Niko Posted May 18 Report Posted May 18 On 5/17/2025 at 5:22 PM, medjuck said: I had exactly the same response to Infinite Jest. One of the few books I've never finished after reading 100 pages. (And I love Pynchon). Also agree about MacDonald. I sure didn't make it to page 100... Glad I still grew up in a world where Robert Musil's Invisible Man was the book to read... I didn't finish that one either but at least I did enjoy the 600 pages I read ... Regarding Macdonald, what I really love about him is that he can be reread so many times... And the challenges in plotting certainly contribute to that ... Chandler and Hammett wrote far fewer novels, and they're far more memorable - but that also means that you can only read Chandler and Hammett so many times... Quote
sgcim Posted May 18 Report Posted May 18 46 minutes ago, Niko said: I sure didn't make it to page 100... Glad I still grew up in a world where Robert Musil's Invisible Man was the book to read... I didn't finish that one either but at least I did enjoy the 600 pages I read ... Regarding Macdonald, what I really love about him is that he can be reread so many times... And the challenges in plotting certainly contribute to that ... Chandler and Hammett wrote far fewer novels, and they're far more memorable - but that also means that you can only read Chandler and Hammett so many times... Did you mean Musil's "The Man Without Qualities"? I never made it through that one either, but I loved Infinite Jest. It got me through the lock down. Can't wait for Pynchon's new book coming out in October; he's 88 years old. It's about the Big Band Era in 1930s Germany, among other things... Quote
Rabshakeh Posted May 18 Report Posted May 18 Musil seems to be gaining traction in the English speaking world. That's a book I greatly enjoy although obviously it has flaws that you can see from space. Currently keeping myself going through IJ by remembering that I still have a fair few Pynchons to read. Quote
Niko Posted May 18 Report Posted May 18 24 minutes ago, sgcim said: Did you mean Musil's "The Man Without Qualities"? I never made it through that one either, but I loved Infinite Jest. It got me through the lock down. Can't wait for Pynchon's new book coming out in October; he's 88 years old. It's about the Big Band Era in 1930s Germany, among other things... Without Qualities, yes, sorry, was too lazy to gogle the English name or properly remember the German one... (I do find Qualities a weird translation but Properties wouldn't have done either...) Quote
ejp626 Posted May 19 Report Posted May 19 18 hours ago, Rabshakeh said: Musil seems to be gaining traction in the English speaking world. That's a book I greatly enjoy although obviously it has flaws that you can see from space. Currently keeping myself going through IJ by remembering that I still have a fair few Pynchons to read. I did manage to get through the 2 volume set (in English) but then managed to find a used bookstore to take it off my hands. (Harder than it should have been...) NYRB recently published an extract of Man without Qualities centered on Ulrich's sister Agathe. I assume this reads much more like a conventional novel. https://www.nyrb.com/products/agathe-or-the-forgotten-sister Quote
GA Russell Posted June 2 Report Posted June 2 Spy thriller from 1979. It was pretty good, but it would have been much better without the sex scenes. Quote
JSngry Posted June 2 Report Posted June 2 Better without the sex scenes or just better sex scenes? Quote
GA Russell Posted June 2 Report Posted June 2 20 hours ago, JSngry said: Better without the sex scenes or just better sex scenes? Jim, it so happens that at that time, I had a friend who was an author. His name was Tom Block, and he wrote a best-selling thriller called Mayday. He told me that he was required by his publisher to include a sex scene. I am content to know that the two characters spent the night together without reading smut. In my view, the sex scenes interrupt the story, and are never necessary. Quote
rostasi Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 From Teenage Fad to Global Sensation: The World of Jazz Dance Quote
JSngry Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 29 minutes ago, rostasi said: From Teenage Fad to Global Sensation: The World of Jazz Dance Indifferent to the music, still excited by the dancing. Quote
mjazzg Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 Love those dancers I wish I could post the video of the jazz dancers at last month's Cross The Tracks festival in London. The dancing still dances that's for sure Quote
GA Russell Posted June 7 Report Posted June 7 Amazon has quite a number of the eBook versions of these old DC Comics for $1.99 each. Quote
rostasi Posted June 14 Report Posted June 14 (edited) The Music of Kahil El’Zabar, Jazz’s Elder Statesman & Edited June 14 by rostasi Quote
Pim Posted June 14 Report Posted June 14 (edited) The biography is an easy and enjoyable read. The Phenomology of the Spirit is also enjoyable but in parts almost unreadable. But I like a challenge and I’ve got ChatGPT on my side to get me trough it 😇🤣 Edited June 14 by Pim Quote
Niko Posted June 14 Report Posted June 14 It probably already helps to read a translation... I heard that with Kant (who is easier to read than Hegel I guess) some educational programs in Germany give their students English translations to read because those are smoother ... Quote
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