Posted 9 Feb 2017 Viet Thanh Nguyen: The Sympathizer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 11 Feb 2017 Am about to start Mikhail Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time. Lermontov is considered one of the founders of modern Russian literature. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 11 Feb 2017 6 hours ago, Brad said: Am about to start Mikhail Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time. Lermontov is considered one of the founders of modern Russian literature. Great avatar, Brad! Georges Braque? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 11 Feb 2017 The 2nd novel in Mishima's "Sea of Fertility" tetralogy. Perhaps not quite up to the mark of his Spring Snow, but clearly a major effort from Mishima. It's fascinating, if disturbing, to watch Mishima engage with the subject of ritual suicide (seppuku), knowing that's how he ended his own life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 11 Feb 2017 9 hours ago, BillF said: Great avatar, Brad! Georges Braque? Bill, Thanks. Think it's Picasso. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 15 Feb 2017 I used to enjoy watching Hitchens on America TV; his witty repartee (even when he was wrong) was refreshing in an often anodyne cultural landscape. His relatively early passing was unfortunate. The memoir is interesting, occasionally amusing, and occasionally plodding. I wonder if he's remembered even now? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 15 Feb 2017 42 minutes ago, Leeway said: I used to enjoy watching Hitchens on America TV; his witty repartee (even when he was wrong) was refreshing in an often anodyne cultural landscape. His relatively early passing was unfortunate. The memoir is interesting, occasionally amusing, and occasionally plodding. I wonder if he's remembered even now? We still hear a great deal about him in this country. Usually disapproval from my favorite media outlets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 16 Feb 2017 John Irving - The Cider House Rules Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 18 Feb 2017 Particularly interesting on his formative years, less so when he subsequently became a writing - and money-generating - machine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 18 Feb 2017 Timothy Hallinan: Everything But The Squeal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 23 Feb 2017 Just wrapped up Fontane's On Tangled Paths. I have to say, it is laughably conflict-free. (SPOILERS follow.) Aristocrat starts affair with seamstress. She tells him it is all wonderful, but she knows it won't last long. His family pressures him to marry a wealthy cousin. He does so, but every now and then pines for the girl he left behind. The end. I get that the novel was daring in its time, but everybody acts so sensibly and they all follow the roles/rules society expects and imposes upon them, that it is rather boring, I'm afraid. I have a bit more to go with Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, and then on to Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 23 Feb 2017 W.P. Kinsella: The Miss Hobbema Pageant Ugly cover - good stories Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 25 Feb 2017 Vicki Croke: The Elephant Company Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 25 Feb 2017 The third novel in Mishima's Sea of Fertility tetralogy. No doubt an ambitious effort on Mishima's part, but the novel as a whole just fell flat for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 26 Feb 2017 (edited) The Ambassadors by Henry James. Edited 26 Feb 2017 by Matthew Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 26 Feb 2017 Just finishing Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, which I'm re-reading after 35 years or so in this great translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky. Much different than I remember. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 26 Feb 2017 I always find DeLillo since White Noise readable, though the best IMO remain the ones on my bookshelf: White Noise, Libra, Mao II and above all Underworld. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 28 Feb 2017 On 2/26/2017 at 10:31 AM, Matthew said: The Ambassadors by Henry James. Love this book. On 2/26/2017 at 1:37 PM, BillF said: I always find DeLillo since White Noise readable, though the best IMO remain the ones on my bookshelf: White Noise, Libra, Mao II and above all Underworld. Still have to read Underworld. Don't know why I haven't. The others you cited are indeed superlative. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 28 Feb 2017 Philip K Dick - Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb Very vivid. Glad I finally got to it. The image above is from the first edition. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 28 Feb 2017 1 hour ago, alankin said: Philip K Dick - Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb Very vivid. Glad I finally got to it. The image above is from the first edition. Great book! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 28 Feb 2017 On 2/26/2017 at 3:31 PM, Matthew said: The Ambassadors by Henry James. Said to be very difficult. I did, however, read it at university, but an exam ahead of you is quite a incentive. I remember a very dense prose style. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 1 Mar 2017 Just finished Mikhail Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time and am now reading Hillbilly Elegy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 1 Mar 2017 Re-reading for probably the second time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 1 Mar 2017 The 4th and last novel in Mishima's Sea Of Fertility tetralogy. This novel is something of a throwback to his earlier novels in style. The quartet of novels are challenging to read. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)