Now reading...

[BillF]

Another very readable Le Carré:

[A Lark Ascending]

Very much enjoyed this contemporary satire - skewers everything you'd hope for - high finance, hoorays, religious fundamentalism, critics who get off on despising others, reality TV etc. I can't say I understood the financial shenanigans but I got the gist.

[ejp626]

Midaq Alley - Mahfouz

The English Teacher - Narayan

[ghost of miles]

[BillF]

Found these in very good condition for £1 each in a used book store. Excellent vintage science fiction. Read 'em, Bruce?

[BruceH]

I think I may have read Planet of No Return. I've read a cartload of his books over the years (decades.) And it seems that like you, every once in a while I find a pile of cheap Poul Anderson novels and/or collections and buy a bunch of them.

[Van Basten II]

[Jazzmoose]

I think I may have read Planet of No Return. I've read a cartload of his books over the years (decades.) And it seems that like you, every once in a while I find a pile of cheap Poul Anderson novels and/or collections and buy a bunch of them.

I don't know why, but the only Anderson book I've read is Tau Zero. I enjoyed it, but never bothered to read another.

[jazzbo]

Anderson wasn't the best writer of prose, but he had some great story ideas and created some great recurring central characters. I really like his stories about the intergalactic diplomatic/secret agent, and that trio of merchants, and the Time Patrol stories.

[porcy62]

Lately I read lots of Murakami Haruki.

[BruceH]

I'd have to say I've tended to like Poul Anderson's stories more than his novels.

[medjuck]

Nat Hentoff's "At the Jazz Band Ball". Haphazard collection of writings for periodicals. Not very well edited-- some anecdotes are told several times-- but it probably shouldn't be read straight through which is the way I read it. Nevertheless very worthwhile and full of his love for the music and even more so the musicians.

[Brad]

Laurie Lee: Moment of War.

[BruceH]

Iain M. Banks---Surface Detail (so far a whole lot better than the last Culture novel.)

[A Lark Ascending]

Well, everyone's been killed off in Oxford so the murderers with intellectual tastes have moved.

Very enoyable murder mystery - specially if you know Cambridge.

Now on:

Part of a great 30s/40s series (they overlap but are not a series or chronological). This one is based in Poland in 1937.

[ejp626]

Americana Don DeLillo Apparently his first novel. Really hits it out of the park. I try not to get jealous of first novels, but damn.

Now this one intrigues me (also a first novel sort of in the David Foster Wallace vein), but I'll wait until it goes on deep, deep discount in about 6 months.

[BillF]

[jazzbo]

I know that people rag on the Gateway sequels, but I think they're quite good.

Edited November 10, 2010 by jazzbo

[Jazzmoose]

Just found the sequel, The Unforsaken Hiero, and thought I'd refresh my memory a bit.

[jlhoots]

Steve Stern: The Frozen Rabbi

[jeffcrom]

Roy Blount, Jr. - Hail, Hail, Euphoria! My homeboy Roy Blount is one of my favorite humor writers. This is his examination of The Marx Brothers' Duck Soup. The Amazon reviews are all over the place - some people don't like Blount's many digressions, but that's always been part of his style. And the digressions often contain the most interesting passages.

[BruceH]

Roy Blount, Jr. - Hail, Hail, Euphoria! My homeboy Roy Blount is one of my favorite humor writers. This is his examination of The Marx Brothers' Duck Soup. The Amazon reviews are all over the place - some people don't like Blount's many digressions, but that's always been part of his style. And the digressions often contain the most interesting passages.

Oh yes, I'm a big fan of Roy Blount, Jr. too. How, I wonder, could anyone NOT like Blount's digressions, then I recall you said "Amazon reviews" and of course, that makes sense, because about twenty percent of Amazon reviews are shit. Conundrum solved!

[paul secor]

Steve Stern: The Frozen Rabbi

You always post some interesting sounding novels. Just wish I could make room in my own reading time to read some of them.

[ghost of miles]

Now on:

Part of a great 30s/40s series (they overlap but are not a series or chronological). This one is based in Poland in 1937.

I'm a fan of Furst as well and have read several of his 1930s/40s novels--still a number of them I have yet to get around to.

[A Lark Ascending]

I'm a fan of Furst as well and have read several of his 1930s/40s novels--still a number of them I have yet to get around to.

Only realised when reading the end of this one that he's an American. I'd always assumed he was British - not a great US presence in his novels.

His website has Django R. as a soundtrack!