What are you currently reading?

[NikF]

A biography of Billy Strayhorn.

[Drasko]

[aligreto]

Just started The Rainbow by DH Lawrence....

[Mookalafalas]

I finished the first volume a bit ago, and am nearing the end of vol. 2. 
[asin]0393307069[/asin]

[Wakefield]

I finished the first volume a bit ago, and am nearing the end of vol. 2. 
[asin]0393307069[/asin]

What an eccentric character was Patrick O'Brian! And what a sharp intellect. I love this quote where he expresses his dislike for the inquisitiveness of strangers: "Question and answer is not a civilised form of conversation."

No doubt, he didn't enjoy interviews. 

[Mookalafalas]

What an eccentric character was Patrick O'Brian! And what a sharp intellect. I love this quote where he expresses his dislike for the inquisitiveness of strangers: "Question and answer is not a civilised form of conversation."

No doubt, he didn't enjoy interviews. 

  I'm sorry to say that I had never heard of him, or this whole series until just recently.   I have some criticisms, but find the books (so far) hard to put down.  The jump in quality between books 1 and 2 is surprisingly large.  I suppose I will end up reading these for some time to come. 

[Ken B]

  I'm sorry to say that I had never heard of him, or this whole series until just recently.   I have some criticisms, but find the books (so far) hard to put down.  The jump in quality between books 1 and 2 is surprisingly large.  I suppose I will end up reading these for some time to come.

I bet not.

[Artem]

Another Bernhard for me. Pretty much in his usually style, but good.

[Mookalafalas]

I bet not.

   ?  Why's that? Do you feel they pall pretty quickly?
    A few years ago I re-read the whole C.S. Forster "Hornblower" series, which this one seems to be modeled after.  O'Brian brings in a lot more of the politics of the times, and larger social issues, which is sometimes interesting and sometimes not.   However, he has technical problems with scenes, in my opinion, especially complicated ones with action or multiple characters.  It is often not clear who pronouns refer to, or the physical relations between the participants.  That's extremely unusual in work of this stature.

[Ken B]

   ?  Why's that? Do you feel they pall pretty quickly?
    A few years ago I re-read the whole C.S. Forster "Hornblower" series, which this one seems to be modeled after.  O'Brian brings in a lot more of the politics of the times, and larger social issues, which is sometimes interesting and sometimes not.   However, he has technical problems with scenes, in my opinion, especially complicated ones with action or multiple characters.  It is often not clear who pronouns refer to, or the physical relations between the participants.  That's extremely unusual in work of this stature.

They do. And they get diffuse. A friend said that in the end he couldn't figure out why O'Brian wrote them. Seems a good summary. The one I liked best was about chasing a 74, but I forget which it was. Nutmeg perhaps or Mauritius.

[Wakefield]

  I'm sorry to say that I had never heard of him, or this whole series until just recently.   I have some criticisms, but find the books (so far) hard to put down.  The jump in quality between books 1 and 2 is surprisingly large.  I suppose I will end up reading these for some time to come.

Actually, I have read very few historical novels in my life (most of them when I was a boy), but O'Brian interested me as an eccentric character, specially after I did read some years ago this article written by his son:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/nov/28/fiction.film

Apparently, his life was quite enigmatic.

[Mookalafalas]

Actually, I have read very few historical novels in my life (most of them when I was a boy), but O'Brian interested me as an eccentric character, specially after I did read some years ago this article written by his son:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/nov/28/fiction.film

Apparently, his life was quite enigmatic.

  Thanks for the link.  From the article, though, I didn't see anything particularly enigmatic.  He seems to be a selfish jerk who abandoned his wife and children for an attractive younger woman...

[Wakefield]

  Thanks for the link.  From the article, though, I didn't see anything particularly enigmatic.  He seems to be a selfish jerk who abandoned his wife and children for an attractive younger woman...

It's a legit reading, I guess. 

But newspapers and journalists needed to do a lot of work to reconstruct his past, when he was already a famous writer. A lot, really... and his son's article is like a final brick on the wall, when a great part of the mysteries had been solved.     

[Mookalafalas]

It's a legit reading, I guess. 

But newspapers and journalists needed to do a lot of work to reconstruct his past, when he was already a famous writer. A lot, really... and his son's article is like a final brick on the wall, when a great part of the mysteries had been solved.     

  Oh, I see. That article is 100% of my knowledge of the man, so you cannot blame me--I just looked where you pointed me
    When I heard "enigmatic" I thought Daniel Defoe enigmatic.  What a life! 

[Ken B]

  Oh, I see. That article is 100% of my knowledge of the man, so you cannot blame me--I just looked where you pointed me
    When I heard "enigmatic" I thought Daniel Defoe enigmatic.  What a life!

Ever read The Quest for Corvo?

[Mookalafalas]

Ever read The Quest for Corvo?

No, but just checked out the amazon page. Looks very interesting.

[Ken B]

No, but just checked out the amazon page. Looks very interesting.

Might be up your alley.

[Moonfish]

Started this:
[asin]0801494214[/asin]

Al,

How is Walker's Liszt biography? It has been on my TBR pile for a long time....   

[Mookalafalas]

Al,

How is Walker's Liszt biography? It has been on my TBR pile for a long time....   

  I'm about 1/2 way through the second volume.  He is very thorough and it is full of facts and information.  It is very readable, but one has the feeling Walker himself is probably a rather dull guy with little non-academic life experience.  He has very little insight into human nature. Liszt himself comes out rather 2-D, mostly, I think, because Walker is suppressing most of what is negative about him.  It's not hagiography, but he does make Liszt out to be a kind of saintly figure.  He keeps mentioning that all his friends and peers turn against him, but can't seem to figure out why (well, he says they are all jealous of Liszt's generously helping other people).  It's fairly easy to read between the lines as you read and feel like you understand Liszt better than Walker does...   
   Anyway, Liszt life was so interesting the book cannot avoid being engaging, and as Liszt engaged closely with most of the key composers and musicians of the era--plus lots of other famous people, the book gives a nice view into 19th century European musical culture.

[Karl Henning]

I had read Trout Fishing in America before;  this volume was my introduction to In Watermelon Sugar.