Now reading...

[BillF]

a particularly bad example concerning getting to know the person is buddy collette's autobiography... the book sure is informative but could hardly be drier - i wish (and am almost convinced) buddy collette is a more interesting person than comes out in the book...

Two books that didn't do it for me were Stan Britt's biography of Dexter Gordon (British author too far from his subject?) and Red Callender's autobiography (lack of writing skills?) Anyone else want to nominate particularly successful jazz biographies/autobiographies?

[Matthew]

Glenn Miller and His Orchestra by George T. Simon. I happen to enjoy this book tremendously, but, then, I love Glenn Miller.

Finished this one today and it left a very sad feeling about Miller. He does not seem to have ever been a very happy person, and opened up to very few people in his life. I think his major disappointment in life was being a average trombone player, he felt that he could never reach the level of a Dorsey or a Teagarden, but then, who could? Even his arranging wasn't anything to write home about, and, at times, he comes off as a flat-out jerk in how he treated his musicians. Even, or maybe especially, with his Army Air Force Band, which is one of the greatest band ever (IMHO), his dissatisfaction was high. Still, even with all this, he was able to produce great music, and I've fallen very much in love with it. There is some speculation on what Miller would have done if he survived the war, some saying that he would have gone the Stan Kenton or Woody Herman route. I'm afraid I would disagree with that sentiment, Miller stikes me as someone would have gone the Lawrence Welk route, the "give the people what they want" kind of band, and sadly, he would go for that because of the money involved. Miller did like his money, and was very concerned about being popular. Being inventive, jazzy, that might be nice musically, but financially, that's a losing proposition. It would have also been interesting to see how Miller, or if, he would intergrate his band. In Simon's book, Miller comes off as a biased, if not racist, kind of person.

Edited August 4, 2009 by Matthew

[Van Basten II]

Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard

Complete tales and poems by Edgar Allen Poe.

Is it the collection published by Vintage? I've had a couple of copies of that edition over the last twenty years. I've been reading some classic horror stories, too, by Ambrose Bierce - the Penguin collection, Spook House: Terrifying Tales of the Macabre. I've enjoyed these so much that I ordered the Dover collection Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce last weekend. Fortunately, there are only three stories in common between these collections, so they are an easy and affordable way to get most - if not all - of Bierce's horror tales in good editions.

I have the exact one you pictured.

Edited August 4, 2009 by Van Basten II

[Jimmer]

I have the exact one you pictured.

I have got to read Bierce; I can't believe I've put it off this long...I've been meaning to try his stuff for thirty plus years now.

Unlike Poe, Bierce's stories are often very short descriptive sketches, sometimes only three or four pages long, and they can also seem to be a bit forumlaic. That said, I'm impressed by how well Bierce can create a whole creepy atmosphere in such a confined space and with such simple, direct and surprisingly modern language. In some ways his stories seem like a precursor to those one or two page horror stories that used to be published in Gold Key/Whitman comics, and the surprise endings remind me of some episodes of The Twilight Zone, which is fitting since his story "An Occurance At Owl Creek Bridge" was made into an episode.

[jlhoots]

Carlos Fuentes: The Death Of Artemio Cruz

[carnivore]

'Angler - The Cheney Vice Presidency' by Barton Gellman

Excellent portrait of possibly the most focussed, ruthless and efficient operative in the history of American politics. Nothing to admire and plenty to loath in his manipulation of people, the Constitution, and the law - not to mention facts. However - morality aside - and the ex VP's amorality is gigantic - if Obama had someone running heath care reform with even a tenth of Cheney's abilities we'd have an effective bill signed by Christmas.

[Serioza]

the Tao of Star wars

John M. Porter

[sal]

I just finished reading Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49". Talk about an unforgettable read. That book was a trip in every sense of the word.

I'm now reading "A Wild Sheep Chase" by Haruki Murakami.

[jlhoots]

Jack Kerouac: On The Road - 50th Anniversary Edition (took me a while to get to it)

[Swinger]

I just finished reading Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49". Talk about an unforgettable read. That book was a trip in every sense of the word.

I'm now reading "A Wild Sheep Chase" by Haruki Murakami.

A Wild Sheep Chase is a wonderful book! You should also read his books Sputnik Sweetheart and Kafka On The Shore as well!

[fasstrack]

Milestones (Jack Chambers)

[jazzbo]

Very interesting.

[Van Basten II]

Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard

Complete tales and poems by Edgar Allen Poe.

Is it the collection published by Vintage? I've had a couple of copies of that edition over the last twenty years. I've been reading some classic horror stories, too, by Ambrose Bierce - the Penguin collection, Spook House: Terrifying Tales of the Macabre. I've enjoyed these so much that I ordered the Dover collection Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce last weekend. Fortunately, there are only three stories in common between these collections, so they are an easy and affordable way to get most - if not all - of Bierce's horror tales in good editions.

I have the exact one you pictured.

Among the things i discovered reading Poe, english not being my first language, was the use of the word ejaculate, as ejaculating a sentence. Not sure i'd be able to use it today...

It also leads me to think that in a world wide web era where everybody can express themselves on line, they are a lot of ejaculations going on and i'm not talking about the plethora of porn sites we can find everywhere.

Edited August 15, 2009 by Van Basten II

[Jimmer]

Among the things i discovered reading Poe, english not being my first language, was the use of the word ejaculate, as ejaculating a sentence. Not sure i'd be able to use it today...

It also leads me to think that in a world wide web era where everybody can express themselves on line, they are a lot of ejaculations going on and i'm not talking about the plethora of porn sites we can find everywhere.

[sal]

I just finished reading Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49". Talk about an unforgettable read. That book was a trip in every sense of the word.

I'm now reading "A Wild Sheep Chase" by Haruki Murakami.

A Wild Sheep Chase is a wonderful book! You should also read his books Sputnik Sweetheart and Kafka On The Shore as well!

AWSC is my first Murakami book, and based on what I've read so far, I'll eventually read everything he's ever written. He's clearly a special author.

[Matthew]

Making my way though Anthony Blunt: His Lives by Miranda Carter. Interesting biography of Blunt, who was one of the infamous Cambridge Spies, who also happened to be a very influential art historian. I became interested about Blunt by reading the novel The Untouchable by John Banville, which is a fictional account of Blunt's life, and to my mind, is one of the great novels of the past twenty-five years. All this came about because, after one year, I discovered that my library has a downstairs section that contains biographies, westerns, and science fictions -- did I feel stupid, like, Matthew, what did you think the stairs going down were for? :blush:

[Matthew]

Making my way though Anthony Blunt: His Lives by Miranda Carter. Interesting biography of Blunt, who was one of the infamous Cambridge Spies, who also happened to be a very influential art historian. I became interested about Blunt by reading the novel The Untouchable by John Banville, which is a fictional account of Blunt's life, and to my mind, is one of the great novels of the past twenty-five years. All this came about because, after one year, I discovered that my library has a downstairs section that contains biographies, westerns, and science fictions -- did I feel stupid, like, Matthew, what did you think the stairs going down were for?

Finished this book today, and it was a very strange life, was Anthony Blunt's. The phrase that kept coming to my mind is "hollow man," it was like any hint of personality, or interior life disappeared in Blunt's life, and only a shell was left. If it wasn't for the fact that Blunt was a Soviet spy during WWII, there would really not be too much to say about his life. Blunt's work to transform the Courtauld Institute, and his work on Poussin, were very good accomplishments (though there's still debate on his Poussin work), but the final impression is: There's nothing there.

[jlhoots]

Salman Rushdie: Midnight's Children

[A Lark Ascending]

A couple of good thrillers, one exploring the murky world of intelligence in the current 'war on terror' climate (not recommended to those of an 'America is the greatest country the world has ever seen' persuasion), the other set in Germany and eastern Europe on the eve of World War II:

And my favourite book of recent weeks:

Marvellous story set around Penzance in Cornwall about a painter suffering from mental illness and the effect on her family. Gale is especially good at seeing the world from a child's perspective.

Edited August 24, 2009 by Bev Stapleton

[sal]

"The Fire and the Word: The History of the Zapatista Movement" by Gloria Munoz

[WorldB3]

Just finished:

As horrible as the serial double murders over several years that this book goes into what is even more frighting is the corruption and incompetence of the Italian judicial systems and police. A real eye opener and great page turner.

Up next: to gear up for 9/9/09

Edited August 24, 2009 by WorldB3

[BruceH]

Movieland---Jerome Charyn

I actually read this a few years ago, but I'm enjoying giving it another once-over.

[paul secor]

Percival Everett: damned if i do

A very fine (and prolific) writer whose work doesn't receive the attention that it should. What else is new?

[BillF]

Philip K Dick, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Another great Dick title!

Edited August 28, 2009 by BillF

[Matthew]

Dada: Zurich, Berlin, Hannover, Cologne, New York, Paris. Illustrated account of the Dada art movement, and it's very enlightening, just some astounding work here. Where was I in my Art History class in college? This is the first time I've come across Sophie Taeuber & Hans Arp, I must have been asleep in class or something. I love Taeuber's masks and marionettes, wonderful art.

Edited August 28, 2009 by Matthew