jeffcrom Posted January 25, 2010 Report Posted January 25, 2010 Just finished reading David Fulmer's novel, Jass. Recommended to me by Paul and others, so I'm reading it now. Nice job on capturing the atmosphere. As to the story - we'll see. Quote
BillF Posted January 25, 2010 Report Posted January 25, 2010 Isaac Asimov, The Caves of Steel Classic science fiction! Cool stuff; I went on a Foundation/Robot series binge a few months ago. Now moved on to the second Robot novel, The Naked Sun. Quote
paul secor Posted January 25, 2010 Report Posted January 25, 2010 Nick Laird's novel, Glover's Mistake Quote
ejp626 Posted January 26, 2010 Report Posted January 26, 2010 Nabokov King, Queen, Knave to be followed by Voinovich's Moscow 2042, which just showed up. Quote
thedwork Posted January 26, 2010 Report Posted January 26, 2010 just finishing up Silence: Lectures And Writings by John Cage. i've got the utmost respect for his art (excuse me mr. cage for using that word...) and works. but has anyone else here who has actually plowed through this entire book - without skipping large portions due to exhaustion or annoyance - not wanted to periodically strangle him? quite often while reading this i found myself thinking exasperatedly, "Man, this guy should stick to working w/ sounds and leave the words to others." another thought i had while reading this was that, seemingly, the premise for many of these lectures and writings was to give some kind of insight into process or ideas, but often the result was obfuscation - and intentionally so. that's kind of like lying. and i know the explanation is that Cage wanted to "show" rather than "tell" - but i don't buy it. it's too semantic. it seems like a way to get out of saying words fail; or side-stepping the simple fact that you aren't up to the task of using words to describe something. and let's face it: obfuscation is easy. while clarity, generally and more often, takes more energy, craft, and time. for me there are positive and creative provcations; and then there are childish, negative provocations. as much as i admire Cage, i experienced much of this book as childish and negative. i don't begrudge anyone's buddhism or zen philosophy, but if it puts you on the road to enjoying being intentionally irritating for the sake of being irritating, i'm not for it. and i know i know, he's irritating so as to give the reader a different perspective. i don't buy it. sometimes being irritating is just that, and nothing else. not meaning to offend. and like i said, Cage is a master musician. and i have no problem w/ chance operations or indeterminacy as compositional tools. but damn... what a drag it was for me to read this thing. much better to simply experience his music. Quote
medjuck Posted January 27, 2010 Report Posted January 27, 2010 David Thomson's "The Moment of Psycho". Very short book about the film. Recommended if you like the film as much as I do. Quote
Teasing the Korean Posted January 30, 2010 Report Posted January 30, 2010 Faulkner - The Bear Third time I've read this novella. Amazing on so many different levels. I've read it both including and omitting part 4 - I'm going to include part 4 this time. I think I'll be on a big Faulkner kick after I finish Raymond Chandler detox. Quote
jlhoots Posted January 30, 2010 Report Posted January 30, 2010 Stieg Larsson: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo I'm hooked. Now I'll have to read all 3. Quote
BillF Posted January 30, 2010 Report Posted January 30, 2010 Still with Sherlock Holmes, this time The Sign of Four. Quote
BillF Posted January 30, 2010 Report Posted January 30, 2010 (edited) Well, that looks like a good 'un! Edited January 31, 2010 by BillF Quote
jazzbo Posted January 30, 2010 Report Posted January 30, 2010 (edited) Oh yes, I love me some Cordwainer Smith. Fascinating writer. I've read about 75% of these stories decades ago. This is a nice collection that includes everything except the brilliant novel "Norstrilia." I'll probably read a third of this collection this time round and save the rest for later enjoyment. Edited January 30, 2010 by jazzbo Quote
carnivore Posted January 30, 2010 Report Posted January 30, 2010 Still reading......'Against the Day' Thomas Pynchon. (Getting there) Quote
Teasing the Korean Posted January 30, 2010 Report Posted January 30, 2010 One of my alltime favorite things is to be in the middle of one of his novels. Completely agree. I feel like I'm right there, and I never want the stories to end. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted January 31, 2010 Report Posted January 31, 2010 The second of Steinhauer's Cold War thrillers set in an imaginary East European communist state. Set in 1956 around the time of the mid-50s Thaw and the Hungarian Uprising. A complex murder mystery set in a bleak landscape of surveillance, political arrests, brutal work camps and sudden rehabilitation. Very impressive. Will work my way through his other books. Quote
WorldB3 Posted February 2, 2010 Report Posted February 2, 2010 A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano Wonderful so far, the review of it being the Seabiscut of music books is spot on. Jim, as your a piano tuner you will love this. Also for fans of Glen Gould or just those who can appreciate the history and the art of what goes into the making/sound of a great piano. Quote
Van Basten II Posted February 2, 2010 Report Posted February 2, 2010 Michel Folco's latest. Don't know if the fellow has been translated in english, are they frenchies here who are digging his stuff ? Quote
jlhoots Posted February 2, 2010 Report Posted February 2, 2010 John Burdett: The Godfather Of Kathmandu Quote
BillF Posted February 4, 2010 Report Posted February 4, 2010 Now moved on to the third novel in Asimov's Robot series, The Robots of Dawn. Quote
ghost of miles Posted February 10, 2010 Author Report Posted February 10, 2010 Edward Anderson's Hungry Men, a 1935 novel about hoboing during the Depression. Anderson went on to write Thieves Like Us, which I'll probably finally get around to reading after I finish Hungry Men. Quote
porcy62 Posted February 10, 2010 Report Posted February 10, 2010 Mark Twain's Roughing It, great book, full of humor and wit. In these days of global communication networks, reading such books of travel literature, an admittely 'obsolete' genre, it makes me wonder if we didn't miss something in this world of overwhelming information. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted February 10, 2010 Report Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) Some extraordinary stories in this. Makes me feel very lucky to be living where I am, when I am. Smiled at this bit last night: Miriam works at a public radio station. Recently, she was asked to make a program on Ostalgie parties where if you show an East German ID you get in for free, everyone calls one another 'Comrade' and the beer is only DM 1.30. She says, 'Things like this feed into a crazy nostalgia for the GDR as if it had been a harmless welfare state that looked after people's needs. Most of the people at these parties are too young to remember the GDR anyway. They are just looking for something to yearn for.' Made me think of some jazz fans. And some musicians! Edited February 10, 2010 by Bev Stapleton Quote
jostber Posted February 11, 2010 Report Posted February 11, 2010 Just read this by Niccolo Ammaniti, great book! http://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/4245/As-God-Commands Now reading: Quote
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