Books - What are you reading?
Discussion
Goaty Bill 2 said:
I am buried in unread books 
Those are the only two of his I have read, but 'The White Guard' and 'A Country Doctor's Notebook' are top of my Bulgakov list for search and consume.
I fear many of his other works, short stories mostly, plays aside, from what I can gather, will be much more difficult to track down in English translation.
Because I am just a bit of a geek, and have entered all of my book purchases and reading history for the last ten months into a database of my own design, I can fairly reliably inform you that I have 16 unread Russian works ahead of me amounting to over 7000 pages. Added to which 74 other books totalling just over 20k pages. As I have only consumed a measly 14k pages in the last 10 months (since records began, as they say), the task ahead of me is both daunting and much looked forward to. However,the list of books to be added grows almost daily.
At present rate of consumption, I have nearly two years of books ahead of me.
Life will ultimately prove to be too short.
A Country Doctor's Notebook is my favourite Bulgakov.Those are the only two of his I have read, but 'The White Guard' and 'A Country Doctor's Notebook' are top of my Bulgakov list for search and consume.
I fear many of his other works, short stories mostly, plays aside, from what I can gather, will be much more difficult to track down in English translation.
Because I am just a bit of a geek, and have entered all of my book purchases and reading history for the last ten months into a database of my own design, I can fairly reliably inform you that I have 16 unread Russian works ahead of me amounting to over 7000 pages. Added to which 74 other books totalling just over 20k pages. As I have only consumed a measly 14k pages in the last 10 months (since records began, as they say), the task ahead of me is both daunting and much looked forward to. However,the list of books to be added grows almost daily.
At present rate of consumption, I have nearly two years of books ahead of me.
Life will ultimately prove to be too short.
One cannot be considered a proper book enthusiast without a mahaoosive 'to read' pile.
Finished 'After Auschwitz' by Eva Schloss, having started it yesterday. Truly a woman of rare and remarkable strength. I hadn't intended to read through her story so quickly, but her survival of the camps was remarkable and I needed to know more.
Next on my reading list is 'The Riddle of the Sands' by Erskine Childers. Originally published in 1903, the blurb tells me that the story is of a German plot to invade England. 'The Riddle of the Sands' is meant to be a genre-defining example of spy fiction, having been enormously popular before the First World War. It is almost certain, then, that I should be reading the same words as some enlisted soldiers who saw action between 1914 and 1918.
Next on my reading list is 'The Riddle of the Sands' by Erskine Childers. Originally published in 1903, the blurb tells me that the story is of a German plot to invade England. 'The Riddle of the Sands' is meant to be a genre-defining example of spy fiction, having been enormously popular before the First World War. It is almost certain, then, that I should be reading the same words as some enlisted soldiers who saw action between 1914 and 1918.
Erskine Childers certainly had a way with words, if my reading of 'The Riddle of the Sands' is anything to go by. Unfortunately it really is a dreadfully dull book unless you are familiar with sailing. Page after interminable page was spent chronicling the actions of two men aboard a small yacht, and I found myself racing through it in an attempt to try and enjoy it more. Alas, it barely changes.
Childers' winding, verbose style does at least imbue the text with some flavour but I could not immerse myself at all. I respect his adroitness and would be quite content with as wide a vocabulary as he uses but, certainly, I wouldn't use such ability in the same way.
Next up is 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Ernest Hemingway. This is my first foray into Hemingway but given his status as one of the American greats, I hope he compares favourably with Steinbeck. From having read the first chapter I can see his style is very different but let's see if he can tell a tale as well!
Childers' winding, verbose style does at least imbue the text with some flavour but I could not immerse myself at all. I respect his adroitness and would be quite content with as wide a vocabulary as he uses but, certainly, I wouldn't use such ability in the same way.
Next up is 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Ernest Hemingway. This is my first foray into Hemingway but given his status as one of the American greats, I hope he compares favourably with Steinbeck. From having read the first chapter I can see his style is very different but let's see if he can tell a tale as well!
[quote=Levin]Erskine Childers certainly had a way with words, if my reading of 'The Riddle of the Sands' is anything to go by. Unfortunately it really is a dreadfully dull book unless you are familiar with sailing. Page after interminable page was spent chronicling the actions of two men aboard a small yacht, and I found myself racing through it in an attempt to try and enjoy it more. Alas, it barely changes.
quote]
just ordered it and not into sailing but onlycost £1.66 on amazon so no loss lol
just starting drood by dan simmons and slaughterhouse5-very bizarre but good
quote]
just ordered it and not into sailing but onlycost £1.66 on amazon so no loss lol
just starting drood by dan simmons and slaughterhouse5-very bizarre but good
p1doc said:
g3org3y said:
A Country Doctor's Notebook is my favourite Bulgakov.
One cannot be considered a proper book enthusiast without a mahaoosive 'to read' pile.
I liked the mad aspect of master/heart of a dog thought notebook would be boring so might give it a goOne cannot be considered a proper book enthusiast without a mahaoosive 'to read' pile.
blindswelledrat said:
Could you be any more gay?
Whilst it's literary merits are undeniable, how any man would voluntarily read what amounts to a 400 page romance novel is quite beyond me!
Whilst it's literary merits are undeniable, how any man would voluntarily read what amounts to a 400 page romance novel is quite beyond me!
Chacun a son gout innit ? I find the appetite some have for SAS books and similar derring do stuff equally unfathomable . Just started Robert Harris 'Munich'. Not sure if that makes me sufficiently blokey though , with my Murakami and McEwan habit ..Dare I mention how much I enjoyed Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty as well? Now that really is a gay book....
coppice said:
blindswelledrat said:
Could you be any more gay?
Whilst it's literary merits are undeniable, how any man would voluntarily read what amounts to a 400 page romance novel is quite beyond me!
Whilst it's literary merits are undeniable, how any man would voluntarily read what amounts to a 400 page romance novel is quite beyond me!
Chacun a son gout innit ? I find the appetite some have for SAS books and similar derring do stuff equally unfathomable . Just started Robert Harris 'Munich'. Not sure if that makes me sufficiently blokey though , with my Murakami and McEwan habit ..Dare I mention how much I enjoyed Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty as well? Now that really is a gay book....
Recently finished sirens of titan by kurt Vonnegut. Decent but ultimately lacking towards the end for me, although it was one of his early works, I felt deflated in the last couple of chapters.
Read the stranger by Albert Camus over the last 2 nights. Again thoroughly decent but I'm finding it difficult to fathom its classic status. I guess something is lost in translation (this was the modern, revised version) as its good but not great.
Up next will either be Faulkner (the sound and the fury) or dosteovsky (crime and punishment). Thought I'd go through some classics this business trip, hope these do not disappoint.
Read the stranger by Albert Camus over the last 2 nights. Again thoroughly decent but I'm finding it difficult to fathom its classic status. I guess something is lost in translation (this was the modern, revised version) as its good but not great.
Up next will either be Faulkner (the sound and the fury) or dosteovsky (crime and punishment). Thought I'd go through some classics this business trip, hope these do not disappoint.
I have just finished reading my first piece of Hemingway, 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', and I know it won't be the last. Though I mentioned in my previous post a desire to compare his work with Steinbeck's, I no longer feel it necessary. Steinbeck's prose is pure poetry but to write as clearly and directly as Hemingway does is not an easy task either.
As I have developed a theme here of reading America's literary giants, it's time for another round of F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have only limited experience with his work (read: 'The Great Gatsby') so more exposure cannot possibly hurt. I'll be reading 'The Rich Boy'; a slightly misleading title as the book contains three of his short stories written during the 1920s: 'The Rich Boy', 'The Bridal Party', and 'The Last of the Belles'. Altogether the book totals 100 or so pages, so it won't be an especially long read.
As I have developed a theme here of reading America's literary giants, it's time for another round of F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have only limited experience with his work (read: 'The Great Gatsby') so more exposure cannot possibly hurt. I'll be reading 'The Rich Boy'; a slightly misleading title as the book contains three of his short stories written during the 1920s: 'The Rich Boy', 'The Bridal Party', and 'The Last of the Belles'. Altogether the book totals 100 or so pages, so it won't be an especially long read.
p1doc said:
just ordered it and not into sailing but onlycost £1.66 on amazon so no loss l
just starting drood by dan simmons and slaughterhouse5-very bizarre but good
I really do hope you enjoy 'The Riddle of the Sands', and will be interested to hear your thoughts on it once you get around to it. Slaughterhouse-5 is another book I mean to read but haven't managed to get around to thus far.just starting drood by dan simmons and slaughterhouse5-very bizarre but good
IanA2 said:
I didn't think Munich was up to his usual standard. Neither did I think much the other recent big "blockbuster" release, namely Follet's Column of Fire. Let down the series. Seulement mon avis.
Disappointing to hear both were unexceptional; 'Fatherland' was a wonderful novel that stands head and shoulders above much of the speculative fiction surrounding the idea of a Nazi victory. Does 'Munich' link with it at all, or is it a standalone novel? I ask as the tagline on the copies I have seen reads "Before Fatherland, there was..." As for Follett, his Century Trilogy is great even if the third book felt a little rushed towards the end, almost as though he had gotten bored of the families he had created.Lifelong Hemingway fan here . Unlike many, I adored Islands in the Stream (partly posthumous ) and am a bit ho-hum about The Old Man and The Sea and A Farewell to Arms The best of all is the utterly exquisite A Moveable Feast , written as an ageing man about his time in Paris in his twenties, also being the Twenties- so F Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound populate the stories . His journalism is superb too- plenty of anthologies around . Don't shrink from Death in the Afternoon either - whether you like bullfighting or not.....
I love US literature - and if you enjoy Hemingway you might also enjoy E Annie Proulx's work . Very different style, but hugely literate and engaging. . .
I love US literature - and if you enjoy Hemingway you might also enjoy E Annie Proulx's work . Very different style, but hugely literate and engaging. . .
Currently reading All Hell Let Loose by Max Hastings
recently read a few others namely,
An officer and A Spy - Robert Harris - really enjoyed it despite the ending being about 40 pages too long.
The Kind worth killing - pretty enjoyable for a popcorn thriller.
The Ocean at the end of The Lane - disappointed with this. it has been heartily recommended on here previous and on that basis I gave it a go and felt let down. not sure if I just missed the point or my expectations were too high but I felt it never really got going or went anywhere then it finished.
Couple of Jack Aubreys recently consumed - Desolation Island and the Mauritous Command - all worth reading and I'll drop in to the next cab off the Aubrey rank soon.
The Ghost by Robert Harris - an interesting premise just a bit shoddily delivered imho....I wanted more characterisation just a bit too much geographical flitting and not enough story at times - I'll catch the film to see if it works any better on film.
The God Delusion loads have been said about this - I dip into it every now and then.
Time and time again - Ben Elton. I really wanted to like this as the premise is good. the delivery made me feel like a 12 year old. I just couldn't get beyond about 5 chapters without feeling the need to reconnect with being a grown up again....are all Eltons books written in the same way...?
Clash of Kings from the thrones series, always goes down well.
The road to Little Dribbling - Bill Bryson, a bit disappointing but I love his work so it is forgivable....just.
next up....from
Pillars of the Earth
Origin - Dan Brown's latest have downloaded the sample and might give it a go.
The next Jack Aubrey
any offers....?
recently read a few others namely,
An officer and A Spy - Robert Harris - really enjoyed it despite the ending being about 40 pages too long.
The Kind worth killing - pretty enjoyable for a popcorn thriller.
The Ocean at the end of The Lane - disappointed with this. it has been heartily recommended on here previous and on that basis I gave it a go and felt let down. not sure if I just missed the point or my expectations were too high but I felt it never really got going or went anywhere then it finished.
Couple of Jack Aubreys recently consumed - Desolation Island and the Mauritous Command - all worth reading and I'll drop in to the next cab off the Aubrey rank soon.
The Ghost by Robert Harris - an interesting premise just a bit shoddily delivered imho....I wanted more characterisation just a bit too much geographical flitting and not enough story at times - I'll catch the film to see if it works any better on film.
The God Delusion loads have been said about this - I dip into it every now and then.
Time and time again - Ben Elton. I really wanted to like this as the premise is good. the delivery made me feel like a 12 year old. I just couldn't get beyond about 5 chapters without feeling the need to reconnect with being a grown up again....are all Eltons books written in the same way...?
Clash of Kings from the thrones series, always goes down well.
The road to Little Dribbling - Bill Bryson, a bit disappointing but I love his work so it is forgivable....just.
next up....from
Pillars of the Earth
Origin - Dan Brown's latest have downloaded the sample and might give it a go.
The next Jack Aubrey
any offers....?
Finished Michael Crichton's - State of Fear last week. I can see why Hollywood loved him, he clearly writes with the screen in mind. It was entertaining in a fairly simple way, characters pretty flimsy but the story telling fast paced and action oriented. Clearly this was Crichton telling us his journey of discovery in the world of climate science, and I had to keep checking when it was written because nothing has changed since 2004. Worth reading? Yes.
Still picking my way through "Confessions of an Opium Eater" but I'm finding it a little tedious in places. So I picked up an Ian banks novel, in this case,"a Song of Stone". Jeez, what a loss he was, I've always loved his sci-fi novels but never really got into his other stuff but this is good. His prose are stunning and the story line gripping so far. Looks like I'm going to be reading all his other stuff for a while yet.
Still picking my way through "Confessions of an Opium Eater" but I'm finding it a little tedious in places. So I picked up an Ian banks novel, in this case,"a Song of Stone". Jeez, what a loss he was, I've always loved his sci-fi novels but never really got into his other stuff but this is good. His prose are stunning and the story line gripping so far. Looks like I'm going to be reading all his other stuff for a while yet.
Nom de ploom said:
Currently reading All Hell Let Loose by Max Hastings
recently read a few others namely,
An officer and A Spy - Robert Harris - really enjoyed it despite the ending being about 40 pages too long.
The Kind worth killing - pretty enjoyable for a popcorn thriller.
The Ocean at the end of The Lane - disappointed with this. it has been heartily recommended on here previous and on that basis I gave it a go and felt let down. not sure if I just missed the point or my expectations were too high but I felt it never really got going or went anywhere then it finished.
Couple of Jack Aubreys recently consumed - Desolation Island and the Mauritous Command - all worth reading and I'll drop in to the next cab off the Aubrey rank soon.
The Ghost by Robert Harris - an interesting premise just a bit shoddily delivered imho....I wanted more characterisation just a bit too much geographical flitting and not enough story at times - I'll catch the film to see if it works any better on film.
The God Delusion loads have been said about this - I dip into it every now and then.
Time and time again - Ben Elton. I really wanted to like this as the premise is good. the delivery made me feel like a 12 year old. I just couldn't get beyond about 5 chapters without feeling the need to reconnect with being a grown up again....are all Eltons books written in the same way...?
Clash of Kings from the thrones series, always goes down well.
The road to Little Dribbling - Bill Bryson, a bit disappointing but I love his work so it is forgivable....just.
next up....from
Pillars of the Earth
Origin - Dan Brown's latest have downloaded the sample and might give it a go.
The next Jack Aubrey
any offers....?
Pillars of the Earth is not my usual sort of book but it’s one of the best I’ve ever read. I highly recommend his Century trilogy as well, good stories and I learnt a lot about 20th century history.recently read a few others namely,
An officer and A Spy - Robert Harris - really enjoyed it despite the ending being about 40 pages too long.
The Kind worth killing - pretty enjoyable for a popcorn thriller.
The Ocean at the end of The Lane - disappointed with this. it has been heartily recommended on here previous and on that basis I gave it a go and felt let down. not sure if I just missed the point or my expectations were too high but I felt it never really got going or went anywhere then it finished.
Couple of Jack Aubreys recently consumed - Desolation Island and the Mauritous Command - all worth reading and I'll drop in to the next cab off the Aubrey rank soon.
The Ghost by Robert Harris - an interesting premise just a bit shoddily delivered imho....I wanted more characterisation just a bit too much geographical flitting and not enough story at times - I'll catch the film to see if it works any better on film.
The God Delusion loads have been said about this - I dip into it every now and then.
Time and time again - Ben Elton. I really wanted to like this as the premise is good. the delivery made me feel like a 12 year old. I just couldn't get beyond about 5 chapters without feeling the need to reconnect with being a grown up again....are all Eltons books written in the same way...?
Clash of Kings from the thrones series, always goes down well.
The road to Little Dribbling - Bill Bryson, a bit disappointing but I love his work so it is forgivable....just.
next up....from
Pillars of the Earth
Origin - Dan Brown's latest have downloaded the sample and might give it a go.
The next Jack Aubrey
any offers....?
I'm after finishing 'The Rich Boy', the compiled title used for three of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories. The third story, 'The Last of the Belles', was the weakest of the three but it maintains that lovely style so characteristic of Fitzgerald's writing. The stories themselves may not have particularly grand plots; short stories rarely do, yet Fitzgerald tells them well.
coppice said:
Lifelong Hemingway fan here . Unlike many, I adored Islands in the Stream (partly posthumous ) and am a bit ho-hum about The Old Man and The Sea and A Farewell to Arms The best of all is the utterly exquisite A Moveable Feast , written as an ageing man about his time in Paris in his twenties, also being the Twenties- so F Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound populate the stories . His journalism is superb too- plenty of anthologies around . Don't shrink from Death in the Afternoon either - whether you like bullfighting or not.....
I love US literature - and if you enjoy Hemingway you might also enjoy E Annie Proulx's work . Very different style, but hugely literate and engaging. . .
Sincerest thanks for the advice! 'The Old Man and the Sea' seems to be among his most well regarded stories, or at least, it is the title I see referred to most often. As it happens it is next on my reading list. Thanks to my local library, I have it, 'A Farewell to Arms' (which I am eager to read soon due to the setting) and 'A Moveable Feast' to enjoy in the coming days and weeks. Having read Steinbeck, Fitzgerald and Hemingway recently I'm partial to the idea of improving my own writing style. Perhaps that is the hallmark of great literature.I love US literature - and if you enjoy Hemingway you might also enjoy E Annie Proulx's work . Very different style, but hugely literate and engaging. . .
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