Books - What are you reading?
Discussion
Levin said:
I couldn’t get into the right mindset to read ‘Liberty or Death’, the book on the French Revolution I previously mentioned, so have opted to read something else. I hope to come back to this book at some point in the future, but for now, I hope Ian Davidson’s book laid enough of a groundwork for future learning about the French Revolution.
‘Steppenwolf’, by Herman Hesse. Entirely in keeping with my tastes, this is a novel originally written in German and published in 1927. The English translation, by Basil Creighton, was first published in 1929, and is the version I am reading. I have seen mention of another, newer translation, but with my library having this version it is the one I am reading. Incidentally, a German friend of mine also recommended his poem ‘Stufen’.
Before reading this I also read ‘Cat’s Cradle’, by Kurt Vonnegut. The title is one I’ve seen mentioned many, many times before and it just so happened my library had a copy on its shelves. Not an especially long read, but an enjoyable one that felt worthy of the hype its modern audience has bestowed upon it. Given how Vonnegut himself held ‘Cat’s Cradle’ and ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ above his other works, I’ll be reading the latter at some point in the future.
In brief, the list of things I want to read continues to grow.
Hesse, Vonnegut etc, takes me back to undergraduate days. Forty years on I tend to stick to lighter stuff. Currently just finished a spy trilogy by Adam Brookes. Came across him by a circuitous route involving Ben McIntyre, and very glad I did. No quite Le Carre, but bloody good. Also, if folks like that sort of stuff I can highly recommend A Dying Breed by Peter Hannington.‘Steppenwolf’, by Herman Hesse. Entirely in keeping with my tastes, this is a novel originally written in German and published in 1927. The English translation, by Basil Creighton, was first published in 1929, and is the version I am reading. I have seen mention of another, newer translation, but with my library having this version it is the one I am reading. Incidentally, a German friend of mine also recommended his poem ‘Stufen’.
Before reading this I also read ‘Cat’s Cradle’, by Kurt Vonnegut. The title is one I’ve seen mentioned many, many times before and it just so happened my library had a copy on its shelves. Not an especially long read, but an enjoyable one that felt worthy of the hype its modern audience has bestowed upon it. Given how Vonnegut himself held ‘Cat’s Cradle’ and ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ above his other works, I’ll be reading the latter at some point in the future.
In brief, the list of things I want to read continues to grow.
For what it's worth my books of the year:
1) "The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne. About a gay Irishman growing up in 1950s - 60s Ireland and his adult life in Amsterdam, New York and Dublin. Full of humor and very thought provoking. I really enjoyed this - one of my standout books of the last 12 months.
2) "A Place Called Winter" by Patrick Gale In pre-WWI England a disgraced man is forced to the untamed wilds of Canada to seek anonymity and a fresh start. Beautifully written if a little predictable. Put me in mind of William Boyd's work in terms of the way it's told, the use of language and the characters.
3) The Dry" by Jane Harper on Audible. Policeman returns to dust-bowl, failing Australian farming community to attend the funeral of an old friend and his family. As you may expect not everything is as it seems and he gets drawn into investigating the deaths. The story flips back and forth across timelines and digs into the main characters' past and his ties to the community. Brilliantly written, evokes a dying resentful community very well, you can almost feel the heat and desperation. As I listened to it on Audible narrated by an Aussie it just cranked up the authenticity. I thought this was a brilliant book.
4) Potentially a late entry....."Reservoir 13" by Jon McGregor. For me an great example of an author with the ability to paint a scene with words....very enjoyable so far if a little glum (not finished yet).
1) "The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne. About a gay Irishman growing up in 1950s - 60s Ireland and his adult life in Amsterdam, New York and Dublin. Full of humor and very thought provoking. I really enjoyed this - one of my standout books of the last 12 months.
2) "A Place Called Winter" by Patrick Gale In pre-WWI England a disgraced man is forced to the untamed wilds of Canada to seek anonymity and a fresh start. Beautifully written if a little predictable. Put me in mind of William Boyd's work in terms of the way it's told, the use of language and the characters.
3) The Dry" by Jane Harper on Audible. Policeman returns to dust-bowl, failing Australian farming community to attend the funeral of an old friend and his family. As you may expect not everything is as it seems and he gets drawn into investigating the deaths. The story flips back and forth across timelines and digs into the main characters' past and his ties to the community. Brilliantly written, evokes a dying resentful community very well, you can almost feel the heat and desperation. As I listened to it on Audible narrated by an Aussie it just cranked up the authenticity. I thought this was a brilliant book.
4) Potentially a late entry....."Reservoir 13" by Jon McGregor. For me an great example of an author with the ability to paint a scene with words....very enjoyable so far if a little glum (not finished yet).
Levin said:
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!
For Whom the Bell Tolls.Intense.
InductionRoar said:
Paradise Lost - John Milton
If I manage to get through that one, I have Paradise Regained lined up.
That's a tough one, or a pair of tough ones potentially. Along with Samson Agonistes, these monstrosities took up quite a few days that I shall never get back.If I manage to get through that one, I have Paradise Regained lined up.
Divine Comedy, for me, falls into a similar category, and I was raised to know something of the Bible (in fact I'd read most of it when I was younger, skipping the endless pages of begets and begots).
Unless you are a Catholic theologian, I suspect you would do best to read (any of) these with some extensive cheat sheet notes
All of are heavily allegorical, and without some reference to the Biblical events one gets lost very easily (there was virtually no internet when I read them - I suffered)
Also helpful, is to have read at least one comprehensive volume of Greek mythology. Thankfully I had read two or three.
Also, keep your Greek and Roman pantheons references (and cross references
) to hand, because bloody Milton freely swaps between the two, never mind using every name by which each was known (Apollo/Phoebus etc.), and in the same sentence even as I recall.It is as though he were trying to ensure we all knew that he had a an education
. It really grated on my nerves at the time.Edit:
Apologies if 'Teaching to granny to suck eggs'.
Edited by Goaty Bill 2 on Saturday 16th December 13:21
Goaty Bill 2 said:
That's a tough one, or a pair of tough ones potentially. Along with Samson Agonistes, these monstrosities took up quite a few days that I shall never get back.
Divine Comedy, for me, falls into a similar category, and I was raised to know something of the Bible (in fact I'd read most of it when I was younger, skipping the endless pages of begets and begots).
Unless you are a Catholic theologian, I suspect you would do best to read (any of) these with some extensive cheat sheet notes
All of are heavily allegorical, and without some reference to the Biblical events one gets lost very easily (there was virtually no internet when I read them - I suffered)
Also helpful, is to have read at least one comprehensive volume of Greek mythology. Thankfully I had read two or three.
Also, keep your Greek and Roman pantheons references (and cross references) to hand, because bloody Milton freely swaps between the two, never mind using every name by which each was know, and in the same sentence even as I recall.
It is as though he were trying to ensure we all knew that he had a an education. It really grated on my nerves at the time.
All very good and salient points. I have two versions, a two volume edition from 1741 (with Samson Agonistes) and a modern paperback with a plain English translation. The translation comes in very useful for the many long since defunct places, along with the numerous oddities you mention. It is worth pointing out, however, that I am only on book 2 thus far, so plenty of stumbling blocks coming up methinks. Divine Comedy, for me, falls into a similar category, and I was raised to know something of the Bible (in fact I'd read most of it when I was younger, skipping the endless pages of begets and begots).
Unless you are a Catholic theologian, I suspect you would do best to read (any of) these with some extensive cheat sheet notes
All of are heavily allegorical, and without some reference to the Biblical events one gets lost very easily (there was virtually no internet when I read them - I suffered)
Also helpful, is to have read at least one comprehensive volume of Greek mythology. Thankfully I had read two or three.
Also, keep your Greek and Roman pantheons references (and cross references
) to hand, because bloody Milton freely swaps between the two, never mind using every name by which each was know, and in the same sentence even as I recall.It is as though he were trying to ensure we all knew that he had a an education
. It really grated on my nerves at the time.
The Divine Comedy is another one I struggled with (and subsequently gave up on) for the reasons you list. I managed to reach the seventh circle of Hell twice, but having never read the bible, or any form of mythology, I was struggling with the constant character references. It is firmly placed on the to do list.
InductionRoar said:
All very good and salient points. I have two versions, a two volume edition from 1741 (with Samson Agonistes) and a modern paperback with a plain English translation. The translation comes in very useful for the many long since defunct places, along with the numerous oddities you mention. It is worth pointing out, however, that I am only on book 2 thus far, so plenty of stumbling blocks coming up methinks.
The Divine Comedy is another one I struggled with (and subsequently gave up on) for the reasons you list. I managed to reach the seventh circle of Hell twice, but having never read the bible, or any form of mythology, I was struggling with the constant character references. It is firmly placed on the to do list.
Not to wish to distract you, but it got me curious and, I came upon this commentary Is The Divine Comedy / Dante's Inferno a biblically accurate description of heaven and hell?The Divine Comedy is another one I struggled with (and subsequently gave up on) for the reasons you list. I managed to reach the seventh circle of Hell twice, but having never read the bible, or any form of mythology, I was struggling with the constant character references. It is firmly placed on the to do list.
I don't pretend to the level of knowledge of the author of this piece, but it confirms my understanding of the Divine Comedy in the context of the Bible.
The fifth paragraph is particularly telling of Dante's departure from any Biblical revelation, where he is clearly at odds with Christian doctrine.
The Catholic 'invention' of purgatory has always seemed to me to be part of a shameful scam on the part of the medieval church to have wealthy people 'pay for prayer' to shorten their personal time, or that of their family's, in purgatory.
It is well known as one of the central connected reasons for the schism that brought about the protestant churches, starting with Martin Luther.
So in short; excellent poem or not (I suspect an appreciation of the classic Italian language would be required to be a good judge of this), faithful believer or atheist, it is a complete fiction.
However, like so much of Greek mythology that allows one to read early English classics, it is useful understanding for the literary references that exist in later works in many other languages that refer to it.
Goaty Bill 2 said:
Not to wish to distract you, but it got me curious and, I came upon this commentary Is The Divine Comedy / Dante's Inferno a biblically accurate description of heaven and hell?
I don't pretend to the level of knowledge of the author of this piece, but it confirms my understanding of the Divine Comedy in the context of the Bible.
The fifth paragraph is particularly telling of Dante's departure from any Biblical revelation, where he is clearly at odds with Christian doctrine.
The Catholic 'invention' of purgatory has always seemed to me to be part of a shameful scam on the part of the medieval church to have wealthy people 'pay for prayer' to shorten their personal time, or that of their family's, in purgatory.
It is well known as one of the central connected reasons for the schism that brought about the protestant churches, starting with Martin Luther.
So in short; excellent poem or not (I suspect an appreciation of the classic Italian language would be required to be a good judge of this), faithful believer or atheist, it is a complete fiction.
However, like so much of Greek mythology that allows one to read early English classics, it is useful understanding for the literary references that exist in later works in many other languages that refer to it.
Or, to put it more succinctly, Dante out-fictioned the bible. I don't pretend to the level of knowledge of the author of this piece, but it confirms my understanding of the Divine Comedy in the context of the Bible.
The fifth paragraph is particularly telling of Dante's departure from any Biblical revelation, where he is clearly at odds with Christian doctrine.
The Catholic 'invention' of purgatory has always seemed to me to be part of a shameful scam on the part of the medieval church to have wealthy people 'pay for prayer' to shorten their personal time, or that of their family's, in purgatory.
It is well known as one of the central connected reasons for the schism that brought about the protestant churches, starting with Martin Luther.
So in short; excellent poem or not (I suspect an appreciation of the classic Italian language would be required to be a good judge of this), faithful believer or atheist, it is a complete fiction.
However, like so much of Greek mythology that allows one to read early English classics, it is useful understanding for the literary references that exist in later works in many other languages that refer to it.
In all seriousness though, an interesting article. Thanks for sharing.
Fallen out of love with books recently. Had a few duffers. I was looking for some factual yet entertaining books on wine and stumbled on this.
Its not complicated but it is very funny and has lightened up my dark commute no end.
Corkscrew: The highly improbable, but occasionally true, tale of a professional wine buyer -> http://amzn.to/2BddnZ7
I love my wine and a good yarn and this seems to combine both. I knew I would love it about 10 pages into the Kindle sample!
Its not complicated but it is very funny and has lightened up my dark commute no end.
Corkscrew: The highly improbable, but occasionally true, tale of a professional wine buyer -> http://amzn.to/2BddnZ7
I love my wine and a good yarn and this seems to combine both. I knew I would love it about 10 pages into the Kindle sample!
I had thought 'Steppenwolf' would be a quick read given it's a relatively slim volume, but given how long it has taken me to make this post, I will concede that I was wrong. More than I once I read a passage and set the book down to reflect on the fact it had perfectly identified some of my innermost thoughts, and it became tempting at that point to leave it for the night, to consider Hesse's take on such thoughts, and to come back another time feeling refreshed and ready for more.
I strongly suspect I have missed some of the depth and complexity in my reading (the Penguin Classics version I read refers to a 'Faustian underworld' and I have not yet read Faust), so it is a book I could see myself returning to in the future. It is a taxing read, especially its first half, for the reason outlined above, yet it is reassuring to know that such thoughts may also be universal.
My next read is 'The Death of the Fronsac', by Neal Ascherson. This was a random library find that I decided I couldn't leave without. A quick glance at Amazon, not enough to find any spoilers, suggests a sub-plot about the fate of Poland during WWII, though the plot's catalyst is the sinking of the French destroyer Maillé Brézé. This book was published by Apollo, an imprint of the independent publishers Head of Zeus. Here's to supporting publishing efforts of any kind!
I strongly suspect I have missed some of the depth and complexity in my reading (the Penguin Classics version I read refers to a 'Faustian underworld' and I have not yet read Faust), so it is a book I could see myself returning to in the future. It is a taxing read, especially its first half, for the reason outlined above, yet it is reassuring to know that such thoughts may also be universal.
My next read is 'The Death of the Fronsac', by Neal Ascherson. This was a random library find that I decided I couldn't leave without. A quick glance at Amazon, not enough to find any spoilers, suggests a sub-plot about the fate of Poland during WWII, though the plot's catalyst is the sinking of the French destroyer Maillé Brézé. This book was published by Apollo, an imprint of the independent publishers Head of Zeus. Here's to supporting publishing efforts of any kind!
The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre.
Brilliant when it gets going. It's not autobiographical exactly, it's stories from his life that have been reflected in his writing. People he met who inspired characters in his books and people he met who were the embodiment of characters he had imagined. The hesitation at the start is him setting out his stall.
Brilliant when it gets going. It's not autobiographical exactly, it's stories from his life that have been reflected in his writing. People he met who inspired characters in his books and people he met who were the embodiment of characters he had imagined. The hesitation at the start is him setting out his stall.
Finally finished Bruce Springsteen's autobiography. Good read, would've had it finished long before now but I didn't have the motivation to finish it half way through.
About to read Yanis Varoufakis' "And the Weak Suffer What They Must?". I've read one chapter and it seems to be a very good educational book on the economics of the European Union (as he was the chancellor of Greece during the bailout). Talks about the Bretton Woods agreement and why the gold standard was removed from currencies in the 1970's as a "temporary" measure.
I've also bought a book called "The Russian Space Bluff" by Leonid Vladimirov. It's not in print, so all the books available are from the 1970's. And, for some reason, in America. So I've got to wait a month before it arrives. The book talks about the USSR's space achievements and how they were made to look like they were always ahead of the USA, when in fact they were always behind.
About to read Yanis Varoufakis' "And the Weak Suffer What They Must?". I've read one chapter and it seems to be a very good educational book on the economics of the European Union (as he was the chancellor of Greece during the bailout). Talks about the Bretton Woods agreement and why the gold standard was removed from currencies in the 1970's as a "temporary" measure.
I've also bought a book called "The Russian Space Bluff" by Leonid Vladimirov. It's not in print, so all the books available are from the 1970's. And, for some reason, in America. So I've got to wait a month before it arrives. The book talks about the USSR's space achievements and how they were made to look like they were always ahead of the USA, when in fact they were always behind.
"The Player of Games" by Iain M. Banks. On audiobook so excuse me if my spelling of things is totally wrong. Really quite enjoying the worlds he's created, the planet where a perpetual wildfire does laps and the ecology of it has adapted to cope with the pressure is pretty amazing as an idea.
200Plus Club said:
Bought the wife a new book written by Tom Hanks. Looks interesting and I'll pinch it after she's done!
Ditto. However with he kids the Mrs reading has slowed to not even a book a year.... I’ve a number of crackers in her backlog of gifts I’d love to read. When is it ok to start....
Booze hounding it today.
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