Ersatz TLS discussion
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Weekly TLS
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What Are We Reading? 9 Nov 2020
Alwynne wrote: "But I hope 'Machenbach' that you'll add a little more detail about the Brook, I have The Orchid Trilogy: The Military Orchid, A Mine of Serpents, The Goose Cathedral on my tbr pile ..."I second that request, Alwynne! I read The Military Orchid, and liked it, so would like to more about this one.
Machenbach wrote: "But it's very difficult to read in the sense that emotional cruelty and coldness are analysed with almost unbearable attention and precision. Even moments of joy are shown tumbling, by an almost inevitable internal logic, into their opposite. It's undeniably brilliant, but also really hard to explain why." From your description, this strikes me as something @nsz would like. But then again he picked another one of hers to recommend, didn't he? So I guess yes, she's right up his street.
Gladarvor wrote: "Reen wrote: "Never mind that, I've only dried my tears of laughter after watching Nigella's new programme in which she cooks a curry featuring manky banana skins"I was furious. I got out of bed j..."
Only Connect was on at the earlier time of half seven; we had it recorded so had a glorious three in a row of Only Connect, UC and Nigella. The sublime to the ridiculous you might say.
Andy wrote: "And I got round to watching the movie of Donald Ray Pollock’s The Devil All The Time. It’s a long time since I read the book, which is excellent, so I’d forgotten most of it. I really enjoyed the film and can recommend it. It’s a bit long for me at 135 minutes, but it keeps the attention, and a large Jameson’s helped..."I was actually really tempted by that, but if this strays too much into horror territory, I won't be able to handle it. Say, is it True Detective (Season 1) level, or something more gruesome and, well, horrific?
TomM also really liked it a few weeks ago.
Reen wrote: "Only Connect was on at the earlier time of half seven; we had it recorded so had a glorious three in a row of Only Connect, UC and Nigella. The sublime to the ridiculous you might say."Thanks! Yes, I was not watching 'TV' per se but BBC iPlayer, so caught up with OC during Nigella's show before watching live UC. Call me old-fashioned, but I like knowing other people are going through the same motions at the same time as me, that's what part of the appeal is. Oh well, at least I'm warned now...
(And thanks for that 'hovering' tip, very useful shortcut!)
Gladarvor wrote: "Andy wrote: "And I got round to watching the movie of Donald Ray Pollock’s The Devil All The Time. It’s a long time since I read the book, which is excellent, so I’d forgotten most of it. I really ..."It’s on a similar sort of level I’d say. TD leaning more towards horror.
TDATT reminds me of No Country For Old Men.
Tom’s around, so he may comment also. It was him who recommended the film a couple of weeks ago.
Pollock is actually in the film, as voice-over narrator.
Andy wrote: "It’s on a similar sort of level I’d say. TD leaning more towards horror. TDATT reminds me of No Country For Old Men."Oh, excellent, thanks Andy. I've loved both True Detective and No Country for Old Men, so will give this a go. I mentioned a while ago I'd also try to re-watch Angel Heart in tribute to Alan Parker, but haven't got round to do it - maybe I should make this a double bill (Kermode had mentioned it in his review of The Devil All The Time).
Machenbach wrote: "Don't read James's prefaces"Too late. But it's okay, it's not like he said anything at all, he just waffled meaninglessly for 14 pages. As to your Nabokov bookshelves, is Lolita your favourite?
Gladarvor wrote: "CCCubbon wrote: "Thanks Justine.I am finding The Searcher , the latest Tana French quite irresistible. The story is set in the west of Ireland, a lone , rather jaded American ex-policeman from Chi..."
The Guard is a film worth watching Glad, anything Gleeson appears in usually is. Where I live our local hairdresser cum barber is the fount of all local knowledge, men are terrible gossips!
Anyone interested in the Mckenzie novel i am reading, should be aware it was oddly tricky to get hold of, back in sept it was on order but then the supplier emailled me to say it was not in stock and order cancelled. It suprises me how novels published in say 2017 by excellent publishers like Text Classics, see their books become scarce. The "long tail" theory of the net means this isnt terminal but how and why a great australian novel was so scarce in september i dont know.I recommend Text Classics and Apollo Classics to one and all. The former has opened a huge swathe of australian literature to readers, while the latter keeps publishing forgotten novels and unusual novels
I just cant get enough of Mckenzie's descriptions of Sydney, the pacific and the blue mountains, plus the internal narratives. He mentions DH Lawrence in the novel and i think "Kangaroo" remains the best novel of description about Australia and the NSW coastal regions
Wish I could be in London, Newington Green to be precise. A statue to Mary Wollstonecraft is to be erected. Time to recommend, once again, Claire Tomalin’s excellent biography, “ The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft”.
Machenbach wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Anyone interested in the Mckenzie novel i am reading, should be aware it was oddly tricky to get hold of, back in sept it was on order but then the supplier emailled me to say it was n..."POD is such a mixed bag isnt it...some are immaculate others dire and i really dislike the "createspace" books, its like an office intern photocopied a classic using different fonts for every 100 pages
Apollo Classics is a google blind spot, they are part of Head of Zeus but their website is dreadful. Best option is to use amazon to browse using an apollo only title (the nebuly coat is a good one) and then look through the titles in the range
Warm and damp in Pontefract today. Been for a run and had to walk a bit because it was so airless.
Currently switching between a few seasonal/nature reads:
Autumn by Melissa Harrison. A collection of prose and poems by other writers. Enjoying this because it's varied.
Into the Tangled Bank by Lev Pariakan. A bit jokey for me but interesting none the less. He spirals out from a spider in his kitchen sink, to his childhood village and beyond, via trees, Darwin and Thomas Bewick to name a few.
Under The Stars by Matt Gaw. Describes a number of walks he takes in the dark, including one atmospheric one on Dartmoor. Some of the writing can be a bit repetitive - there's only so many ways to describe what a tree looks like in the dark. But it did inspire me to walk round the block in the dark last night.
And I gave up in the first Inspector Montalbano book. Not my kind of writing at all and I couldn't get into it.
Currently switching between a few seasonal/nature reads:
Autumn by Melissa Harrison. A collection of prose and poems by other writers. Enjoying this because it's varied.
Into the Tangled Bank by Lev Pariakan. A bit jokey for me but interesting none the less. He spirals out from a spider in his kitchen sink, to his childhood village and beyond, via trees, Darwin and Thomas Bewick to name a few.
Under The Stars by Matt Gaw. Describes a number of walks he takes in the dark, including one atmospheric one on Dartmoor. Some of the writing can be a bit repetitive - there's only so many ways to describe what a tree looks like in the dark. But it did inspire me to walk round the block in the dark last night.
And I gave up in the first Inspector Montalbano book. Not my kind of writing at all and I couldn't get into it.
Can't find the edit button!!! Meant **Lev Parikian** in the post above.
Pomfretian wrote: "Into the Tangled Bank by Lev Pariakan. A bit jokey for me but interesting none the less. He spirals out from a spider in his kitchen sink, to his childhood village and beyond, via trees, Darwin and Thomas Bewick to name a few.."I sponsored two of Lev Parikian's books on Unbound, but I think he's moved away from them with the Tangled Bank. His first, Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear, impressed me no end. Well I am a bit of a bird watcher but his writing is fantastic and 'I laughed, I cried' over that book - really.
I've just received the other Unbound book, Music to Eat Cake By, and won't get into it for a while yet. Will look out for Into the Tangled Bank but if you haven't read Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear I recommend it 100%.
I've just had a depressing two weeks working my way through Lucia Berlin’s 'A Manual for Cleaning Women,. All I can say is do not attempt this book if you’re feeling in any way down. You will sink immeasurably further into the depths. The book consists of lots of what you might call short stories, some very short indeed except that they all seem to be episodes from Ms Berlin’s own life with no fictional input at all on her part.
Certainly her life was full of things she could write about, child abuse – physical and sexual, nasty mother, nasty grandparents, a sister who died a lingering death from cancer, drug addiction, alcoholism, the death of babies etc etc. She could certainly write, but I feel anything but uplifted having at last finished the book.
AB76: Given your interest in war diaries and modern women's nonfiction, I wonder if you are aware of Iris Origo? A member of one of my book groups has recommended A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary 1939-1940, and War in Val d'Orcia: An Italian War Diary 1943-44. Iris Origo was the Anglo-Irish wife of an Italian aristocrat. Apologies if you've mentioned her already.
Lass wrote: "Wish I could be in London, Newington Green to be precise. A statue to Mary Wollstonecraft is to be erected. Time to recommend, once again, Claire Tomalin’s excellent biography, “ The Life and Death..."Hi Lass! If you ever make it to Newington Green, I'll meet you there for a coffee! I live hard by in Stoke Newington. The Unitarian chapel and the 'oldest' domestic building are also of interest in the square.
Justine wrote: "AB76: Given your interest in war diaries and modern women's nonfiction, I wonder if you are aware of Iris Origo? A member of one of my book groups has recommended A Chill in the Air: An Italian War..."thanks justine for the reommendations and i did read her 1939-40, war diary, yet to read the later diary which covers 1943-44
Lindgren is very interesting, the situation with Finland being invaded by Russia is felt very keenly in Sweden. Western Finland has a quite large swedish speaking population and volunteers were heading to Finland to fight with the Finns. Even in my other war diaries, especially the french ones, there is concern over Finland.
The Finns fought so well in WW2, i have the finnish classic novel "Unknown Soldiers" by Linna on my pile about WW2
On the Apollo Classics topic, i recommened the following novels:The Ice Saints (Tuohy)- 1950s Poland from a british viewnext on my reading list
The Nebuly Coat (Falkner)- classic edwardian semi-gothic
The Lost Europeans(Litvinoff_- post war Berlin
FrancesBurgundy, I'm interested in reading Parikian's other work, so thank you for the recommendation. Even though I deducted points for jokiness, I am still enjoying it :)
I finished reading The Bookseller's Tale by Ann Swinfen yesterday. I will post up a review. But thanks again to Glad for providing me with the link for the map of Oxford, which made the reading all the more enjoyable. I have moved on to A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin, the latest Rebus novel. No wonder Rebus has COPD with the number of cigarettes he has smoked over the course of his books!!
Justine wrote: "Lass wrote: "Wish I could be in London, Newington Green to be precise. A statue to Mary Wollstonecraft is to be erected. Time to recommend, once again, Claire Tomalin’s excellent biography, “ The L..."Always up for a coffee and a natter, Justine. Oddly enough we’re usually in the area in late November, but sadly not this year. If memory serves didn’t Sylvia Pankhurst also have links with the area, a statue also planned? Hoping a Sylvia biog will be mine on Christmas morn.
Pilgrims, by Matthew Kneale, follows a group of thirteenth-century individuals as they make their way from England (and in one case Wales) to Rome, and back. The year is 1289; Edward I is on the throne, bashing the Welsh, planning no good for the Jews to whom he owes money.The novel is narrated by several different pilgrims, but unlike with Chaucer’s characters, the stories they tell are entirely their own – describing their background, the reasons why they have decided to make the difficult journey, and what happens to them along the way. The comic side of the story nevertheless draws heavily on the medieval fabliaux (think the Miller’s or Merchant’s Tales from Chaucer), inviting us to share in contemporary enjoyment of anything bawdy, scatological or cruel. Life is harsh, but there’s often time for a laugh even at its very brutishness. The reader knows, when the travellers stop at a nunnery, some hanky-panky is in the offing. And these are tough people, who can survive long treks in the driving rain or across the wintry Alps, a diet mainly of bread, cheese and apples, and nights spent on stinking, flea-ridden straw in pilgrims’ ‘hospitals’.
It’s very much the Middle Ages as popularly imagined in the twenty-first century: rife with ignorance, filth, disease, superstition, wars, hypocrisy, greed, and above all antisemitism. Only the lepers are missed out. All very true, while ignoring a few gleams of light that will gather and grow over the coming centuries to make up the Renaissance and Reformation. The poorest character, a young serf named Tom who travels to Rome to release the soul of his cat Sammy from Purgatory, provides the warm heart of the novel, while the coming expulsion of the Jews from England hangs like a dark cloud over even the humour. The mix makes for a diverting yet thoughtful tale.
AB76 wrote: "On the Apollo Classics topic, i recommened the following novels:The Ice Saints (Tuohy)- 1950s Poland from a british viewnext on my reading list
The Nebuly Coat (Falkner)- classic edwardian semi-g..."
Interesting selection.
Lass wrote: "Justine wrote: "Lass wrote: "Wish I could be in London, Newington Green to be precise. A statue to Mary Wollstonecraft is to be erected. Time to recommend, once again, Claire Tomalin’s excellent bi..."Maybe next November? I wasn't aware the Pankhurst connection. It's an interesting area, full of 'nonconformist' and 'dissenting' associations of all sorts.
Alwynne wrote: "Okay want to comment on several posts so here goes!Justine - is the excellent second-hand bookshop at the Clissold Park end of Stoke Newington Church Street still operating? Used to buy a lot of ..."
Yes, the second-hand bookshop struggles on, though he's had to shut for the moment. Fingers crossed he and our independent retail bookshop both survive these lockdowns.
Machenbach wrote: "AB76 wrote: "they are part of Head of Zeus"Ah, OK, ta. That did come up in the search, but I bypassed it. Trying to navigate between publishers and imprints can be confusing."
the head of zeus website does nothing to promote the apollo imprint, which is odd, i wonder if there has been a takeover in last year or so, like the disasterous loss of the New Canadian Library into the penguin maw, where the NCL books are lost in the fog. (For me NCL under McClellland Stewart was a goldmine of classic canadian writing)
FrancesBurgundy wrote: "I've just had a depressing two weeks working my way through Lucia Berlin’s 'A Manual for Cleaning Women,. All I can say is do not attempt this book if you’re feeling in any way down. You will sink ..."I loved Lucia Berin's collection, it seemed so refreshingly honest. No sense of artifice, just vivid authenticity. That being said, I sure as hell wouldn't have wanted to live her life
AB76 wrote: "Justine wrote: "AB76: Given your interest in war diaries and modern women's nonfiction, I wonder if you are aware of Iris Origo? A member of one of my book groups has recommended A Chill in the Air..."I just looked up 'SwedeFinns' and found my former in-law's family do not meet the definition, even though that's what they called themselves - originally from Vaasa before settling in middle Massachusetts in the 1900s.
For a Finnish immigrant experience you might try Karl Marlantes's (Matterhorn) latest - Deep River. It's on my TBR list.
Yesterday my only achievement was to finish - The Thursday Murder Club. The papers sitting on the dining room (area, really) table are still there. And worst of all, I have 5 or 6 library books waiting to be picked up today. Absolutely zero will power.The Thursday Murder Club was pretty darned good! I would like to be Elizabeth, but it would be my fate to be Joyce; that is, if I were rich enough to live in the poshest retirement home ever. As we are in our 'dark' period in the Pacific Northwest, the book was also 'light enough' (several chuckle spots) and the plot intricate enough to keep me on the couch all day.
So happy to see that Multnomah County voters (Portland, Oregon and environs) have approved their library bond measure! Another blow for books and reading.
Lass wrote: "Wish I could be in London, Newington Green to be precise. A statue to Mary Wollstonecraft is to be erected. Time to recommend, once again, Claire Tomalin’s excellent biography, “ The Life and Death..."Over at the G, the Mary Wollstonecraft statue has kicked up a lot of controversy. I must admit I'm disappointed with it, though I'll walk over there Friday or on the weekend to get the full effect. I just don't see how it represents 'everywoman' or how it broadcasts a feminist message to the doubters and less knowledgeable.
Justine wrote: "Lass wrote: "Wish I could be in London, Newington Green to be precise. A statue to Mary Wollstonecraft is to be erected. Time to recommend, once again, Claire Tomalin’s excellent biography, “ The L..."from what I have seen of it I am not a fan. I know that Maggie Hambling said that she wanted it to be the spirit of Mary Wollstonecraft, rather than the reality, but I have a biography on her, (by Claire Tomalin) from many years ago, which I treasure, and the image does not match up to my image of her at all. She would I think be quite fierce, and 'stand no prisoners' so to speak. But there is no way I believe that she would want to be represented by an amorphous wave of 'curvy bits' and being topped of with a representation of a nude woman with a huge 'bush'...
I'm almost lost for words having seen the Wollstonecraft sculpture. I'd like to see it in person. It's the head and face I find most discombobulating... its proportions seem wrong, whether intentionally or not. It's proving a veritable ambush though... (sorry...)In other news, which I feel compelled to share with anyone who will lend an ear, my 8 year old niece, Lottie, joy of my heart, was one of the prizewinners (of 18,000 entries) in a competition to have an illustration included in JK Rowling's children's book The Ickabog, released today. As a big Harry Potter fan, she's very excited about her achievement, slightly amused at all the fuss - she's being interviewed left, right and centre - and very modest, a quality she did not inherit from me. Hers is the peacock, which I like to think she modelled in some way on me on one of my more casual days. Ha.
https://www.theickabog.com/competition/
The Ickabog
Reen wrote: "I'm almost lost for words having seen the Wollstonecraft sculpture. I'd like to see it in person. It's the head and face I find most discombobulating... its proportions seem wrong, whether intentio..."be careful of going down the road of terrible punning... it can sometimes be quite punishing... in its effect on seemingly 'normal' people...
Alwynne wrote: "I can't say I was impressed by the images of the Wollstonecraft statue that I've seen. Its design reminds me of the representations of Aaryan masculinity that were circulating in the 1930s or at le..."I worry also that the statue will speak, if to anyone, to the culturally sophisticated - the despised 'liberal elite'. It doesn't reach out to the 'everywoman' it claims to represent (but looks nothing like), and risks causing offence in various sectors of the local community, thus deepening suspicions of feminism. Whatever message the sculptor intended to broadcast, the one received locally may be a solid rejection - of the statue and also what it purports to stand for.
PaleFires wrote: "Reen, the news about your niece is so exciting! Can you tell us what she drew?I don't think I've ever actually even touched a Harry Potter book but I will definitely look for Lottie's drawing. Di..."
Thanks very much PF. She's an incredible girl, joyful and funny and very kind. She's had a lot of hardship in her young life; her Dad died suddenly when she was four from a fatal seizure and she found him so she's come a long way from that catacylsmic day, in no small part due to her art, which she loves. She and her younger sister, and my youngest sister, their mother, are quite special - well, I would say that wouldn't I? Her Dad saw the good in everything and she's exactly like him so he truly lives on in her. Her picture is the peacock (if you click into the link in the previous post). I've never read Harry Potter and I'm by no means a Rowling fan, but this is a huge deal that gave someone very special to me a big boost.
Tam wrote: "Reen wrote: "I'm almost lost for words having seen the Wollstonecraft sculpture. I'd like to see it in person. It's the head and face I find most discombobulating... its proportions seem wrong, whe..."I'll give up the pun-dit-reen for a while I think, Tam. I'm bushed ... or at least tired.
Reen wrote: "I'm almost lost for words having seen the Wollstonecraft sculpture. I'd like to see it in person. It's the head and face I find most discombobulating... its proportions seem wrong, whether intentio..."Afraid I’m not likely to see the statue any time soon. Maggie Hambling always has her own interpretation in her sculptures! I too have the Claire Tomalin biog, and have had the pleasure of seeing her speak on her subject. She signed it for me both times! Her Jane Austen is terrific too.
Mod
That peacock is fabulous! Well done, Lottie!
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This might be my favorite TL&S - old and new- story, EVER! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
PaleFires wrote: "I'm sorry, reen, I rushed downstairs to edit out the part about not having touched Harry Potter books because it sounded so incredibly ungracious on second reading. (It's strictly age-related plus ..."You didn't sound at all ungracious, I haven't read a word of them myself! Thanks for understanding my bursting heart!
Lljones wrote: "Reen wrote: "Lottie, joy of my heart..."This might be my favorite TL&S - old and new- story, EVER! Thank you so much for sharing it with us."
Thanks for reading it LLJ ,,, the embargo was only lifted today so although we've known for a while we couldn't share the news.
One of the nicest stories of the day was that her local bookshop, in which her mother worked for several summers during her schooldays, displayed the book in its window, open on her page and she got a free set of "GIANT MARKERS" from the owner.
Reen wrote: "Tam wrote: "Reen wrote: "I'm almost lost for words having seen the Wollstonecraft sculpture. I'd like to see it in person. It's the head and face I find most discombobulating... its proportions see..."All the drawings seemed lovely, well done for your niece though... It must be lovely to have appreciation and acclaim for such a young persons endeavour... Well done Lottie!..
PaleFires wrote: "I remember your description of the present you gave her - the petite treasure-chest-of-drawers full of wondrous little marvels. To fire up a child's imagination in such a way, what a gift! (I recal..."I was badly caught out! Still, at least I recycled purposefully. Goodnight.
Reen wrote: "PaleFires wrote: "I remember your description of the present you gave her - the petite treasure-chest-of-drawers full of wondrous little marvels. To fire up a child's imagination in such a way, wha..."Lovely news about your niece, really heartening story.
Earlier you asked about emojis - well on my windows 10 laptop I right click and the emoji option appears right at the top of the list. Haven't figured it out on my phone or tablet! 🙂
I’m pleased to be able to start my reviews on Ersatz TLS with a positive… Henning Mankell’s After the Fire is an excellent and well-written story, which follows on from Italian Shoes - which I also liked very much, though I have forgotten the plot.This is a first person narrative, starting with retired doctor Frederik Welin recalling the fire which destroyed his house on a small island a year ago, and goes on to recount the events since that disaster. Through Welin’s eyes, we get to know other characters who inhabit the area - the postman and sometime boatman Janssen, journalist Lisa Modin, mystery woman (and mechanic) Rut Oslovski, shopkeeper Nordin - and Welin’s daughter Louise, a free spirit he doesn’t know well (having only discovered her existence when he was 30), and whose behaviour is unpredictable and capricious. Most of all, we get to know Welin himself - his bad behaviour towards women during his life, his misanthropic urges (though he rarely acts on these), and his affection for a few individuals. Mankell is a master storyteller, and his subtle writing allows us to see that Welin is a fully rounded human being, with his dark and light sides - not especially likeable, but never boring.
Althought the plot concerns itself with the aftermath of the fire - the police investigate, and Welin is suspected of arson - and with Welin’s attempts to assist his daughter Louise, who gets into trouble in Paris - in many ways the novel is more of a meditation on life and death, and on the unknowable distance between people - the limits to our understanding of each other. Mankell interweaves the plot elements with these more philosophical speculations masterfully. It is also funnier than we have any right to expect - I have never read a book where the word ‘wellingtons’ appears so often, and where these indispensable garments carry such a weight of humorous intent and - later - symbolic significance.
(An incidental pleasure, for me, was to read the substantial section set in Paris, where I lived for several years. It brought back memories…)
On finishing the book, I did wonder to what extent Mankell had weaved autobiographical strands into the story… his afterword is dated March 2015, and he died in October of that year. Did he know death would come so soon? He must have been aware that his life would end sometime - cancer sufferers inevitably are not permitted to ‘forget’ the end-point, unlike younger or healthier individuals. He was married four times, and had one child with four different women (not sure if they are the same four!) - so it looks as if his behaviour towards women was - ahem - less than admirable. Was one strand of this book a sort of ‘confession’, and an apology to women he mistreated? Or did all his relationships end amicably and by mutual consent? I have no idea - but there is a character in the book who attempts to track down everyone he has offended or mistreated during his life, in order to apologise before it is too late (not Welin). I don’t suppose we’ll ever know…After the Fire
giveusaclue wrote: "Reen wrote: "PaleFires wrote: "I remember your description of the present you gave her - the petite treasure-chest-of-drawers full of wondrous little marvels. To fire up a child's imagination in su..."You read far more into the book than I did, scarlet. I enjoyed the book, read it earlier this year but confess to have forgotten lots, remember the wellingtons and the postman by boat in the main. I had not realised that Mankell had been married four times. We’ve been watching all the Wallander series on iPlayer. Not having seen them the first time around as the Swedish actor who played him in the original series had been identified as the detective in our heads. Enough time passed to accept the English version.
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Ersatz TLS
Books mentioned in this topic
Telephone (other topics)So Much Blue (other topics)
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (other topics)
The Enchantress of Florence (other topics)
World Without End (other topics)
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I was furious. I got out of bed just to watch Only Connect and University Challenge, turn the TV on, and what do I see? Nigella instead of Victoria Coren Mitchell! They did that to spite me, I know it. (Glad you enjoyed it, I could not watch more than a minute of it, so there's balance in the world 😊.)