What are you reading now?

[gurnemanz]

War and Peace ? Pah, that's for lightweights ! My project for the winter is Anniversaries : From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl by Uwe Johnson. All 1,800 pages of it. I'm 300 pages in. As was remarked on Saturday Review last night, it just might be a masterpiece. Not for everyone of course but if your taste runs to literary novels and if the attempt at a synopsis in the link below in any way appeals, then I would highly recommend it.

https://www.nyrb.com/products/annive...nt=51442122951

I happened to be chatting to a fellow bass in an amateur performance of Carmina Burina a few years. When I asked what he did, it transpired that amongst many other things he had translated "War and Peace" for the latest Penguin edition. I was inordinately impressed by this revelation, especially being a linguist myself. On the night of our performance he was kind enough to give me a signed copy. I then, of course, read it, taking my time and doing it very thoroughly. I am so grateful because it is quite possible that I would not have got around to doing so but for this chance conversation.

I heard the recent publicity around the translation of Uwe Johnson's Jahrestage and having read quite a bit of Johnson (I did a degree in German lit) it struck me that it would be an omission not to take on this major work which I had not read. I duly ordered the German version. Not started yet, but it should be a good distraction during the upcoming year which promises to be an especially ghastly one us Europhiles.

[Beef Oven!]

Vinteuil (I think it was) pointed out some time ago how Oxfam have an unfair advantage, and have thereby distorted the market (I paraphrase) in that they don't have to pay for their stock.

Gives them a bit of an edge, I'd say.

[DracoM]

'This Boy' / Alan Johnson autobiog.
One politician who truly knows about deep poverty from having lived it.

[Beef Oven!]

'This Boy' / Alan Johnson autobiog.
One politician who truly knows about deep poverty from having lived it.

I fancy this book very much. A remarkable man. Achieving so much from such a challenged start in life. I'm not sure 'extreme poverty' is correct - he and his sister were given a council flat in 1963 when lots of us were living in no more than a room in a shared house. To pass the 11 plus, given his circumstances, was truly amazing.

[Pianorak]

I came across Fred Uhlman's "Der Wiedergefundene Freund", convinced it would be the original German of his novel "Reunion". How wrong can you be - the English version turned out to be the original.
Now reading "The Penguin Lessons" by Tom Michell. I tend to stay away from "heart-warming" stories, but it really is a delightful read.

[teamsaint]

Just started The Essex Serpent (courtesy of our local library).
After that will be Margaret Atwood's Hag-Seed (also courtesy of the library).
I need to see if they have Victoria and Abdul, too.

I’ve just started The Essex Serpent, xmas pressie.

Its a long time since I read any Doris Lessing, ( and it was only a couple of books) but it seems to me to have something of the feel of her writing, or more precisely, the kind of middle class London life and characters that she wrote about.

TES does have some lovely descriptive writing, and enough mystery in the plot to keep me going, so far.

[gradus]

Several of Derek Tangye's books arrived as Xmas presents. I hadn't heard of him before but they are a delight.

[Tarantella]

Dr.Jordan Peterson, "Twelve Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos". Great, easy reading with loads of humour and much common-sense.

[LMcD]

'Transcription' by Kate Atkinson.

[ardcarp]

Just finished one of the most truly awful detective thrillers...one of those where the lumpen police force plays second fiddle to eccentric Oxbridge educated amateur sleuths.One of the latter just happens to pop into to a cathedral (whose organist has been murdered) to train the choir and play for services. Possibly the only faintly amusing incident is where a body is found underneath a huge memorial slab which has been caused to fall [spoiler alert] from its vertical position by 32' pedal notes being played. I really don't recommend this read, except as an inducement to sleep. The book? Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin.

[Constantbee]

The Queen of Spades by Pushkin. Weather permitting I'll be venturing out to see the ROH live screening of the opera on Tuesday. It's a short, easy read about greed (for money) and contains several examples of Pushkin's trademark witty observations of human foibles, and plenty of his irony The card game on which the plot turns is Faro, so called because one of the cards in the early standard deck bore the face of an Egyptian pharaoh. Faro was popular throughout Europe in the 18th century. It later reached the frontier towns of the south west US (via New Orleans), where is was widely played until the late C19th. By all accounts, it's a very fast, noisy game, attracting up to ten players, and based more on chance than on skill. Hope it's well represented on stage at the performance.

[Joseph K]

Last night I finished Shark by Will Self. It was even better than Umbrella. I highly recommend it.


Now onto Phone by the same author...

[burning dog]

Will Self

Never liked the chap, he was at school with a friend of mine and I knew him vaguely, but will finally give his books a read on your recommendation.

BTW My friend seemed to like him though they were chalk and cheese character wise

[Joseph K]

Will Self

Never liked the chap, he was at school with a friend of mine and I knew him vaguely, but will finally give his books a read on your recommendation.

BTW My friend seemed to like him though they were chalk and cheese character wise

Other than Phone, I've read all his novels and almost all his other books. His subject matters appeal to me, I love his rich vocabulary and sense of humour... I'd suggest either starting with How the Dead Live or Dorian - the latter, based on the Picture of Dorian Gray, is really brilliant, horrible, but really funny and grotesque - as is much of his other stuff, but particularly in Dorian.

I can't comment on whether I like him as such, but I certainly like his writing. I don't rate his political commentating, other than to the extent that he's not conservative.

[Mal]

Just finished "After the Fire", Mankell’s last novel. A lot more character development than the average mystery novel, but there is a good mystery involved as well. This isn't a Wallender novel and there's "less police procedure" than is found in that series, but the bleak Scandinavian setting is still there, and an interesting trip to Paris as our "hero" attempts to help his wayward daughter.