What are you currently reading?

[Sergeant Rock]

That looks fascinating.

It is a fascinating read because he's a fascinating character who was both reviled (for good reasons) and loved (for good reasons). Almost everything that was said about him, the good and the bad, was true. He embodied a shocking personality dichotomy: he was an adulterer, murderer, racist, bigot. He was vain, pompous but women loved and respected him (even as he openly fucked around on them). He was very wealthy and spared himself no expense but he was also unbelievably generous to those less fortunate. He was courageous (he didn't balk at the insane order to charge) but he disdained intellect and intelligence as beneath a gentleman. He wasn't impressed by military experience and competence. His officers hated him; his men loved him.  He believed in duty as an Englishman and didn't shirk his.

Sarge

[karlhenning]

Re-reading (together with an old Wooster classmate) The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War by Alexander Waugh (Evelyn's grandson, and a talented writer, and a keen mind, in his own right):

[asin]0307278727[/asin]

[ibanezmonster]

Re giving up: After reading over 600 pages of Umbert Eco's incomprehensible "Foucaults Pendulum" I gave up with about 50 pages left, and haven't regretted it one day.

I just had to look at this book to see what you meant. I browsed through it and it seems roughly Ulysess-level (this observation based on first glance).

So, according to this here,  Finnigan's Wake is the most difficult book to read.


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006042519695

"riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs. Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passencore rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor had topsawyer's rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselse to Laurens County's gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe to
tauftauf thuartpeatrick: not yet, though venissoon after, had a kidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet, though all's fair in vanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot a peck of pa's malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory end to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface."

Um... half of those words aren't even on my online popup dictionary. Has anyone here actually read this book and understood it?

[Mn Dave]

.[asin]1439157286[/asin]

[ibanezmonster]

Did you just cite yahoo answers? I'd hope you'd do better research than that.

As to Finnegans Wake... it took 17 years to write, it should take 17 years to understand... I think Joyce said that or something like that.

Yeah, I didn't put a lot of effort into that one.

[Coco]

[DavidW]

That's pretty cool Philo!

[Brahmsian]

That's pretty cool Philo!

Indeed!  Tres cool, Philo.   

[eyeresist]

I came across this fantastic link that creates literature maps. I've come across some awesome authors because of it. So I thought I'd share it.

http://www.literature-map.com/

Interesting. I type in "William S Burroughs" and, among others, I get AA Milne and Sylvia Plath.

[Todd]

It's time I did some more in-depth reading on China, but I didn't want to dive into a heavy duty work right now, so I opted for a lighter work by James Kynge, the former China bureau chief for the Financial Times.  I've read the first three chapters so far, and his style is crisp, quick to read, a bit willy-nilly in terms of focus (it's almost stream of consciousness in how it moves from topic to topic), and relies heavily on anecdotes.  The opening one describes how a Chinese firm bought, disassembled, transported, and rebuilt a steel factory from Germany.  Neat stuff.  The description of industrial competition, no official property right enforcement for anyone, excess savings and the issues that brings, and of course dense and urbanizing population is informative in its detail.  Still, I will need some other books to delve more deeply into these subjects.  I must say the blunder about William Howard Taft once being Secretary of State makes me question the quality of fact checking in the book, but it's still entertaining.

[mc ukrneal]

It's time I did some more in-depth reading on China, but I didn't want to dive into a heavy duty work right now, so I opted for a lighter work by James Kynge, the former China bureau chief for the Financial Times.  I've read the first three chapters so far, and his style is crisp, quick to read, a bit willy-nilly in terms of focus (it's almost stream of consciousness in how it moves from topic to topic), and relies heavily on anecdotes.  The opening one describes how a Chinese firm bought, disassembled, transported, and rebuilt a steel factory from Germany.  Neat stuff.  The description of industrial competition, no official property right enforcement for anyone, excess savings and the issues that brings, and of course dense and urbanizing population is informative in its detail.  Still, I will need some other books to delve more deeply into these subjects.  I must say the blunder about William Howard Taft once being Secretary of State makes me question the quality of fact checking in the book, but it's still entertaining.

Wiki says that Taft was once the acting Secretary of State.

[Todd]

Wiki says that Taft was once the acting Secretary of State.

True enough, though he never held the official title.  The State Department does not list him as a former secretary, for instance.  Perhaps it's hair splitting, but someone of Taft's achievements could have been more accurately and appropriately described as, say, former President, Secretary of War, Governor of the Philippines, or Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

[karlhenning]

Howard Pollack, George Gershwin: His Life and Work.  Very good, indeed.

[mc ukrneal]

True enough, though he never held the official title.  The State Department does not list him as a former secretary, for instance.  Perhaps it's hair splitting, but someone of Taft's achievements could have been more accurately and appropriately described as, say, former President, Secretary of War, Governor of the Philippines, or Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

I don't know the context in the book. But if they mentioned him as Sec'y of State considering all the titles you mentioned (and some of the other, prestigious, positions he held), that is a bit odd indeed.

[Todd]

I don't know the context in the book. But if they mentioned him as Sec'y of State considering all the titles you mentioned (and some of the other, prestigious, positions he held), that is a bit odd indeed.

He's mentioned in one line (well, so far at any rate, though I don't expect him to figure much going forward) regarding the myth and reality of China's potentially huge consumer market, and how it's always been a lofty dream.  Taft is quoted as referring to one of the great prizes of commerce being the then 400 million Chinese.  I would have thought just writing "William Howard Taft once said" would have been enough, but for some reason the Secretary of State title is included. 

[mc ukrneal]

He's mentioned in one line (well, so far at any rate, though I don't expect him to figure much going forward) regarding the myth and reality of China's potentially huge consumer market, and how it's always been a lofty dream.  Taft is quoted as referring to one of the great prizes of commerce being the then 400 million Chinese.  I would have thought just writing "William Howard Taft once said" would have been enough, but for some reason the Secretary of State title is included.

Strange...Anyway, I have heard good things about the book, and a fairly minor quibble considering the topic is China. Hope it keeps your interest.

[Todd]

and a fairly minor quibble considering the topic is China. Hope it keeps your interest.

Definitely a minor quibble, but such things raise questions for me as to how thorough certain other aspects of the work are.  That written, this book was selected for its brevity, topic, and general good reviews, which seem well-founded. 

As an aside, the flub about Taft isn't that bad in comparison to some others.  In General of the Army, an outstanding bio of George Marshall, right there on page one of the book is the claim that George Marshall was related to John Marshall, described as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  Oops.

[Mirror Image]

Just bought this:



I've been wanting to read more of Frank Miller's Daredevil ever since I finished the mini-series The Man Without Fear.

I'm a big fan of graphic novels especially those written by Frank Miller (Daredevil, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City), Alan Moore (The Swamp Thing, The Watchmen, V For Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, The Books of Magic, Black Orchid, Marvel 1602), Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Kingdom Come, The Flash), and Grant Morrison (Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles).

Anybody else here a fan of these comic writers? I know some people here may roll their eyes about comics and that's okay, but there are some very good stories that have been written. You just have to open your mind a little.

[karlhenning]

Not exactly, but I did enjoy seeing the movie with Ben Affleck & al.  Not sure I'd need to see it again, but . . . .

[Grazioso]

Just bought this:



I've been wanting to read more of Frank Miller's Daredevil ever since I finished the mini-series The Man Without Fear.

I'm a big fan of graphic novels especially those written by Frank Miller (Daredevil, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City), Alan Moore (The Swamp Thing, The Watchmen, V For Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, The Books of Magic, Black Orchid, Marvel 1602), Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Kingdom Come, The Flash), and Grant Morrison (Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles).

Anybody else here a fan of these comic writers? I know some people here may roll their eyes about comics and that's okay, but there are some very good stories that have been written. You just have to open your mind a little.

Not so much these days, but I have read a number of the ones you mention and particularly liked Moore's work.

It's surprising how many of these have been made into films, something one would never have expected when the works were originally published. Now we've had Watchmen, V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell, Sin City, 300, etc. (I commented recently on the Watchmen film in the movie thread.)