BillF Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 I forced myself to finish A Study in Scarlet last night. What a chore, and what a bore. It didn't help that the last book I read was a Louis L'Amour novel; Doyle's description of the American West, and the people who lived there is atrocious. The idea that a westerner of that time would leave camp on a hunting trip and get lost because he wasn't watching his backtrail is something only a city dweller could come up with. And the idea of building a big, huge fire in the middle of nowhere, thereby attracting god-knows-who is absurd. Oh, well; it's the short stories I remember fondly anyway. That and the Hound of the Baskervilles. I won't give up on my revisit to Holmes yet, but this was a bad first step. That's not encouraging! I'll probably move it further down the queue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Just re-read Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' - I last read it around 1973 and didn't really get it. Still not an easy read but very powerful. Has led me to: Excellent book!!! Just finished this - excellent indeed. With a walk-on role by Conan Doyle who supported the protest movement against Leopold's Congo (whilst being a defender of British colonialism). Interesting to read of Sir Roger Casement's role - I know him only for his part in the Easter Rising. Though I've come across mention of of his humanitarian work before I'd not realised how extensive it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 It was last year, actually, but I wanted to recommend Ralph Ampersad's (hope I got his name right) first-rate biog of Ralph Ellison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdavenport Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 On my recently-completed holiday: Finished the Anthony Burgess autobiography "Little Wilson And Big God" Then on to Norman Mailer's "The Fight" Finishing with George Orwell's "1984". I read this as a teenager in 1984. Reading it last week I had absolutely no recollection of ever having read it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyboy Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Just finished Watchmen, and really enjoyed it. Started Moby Dick yesterday, and I'm completely digging it. I've even laughed out loud a couple times. It's been one of those books on my list to read, but never have, and I'm not getting any younger. I was worried it would take forever to read, but I feel like I'm going to plow through it. I guess we'll see! I'll let you know when I finish it. Also reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Reading The Hobbit to my kids, and Kidnapped to my 10-year-old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Alice Hoffman: Skylight Confessions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Finished the Anthony Burgess autobiography "Little Wilson And Big God" Nice bit of reading with local interest, Richard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdavenport Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 (edited) Finished the Anthony Burgess autobiography "Little Wilson And Big God" Nice bit of reading with local interest, Richard! Yes Bill, always good to read about your home town through the experiences of others, especially one as interesting as Anthony Burgess. Interesting reading of Moss Side as an affluent district, given the reputation it's had for years (also, to a lesser extent, Fallowfield). I read "A Clockwork Orange" again recently. Reading the autobiography, you could tell Burgess had an impressive grasp of languages, which is obviously how he was able to invent "Nadsat". Edited April 8, 2009 by rdavenport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Reading some Kafka stories. "In the Penal Colony", "Judgment" and several others in this book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 A fascinating tale of a famous set of stories told from a different side of the fence. I think we're living in a golden age for popular history. It's great to see so many books around with real narrative drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Deaf Sentence - a novel by David Lodge. Plot concerns a retired professor who is slowly going deaf, then explores several other tangents. Reading it made me more aware of taking care of my hearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 What? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Deaf Sentence - a novel by David Lodge. Plot concerns a retired professor who is slowly going deaf, then explores several other tangents. Reading it made me more aware of taking care of my hearing. I always like David Lodge's stuff and was pleased to read this recent one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Couple of authors were recently recommended to me: Henning Mankell, who writes popular Swedish detective stories. I've read some (Kurt Wallender series, in English), and they're pretty good, though I prefer the full-length novels to the precursor (though subsequently written) novellas. I'm trying to track down Larry Devlin's Chief of Station, Congo, may be able to borrow a copy this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) What? Trying to hear what's written on your computer screen doesn't work, Mark. Edited April 9, 2009 by paul secor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Just re-read In Search of Wonder by Damon Knight. Can't remember exactly when I first read it, but I think it was sometime in my late 'teens. A hell of a long time ago, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 a good read!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I forced myself to finish A Study in Scarlet last night. What a chore, and what a bore. It didn't help that the last book I read was a Louis L'Amour novel; Doyle's description of the American West, and the people who lived there is atrocious. The idea that a westerner of that time would leave camp on a hunting trip and get lost because he wasn't watching his backtrail is something only a city dweller could come up with. And the idea of building a big, huge fire in the middle of nowhere, thereby attracting god-knows-who is absurd. Oh, well; it's the short stories I remember fondly anyway. That and the Hound of the Baskervilles. I won't give up on my revisit to Holmes yet, but this was a bad first step. That's not encouraging! I'll probably move it further down the queue. Looks like my complaint (thankfully!) only applies to that one book. I was going to stick to a chronological reading, but decided to skip The Sign of Four and jump into Adventures to get to the short stories. Excellent stuff, and the added nostalgia factor this time around is a bonus as well. The only problem is, I remember what started me smoking now. I keep visiting pipe websites... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 (edited) Serendipity: I found a pile of books left for trash in Hastings, NY yesterday. Hope to get to all, as all seem interesting. Titles: Saints and Strangers (George F. Williston---should I know him?); Managing Your Mind Through Food and Thought; The Ritz on the Bayou (Nancy Lehmann); Black Hamlet (Wulf Sachs, a 1947 edition. I've heard of neither author nor book); The Jew of Rome (Lion Feuchtwanger. Publishing date: 1936); The Secret Life of Dogs (David Sipress. A Steve Gross-like comedy cartoon book). Will report back.......... Edited April 10, 2009 by fasstrack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Looks like my complaint (thankfully!) only applies to that one book. I was going to stick to a chronological reading, but decided to skip The Sign of Four and jump into Adventures to get to the short stories. Excellent stuff, and the added nostalgia factor this time around is a bonus as well. I'm reading Study in Scarlet now, having started with The Adventures .... I think Holmes is ideally suited to the short story form and that Doyle hadn't yet fully found his way when he wrote Study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I agree. The pacing of Study is horrible, whereas the pacing of the short stories is excellent. On the other hand, assuming I'm remembering the Hound novel correctly (it's been decades, so maybe not), he could use the longer form as well. I think you're right in that he just hadn't found his way yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Angels and Ages by Adam Gopnik. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Graham Lock: Blutopia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I'm reading "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk. I've come to quite like Palahniuk over the past year. This one is good so far, although I'm not enjoying quite as much as his earlier works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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