OK, I repent regarding The Boy in the Suitcase. I just finished it, and enjoyed the last two thirds much more than the first third. It took more than a third of the book to draw me in fully (as I said before, might not be the book's fault), but by half way through the main characters filled out more and the pieces started fitting together, and the last third really picked up the pace. Quite an enjoyable read in the end, and a refreshingly different protagonist. I'll just add this - the issues and characterization at times got interesting enough that I was a little uncertain what genre I was reading - detective novel entertainment where the good guys win and everything gets tied together, or something a bit more literary and open-ended; I think this affected my slight mixed feelings about the ending(s) (I'll say no more, for fear of spoilers).
In the middle of reading the Pearls Before Swine iPad app/ebook. Nicely done - 250 of the artist's favorite Pearls before Swine comic strips with audio commentary and some video clips and animations. And that strip really hits my sense of humor (the videos not so much, but to each his own). Absolutely worth the $3.99.
I saw the soundtrack for a musical version of this on eMusic featuring a bunch of New Orleans musos so I sought out the book. Pretty fantastic so far. (non-fiction but novelistic style)
Rather fascinating read, and I recommend it for any other indie rock fans out there. The name dropping can be a tad overwhelming at times, and obviously it's not as interesting if you're not a fan of YLT at all, but it really does touch upon the entire indie music industry. Ira Kaplan was so connected in an outsiderish kind of way it's amazing.
Eugene Ionesco - "The Hermit"
-I read this about fifteen years ago, really bonded with the character not unlike I did as a teen with Holden Caulfield. Lots of life lived since then, curious how much I still personify/empathize with the main character.
Bought it used, beautiful little illustrated book about the early 60s and living under the threat of nuclear annihilation, told through the eyes of a young girl.
Nice, really liked Factotum, especially the scene in the brake factory where the same brake shoe goes into three differently labeled boxes: super durable, durable, and standard.
I lost interest in Travels in Siberia and stopped reading about halfway through, which is odd as I've enjoyed his writing previously. Seemed to be a lot of complaining about his two companions/guides and circumstances of the journey in general. Perhaps because he wasn't in control of things? The historical info about gulags and early travelers was interesting to me, but disappointing as whole.
@MrV I haven't gotten very far yet. Maybe 25 pages into so far. I really liked his book on the Great Plains and his funny essays. This is going to be a slow part time read for me.
So, the Dream Of The Celt was OK, but I didn't think it was great. I did learn a lot about Roger Casement's life and his importance. That's not what I look to a novel for, though. I kept thinking of the movie biography of Gandhi. This was more like a hagiography. Characters were basically all good or all bad, with little complexity. Casement's homosexuality was acknowledged, including his tendency to favor younger men, almost boys, but that didn't seem to negate his saintliness. Vargas' position on the Black Diaries is that they contained some truth and a lot of fantasy or wishful thinking. If Varga' prose style, which is what I mainly look for in a novel, was good in Spanish it didn't survive translation particularly well.
I got this as a freebie from a book club a while back and never read it because I thought it sounded boring. I was very wrong. It is fascinating. Taylor Branch and Bill were roommates for a while when they were working for McGovern in Texas in 1972. They drifted apart, but reconnected and agreed to have Branch document the Clinton presidency with a series of secretly taped discussions twice a month or so. Branch sometimes abandoned his scholarly interest, though, particularly on the subject of Haiti because he knew Aristide. I have yet to get to the Lewinsky chapter, but I'm looking forward to it.
Finished Travels in Siberia last night. I enjoyed it. It is a bit long and he does get annoyed with his companions at times. It reminded me, at times, of traveling the Czech Republic with a Czech friend that volunteered to help make travel arrangements for us, though we had less snow and no faulty Renault van to deal with.
Comments
Seems good so far.
Well, not really...but saw this on a fun tumblr of book covers from Abebooks: http://bookorithms.tumblr.com/
Thanks for pointing that out BT.
and now starting...
Bought used on a lark, pretty decent 17th century historical conspiracy type book, ala Umberto Eco. Less quirky, humorous than Eco, though.
Rather fascinating read, and I recommend it for any other indie rock fans out there. The name dropping can be a tad overwhelming at times, and obviously it's not as interesting if you're not a fan of YLT at all, but it really does touch upon the entire indie music industry. Ira Kaplan was so connected in an outsiderish kind of way it's amazing.
Eugene Ionesco - "The Hermit"
-I read this about fifteen years ago, really bonded with the character not unlike I did as a teen with Holden Caulfield. Lots of life lived since then, curious how much I still personify/empathize with the main character.
Bought it used, beautiful little illustrated book about the early 60s and living under the threat of nuclear annihilation, told through the eyes of a young girl.
First I read...
Now I'm on to...
Then it's...
A favorite contemporary American poet with a sick sense of humor
If you can't beat 'em join 'em. I'm about 1/3 in and enjoying it very much.
Finished Travels in Siberia last night. I enjoyed it. It is a bit long and he does get annoyed with his companions at times. It reminded me, at times, of traveling the Czech Republic with a Czech friend that volunteered to help make travel arrangements for us, though we had less snow and no faulty Renault van to deal with.
and now onto work's book club selection...
In the middle of Tonio Kröger.
Mann does a lot of mansplaining. Or is it Mannsplaining?