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[A Lark Ascending]

Cut the yolks, Bill

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

How much of that derives from Cheikh Anta Diop, Jazzbo? Never read a more disorganised writer than Diop.

MG

[Larry Kart]

Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend"

Never got into Dickens before, but this one is doing it for me.

Until about ten years ago, I could never get more than a few pages into any Dickens book. Apparently, as I got older, someone changed the content of the books as I enjoy them now...

Same thing happened with me about eight years ago with Trollope. Beginning with "The Eustace Diamonds" -- a lucky choice because the central figure, Lizzie Eustace, is such a fascinatingly detailed and psychologically plausible (by any standard) "monstrous" character that the notion that Trollope was complacent or a fuddy-duddy was instantly erased. Since then I've read a lot of Trollope with unfailing pleasure; he's one of the greats IMO. I'd read "Barchester Towers' in college because I had to and had no clue at the time; Trollope's probably not for guys in their early 20s.

BTW, if anyone thinks of Trollope as too genteel to deal with the rougher/uglier sides of human life, the Lucinda Roanoke-Sir Griffin Tewitt subplot in "The Eustace Diamonds" is an eye-opener. Roanoke, a very athletic, somewhat mannish young American woman of means whose aunt is trying to marry her off to a titled Englishman, attracts the attentions of the seemingly eligible (by the aunt's standards) but brutish Tewitt, who is well aware that Roanoke, who detests most men, detests him in particular. But this is just the sauce that Tewitt's emotional-sexual tastes require -- well aware of Roanoke's feelings toward him, what he most wants to do is to dominate and figuratively, legally (even literally if it comes to that) rape her. And Trollope doesn't flinch in the telling or the resolution.

[ejp626]

Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend"

Never got into Dickens before, but this one is doing it for me.

Until about ten years ago, I could never get more than a few pages into any Dickens book. Apparently, as I got older, someone changed the content of the books as I enjoy them now...

Same thing happened with me about eight years ago with Trollope. Beginning with "The Eustace Diamonds" -- a lucky choice because the central figure, Lizzie Eustace, is such a fascinatingly detailed and psychologically plausible (by any standard) "monstrous" character that the notion that Trollope was complacent or a fuddy-duddy was instantly erased. Since then I've read a lot of Trollope with unfailing pleasure; he's one of the greats IMO. I'd read "Barchester Towers' in college because I had to and had no clue at the time; Trollope's probably not for guys in their early 20s.

I think Trollope is almost criminally overlooked. I find that it takes a week or so to really adjust to Trollope's rythmes. Probably a slightly harder adjustment than Dickens. I basically read the Palliser series and one or two others. I do hope in a year or two to go through the others that I own (Barsetshire Chronicles, The Three Clerks, He Knew He Was Right, The Way We Live Now and a few others) and then maybe will be ready to reread the Pallisers (I did read them in my 20s and would pick up on very different aspects of the books now).

[BillF]

I think Lanchester gets into his stride with Capital and hadn't got it together with this earlier novel.

[A Lark Ascending]

I think Lanchester gets into his stride with Capital and hadn't got it together with this earlier novel.

I didn't think I was going to enjoy 'Capital' after a few chapters - not keen on books where the tale almost starts again chapter after a chapter as new characters appear. But I'm gripped now. Really want to see Roger and Amanda get their come-uppance!

[Jazzmoose]

Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend"

Never got into Dickens before, but this one is doing it for me.

Until about ten years ago, I could never get more than a few pages into any Dickens book. Apparently, as I got older, someone changed the content of the books as I enjoy them now...

Same thing happened with me about eight years ago with Trollope. Beginning with "The Eustace Diamonds" -- a lucky choice because the central figure, Lizzie Eustace, is such a fascinatingly detailed and psychologically plausible (by any standard) "monstrous" character that the notion that Trollope was complacent or a fuddy-duddy was instantly erased. Since then I've read a lot of Trollope with unfailing pleasure; he's one of the greats IMO. I'd read "Barchester Towers' in college because I had to and had no clue at the time; Trollope's probably not for guys in their early 20s.

BTW, if anyone thinks of Trollope as too genteel to deal with the rougher/uglier sides of human life, the Lucinda Roanoke-Sir Griffin Tewitt subplot in "The Eustace Diamonds" is an eye-opener. Roanoke, a very athletic, somewhat mannish young American woman of means whose aunt is trying to marry her off to a titled Englishman, attracts the attentions of the seemingly eligible (by the aunt's standards) but brutish Tewitt, who is well aware that Roanoke, who detests most men, detests him in particular. But this is just the sauce that Tewitt's emotional-sexual tastes require -- well aware of Roanoke's feelings toward him, what he most wants to do is to dominate and figuratively, legally (even literally if it comes to that) rape her. And Trollope doesn't flinch in the telling or the resolution.

Hmmm. And free for Kindle. Guess I'll have to subject my eyes to the strain once again...

[Head Man]

Re-read this after listening to the wonderful adaption on BBC radio.

Just finshed this but found it a great disappointment. The only book by him that I've not enjoyed...and I've read them all.

[BillF]

I think Lanchester gets into his stride with Capital and hadn't got it together with this earlier novel.

I didn't think I was going to enjoy 'Capital' after a few chapters - not keen on books where the tale almost starts again chapter after a chapter as new characters appear. But I'm gripped now. Really want to see Roger and Amanda get their come-uppance!

I don't think you'll be disappointed!

[BillF]

Just read this review of a novel based on the lives of Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro:

http://www.guardian....-martell-review

Edited February 24, 2013 by BillF

[paul secor]

Just read this review of a novel based on the lives of Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro:

http://www.guardian....-martell-review

Anything you might add to The Guardian review?

[BillF]

Just read this review of a novel based on the lives of Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro:

http://www.guardian....-martell-review

Anything you might add to The Guardian review?

Well, I haven't read the novel. Looks like another one from that uneasy territory where biography and fiction intermingle.

[paul secor]

Just read this review of a novel based on the lives of Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro:

http://www.guardian....-martell-review

Anything you might add to The Guardian review?

Well, I haven't read the novel. Looks like another one from that uneasy territory where biography and fiction intermingle.

Sorry. I read your first post too quickly and thought you had read the novel itself, rather than the review. My bad.

[BillF]

Third of Bruce's Cambridge (the proper one) based crime novels.

Not brilliantly written - basically a fan's account relying mainly on interviews with musicians, journalists and fans. But it tells the tale without attempting to relate Colosseum to the dialectics of post-capitalist disfunctionalism.

Saw this referred to above and it was on sale for sixpence next to the eggs in Sainsbury's.

I think you'll find it's all it's cracked up to be.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/mar/01/book-club-capital-john-lanchester

[A Lark Ascending]

Finished it yesterday, Bill. Thanks for the recommendation - I thoroughly enjoyed it, right down to Roger's clearly empty promises to change in the last line.

Though, like Roger, I took a fancy to Matya!

[niels]

Maybe my favorite writer ever. This should keep my happy for the next coming weeks/months

[ejp626]

Maybe my favorite writer ever. This should keep my happy for the next coming weeks/months

I have this exact edition. Haven't cracked it though. I have kind of a long-term agenda of getting back to the Russian classics, starting with Anna Karenina this spring and then probably Dostoevsky next year. I've read many of his books but not in the Pevear/Volokhonsky translations. Definitely worth a peek in to their translation of Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.

Anyway, was 2/3 through Powning's The Sea Captain's Wife, which I was not enjoying that much, seeing it as high-toned chick lit, when she threw in a plot twist that was so incredible/unbelievable that I actually felt insulted. Decided I am not going to read another word.

On to Malone's Handling Sin, which is a fun romp...

[jlhoots]

David McCullough: The Greater Journey

Edited March 4, 2013 by jlhoots

[niels]

Maybe my favorite writer ever. This should keep my happy for the next coming weeks/months

I have this exact edition. Haven't cracked it though. I have kind of a long-term agenda of getting back to the Russian classics, starting with Anna Karenina this spring and then probably Dostoevsky next year. I've read many of his books but not in the Pevear/Volokhonsky translations. Definitely worth a peek in to their translation of Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.

Anyway, was 2/3 through Powning's The Sea Captain's Wife, which I was not enjoying that much, seeing it as high-toned chick lit, when she threw in a plot twist that was so incredible/unbelievable that I actually felt insulted. Decided I am not going to read another word.

On to Malone's Handling Sin, which is a fun romp...

Ah, that's a coincidence. I must admid I just searched it on google images. I'm reading the book in Dutch (my native language). A few months ago I actually started in Anna Karenina, but I didn't really got into it so I lay it away for the future (have to many books I really want to read).

[paul secor]

Gayle Dean Wardlow: Chasin' that Devil Music

[niels]

Just came in, this will be a great reading for commuting:

[jlhoots]

Nick Stone: VooDoo Eyes

[A Lark Ascending]

Finally finished:

An excellent survey.

Now onto:

[ejp626]

Wrapped up Malone's Handling Sin in about a week. It is a long book (about 600 pages) but a very entertaining one, and actually a product of a humane view on those who depart from the straight and narrow. Malone has a very generous outlook on the foibles of his main characters, though some of the secondary characters are literally thugs and criminals and some of them are not "redeemed" in any way.

It is quite an epic road journey with Raleigh Hayes sent on a quest (by his father) from North Carolina, to Charlotte, Atlanta and then to New Orleans with many memorable stops along the way. A few times things go over the top, and there is one somewhat odd section at the end of the second part of the book where Malone spells things out to his "challenged" readers who can't guess the relationship between Raleigh's Aunt Victoria and the bitter (& Black) musician Jubal Rogers. But highly recommended anyway. (Wonder if this exuberance and good-natured tolerance will rub off on this fiction piece I am working on.)

Definitely finding that the road trip books are generally the best things I've been reading over the last year or so, and decided I would reread On the Road. My dog-eared paperback is kind of buried at the moment and I was too lazy to find it, so I went over the library. All were checked out (I guess the movie version inspired people to pick it up?) but oddly the original, original version (not the Visions of Cody version) was in. It is called "The Original Scroll" version. I decided to take borrow that. Maybe I will try to compare versions and see if this is a case where the editor really did salvage something out of nothing -- or if the editor just had no idea what Kerouac was getting after and just got in the way.

[Matthew]

Wrapped up Malone's Handling Sin in about a week. It is a long book (about 600 pages) but a very entertaining one, and actually a product of a humane view on those who depart from the straight and narrow. Malone has a very generous outlook on the foibles of his main characters, though some of the secondary characters are literally thugs and criminals and some of them are not "redeemed" in any way.

It is quite an epic road journey with Raleigh Hayes sent on a quest (by his father) from North Carolina, to Charlotte, Atlanta and then to New Orleans with many memorable stops along the way. A few times things go over the top, and there is one somewhat odd section at the end of the second part of the book where Malone spells things out to his "challenged" readers who can't guess the relationship between Raleigh's Aunt Victoria and the bitter (& Black) musician Jubal Rogers. But highly recommended anyway. (Wonder if this exuberance and good-natured tolerance will rub off on this fiction piece I am working on.)

Definitely finding that the road trip books are generally the best things I've been reading over the last year or so, and decided I would reread On the Road. My dog-eared paperback is kind of buried at the moment and I was too lazy to find it, so I went over the library. All were checked out (I guess the movie version inspired people to pick it up?) but oddly the original, original version (not the Visions of Cody version) was in. It is called "The Original Scroll" version. I decided to take borrow that. Maybe I will try to compare versions and see if this is a case where the editor really did salvage something out of nothing -- or if the editor just had no idea what Kerouac was getting after and just got in the way.

I also liked the book, although I felt everything fell apart at the end, which with the way it was written, I was not a fan of by any means, However, Malone redeemed himself with an amazing closing paragraph describing the wedding -- all was forgiven after that one.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Matthew