Leeway Posted March 3, 2017 Report Share Posted March 3, 2017 A strong novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted March 3, 2017 Report Share Posted March 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Leeway said: A strong novel. Can't go wrong with Greene. Must do some re-reading soon. I read The Quiet American every twenty years or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Alberto Manguel: The Library at Night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 (edited) G. K. Chesterton: A Biography by Ian Ker. As always with Ian Ker, a well done, professional biography; this one on Chesterton makes a good companion to Ker's bio of John Henry Cardinal Newman. Though, I do find myself getting annoyed with Chesterton's worship of "common sense" -- not everything is quite clear, and obviously true as he makes out at times. Edited March 5, 2017 by Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Slowly making progress with Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! It's a fairly straight-forward story told in an incredibly convoluted fashion... Also, dipping into Alfred Doblin's Bright Magic (NYRB Classics), which is apparently the first time that Doblin's short stories have been collected in English. I have to admit they aren't doing a lot for me. The cover is nice, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Bill Beverly: Dodgers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 On 1/7/2017 at 0:56 AM, ejp626 said: I agree. I read his novels in chronological order, and they really started to sound about the same -- an uncle that cheated the narrator out of some large amount of money, one (or two) nagging ex-wives, generally some poking fun at the liberal sacred cow of the moment, etc. I believe Ravelstein, his final novel, does break the mold, though I never got around to reading that one. Of the late Bellow novels, the only one I really liked was The Dean's December. Well, I've just finished Ravelstein which was going fine until the end, when it moved in a direction that was out of character with the novel to that point. As usual with Bellow, though, plenty of food for thought in this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted March 14, 2017 Report Share Posted March 14, 2017 On 3/6/2017 at 7:42 PM, ejp626 said: Slowly making progress with Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! It's a fairly straight-forward story told in an incredibly convoluted fashion... Also, dipping into Alfred Doblin's Bright Magic (NYRB Classics), which is apparently the first time that Doblin's short stories have been collected in English. I have to admit they aren't doing a lot for me. The cover is nice, however. I finally finished Absalom, Absalom! To be honest, it didn't seem worth the effort this time around. I like The Sound and the Fury considerably more, though my favorite Faulkner remains The Reivers. Definitely underwhelmed by Bright Magic, though I did like "Materialism: A Fable." Just wrapped up Juan Rulfo Pedro Páramo, which all seems to take place in a City of the Dead somewhere in Mexico. Tomorrow I launch into Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alankin Posted March 14, 2017 Report Share Posted March 14, 2017 (edited) Graham Greene - This Gun For Hire (aka A Gun For Sale) Edited March 14, 2017 by alankin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted March 14, 2017 Report Share Posted March 14, 2017 Viet Thanh Nguyen: The Refugees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 10 hours ago, jlhoots said: Viet Thanh Nguyen: The Refugees How is this? It looks promising, and I have it in my library queue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 2 hours ago, ejp626 said: How is this? It looks promising, and I have it in my library queue. It's excellent as was The Sympathizer (which was much longer & won the Pulitzer prize). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 Dolores Redondo - Todo Esto Te Daré (Planeta 2016) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 The Stories of J. F. Powers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostasi Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 18, 2017 Report Share Posted March 18, 2017 Michael Ondaatje: In the Skin of a Lion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted March 18, 2017 Report Share Posted March 18, 2017 I stopped reading when I discovered anyone can write. My chances for something good are slim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted March 19, 2017 Report Share Posted March 19, 2017 Atticus Lish: Preparation For The Next Life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted March 19, 2017 Report Share Posted March 19, 2017 For all the praise they got, I am finding the stories in Malamud's The Magic Barrel to be incredibly sour and often disappointing. I suppose the focus on people whose lives were circumscribed by poverty and prejudice (particularly against Jews) was a necessary corrective during the self-congratulatory Eisenhower years, but I am finding them depressing. Minstry's Family Matters is also depressing, though I was expecting that. I seem to be on a bit of a short story kick at the moment. I'm going to be working my way through Juan Rulfo's The Plain in Flames, Natasha by David Bezmozgis and Guy Vanderhaeghe's Daddy Lenin. I probably ought to read at least a few William Trevor and T.C. Boyle stories, but I'll hold off on them for a bit longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted March 19, 2017 Report Share Posted March 19, 2017 On 3/14/2017 at 0:05 PM, alankin said: Graham Greene - This Gun For Hire (aka A Gun For Sale) A favourite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostasi Posted March 20, 2017 Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 20, 2017 Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 1 hour ago, rostasi said: Recently published - what's your take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostasi Posted March 20, 2017 Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 21 hours ago, paul secor said: Recently published - what's your take? Well, I just started it last night, but even with cat in lap while eating mandarin oranges, I had various interruptions. It's gonna be that way until I'm on an airplane Wednesday to the Big Ears Festival I'm afraid. ...but, so far, I like Steinbeck's approach to a book about these guys who were an integral part of my life growing up. Generally 6 of the 9 chapters deal nicely with their social importance during the 60s & 70s linked with analysis of their music and performance practices. The three other chapters deal with what he considers three important performances and their social influences: A Jackson in Your House;Live at Mandel Hall; and Live From the Jazz Showcase. For me, it nicely covers the era of the late 60s thru the 70s, but some people might balk at the fact that not much is explored when it comes to the 80s onward. I was surprised to see that Chuck's name is only mentioned twice - and in very minor ways. Maybe it's because he's not a book-reader. (only interrupted 5 times during the typing of this...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 20, 2017 Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 Thanks for your thoughtful response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted March 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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