This has been on my shelf for several years, so I took it on holiday last week to read alongside fiction. I'm about a third through it - I suspect the remainder might have to wait for another holiday.
It bears a re-read very well. Not sure if I will make it through all four volumes again, but I enjoyed revisiting this. One thing: it has always bugged me that the text is quite explicit in multiple places that the Shrike has four arms, and the cover art has it wrong on Every. Single. Volume.
Decided I wanted to read the books before wading into the HBO series. I bought the set just over a month ago and finished Book 3 this morning, which puts me ahead of the just-about-to-start 4th season on HBO. I've never been big on the fantasy genre (never read Lord of the Rings, though I liked the movies) but these books are insane, and I mean that as a compliment. I bought the first two seasons on blu-ray a while back, and I'm ready to start on the video while I keep reading the last two books.
Bought on an impulse when in sale at amazon; quite enjoyable so far.
How is Austerlitz GP? I recently finished Rings of Saturn which I loved. I imagine Sebald has a lot of interest for someone from UK who studies German. Do you read in German or English? The film about him was interesting too. It is or was on Netflix. Features a soundtrack by The Caretaker which is how I found out about the film, which is how I found out about the book.
@amc2 at the moment I am reading this one in English, mainly because of ease of access on Kindle. Despite the Internet, German books can still be a pain to get (the assigned text for the students in one of my classes this semester never arrived, the publisher having allegedly shipped them to Japan by mistake...). I am enjoying Austerlitz so far; just a quarter of the way in. I have not read the others yet, so do not have a point of comparison, but it's thoughtful and fairly absorbing so far.
I enjoyed We, the Drowned, more so as it progressed.
This was actually a difficult one to finish. The first half of the book was excellent. It gave some background on why Morrissey is who he is and while I disagreed with most of his opinions/actions told a good story of his life. The second half? Well the second half alternated between crazed theories on how everyone is conspiring to destroy him and stories about how his fans think he's the reincarnated messiah. The cognitive dissonance was astounding. And also boring.
Also:
I enjoyed the story/themes, but this is the first Bukowski I've read and the style didn't really dig its claws into me.
Now reading:
This is a true coffee table book, and while Questlove's stories are interesting, the real draw are the pictures that dominate the book. They're absolutely fantastic.
@ greg: I started Austerlitz in German, but only got 104 pages in. Unfortunately, I have too much pride to switch to English, so the books remains unfinished on the shelf, mocking me.
@craig: you might try John Fante's Bandini novels: similar themes as Bukowski, same LA, less alcohol.
Currently on Book 2 in the Brotherband Chronicles series by John Flanagan. The series is a companion to the Ranger's Apprentice series of books by the same author. I am totally devouring them. Ever since I finished The Wheel of Time series, I've been wanting to find another series of books that I can really get into. Thanks to Flanagan, I've found two!
I had never heard of either series, but came across them when looking for a birthday gift for my 11-year-old twin grandsons last month. I got one of them Book 1 in the Ranger's Apprentice series and for the other twin I got Book 1 in the companion Brotherband Chronicles. I read both books simply to be familiar with the stories so I could discuss the books with them. I didn't realize they were going to hook me into a whole series (they are classified as 'young adult' books recommended for Grades 5 and up). IMO, they are every bit as enjoyable as the Wheel of Time series. They are, of course, simpler and not quite as convoluted as Robert Jordan's books but once I started reading, I couldn't put them down. I've since read 12 of the 13 Ranger's Apprentice books and am on Book 2 of the Brotherband Chronicles books, of which only 4 have been published so far I think. IMO, they are every bit as enjoyable as the Wheel of Time books. However, most any of them work well as a stand-alone read (although I wouldn't want to read any of them out of chronological order).
Seems silly to get so caught up in books I got for my 11-year-old grandsons, but I'm already fretting over reading all of them too fast and leaving me with no more. But I can't help myself.
I finished Austerlitz and thought highly of it.
Then I read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and liked it a lot too.
Just finished The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel, and found it intriguing.
A very enjoyable read. Each chapter deals with a different song and interviews the artist involved. Anyone with interest in New Wave/Post Punk should pick it up.
Now reading:
I'm not even halfway through yet, and this is already one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's incredibly well researched and written and tells Chilton's story with all of the margins colored in. The author appears to have another biography of Gene Autry and even though I don't have a specific interest in Autry, I'm already planning to read it. Seriously, she's a really, really writer.
About half way through this. Thoughts on the first half (up to the 1930s):
In its praise: it's concise and readable and interesting and is helping firm up my sense of the lay of the land and who belongs approximately to which era. I think I finally have stride/ragtime/boogaloo more or less straight in my head in terms of what they sound like. Some of the sidebar descriptions of individual songs have helped me hear some of what is going on in them. Overall I am finding it a helpful light read and a useful introduction.
Some modest peeves: (i) the early chapters, which focus more on general features of jazz, tend to describe a feature of the music and then exemplify it by pointing to whole vague periods of music about which I have not yet read, which seems backwards for an introduction. If it's an introduction (in fact the introduction to an introductory volume), don't illustrate things by gesturing at swathes of music I don't know yet; (ii) a few places engage in polemics with other writers that seem out of place in an intro. Some of the sidebars tell me to look for a song on specific album but do not give me enough information to ascertain if a song with the same title on a different compilation is the one being described; even giving date of recording and track length would have helped. Not all of the sidebars are insightful in a way that helps me hear things in the music. (iii) Don't call a basic beginner guide "complete" at every opportunity; it just sounds stupid.
Book 6 of the young adult fantasy 12-book series - 2nd time around. I just got through reading the entire series but failing to find anything else that appealed to me at the moment, I started the whole series again. I don't think I've read a series in which the characters are more likeable or entertaining than this one has. The only drawback is that it is doing some serious damage in keeping me from my music these days.
(P.S. FWIW, if anybody out there is considering reading these, I recommend reading them in chronological order, which is only slightly different than the publishing order. Book 7 should be read after Book 4.)
thats "im gonna keep one foot dry like i dont love em, but dont talk shit, cause my dad likes the beatles, and i totally do too"
If I'm having a bad day, and you play "Here comes the Sun", I'm probably going to punch you in the crotch.
(reply): But the punch is clearly just a means of unleashing all those optimistic feelings welled up inside of you
No really, thanks for coming to this underexposed band's rescue, who knows what their legacy would have done without you.
More seriously, I am not sure I get why the debate evoked has to exist. I don't care to listen to them much, why would that mean I have to make some argument that they were not talented or important? Is the rant in the end satirizing the I-know-better arguments against the beatles or (this would make it smarter) the whole overarching structure of "the beatles were not talented/shut up everyone should love the beatles" (both of which are not great options)?
Goodness, I got sucked into reading the comments and am now left feeling kind of nauseated and reminded why I should avoid reading people arguing about musical taste on the internet.
Comments
This has been on my shelf for several years, so I took it on holiday last week to read alongside fiction. I'm about a third through it - I suspect the remainder might have to wait for another holiday.
It bears a re-read very well. Not sure if I will make it through all four volumes again, but I enjoyed revisiting this. One thing: it has always bugged me that the text is quite explicit in multiple places that the Shrike has four arms, and the cover art has it wrong on Every. Single. Volume.
Just embarking on:
Decided I wanted to read the books before wading into the HBO series. I bought the set just over a month ago and finished Book 3 this morning, which puts me ahead of the just-about-to-start 4th season on HBO. I've never been big on the fantasy genre (never read Lord of the Rings, though I liked the movies) but these books are insane, and I mean that as a compliment. I bought the first two seasons on blu-ray a while back, and I'm ready to start on the video while I keep reading the last two books.
NPR review.
Bought on an impulse when in sale at amazon; quite enjoyable so far.
How is Austerlitz GP? I recently finished Rings of Saturn which I loved. I imagine Sebald has a lot of interest for someone from UK who studies German. Do you read in German or English? The film about him was interesting too. It is or was on Netflix. Features a soundtrack by The Caretaker which is how I found out about the film, which is how I found out about the book.
My favourite contemporary British crime writer - this his latest book brings together John Rebus and Malcolm Fox, his two Edinburgh detectives.
I enjoyed We, the Drowned, more so as it progressed.
First recently finished:
This was actually a difficult one to finish. The first half of the book was excellent. It gave some background on why Morrissey is who he is and while I disagreed with most of his opinions/actions told a good story of his life. The second half? Well the second half alternated between crazed theories on how everyone is conspiring to destroy him and stories about how his fans think he's the reincarnated messiah. The cognitive dissonance was astounding. And also boring.
Also:
I enjoyed the story/themes, but this is the first Bukowski I've read and the style didn't really dig its claws into me.
Now reading:
This is a true coffee table book, and while Questlove's stories are interesting, the real draw are the pictures that dominate the book. They're absolutely fantastic.
Craig
@craig: you might try John Fante's Bandini novels: similar themes as Bukowski, same LA, less alcohol.
Thanks for the rec, I'll look into it.
Craig
It's a "Mercy" chapter.
Link.
Craig
https://digital.darkhorse.com/profile/4665.may-the-4th-megabundle-1/
Currently on Book 2 in the Brotherband Chronicles series by John Flanagan. The series is a companion to the Ranger's Apprentice series of books by the same author. I am totally devouring them. Ever since I finished The Wheel of Time series, I've been wanting to find another series of books that I can really get into. Thanks to Flanagan, I've found two!
I had never heard of either series, but came across them when looking for a birthday gift for my 11-year-old twin grandsons last month. I got one of them Book 1 in the Ranger's Apprentice series and for the other twin I got Book 1 in the companion Brotherband Chronicles. I read both books simply to be familiar with the stories so I could discuss the books with them. I didn't realize they were going to hook me into a whole series (they are classified as 'young adult' books recommended for Grades 5 and up). IMO, they are every bit as enjoyable as the Wheel of Time series. They are, of course, simpler and not quite as convoluted as Robert Jordan's books but once I started reading, I couldn't put them down. I've since read 12 of the 13 Ranger's Apprentice books and am on Book 2 of the Brotherband Chronicles books, of which only 4 have been published so far I think. IMO, they are every bit as enjoyable as the Wheel of Time books. However, most any of them work well as a stand-alone read (although I wouldn't want to read any of them out of chronological order).
Seems silly to get so caught up in books I got for my 11-year-old grandsons, but I'm already fretting over reading all of them too fast and leaving me with no more. But I can't help myself.
Then I read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and liked it a lot too.
Just finished The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel, and found it intriguing.
A very enjoyable read. Each chapter deals with a different song and interviews the artist involved. Anyone with interest in New Wave/Post Punk should pick it up.
Now reading:
I'm not even halfway through yet, and this is already one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's incredibly well researched and written and tells Chilton's story with all of the margins colored in. The author appears to have another biography of Gene Autry and even though I don't have a specific interest in Autry, I'm already planning to read it. Seriously, she's a really, really writer.
Craig
About half way through this. Thoughts on the first half (up to the 1930s):
In its praise: it's concise and readable and interesting and is helping firm up my sense of the lay of the land and who belongs approximately to which era. I think I finally have stride/ragtime/boogaloo more or less straight in my head in terms of what they sound like. Some of the sidebar descriptions of individual songs have helped me hear some of what is going on in them. Overall I am finding it a helpful light read and a useful introduction.
Some modest peeves: (i) the early chapters, which focus more on general features of jazz, tend to describe a feature of the music and then exemplify it by pointing to whole vague periods of music about which I have not yet read, which seems backwards for an introduction. If it's an introduction (in fact the introduction to an introductory volume), don't illustrate things by gesturing at swathes of music I don't know yet; (ii) a few places engage in polemics with other writers that seem out of place in an intro. Some of the sidebars tell me to look for a song on specific album but do not give me enough information to ascertain if a song with the same title on a different compilation is the one being described; even giving date of recording and track length would have helped. Not all of the sidebars are insightful in a way that helps me hear things in the music. (iii) Don't call a basic beginner guide "complete" at every opportunity; it just sounds stupid.
Overall, enjoyable though.
Book 6 of the young adult fantasy 12-book series - 2nd time around. I just got through reading the entire series but failing to find anything else that appealed to me at the moment, I started the whole series again. I don't think I've read a series in which the characters are more likeable or entertaining than this one has. The only drawback is that it is doing some serious damage in keeping me from my music these days.
(P.S. FWIW, if anybody out there is considering reading these, I recommend reading them in chronological order, which is only slightly different than the publishing order. Book 7 should be read after Book 4.)
Some of my favorite lines:
Craig
More seriously, I am not sure I get why the debate evoked has to exist. I don't care to listen to them much, why would that mean I have to make some argument that they were not talented or important? Is the rant in the end satirizing the I-know-better arguments against the beatles or (this would make it smarter) the whole overarching structure of "the beatles were not talented/shut up everyone should love the beatles" (both of which are not great options)?
Craig
Craig
Currently reading The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner; I like the ideas and the story, but the philosophizing bit can get a bit dull.
Before that I read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman; did I already post that? Anyway, that was really fun.