What are you currently reading?

[Florestan]

I read every other day comments from people from Israel about the war in Ukraine, and every other day I get more sympathetic to the Palestinians.

Lots of Russian Jews emigrated to Israel so you should not be surprised, actually. But this is a can of worms that we'd better cap.
 

[JBS]

I read every other day comments from people from Israel about the war in Ukraine, and every other day I get more sympathetic to the Palestinians.

Just remember Putin and Hamas are getting weapons from the same source: Iran.

[Florestan]

Just remember Putin and Hamas are getting weapons from the same source: Iran.

Not only that but Putin openly supports Hamas.

It can reasonably be argued, though, that ordinary Palestinians are victims of (both) Hamas (and Israel), so a sympathy for the former is not necessarily an endorsement of the latter.

[DavidW]

Gentlemen,

Please this thread is for reading, not politics.  Let's get back on track please.

[Sergeant Rock]

Just finished re-reading Nabokov's Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle. Arguably more controversial than Lolita (the sex begins at a younger age and it's incestuous). It is not an easy read with each page having numerous French, Russian and German words and phrases sprinkled among the English text. Still, it is one of my top 10 novels. Lovely and heartbreaking.

[vers la flamme]

Just finished re-reading Nabokov's Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle. Arguably more controversial than Lolita (the sex begins at a younger age and it's incestuous). It is not an easy read with each page having numerous French, Russian and German words and phrases sprinkled among the English text. Still, it is one of my top 10 novels. Lovely and heartbreaking.

I've loved all the Nabokov I've read since I first read Pale Fire in 2021–now one of my favorite books ever–but I have not Ada yet.

Currently getting into Jane Austen; I read Persuasion, which I loved, and now Pride & Prejudice, which is just as good. I can see why she is so loved by many, though I expect there are a number of different reasons why people read her stuff.

[Henk]

Dimitri Verhulst - The Entry of Christ into Brussels

[NumberSix]

I just last night picked up Jan Swafford's big Mozart biography - $1.99 on kindle. I don't know when I'll get around to starting it. But it gets good reviews (as do the author's Brahms and Beethoven books), and I couldn't resist the sale price.

[NumberSix]

Just finished re-reading Nabokov's Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle. Arguably more controversial than Lolita (the sex begins at a younger age and it's incestuous). It is not an easy read with each page having numerous French, Russian and German words and phrases sprinkled among the English text. Still, it is one of my top 10 novels. Lovely and heartbreaking.

I'm currently listening to an eight part podcast series on Lolita. I think I'm about to start part four. It begins by talking about the novel and then is covering adaptations, cultural impact, and other sociological aspects. It's really fantastic and informative so far. And entertaining, of course, as to be expected from Jamie Loftus.

[Ganondorf]

So far Faustus has been wonderful. I recently finished the chapter where Adrian talks with The Devil or maybe just syphilis-induced hallucination? Very Karamazovesque chapter yet with distinct Mann feeling. Parallels with Adrian and Wagner's Alberich are notable, with renouncement of love being a theme,in fact Adrian goes through rather similar remark as Wagner's creation moments before robbing the Rhinegold, most likely intentional considering how ardent Wagnerian Mann was, although on the whole the book is nowhere near as Wagner-focused as say Buddenbrooks and Mann's tone is more critical. IIRC, Mann was reading Newman's Wagner biography (which I have almost finished) when writing Faustus and liked it although he didn't much care for Newman's poor opinion of Nietzsche, who also shares much in common with Adrian.

[SimonNZ]

Finished:



Started:



opening line: "Shakespeare has a lot to answer for."

[Papy Oli]

Finished Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club

Quick easy read, plenty of red herrings and a funny sarcastic crime novel.

Also laughed at the acknowledgments section, and what followed.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Finished:



Started:



opening line: "Shakespeare has a lot to answer for."

They both look interesting!  And that opening line made me laugh. 

PD

[Brian]

Finished Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club

Quick easy read, plenty of red herrings and a funny sarcastic crime novel.

Also laughed at the acknowledgments section, and what followed.

I love this series! I think the third book is the high point so far.

[Papy Oli]

I love this series! I think the third book is the high point so far.

Oh cool, I have vol.2 & 3 on the shelves for later.

[vers la flamme]

Just read The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon. First thing I ever read by him, and it quite blew me away. I didn't think it was nearly as difficult as people sometimes make it out to be (understanding of course that it has nowhere near the reputation for "impenetrable" as Gravity's Rainbow) though there is certainly an absolutely massive amount of information packed into a very short narrative. I loved the "play within a play" and all the protagonist's conspiratorial research that went with it; I thought that subplot was very compelling.

[Papy Oli]

Tonight, Misery, a short story by Anton Chekhov.

And various poems (from a Delphi Classics free download) on the kindle app on the phone.

First dabbling with the kindle app to add a bit of fiction and classics in my life... and make it stick.

Ordered David Copperfield, Swann's way, Wuthering heights and Our Man from Havana in paperback. Planning to take a couple of those for a holiday coming soon.

[vers la flamme]

Tonight, Misery, a short story by Anton Chekhov.

And various poems (from a Delphi Classics free download) on the kindle app on the phone.

First dabbling with the kindle app to add a bit of fiction and classics in my life... and make it stick.

Ordered David Copperfield, Swann's way, Wuthering heights and Our Man from Havana in paperback. Planning to take a couple of those for a holiday coming soon.

I read Our Man in Havana last year, very funny; and Wuthering Heights is one of my all-time favorites. Enjoy!

[steve ridgway]

Continuing to work through my coffee table books of the Moon with Apollo Expeditions to the Moon, NASA, 1975.

[Papy Oli]

A handful of short stories in the last 3-4 days:

* Thomas Hardy - The Superstitious Man's Story (part of Life's Little Ironies)
* D.H. Lawrence - The Prussian Soldier
* Maupassant - La Parure and its English version The Diamond Necklace (from Contes du Jour et de la Nuit)
* Maupassant - Le Docteur Héraclius Gloss
* Jack London - To build a fire
* O. Henry - The Green Door