Now reading...

[ejp626]

I have to admit I've had a couple of Dinesen's Tales books practically forever, and I keep meaning to read them... Given that I am reading other short story collections periodically, I can perhaps read one at a time (as you suggest) and mix them up with the rest of my reading.

Anyway, I finished Molly Keane's Loving Without Tears and didn't care much for it, for all kinds of reasons. I somehow came across Michal Ajvaz's The Other City and The Golden Age (probably recommended by Amazon) and deeply disliked them. There are no internal rules in The Other City. Literally anything can happen (even more surreal than Alice in Wonderland but without the underlying logic that Carroll developed) and thus there is no real interest on my part.

But I am enjoying Under the Net so far. The main character's voice reminds me just a bit of Donleavy's The Ginger Man, but without being such a complete shitheel. (I'm pretty sure a year or so back I said that I gave up on The Ginger Man after some appalling scenes of the main character berating and even beating his wife.) I've also enjoyed the opening sections of Martin Amis' Other People so far.

On the topic of literary Amises, I seem to recall there was a two-fer published pairing Lucky Jim with something else. (My Google-fu was on the blink, but I seem to have found it -- Lucky Jim and The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis.) Has anyone seen this? It's no longer in print, but there seem to be at least a few copies floating about.

The Dinesen tales go beyond short story, they almost reach the novella. The first one in the book, "The Deluge at Norderney," is the long and most challenging I think, or maybe just its position as first tale forces the reader to acclimate to the word of the tales. It might be worth starting with the last, "The Poet". There is some interconnectedness but it is not crucial or requiring a particular order. ...

I like the pairing of Martin and Kingsley, probably done for reasons of profit and to give both books' sales a nudge, but it makes good literary sense too.

I'll keep that in mind and perhaps go back to front...

Anyway, I suspect a more apt pairing would have been Lucky Jim and Malcolm Bradbury's The History Man, but yes, I'm sure this had more commercial possibilities (not that this kept it in print...).

[Leeway]

THE TAKEOVER - Muriel Spark -1976

Whether by coincidence or design (I'm betting on design), Muriel Spark constructs a novel that seems to invert the fictional world usually associated with Iris Murdoch: the very rich, and the not so rich who depend upon them; the spirito-mystical physical place in nature where revelatory things take place; invocation of the ancient world; the homosexual crowd with their hipness and elegance; the valuable place of art and specific keystone artworks, the sexual mery-go-rounds, etc. Except in Spark's hands, it becomes the darkest of comedies, a story of a nest of vipers whose time is spent screwing each other, out of moral obligations, or money, or for just plain sex. Literally everyone is a crook, out of either ego, or pleasure, or necessity, or profession. Set in Italy (where Spark lived for many years), it presents an unflattering picture of that fabled boot: dim noblemen and women, corrupted by privilege and money and ease; complicated and harmful laws that prevent any sort of justice being done; predatory crooks (nearly everyone), and general malfunction of the state.

Where Murdoch takes these ingredients and typically finds a Platonic arrangement of the Nice and the Good, Spark makes a good Aristotelian story of it out of the Ugly and the Bad. Not a very long novel but twice as long as most Spark's books, there are points where it slowly circles the drains, as outrageous and illicit behavior is heaped upon outrageous and illicit behavior, nearly the whole inventory of vile conduct (and she does remind one of Waugh here). Shorter might have been better. Still, if hou like "vile bodies" and the things that they do, this is an amusing book.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Leeway

[paul secor]

Haruki Murakami: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World

[Jazzmoose]

Okay, stop it already...I'll try Murakami!

Now reading David Brin's Sundiver. It's good hard SF, but a bit hard to adjust to after Atwood.

[ejp626]

Okay, stop it already...I'll try Murakami!

Now reading David Brin's Sundiver. It's good hard SF, but a bit hard to adjust to after Atwood.

It might be better to start with shorter Murakami. I think the short story collection After the Quake is quite good. I also liked the moody atmosphere of After Dark (and there is a trombone-playing character) but the ending was a bit unsatisfying. I can't (yet) personally vouch for the stories in The Elephant Vanishes, but I imagine they are fine.

[paul secor]

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and Kafka on the Shore are the Murakamis I like best. I've read five of his novels. Haven't gotten to his short story collections yet.

[erwbol]

Just avoid 1q84 for the time being. It starts out fine, but even in the abridged English translation it would be a chore to finish.

[paul secor]

Just avoid 1q84 for the time being. It starts out fine, but even in the abridged English translation it would be a chore to finish.

Just started reading that one. I shall see.

[jlhoots]

Jo Nesbo: The Son

[BillF]

THE TAKEOVER - Muriel Spark -1976

Whether by coincidence or design (I'm betting on design), Muriel Spark constructs a novel that seems to invert the fictional world usually associated with Iris Murdoch: the very rich, and the not so rich who depend upon them; the spirito-mystical physical place in nature where revelatory things take place; invocation of the ancient world; the homosexual crowd with their hipness and elegance; the valuable place of art and specific keystone artworks, the sexual mery-go-rounds, etc. Except in Spark's hands, it becomes the darkest of comedies, a story of a nest of vipers whose time is spent screwing each other, out of moral obligations, or money, or for just plain sex. Literally everyone is a crook, out of either ego, or pleasure, or necessity, or profession. Set in Italy (where Spark lived for many years), it presents an unflattering picture of that fabled boot: dim noblemen and women, corrupted by privilege and money and ease; complicated and harmful laws that prevent any sort of justice being done; predatory crooks (nearly everyone), and general malfunction of the state.

Where Murdoch takes these ingredients and typically finds a Platonic arrangement of the Nice and the Good, Spark makes a good Aristotelian story of it out of the Ugly and the Bad. Not a very long novel but twice as long as most Spark's books, there are points where it slowly circles the drains, as outrageous and illicit behavior is heaped upon outrageous and illicit behavior, nearly the whole inventory of vile conduct (and she does remind one of Waugh here). Shorter might have been better. Still, if hou like "vile bodies" and the things that they do, this is an amusing book.

Have added it to my reading list.

[johnblitweiler]

Mikhail Bulgakov - A Dog's Heart (Penguin Classics)

Bulgakov -- what a joy, and this one is a favorite. 20 or so years ago Harvey Pekar's review of "The Master and Margarita" in the Chicago Tribune book section, edited by Larry Kart, was what introduced me to Bulgakov.

[ejp626]

Mikhail Bulgakov - A Dog's Heart (Penguin Classics)

Bulgakov -- what a joy, and this one is a favorite. 20 or so years ago Harvey Pekar's review of "The Master and Margarita" in the Chicago Tribune book section, edited by Larry Kart, was what introduced me to Bulgakov.

Big fan of Bulgakov. At one point I read the 2 newish translations of Master and Margarita, back to back, one chapter at a time. In the end, I decided both were good but that Pevear-Volokhonsky was the better of the two. (What a great team! I am really looking forward to reading some of their translations of Dostoevsky.)

I just wrapped up Murdoch's Under the Net and enjoyed that. I am midway through Zachary Mason's The Lost Books of the Odyssey, which is an awful lot like Einstein's Dreams but applied to Homer. Actually quite interesting and even thought provoking in a few sections.

After that it will be Dickner's Apocalypse for Beginners.

[jazzbo]

Mikhail Bulgakov - A Dog's Heart (Penguin Classics)

Awesome.

[erwbol]

Mikhail Bulgakov - A Dog's Heart (Penguin Classics)

Bulgakov -- what a joy, and this one is a favorite. 20 or so years ago Harvey Pekar's review of "The Master and Margarita" in the Chicago Tribune book section, edited by Larry Kart, was what introduced me to Bulgakov.

I learned about Bulgakov and A Dog's Heart from a footnote in Orlando Figes's A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924. I've since read both that book and The Master and Margaritain their Penguin Classics translations.

Now reading:

Alaistar Reynolds - Blue Remembered Earth (2012, Gollancz)

[Simon8]

[jlhoots]

Great book.

[Van Basten II]

Just avoid 1q84 for the time being. It starts out fine, but even in the abridged English translation it would be a chore to finish.

Just started reading that one. I shall see.

Read the first volume in a French translation and I don't think it's as deep as his previous ones, haven't bother to read the following ones of this series

Edited June 12, 2014 by Van Basten II

[BillF]

Fascinating account of the effect on the music of social, economic, technological, etc factors in the period 1942-72.

Edited June 12, 2014 by BillF

[Leeway]

Great book.

Let me second that. First thing I thought of when I started reading about Bowe Bergdahl. There's also a kinship, I think, between this book and "Red Badge of Courage."

[ejp626]

Great book.

Let me second that. First thing I thought of when I started reading about Bowe Bergdahl. There's also a kinship, I think, between this book and "Red Badge of Courage."

I have to admit that, Bergdahl or no, I haven't thought of Tim O'Brien in quite some time, but I did admire his earlier books (it looks like he really has slowed down since 2002). I actually saw him give a reading at U Michigan, most likely from The Things They Carried.

Incidentally, I'm making a list of books I ought to reread one day, and I think this one and The Things They Carried both belong.

[jlhoots]

Great book.

Let me second that. First thing I thought of when I started reading about Bowe Bergdahl. There's also a kinship, I think, between this book and "Red Badge of Courage."

I have to admit that, Bergdahl or no, I haven't thought of Tim O'Brien in quite some time, but I did admire his earlier books (it looks like he really has slowed down since 2002). I actually saw him give a reading at U Michigan, most likely from The Things They Carried.

Incidentally, I'm making a list of books I ought to reread one day, and I think this one and The Things They Carried both belong.

In my "war novel" pantheon, it's right up there with Matterhorn.

[Leeway]

Great book.

Let me second that. First thing I thought of when I started reading about Bowe Bergdahl. There's also a kinship, I think, between this book and "Red Badge of Courage."

I have to admit that, Bergdahl or no, I haven't thought of Tim O'Brien in quite some time, but I did admire his earlier books (it looks like he really has slowed down since 2002). I actually saw him give a reading at U Michigan, most likely from The Things They Carried.

Incidentally, I'm making a list of books I ought to reread one day, and I think this one and The Things They Carried both belong.

In my "war novel" pantheon, it's right up there with Matterhorn.

"The Things They Carried" is such a fine book. Perhaps THE book of the Vietnam experience, although Herr's "Dispatches" might also have a strong claim.

[alankin]

I agree about "The Things They Carried." Perhaps I should also read Going After Cacciato...

[ejp626]

I wrapped up Dickner's Apocalypse for Beginners, which was ok (a bit better than his first novel).

I'm midway through Douglas Coupland's Generation X, which I've never read.

I'm also reading George Eliot's Silas Marner. I really don't like the beginning (and am pretty sure I will find the ending far too saccharine). I hated the ending of The Mill on the Floss. This gives me pause. While I am still committed to reading Middlemarch one of these days and probably Felix Holt, I think I am going to scrub Adam Bede from my To Be Read pile. Life seems too short right now...

(Actually I meant Daniel Deronda not Felix Holt, but I'm still way more likely to read Felix Holt than Adam Bede.)

Edited June 15, 2014 by ejp626

[Jazzmoose]

Silas Marner was the second book I never finished. First attempt was in the tenth grade, last attempt was about five years ago. I'm sure it's a very important book...

(First book I never finished was Poe's The Gold Bug, but that's because I tried to read it when I was eight years old. It was an extremely frustrating experience.)