Brad Posted January 6, 2019 Report Posted January 6, 2019 9 hours ago, kinuta said: I suppose you mean a single volume autobiography. It would have to be truly stellar to be better than William Manchester's The Last Lion. Yes, I meant single volume. Obviously, nothing could top Gilbert’s multi volume biography. Based on my reading over the years about the various Churchill biographies, I’m not sure Manchester is held in that high regard. However, I haven’t read it. Anyway, here are a couple of reviews of Roberts’ book. https://literaryreview.co.uk/cometh-the-hour https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/books/review/andrew-roberts-churchill-winston-biography.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbooks&action=click&contentCollection=books®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=6&pgtype=sectionfront Quote
soulpope Posted January 6, 2019 Report Posted January 6, 2019 45 minutes ago, Brad said: Yes, I meant single volume. Obviously, nothing could top Gilbert’s multi volume biography. Based on my reading over the years about the various Churchill biographies, I’m not sure Manchester is held in that high regard. However, I haven’t read it. Anyway, here are a couple of reviews of Roberts’ book. https://literaryreview.co.uk/cometh-the-hour https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/books/review/andrew-roberts-churchill-winston-biography.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbooks&action=click&contentCollection=books®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=6&pgtype=sectionfront Didn`t read William Manchester's The Last Lion .... the Andrew Roberts euvre strikes me as captivating read .... Quote
ejp626 Posted January 6, 2019 Report Posted January 6, 2019 Finally made my way through the last of the Updike Rabbit novels. Yea. Rabbit is Rich is still my fave, though there were some interesting sections in Rabbit at Rest as well. In a day or two, I'll get to the novella Rabbit Remembered from Licks of Love. Today and perhaps tomorrow, I'll be reading The Letter Killers Club (NYRB). The next several weeks will mostly be the classic classics - Homer, Virgil's The Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, probably some Horace. Quote
Matthew Posted January 6, 2019 Report Posted January 6, 2019 (edited) The Devil's Advocate by Morris West. I really didn't expect too much going into this book, just a light vacation read, but there is an old style humanism to it that I find attractive. Edited January 6, 2019 by Matthew Quote
Matthew Posted January 11, 2019 Report Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) This Our Exile: Short Stories by Joshua Hern Edited January 11, 2019 by Matthew Quote
paul secor Posted January 11, 2019 Report Posted January 11, 2019 D E Stevenson: Miss Buncle's Book Quote
porcy62 Posted January 11, 2019 Report Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) At this very moment I am in a George Simenon mood, reading his "hard novel's" as he referred to his non Maigret novels. Edited January 11, 2019 by porcy62 Quote
Brad Posted January 11, 2019 Report Posted January 11, 2019 1 hour ago, porcy62 said: At this very moment I am in a George Simenon mood, reading his "hard novel's" as he referred to his non Maigret novels. A couple of years ago I read his Act of Passion. This was one of his hard novels. Quote
porcy62 Posted January 11, 2019 Report Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) I read all his Maigret's novels and I loved them. A publishing house bought the copyrights of his works for Italy just before he died, they are publishing all his works in a very nice edition. It's always a pleasure holding in hand a nice book instead of a cheap paperback. Edited January 11, 2019 by porcy62 Quote
ejp626 Posted January 12, 2019 Report Posted January 12, 2019 Finished Rabbit at Rest and the novella Rabbit Remembered. I'm reading Homer's The Iliad, alternating between Lattimore and Fitzgerald translations (read Fagles ages ago). Lattimore is the one I would return to. I may pull the same stunt with The Odyssey, but I haven't completely decided. Quote
Brad Posted January 12, 2019 Report Posted January 12, 2019 10 hours ago, ejp626 said: Finished Rabbit at Rest and the novella Rabbit Remembered. I'm reading Homer's The Iliad, alternating between Lattimore and Fitzgerald translations (read Fagles ages ago). Lattimore is the one I would return to. I may pull the same stunt with The Odyssey, but I haven't completely decided. Try Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey. Quote
ejp626 Posted January 12, 2019 Report Posted January 12, 2019 1 hour ago, Brad said: Try Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey. Thanks. I'll give it a look. I only realized yesterday that Rolfe Humphries translated Virgil's Aeneid (in addition to Ovid's Metamorphoses), so I'll be on the hunt for a copy of that as well. Quote
Brad Posted January 12, 2019 Report Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) 17 minutes ago, ejp626 said: Thanks. I'll give it a look. I only realized yesterday that Rolfe Humphries translated Virgil's Aeneid (in addition to Ovid's Metamorphoses), so I'll be on the hunt for a copy of that as well. Here's a recent article by Daniel Mendelsohn (and book review of David Ferry's translation) about Virgil's Aeneid. You might also be interested in Mendolsohn's memoir “An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic.” Terrific book about him and his father and the Odyssey; he teaches Classics at Bard Edited January 12, 2019 by Brad Quote
makpjazz57 Posted January 12, 2019 Report Posted January 12, 2019 Just started Maxine Gordon's biography on her late husband, Dexter Gordon. I purchased the Kindle version, but going to buy a physical copy instead. Something lost in the translation on my tiny phone! Quote
Brad Posted January 12, 2019 Report Posted January 12, 2019 I’ve never been fond of those e-readers. I like to hold the book in my hands. Probably the same reason I prefer CDs over downloads. However, if you’re traveling, I understand the logic in an e-reader. Quote
Brad Posted January 13, 2019 Report Posted January 13, 2019 (edited) The Murder of Rosa Luxembourg seems like it could be an interesting book. Both her and Karl Liebknecht, as well as the Spartacist movement, conjure up a revolutionary period of post WWI Germany. But for their murder, they might have remained minor and probably forgotten figures. Edited January 13, 2019 by Brad Quote
Dave James Posted January 13, 2019 Report Posted January 13, 2019 19 hours ago, Brad said: I’ve never been fond of those e-readers. I like to hold the book in my hands. Probably the same reason I prefer CDs over downloads. However, if you’re traveling, I understand the logic in an e-reader. I haven't read a "real" book in years. The Kindle is a godsend. You can adjust the print size, the backlighting and the font style to your liking. For someone who likes to read in bed, there's nothing even close. I even bought a case with a strap on the back so you don't drop it it if you nod off. I just don't know what I'm going to do with the hundreds of physical books in my library that I haven't read and probably never will. Quote
ghost of miles Posted January 13, 2019 Author Report Posted January 13, 2019 I’ve become quite a fan of Oxford’s Very Short Introduction series over the past few years. A conversation with my girlfriend the other night prompted me to dive into this one—I already have several histories and more specialized volumes on the topic, but as always, VSI is providing a smart overview that can be read in several sittings: Quote
Brad Posted January 13, 2019 Report Posted January 13, 2019 14 minutes ago, ghost of miles said: I’ve become quite a fan of Oxford’s Very Short Introduction series over the past few years. A conversation with my girlfriend the other night prompted me to dive into this one—I already have several histories and more specialized volumes on the topic, but as always, VSI is providing a smart overview that can be read in several sittings: If you become more interested in the SCW, please let me know as I have many books that I can recommend. If Hugh Thomas’ book is too long, Antony Beevor’s might be the right fit. Quote
ghost of miles Posted January 13, 2019 Author Report Posted January 13, 2019 3 hours ago, Brad said: If you become more interested in the SCW, please let me know as I have many books that I can recommend. If Hugh Thomas’ book is too long, Antony Beevor’s might be the right fit. My interest in the SCW is actually longstanding! I have both the Thomas and Beevor books, though I’ve read only the Beevor. I have a number of other books as well, including several focused on the International Brigades and the Lincoln volunteers. We need to meet up for a long lunch in real life! Quote
Brad Posted January 13, 2019 Report Posted January 13, 2019 1 hour ago, ghost of miles said: My interest in the SCW is actually longstanding! I have both the Thomas and Beevor books, though I’ve read only the Beevor. I have a number of other books as well, including several focused on the International Brigades and the Lincoln volunteers. We need to meet up for a long lunch in real life! The Thomas book is old but I think it stands the test of time. I liked Spain in Our Hearts; Adam Hochschild always does a terrific job. Yes, we must meet up some time! Quote
kinuta Posted January 18, 2019 Report Posted January 18, 2019 (edited) Abandoned ship after 120 pages. Unenjoyable and a chore to read. Edited January 20, 2019 by kinuta Quote
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