What are you currently reading?

[DavidW]

I see it as sort of a 20th Century War and Peace.

I've heard that and it is has been on my wishlist for at least a year but my tbr pile is quite long.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Andrei, great recommendations! I read excellent reviews on Amazon. I will get the copies.

Yes, so many excellent authors in Russia. While not mentioned much here, I like Gogol, Pushkin, Chekhov and Maxim Gorky as well.  I even named my dog "Chekhov."  When I was a child, I always liked (translated) children's books written by Soviet authors.  There were books of Asian, European, and American stories as well, ie. Huckleberry Finn.  But the Soviet stories were always my favorite. They were modern, cool, and non-childish.

Confession: When I was a teenager, Tolstoy, as well as Hesse and Stendhal, was my favorite author. I don't care his works much anymore..

Now reading Nevsky Street and others by Gogol.

[The new erato]

Neil McGregor's Germany- Memoirs of a Nation.

Currently the most important and interesting European country. Fascinating book.

[vers la flamme]

I finished Slaughterhouse-Five and another Vonnegut novel related to World War 2 and the Nazis, Mother Night. A good read but not nearly as good as Slaughterhouse-Five, and perhaps not as good as I remember it (first read it back in high school). Those are the only two Vonnegut I still have copies of. I'm going to try and get some of the other classic ones, Cat's Cradle especially I have been meaning to reread.

Now reading another by James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room. So far so good...

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Sons and Lovers. D. H. Lawrence.
Beautiful story with sensual and psychological aspects. I m a big fan of Lawrence.

[Jo498]

I finished Slaughterhouse-Five and another Vonnegut novel related to World War 2 and the Nazis, Mother Night. A good read but not nearly as good as Slaughterhouse-Five, and perhaps not as good as I remember it (first read it back in high school). Those are the only two Vonnegut I still have copies of. I'm going to try and get some of the other classic ones, Cat's Cradle especially I have been meaning to reread.

I don't know "Mother Night", but of the handful I read, my Vonnegut favorite is "Cat's Cradle"; my odd favorite among the lesser known ones is a more traditional SciFi story "The Sirens of Titan". (Admittedly, I read all these probably in my late 20s around 2000 I have not re-read them since.)
Your timing was spot on as the anniversary of the Dresden bombing was just a few days ago. Interestingly, when Vonnegut wrote his book in the 60s, the official number was around 300k deaths, so Vonnegut claimed it was the worst massacre in history (because the atomic bombs each killed a smaller number immediately, although more due to the later deaths from radiation). This number was apparently exaggerated, it has been corrected many times, only downwards, and now we are at about 30k... go figure...

[vers la flamme]

Sons and Lovers. D. H. Lawrence.
Beautiful story with sensual and psychological aspects. I m a big fan of Lawrence.

Ah, that's the copy I have. I've been meaning to read it for about a year but haven't gotten around to it.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Ah, that's the copy I have. I've been meaning to read it for about a year but haven't gotten around to it.

Somehow very English (and very good). I like the fact that the story is about a blue-collar family and the people are depicted as sensitive, delicate, and refined.
In contrast, the people in Sholokhov's Quiet Don are rough, violent and vulgar. I like it as well.

[Biffo]

I have been bingeing on Raymond Chandler - The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, The Long Goodbye and just finished The High Window. I bought most of his works in paperback around thirty years ago and read several of them more than once. I have started reading them again on Kindle and greatly enjoying them.

[steve ridgway]

Carl Zimmer - A Planet Of Viruses.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Carl Zimmer - A Planet Of Viruses.

Looks very interesting. I have a few books about bacteria but not virus, and have been looking for a book on the subject.
Though bacteria help the people and earth tremendously, I don't know much contributions by virus.
Perhaps they make us strong?

[steve ridgway]

Looks very interesting. I have a few books about bacteria but not virus, and have been looking for a book on the subject.
Though bacteria help the people and earth tremendously, I don't know much contributions by virus.
Perhaps they make us strong?

It's a small volume of short essays so I might be able to comment more next week, but has already suggested that viral and bacterial infections in childhood may be protective against immune disorders later in life.

[ritter]

I had seen the film (who hasn't), but hadn't read the novella it's based on, Colette's Gigi.


I had read a couple of Colette's Claudine books years ago, and found them wonderfully funny. Gigi is bittersweet (much more so than the musical adaptation), full of melancholy, but also a sharp take on the position of women of a certain class and time in France. A pleasure to read. Let's see how the other short stories in the collection are.

And no, the Maurice Chevalier character in not in the book, and there's no "Thank heavens for little girls". 

[vers la flamme]

Patti Smith, Just Kids



Just started it. So far so good.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

 Colette's short stories sound very interesting. I will look for a book.

I had seen the film (who hasn't), but hadn't read the novella it's based on, Colette's Gigi.


I had read a couple of Colette's Claudine books years ago, and found them wonderfully funny. Gigi is bittersweet (much more so than the musical adaptation), full of melancholy, but also a sharp take on the position of women of a certain class and time in France. A pleasure to read. Let's see how the other short stories in the collection are.

And no, the Maurice Chevalier character in not in the book, and there's no "Thank heavens for little girls". 

[steve ridgway]

Looks very interesting. I have a few books about bacteria but not virus, and have been looking for a book on the subject.
Though bacteria help the people and earth tremendously, I don't know much contributions by virus.
Perhaps they make us strong?

I've finished it now. Quite an easy reading introduction to the subject. I may have to move on to something a bit more complicated next.

[SonicMan46]

WOW - I've not posted here in a while but still reading a LOT of non-fiction books, most on my iPad but also some physical books (still like the feel and smell of books!) - pic below are some recent books on my iPad (probably going back to mid-2020), all read except the top 2 left - SO, need to consider some new additions; probably also read half that amount as 'real' books, again rather varied topics. Dave

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Ravenna looks very interesting! I will get a copy.

WOW - I've not posted here in a while but still reading a LOT of non-fiction books, most on my iPad but also some physical books (still like the feel and smell of books!) - pic below are some recent books on my iPad (probably going back to mid-2020), all read except the top 2 left - SO, need to consider some new additions; probably also read half that amount as 'real' books, again rather varied topics. Dave

I saw the reviews on Amazon. I must buy the book.

Carl Zimmer - A Planet Of Viruses.

[steve ridgway]

I've now started Molecular Biology Of The Cell. Got the 2002 edition for my wife last summer from a charity bookshop where you donate what you feel like, but she found it heavy going.

[vers la flamme]

Still working on Just Kids, but I've also started another Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater. This is one I have not read before. So far, so good.