Now reading...

[ghost of miles]

About 50 pages into Saul Bellow’s Humboldt’s Gift, which is based on his friendship with the poet Delmore Schwartz and is part of this Library of America volume that arrived yesterday:

[BillF]

On 2/6/2023 at 3:33 AM, ejp626 said:

 

I might read Kingsley Amis's Girl, 20 in the meantime.  

👍

1 hour ago, ghost of miles said:

About 50 pages into Saul Bellow’s Humboldt’s Gift, which is based on his friendship with the poet Delmore Schwartz and is part of this Library of America volume that arrived yesterday:

👍

Now reading:

Edited February 10, 2023 by BillF

[BillF]

[ghost of miles]

[BillF]

[Matthew]

19 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

This is one of my favorite Merton books, doesn't get talked about enough, some great insights, and of course, some very dated material.

[Brad]

I read his All for Nothing a few years ago. They both touch on the subject of East Prussia, now part of Poland. 

[ejp626]

About 1/3 through Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur.  I was lucky enough to score a Folio Society edition, which has some great illustrations. 

 

I will say I probably should have waited until the summer to read it (not late winter) as almost every chapter has some comment on the brutal heat and how people are nearly fainting.  I do find Troubles was a bit more amusing starting out, but this has many droll passages.  I've just hit the siege part, and the action is picking up.  

Will most likely tackle Baker's A Fine Madness and Percy Walker's The Moviegoer next, and then back to Farrell with The Singapore Grip rounding out his Empire Trilogy.

 

[Brad]

6 hours ago, ejp626 said:

About 1/3 through Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur.  I was lucky enough to score a Folio Society edition, which has some great illustrations. 

 

I will say I probably should have waited until the summer to read it (not late winter) as almost every chapter has some comment on the brutal heat and how people are nearly fainting.  I do find Troubles was a bit more amusing starting out, but this has many droll passages.  I've just hit the siege part, and the action is picking up.  

Will most likely tackle Baker's A Fine Madness and Percy Walker's The Moviegoer next, and then back to Farrell with The Singapore Grip rounding out his Empire Trilogy.

 

Folio publishes some beautiful books. I have their David Copperfield which I’m making my way through. 

[HutchFan]

Just finished this:

 

Just started this:

 

 

On 2/8/2023 at 5:11 PM, Brad said:

I really enjoyed that one.  I'll pretty much read anything O'Brien writes.

 

[BillF]

1 hour ago, HutchFan said:

Just finished this:

 

 

 

 

👍

Now reading:

[Brad]

1 hour ago, HutchFan said:

Just finished this:

 

Just started this:

 

 

I really enjoyed that one.  I'll pretty much read anything O'Brien writes.

 

Yes, it was a terrific book. 

[Brad]

On 2/28/2023 at 11:19 AM, Brad said:

I read his All for Nothing a few years ago. They both touch on the subject of East Prussia, now part of Poland. 

I finished this earlier this week. Really goes well with his All for Nothing, which touches on German refugees attempting to flee the Russians in the dying days of WW II whereas Bone and Marrow looks at East Prussia before the Wall fell from a West German perspective.

Now reading:

 

[jazzbo]

I finally finished Richard Koloda's bio of Albert Ayler. It was slow going til the final third. And ultimately, it's not Koloda's fault, it's unsatisfying how little is known of Ayler's final months and how much speculation without clear facts there is about his passing.

Next . . . I think I might re-read a B. Cool and Lam novel by A. A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner). They're fun. I need fun.

[Niko]

3 hours ago, Brad said:

I finished this earlier this week. Really goes well with his All for Nothing, which touches on German refugees attempting to flee the Russians in the dying days of WW II whereas Bone and Marrow looks at East Prussia before the Wall fell from a West German perspective.

Had completely forgotten about those Kempowski novels, read several as a kid from my mom's bookshelf... Guess they were a big deal in the Germany I grew up in... And i liked them as well even though I just remember a few vignettes now (like how his mom thinks the trash collectors have a new uniform when she first encounters the SS...)

[jlhoots]

Susan Straight: Mecca

[jazzbo]

I've been re-reading the A.A. Fair novels the last few years, up to this one.

"Give 'Em the Ax"

These B. Cool and Lam novels are fun.

[Brad]

On 3/11/2023 at 8:27 AM, Brad said:

Now reading:

 

Almost done with this. Interesting book although not really a spy novel, which is what I expected.

Not sure what to turn to next. May do a re-read of The Honorable Schoolboy or Claude Simon’s The Flanders Road. As I like to read both non fiction and fiction books simultaneously I’m currently focusing on

 

[BillF]

On 3/11/2023 at 1:27 PM, Brad said:

 

 

👍

Now reading:

 

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

 

the ultimate insiders.  They knew everyone & everything. 

[Bluesnik]

I'd had it for a while but decided to pick it up after seeing a report on slavers and the effect their riches had when they came back. I like it very much so far. But I'm just at the beginnings.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Bluesnik

[BillF]

[ejp626]

Read Dangling Man years ago.  It is not a typical Bellow novel for better and worse.  In a month or so, I expect to tackle Augie March for the second time.

Currently about 1/3 into Farrell's The Singapore Grip.  It's a bit of a slow-burner to this point, as the various characters are brought together in Singapore and WWII is looming.  I had absolutely no idea that this was just (2020) adapted into a TV series by ITV.  Reviews have been mixed, and I think I'll pass.  It's less surprising that the BBC turned this into a radio play, and that I might listen to one day.  We'll see...

Also, making my way through Coupland's Hey Nostradamus!

Between these two and Augie March, it will likely be some short story collections.

[Referentzhunter]

The Godfather (Mario Puzzo)

[BillF]