What are you currently reading?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Thanks my friend. I ordered Makioka Sisters. Might also order this short story collection.

Nice choice.
It seems to me, the Gourmet Club is a solid collection of short stories. I find it funny that a renowned, well-respected university press published these twisted stories. 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

My planned reading over the Christmas period is this collection of Charles Dickens' Christmas Stories:

Do you have the books with these covers? They are gorgeous and elegant. Nice color as well.

[aligreto]

Do you have the books with these covers? They are gorgeous and elegant. Nice color as well.

Yes I do. I have most of that particular collection. The photo below is a stock photo but the collection would look like this on the shelf

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Yes I do. I have most of that particular collection. The photo below is a stock photo but the collection would look like this on the shelf

They are elegant. I am certain that your library looks great!

[aligreto]

They are elegant. I am certain that your library looks great!

Not particularly, to be honest. It is in my attic which also stores my vinyl, my CD collection, my wife's treasures and miscellaneous junk. We have been trying to declutter over the last few years, including books. It is slow but we have made an impact. Getting rid of the books is difficult though. But once we have decided that we will not read one again it now goes to a charity shop.

[André]

A few days ago I embarked on re-re-re-reading Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain in a new translation in French by Claire de Oliveira. The 'received' translation by Maurice Betz has reigned unchallenged for close to a century. I've compared a few pages and the differences are noticeable. Gone are the quaint syntactic peculiarities (Betz' own way to translate Mann's notoriously idiosyncratic german sentences) that sometimes made for slightly weird results. The pacing of the narrative is more fluid, which certainly helps to move along. I object however to some aspects like the intrusion of the infamous contemporary 'du coup' (as a result, consequently, hence, etc). It jars and slightly cheapens the literary value of the text. Still, as masterpieces go, Mann's magnum opus takes some beating. Against all odds given the subject matter it's a real page turner.

[SonicMan46]

The Bright Ages (December 2021) by Matthew Gabriele and David Perry - just released and a 'new look' at the history of medieval Europe which the authors have called not the dark but the bright ages - I've been reading medieval history for a long time and have a number of video courses - a LOT went on over that approximate 1,000 year period (the dates I like, of course arguably, are 476 CE for the beginning when the last emperor in Rome was deposed by invading ruffians and 1453 CE when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire). Just about a third done and enjoyable.

A Short History of Humanity: A New History of Old Europe (April 2021) by Johannes Krause and Thomas Trappe - just finished the book on Neanderthal Man by Svante Päabo who with his 'team' sequenced the genome of the extinct human ancestor; Krause is one of his students and updates the last 10 years of the genetic history of ancient 'humans' in Europe and the Near East.  Just getting started - Dave

 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

For those who are interested, an interview article with Hamaguchi, a director of Drive My Car- a movie based on Haruki Murakami's novel with the same title.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-12-20/drive-my-car-explained-ryusuke-hamaguchi-interview

[André]

For those who are interested, an interview article with Hamaguchi, a director of Drive My Car- a movie based on Haruki Murakami's novel with the same title.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-12-20/drive-my-car-explained-ryusuke-hamaguchi-interview

Thanks for the link. An in-depth interview indeed. I was planning to watch the movie if it is offered on line.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Thanks for the link. An in-depth interview indeed. I was planning to watch the movie if it is offered on line.

My pleasure, Andre. Have a great week!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The Bright Ages (December 2021) by Matthew Gabriele and David Perry - just released and a 'new look' at the history of medieval Europe which the authors have called not the dark but the bright ages - I've been reading medieval history for a long time and have a number of video courses - a LOT went on over that approximate 1,000 year period (the dates I like, of course arguably, are 476 CE for the beginning when the last emperor in Rome was deposed by invading ruffians and 1453 CE when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire). Just about a third done and enjoyable.

A Short History of Humanity: A New History of Old Europe (April 2021) by Johannes Krause and Thomas Trappe - just finished the book on Neanderthal Man by Svante Päabo who with his 'team' sequenced the genome of the extinct human ancestor; Krause is one of his students and updates the last 10 years of the genetic history of ancient 'humans' in Europe and the Near East.  Just getting started - Dave

 

Dave, do you agree w the bright ages thesis?

[SimonNZ]

I was going to say that a recent episode of the Rest Is History podcast had that author on, but looking now I see it was the author of a similar book called not "Bright" but The Light Ages.

[JBS]

Dave, do you agree w the bright ages thesis?

If I understand it correctly, the book's thesis is not particularly controversial. I learned about the Carolingian Renaissance when I was in college 40 years ago, for instance. It's more a matter of popular culture never quite catching up to the academic scholarship.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Well, the author is a legit guy- professor of Virginia Tech. But it is not from an academic publisher.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Thousand Cranes (Senba Zuru), Yasunari Kawabata.
Art of space and unsaid.

[SonicMan46]

If I understand it correctly, the book's thesis is not particularly controversial. I learned about the Carolingian Renaissance when I was in college 40 years ago, for instance. It's more a matter of popular culture never quite catching up to the academic scholarship.

I was going to say that a recent episode of the Rest Is History podcast had that author on, but looking now I see it was the author of a similar book called not "Bright" but The Light Ages.

Dave, do you agree w the bright ages thesis?

Thanks Guys for the comments on Bright Ages - having been fascinated with this approximate 1000 year period in history, the 'Dark Ages' is certainly a misnomer as if nothing much happened when the truth is the opposite.  This was a complex story over the those many centuries - I'm about half way through the book and the authors are highlighting these events and history - some 'new' personalities to me are introduced but much is going to be well known to those who have a knowledge of the era - much is a re-hash for me so far (and don't expect many surprises w/ the rest of the book), BUT for someone unfamiliar and un-read in this history will be rewarded in reading the book.  Dave

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Nice explanation, Dave. I will get the book!

[ritter]

Starting Albert Camus' Le Mythe de Sisyphe.

[SimonNZ]

Started:



"A History of Histories: Epics, Chronicles, Romances and Inquiries from Herodotus and Thucydides to the Twentieth Century"

Superb. Had me up until 2am last night.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

That looks very interesting.  I think I'll get a copy of that.

I'm currently re-reading this, after seeing the author on PBS America reminded me how good it is:

I added both the books to my Amazon wish list.