What are you currently reading?

[SimonNZ]

and have this ready to start for something lighter:



(the Hagia Sophia seems to be missing a couple of minarets in that cover illustration)

[AnotherSpin]

[..]

(the Hagia Sophia seems to be missing a couple of minarets in that cover illustration)

From the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus, you can see many different mosques. The illustration on the book cover reminded me of the Süleymaniye Mosque.

[Christo]

Reminds me of the Holy Roman Empire... 

No. It reminds you of Voltaire, who in 1756 in his Essais sur les mœurs et l'ésprit des nations famously described the Roman Empire as "Ce corps qui s'appelait, & qui s'appelle encore, le Saint-Empire Romain, n'était en aucune manière, ni saint, ni romain, ni empire." 

[AnotherSpin]

A charming little book by a Belgian author who, beneath a fair bit of cynicism, seems to hide a rather sensitive soul. Or so it struck me, at any rate. Haven't the faintest idea where or how I stumbled across a mention of this author and his delightful book — though there's a fair chance it was here on the forum. In any case, my thanks for the recommendation!

[Christo]

A charming little book by a Belgian author who, beneath a fair bit of cynicism, seems to hide a rather sensitive soul. Or so it struck me, at any rate. Haven't the faintest idea where or how I stumbled across a mention of this author and his delightful book — though there's a fair chance it was here on the forum. In any case, my thanks for the recommendation!

At least the title, for those who do not recognize it, is a reference to James Ensor's famous 1888 painting: The Entry of Christ into Brussels in 1889.

[AnotherSpin]

At least the title, for those who do not recognize it, is a reference to James Ensor's famous 1888 painting: The Entry of Christ into Brussels in 1889.

Actually, that was pretty much the first thing I came across when I started looking up information online about the book and its author. I haven't finished reading it yet, so I can't say for certain whether the author was inspired by Ensor's painting — but the connection seems quite possible.

[ritter]

George D. Painter's biography of Marcel Proust:

[Karl Henning]

Penman of the Founding: A Biography of John Dickinson

I was listening to a podcast last night, and this book's author was the guest. I don't know anything about him apart from his appearances in the musical 1776, and he's basically the villain of the piece. So I decided to give him a fair shot and picked this one up on kindle and audible. Don't know when I will get to it, to be honest. 

Looks toothsome!

[AnotherSpin]

"To him who has had the experience no explanation is necessary, to him who has not, none is possible."

- From Be Here Now by Ram Dass

It seems even those who aren't particularly interested in spiritual journeys to India have at least heard of Ram Dass (Richard Alpert). He was one of the pioneers, and despite a certain old-fashioned feel, his book has retained its freshness and its ability to make a direct, lasting impact.

[SimonNZ]

I really enjoyed that Eric Ambler upthread and will be exploring more of his whenever I feel like a thriller for a change.

But starting now:

[Papy Oli]

Ian Rankin - Knots & Crosses
(Rebus series #1)

Murky, gritty, gripping. Loved it. I bought volumes 1-4 in a Kobo sale so I'll carry on in due course.

[Papy Oli]

Rebus Vol.2

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Plutarch Moralia.

[SimonNZ]

[AnotherSpin]

What can I say... A powerful impression. I can recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the war in Ukraine. This is a work of fiction, not an academic study. Nevertheless, the accuracy and truthfulness of the depiction are deeply striking.

[AnotherSpin]

I'm not quite sure how far I'll get with this book, nor how much of it I'll truly take in — but I'm setting off with a certain quiet curiosity, all the same.

[Karl Henning]

The odd Poe short story. It's been decades since I read most of them, and I'm starting with obscurities of which I remember next to nothing. "Thou Art the Man" and "The Sphinx."

[SimonNZ]

Followed the first book in the Slough House series immediately with the second. Will probably get through much of them in the near future:




And now finally getting around to Tocqueville, which is so far proving a much easier read than I expected:

[ritter]

Leafing this beautifully produced anthology of screenplays (some of which never made it to production) by the "Queen of Cinecittà ", Suso Cecchi d'Amico.



Cecchi d'Amico wrote over one hundred screenplays for the greatest Italian directors of the post-WW2 golden age of Italian cinema —de Sica, Visconti, Blasetti, Antonioni—. She also wrote the libretto for Nino Rota's opera I due timidi, and her husband was the eminent music critic Fedele d'Amico.

[AnotherSpin]

Just started reading. I don't know yet if I'll read it to the end though. Right now I'm adjusting myself to the text.