What's Everyone Reading

[Orb]

HI ALL,
As mentioned above, Gibbon. Great stuff but a long, hard read. But, as the sage once said, "Rome wasn't built in a day".

Much to my surprise, no one is reading Stephen King. I'm one of his constant readers.

Sparky

Yeah Stephen King is one of the modern greats (if being very selective on his books), very underated.
Maybe due to so many crud films made from his books that swamp the good ones
Excellent writer, but with so many books if one is a picky reader then choosing what to read is essential.

Cheers
Orb

 

[Steve Williams]

Not only is Stephen King a great writer I am simply amazed as to how prolific his books are and how he can continue to turn out these massive reads either under his name or a nom de plum

 

[karma]

Yeah Stephen King is one of the modern greats (if being very selective on his books), very underated.
Maybe due to so many crud films made from his books that swamp the good ones
Excellent writer, but with so many books if one is a picky reader then choosing what to read is essential.

Cheers
Orb

HI Orb,
Choosing what to read of King has an easy answer. Read them all. I have and have no regrets. His Dark Tower series will be known as his masterwork.

I know this will sound ungracious. I was hugely pissed when he had his accident and nearly died. Consider: He had been writing his Dark Tower series for years with a new addition every two years or so. He did not seem to have a schedule and no one knew when or how it would end. We who followed the series waited with bated breath for the next installment. He had no right to die!!! The story had not ended!!!

Apparently he felt the same way. After the accident there was a long break as he recovered his health then within a year he published the last three books and the series ended. It was a tour de force of writing mastery. Seven large volumes in all.

While I generally agree that many "crud" movies have been made from his books, there have also been some excellent ones. The Green Mile and The Dead Zone not to mention The Shining and the Shawshank Redemption (not written in book form) comes to mind. The problem is that his subtle approach to horror often does not translate well to movies. But, no matter. I collect all his movies, crud or not.

Sparky

 

[Orb]

Oh I agree I love all his work, but from a critical literary perspective one needs to be selective, this is why some literary academics/critics feel his work is not that of being a great, the sad part is they do not differentiate between the novels and so miss the ones that can stand up to study.
Why if one is picky, selection is essential.

Steve, yeah very good point and one I forgot.
Cheers
Orb

 

[karma]

HI Orb,
For me, enjoyment is the only thing that matters. The academics can make their comments and they touch me not at all. In truth, a book is well written if it does not loose me and the story carries me along in a headlong manner. SK does this in spades. The academics can go to he**.

Sparky

 

[jazdoc]

Steve -

If you enjoy the Coco Channel book, you might also try "The Beautiful Fall" by Alicia Drake about the rivalry between Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld in 1970's Paris. I thought about this one after the recent passing of Loulou de la Falaise who was YSL's muse...

 

[jazdoc]

About halfway through Haruki Murakami's new novel "1Q84" and it's the best book I've read all year.

“Do you miss the girl with the dragon tattoo? Do you long for the thrill of following her adventures again through three volumes of exciting, intelligent fiction? If so, I have good news for you. She’s got a sort of soul sister in one of the two main characters in Haruki Murakami’s wonderful novel 1Q84 . . . With more than enough narrative and intellectual heft to make it enjoyable for anyone with a taste for moving representations of modern consciousness in the magical realist mode, this story may easily carry you away to a new world and keep you there for a long time . . . The deep and resonant plot . . . unfolds at a leisurely pace but in compelling fashion by luring us along with scenes of homicidal intrigue, literary intrigue, religious fanaticism, physical sex, metaphysical sex and asexual sex. And music . . . Murakami’s main characters find themselves drawn toward each other as irresistibly, magnetically, hypnotically, soulfully and physically as any characters in Western fiction. Given the plain-spoken but appealing nature of the prose (translated by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel), most of you will feel that same power as an insinuating compulsion to read on, despite the enormous length, hoping against hope for a happy ending under a sky with either two moons or one. Two moons—two worlds—a girl with—900 pages—1Q84 is a gorgeous festival of words arranged for maximum comprehension and delicious satisfaction.”
—Alan Cheuse, NPR

 

[jazdoc]

Another thread on WBF reminded me of a terrific book I read last year..."Justice" by Michael Sandel. Professor Sandel teaches the most popular course at Harvard about political philosophy. The book is a companion to his Harvard lecture series which can be accessed at http://www.justiceharvard.org/watch/. Professor Sandel is bright, extremely well spoken and one of the best teachers I've ever seen. It's thought provoking and a bit discomfiting and will definitely challenge your assumptions. Really fun to watch his students struggle through his examples. Anyone who can make Kant and Rawls interesting must have something to offer.

Here is a clip from the first lecture entitled "The Moral Side of Murder"

I was lucky enough to attend one his lectures last year and it was wonderful.

 

[LL21]

Another thread on WBF reminded me of a terrific book I read last year..."Justice" by Michael. Professor Sandel teaches the most popular course at Harvard about political philosophy. The book is a companion to his Harvard lecture series which can be accessed at http://www.justiceharvard.org/watch/. Professor Sandel is bright, extremely well spoken and one of the best teachers I've ever seen. It's thought provoking and a bit discomfiting and will definitely challenge your assumptions. Really fun to watch his students struggle through his examples. Anyone who can make Kant and Rawls interesting must have something to offer.

I was lucky enough to attend one his lectures last and it was wonderful.

Agree, JazDoc. I never took the course as a freshman, but my older brother did. I did sit in on a few lectures in between classes and always found them engaging. Another Harvard professor who has authored interesting books before is Professor John Stilgoe. Cannot recall the titles, but he used to teach a course called the American Built Environment. I took both of Stilgoe's courses, and found him to be one of the most engaging lecturers ever. Really made you look at the world a different way.

 

[jazdoc]

Lloydlee,

Thanks for the heads up on John Stilgoe. Just ordered "Outside Lies Magic" from Amazon.

 

[LL21]

Lloydlee,

Thanks for the heads up on John Stilgoe. Just ordered "Outside Lies Magic" from Amazon.

That was quick! Hope you enjoy it...be honest though! I thought he was a great professor and did read 2-3 of his books and enjoyed them.

 

[ironmine]

The last 2 books I read:

The End of Faith by Sam Harris
Letter to A Christian Nation by Sam Harris

 

[karma]

HI All,
Shogun by James Clavell. For the third time. What a great book. I believe it is on the level of War and Peace which is a great complement.

Sparky

 

[Mike]

I remember Shogun being made into a tv series in the 1980s...I think??

 

[Mike]

Lee Child's "Worth Dying For." Despite liking his Reacher novels, he does seem to like to talk about blacktop and ruts quite a bit.

 

[jazdoc]

That was quick! Hope you enjoy it...be honest though! I thought he was a great professor and did read 2-3 of his books and enjoyed them.

Lloyd, I really enjoyed "Outside Lies Magic". Thanks for the heads up.

Finally read "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning" by Jonathan Mahler. Story of the 1977 Yankee season culminating in Reggie Jackson's 3 homer game against the Dodgers. Told against the backdrop of the mayoral election after NYC's near bankruptcy, Son of Sam, the blackout/riots, disco and punk rock. Pretty good book and an easy read.

 

[karma]

I remember Shogun being made into a tv series in the 1980s...I think??

HI Mike,
Yes, I saw the TV series before I read Shogun. The series was but a pale image of the greatness of the book.

Sparky

 

[Steve Williams]

Lee Child's "Worth Dying For." Despite liking his Reacher novels, he does seem to like to talk about blacktop and ruts quite a bit.

I have read all of the Lee Childs Reacher novels and really find them a fun read. Just finished his latest The Affair which was very good.

I also liked Worth Dying For

 

[egidius]

Anybody read Austerlitz by Sebald? He seems to touch just about every topic ever thought of, in a highly unassuming manner: A masterpiece!

 

[Mike]

HI Mike,
Yes, I saw the TV series before I read Shogun. The series was but a pale image of the greatness of the book.

Sparky

I'll check it out sometime, Sparky. Thanks!

Mike