Topic: What are you currently reading?

[Danny]

A wonderfully fair and seemingly unbiased account of the Society of Jesus.

[Florestan]

Henryk Sienkiewicz

With Fire and Sword

Captivating after the first two pages.

[Maciek]

Henryk Sienkiewicz

With Fire and Sword

Captivating after the first two pages.

Wow! I didn't think anyone outside Poland read that!

[Florestan]

Wow! I didn't think anyone outside Poland read that!

Well, I've just finished Bez dogmatu and Wyri (Romanian translations, of course).

The Deluge wil be next!

Na zdrowie!

[Maciek]

Wiry

And that is a book even in Poland hardly anyone reads! (It hasn't had a reedition in ages - understandable during the communist era but now?)

You've really impressed me, Florestan! Guess it's time to start getting to know Romanian literature...

[Anne]

I am reading How We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland, a surgeon who also teaches (or did teach) surgery at Yale U (First Vintage Books Edition 1995 - copyright 1993).  When the book first appeared, there was praise for it because it was written by a physician.

Years later I am finally reading it and find it fascinating.  I think it would be especially helpful to read when no one in the family is ill with terminal illness.  One has time to absorb the info without being emotionally involved as when a close relative or close friend were very ill.

Nuland does not talk down to the reader but nevertheless offers much info to be digested. In addition his writing style is very interesting and readable.

He covers congestive heart failure, how the heart operates and what causes it to fail, how old age brings on death,  Alzheimer's disease, great pain and the body's production of endorphins (I am can attest to that as I fell on concrete 2 years ago shattering my elbow.  There was no pain all the way to the ER.  In surgery a screw and pin were inserted in the joint.)  Dr. Nuland also covers AIDS and cancer.

The book very straight forwardly tells what happens in the body as a result of outside influences.  It points no finger, just gives the facts.  One can feel Nuland's compassion for victims but in no way is it melodramatic.
The book contains 269 pages which I like so much that I am reading until after midnight each night.

[SonicMan46]

I am reading How We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland, a surgeon who also teaches (or did teach) surgery at Yale U (First Vintage Books Edition 1995 - copyright 1993).  When the book first appeared, there was praise for it because it was written by a physician....................

Anne - thanks for your excellent review!  For those interested, a pic is shown below (CLICK on the image for reviews from the Amazonians - just as 'glowing' as Anne's comments).  I'm one of the physicians on the GMG Forum (Professor of Radiology, WFU School of Medicine in North Carolina) - I must say that my most 'emotional & traumatic, but often personally rewarding' learning experiences as a doctor was in my internship (done in Medicine, thus a lot of chronic diseases); some of the more dramatic experiences occurred on my rotations on the 'Oncology-Hematology' services; in fact, my first night on call (a long weekend) was on that service (just graduated from the U of Michigan; huge school & the students were often 'isolated' from these experiences); well, 3 patients 'died' during the night from various types of 'cancers' - I had to talk to each of the families; one death was a teenage boy w/ leukemia - I still remember that day after 35 years - thanks for the memories - 

[Harvested Sorrow]

Well, upon finishing The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov (a translation) which was excellent I may add, I've decided to start something short as my 'side reading'....Fahrenheit 451 which is my first experience with Bradbury.  Afterwards I realized for just how long I've been planning on going back to the Dune series 'next' and rushed through it quickly so I could use Dune Messiah as my side reading (started yesterday, finished it today which leaves room open).  What an excellent work!  That book is definitely a lesson in taking being politically correct and attempting to please everyone/keep everyone happy and censorship to an extreme and the negative effects it can have.  I must admit, I found the section where he described the editing of four hundred short stories into one volume for elementary school very, very, VERY painful, though (this is the fiftieth anniversary edition).  Also, between Bulgakov's work with it's multiple references to Faust and the fact that the Nicholas Boyle biography of Goethe I'm reading is fast approaching Faust I believe I'll be 'forced' into reading that soon, since I would rather read it *before* starting on a step-by-step analysis of its history, character development, etc. so I believe I'll soon be dropping Goethe: The Poet and His Age: Poetry Of Desire while I read Faust.  Oh, the horror.   I'm also working on (albeit, slowly) Power, Faith, and Fantasy as mentioned earlier and it's great.

[Anne]

Anne - thanks for your excellent review!  For those interested, a pic is shown below (CLICK on the image for reviews from the Amazonians - just as 'glowing' as Anne's comments).  I'm one of the physicians on the GMG Forum (Professor of Radiology, WFU School of Medicine in North Carolina) - I must say that my most 'emotional & traumatic, but often personally rewarding' learning experiences as a doctor was in my internship (done in Medicine, thus a lot of chronic diseases); some of the more dramatic experiences occurred on my rotations on the 'Oncology-Hematology' services; in fact, my first night on call (a long weekend) was on that service (just graduated from the U of Michigan; huge school & the students were often 'isolated' from these experiences); well, 3 patients 'died' during the night from various types of 'cancers' - I had to talk to each of the families; one death was a teenage boy w/ leukemia - I still remember that day after 35 years - thanks for the memories - 

Glad to be of help!  Thanks for the nice compliments.  Incidently we have more in common than you know.  I am from Traverse City, Michigan and am presently staying at my daughter's in Lansing.  Our other daughter and husband recently moved to North Carolina and live in Wilmington.

[Solitary Wanderer]

This is an excellent resource book. I've bought many of their recommendations and haven't hit a dud yet.



This is excellent too. Its very dense reading with a tonne of historical and technical musical details but throughly worthwhile when learning each symphony.



And this; I didn't realize how bleak Sinatras final years were. Interesting insights from a Sinatra kids perspective. They don't seem to like wife #4.

[SonicMan46]

Glad to be of help!  Thanks for the nice compliments.  Incidently we have more in common than you know.  I am from Traverse City, Michigan and am presently staying at my daughter's in Lansing.  Our other daughter and husband recently moved to North Carolina and live in Wilmington.

Anne - hmmm, quite a coincidence ('small world', as they say!); did my 'medical internship' in Winston-Salem at Wake Forest Medical Center (where the experiences I described occurred).  I grew up in Toledo & southern Michigan - my 100% Irish grandmother was born on Beaver Island in upper Lake Michigan in the late 1880s (assume you know the reference - use to take a ferry from Charlevoix to get to the island to see relatives).  Wife & I alternate trips between the NC-VA mountains & coastal NC-Georgia, but one of our favorite places is Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington - closest drive for us to the Atlantic since I-40 ends about 10 mins from the beach!  We go there about twice a year.  Indeed, we do have a lot in common -

[Anne]

Yes, I do know about Beaver Island.  I didn't make this up now... but my grandmother was Irish on my mother's side of the family (Boyd) (my mother has red hair and freckles).  It was very nice meeting you.

[Harry]

Charlotte Bronte, by Rebecca Fraser

Fascinating reading material.

[Haffner]

John Irving's The World According to Garp and Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth, both are good books so far, but im biased towards Irving.

I first read the Irving in the '70's, and remain amazed by it today. Portnoy's Complaint was often brilliant, but too often scatological. Again, it's just my opinion.

Currently reading "Wagner's Operas" by Newman and (re-reading) the fantastic "What to Listen for in Music" by Maestro Aaron Copland.

[Haffner]

I am in a very low-key re-reading of Crime & Punishment.  Although, on one hand, I am finding it brilliantly written, and I could simply stay up all night and finish it off . . . I am allowing it to breathe, and I do savor it.

Reminds me of my approach to all of Dostoesvsky's incomparable works  .

[SonicMan46]

 

This is excellent too. Its very dense reading with a tonne of historical and technical musical details but throughly worthwhile when learning each symphony.

Yes, I have both of the books above & agree w/ your comments; the Rough Guide is a nice intro-type book - usually will 'spotlight' a single recommendation, but often quite good ones, as mentioned.  Steinberg also has a concerto book, and the writing can be long & 'dense' as you say (and somewhat 'difficult' for me being a non-musician) - believe many are based on his program notes written for concerts.   

[Solitary Wanderer]

Yes, I have the Concerto book as well which is also excellent. I too find it a dificult read but worthwhile. I usually read his essay for each piece several times and it eventually sinks in  I believe he also has a Choral book but I don't have that one yet.

[SonicMan46]

Yes, I have the Concerto book as well which is also excellent. I too find it a dificult read but worthwhile. I usually read his essay for each piece several times and it eventually sinks in  I believe he also has a Choral book but I don't have that one yet.

Yes, the choral book is a more recent release (shown below, and published in 2005) - just one 4/5* review from Amazon - main criticism was the 'omission' of certain works (BIG 'personal' choices in this area, since the book is not that long, 336 pages); I have Melvin Berger's older book below, Guide to Choral Masterpieces: A Listener's Guide (similar length - would love an update which is longer - I have a lot of choral CDs, and many are missing - probably also so w/ the Steinberg book, I would guess) - 

 

[Anne]

I have the Steinberg Choral Masterworks if anyone has any questions.

[George]

I have the Steinberg Choral Masterworks if anyone has any questions.

Why is the sky blue?