What are you currently reading?

[Spotted Horses]

My exposure to Annie Ernaux has been very limited so far. I read only one of her novels translated into Russian language. I've been very much impressed by her direct writing style. Happening was easily one of the best books I read this year.

Just acquired the Kindle Edition (English translation).

[relm1]

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

Homo Deus

[Jo498]

While Death in Venice is great, Tonio Kroeger is very good as well.

When I was in school around 1990, Tonio Kroeger was the "standard" assigned reading for Thomas Mann. I guess, DiV was a bit "too gay" for some tastes at the time, but it was probably read as well in some schools.
The longer novels were usually way too long for a standard German literature class (although some more advanced/specialized classes could have done one of them as well).
Among the shorter stories and novellas there are a few very funny ones, e.g. "Das Wunderkind" (The child prodigy), also "Wälsungenblut" (almost a satire on Wagner, it used to have a few antisemitic undertones that might have been purged in more recent editions).

[Herman]

Having watched the Baumbach movie I am rereading, after all these years, Don DeLillo's White Noise.

[Valentino]

Ring Resounding
again.

[SimonNZ]

Started:

[LKB]

Ring Resounding
again.

That one's a lot of fun. Love it when Culshaw recounts the recording of Das Rheingold's coda.

[Valentino]

There's always a harp problem in Vienna. 

[Spotted Horses]

In the past I've read a lot of Joyce Carol Oats, but sort of saturated. Everyone once in a while I miss her "story coming at you like a firehose" style and return. Just finished a collection of macabre stores, "The Doll Master." Impressive.

[Brian]

On January 1 I started a "project" read, Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy.

[SimonNZ]

Along with a couple of other things on the go am half way through this excellent and blood-boiling book:

[Spotted Horses]

Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

Another Steinbeck novel that I had never read. It is the story of two men traveling in depression era rural California, working as itinerant ranch hands. George is small and intelligent, though uneducated, Lenny is large, strong and intellectually disabled. The story reaches a climax when they tangle with the insecure, slightly sadistic son of the owner of the ranch where they are employed.

[vandermolen]

Schadenfreude

[Spotted Horses]

Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude schön.

You are a glutton for it, no?

[vandermolen]

Schadenfreude schön.

You are a glutton for it, no?

Yes 

[LKB]

Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men

Another Steinbeck novel that I had never read. It is the story of two men traveling in depression era rural California, working as itinerant ranch hands. George is small and intelligent, though uneducated, Lenny is large, strong and intellectually disabled. The story reaches a climax when they tangle with the insecure, slightly sadistic son of the owner of the ranch where they are employed.

At the risk of being perceived as a broken record:

As good as his famed novels are, Steinbeck's non-fiction works are ( imho ) better. 

That being said, Of Mice and Men is certainly worthy of the acclaim it's received over the last what, eighty years, maybe more... I haven't looked that up.

Anyway... unless non-fiction just isn't your thing ( or you've already read it ), try Travels with Charley. It broadened my literary horizons, and nothing was the same ever again.

[Spotted Horses]

At the risk of being perceived as a broken record:

As good as his famed novels are, Steinbeck's non-fiction works are ( imho ) better. 

That being said, Of Mice and Men is certainly worthy of the acclaim it's received over the last what, eighty years, maybe more... I haven't looked that up.

Anyway... unless non-fiction just isn't your thing ( or you've already read it ), try Travels with Charley. It broadened my literary horizons, and nothing was the same ever again.

You are aware that you are repeating yourself, so you have one up on me.

I have the Library of America Steinbeck volumes, so I have the book. I'll put it next in the queue when I feel the need to return to Steinbeck. Having returned to California I find myself in a Steinbeck frame of mind.

[Mandryka]

Schadenfreude

I wouldn't feel too much of it. Read this

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/dec/14/boris-johnson-makes-1m-from-speeches-after-leaving-downing-street

[SimonNZ]

Only intended to read the section on Adlai Stevenson, but that is so well written I'll be doing the whole book.

[Karl Henning]

Only intended to read the section on Adlai Stevenson, but that is so well written I'll be doing the whole book.

Fascinating!