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Books and apps

When you are in a difficult situation, you need a friend.

That's what every one says. And I have one. The books.

They talk to me endlessly. In a language I am fond of. They converse in my wavelength. They do not  try to condemn and insult me.

On the whole, they make me feel that there is some one who still understands me.


So this book by Saul Bellow is about a strange closeness between the narrator and his uncle Benn.

Kenneth has a womanizing father. Having put up with this nature for many years Kenneth's mother leaves him and goes to Africa as a volunteer. Rather than a Casanova father, Kenneth feels his unworldly scientist uncle understands him. So he leaves Paris and moves to America to stay close to his maternal uncle.

His Uncle is caught in a Maya in the form of a woman. Kenneth wants to save his uncle but is unable.

I have realized that I should restrict my reading to few authors whom I really like. And Saul Bellow is certainly one of them.

I am still planning to finish "More die of heartbreak" by Bellow. But my alarm at 4:30 pm which says "read books" goes unheeded most of the days.

Another not so bad habit now is duolingo. I completely forgot why did I want to learn Latin. But as Latin is not available in the app, I am trying out Italian. It is not really so tough - nothing is as tough as French actually. Simultaneously I try to watch some videos on Latin - or Latin Grammar.

And I realize the significance of apps over video. When you are watching youtube, you are passive and it becomes boring. And as the concept is not repeated over and over, you certainly forget. Not so with duolingo app. There are images of words, then words are spoken out, and then they are quizzed multiple times.

Ideally all learning apps should be written in this way.

I wish some one would develop an app like duolingo about Sanskrit language.





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