Just finished Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Interesting book, to say the least. It took me a while to figure out what was going on but once I did it was hard to put down.
Reading Elza's Kitchen by Marc Fitten. Meh.
Just finished Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Interesting book, to say the least. It took me a while to figure out what was going on but once I did it was hard to put down.
Reading Elza's Kitchen by Marc Fitten. Meh.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. -Martin Luther King Jr.
I still have a copy of that one that I bought about 35 yrs ago.Originally posted by Maister
Just read George Saunders' story "The Semplica Girl Diaries", in the 10-15-12 New Yorker.
Downloaded John Grisham's new book yesterday on the kindle to read on the plane home today, but I was a wee bit hungover to absorb anything convoluted, so I'll start it tomorrow.
Checked out J.K. Rowling's new book from the library: The Casual Vacancy. Will start that tonight.
Have to admit, haven't been reading much. I'm crocheting several Christmas presents, and started early this year. I don't want to do what I did a couple of years ago - stay up way too late many nights trying to get gifts done.
"We do not need any other Tutankhamun's tomb with all its treasures. We need context. We need understanding. We need knowledge of historical events to tie them together. We don't know much. Of course we know a lot, but it is context that's missing, not treasures." - Werner Herzog, in Archaeology, March/April 2011
I am reading Insomnia, by Stephen King. Which is appropriate since I'm experiencing a particularly bad bout of insomnia. It is not really scary, so it is not a cause. Just a coincidence. I'd never read Stephen King before. It is a good read. I might read another one of his books in the future.
I also checked out a couple books on insomnia. This not sleeping enough gets old fast and insomnia is no stranger to my life.
"I am very good at reading women, but I get into trouble for using the Braille method."
~ Otterpop ~
Lisa Lutz's "Trail of the Spellmans". It's the 5th in a series about an odd family of P.I.s. and they're all hilarious. I figured I'd better get the bag of library books out of the way before starting the new John Grisham.
I'm almost done with the 5th book in the Game of Thrones universe. I'm sad that I have to wait for the next installment. Overall I have been very impressed, I haven't been this emotionally attached to a fantasy series in many years. I listen to the audiobook in the car, then read the paper version at home just to get to the next chapter. There's slow spots, inevitable in a ~5,000 page book, but they are heavily outweighed by some seriously shocking, touching, or hilarious moments.
The HBO series is also excellent, but just a little different. I think it is made much better by knowing the books, there is a ton of excellent backstory and context that is necessarily left out in the shorter TV scripts (and some excellent shortcuts to show as much as possible in the visual medium). Like the LOTR movies, I think the TV series is the best that can be expected of converting one art to another. I hope they keep the quality high and I can't wait to see certain things put on the screen.
I just finished American Canopy by Eric Rutkow. It's about how we fucked this continent for its tree canopy. Some good land use discussions, too. One thing missing is how the northern California timber barons ruined the north coast redwood forests with the pinnacle being the assclown Maxxam Company.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
Starting "The Trouble with City Planning - What New Orleans Can Teach Us" by Kristina Ford. Got to slip in a planning book once in a while.
Jeanne Ray's "Calling Invisible Women". It's a novel. I've mentioned before how you hit middle-age, and suddenly seem invisible to younger people, sales clerks, etc. This book is narrated by a doctor's wife who actually becomes physically invisible. So far it's hilarious.
Sitting by the pool this afternoon I started Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich.Funny stuff and an easy, entertaining read.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
Gary Shteyngard - Super Sad True Love Story
I'm now reading Colonel Roosevelt, the 3rd book in Morris' trilogy.
So far not as interesting as the first 2 books. It chronicles the last days of Roosevelt's life, including his split from the Republican party.
"I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany"
That was a good one - I read that awhile ago. He's a funny guy; check out his Facebook content sometime.
Alex Haley - Roots It's been many years since I saw the mini-series and I don't think that I ever read the book. All the dialect makes it a difficult read.
“Death comes when memories of the past exceed the vision for the future.”
Finishing up 'The Hobbit' (maybe the 8th time I've read it)
next up: Bryan Sykes' controversial ''DNA USA"
People will miss that it once meant something to be Southern or Midwestern. It doesn't mean much now, except for the climate. The question, “Where are you from?” doesn't lead to anything odd or interesting. They live somewhere near a Gap store, and what else do you need to know? - Garrison Keillor
Ray Bradbury - the Martian Chronicles. I want to see the 80's tv movie or mini-series I remember as a kid.
Assholes, A Theory by Aaron James.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
Man's Search for Himself by Rollo May, an existential psychologist. Great book! Highly recommended!
Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness. One of those books that I was never assigned in high school or college.
Do you plan to watch 'Apocalypse Now' when you've finished it?
People will miss that it once meant something to be Southern or Midwestern. It doesn't mean much now, except for the climate. The question, “Where are you from?” doesn't lead to anything odd or interesting. They live somewhere near a Gap store, and what else do you need to know? - Garrison Keillor
Also re-reading it for the nth time. Can't see how it can be made into a film trilogy without boring people to death with either excruciating detail or special effects.
“Death comes when memories of the past exceed the vision for the future.”
I am reading to my son "The Garden of Rama," the third in the Rama series. Also reading "Kennedy's Gold," a good-ole-fashioned oater about a stagecoach beset by marauding Apaches.
"I am very good at reading women, but I get into trouble for using the Braille method."
~ Otterpop ~
Has anybody seen or read
Nature Wars: The Incredible Story of How Wildlife Comebacks Turned Backyards into Battlegrounds
by Jim Sterba
sounds interesting.
Oddball
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves?
Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
From Kelly's Heroes (1970)
Are you sure you're not hurt ?
No. Just some parts wake up faster than others.
Broke parts take a little longer, though.
From Electric Horseman (1979)
Me,either, it's such a quick read, much shorter than the other 3 books.
I've started "City of Dark Magic" by Magnus Flyte, after reading a bunch of good reviews.
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