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Weekly TLS
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What Are We Reading?22 November 2021
Russell wrote: "A World of Strangers – Nadine GordimerA convincing picture of a racist society – South Africa in the late 1940s - from the easy opulence of a mining magnate to the bleak townships of “these nativ..."
Have you read The Purple Plain Russell? You may wish to try that if you like H. E. Bates.
Berkley wrote: "Russell wrote: "A World of Strangers – Nadine GordimerA convincing picture of a racist society – South Africa in the late 1940s - from the easy opulence of a mining magnate to the bleak townships..."
I think you will enjoy Gordimer, her style is slightly different to many novels of the period, long sentences and a real way with words. as i am reading her novels chronologically, i havent got past 1963 yet....next one will probably be in a few years time
On Bates, i would recommend his 1950s english novels like "The Feast of July", brilliant writing, set around the small midlands town of Rushden where Bates was from. I also recommend his novels of WW2 India, or more accurately Burma like "The Purple Plain"
If anybody is interested: "The Emerald Isle" is a series of documentaries on the history of Ireland on https://www.arte.tv/en/I watched "The Great Hunger" last night and found it very well made. And very harrowing.
I read quite a bit on that subject not so long ago, but there were a lot of things I didn't know. Like the works programme, for example, hard labour for the starving, building streets that were not needed, in order not to be "spoilt" by benefits. And the interpreter of God's will, Charles Trevelyan.
I found a list of books about An Gorta Mór. Does anybody have any recommendations (fiction or non-fiction)?
Have just finished Wieland by Charles Brockden-Brown(1798)Wow, that was a really good slow read of a horror classic, an early novel of the genre full of the devices that are now almost de riguer in novels and films that suggest something sinister in events and occasions.
Stylistically, despite the age of the work, it was a very well paced and written novel, there was real skill in the creation of suspense and questioning in the reader of events occurring in rural Pennsylvania over 200 years ago.
I recommend this novel to the Ersatz TLS and its another rewarding read in my slow American fiction and non-fiction reading of revolutionary era american prose, roughly 1760s to 1790s...(Next year, next installement will be aWashington Irving semi re-read, his short stories)
I’m a hundred pages into HE Bates’ Fair Stood the Wind for France, and it’s really eerie, because I have zero recollection of reading this book before, and all the characters and main events seem new to me, and yet there are small moments that I recognize from somewhere – with two chickens you can do anything; the café waiter who may or may not be watching; the donated medicine. Maybe, 40 years ago, I saw an episode of the TV adaptation.
Thanks, giveus, I’ll remember The Purple Plain.
Thanks, giveus, I’ll remember The Purple Plain.
The ad copy on an email I received today from Harvard Book Store:We Book People Are List People
It's that time of year again, a pinnacle of list-making and list-consuming for bibliophiles. We're making wish lists; we're making shopping lists; and we're studying 2021 award-winners and best-of-the-year lists, finding hidden gems we might have missed.
Bill wrote: "The ad copy on an email I received today from Harvard Book Store:We Book People Are List People
It's that time of year again, a pinnacle of list-making and list-consuming for bibliophiles. We're ..."
as i have said before, while i do make occasional lists for reading, i loathe end of year lists that clog up every form of media, so there is nothing new to read as the journos have coughed up 300 lists between 1st and 31st december
Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Further to all the great owl photos people have been posting, I was amused yesterday to see that Stanfords has 2 owl calendars this year, one big, one small:https://www.s..."
A serious plug for a Magnolia neighbor (Seattle is very much a neighborhood oriented city) - Paul Bannick and if you have a NEED to overdose on owls - including some audio snippets - https://paulbannick.com/
Another quote for you. I didn’t recognise this one and had to look it up but you will most likely know its origin.Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
(view spoiler)
Russell wrote: "I’m a hundred pages into HE Bates’ Fair Stood the Wind for France, and it’s really eerie, because I have zero recollection of reading this book before, and all the characters and main events seem n..."I have read The Purple Plain three or four times - that should tell you something!
AB76 wrote: "Have just finished Wieland by Charles Brockden-Brown(1798)Wow, that was a really good slow read of a horror classic, an early novel of the genre full of the devices that are now almost de riguer..."
If you're in a fantasy/horror mood, I can recommend Irving's The German Student.
Robert wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Have just finished Wieland by Charles Brockden-Brown(1798)Wow, that was a really good slow read of a horror classic, an early novel of the genre full of the devices that are now almo..."
thanks robert, just checked the Irving story collection i have lined up for next year and that story isnt included sadly, will make a note of it.
for me, the joy of the ghost/horror stories i have been reading in last 3 years (James/Machen etc) is the construction and style, the familiar world of edwardian england then warped or in the case of Brockden Brown, revolutionary era Pennsylvania. Style is so important i think in creating an atmosphere, all the tricks employed
AB76 wrote: "Andy wrote: "Back home yesterday to magnificently frozen Lake District, after my Brexit-allotted 89 days (out of a possible 90) in Spain, Portugal and France. My few days including a two hour wait..."
I do like that word ‘bilge’ AB.
Yes, travel aside, not really any other disruption from covid. French restaurants and bars are obliged to check the pass, but in reality less than a quarter did.
I think my favourite place was the national parks in the east of Portugal, Estrela in particular. I may return on a cycle tour there.
Enjoying catching up with my usual book recommendation blogs and other bits of culture.
Give me a week and I’ll be planning the next trip..
Separately, does anyone subscribe to The New Yorker? And if so, thoughts briefly?
scarletnoir wrote: "Andy wrote: "I think there’s more to be done after Brexit. Passports need stamping for example. There were only two booths open..Previously I’ve been through in less than 30 minutes."
It took us ..."
I was back up to Cumbria SN.. and the M6 was closed, so it was a slow 7 hours up the A1 and across an icy A66..
AB76 wrote: "Robert wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Have just finished Wieland by Charles Brockden-Brown(1798)Wow, that was a really good slow read of a horror classic, an early novel of the genre full of the devices th..."
Robert / AB - thanks for that recommendation. It’s in a collection called Tales of a Traveller. But also free online on Project Gutenberg.. https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/060....
Looking very much forward to it.
Horror-wise, I’d shout for a lot from Angela Carter’s collection in Burning Your Boats: The Collected Short Stories, read this last summer. And the Valancourt World Horror collection I read this week and mentioned above.
MK wrote: "Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Further to all the great owl photos people have been posting, I was amused yesterday to see that Stanfords has 2 owl calendars this year, one big, one small:..."
More on owls…
Making quite a few ‘best of the year lists’ is Chouette by Claire Oshetsky. The premise at least is worth a read.
Has anyone read it?
Robert wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Have just finished Wieland by Charles Brockden-Brown(1798)Wow, that was a really good slow read of a horror classic, an early novel of the genre full of the devices that are now almo..."
And Robert…I’m pretty much always in a ‘horror’ mood.
It’s the one genre that does that for me..
AB76 wrote: "Have just finished Wieland by Charles Brockden-Brown(1798)Wow, that was a really good slow read of a horror classic, an early novel of the genre full of the devices that are now almost de riguer..."
Duly noted AB.
A new baby arrived last night in the family, a little girl, my sister’s great grandchild. Not sure of the relationship to me, great grand niece?
Bill wrote: "The ad copy on an email I received today from Harvard Book Store:We Book People Are List People
It's that time of year again, a pinnacle of list-making and list-consuming for bibliophiles. We're ..."
I must admit, it’s one of my few indulgences at this time of year.
Myself though, I’ll hold out until 31 December before ‘best of 2021’ lists, in the hope that something better may come along.
It’s a bit like naming a Player of the Match with 5 minutes to go.
Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Andy wrote: "Back home yesterday to magnificently frozen Lake District, after my Brexit-allotted 89 days (out of a possible 90) in Spain, Portugal and France. My few days including a ..."
good stuff Andy, Northern Portugal is lovely, greener and milder than i expected many years ago. In winter can get decidely brisk up in those mountain regions
Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Have just finished Wieland by Charles Brockden-Brown(1798)Wow, that was a really good slow read of a horror classic, an early novel of the genre full of the devices that are now almo..."
can imagine you reading it on a desolate mountainside, around a fire!
Andy wrote: "Back home yesterday to magnificently frozen Lake District, after my Brexit-allotted 89 days (out of a possible 90) in Spain, Portugal and France. My few days including a two hour wait at passport ..."
Thanks for this recommendation, I'm always on the look out for spooky stories.
Hmm, regarding lists - I think I am a list person. In its most mundane form, it is a way to help organise myself. Funnily, I'm very organised at work (or at least appear to be so to work colleagues!). I do think all my energies go into work, so my outside-of-work life is, for want of a better term, haphazard. During a break at work yesterday I created a list of housework tasks and divided them into frequency. Even as I was doing doing this, I was thinking what a boring individual I must be.
However, the boring stuff needs to be done. This list may sharpen my focus, but will it generate action? Possibly not. Procrastination will almost certainly take hold!
Lists for bookish matters are much more fun. Yesterday, I was reading in the Guardian their lists of 'Best 5' of various genres. I keep a list of books read each year on my phone (I have one here on Goodreads too, but I became lazy and stopped updating it). I also keep a list of a books wish list, most of the content comes form the lovely folks here.
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My experience here in Paris isn't the same - I've always had it checked.
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..."
I've been a regular reader of 'The New Yorker' most of my adult life, often as a subscriber, sometimes buying it off the newsstands. Currently I have an electronic subscription; I miss the paper, for sure, but it's a better choice if you're prone to hoarding.
I'd say the current profile tilts toward more pop culture than days past, but I still find something of interest in every issue. Fiction and other arts are well-represented, and there is often in-depth investigative reporting that I appreciate.
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Came across something that made me smile, though.
Here, in Lucia's spidery handwriting, is a note that started out as a grocery list and morphed into a library wish-list. This would have been from the early days of our friendship, when I use to visit her often and make trips to the library for her. I don't remember if I managed to find them for her at the time, but I've ordered them for myself now!
Sure do miss her.
This one's for Swelter (and everyone else interested in the golden age of Marvel comics): A review of two recent books on Stan Lee.http://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n2...
CCCubbon wrote: "A new baby arrived last night in the family, a little girl, my sister’s great grandchild. Not sure of the relationship to me, great grand niece?"Lovely news CC and I hope mother and daughter are well
Great grand niece? Auntie CC?
https://www.devonfhs.org.uk/pdfs/tool...
Slawkenbergius wrote: "This one's for Swelter (and everyone else interested in the golden age of Marvel comics): A review of two recent books on Stan Lee.http://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n2......"
Thanks. A review pairing the same two books in NYRB led me to read True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee, which I liked very much. Stan Lee: A Life in Comics comes across as an also-ran in both reviews and, I have to admit, does not tempt me.
Bill wrote: "Slawkenbergius wrote: "This one's for Swelter (and everyone else interested in the golden age of Marvel comics): A review of two recent books on Stan Lee.http://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n2......"
Have you already read American Comics: A History from Uncle Sam to Black Panther? It's wending its way to my neighborhood library just for me. 😉
MK wrote: "Have you already read American Comics: A History from Uncle Sam to Black Panther? It's wending its way to my neighborhood library just for me. "The review in the NY Times was sufficient for me: he seems to try take in too much territory: starting with the political cartoons of Th. Nast, then going on to newspaper strips and comic books, (which seems to be his main interest), also straying into international examples, this despite the "American" title description.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/16/bo...
Bill wrote: "MK wrote: "Have you already read American Comics: A History from Uncle Sam to Black Panther? It's wending its way to my neighborhood library just for me. "The review in the NY Times was sufficien..."
Sounds like a survey which works for me. I have nothing but respect for anyone who really wants to drill down on any subject. However, i am happy skimming across the top.
Quote for today‘ I'll love you, dear, I'll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,’
(view spoiler)
Lljones wrote: "Andy wrote: "Separately, does anyone subscribe to The New Yorker? And if so, thoughts briefly?..."
I've been a regular reader of 'The New Yorker' most of my adult life, often as a subscriber, so..."
Thanks LL.
Something to look forward to.. a reissue of Harry Crews’s The Gospel Singer in March… Most of his work has been difficult to get hold of for a while now..
Andy wrote: "I was back up to Cumbria SN.. and the M6 was closed, so it was a slow 7 hours up the A1 and across an icy A66.."Exhausting! But 89 days 'leave' must have made it worth it...
Fuzzywuzz wrote: "Hmm, regarding lists - I think I am a list person. In its most mundane form, it is a way to help organise myself. Funnily, I'm very organised at work (or at least appear to be so to work colleagues..."I have mixed feelings about lists... but certainly, when I worked, I used to write lists of everything that needed doing, then prioritised... now that I am retired, I tend to just remember the important things and not worry too much if I forget other stuff! Recently, though, I have learnt how to use the calendar on the smartphone (which I rarely keep around my person - it tends to sit at home on a coffee table). So, I can look up the 'to do' list on that - when I remember. In the days when I was allowed into shops, I'd sometimes write lists - and forget to take them roughly half the time!
Although my use of lists is patchy, I am a bit of a sucker for end-of-year' lists of best books, films, TV shows etc. Sometimes, you pick up a good tip from those.
Andy wrote: "Making quite a few ‘best of the year lists’ is Chouette by Claire Oshetsky. The premise at least is worth a read."You may well know - though I suspect others will not - that 'chouette' in French not only means 'owl' but also has a slang use as an adjective, meaning 'cool', or 'nice':
https://www.thoughtco.com/chouette-13...
I suspect - but don't know - that the author knew this. I haven't read the book, but she sounds interesting, to judge from her GR page... not that interesting people always or necessarily write interesting books:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Just popping in for a minute to share my delight with Michael Frayn's Headlong, which had been a recent recommend by Georg and Mach - many thanks to you both. I would go so far as to say it's a (highly entertaining) must for anyone interested in paintings - and shrewd observations of people, too, even more so should you appreciate the occasional highly farcical plot element (and narrative).
Reading this book also led to some lovely weightlifting sessions ("lovely weightlifting"? I would never have thought I would find myself combining these two words...) on the sofa with Bruegel's complete works: Bruegel's paintings are explored in erudite and funny detail in Frayn's novel by the protagonist (an academic now leaning towards hapless and clumsy criminal) who wants to find (or believes he has found) the missing key to them all.
I really enjoyed this.
So far, enjoying Paul Beatty's Slumberland too, not least as I know the Berlin area and even the pub it is mainly set in.
Popping out again... have a nice day and good reads.
scarletnoir wrote: "Fuzzywuzz wrote: "Hmm, regarding lists - I think I am a list person. In its most mundane form, it is a way to help organise myself. Funnily, I'm very organised at work (or at least appear to be so ..."i have to say scarlet i do pick up tips from those lists even if i loathe them, though in last 3 years this place has been a great source of recommendations and thats priceless....finding books and suggestions that i would never have thought of!
Stefan Wolle's 1998 study of the DDR "
, is such a wonderful read.Its been slowly digested for over a month now, supplemented by my own statistical research and googling (the statistical Jahrbuch of the DDR is available on line for free from 1950s to 1990s).
Thanks to the English translation, i have been able to read this work of German scholarship and i notice a good half dozen other recent translations of German books on WW2 and the post war world.
AB76 wrote: "Stefan Wolle's 1998 study of the DDR..."Oddly, I saw a car in town today - some sort of low-cut Mercedes - with the number-plate DDR1.
I paused to wonder whether this represented the initials of a history-free owner, or if we were seeing this season's 'Secret Stalinist'.
Probably the former, I suspect.
Fuzzywuzz wrote: "Hmm, regarding lists - I think I am a list person...I created a list of housework tasks...Lists for bookish matters are much more fun...."
I’m the same. I am regarded as by far the nerdiest member of the family, in-laws and cousins included, and keep lists, a bit rag-tag, for all sorts of things. Of course this means that I have a reputation to maintain, so I tell them all that, in addition to lists of lists, I keep a pen and notepad by the bed in case I wake up in the night and need to start a new list.
I’m the same. I am regarded as by far the nerdiest member of the family, in-laws and cousins included, and keep lists, a bit rag-tag, for all sorts of things. Of course this means that I have a reputation to maintain, so I tell them all that, in addition to lists of lists, I keep a pen and notepad by the bed in case I wake up in the night and need to start a new list.
scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Stefan Wolle's 1998 study of the DDR..."Oddly, I saw a car in town today - some sort of low-cut Mercedes - with the number-plate DDR1.
I paused to wonder whether this represented th..."
brilliant....lol.....
Conquered City by Victor Serge(1931) has started ominously, snowbound Petrograd, 1919 and the communists are murdering their way across the old city, living in the palaces and abandoned houses, plotting the deaths of many...Serge experienced all this first hand and his style is beautiful to read despite the subject matter of the descent into communist hell that was the russian revolution. Profiteers and thieves stalk the corpse laden streets, a city and society in collapse
AB76 wrote: " Conquered City by Victor Serge(1931) has started ominously, snowbound Petrograd, 1919 and the communists are murdering their way across the old city, living in th..."Ah, snowbound Petrograd where the murdering communists let rip. Sounds like a great opener for some pulp anti-communist fiction....
Hello everyone. I haven't been around here recently and I'm catching up with the thread. I will put up a new thread tomorrow. I hope you're all in the midst of gripping reads!
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Ersatz TLS
Books mentioned in this topic
Writers & Lovers (other topics)Real Life (other topics)
Conversations with Friends (other topics)
Sad Janet (other topics)
Headlong (other topics)
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Gregory Galloway (other topics)Harry Crews (other topics)
Claire Oshetsky (other topics)
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Previously I’ve been through in less than 30 minutes."
It took us 45 min in Plymouth in September, with 4 booths open - and we were fairly lucky with our place in the queue coming off the ferry. 2h would be a real killer for us, as we have a 5h drive afterwards to get home.