So far I've zoomed through 'Hawksmoor' by Peter Ackroyd and currently weighing myself down with Ian Macdonald's 'Revolution In The Head'...
― Mog, Monday, 10 January 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)
― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 10 January 2005 16:00 (twenty years ago)
― W i l l (common_person), Monday, 10 January 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)
― the bellefox, Monday, 10 January 2005 16:29 (twenty years ago)
― the bellefox, Monday, 10 January 2005 16:36 (twenty years ago)
― Huk-L, Monday, 10 January 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)
― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 10 January 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)
― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 10 January 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)
Sounds interesting. I wouldn't mind reading more about both of them actually - though I'm currently taking a Dylan break, since I just finished Chronicles. Farina makes a brief appearance in that one as well - mainly on account of his girlfriend at the time, whom Dylan admires (not Mimi Baez).
I'm currently reading Vertigo by W.G. Sebald, so far finding it not quite as good as Austerlitz.
― o. nate (onate), Monday, 10 January 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)
― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 10 January 2005 22:37 (twenty years ago)
― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:41 (twenty years ago)
I am pondering a break from Don Quixote, as I am half way through it. Half way through Part 1, that is. I'm on Part 4 of Part 1.
I think I'll read The City: A Guide to London's Global Financial Centre by Richard Roberts. Either that or The Twits what I got out of a Cheerios packet.
― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)
Yes, that's it. Dylan says that people considered Farina some mysterious adventurer who had supposedly hung out with Castro in Cuba and the IRA in Northern Ireland, but that he considered Farina the luckiest guy in the world because he was dating Hester.
― o. nate (onate), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 16:34 (twenty years ago)
I never finished either of the WGS books that O. Nate mentions: only the other two (major [?] ones).
Gosh, O. Nate: I did not notice Farina in Chronicles! Or have forgotten it. But I do remember the bit that you mention, just not RF's name being attached to it.
It is also striking, isn't it, how in that book he is so reverential re. Baez (Joan), as a distant, already successful figure.
Lauren's last two sentences, with their slicing dislike untroubled by doubt and their brisk list of savage epithets, remind me of someone. I think it must be - myself.
Casuistry: I bought The Order of Things in June 1993, and meant to read it in the summer of 1994. I failed. I never read it. I have still never read it. It lingers on a low shelf, shedding dark glamour. It is impressive, maybe, that you are reading it.
Awake in the wee hours' dark as usual I started on Sonata For Jukebox. I may be some time.
― the dreamfox, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:07 (twenty years ago)
― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:13 (twenty years ago)
― the bluefox, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:16 (twenty years ago)
right. that's covered in p4s. contrary to the rumors farina started about himself, he grew up in a middle-class area of flatbush and studied at cornell before eventually dropping out. he spent a few weeks visiting family in ireland around that time, but the only thing anyone recalls about his stay is that he was very good about helping with the nightly washing up.
― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:26 (twenty years ago)
(Were the Vicar here, as perhaps he is, he would surely ask why it should be impressive to have hung out with Ireland with the IRA, though he would perhaps be as impressed as anyone by Castrovian rumours, and might even share again his theory about Che Guevara and Yasser Arafat.)
― the finefox, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)
Also this time around I'm noticing that the translator is lazy, and takes too much advantage of English's bounty of Latin-based words. Whereas of course French is mostly stuck with the Latin-based words. I assume it comes off as more natural and less forced-academic in French.
― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:56 (twenty years ago)
― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 19:23 (twenty years ago)
― John (jdahlem), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 20:25 (twenty years ago)
― Fred (Fred), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)
― Huk-L, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 21:06 (twenty years ago)
http://www.fnac.com/Shelf/article.asp?PRID=300021&OrderInSession=1&Mn=3&SID=a60ff711-de38-f4a4-5429-f4856039d363&TTL=120120052324&Origin=FnacFR&Ra=-1&To=0&Nu=1&UID=05ab0a723-dcbf-e26c-7c2c-f3b0620c9365&Fr=0#DetailFiche
― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 22:27 (twenty years ago)
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 02:21 (twenty years ago)
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 02:36 (twenty years ago)
the translator is lazyChris, I always found that this kind of stuff in particular has a lot of wordplay in the original that can often dictate the path of the argument, so take that away and what you're reading will only seem that much more confused.
― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 05:00 (twenty years ago)
― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 05:01 (twenty years ago)
― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 10:46 (twenty years ago)
― Jessa (Jessa), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 16:11 (twenty years ago)
― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 20:01 (twenty years ago)
― Ray (Ray), Thursday, 13 January 2005 09:47 (twenty years ago)
Lucky Banks, I wish I had an autopilot.
― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Thursday, 13 January 2005 11:05 (twenty years ago)
― the bellefox, Thursday, 13 January 2005 11:49 (twenty years ago)
http://lrb.co.uk/v26/n09/jone01_.html
― the bellefox, Thursday, 13 January 2005 11:54 (twenty years ago)
― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 13 January 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)
Also don't miss the Tarkovsky film.
― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 13 January 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)
something about it irritates me, but I can't put my finger on it.
― Matt (Matt), Friday, 14 January 2005 08:28 (twenty years ago)
― Puddin'Head Miller (PJ Miller), Friday, 14 January 2005 10:36 (twenty years ago)
― Huk-L, Friday, 14 January 2005 18:15 (twenty years ago)
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 14 January 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)
― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 14 January 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)
― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Friday, 14 January 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)
― the bellefox, Monday, 17 January 2005 13:53 (twenty years ago)
― the bellefox, Monday, 17 January 2005 14:33 (twenty years ago)
― Kevan (Kevan), Monday, 17 January 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)
― the bellefox, Monday, 17 January 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)
― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Monday, 17 January 2005 16:44 (twenty years ago)
― Jessa (Jessa), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 13:59 (twenty years ago)
― frankiemachine, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 17:53 (twenty years ago)
I've never read "mason & dixon".
I am reading "tours of the black clock" (erickson), "leap year" (erickson), & "the alien quartet" (thomson).
― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)
― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)
― the bellefox, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 19:20 (twenty years ago)
― youn, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)
― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 16 June 2005 00:19 (twenty years ago)
― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 16 June 2005 08:05 (twenty years ago)
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 16 June 2005 09:01 (twenty years ago)
You mean the section where he talks about the price of fame during the period when he made New Morning? That was a little bit whiny, I'll agree. Though my favorite sections of the book, when he talks about the period when he had just moved to NY, are remarkably devoid of anything remotely whiny or self-pitying.
― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 16 June 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)
Ah, and now I'm reading Philik Dik's VALIS!
― I, Scamp (Øystein), Thursday, 16 June 2005 15:08 (twenty years ago)
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Monday, 20 June 2005 12:45 (twenty years ago)
― Ray (Ray), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)
For my birthday on Sunday I got a slightly odd selection: 'Sacrilege' by Brendan Cleary, 'According to Queeney' by Beryl Bainbridge, and 'Canal Dreams' by Iain Banks.
― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 13:48 (twenty years ago)
― Navek Rednam (Navek Rednam), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 22:40 (twenty years ago)
― Peter Stringbender (PJ Miller), Thursday, 23 June 2005 06:20 (twenty years ago)
I am part way through The Mezzanine. I will finish it.
I am over halfway through The Whole Equation. I think that JtN said he had mixed feelings about it. And I want now to know more about those.
― the pinefox, Thursday, 23 June 2005 09:32 (twenty years ago)
just started: Nixon At The Movies by Mark Feeney
― m coleman (lovebug starski), Thursday, 23 June 2005 09:35 (twenty years ago)
― zan, Thursday, 23 June 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)
― Ray (Ray), Thursday, 23 June 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)
― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:09 (twenty years ago)
― Josh (Josh), Friday, 24 June 2005 07:35 (twenty years ago)
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 24 June 2005 07:36 (twenty years ago)
― Fred (Fred), Friday, 24 June 2005 08:11 (twenty years ago)
― c/n (Cozen), Friday, 24 June 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)
and of course one does not always reach the end of a book.
which is to say i do not always reach the end of a book.
― Josh (Josh), Friday, 24 June 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)
― the pinefox, Friday, 24 June 2005 19:58 (twenty years ago)
About the adventures of the young James Bond. Started pretty well with an entertaining riff on the first line of Casino Royale.
― Navek Rednam (Navek Rednam), Friday, 24 June 2005 23:19 (twenty years ago)
― mj (robert blake), Sunday, 26 June 2005 03:13 (twenty years ago)
― brothers, in, arms..........?, Sunday, 26 June 2005 05:15 (twenty years ago)
What are you, some kind of robot?
Now I'm reading Blood and Guts by Roy Porter. It's a short history of medicine and it's pretty interesting, even if it is just a skim. I'm finding it really hard to read at the moment. I have a house full of fantastic books that look really great and I have no desire to read any of them. Summertime slump.
― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Sunday, 26 June 2005 07:50 (twenty years ago)
I've just started the Edith Grossman translation of Don Quixote which, given how little time I spend reading these days, will keep me occupied for a while.
― frankiemachine, Monday, 27 June 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)
― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 27 June 2005 19:19 (twenty years ago)
― k/l (Ken L), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)
I still want to see more on JtN's view. I have read some reviews. And I have started thinking about the comparison with pop.
I am about 10pp from the end of The Mezzanine.
― the bellefox, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)
i very ambitiously put 'genji' next to my bed for sleepless late-night reading but it's just so bulky and the chapters are too long for that. better for deliberate pre-bedtime reading, i think.
― Josh (Josh), Thursday, 30 June 2005 09:08 (twenty years ago)
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 30 June 2005 09:13 (twenty years ago)
― the pinefox, Thursday, 30 June 2005 13:40 (twenty years ago)
― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 30 June 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)
― Joe Kay (feethurt), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:19 (twenty years ago)
I'm currently reading Michael Booth's It's Just as Well I'm Leaving, which is about appreciating and recreating the travel writings of Hans Christian Andersen. It's one of those new-fangled travel/biography books where there's too much of the author's life in it, and there are definitely too many very poor jokes. If he stuck to some straight-ahead storytelling it would be a great book, but as it is it's merely a good book.
― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Friday, 1 July 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)
― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 1 July 2005 15:52 (twenty years ago)
Just see what all the fuss is about. Also, Selected Thomas Hardy Poems picked by Tom Paulin.
― Navek Rednam (Navek Rednam), Friday, 1 July 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)
neal stephenson, as of tomorrow.
finally got: lawrence james on the british empire, & on british india
― tom west (thomp), Friday, 1 July 2005 23:27 (twenty years ago)
― Josh (Josh), Saturday, 2 July 2005 05:14 (twenty years ago)
Based on the first story, Salter is still the champ.
― k/l (Ken L), Friday, 8 July 2005 13:58 (twenty years ago)
Why didn't I check out Roth earlier? Ach!
― Øystein (Øystein), Friday, 8 July 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)
― jed_ (jed), Friday, 8 July 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 10 July 2005 20:56 (twenty years ago)
― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 10 July 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)