What are you currently reading?

[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.

[Mookalafalas]

I used to have a single volume with Trout Fishing and Watermelon which I read over 20 years ago. I only remember one thing from both of them combined, and that probably incorrectly: 

   Trout Fishing in America cast at some old woman. I think she was ascending a set of steps going up a hill. She yelled something like "Hey what did you do that for!" and he said "Oh, sorry. I thought you were a trout stream," and she answered, "Well, I'm not". 

TD:
  I'm on volume 5 of the Patrick O'brian Jack Aubrey books. 

[MagicMark]

The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music

[Ken B]

This article, which I will just leave here to irk a few people.
http://www.salon.com/2015/05/10/the_left_has_islam_all_wrong_bill_maher_pamela_geller_and_the_reality_progressives_must_face/

[Drasko]

[Mookalafalas]

I can't stop reading this series. Now on volume 7.   
[asin] 0393308200[/asin]

[Ken B]

I can't stop reading this series. Now on volume 7.   
[asin] 0393308200[/asin]

Yes you can. I have faith in you.

[Mookalafalas]

I'm positive I'll read no more than 13 more...

[Ken B]

I'm positive I'll read no more than 13 more...

I ended up reading about ten or twelve.

[Mookalafalas]

I ended up reading about ten or twelve.

  That's probably where I'll end up, if I make it that far. 

[Ken B]

  That's probably where I'll end up, if I make it that far.

I'm a slow learner. Hell, I still listen to La Mer.

[Karl Henning]

I'm a slow learner. Hell, I still listen to La Mer.

"Hope surges eternal.: