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[A Lark Ascending]

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

Re-reading this fine novel!

It is indeed.

Have you read Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go'? Works in a similar sort of distorted near future. The title comes from the tune much beloved of jazzers.

Indeed I have read it and liked it very much. I think Ishiguro must be into our sort of music. His recent story collection Nocturnes is based on the experiences of musicians, most of whom are in Great American Songbook mode, rather than classical or pop.

He wrote the lyrics to some of the songs on the last Stacey Kent album.

[BillF]

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

Re-reading this fine novel!

It is indeed.

Have you read Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go'? Works in a similar sort of distorted near future. The title comes from the tune much beloved of jazzers.

Indeed I have read it and liked it very much. I think Ishiguro must be into our sort of music. His recent story collection Nocturnes is based on the experiences of musicians, most of whom are in Great American Songbook mode, rather than classical or pop.

He wrote the lyrics to some of the songs on the last Stacey Kent album.

Good on yer, Kazuo!

[Royal Oak]

John Steinbeck - Tortilla Flat

[A Lark Ascending]

Second of Downing's 'station' books I've read. This one is set in Berlin (and various points beyond) in early 1939 from New Year to the invasion of Czechoslovakia. A good thriller by someone who has clearly studied the gazeteers of European cities in the 1930s. Would appeal to anyone who likes the writing of Phillip Kerr or Alan Furst.

[Jazzmoose]

During the time my computer was down this time around, I discovered that I read just as much as I ever did...when the computer is off. A disturbing discovery...

Anyway, I finally revisited the Zelazny Amber series. Nothing great, but fun stuff.

[Matthew]

The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It by Lawrence Ritter. A book of interviews of players who were in the Major Leagues in the early 1900s. I first read this book when I was eleven, and it was like reading a science fiction book, because it described a world that was so different and strange. Really? teams went to games in horse drawn carriages? No cars? People were allowed to be strange and different? Who is the world is this Rube Waddell character? John McGraw was the greatest manager ever? The America I was reading about was a strange and wonderful place that was so different then to what I was living, I was enthralled and entranced reading this book. I've returned to it many times over the years, and when I get to the last page of the book, with the great picture of Honus Wagner and John McGraw talking (click on picture for larger view), with the caption underneath: It seems like it all happened yesterday, a wave of emotion always comes over me. Truly, an amazing book of an America and of a way of baseball long gone.

[BillF]

Isaac Asimov, The Caves of Steel

Classic science fiction!

[Jazzmoose]

Isaac Asimov, The Caves of Steel

Classic science fiction!

Cool stuff; I went on a Foundation/Robot series binge a few months ago.

[paul secor]

Penelope Lively's novel Family Album

[Brad]

The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It by Lawrence Ritter. A book of interviews of players who were in the Major Leagues in the early 1900s. I first read this book when I was eleven, and it was like reading a science fiction book, because it described a world that was so different and strange. Really? teams went to games in horse drawn carriages? No cars? People were allowed to be strange and different? Who is the world is this Rube Waddell character? John McGraw was the greatest manager ever? The America I was reading about was a strange and wonderful place that was so different then to what I was living, I was enthralled and entranced reading this book. I've returned to it many times over the years, and when I get to the last page of the book, with the great picture of Honus Wagner and John McGraw talking (click on picture for larger view), with the caption underneath: It seems like it all happened yesterday, a wave of emotion always comes over me. Truly, an amazing book of an America and of a way of baseball long gone.

Great book. Read it when I was a kid also; still have it.

[Jazzmoose]

C.J. Cherryh: Downbelow Station

[Brad]

Reading The Best Hamer History Essays on Lincoln, edited by Sean Wilentz, a collection of essays by some great historians and writers on Lincoln. Recommended.

[Matthew]

The Collect Stories of Lydia Davis. Heard some good and bad things about this book, even though the New York Times had a rave review. I must say that I'm very impressed (and I'm only 150 pages in) by Davis, as in this book you can see her experimenting with the short story form, and succeeding. Highly recommended to short story fans -- heck, to anyone who likes good writing.

edit for grammar & spelling.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Matthew

[ejp626]

Cairo Modern by Naguib Mahfouz

Wondrak and other stories by Stefan Zweig

Hopefully followed by Moscow 2042 by Voinovich (it's still in the mail but should arrive soon)

[jlhoots]

Craig Johnson: Dark Horse

[ghost of miles]

On a real late-period (1935-1940) F. Scott Fitzgerald kick right now:

[fasstrack]

Will Friedwald: Sinatra: The Song is You

Wow, that guy really does his homework! Impressive, and I'm glad he's not a bounty hunter on my ass.

[sal]

"Interpreter of Maladies" - Jhumpa Lahiri

[A Lark Ascending]

The last of the four Javier Falcon quartet. A taught, exciting thriller - given how much running around there is, Hollywood might just get interested.

The Wilson books set in Seville are highly recommended if you enjoy a contemporary thriller/detective novel. There are also two excellent books set in Lisbon.

I must read his first four African novels.

[BillF]

Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles

Would you believe it, I've never read this before and it's great!

[Royal Oak]

Just finished Martin Amis's "Einstein's Monsters". A collection of 5 short stories written in the mid-1980s, reflecting Amis's paranoia about nuclear war.

My favourite of the bunch was "The Time Disease" which I thought distinctly Anthony Burgess-like. On reading Amis's introduction afterwards, he states it was inspired by J.G.Ballard - shows what I know!

[Harold_Z]

Casares is absolutely terrific. If you dig Borges you'll dig Casares.

[jazzbo]

Pseudo-fringe at times, but interesting stuff for a student of Egyptology and the roots of Christianity such as I.

[carnivore]

I'm now halfway through 'Against the Day' by Thomas Pynchon....anyone here read it since it came out six years ago?

[ghost of miles]

Karen Chilton, HAZEL SCOTT: THE PIONEERING JOURNEY OF A JAZZ PIANIST FROM CAFE SOCIETY TO HOLLYWOOD TO HUAC.