What Are You Reading

Ada Veen · Dec 13, 2007

Luigi Vampa said:
It seems like the Russians call each other by their first and middle names. At least that's what it looks like to me. And Bolkonsky is a good man. It would be nice to hang out with him, provided that I didn't have to meet his dad.

I'm sure his dad would be nice to you - he liked Pierre. As long as you didn't try and court the poor Mary you'd be ok!

Just out of interest, are you in love with Natasha? It seems like Tolstoy wrote her for people to be in love with.

Ada Veen · Dec 13, 2007

Marlowe said:
I am struggling through Joyces' Ulysses

i wonder what percentage of people have read the first hundred or so pages and then given it up?

I had a dyslexic friend who read it at school. He was so seriously dyslexic he was taken out of classes to be tought individually, and made to read a book. He chose Ulysses just to make a point to his teachers, but said he didn't understand a word of it! Finished it though, one of only 0.16% that have, I'll wager

M Tatterscratch · Dec 13, 2007

An H.L. Mencken Chrestomathy, Bulfinch's Mythology, W.H. Auden's Prose Volume I 1926-38, Fitzgerald's Basil and Josephine stories, and a selection of plays by dear old Oscar Wilde.

Bookmark Collector,

T.

diverguy · Dec 14, 2007

NERO!!

Just finished Rex Stout's "Black Orchid" and started his "Doorbell Rang." Man I love Nero Wolfe!

Marlowe P. · Dec 14, 2007

Ada Veen said:
i wonder what percentage of people have read the first hundred or so pages and then given it up?

I had a dyslexic friend who read it at school. He was so seriously dyslexic he was taken out of classes to be tought individually, and made to read a book. He chose Ulysses just to make a point to his teachers, but said he didn't understand a word of it! Finished it though, one of only 0.16% that have, I'll wager

I am trying to take a zen approach to it. Knowing I wont get everything because as was pointed out earlier.. I havent read most of what he refers to, dont speak latin or greek and am not from early twentieth century Ireland.

So far, I am moving through it well. I have some friends who were Lit. majors in school and they are a tremendous help. Plus I hate talking on the phone but now have a reason and it is actually fun.

My plan is to read it through once. Read Homer's Odyssey again. Then come back to it with a companion book.

But reading it with dyslexia... sheesh... Although so much of it is foreign or train of consciousness that it might not impact all that much... what a brain Joyce had

volatile · Dec 14, 2007

I'm reading the absolutely fabulous [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Proust-Was-Neuroscientist-Jonah-Lehrer/dp/0618620109/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197623093&sr=8-1]'Proust was a Neuroscientist'[/url] by Jonah Lehrer...

It's pretty journalistic and really easy to read, but no less fascinating, subtle and enlightening for it. Put it on your Christmas list!

Ada Veen · Dec 14, 2007

volatile said:

mmmm.........madeline......

volatile · Dec 14, 2007

Ada Veen said:
mmmm.........madeline......

Exactly! Proust's "Mmm... madeline" moment is the basis of an entire chapter!

imoldfashioned · Dec 14, 2007

Ada Veen said:
i wonder what percentage of people have read the first hundred or so pages and then given it up?

I had a dyslexic friend who read it at school. He was so seriously dyslexic he was taken out of classes to be tought individually, and made to read a book. He chose Ulysses just to make a point to his teachers, but said he didn't understand a word of it! Finished it though, one of only 0.16% that have, I'll wager

I heard this work read aloud and it made all the difference in the world for me--much easier to follow and the use of language just bloomed (no pun intended) when spoken. I've always meant to try and read it, but so far it remains on the "to be done" list.

sweetfrancaise · Dec 14, 2007

volatile said:
Exactly! Proust's "Mmm... madeline" moment is the basis of an entire chapter!

I keep seeing that book at work...I'll add it to my Christmas wish list (or buy it with Christmas money!) now that I've seen such a positive review from you!

megagene · Dec 14, 2007

Neil Gaiman - Smoke and Mirrors

sweetfrancaise · Dec 14, 2007

megagene said:
Neil Gaiman - Smoke and Mirrors

Ah, he's my number one favorite. That's an excellent collection. Have you read Neverwhere or American Gods?

megagene · Dec 14, 2007

sweetfrancaise said:
Ah, he's my number one favorite. That's an excellent collection. Have you read Neverwhere or American Gods?

I have owned a copy of American Gods for a few years now, but I still haven't read it. I definitely will at some point though. I actually started really getting into Neil Gaiman back in the early to mid 90's because I was a huge fan of his Sandman comics....

Harp · Dec 15, 2007

Doran said:
I tried Portrait of an Artist, too. Couldn't get past the moo-cow. What the devil was he talking about? Well, Dubliners was great.

Portrait is an udder masterpiece.

And Ulysses is an agnostic's tedious bias scribbled more
to antagonize than illumine.

Miss Brill · Dec 15, 2007

I'm re-reading By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I needed a break between Black Dahlia books (my next one hasn't arrived yet).

LocktownDog · Dec 15, 2007

Harp said:
Portrait is an udder masterpiece.
And Ulysses is an agnostic's tedious bias scribbled more
to antagonize than illumine.

I've always loved Ulysses. And I really don't see what his religion (or lack thereof) has anything to do with what you call antagonism. I'm not sure the book was meant to illuminate anything other than the imagination. A storyteller's job is to "tell a story". That's it. Its up to the reader to gain something from it, if they want.

Richard

LocktownDog · Dec 15, 2007

diverguy said:
Just finished Rex Stout's "Black Orchid" and started his "Doorbell Rang." Man I love Nero Wolfe!

Just finishing up his "A Family Affair". Didn't care for it as much as his earlier stories. There was too much mentioning of Watergate and Nixon. I really wish he had kept the characters and settings in that pre-1955 era.

Richard

Patrick Murtha · Dec 15, 2007

diverguy said:
Just finished Rex Stout's "Black Orchid" and started his "Doorbell Rang." Man I love Nero Wolfe!

I do, too, having recently read the first two books in the series, Fer-de-lance and The League of Frightened Men. I also dote on the A&E Nero Wolfe TV series.

Diverguy, we're the same age -- both born in 1958.

imoldfashioned · Dec 15, 2007

Miss Brill said:
I'm re-reading By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I think that's my favorite book of the series. The Long Winter is better written but By The Shores of Silver Lake is more upbeat (except I still tear up everytime I read the bit with Jack).

CharlesB · Dec 15, 2007

do androids dream of electric sheep

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