What are you currently reading?

[M forever]

This is a real new Tolkien book, not a history or fragment like most of the other posthumous material.  Set in the first age it is about the tragic hero, Turin and is a worthy addition to Hobbit, LOTR & the Simarillion (the story of Turin is in this book in a very brief historical narrative form)

If that's a new book, why did it not come out earlier? Tolkien has been dead for a long time. Maybe it took Christopher Tolkien a while to write, uh, I mean, "edit" the book.

[mn dave]

[Cato]

Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy.  My failure to read the entire work came back to me during my miserable days in January, after the death of my mother.  And as a classicist it is something that I should have read in toto years ago.

It alternates between poems and dialogues: the main character speaks with a personification of Philosophy.  The poems act as a kind of Greek chorus, sometimes at least.

If you believe we are in a declining era, Alexandrine or Honorian, Boethius offers some solace.

[Maciek]

Sorry to hear about your mother's death, Cato.

Well, well, well. Sapkowski in English?

Do you like it? I've never read any, but I seem to be one of the three people in this country.

[mn dave]

Do you like it? I've never read any, but I seem to be one of the three people in this country.

It's well done for what it is: A guy running around, killing monsters. 

[Thekherham]

Seabiscuit


Two thumbs up!

[mozartsneighbor]

Philip Roth -- after 4 books of his, this latest one being the best, I am starting to think this man will in the future be talked about in the same breath as Thomas Mann, Nabokov, and other greats. This is not a type of comment I make easily, but damn, he's good! Nobel prize people, wake the f*** up!


Unlike Murakami and other Japanese writers that are quite Westernized, Kawabata's aesthetics are solidly Japanese. So, it can be a little uncomfortable getting into his idiom at first, though the style is limpid. Very good overall. Makes me want to read more of his books.


The Austrians -- A 1000 Year Odyssey. I have been living here almost 1 year now, so I figured this book about Austrian history/identity was useful reading. The Austrians do have a very interesting and complex history. The book is quite good, but difficult if you don't have a good grounding in European history -- which fortunately I do.

[Maciek]

Roth is the first (and so far - the only) living writer to be published by Library of America (IIRC). Which is quite an accomplishment.

[Lilas Pastia]

I'm finished with the Gallimard edition of Plato's Dialogues. First time I ever read Socrates' discourses, what he was after, and how he pursued it. Brilliant, if sometimes obtuse and verbose (that's the exception, though). For a total contrast, I'm reading some Maupassant short stories. Tales of late 19th century Vieille France. Charming, chilling and surprisingly disturbing.

[M forever]

Does that book have pictures?

[Lilas Pastia]

Only on the cover. Some kind of pastel picturing La petite Roque. She appears to be elfin thin, contrary to the story's depiction of her as a slightly fleshy 12 year old with budding breasts. You can't even trust book covers, these days  .

[M forever]

Not really "reading" this, but it is a book, and I am listening to it when I drive longer stretches. I don't like to listen to music when I am driving because of all the accompanying noise, and it distracts me too much, and I had thought about trying audio books for a while. So I just walked into a bookstore and looked around, found this which is the sequel to "The Pillars of the Earth" which I had read and found quite good, exactly the kind of relaxing entertainment that I was looking for for that purpose, so I got it and it really is fun to listen to and makes long drives much less long. The actor who is reading it, a gentleman named John Lee, is really good at bringing the story and the characters alive.

[ezodisy]

Unlike Murakami and other Japanese writers that are quite Westernized, Kawabata's aesthetics are solidly Japanese. So, it can be a little uncomfortable getting into his idiom at first, though the style is limpid. Very good overall. Makes me want to read more of his books.

I read this some years ago and I agree it's very good -- limpid is the right word. I came to him through the Oxford book of Japanese short stories which is outstanding.

[Renfield]

The recent Nobel made me curious; and very thankfully so.

[PSmith08]

I'm continuing my slog through Thomas Mann. I set aside Buddenbrooks to read Doktor Faustus, so I'm back to the former with an eye toward Joseph und seine Brüder next. I suppose I'll have to get around to Felix Krull, but I am very sure I'll need a little break after Joseph.

[rubio]

Hemingway, the master of the art of simplicity was IMO never better than in his novels. His nature descriptions are so life-like and evidently he was inspired by painters like Cezanne.

[val]

THUCYDIDES:   History of the Peloponnesian War

One of the greatest works of History of all times. We read it with the same enthusiasm as if he was describing a war in our time.

[karlhenning]

The Intrepid Soprano: Thirteen ways of looking at last week

[Philoctetes]

Currently Reading:
The Royal Family by Vollmann
Simply stunning in its density.

Men as Women, Women as Men by Lang
Alight, thus far. It will at least give me some new look information.

Iron John by Bly
Not as striking as when I first read it, disappointing even. As time progresses.

[Kullervo]

Starting The Man Without Qualities Vol. 2 after finishing the first volume today.

I feel like I should say a few words about it, but it is so staggeringly huge in scope that casual comments seem lazy and inappropriate — and I don't get paid enough to write reviews. Plus, it's not like anyone other than one poster here in particular is interested in what I have to say. But all this could just be an excuse not to be bothered with the internet as my connection is being very unreliable, so I will leave comments to a minimum (for now).