What are you currently reading?

Started by facehugger, April 07, 2007, 12:36:10 AM

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Mandryka, Ganondorf and 8 Guests are viewing this topic.

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Schopenhauer: A Biography. David E. Cartwright.



 

Florestan

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on June 24, 2022, 10:14:55 AM
Schopenhauer: A Biography. David E. Cartwright.

 

I'm a Christian (Eastern Orthodox) yet Schopenhauer is one of my philosophical heroes.

Have you read this?



Highly recommended.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Ganondorf



First read.

Also about halfway through Zola's L'assommoir now. Whenever I go to the library, I just can't put it down. It's awesome. Maybe I should have borrowed it, despite having way too many books already going on at the same time.

DizzyD

I love Old and Middle English. I've been reading here and there in this edition of the poems of the "Gawain Poet":

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

#11984
Quote from: Florestan on June 25, 2022, 09:09:20 AM
I'm a Christian (Eastern Orthodox) yet Schopenhauer is one of my philosophical heroes.

Have you read this?



Highly recommended.

Yes, I love both the books.
Schopenhauer influenced Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Erwin Schrödinger, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Leo Tolstoy,  Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, Marcel Proust, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, etc. After reading S for first time, Wagner had to abandon the work he was working on, and his subsequent works were greatly influenced by S. 

If Darwin had published the Origin of Species a few years earlier, it would have massively changed the final edition of S's WWR.

aligreto

#11985
Priestly: Low Notes on a High Level





This is a light read. It is also quite amusing, charming and entertaining. It is filled with larger than life characters and is narrated by quite a deadpan and self deprecating voice. A world famous composer has just finished his tenth symphony. He sends the score to the conductor of the English Broadcasting Orchestra. This conductor character rather reminds me of a Thomas Beecham character. While perusing the score it is discovered that an obbligato passage is written for a unique base bass instrument which must be played by the inventor. This instrument was invented by an inventor friend of the composer who happens to live in London. However, when the inventor is contacted he refuses, point blank, to have anything to do with the plans. And it all revolves around a game of cards! Wonderful stuff!

LKB

Just started Stephen Brusatte's The Rise and Reign of the Mammals. I've had high expectations since reading his first book, and so far, so good...
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...

aligreto

André Gide: La Symphonie Pastorale





This is a short novel in two parts. In Part I a Pastor is called to the house of a dying woman. There he finds a girl, a niece of the dead woman, who is blind and has basically been abandoned in surroundings of dire poverty. The girl is non communicative and helpless. The Pastor decides to take her home with him rather than let her end up in the workhouse. The Pastor is married with children. There is much resistance from most of his family to the introduction and integration of the girl into the family circle, particularly from his wife. The Pastor succeeds in helping the girl by educating her and she is finally accepted by his children but not by his wife. The Pastor succeeds in transforming the quality of life of the girl but ultimately faces the dilemma that he has fallen in love with the girl. The outcome of the story is teased out in Part II to its tragic conclusion. I enjoyed reading the story.

Spotted Horses

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold.



A short novel which tells of the slaughter of the central character in plain sight. The murders told everyone they met of their intentions to commit the crime, apparently hoping that someone would stop them. It didn't work. Mesmerizing, in the manner of most books by this author.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Quote from: Spotted Horses on June 30, 2022, 08:37:53 AM
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold.



A short novel which tells of the slaughter of the central character in plain sight. The murders told everyone they met of their intentions to commit the crime, apparently hoping that someone would stop them. It didn't work. Mesmerizing, in the manner of most books by this author.

Nice. The movie is excellent too. I have visited Marquez's house in Cartagena a few times.

SimonNZ

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on June 30, 2022, 11:08:10 AM
Nice. The movie is excellent too. I have visited Marquez's house in Cartagena a few times.

Huh. I was unaware of this. Thanks for the heads-up.



And directed by Francisco Rosi, who made that great film of Carmen.

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Quote from: SimonNZ on June 30, 2022, 12:44:15 PM
Huh. I was unaware of this. Thanks for the heads-up.



And directed by Francisco Rosi, who made that great film of Carmen.

You will like it. His movie adaptation of Christ Stopped At Eboli by Carlo Levi is great as well.

Karl Henning

Re-reading chapter VI of our Cato's present work-in-progress.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

vers la flamme

Quote from: Spotted Horses on June 30, 2022, 08:37:53 AM
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold.



A short novel which tells of the slaughter of the central character in plain sight. The murders told everyone they met of their intentions to commit the crime, apparently hoping that someone would stop them. It didn't work. Mesmerizing, in the manner of most books by this author.

I loved that book when I read it last year. Not surprised at all that you enjoyed it, as it reminded me a bit of the Faulkner novels that I was reading around the same time.

Dry Brett Kavanaugh


DavidW

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on July 01, 2022, 03:28:31 PM
A book by Mark Manson.




Thoughts? Seems like it could be either profound or the usual self improvement schlock.

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Quote from: DavidW on July 01, 2022, 03:35:50 PM
Thoughts? Seems like it could be either profound or the usual self improvement schlock.

Nice book. Imo, its an old wine in new bottle- a new wave Stoics/Skeptics. Good writing skills and enjoyable read though.

DavidW

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on July 01, 2022, 03:42:58 PM
Nice book. Imo, its an old wine in new bottle- a new wave Stoics/Skeptics. Good writing skills and enjoyable read though.

I might check it out then.

LKB

Quote from: aligreto on June 28, 2022, 04:36:51 AM
Priestly: Low Notes on a High Level





This is a light read. It is also quite amusing, charming and entertaining. It is filled with larger than life characters and is narrated by quite a deadpan and self deprecating voice. A world famous composer has just finished his tenth symphony. He sends the score to the conductor of the English Broadcasting Orchestra. This conductor character rather reminds me of a Thomas Beecham character. While perusing the score it is discovered that an obbligato passage is written for a unique base instrument which must be played by the inventor. This instrument was invented by an inventor friend of the composer who happens to live in London. However, when the inventor is contacted he refuses, point blank, to have anything to do with the plans. And it all revolves around a game of cards! Wonderful stuff!

Regarding the text I've bolded, l assume you mean " bass "? ( Though I've certainly heard a few base instruments in my time... )
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...

aligreto

Quote from: LKB on July 01, 2022, 09:45:02 PM
Regarding the text I've bolded, l assume you mean " bass "? ( Though I've certainly heard a few base instruments in my time... )

Yes, indeed. Thank you for the correction.
Although, as you say, it might also be referred to as a "base" instrument.  ;D