What are you currently reading?

[Scarpia]

such an amazing book

Not a book that can be appreciated after just one reading, in my experience.

[zorzynek]

Not a book that can be appreciated after just one reading, in my experience.

mos def, it's a multiple reading material.

[Scarpia]

mos def, it's a multiple reading material.

Just finished "Too Much Happiness" by Alice Munro, a collection of short stories on various subjects.  Munro has published numerous collections of short stories but has never produced a novel (although I believe one of the collections is organized around a common subject).  In any case, very good, except for the story that lends the book its title.

[drogulus]

     Wolf Hall, a historical novel by Hilary Mantel. It's set during the reign of Henry VIII and tells the familiar story of his struggle to rid himself of his wife and get a new one to provide him with a male heir. The novel is written from a unique perspective, that of Thomas Cromwell, the King's advisor (you might call him a fixer). Christopher Hitchens reviews the novel for The Atlantic, but you can read it here.

[CD]

I just couldn't get into The Devils so I'm reading this instead:

[Anne]

I have several good books to read.  The first one is "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.  Scientists will remember her from the HeLa cells.  Henrietta Lacks was a black woman and mother of 5 children when she developed cervical cancer.  Shortly before she died, one of the doctors removed 2 small areas of tissue from her cervical cancer.  At this time scientists were trying to do experiments but the cells they were using kept dying.  Henrietta's, by contrast, absolutely thrived!  Her cells enabled polio vaccine to exist, Pap smears and many other discoveries to be made.

The next 3 books I am very interested in all were authored by the same man, Michael Bliss.  Michael's family was closely tied to the medical profession (there were several doctors in the family).  Michael himself was a history professor at a Canadian university. 

William Osler was a Canadian doctor much admired at the turn of the century as he is even today by present living doctors.  Harvey Cushing wrote a 2-volume biography of Osler many years ago.

Michael Bliss has written a new biography, "William Osler: a Life in Medicine," another biography, "Harvey Cushing: A Life in Surgery," and "The Discovery of Insulin."

[SonicMan46]

..........The next 3 books I am very interested in all were authored by the same man, Michael Bliss.  Michael's family was closely tied to the medical profession (there were several doctors in the family).  Michael himself was a history professor at a Canadian university. 

William Osler was a Canadian doctor much admired at the turn of the century as he is even today by present living doctors.  Harvey Cushing wrote a 2-volume biography of Osler many years ago.

Michael Bliss has written a new biography, "William Osler: a Life in Medicine," another biography, "Harvey Cushing: A Life in Surgery," and "The Discovery of Insulin."

Hello Anne - glad to see you back on this thread! 

All of those books by Michael Bliss would certainly be of interest to me, esp. the one on William Osler - as you may know, I own a reproduction copy of his famous book The Principles and Practice of Medicine published in the late 19th century when he was at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore - I've read portions of this 'older' book over the years and am amazed at how perceptive (and still true) were his many observations!  Dave 

[Bogey]

Not a perfect match, Dave (MN), but at least a start:



Kind of a pricey paperback for a '77 issue, but I got mine for $5, so pretty lucky.

[mahler10th]

Not a book that can be appreciated after just one reading, in my experience.

Yes.  I read 'The Sound and the Fury' at College, didn't much like it and scarcely appreciated it.  Maybe I should read it again.

Thread Duty:

THE SPECTACLE OF DEATH
(A muslim book describing states of death and afterdeath...may as well put on Ligetis Requiem while I'm reading it.)

[Anne]

Hi Dave!

Glad to have some books to talk about on this thread.  I have an extra Bliss biography of Osler.  Would be glad to give it to you if you would send me your address.

I have 2 other books by/about Osler also.  One is "The Quotable Osler" edited by Mark Silverman, M.D., T. Jock Murray, M.D., and Charles S. Bryan, M.D.  The quotes chosen are so clear and succinct.  I really enjoy them.

The other is Osler's "'A Way of Life' & Other Addresses with Commentary and Annotations" by Sir William Osler.
This is a quote from the book jacket: "While Osler's talks were frequently published during his lifetime and since his death, none contain more than 1500 annotations that appear here, notes that serve to explain the many philosophical, biblical, historical and literary allusions contained in Osler's writings."

Bliss is such a good author.  One can start to read and be immediately immersed in the story.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

     Wolf Hall, a historical novel by Hilary Mantel. It's set during the reign of Henry VIII and tells the familiar story of his struggle to rid himself of his wife and get a new one to provide him with a male heir. The novel is written from a unique perspective, that of Thomas Cromwell, the King's advisor (you might call him a fixer). Christopher Hitchens reviews the novel for The Atlantic, but you can read it here.

Read the review. Very interesting! I had heard of Hilary Mantel, but now I know more. Thanks!

[drogulus]

Read the review. Very interesting! I had heard of Hilary Mantel, but now I know more. Thanks!

      I'm halfway through the book and it's wonderful.

[SonicMan46]

Hi Dave!

Glad to have some books to talk about on this thread.  I have an extra Bliss biography of Osler.  Would be glad to give it to you if you would send me your address.....................

Hello Anne - just sent you a PM w/ our address - would love a copy of the book on Osler! Dave 

[jlaurson]

reading this fine opEd:



Claremont Institute [Claremont Review of Books]

Editing Islam
Although radical outgrowths of modern Islam present many challenges to Western civilization, Westerners ought to be reminded that thought-suppression and violence are denounced by the vast majority of Muslims worldwide, and do not do justice to the rich history of Islam itself.

It is particularly dispiriting, then, to find the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York suppressing important artifacts of Islamic civilization, stunning works of arts created when Islam—the wellspring of modern mathematics and an example of religious tolerance—was on the ascendant. The Museum is omitting from the part of its permanent collection formerly known as the Islamic Art galleries three ancient pictures that depict the person of Muhammad.

Although the Met claims it is re-thinking its gallery displays pending renovation...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

reading this fine opEd:

If Western museums were to remove depictions of Christ, they would be half empty.

[DavidW]

I read Old Man's War (as I posted about before) and it's a good current Starship Troopers-esque military sf romp.  Reminded me of avatar just in terms of getting new alien bodies to inhabit (for a completely different reason though).

I'm now reading The Academy by Bentley Little, too early to say anything about it though.

Also I got this book (it arrived early this week) called The Essential Canon of Classical Music.  It seems to be the polar opposite of Swafford's book.  While Swafford comes off as a narrow list of canonized music, Dubal's book looks like it was written by Sonic Dave, who knew that composers like Clementi are essential listening?   It's a gigantic tomb you could bludgeon someone with.  Interesting tidbits, the only thing is that he sometimes propagates urban legends such as Bach created equal temperament, while Swafford (Vintage Guide to Classical Music) tells it like it is.  So Swafford's book is narrow in focus and heavily biased, but more truthful on biographical details while Duball's book is very broad and even handed but not necessarily accurate.  They compliment each other well.

[Scarpia]

Another Philip K. Dick Novel, A Scanner Darkly.  It is a story of a group of drug addicted friends, one of which is an undercover police officer.  Because of security procedures which conceal the identify of the undercover officer from his superiors, he is inadvertently assigned to investigate himself.  As the detective gets drawn farther into drug culture his two identities start to dissociate.  An undercurrent of the plot is the possibility that the characters are being swept up into a much larger and more sinister conspiracy.  The incorporation of some science-fiction elements in the story it straddles the line between a science fiction story and a detective novel.  A very good piece of work.

[Lethevich]

I love that book - Dick is one of the few big scifi authors who I don't find too fanciful, hardboiled-influenced, or simply admirable in various ways but unable to write rock-solid plots. It's most of all a great story

[zorzynek]

Confirmed. A Scanner Darkly is top shelf. Funny and scary at the same time.

[Harpo]

The Lacuna, the new Novel by Barbara Kingsolver. I loved her Poisonwood Bible, and this one is good so far, but without the bite of PB. It's about a boy who becomes the assistant of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and meets Leon Trotsky.