inconsistencies.