BruceH Posted March 1, 2009 Report Posted March 1, 2009 Another nice thing about this is you don't have to worry too much about it being turned into a movie. Quote
paul secor Posted March 3, 2009 Report Posted March 3, 2009 Just finished James Hanley's The Ocean. Quote
ejp626 Posted March 5, 2009 Report Posted March 5, 2009 I am about 1/3 of the way through Bolano's The Savage Detectives. He's losing me in the middle section where it is a bunch of interviews, presumably conducted by a detective trying to track the past activities/movements of the poet Ulisses Lima, following him from Mexico to Paris to Spain to Israel. It's not that the interviews are not interesting, but this novel in the form of interview has been done before. It's hardly as revolutionary as some of Bolano's fans make it out to be (not at all sure Bolano ever made such claims about the work). For instance, this is almost precisely the set-up of Jack Fuller's The Best of Jackson Payne (which we've discussed a bit on the board). Honestly, I found Fuller's book a bit more engaging. I'm also reading through the works of Ivan Vladislavic, a South African writer (this is partly for entertainment and partly for a project looking at the history and literature of Johannesburg). My local research library has almost all his works: Missing Persons The Folly Propaganda by Monuments The Restless Supermarket and Portrait with Keys with the exception of The Exploded View, which they don't have. (Just trying to make MG jealous.) I know it's a bit early to tell, but I think The Restless Supermarket is truly a masterpiece, but a nearly completely unknown one. I'll write more about it later after I am far enough in. What I did realize early on is that this was a book I wanted to own, but it is very hard to come by in the States (some of his other works are a bit easier and Portrait with Keys is going to get a Stateside publisher so it will be easy). After significant digging, I came across kalahari.net where you can buy directly from South Africa (shipping the first item is a beast, but if you order 3 or more items, it isn't so bad). Assuming the books actually get to me, I'll post more thoughts -- and let MG know if I would recommend ordering through them. Quote
Matthew Posted March 5, 2009 Report Posted March 5, 2009 Paul Theroux: Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown : Interesting travel book on Africa. I have to go to Africa about three times a year now, and this book seems to capture a lot of what I see also in the various countries I go to. Quote
paul secor Posted March 6, 2009 Report Posted March 6, 2009 Seeing Jazz - Artists and Writers on Jazz Quote
BillF Posted March 6, 2009 Report Posted March 6, 2009 Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol 1 1929-1964 Some great stories here! Thanks for the recommendation, Bruce! Quote
Chalupa Posted March 6, 2009 Report Posted March 6, 2009 Ahem. Most Britons have lied about the books they read http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090305/od_nm/...ooks_lies_odd_3 Quote
BruceH Posted March 6, 2009 Report Posted March 6, 2009 Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol 1 1929-1964 Some great stories here! Thanks for the recommendation, Bruce! Anytime! Glad you like it. Quote
BillF Posted March 6, 2009 Report Posted March 6, 2009 Ahem. Most Britons have lied about the books they read http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090305/od_nm/...ooks_lies_odd_3 Not me! From the list I've only read 1984, Madame Bovary and parts of the Bible and Ulysses. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted March 8, 2009 Report Posted March 8, 2009 Juggling three at present: The first demonstrates just how dishonestly those who own most of Britain's land came by it. The second is a very nice portrayal of post-World War I French music - a bit heavy on the opera houses, singers etc; I'm more interested in the composers who only get coverage in detail in the last chapter. The third is a nice, page-turning murder mystery set in France. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted March 8, 2009 Report Posted March 8, 2009 Ahem. Most Britons have lied about the books they read http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090305/od_nm/...ooks_lies_odd_3 Not me! From the list I've only read 1984, Madame Bovary and parts of the Bible and Ulysses. I've read 1984 and all of War and Peace except the last 100 pages or so when it turns from a piece of fiction into a long, philosophising rant - skipped that. Bits of the Bible and I started (though did not get far with) the Joyce. Never even thought about the rest. Quote
jlhoots Posted March 12, 2009 Report Posted March 12, 2009 David Fulmer: Chasing The Devil's Tail Quote
paul secor Posted March 12, 2009 Report Posted March 12, 2009 David Fulmer: Chasing The Devil's Tail I read Rampart Street a while back - good N.O. turn of the 20th century atmosphere in that one (at least as far as I could tell - I wasn't there then ). I want to read some of Fulmer's other books when I find the time. Quote
jlhoots Posted March 12, 2009 Report Posted March 12, 2009 David Fulmer: Chasing The Devil's Tail I read Rampart Street a while back - good N.O. turn of the 20th century atmosphere in that one (at least as far as I could tell - I wasn't there then ). I want to read some of Fulmer's other books when I find the time. I'm going to read Jass next. Quote
Matthew Posted March 19, 2009 Report Posted March 19, 2009 Auschwitz: A New History by Laurence Rees. A look at the history of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and how it was run. A depressing account that shows how the German authorities worked hard to improve the method of killing people. According to the book, 1.1 million were killed in its four and a half year existence. Some heartbreaking stories (of course), and other stories that make you wonder about how people can be so evil. A challenging read. Quote
rostasi Posted March 19, 2009 Report Posted March 19, 2009 Yes, of course, a very limited readership for this kind of thing, but for those that are interested, it really covers a nice variety of perspectives with lots of score fragments, illustrations, as well as TWO CDs worth of pieces as audio signposts. Covering composition, performance, improvisation, and other areas while doing so in a rather easy (but not simplistic) presentation. Composers such as Dumitrescu, Avram, Murail, and others discuss their music and composition methods. Quote
Harold_Z Posted March 19, 2009 Report Posted March 19, 2009 About 90 pages in and it's hooked me. Quote
BillF Posted March 20, 2009 Report Posted March 20, 2009 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Back to the reading of my youth! Quote
Jazzmoose Posted March 20, 2009 Report Posted March 20, 2009 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Back to the reading of my youth! You know, I've been thinking about digging those Holmes books out again; I haven't read them since I was a teen. I wonder how well they hold up. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted March 20, 2009 Report Posted March 20, 2009 I enjoy Leon's books as much for the sense of being in Venice as for the plot lines. Quote
ejp626 Posted March 20, 2009 Report Posted March 20, 2009 I am about 1/3 of the way through Bolano's The Savage Detectives. He's losing me in the middle section where it is a bunch of interviews ... I still feel pretty much the same way at the halfway mark. I'll finish the book but it doesn't grab me. After significant digging, I came across kalahari.net where you can buy directly from South Africa (shipping the first item is a beast, but if you order 3 or more items, it isn't so bad). Assuming the books actually get to me, I'll post more thoughts -- and let MG know if I would recommend ordering through them. It took roughly a month (and I was getting a tad nervous), but Kalahari.net came through with my books, saving me literally over $200 from what US bookstores wanted for the 4 books I ordered. They seem to sell music as well as books. Maybe MG should check it out. I read Vladislavic's Missing Persons and Propaganda by Monuments so far. Both are short story collections, and Missing Persons is the earlier and somewhat less mature one. Missing Persons tends to lean on slightly surreal situations, maybe in part to avoid writing about the racial politics/situation at the time (a bit of escapism? or just feeling that Nadine Gordimer had already cornered that part of the literary market?) I think Propaganda by Monuments is the stronger collection. It's certainly enjoyable. Quote
BillF Posted March 20, 2009 Report Posted March 20, 2009 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Back to the reading of my youth! You know, I've been thinking about digging those Holmes books out again; I haven't read them since I was a teen. I wonder how well they hold up. Very well. Give 'em a try! Quote
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