A Lark Ascending Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale Re-reading this fine novel! It is indeed. Have you read Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go'? Works in a similar sort of distorted near future. The title comes from the tune much beloved of jazzers. Indeed I have read it and liked it very much. I think Ishiguro must be into our sort of music. His recent story collection Nocturnes is based on the experiences of musicians, most of whom are in Great American Songbook mode, rather than classical or pop. He wrote the lyrics to some of the songs on the last Stacey Kent album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale Re-reading this fine novel! It is indeed. Have you read Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go'? Works in a similar sort of distorted near future. The title comes from the tune much beloved of jazzers. Indeed I have read it and liked it very much. I think Ishiguro must be into our sort of music. His recent story collection Nocturnes is based on the experiences of musicians, most of whom are in Great American Songbook mode, rather than classical or pop. He wrote the lyrics to some of the songs on the last Stacey Kent album. Good on yer, Kazuo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdavenport Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 John Steinbeck - Tortilla Flat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 Second of Downing's 'station' books I've read. This one is set in Berlin (and various points beyond) in early 1939 from New Year to the invasion of Czechoslovakia. A good thriller by someone who has clearly studied the gazeteers of European cities in the 1930s. Would appeal to anyone who likes the writing of Phillip Kerr or Alan Furst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 During the time my computer was down this time around, I discovered that I read just as much as I ever did...when the computer is off. A disturbing discovery... Anyway, I finally revisited the Zelazny Amber series. Nothing great, but fun stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It by Lawrence Ritter. A book of interviews of players who were in the Major Leagues in the early 1900s. I first read this book when I was eleven, and it was like reading a science fiction book, because it described a world that was so different and strange. Really? teams went to games in horse drawn carriages? No cars? People were allowed to be strange and different? Who is the world is this Rube Waddell character? John McGraw was the greatest manager ever? The America I was reading about was a strange and wonderful place that was so different then to what I was living, I was enthralled and entranced reading this book. I've returned to it many times over the years, and when I get to the last page of the book, with the great picture of Honus Wagner and John McGraw talking (click on picture for larger view), with the caption underneath: It seems like it all happened yesterday, a wave of emotion always comes over me. Truly, an amazing book of an America and of a way of baseball long gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Isaac Asimov, The Caves of Steel Classic science fiction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Isaac Asimov, The Caves of Steel Classic science fiction! Cool stuff; I went on a Foundation/Robot series binge a few months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 Penelope Lively's novel Family Album Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It by Lawrence Ritter. A book of interviews of players who were in the Major Leagues in the early 1900s. I first read this book when I was eleven, and it was like reading a science fiction book, because it described a world that was so different and strange. Really? teams went to games in horse drawn carriages? No cars? People were allowed to be strange and different? Who is the world is this Rube Waddell character? John McGraw was the greatest manager ever? The America I was reading about was a strange and wonderful place that was so different then to what I was living, I was enthralled and entranced reading this book. I've returned to it many times over the years, and when I get to the last page of the book, with the great picture of Honus Wagner and John McGraw talking (click on picture for larger view), with the caption underneath: It seems like it all happened yesterday, a wave of emotion always comes over me. Truly, an amazing book of an America and of a way of baseball long gone. Great book. Read it when I was a kid also; still have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 C.J. Cherryh: Downbelow Station Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 Reading The Best Hamer History Essays on Lincoln, edited by Sean Wilentz, a collection of essays by some great historians and writers on Lincoln. Recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 (edited) The Collect Stories of Lydia Davis. Heard some good and bad things about this book, even though the New York Times had a rave review. I must say that I'm very impressed (and I'm only 150 pages in) by Davis, as in this book you can see her experimenting with the short story form, and succeeding. Highly recommended to short story fans -- heck, to anyone who likes good writing. edit for grammar & spelling. Edited January 16, 2010 by Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 Cairo Modern by Naguib Mahfouz Wondrak and other stories by Stefan Zweig Hopefully followed by Moscow 2042 by Voinovich (it's still in the mail but should arrive soon) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 Craig Johnson: Dark Horse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted January 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 On a real late-period (1935-1940) F. Scott Fitzgerald kick right now: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 Will Friedwald: Sinatra: The Song is You Wow, that guy really does his homework! Impressive, and I'm glad he's not a bounty hunter on my ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 "Interpreter of Maladies" - Jhumpa Lahiri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 The last of the four Javier Falcon quartet. A taught, exciting thriller - given how much running around there is, Hollywood might just get interested. The Wilson books set in Seville are highly recommended if you enjoy a contemporary thriller/detective novel. There are also two excellent books set in Lisbon. I must read his first four African novels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles Would you believe it, I've never read this before and it's great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdavenport Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Just finished Martin Amis's "Einstein's Monsters". A collection of 5 short stories written in the mid-1980s, reflecting Amis's paranoia about nuclear war. My favourite of the bunch was "The Time Disease" which I thought distinctly Anthony Burgess-like. On reading Amis's introduction afterwards, he states it was inspired by J.G.Ballard - shows what I know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold_Z Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Casares is absolutely terrific. If you dig Borges you'll dig Casares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Pseudo-fringe at times, but interesting stuff for a student of Egyptology and the roots of Christianity such as I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnivore Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 I'm now halfway through 'Against the Day' by Thomas Pynchon....anyone here read it since it came out six years ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted January 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 Karen Chilton, HAZEL SCOTT: THE PIONEERING JOURNEY OF A JAZZ PIANIST FROM CAFE SOCIETY TO HOLLYWOOD TO HUAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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