Now reading...

[jlhoots]

Sally Rooney: Beautiful World, Where Are You

[mjazzg]

12 hours ago, jlhoots said:

Sally Rooney: Beautiful World, Where Are You

That has a fair deal to live up to given the hype and expectation created by 'Normal People'.  I'm waiting for the paperback

One that doesn't quite live up to the hype in my opinion but before that I read one that most definitely does

Beautifully written 

Between those two I read this which was a stimulating read

[ghost of miles]

Fascinating memoir that puts me in mind of my own grandfather, whose large house in Indianapolis’ Woodruff Place neighborhood was also filled with books—though perhaps not as many as Chimen Abramsky possessed:

[BillF]

[jlhoots]

Craig Johnson: Daughter Of The Morning Star (A Longmire novel)

[medjuck]

Just finished reading the complete published (in book form)  works of Frank Conroy-- a total of 5 books, four of which are pretty short.

"Stop Time": a rather disturbing memoir.

"Body and Soul": One of the best novels about music I've read.  

"Mid Air": A collection of short stories.

"Time and Tide": a book about Nantucket, part of the "Crown Journeys Series".

"Dog's Bark, but the Caravan Rolls On": a collection of articles and essays several about music and musicians in which we learn that Conroy sometimes supported himself as a piano player who jammed  with (amongst others) Mingus, Paul Desmond and Charlie Watts. He writes that after Mingus had "...once again sat in with me. "What's going on, Charlie? You're the best bassist in the world and I'm a putzer."  

   "You are," he said expansively, "an authentic primitive. That is true." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "But you swing."

He does indeed. 

 

 

[Brad]

[BillF]

[Dub Modal]

Just finished up what I would consider essential reading if you have any curiosity about the subject:

And now cracking open a book that put this particular author's life in danger, and unfortunately resulted in the assassination of journalist Henry Liu: 

[Brad]

On 10/5/2021 at 9:12 AM, Dub Modal said:

Just finished up what I would consider essential reading if you have any curiosity about the subject:

And now cracking open a book that put this particular author's life in danger, and unfortunately resulted in the assassination of journalist Henry Liu: 

From what I have read Liu’s assassination was a result of his bio of Chiang, not the Seagrave book, which was very good. 

[jlhoots]

Colson Whitehead: Harlem Shuffle

[Dub Modal]

3 hours ago, Brad said:

From what I have read Liu’s assassination was a result of his bio of Chiang, not the Seagrave book, which was very good. 

Yeah, the way I worded that was wrong. It's possible that the hit team assembled for Seagrave was the same for Liu. They may have switched targets when they couldn't locate Seagrave. 

[ghost of miles]

On 10/6/2021 at 1:02 PM, jlhoots said:

Colson Whitehead: Harlem Shuffle

That’s high on my to-read list of new and forthcoming books, along with The 1619 Project.

Right now:

[BillF]

[BillF]

[Brad]

5 hours ago, BillF said:

Excellent. It was intended as a send up of the spy establishment but received mixed reviews. However, over time, it’s become more appreciated.

The book that follows this one, A Small Town in Germany, is also good. It takes places in Bonn (the then capital of West Germany) as the UK seeks admission in the mid 60s to the EC. 

Edited October 17, 2021 by Brad

[jazzbo]

Needs a little more proofreading but a fascinating and dare I say entertaining read.

[ghost of miles]

New book by my friend Kyle Barnett, who'll be discussing it with me on my weekday afternoon show this Thursday:

[BillF]

A British character in this book says of "the intelligent, unstuffy-looking Dutch": "Even the shopkeepers looked like professors, the street sweepers like jazz musicians." 

Is there a "jazz musician look"? Your views, please.

Edited October 22, 2021 by BillF

[Brad]

Just finished reading.  It’s an excellent exposition of the different bombing strategies in WW II, written in a very conversational manner.  Fascinating book. 

Currently reading Le Carre’s last book. 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Brad

[ghost of miles]

[Michael]

Doing some light reading while at the beach for a couple weeks.   Finished "The Last Days of Louisiana Red" by Ishmael Reed. and started "The Noise and the Signal" by Nate Silver

[BillF]

[ghost of miles]

[BillF]