I'm sure your English is far better than my son's Japanese after 4 years of high school and a year of college study. I've heard that English is one of the hardest languages to learn, due to the exceptions to every rule of spelling and pronunciation and the idiomatic expressions. I can believe that, especially considering how often I hear Americans butcher our native tongue.

I took German throughout high school and college, and the nice thing about German is that the rules are the rules (somehow that figures).

Some people say "Japanese language is very difficult". Well, I think so too. Sometimes I mistake my language. :p Anyway, spelling and pronunciation is still okay. One problem is "Whose dialogue?" For example.....

"Oh thank you Ifasen! Thank you!"
"I want to come back too," Vincent McCarthy said.
"Me too" Anya cried.

This is okay, I know whose dialogues. But how about this?

"Oh thank you Ifasen! Thank you!"
"I want to come back too,"
"Me too"

If those dialogues are like this, I would think like this, "Which is Vincent's words? Which is Anya's words...?"

While I'm reading THE HAUNTED AIR, sometimes those things make me confuse.

If those dialogues translate to Japanese...

"Ah, arigato, Ifasen! Arigato!"
"Ore mo mata modottekitaina"
"Watashimoyo"

Ore=I(male's word)
moyo=too(female's word)

At least I can understand whose dialogues. From a point of view, English is difficult.

Some people say "Japanese language is very difficult". Well, I think so too. Sometimes I mistake my language. :p Anyway, spelling and pronunciation is still okay. One problem is "Whose dialogue?"

From a point of view, English is difficult.

Sometimes dialogue can be difficult to follow. Usually an author will name the speakers and then alternate back and forth from person to person.

One exception is when a character speaks long monologues. If the monologue goes on for multiple paragraphs, the author will leave off the end-quotation-marks at the end of a paragraph. In other words, each paragraph will start with quotation marks, but they will leave off the end-quotation-marks until the end of the monologue.

I hope that helps and isn't too confusing.

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Some people say "Japanese language is very difficult". Well, I think so too. Sometimes I mistake my language. :p Anyway, spelling and pronunciation is still okay. One problem is "Whose dialogue?" For example.....

"Oh thank you Ifasen! Thank you!"
"I want to come back too," Vincent McCarthy said.
"Me too" Anya cried.

This is okay, I know whose dialogues. But how about this?

"Oh thank you Ifasen! Thank you!"
"I want to come back too,"
"Me too"

If those dialogues are like this, I would think like this, "Which is Vincent's words? Which is Anya's words...?"

While I'm reading THE HAUNTED AIR, sometimes those things make me confuse.

If those dialogues translate to Japanese...

"Ah, arigato, Ifasen! Arigato!"
"Ore mo mata modottekitaina"
"Watashimoyo"

Ore=I(male's word)
moyo=too(female's word)

At least I can understand whose dialogues. From a point of view, English is difficult.

Sometimes the characters are interchangeable in the dialogue. Especially in this case where these characters (Vincent, Anya, Junie) were used (in my opinion) by FPW to spoof people who are gullible enough to fall for the ploys of so called mystics. Any one of those characters could say any one of those lines and it would all work out the same no matter what.

I go back and forth trying to decide which book I like better. I really enjoyed the relationship between Jack and his father in Gateways, but I'm a sucker for a good haunted house/ghost story. I also liked the characters of Lyle and Charlie and wouldn't mind seeing them return in a later book...

BTW, while I'm reading THE HAUNTED AIR, I imagine Kenton brothers are Lenny Kravitz(as Jack thought), and Charlie is Jamie Foxx. Now they are my favorite characters in RJ novels.

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BTW, while I'm reading THE HAUNTED AIR, I imagine Kenton brothers are Lenny Kravitz(as Jack thought), and Charlie is Jamie Foxx. Now they are my favorite characters in RJ novels.

Lenny Kravitz fits the look, but can he act? Jamie Foxx can do it all, that's for sure. All in all a good choice for the Kenton brothers, though. I've seen some Lenny Kravitz videos and I know he can carry the moodiness of Lyle's character.

This whole book sure started to set the mood for the events shown in the book "Nightworld". I wonder what part all these ladies with "dog" familiars play in this whole thing. I think they are a cool and mysterious part to the story. They seem to know a lot of things, but leak very little out to Jack even though they think he may have to take over if Glaeken can't make it because "he is too old". "Nightworld" has actually spoiled how this actually turns out, but these RJ books sure build RJ up as a logical successor to Glaeken if there is a need for one. I have already read the 2 books after "The Haunted Air" and will not spoil it for you by telling you what happens, but I will say that these mysterious "dog" ladies figure in both. To me they seem to be "Mother Earth" types; closely attuned to the goings on in the world and worshipers of Gaea (from Greek mythology the earth goddess from whom all gods, titans, and monsters sprang). They are allied to "The Ally", but have a more beneficial attitude towards earth and especially mankind. To me, the Gaea thing becomes apparent in "Gateways", the next book after "The Haunted Air". I hope you can get those soon so you can let me know what you think about them.

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....these mysterious "dog" ladies figure in both. To me they seem to be "Mother Earth" types; closely attuned to the goings on in the world and worshipers of Gaea (from Greek mythology the earth goddess from whom all gods, titans, and monsters sprang). They are allied to "The Ally", but have a more beneficial attitude towards earth and especially mankind. To me, the Gaea thing becomes apparent in "Gateways", the next book after "The Haunted Air". I hope you can get those soon so you can let me know what you think about them.

Mike, you and I really do think alike. I had the exact same thoughts about the ladies and their dogs being mother earth types, attuned to Gaea, etc. No one, so far as I can remember, has brought that up before. I concur wholeheartedly.

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Mike, you and I really do think alike. I had the exact same thoughts about the ladies and their dogs being mother earth types, attuned to Gaea, etc. No one, so far as I can remember, has brought that up before. I concur wholeheartedly.

Ever since I was a child I have been into mythology. I just putter around and read and study on my own, mostly. Also, my favorite myths are the Greco-Roman ones as well as the Norse ones. I just picked up a book on Egyptian gods and myths and cannot wait to have time to delve into it. Reading some of these RJ books has brought about an interest in Hindu/Indian mythology, too.

One of my favorite myths related to Gaea is the one where Hercules (the Greek Herakles) faces off against Gaea's son Antaeus. Every time Hercules knocked Antaeu on his ass he, Antaeus, would get up stronger because of the contact with his mother. Hercules eventually figured it out, held Antaeus up from the earth and crushed/strangled Antaeus until he died.

Mike, you and I really do think alike. I had the exact same thoughts about the ladies and their dogs being mother earth types, attuned to Gaea, etc. No one, so far as I can remember, has brought that up before. I concur wholeheartedly.

It might have been before you joined the gang, Maggers, but a couple of souls pointed out that "Herta" is an anagram for "Earth." Yes, Paul is a tricky hombre, ain't he?

I have a one question. Tell me please.

Now I reached page 174, and I read one lines, but I couldn't understand.

What is Charlie's "Adam's apple bob"? I searched the words in my dictionary, but I couldn't find out the word's meaning.