What are you currently reading?

[Ken B]

Continuing Sherlock Holmes stories. Now tackling The Final Problem...which turned out not to be the final problem after all. Funny how they inserted the line about  "Napoleon of Crime" even in The Great Mouse Detective.

After Holmes, try a few of his "rivals" (as some collections of stories from era were named in the 70s). The best by far are the early Father Brown stories by Chesterton. The Thinking Machine by Futrelle is fun. Free or very cheap on Kindle too.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Also, here's a shocker: I've never read Agatha Christie yet in my entire life!

[Ken B]

Rereading, in bits, the complete mystery stories of Stanley Ellin.

[asin] ASIN: B00L2TDSR0[/asin]

These are utterly fantastic stories. My favourite is the one about the executioner challenged by his son ...

[Ken B]

Also, here's a shocker: I've never read Agatha Christie yet in my entire life!

I have read about 65 of them ... about 50 of them in grades 9 and 10.

The one everyone should read is And Then There Were None.

[NikF]

My childhood reading of that nature was Ellery Queen. Usually Gollancz yellow hardback editions from the local ("Hands clean? Both sides?") public library.

[Ken B]

My childhood reading of that nature was Ellery Queen. Usually Gollancz yellow hardback editions from the local ("Hands clean? Both sides?") public library.

Yeah, I loved those, like the Chinese Orange Mystery, when I was younger. Alas I found EQ doesn't stand up very well to re reading decades later. Conan Doyle does 

[NikF]

Yeah, I loved those, like the Chinese Orange Mystery, when I was younger. Alas I found EQ doesn't stand up very well to re reading decades later. Conan Doyle does 

Funny you should say that about EQ, because although once in a while I like to visit the past I've never been tempted to reread them. And yeah, Conan Doyle is always cool.

[milk]

[Mookalafalas]

My first David Sedaris.  Probably the funniest book I've ever read.  A weird mix of sweet naivete and brutal cynicism.  He treads lightly through dark places and somehow makes poetry out of both mundane and taboo topics.  I look forward to reading the rest of his books, and already dread coming to the end...

[asin]B00FOR2JRQ[/asin]

[MN Dave]

Rebel Buddha for the 2nd time

[NikF]

I recently recommended to someone that they watch Un coeur en hiver by Claude Sautet and then later added the suggestion that Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time should be read too (if you know the Sauter film you'll understand the connection) or at least, the Princess Mary section. Finally, it seemed obvious that if there was interest still that Plato's Symposium could round it all off. The latter is something I feel might be worthwhile for me to read again at this juncture, and so I picked up an old and worn copy in order to not feel guilty about cramming it in my back pocket when out and about.

[milk]

My first David Sedaris.  Probably the funniest book I've ever read.  A weird mix of sweet naivete and brutal cynicism.  He treads lightly through dark places and somehow makes poetry out of both mundane and taboo topics.  I look forward to reading the rest of his books, and already dread coming to the end...

[asin]B00FOR2JRQ[/asin]

Even for those who don't do audiobooks I recommend it for him.

[SimonNZ]

Even for those who don't do audiobooks I recommend it for him.

I heard the audiobook of Me Talk Pretty One Day and loved his voice (which I'd never heard before) and delivery.

What made me especially glad to have "read" it that way was that at one point he talks about doing TV jingles in the voice of Billie Holliday - in a misguided attempt to impress a music teacher - and here we get to appreciate the perfection of his impersonation as he launches into it with gusto.

[milk]

I heard the audiobook of Me Talk Pretty One Day and loved his voice (which I'd never heard before) and delivery.

What made me especially glad to have "read" it that way was that at one point he talks about doing TV jingles in the voice of Billie Holliday - in a misguided attempt to impress a music teacher - and here we get to appreciate the perfection of his impersonation as he launches into it with gusto.

yeah that's funny. He did that on NPR for a Christmas maybe twenty years ago. That's what got me started on him. Some thing about elves and Billy Holiday.

[Brian]

Does Florestan read this thread? A Romanian novel was recently sent to me - The Life and Opinions of Zacharias Lichter, by Matei Calinescu - and I have no idea what to expect from it.

[Florestan]

Does Florestan read this thread?

He does, when he is able to access GMG.

A Romanian novel was recently sent to me - The Life and Opinions of Zacharias Lichter, by Matei Calinescu - and I have no idea what to expect from it.

I haven't read it but I remember it having been praised rather highly by the Romanian literary critics --- which is perhaps unsurprising and doesn't mean much. Bear in mind it was written in 1969 so it probably contains arcane allusions to, and hidden criticism of, the political regime back then. I'll try to read it myself.

[Brian]

He does, when he is able to access GMG.

I haven't read it but I remember it having been praised rather highly by the Romanian literary critics --- which is perhaps unsurprising and doesn't mean much. Bear in mind it was written in 1969 so it probably contains arcane allusions to, and hidden criticism of, the political regime back then. I'll try to read it myself.

Thanks! It is very short, only 140 pages, so I will read the whole book even if it is not good.  will report back to you - hoping that this translation has an introduction for English speakers since the book is indeed subversive.

[Draško]

[NikF]

Today at the gym, reading material while waiting for a bench.

[Brian]

Thanks! It is very short, only 140 pages, so I will read the whole book even if it is not good.  will report back to you - hoping that this translation has an introduction for English speakers since the book is indeed subversive.

So far - after 32 pages - it's not my cup of tea. It's a philosophy parody, and as such the novel has no plot and just one "character" whose job is to have nonsensical metaphysical ideas. (Sample: he believes the devil invented stupidity as revenge on humanity - funny - but the revenge is because he does not exist and is displeased about his nonexistence.)

I got a good laugh at the reveal that Lichter is a beggar, and a smirk from his terrible, terrible poetry, but so far the ratio of one brief reward every 10 pages is not great.