Books read:
Valley of the Serpents — S H Payne ** She's a friend, I'm trying to be kind.
Tarka the Otter — Henry Williamson ***** Quite stunning, an absolute classic of English pastoral writing for sure. It's rare to find anthropomorphism without a shred of sentiment. I'm certain this book would be more widely known if the author hadn't been an active Nazi for most of his adult life.
Doctor Faustus — Thomas Mann (unread)
Hi Five — Joe Ide **** Well up to snuff with his previous 'IQ' novels. An excellent book for falling asleep over (that sounds like a sarky comment but I mean it seriously.)
The Lady in the Car with the Glasses and the Gun — Sebastien Japrisot ***** I'm not usually a huge fan of puzzle-type mysteries, being more into character and location. But Japrisot, who has few books translated into English, does both very well. The plot is as tricksy as you could wish, but the French early 60s setting gives the story a very nice Nouvelle Vague vibe.
Big Sky — Kate Atkinson *** A classic English "cosy" set in Bridlington. I spent many childhood holidays there which is why I bought it, and was pleasantly surprised. Atkinson is a pleasantly witty writer, with an excellent command of her craft. No real surprises, but no disappointments either.
Currently reading:
The Long Fall — Walter Mosley *** The first of his Leonid McGill novels. Entertaining, but doesn't do as much for me as Easy Rawlins. Maybe I'll give one of the more recent ones a try.
Displaced Persons — Dagni Innus *** An unpublished memoir someone has asked for my opinion on. So far, so good.
Dissident Gardens — Jonathan Lethen **** Like The Fortress of Solitude this more recent novel of Lethen's kinda threw itself at me (it was on a reduced rack outside our local bookstore for four dollars.) I couldn't say no, and I'm glad i didn't.
Upcoming Reading:
It's Superman!: A Novel — Tom De Haven
The Origins of Totalitarianism — Hannah Arendt
The Three Body Problem — Cixin Liu
Valley of the Serpents — S H Payne ** She's a friend, I'm trying to be kind.
Tarka the Otter — Henry Williamson ***** Quite stunning, an absolute classic of English pastoral writing for sure. It's rare to find anthropomorphism without a shred of sentiment. I'm certain this book would be more widely known if the author hadn't been an active Nazi for most of his adult life.
Doctor Faustus — Thomas Mann (unread)
Hi Five — Joe Ide **** Well up to snuff with his previous 'IQ' novels. An excellent book for falling asleep over (that sounds like a sarky comment but I mean it seriously.)
The Lady in the Car with the Glasses and the Gun — Sebastien Japrisot ***** I'm not usually a huge fan of puzzle-type mysteries, being more into character and location. But Japrisot, who has few books translated into English, does both very well. The plot is as tricksy as you could wish, but the French early 60s setting gives the story a very nice Nouvelle Vague vibe.
Big Sky — Kate Atkinson *** A classic English "cosy" set in Bridlington. I spent many childhood holidays there which is why I bought it, and was pleasantly surprised. Atkinson is a pleasantly witty writer, with an excellent command of her craft. No real surprises, but no disappointments either.
Currently reading:
The Long Fall — Walter Mosley *** The first of his Leonid McGill novels. Entertaining, but doesn't do as much for me as Easy Rawlins. Maybe I'll give one of the more recent ones a try.
Displaced Persons — Dagni Innus *** An unpublished memoir someone has asked for my opinion on. So far, so good.
Dissident Gardens — Jonathan Lethen **** Like The Fortress of Solitude this more recent novel of Lethen's kinda threw itself at me (it was on a reduced rack outside our local bookstore for four dollars.) I couldn't say no, and I'm glad i didn't.
Upcoming Reading:
It's Superman!: A Novel — Tom De Haven
The Origins of Totalitarianism — Hannah Arendt
The Three Body Problem — Cixin Liu
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