Larry’s Comments (group member since Nov 23, 2020)

Larry’s comments from the Nonfiction Reading - Only the Best group.

Jean Shepherd’s various collections of short stories are also very funny. Some were stitched together to form the basis of the movie, A CHRISTMAS STORY.

For me, John Kennedy Toole’s A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES may be the funniest book that I can remember. Most of my friends who read it liked it, while a few were offended by it. I can still remember reading it on the subway and breaking out into uncontrollable laughter.

John wrote: "I felt like reading something humorous. This seemed to be a good choice, so I will give Graham Greene a try.

Our Man in Havana"

I think that these times cry out for more humor.

I think that an English co-major degree remains a strong degree. Universities should do a better job in helping students combine programs and majors in a creative way.

It is more of the same, John, and yet I do feel that we are getting to the end of an era. In fact, I think it is hard to deny that.

Carol,

I really like how France protects the rights.

John wrote: "I did read in today’s Washington Post Book World that Roald Dahl’s publisher is releasing two versions of his books now. The original wording will be released under some type of Classic Collection ...I have not really wished to follow this debacle too closely. My view is: leave things as the writer wrote them.

"

That's my conclusion as well ... although there are some times that an abridged edition works for me.

John, I have the Tina Brown book that you read. It’s probably the only popular book on the royals, past or present,that I’m likely to read in the next year.

I bet that was very exciting, John.

John, In Ann Patchett’s book, These Precious Days: Essays, there is a funny and moving essay about Patchett winning an award from the America Academy of Arts and Letters. She meets John Updike and ends up sitting next to him. The funny part is that thinks she might be being inducted, confusing that with the winning of an award. People laugh at her confusion but are kind at the same time. Patchett will eventually be inducted twelve years later. The highlight of the evening is a chaste kiss from Updike. It's a wonderful essay as so many in this collection are.

I ordered the two volumes of John Updike's Collected Short Stories in the Library of America edition. John Updike: The Collected Stories: A Library of America Boxed Set The second volume, The Later Short Stories, came first, so I've started with that one ... one story a day. Two down ... 184 more to go.

I think this new scrutiny is often silly and generally bad. Replies to it often result in charges on insensitivity or worse, so I try to ignore it as much as possible. But then there are cases where it may be relevant. The exposure of Dahl’s racism, etc. is quite appropriate.

John, the Wiki entry for Winn-Dixie is fascinating … bankruptcy after bankruptcy and now it is left with operations in five Southeastern states, including as you mention Florida.

By the way the film adaptation of Because of Winn Dixie is a lot of fun.

All of these Kate DiCamillo books are good: Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tiger Rising, The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and The Magician's Elephant. The Edward Tulane book is one of my favorite books ... not just among children's books, abut all books.

And this … "Authors criticize decision to edit Roald Dahl's children's books to be more inclusive - Salman Rushdie and more slam publisher Penguin Random House for altering the classic books"

https://apple.news/ATqcg9tWpTS6fX6Yqd...

John & Carol, I think that all of Dahl’s books are great. Another wonderful children’s books author is Kate DiCamillo.

It is funny how you can understand parts of poems but not the whole thing. Great to have that comment from Elizabeth Bishop, John.

Carol wrote: "That sounds lovely. Strangely, I don't like tinned tuna in water, but only in oil. I sometimes eat fresh tuna, which I fry, but find it a bit off-putting as it looks like meat but has a fishy taste. ."
For years, we ate tuna canned in water, thinking it was healthier. Then maybe about a decade ago, we switched to tuna canned in olive oil. So much better and I think maybe even healthier.

I do love tuna steaks and also tuna in the form of sushi. I have been to the old Japanese wholesale fish market (Tsukiji) twice and seen individual tuna at auction sold for fantastic amounts of money. I have read that some have gone for as much as $20,000, but I have no idea how much the ones I saw being auctioned off actually went for ... it's not just that the auctions were in Japanese but they used some "insider speak" kind of Japanese. Fun experience at about 6:00am in the morning followed by a breakfast of beer and sushi at one of the many little restaurants attached to Tsukiji.

It is so easy to get salmon in restaurants around here ... the Washington, DC area, but to get a wide variety of good seafood, you have to go to a really good and expensive restaurant. I think it gets easier as you go South and especially toward to coast. (North Carolina seems better than Virginia ... Florida definitely better than North Carolina).

We also eat canned (note the Americanism of "canned" vs. "tinned") tuna once a week, but usually it's on top of a salad (where I first take the tuna out of the can and mix it with celery, onions, sweet pickles, dried cranberries, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and pepper). Sometimes we'll just use that result on a sandwich.

Carol wrote: "I was extremely surprised when eating in American restaurants about the enormous portions, part of which people often appear to take home with them as it is too much to eat at one go."

My wife and I think that those enormous portions are ridiculous ... although we have indeed enjoyed the leftovers at home on occasion.