What Are You Reading

[dashiell]

The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day
Raymond Faulkner, et al

This book is *brilliant*! Papyri digitized in full, crumbling, colorful glory! I am having far too much fun with this book. As a matter of fact, I'm supposed to be installing a range hood at the moment, and the person I'm supposed to do that for said he'll wait if he can borrow the book when I'm done. It's gorgeous!

 

[Starius]

I haven't started reading it yet, but today I got "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Anyone else read this book?

 

[skwerl-hat]

im reading the odyssey by homer i just love this book and could read it over and over
also rereading mary shellys frankenstein i disliked it when i was younger but now i find it is well written and enjoyable indeed.

 

[Samsa]

Currently making my way through Kafka's diaries.

 

[Harp]

I haven't started reading it yet, but today I got "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Anyone else read this book?

A good read but I put it down midway through. Tragic tale.

 

[Harp]

Currently making my way through Kafka's diaries.

Franztastich. Good?

 

[Mimi]

Last week at the beach, I read Anita Shreve's Sea Glass.

It's set just before and during the Depression, and centers on a few people whose lives converge in some bizarre ways once the Depression hits.

The ending didn't go my way, but it's a quick read, about 2 hours, and not altogether bad.

This week, I have the new Grace Kelly bio and the bio of NY Post editor Dorothy Schiff.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Starius -- I read The Devil in the White City last year, it was quite a good book, the author weaving the fascinating story of creating and running Chicago World's Fair and, alternately, the progression and demise of a serial killer nastier than Jack the Ripper, if not as well know.

I found it to be a fascinating book.

karol

 

[dashiell]

im reading the odyssey by homer i just love this book and could read it over and over

Just so! Although I find Penelope irritating...

 

[Samsa]

Franztastich. Good?

Good, but different. I bought the volume years ago after reading a letter from Allen Ginsberg to Neal Cassady in which Ginsberg says how great the diaries are.

 

[Harp]

Ginsberg's rather unique in his own way, too. Haven't touched much of his work since college.

 

[imoldfashioned]

I've just started rereading Rebecca. I love how evocotive DuMaurier's writing is and how the narrator's self doubt colors the story.

 

[Harp]

I've just started rereading Rebecca. I love how evocotive DuMaurier's writing is and how the narrator's self doubt colors the story.

du M's narrative style; the title character's haunting presence.
I'm similarly taken with G. Eliot.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Being that I've had a lot of time on my hands lately I've just finished 3 very good books.
The first one "The Rossetti Letter" is a fictional story of a Courtesan in Venice who supposedly revealed the Spanish Conspiracy which took place in the 16th century. It's a mixture of fact and fiction. There are two stories going on, one in the 16th century and the other in the 21st. It was a very enjoyable book the conjured up so many memories and feelings that I have for the magical city of Venice. I thought the author did a very good job describing this floating city. If the reader has yet to visit, this book would probably make them want to go.

The next book I read was "Snow Flower and The Secret Fan". I couldn't put this book down. It takes place in 15th century rural China. It is the story of 2 girls, it begins when they are children and designated as laotang which means "Old Sames" in Chinese. Thes "old sames" are introduced at the age of 6 through a secret woman's writing called nu shu. The girls match eight signs perfectly and are given to each other to form a life long bond that is stronger than the bond that they will ever have with anybody else, not even their husbands love is as strong as the love that these two "old sames" are supposed to have. The book does an incredible job describing the life and times of women in rural China. Everything is discussed and described beautiful, from the ritual of foot binding, something that they refer to as "mother love", relationships within families, the different status in families, wedding rituals, birth rituals, death rituals, and spiritual acts. Everything is so vividly described that I could actually see the story playing out in my mind. I was able to create a stage for which the words of the book turned into a performance. It was a short book, I wanted more when it was through. I highly recommend this book, it might be more chick lit than anything, but if you are interested in learning about ancient Chinese daisly life rituals, this is a good book to read. This is a book of fiction but the author traveled extensively though rural China for a few months to learn all about custom and tradition and the "nu shuu" writings that were the life lines for many women. It also describes quite well the importance of relationships between women during this time period. When women were nothing, the bottom rung on the ladder. They were second class citizens who were thought to be absolutely nothing but a burden, another mouth to feed when they were children. Then when they are old enough to be married they are shipped off to a new village, sometimes never to return, to be the second class citizens and baby makers in the homes of their husbands. They are brought in to prolong the family line, to cook, clean, plant, take care of the daily needs of the older people in the family. All women had were the relationships that they had with other women. This was the most important thing to these women..

Finally, I am reading "The Book of Courtesans". Simply put it's all about the rise and eventual disappearance of Courtesans in France as well as Italy. The author does say that they didn't fully disappear, but evolved into something new. I personally think that her jump is pretty far fetched, but I do kind of get what she's talking about. It's an OK book, I was hoping to hear more about the lives and times of the Courtesan's of Europe. But, I think this book is used as a text book for some Women's Studies class, so of course the author includes lessons to be learned. I don't mind learning a lesson, but the leaps she is taking, like comparing Courtesan's of Europe to movies stars today is a bit out there. If her argument was justified by some sort of fact or research it might be believable. But this women is just writing on feelings she has rather than trying to show actual truthful data...

 

[Josephine]

I reread Agatha Christie's The Clocks. I love Christie, perhaps that's were I got my liking of vintage things. Though I really need to branch out.

 

[Girl Friday]

Just finished the seventh and final Harry Potter, and the Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. The later being a book club selection, I have to admit it was pretty good. I had complained about another memoir (and memoirs are for crybabies who think they had it bad as a child, etc.) but this was actually good. She wrote it very matter-of-fact-ly...there was no crybaby about it.

 

[Undertow]

I'm just now starting The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. Conrad is one of my favorite authors and it's unfortunate that I'm only just now getting to this classic.

*edit - Has anyone read House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski? I would LOVE to know if you liked this book.

 

[Dominic]

This is what I'm reading right now in paperback form. So vivid are the testimonies that I have to actually close the book sometimes.

 

[carter]

I'm reading Hemingway's A Movable Feast. It's hard to believe this wasn't required reading at some point when I was in school. I particularly enjoy his observations on Gertrude Stein and her instruction to buy good art rather than clothing.

 

[Dr Doran]

I'm reading Hemingway's A Movable Feast. It's hard to believe this wasn't required reading at some point when I was in school. I particularly enjoy his observations on Gertrude Stein and her instruction to buy good art rather than clothing.

But in our case sometimes clothing IS art.

And nowadays it is very hard to tell "good" art from twittering nonsense and smears.