Reading Tab

The Sound and the Fury~ William Faulkner
Surfacing ~Margaret Atwood
Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog ~Scott and Fuller

Peter Robinson - Inspector Banks Mystery/Crime Series - A Necessary End

recently read:

Bring Up The Bodies- Hillary Mantel
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World- Michael Lewis
Wired: The Short Life & Fast Times of John Belushi- Bob Woodward
The Battle- Richard Overy

currently reading:

God: A Biography- Jack Miles
Cantona: The Rebel Who Would Be King- Philippe Auclair
The Good Soldier Svejk- Jaroslav Hasek

Pawnbroker, by my friend Jerry Hatchett
The Twelve, by Justin Cronin
The Diviners, by Libba Bray
Let's Pretend This Never Happened, by Jenny Larson
(omigosh, this is the most hilarious memoir I've ever read!)
Undead, by Clay Morgan

A strange group of books but I have something on the go for every mood.

I just finished A Drown Maiden's Hair -- fun read and very quirky

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Linda's Author Website
Linda's Amazon Author page

OH, and my Kindle Paperwhite came yesterday, and I'm loving it! Bring on the books!

The Galley Slave, by Drago Jančar.



Mock morality tale set in the dregs of the 1600s (I think it ranges from Vienna to Venice, and various ports on the Mediterranean as seen from a ship). It's a world where everyone is equally helpless in the face of epidemics and superstition reigns for the majority of the rural population. Does hanging a legless rat in your doorway ward off the Devil? Does rubbing yourself down with pulped garlic prevent deadly buboes? Are clouds of chattering flying vermin and sea monster attacks as tangible threats as bandits and "the Spanish boot"? The novel is filtered through a narrator who maintains a facade of sly irony in the face of barbarity, but he is also empathetic to its inhabitants since it's obvious that there's no hope of coping with the world through intuition or empiricism. One explanation, one scheme is as good as another except that some might arbitrarily bring an investigation by Catholic thugs down on your head, or a lynching from your otherwise-sympathetic peers and neighbors.

Through all this chaos, Johan Ot flees from place to place and career to career. The narrator lets you know early on the general shape of Ot's fate but a more precise schematic might go like this: soldier -> civilian medic -> covert messenger for the protestant cause or some other cult -> fleetingly-prosperous merchant -> vagrant -> convict/galley slave. Some of these roles he falls into willingly but they all come from random circumstances which force him to shed one after another. This novel reminded me of the nonfiction study The Return of Martin Guerre even though it takes place a century later, in that both books examine issues of identity in pre-modern Europe.

The writing is pleasingly tactile and even though it follows a strange, staggering path from one horrific event to the next, there's a clear and compelling through-line in Johan Ot's vile fate and the questions it raises.

[copy-pasted my review from goodreads]

Here's my collection of books that I currently have ready to read, as you will be able to tell I am a massive football fan, need to get more books about films.

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Nice!

I'm starting SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD, the sequel to ENDER'S GAME, which I finished a few days ago. Before that it was Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD.

Before that it was an amazingly astute book called QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. A total eye-opener for me, apparently a classic introvert. It explained SO many things about myself that I had been chalking up to just being rude or antisocial. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Here Are The Books I am reading

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no one else is dealing with your demons friend - tyler joseph.

How far are you into By The Light of The Moon?

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Let's talk some jive.

Well, you sold me on it. I've always been somewhat at odds with my being an introvert.

What did you think of In Cold Blood? I'm pretty obsessed with that story.

I loved IN COLD BLOOD. I got into the story via the Philip Seymour Hoffman movie CAPOTE, and I was curious just how the book actually turned out after all that.

It's quite good -- told from an interesting angle and with all sorts of things you obviously don't see in the movie. It's the story of that series of murders and the aftermath, and aside from a reference or two to "the journalist," you wouldn't even know Capote had personally interviewed these guys and/or spent much time with Perry Smith.

I actually borrowed the e-book of Cain's QUIET book from our local library, and I loved it so much and want all my kids and friends to read it that I immediately ordered the hardback copy from Amazon.com so I can lend it out to people here.

Her writing style is easy to read and engaging, and she quotes more studies on the subject than I would have thought even existed. It draws you in immediately, especially if you're curious about your own temperament. And honestly, her little "quiz" near the beginning was a revelation. I knew I was some sort of introvert but I tested 17 out of the 20 questions with introverted answers. Didn't expect it to be that high since I'm also talkative -- but mostly with people I'm comfortable with already. And THAT was the sort of thing that I hadn't counted on. Just being chatty doesn't mean you're an extrovert. And introverts still enjoy themselves at parties and such, but it DRAINS them and they need down-time away from people to recharge.

Anyway, see if it's in your local library's e-collection if you're not sure about buying it.

I'm sure it is. The library in Gainesville is amazing. I'll look for it this weekend. That's completely true about introverts needing to recharge after social situations, I know I do. I'm chatty if I'm comfortable or if it's a specific subject. Not so great with random small talk am I. I'll let you know what I think of the book.

That is precisely what comes out clearly in the book: Introverts also don't like small talk and would rather engage in topics that they're passionate about. They may or may not enjoy social situations (but dislike being forced into them) and they always need to recharge alone.

The issue she sees is that our culture now rewards extroverts and tries to turn everyone into one. In the work environment, it's all about brainstorming and team work and the group-think mentality ... but introverts work far better ALONE. Therefore, a lot of their otherwise valuable contributions can get lost in the shuffle for everyone to be as extroverted as possible.

She brings this out in the "open classroom" theory and group projects in college and now open cubicle workspaces where introverts have no chance of recharging or doing their best work.

ANYWAY, I'll leave the rest to your reading. Would love to know what you think. Again, the studies to back this all up have gone back decades. Fascinating.

linespalsy... Is this really only available in hardback? Sounds fascinating but I don't usually spend $18+ for a book these days unless it's an author I'm already reading.

About to start reading the Stanley Kubrick Archives.

I've just finished the Autobiography of Malcolm X. Amazing.

I'm into the first book of the new Ken Follet trilogy: Fall Of Giants.
May surpass the Pillars Of The Earth.
I love his style and pedantic historical research.

You could always try ILL. Otherwise... it was published a year ago so maybe other editions are coming out.

These days the only books I ever buy are ones I expect to read more than once (a rarity). I probably will re-read The Galley Slave.

I started reading Speaker for the Dead about a year ago but it's now sitting on my shelf unfinished.

Um.. recent reading:

Henry IV Part 1 and Henry IV Part 2, Some Facets of King Lear by Rosalie L. Collie and F.T. Flahiff (editors), and The Big Kill by Mickey Spillane.

Intriguing autobiography, which starts with some shocking discoveries about his Grandfather when he was a child. He comes across as a very intelligent person and doesn't live his life down one path but instead opens his mind to all religions, cultures etc (This is even evident in his stage name and band Marilyn Manson being the two extremes of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson a sought of balance as he explains it), in the process absorbing the many different ideas and values ,an example being the secular philosophy (which is tought in the satanic bibles and can sometimes misconstrue a certain peoples view of a him) that every person can be his or her own god. Then there is the various shocking stories throughout about "games" backstage and various others

Edit: I missed a interesting bit, he goes to meet Anton LaVey and before he comes out he is introduced to his "wife" and son where Manson quotes Rosemary's Baby "He has his father's eyes".

I guess I found this autobiography even more interesting because I can relate to his way of thinking, it has made me jump on youtube and look up a few interviews like this one with America's favourite Bill O'Reilly.






On another note i'm onto my third kindle now , after I stepped on my first one getting out of bed with a hangover and misplacing my second in some dodgy little pub room I had to stay in while working away ( I probably left it between the sheets as I was in a rush in the morning). Damn you beds....

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You're tearing me apart, Lisa!