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What I'm Reading OCTOBER 2013
I never get recommendations. What am I doing right?
Jane wrote: "What do you suggest in managing information profile better? Names of shelves? Or? ..."Jane,
I was more than a little unclear .. maybe even obtuse about that. What I was thinking about as I posted that was how Facebook uses the information that we post in presenting adds, recommendations, etc. that we see. So it was "information profile" in the most general sense that I meant. It is one of the reasons that I've told some friends that even though I use Facebook a lot I'm not sure that they might want to use it. I understand how Constant Reader is sifting through our data, slicing and dicing it, and using it for Recommendations as well as other things, etc. But I don't even look at the Recommendations. Maybe I should.
larry
Sherry wrote: "I never get recommendations. What am I doing right?"Neither do I! So when a little window popped open the other day with a survey about the recommendations, I actually had no idea what it was for.
I see now there is a tab for recommendations. That's easily avoided, so I avoid it. Is it set up differently for others?
Marjorie wrote: "Larry wrote: "recently some really good books have been published on the subject of the Europe right before the war and what the causes of the war really were. Charles Emmerson's 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War and Christopher Clark's The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 are two of the better ones" Thanks very much, Larry. I've added those to my ever-growing TBR list. "Marge, just by chance the October 4 issue of the Financial Times reviews yet another three books on the causes of WW1. Tony Barber, who wrote the article, says the following:
"On the war’s causes the outstanding recent study is Christopher Clark’s The Sleepwalkers (2012), whose carefully textured arguments and deep understanding of the sometimes neglected Balkan context set the bar high for everyone else. The three books reviewed here are stimulating and enjoyable, but they are of varying quality."
In any case, here's the link:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/248f6960-29...
Sherry wrote: "I see now there is a tab for recommendations. That's easily avoided, so I avoid it. Is it set up differently for others?"Not for me. And I'm leaving it alone also. The collaborative filtering that Amazon does of my purchases probably is a more accurate reflection of my tastes than my reading history here since I am so far behind in listing the books that I have read with the CR.
I'm more into Amazon/Audible's "People who bought this also bought ..." in terms of what's potentially helpful.
John wrote: "I'm more into Amazon/Audible's "People who bought this also bought ..." in terms of what's potentially helpful."John, that's the "collaborative filtering" that I mentioned. It takes what you bought and compares it with others who have bought similar books/DVD's/etc. and then extracts from that comparison the result that it uses to entice you to part with more of your money.
Here's an article on it:
http://www.win.tue.nl/~laroyo/2L340/r...
John wrote: "I'm more into Amazon/Audible's "People who bought this also bought ..." in terms of what's potentially helpful."John, a separate point. Although I've never done it, I know that Amazon allows you to exclude items (items that you may have bought for others, for example) in your database so that it doesn't suggest other items based on those purchases.
One source I use, which is how I found my current book, is Audible's "just added" feature. The Suitors may seem like a real Rich Peoples' Problems story at first, but it's really a satire.
For Sue, Cateline, and John ... getting back to Basho. The first book of his that I enjoyed (and that I still have) was his On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho. I thought it was great and I still can enjoy it, but I didn't realize how bad the translation by Lucien Stryk actually was. (The review by Ty Hadman on Amazon explains further in painful detail.)
Larry, I just read the review. Very interesting. Did you read the comment? I wonder if it was from the author or a family member! Quite angry.
Sue wrote: "Larry, I just read the review. Very interesting. Did you read the comment? I wonder if it was from the author or a family member! Quite angry."Wow! I had not read that comment. You know, Hass uses some of Stryk's translations in his collection, so they aren't viewed as terrible in all ways, but I do think that Hadman came across as very knowledgeable in his criticism.
I may be wrong, but I interpreted the review as indicating that this was not up to Stryk's past translations. I did like Hadman's comments too.
Cateline wrote: "I have read and loved Basho's The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches.I don't think it gets any better."
In addition to The Narrow Road I also have Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary which is interesting in a number of respects, one being a phonetic transcription of the Japanese to allow non-speakers to grasp something of the sound of it, so important to the pleasure.
This month I have been reading Soseki's The Gate, more of the new annotated Sherlock Holmes, the third volume of Caro's biography of Johnson, Georgette Heyer's A Blunt Instrument (which I greatly disliked as being foppish and dim) Ted Gioia's The History of Jazz and the first pages of Bee Wilson's Consider the Fork: How Technology Transforms the Way We Cook and Eat -- plus continuing to stare at two inches of accumulated book reviews. This does not count the new Medicare program description.I would say that 3/4 or more of what I read is no good on a Kindle. Scholarly books with notes and bibliographies and appendices, especially when the notes are discursive. Big heavy books when they are typographically complex. Poetry, or anything else where the feel of the book contributes to contemplation, Art books and graphic novels. Actually, most illustrated books, despite the new Kindles. Anything requiring side-by-side reading, as for example comparing editions or translations. Most novels, which I like to riffle and read out of order to see how they're put together. Novels I don't expect to like, because I can't consume them in an hour or so. Philosophy (see poetry) but also because of the bookmarking and notes issues -- I can find my spot faster in print and get context with it.
All that on the table, plus the adjuration that I really like my Kindle for the residuum, what is it about Amazon that takes up so much space, time, and energy?
Personally, I feel that when marketing strategies and publicity bling overwhelm the product something is wrong. This, coupled with the growing idea among unthinking consumers (not us!) that if it's not on Amazon it doesn't exist, does a lot to make the world seem smaller and more polluted.
I don't know why I decided this morning to post yet another futile bit of geriatric moaning. Probably I'm feeling valedictory or, overwhelmed by errands, I'm feeling lonesome for old discarded pleasures.
I have had this huge stack of books, that I've been meaning to read for months. I'm just now starting to make a dent in it.
Larry wrote: "Jane wrote: "What do you suggest in managing information profile better? Names of shelves? Or? ..."Jane,
I was more than a little unclear .. maybe even obtuse about that. What I was thinking ab..."
Some of these recommendations are really foolish. First, they more or less duplicate what is in 'Recommendations' up top. Then, I'm seeing they move in a loop, go to the end of their suggestions, then start over.
I'll be interested in what they suggest for my 'Bildungsromane' shelf. Wonder if the computer knows German--or German words taken into English. :)
I've been reading A Tale for the Time Being, which is long-listed for the Booker, and Company of Women. The latter is a reread for me, but chosen by my f2f book group. I don't mind, love the characterizations, and the prose used ABOUT the characterizations. This is one of my favorite things in fiction, I think, and the reason why I'm a big Henry James fan.I would love it if we could move the discussion about Amazon, ebooks, etc. to another thread and keep this one for what we are currently reading.
I am readingTenth of December for the discussion. It is emotionally difficult to read . There will be lots to discuss.
I'm going to see if I can score a copy at the library this morning.
Carol wrote: "I am readingTenth of December for the discussion. It is emotionally difficult to read . There will be lots to discuss."I found a new copy in the library book sale room and picked it up. I've just started it and read the first story last night. Different. I've never read Saunders before.
Kat wrote: "I've been reading A Tale for the Time Being, which is long-listed for the Booker, and Company of Women. The latter is a reread for me, but chosen by my f2f book group. I don't mind, love the charac...""A Tale for the Time Being" looks wonderful. I hope you'll let us know what you think, Kat.
I just finished Jhumpra Lahiri's The Lowland. This was not my favorite from this author but I loved the human drama that felt familiar and the setting (in India and Rhode Island) that felt less so. Currently I'm reading the classic The Jewel in the Crown and about to begin The Last Town on Earth for my f2f book club. The premise for this one looks promising: a Pacific coast town during WWI quarantines itself amid the deadly influenza outbreak.
Charles wrote: "I would say that 3/4 or more of what I read is no good on a Kindle. Scholarly books with notes and bibliographies and appendices, especially when the notes are discursive. Big heavy books when they are typographically complex. Poetry, or anything else where the feel of the book contributes to contemplation, Art books and graphic novels. Actually, most illustrated books, despite the new Kindles. Anything requiring side-by-side reading, as for example comparing editions or translations."Charles, I do understand. Even as Kindles improve and get much better, there will be many books that are just so much better in paper. BTW, because of your listing of Borges in the Dabney, Jr. threads, I bought trade paperback versions of his COLLECTED FICTIONS and SELECTED NON-FICTIONS. Really nice editions of these works.
Carol wrote: "I am readingTenth of December for the discussion. It is emotionally difficult to read . There will be lots to discuss."I have a copy here, my husband bought it a while back. I'll get to it in a few days I hope.
Charles wrote: "In addition to The Narrow Road I also have Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary which is interesting in a number of respects, one being a phonetic transcription of the Japanese to allow non-speakers to grasp something of the sound of it, so important to the pleasure. ."Sounds very interesting, but above my pay grade I'm afraid.
Larry wrote: "For Sue, Cateline, and John ... getting back to Basho. The first book of his that I enjoyed (and that I still have) was his On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho. I thought it was great and I still ca..."
Thanks Larry. I'll look for it.
Cateline wrote: "Charles wrote: "In addition to The Narrow Road I also have Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary which is interesting in a number of respects, one being a phonetic transcriptio..."Cateline, even though I did/do find it enjoyable, I'm not sure that ON LOVE AND BARLEY is worth getting ... do look at the the first review on Amazon of the book.
I finished Daniel Silva's The English Girl, the latest book in the Gabriel Allon series. Allon is a Israeli spy/art restorer. It is hard to say much about this book without revealing spoilers, so I'll just say that it was exciting from the beginning to the end.I'm staying in the suspense genre and moving on to Charles McCarry's The Shanghai Factor. And I can't say too much about this one because I have barely gotten into it. McCarry is one of my favorite suspense writers. His 1974 book, The Tears of Autumn, remains one of my favorite books in the genre. I do think that his recent books are not quite as good as his earlier efforts.
Larry wrote: "Cateline wrote: "Charles wrote: "In addition to The Narrow Road I also have Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary which is interesting in a number of respects, one being a phon..."I was a little concerned about the translation you mentioned. But it seems Amazon has no other available. So, onto the wish list it goes till I can investigate further.
McCarry is tops. :)
Yes, Cateline, there are a bajillion translators/commentators of/on Basho and I have no way to evaluate them. My translation of Narrow Road is by Sam Hammill and is well-talked-about but all I know is that it sounds good to me. If you find anything out about the Basho and His Interpreters let us know.
Larry wrote: "And then there are the beautifully made books, not all of which cost that much to buy. I confess that when I hold a beautiful book in my hands and just turn the pages, it gives me a feeling that I ..."Yep. My first edition Galsworthy, and the first of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town"---- among others.... I probably have a couple hundred books either like that or gifts or otherwise of sentimental value. Keeping them!
So in the midst of an unexpectedly sleepless night I finished two books, one of which I'd been working on for a while: The Informant
and All About All About Eve: The Complete Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made!
. Enjoyed both although the first was the third in a series and I hadn't read the second yet and kinda wish I had. But I don't own it yet, and the first (
The Butcher's Boy) had put me in the mood for more so there I was. And "Eve" made me rush right out and re-watch the movie, which I hadn't seen in several years. Interesting and thorough work. Still awake, I started Franklin and Lucy
which is surprisingly good. What that means: I'm funny about biographies-- I usually either find them riveting or can't finish them: no middle ground. So for me to read it continually between about 3 am and 530, tired, without flagging-- off to a good start!
Charles wrote: "Yes, Cateline, there are a bajillion translators/commentators of/on Basho and I have no way to evaluate them. My translation of Narrow Road is by Sam Hammill and is well-talked-about but all I know..."Will do. :)
Larry wrote: "You know, Hass uses some of Stryk's translations in his collection, so they aren't viewed as terrible in all ways, but I do think that Hadman came across as very knowledgeable in his criticism. ..."Good translators are underpaid and under appreciated. I've read some absolutely wonderful translations that achieved the spirit of the original. These are rare.
I'm not sure Stryk is as bad as Hadman alleges--I certainly didn't read into Stryk's version of the "new robe" poem an intimation that anyone but Bashô was wearing the robe. It's rather subjective, especially given the Japanese tendency to embrace ambiguity in poetry.
I've shared some opinions regarding haiku here:
http://jguentherauthor.wordpress.com/...
J. wrote: I've shared some opinions regarding haiku here:http://jguentherauthor.wordpress.com/... ..."
J., Good stuff. Thanks for pointing us toward your page.
Larry
DonnaR wrote: "Kat wrote: "I've been reading A Tale for the Time Being, which is long-listed for the Booker, and Company of Women. The latter is a reread for me, but chosen by my f2f book group. I don't mind, lov..."Donna, I've added THE LAST TOWN ON EARTH to my TBR list--it sounds fascinating. I love learning about little corners of history I knew nothing about.
J. wrote: "Larry wrote: "You know, Hass uses some of Stryk's translations in his collection, so they aren't viewed as terrible in all ways, but I do think that Hadman came across as very knowledgeable in his ..."Thanks for that. always nice to read about haiku and see examples.
J. wrote: "It's rather subjective, especially given the Japanese tendency to embrace ambiguity in poetry. ..."J., another point. Japanese tend to be more ambiguous in everyday language as well, although some linguists dispute this. But they definitely are more INDIRECT in how they express themselves, whether it's in formal or informal situations. I did trade negotiations with the Japanese for years and really enjoyed it. You just have to spend the time, listen carefully, repeat what you think you have heard ... and keep on doing this. (You also have to be willing to drink a lot in the evenings with your Japanese counterparts.) When you finally achieve an agreement, I almost always found that the Japanese honored those agreements as well as any nation. The ambiguity and the lack of directness never really bothered me.
Back to the subject of the Japanese language but how this ambiguity and lack of direction penetrates deep into the choice of words ... Maybe the oddest thing about the Japanese language is how particular pronouns have come into usage and then faded over the years. (The Wikipedia entry is actually quite good on this ... better than any of my 30 or so Japanese language books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese... It lists many, if not most, of the 50 or so Japanese pronouns for "I") This is separate from how Japanese tend not to want to use the pronouns at all because "it's just too direct."
My mind is very much on Japan this week. My son and I were cleaning out my mother's house yesterday, getting it ready to put it on the market. Yesterday I found some old photographs I had never seen before, including some of my father at a sumo tournament in Tokyo, probably in 1952 or 1953. Sumo can be like haiku ... sometimes very specialized in referential use of language and symbolism. ;-)
I'm encountering references to this indirectness in the novel I'm reading, A Tale for the Time Being. A character who lived in the U.S. for many years before returning to Japan asks a question and is immediately flustered and embarrassed for having been too direct.
Hannah wrote: "I have had this huge stack of books, that I've been meaning to read for months. I'm just now starting to make a dent in it."Stay on Constant Reader, Hannah, and that box will multiply - quickly.
Gina wrote: "Hannah wrote: "I have had this huge stack of books, that I've been meaning to read for months. I'm just now starting to make a dent in it."Stay on Constant Reader, Hannah, and that box will multi..."
So so true Gina. I've been hear for over 3 years now and I now have a new bookcase and piles of books fighting for space.
Larry wrote: "Japanese tend to be more ambiguous in everyday language as well, although some linguists dispute this..."No dispute, here, Larry. Mokusatsu. Need I say more?
My son speaks Japanese, lived in Japan for two years, and has worked for several Japanese companies here and abroad. We visited him there about 10 years ago. It is just as you say. A wonderful place in many ways, with fascinating customs, a few of which are not so wonderful. A country so beautiful, you can take great photos with your eyes closed.
J. wrote: "A country so beautiful, you can take great photos with your eyes closed. "I am always struck how beautiful the country is, but how ugly the cities are, although with islands of beauty tucked away within those cities. And you are so right about the customs also.
J., I am very glad that you are joining us here in discussions within the Constant Reader. I do hope to see many more of your postings.
Larry
I recently read Eleanor & Park by Rainbow (yes, that is her real given name) Rowell. This book is classified as young adult, but this senior citizen also found it very good. The protagonists are high school students who are both social misfits. Eleanor is a very bright girl stuck in a dirt poor and abusive home. She is overweight with wild, curly hair and bullied because she is different. Park is a half Korean teen who lives with two loving parents, but feels alienated from his classmates because of his ethnicity and inability to live up to his father's gung ho view of masculinity.
There - I'm afraid that I have made this sound very dreary, but it's not. It is a touching story about how these two finally become friends and soul mates. Rowell really knows how to capture those teen feelings and insecurities. I would never want to go back to my teen years,but her description of the wonder and newness of first love almost makes me nostalgic.
I met Rowell at a book club meeting at my school and she is delightful. This book has received very good reviews, including one from the New York Times. See http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/boo...
I am reading and loving our October selection of short stories Tenth of December by George Saunders.https://www.goodreads.com/videos/2795...
Digging into Balzac. Pere Goriot takes its time getting around to introducing the characters, takes its time with those characters, and then finally takes off with the plot in a flurry of dialogue. Like climbing a mountain then skiing down.
Robert wrote: "Digging into Balzac. Pere Goriot takes its time getting around to introducing the characters, takes its time with those characters, and then finally takes off with the plot in a flurry of dialogue...."Great analogy!
J. wrote: "Good translators are underpaid and under appreciated. I've read some absolutely wonderful translations that achieved the spirit of the original. These are rare...."
Good article from the NYT on translations ... in this case the good old stuff. I really like this thought about translation: " The best translations find just the right way to convey even the unappealing qualities of the original. Richard Howard’s 1999 rendering of Stendhal’s “Charterhouse of Parma” went so far as to reproduce the grammatical errors in that hasty writer’s prose: you believe the novel was written in seven weeks."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/boo...
Ammost finished with Charles McCarry's The Shanghai Factor. I've already exposed myself as a major fan of McCarry's spy novels, and I doubt the last 30 pages of this is going to change my opinion about how well he continues to write. It really is excellent. What is odd is that his style has slightly changed, almost to the point of being unrecognizable. The story is McCarry-like, but it's like he's added five percent of Richard Condon and 5 percent of Ross Thomas to his old style. And that's enough to make it really, really different. I don't think that most successful genre writers do anything like this.
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Constant Reader
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Yes, Larry, the foolish recommendations that came through for my 'ancient-greece' shelf, not one had to do with ancient Greece. Plus, I'm finding out these recommendations to the right that smack you in the face are basically the same ones covered by 'Recommendations' at the top. I guess GR wants to make sure people see them; maybe not enough people are looking at the top category...
What do you suggest in managing information profile better? Names of shelves? Or?