What are you currently reading?

[Artem]

Maybe the best book that I've read this year. Highly recommended for fans of well written artists' biographies.

[kishnevi]

Fetched off Amazon MP

[NikF]

Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler.

[asin]0141182245[/asin]

This was recommended to me by an art student I spent a few days with. She described it "...the most beautiful book I've ever read." So I picked a copy of it up.

[Ken B]

Long ago I saw a movie I thought was great, Cutter's Way. I noted the book and looked for it for ages. Finally it appeared on Kindle, and I bought it.

[asin]ISBN-10: 1852426764[/asin]

This week I got around to reading it. This is a terrific novel, the best I have read this year. It is now 99 cents on Kindle.

[Hollywood]

I'm reading "The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England" by Dan Jones. I love reading books written about my royal ancestors.

[NikF]

The Emperor of Paris by C.S. Richardson.



This was in my unread/half read pile. Maybe I'll find it should have stayed there? Or perhaps not. But I'll give it a try anyway.

[ritter]

Starting this recently published book:

[asin]1784785687[/asin]
So far, it seems quite approchable and very entertaining.

[SimonNZ]

^Michael Dirda, a reviewer I particularly admire and trust, gave that a glowing write-up:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/grand-hotel-abyss-life-among-the-original-anti-consumerists/2016/09/27/db60f46a-84e3-11e6-a3ef-f35afb41797f_story.html?utm_term=.8633f652c0a5

[NikF]

Journey to the End of the Night by Celine.


[asin]1847492401[/asin]

[André]

And your thoughts ?

Voyage was a huge scandal/success when it missed the Goncourt in 1932 (got the Renaudot Prize). Its use of french slang (argot) mixed with very classical (almost never used) verb tenses created a stir. And of course, the subject matter and its treatment were quite novel also, if possibly just a mutation of Zola's preoccupations.

[NikF]

And your thoughts ?

Voyage was a huge scandal/success when it missed the Goncourt in 1932 (got the Renaudot Prize). Its use of french slang (argot) mixed with very classical (almost never used) verb tenses created a stir. And of course, the subject matter and its treatment were quite novel also, if possibly just a mutation of Zola's preoccupations.

I can't get my head around it yet. Quite often it can take a long time for me to understand what I've read.
Having said that, the intial and most immediate impact was from the misanthropy - layers and layers of it - and disenchantment with life in general, although I felt that was sometimes the result of a kind of super honesty or a lack of illusion. Also, Henry Miller came to mind quite often and I wasn't prepared for that. Finally, it's yet another book I wish I could read in the original language.

Thanks for posting your own opinion and insights. I like to know what others think about a work.

[Karl Henning]

I spent 7 years working in retail. I'll never complain about a long Starbucks line again.

[NikF]

Elective Affinities by Goethe.

[asin]0199555362[/asin]

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.

[asin]0575077336[/asin]

This year when it comes to Xmas I don't want to play. So I'm going away for a few days to avoid it. These books are accompanying me.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Elective Affinities by Goethe.

[asin]0199555362[/asin]

Always wanted to read that one. Maybe one day... I've read that some of the material of Elective affinities was planned to appear in Wilhelm Meister's journeyman years (which I am still reading) or vice versa.

[NikF]

Always wanted to read that one. Maybe one day... I've read that some of the material of Elective affinities was planned to appear in Wilhelm Meister's journeyman years (which I am still reading) or vice versa.

Sadly, I'd never heard of the journeyman years until now. What do you think of it?

I'm certainly looking forward to reading Elective Affinities. I've also a copy of Italian Journey and I considered taking that with me, but Elective Affinities was so strongly recommended.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Journeyman years includes dry text at times, even by Goethe's standards. Mostly I however think very highly of it. It is a sequel to more well-known Wilhelm Meister's apprenticeship, so-called Bildungsromans both in which character development is essential and that's what I like. Like with Faust preferring the latter part, so far Journeyman years seems more interesting than apprenticeship, which although I liked, was a bit too dry to my taste at points. I encounter it in journeyman years and both Faust parts too. I wonder if Goethe was getting a bit senile?

[NikF]

Journeyman years includes dry text at times, even by Goethe's standards. Mostly I however think very highly of it. It is a sequel to more well-known Wilhelm Meister's apprenticeship, so-called Bildungsromans both in which character development is essential and that's what I like. Like with Faust preferring the latter part, so far Journeyman years seems more interesting than apprenticeship, which although I liked, was a bit too dry to my taste at points. I encounter it in journeyman years and both Faust parts too. I wonder if Goethe was getting a bit senile?

I'm not very well read at all, but you've made that sound interesting. Thanks. And I hope you are eventually able to get around to reading Elective Affinities. 

[Jaakko Keskinen]

I'm not very well read at all, but you've made that sound interesting. Thanks. And I hope you are eventually able to get around to reading Elective Affinities. 

You're welcome. Thanks likewise. 

[stingo]

Slogging through (just over halfway) The Tin Drum by Guenter Grass. I know the writing is good, but I just can't get into the story or the characters.

[Drasko]

in Serbian translation