Do you read?

[AVFC_Hitz]

2 hours ago, Villa87 said:

Just finished Stasiland by Anna Funder. Really good read!

Brilliant book. On that theme I'm currently reading this:

[Rodders]

Currently reading this:

It's excellent. Only in the early days of the account so far, but it is so well written, thoroughly engaging and fascinating. One of those late 19th century polar expeditions when they knew **** all about what was down there, and it's a very ill prepared journey. Thoroughly recommended. 

 

Fiction wise - for the classics - slowly beginning Thomas Mann's ' Magic Mountain'. It is slow-going, enjoying the first couple of chapters, but one of those books where he has to describe every last little detail.

Contemporary wise, recently finished:

Sally Rooney's - Conversations with Friends, her first book, before Normal People. Was ok, but the cast are all fairly cold dicks, so never really warmed to them. 

Caoilinn Hughes - Wild Laughter - was really good, a brisk 200 page book set in Ireland around the time of the crash, seen through the eyes of the younger brother of a family as the consequence on the Dad's farming business and his health take its toll. It's a proper black comic tale. Sharp wit in a bleak world. 

Terry Pratchett - Witches Abroad - working my way through Discworld - this one is terrifically fun, satirising fairy stories. 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Rodders

[mjmooney]

3 hours ago, Rodders said:

Fiction wise - for the classics - slowly beginning Thomas Mann's ' Magic Mountain'. It is slow-going, enjoying the first couple of chapters, but one of those books where he has to describe every last little detail.

I first tried reading TMM many, many years ago, and gave up on it as being dull and tedious. Gave it a second attempt last year, and absolutely loved it. Definitely a slow burner, all about the atmosphere. By the end, I felt like I knew every square foot of that sanatorium. 

[Rodders]

4 hours ago, mjmooney said:

I first tried reading TMM many, many years ago, and gave up on it as being dull and tedious. Gave it a second attempt last year, and absolutely loved it. Definitely a slow burner, all about the atmosphere. By the end, I felt like I knew every square foot of that sanatorium. 

I am pre disposed to liking it. I really enjoyed Buddenbrooks. Just need to find an evening to dive into it properly. 

[MakemineVanilla]

15 hours ago, mjmooney said:

I first tried reading TMM many, many years ago, and gave up on it as being dull and tedious. Gave it a second attempt last year, and absolutely loved it. Definitely a slow burner, all about the atmosphere. By the end, I felt like I knew every square foot of that sanatorium. 

Having spent quite a bit of time in Switzerland and being familiar with the claims made about the health benefits of a sanatorium, I thought the book was hilarious.

I think someone once claimed that hell is a hotel where you are stuck with people you don't like for eternity, and I think whoever said that had read the book.

I got the impression that Mann had been influenced by Nietzsche's eternal recurrence.

For me it was the most memorable of the books I read last year.

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by MakemineVanilla

[Chindie]

[mjmooney]

On 12/05/2022 at 22:52, MakemineVanilla said:

Having spent quite a bit of time in Switzerland and being familiar with the claims made about the health benefits of a sanatorium, I thought the book was hilarious.

I think someone once claimed that hell is a hotel where you are stuck with people you don't like for eternity, and I think whoever said that had read the book.

My initial reaction to the idea of being in the book's sanatorium was that it might be OK for a few weeks, but it would quickly become crushingly tedious and I'd want out. But as I read on, I felt more and more absorbed in the atmosphere, to the point I could begin to see how the paying customers were seduced into being institutionalised. The place was well appointed and comfortable, with good food and drink, opportunities for sexual liasons, plenty of time for pleasant walks, lazy afternoons, philosophical chats and gossip, no pressure or responsibilities. In other words, Mann takes the reader through exactly the same thought processes as his protagonist Hans Castorp. And then the almost throwaway twist at the end. Genius. 

[MakemineVanilla]

47 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

My initial reaction to the idea of being in the book's sanatorium was that it might be OK for a few weeks, but it would quickly become crushingly tedious and I'd want out. But as I read on, I felt more and more absorbed in the atmosphere, to the point I could begin to see how the paying customers were seduced into being institutionalised. The place was well appointed and comfortable, with good food and drink, opportunities for sexual liasons, plenty of time for pleasant walks, lazy afternoons, philosophical chats and gossip, no pressure or responsibilities. In other words, Mann takes the reader through exactly the same thought processes as his protagonist Hans Castorp. And then the almost throwaway twist at the end. Genius. 

That is a first class review which sums it up nicely - thanks!

[maqroll]

Blood in the Water, a history of the Attica Prison Uprising. Important reading and resonant 50 years later.

[HKP90]

On 16/05/2022 at 12:55, Chindie said:

Stephen Briggs does a (for the most part), pretty good job narrating the Discworld books on audible. Nightwatch was brilliant. Only misstep so far was Going Postal, which I couldn't get into at all. 

Other good Audible finds were the Expanse series, which is epic, and the Bobiverse books. 

Also Peter Clines has a few memorable ones on there- Paradox Bound and 14.

[Chindie]

This doesn't really fit anywhere else, but if you've ever consumed any Harry Potter content, or have any interest in the politics of its author, this is a brilliant, if long, trip through how grim it all is.

 

[MakemineVanilla]

I wasn't sure if this belonged in the history thread or not, but here goes...

Austerity Britain by David Kynaston (1945-51)

Some books change your view of a particular era, and this looks likely to be one of them. Most of the claims made about the early post-war years, tend towards the hyperbolic, and insist that there was a shared spirit and enthusiam for the political projects, which eventually amounted to what was called the "post-war consensus".

The film footage which shows people dancing on VE Day, give the wrong impression: the celebrations were overwhelmingly subdued, out of respect to those who had lost people in the war. In Erdington they made do with drinking the pubs dry and attending a bonfire on Marsh Lane.

It seems that most ordinary folk had very little interest in politics. Still remembering the broken promises after WW1, they expected another betrayal.

The people were exhausted and became very uncooperative in the workplace.

The quotes from ordinary folk as recorded by the Mass-Observation people, and the many interesting facts, make for a very worthwhile read.

'Unsurpassed...a classic' The Guardian

 

 

[mjmooney]

1 hour ago, MakemineVanilla said:

I wasn't sure if this belonged in the history thread or not, but here goes...

Austerity Britain by David Kynaston (1945-51)

Some books change your view of a particular era, and this looks likely to be one of them. Most of the claims made about the early post-war years, tend towards the hyperbolic, and insist that there was a shared spirit and enthusiam for the political projects, which eventually amounted to what was called the "post-war consensus".

The film footage which shows people dancing on VE Day, give the wrong impression: the celebrations were overwhelmingly subdued, out of respect to those who had lost people in the war. In Erdington they made do with drinking the pubs dry and attending a bonfire on Marsh Lane.

It seems that most ordinary folk had very little interest in politics. Still remembering the broken promises after WW1, they expected another betrayal.

The people were exhausted and became very uncooperative in the workplace.

The quotes from ordinary folk as recorded by the Mass-Observation people, and the many interesting facts, make for a very worthwhile read.

'Unsurpassed...a classic' The Guardian

I've read the whole series (so far), it's superb. 

And if you want 'prequels', covering the 1930s and 40s, Juliet Gardner has written them, using the same approach. 

[MakemineVanilla]

31 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

I've read the whole series (so far), it's superb. 

And if you want 'prequels', covering the 1930s and 40s, Juliet Gardner has written them, using the same approach. 

Thanks for that.

I particularly like the quotes from the Mass-Observation people, which remind me that people weren't that different back then, in spite of what other reviewers say.

The woman complaining that the government didn't arrange for the church bells to be rung to mark VE Day, reminded me that governments have always been a bit crap.

[mjmooney]

[MakemineVanilla]

2 hours ago, mjmooney said:

They would look great on anyone's bookshelf.

I might add that when I got the book for Christmas, I was surprised how thick it was; having started to read it, I am rather glad it is.

[mjmooney]

Speaking of popular history, I'm currently reading this: 

[El Zen]

I’ve just finished Agota Kristof’s  The Notebook, The Proof & The Third Lie trilogy. 

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it. Kristof’s writing is unique, the plot is confusingly captivating and the mood so intensely bleak and dark. 

It’s a masterpiece. 

[mjmooney]

19 minutes ago, El Zen said:

I’ve just finished Agota Kristof’s  The Notebook, The Proof & The Third Lie trilogy. 

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it. Kristof’s writing is unique, the plot is confusingly captivating and the mood so intensely bleak and dark. 

It’s a masterpiece. 

This looks really interesting, thanks for the tip. 

I shall investigate. 

[El Zen]

2 hours ago, mjmooney said:

This looks really interesting, thanks for the tip. 

I shall investigate. 

I’ve read all three books, about 200 pages each, in one sitting. They are intensly fascinating.   

I should say, they won’t be to everone’s taste, given the sheer brutally unsentimental nature of the writing, where truly horrific events are told with the naively honest words of a child. The narrative is also intensely confusing, and you are never given any other information than the immediate observations (or fantasies?) of the narrator. There isn’t a single place name given, not a single date, not even a surname as far as I can tell. 

It is very much a work of art. But it’s one of the most beautiful works of art I’ve ever enjoyed.

Edited July 2, 2022 by El Zen