Now reading...

[jlhoots]

Margaret Coel: The Man Who Fell From The Sky

[paul secor]

3 hours ago, alankin said:

Richard Russo - Straight Man

A funny book.

[jlhoots]

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Americanah

[paul secor]

Ali Smith: Public Library

A collection of short stories by one of my favorite writers (along with some short thoughts about public libraries and their present day fate in Britain by a number of her friends and colleagues).

[alankin]

12 hours ago, paul secor said:

A funny book.

Yes.  It's the first Russo novel I've read.  I may have to read another one.

[paul secor]

2 hours ago, alankin said:

Yes.  It's the first Russo novel I've read.  I may have to read another one.

I recommend Nobody's Fool.

[alankin]

1 hour ago, paul secor said:

I recommend Nobody's Fool.

Thanks, Paul.  I'll look for that one next.

[paul secor]

I like it even better than I like Straight Man.

Edited October 11, 2016 by paul secor

[Leeway]

Wharton's first published novel (novella actually). Quite good, with a distinct Jamesian flavor to it. 

[ejp626]

The first 20 pages or so of Waiting for the End of the World seem quite promising.  It seems like it will live up to my memory of it, which is a good sign.  Fingers crossed anyway.

I just learned that Ben Katchor's Cheap Novelties is being reprinted in hard cover, and apparently there is some new material in this edition (or rather classic strips from that era that weren't included at that time).  I'm never a fan of double-dipping, but it has been OOP for quite some time, and the new edition is reasonably priced.  I'm planning on picking up a copy.  I will be upset if they just added some material from Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer, but I am assuming that is not the case.

[T.D.]

Finally got a copy of this (Isoardi's Dark Tree). Dusty Groove got more copies in last week and I managed to procure one.

[Leeway]

Another novel that divides its time between England and Italy. The story concerns an artist who is believed to have died in WWII, only to turn up alive and blind years later. The author, J.I.M Stewart also wrote detective fiction under the name o Michael Innes, and this novel, while not a mystery, has mystery elements in it. A good book for a plane or train ride. 

[ejp626]

On 10/11/2016 at 7:00 PM, ejp626 said:

The first 20 pages or so of Waiting for the End of the World seem quite promising.  It seems like it will live up to my memory of it, which is a good sign.  Fingers crossed anyway.

This was overall an enjoyable read, but I am a little less attracted to darkness for its own sake, which sort of seems the main point of this novel.  I was a bit less satisfied with overall plot and some plot turns than I was 15 or 20 years ago.  Probably more than anything else, it is really hard to read (post 9/11) about a terrorist cell planning on attacking New York City.  It was just a dark novel in 1985 when it was published, but now it feels a bit too prophetic.

I've actually been meaning to read The Federalist Papers for some time now, and decided that rather than spend any more time thinking about the election, I would tackle them now.  It is somewhat interesting and more than a little depressing that the introduction by Garry Wills (written in 1982) is just so optimistic and even a bit proud about how much compromise there was between the parties.  (Even then that was clearly a bit of a rosy view...)

[paul secor]

Josephine Tey: Brat Farrar

[jazzbo]

[jlhoots]

Roz Chast: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant

[mjzee]

2 hours ago, jlhoots said:

Roz Chast: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant

Great book.

[A Lark Ascending]

Although I've read many a book on individual campaigns (including Beevor's superb books on Stalingrad and D-Day) it must be forty years since I last read one covering the whole conflict (school text books apart). I really wanted something that pulled everything together and put into context those events you come across but don't really know where they fit - things like the Dieppe Raid. 

This does the job superbly - a straight narrative history of the war - he doesn't hang around for 50 pages going through the causes (or wrap up with a consequences chapter), his focus is fully on the events. Inevitably, even with 950 pages to play with, it's something of a gallop, but he keeps you wanting to read on (I read it in three weeks - I'm not a quick reader so that's some measure of how engaging it is).

Very good at balancing out the contributions to the war. Growing up in 50s/60s Britain you had WWII all around you and it was largely a story of how Britain won the war with a bit of help from the USA when it eventually turned up. Although the immense role of the USSR has been long emphasised since the 60s, one thing Beevor does here is stress the importance of China in tying down Japan. I particularly enjoyed the coverage of the Pacific War which I've never had a clear overview of - always assumed it went from west to east where the post Midway south to north and then east comes across clearly here.

Amazed at the rivalry and egotism on display amongst political and military leaders. A lovely description of Churchill's 'incontinent enthusiasms', referring to his endless madcap schemes for landings in the Balkans or Indonesia. Montgomery is portrayed as vain and overcautious (back in 60s Britain he was a national hero), Harris as utterly inflexible and wrong. I only know MacArthur in any detail from the Korean War years but here he comes across like a dry run for Donald Trump (or, more likely, Trump is a soggy imitation of MacArthur). 'I will return!' indeed.

What you are left with overall, however, is the sheer scale of barbarity and misery brought out by references to particular events. Beevor makes a lot of use of Vasily Grossman's eyewitness accounts on the Russian front which are astounding - I've just started Life and Fate as a result and will read his diaries (which Beevor helped edit for English language publication). 

Highly recommended - I know there's another recent book covering the same ground by Max Hastings which I imagine is equally marvellous. Spoilt for choice.  

Edited October 27, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[ejp626]

Just read Symposium by Muriel Spark on the flight to Minneapolis.  I didn't like it at all.  I'm definitely not on the same wave length as Spark. There are a few more of her books I probably "ought" to read, but life seems too short right now.

I'll probably finish up Graham Swift's Ever After while traveling and on the way back, but so far it isn't doing very much for me.  I suppose that's ok.  I was pretty sure both of these books were "read once and discard" books...

[Joe]

[ejp626]

On 10/11/2016 at 7:00 PM, ejp626 said:

I just learned that Ben Katchor's Cheap Novelties is being reprinted in hard cover, and apparently there is some new material in this edition (or rather classic strips from that era that weren't included at that time).  I'm never a fan of double-dipping, but it has been OOP for quite some time, and the new edition is reasonably priced.  I'm planning on picking up a copy.  I will be upset if they just added some material from Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer, but I am assuming that is not the case.

Cheap Novelties arrived, and I am sad to say that it doesn't appear there are any new strips at all.  There are a few random fake newspaper advertisements added to the final story, but I do feel ripped off.  The slightly larger size of the comics isn't worth it, in my view, for anyone who already owned it.  I'm sorry now that I didn't buy directly through Amazon, since I would return this, but it just isn't worth trying to send it back to a reseller.

I'm halfway through The Federalist Papers.  I found the first 40% to be really quite trying and a bit boring, as the whole point is to explain why the Articles of Confederation were no longer fit for purpose.  Some of the arguments are a lot less convincing now, particularly that the national government will not bother itself with local issues.  I suspect that if they knew what we know now, they would definitely have changed some aspects of the Constitution and been far more explicit about what was state and national business.  On the other hand, Hamilton was always a promoter of a strong national government, so maybe he wouldn't have been bothered.  I read recently, however, that he came to want an imperial presidency and actually argued that the President should serve for life!  (This didn't actually make it into the Federalist Papers, however.)  All things considered, the U.S. probably dodged a bullet when Hamilton didn't...

Now that the Papers are actually explaining what went into some of the compromises in the text of the Constitution, it is more rewarding.

Edited November 1, 2016 by ejp626
double posting

[jlhoots]

Anne Hillerman: Rock With Wings

[BillF]

Just finished rereading (after 50 years!) Bellow's 600-page picaresque extravaganza. Some vivid episodes, but some longueurs too.

[paul secor]

Colin Dexter: The Daughters of Cain

One of the better Inspector Morse mysteries.

[Matthew]

Dylan Redeemed: From Highway 61 to Saved by Stephen H. Webb