I’m on a dystopian classics kick. Watched Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange for the first time in decades the other night. Now I’m revisiting this, which I haven’t read since the 90’s:
What are You Reading Now?
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Still reading The Hornet's Nest by Jimmy Carter. I only read at bedtime and I only read from a book for a few minutes at a time. It's about the Colonies before the American Revolution, (so far).
After reading rather daunting biographies of Joseph Flamsteed and Isaac Newton, two highly accomplished, rather difficult men, neither of whom I think I'd have liked personally, from a time I can hardly identify with, I was ready for something easy and fun.
I chose "John A. Brashear, the Autobiography of a Man Who Loved the Stars," edited by W. Lucien Scaife, 1924. It turned out to be the perfect choice! All I'd known about Brashear was that he made fine telescopes, but in his very modestly written biography he proved to be a highly accomplished, yet simple and universally liked man, who was close friends with many of the well known names of astronomy and science of his day. He never lost his wonder of the world around him.
As the editor wrote in his forward, "Crusty old scientists came to him first because his genius could aid them in their work, they returned because they loved him." I really enjoyed meeting him in this book. I wish I could've known him as a friend.
I chose "John A. Brashear, the Autobiography of a Man Who Loved the Stars," edited by W. Lucien Scaife, 1924. It turned out to be the perfect choice! All I'd known about Brashear was that he made fine telescopes, but in his very modestly written biography he proved to be a highly accomplished, yet simple and universally liked man, who was close friends with many of the well known names of astronomy and science of his day. He never lost his wonder of the world around him.
As the editor wrote in his forward, "Crusty old scientists came to him first because his genius could aid them in their work, they returned because they loved him." I really enjoyed meeting him in this book. I wish I could've known him as a friend.
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Wasn't feeling O'Brian just yet so switched over to a book about a local theme park from the 80's called 'Action Park' in Verona, NJ.
Guy who built it wanted to be the "Disney of the Northeast", building something within an hour's drive from NYC.
What he created was the most dangerous, lawless theme park on the planet.
People would break limbs, teenage employees would be having sex at all hours throughout the park, they took the limiters off the go-karts, which was next to a German style biergarten so patrons would get tanked up and then drive the go-karts off the track and start racing down the streets of Verona. The place was absolutely nuts. I still have a scar on my knee from one of my trips down the "Alpine Slide".
There was a documentary about it a few years ago called "Class Action Park". Highly recommended.
Man, I miss the late 70s and 80s.
Guy who built it wanted to be the "Disney of the Northeast", building something within an hour's drive from NYC.
What he created was the most dangerous, lawless theme park on the planet.
People would break limbs, teenage employees would be having sex at all hours throughout the park, they took the limiters off the go-karts, which was next to a German style biergarten so patrons would get tanked up and then drive the go-karts off the track and start racing down the streets of Verona. The place was absolutely nuts. I still have a scar on my knee from one of my trips down the "Alpine Slide".
There was a documentary about it a few years ago called "Class Action Park". Highly recommended.
Man, I miss the late 70s and 80s.
Read them all - feel like I know Aubrey and Maturin like old friends at this point. Probably going to start a re-read next year. Some of my favorite books involve sailing the globe (Moby Dick, Typee, The Bounty Trilogy, Hornblower, etc.); makes me wish, at times, to quit my job and climb aboard a ship for a year or two. Reality quickly rears its ugly head.
Arronovich: Rivers of London.
I think I'm going to enjoy this writing:
I think I'm going to enjoy this writing:
Returning to the golden century of Spanish literature. At school, in the early 80's, it was a constant delight for us with these authors. Luis of Gongora. Edited by Robert Jammes.
Re-reading, for the umpteenth time, Uncle Perk's Jug - More Stories From The Lower Forty by the late author Corey Ford. Despite his urban New York state birth Mr. Ford was a self-made country sporting gentleman, and a writer of the first order. He excelled at humor, parody, biography, and straight reporting, and I can recommend all of his works without reservation.
I've been reading and re-reading a lot of the Cosmere books by Brandon Sanderson, ahead of the release of the fifth book of the Storm light Archive on Dec 6.
It's really the only fantasy series I've ever gotten into to this degree, but -jeez- _anything_ to avoid the news these days...
It's really the only fantasy series I've ever gotten into to this degree, but -jeez- _anything_ to avoid the news these days...
I feel your pain, I've lost count of the number of times I've reread the Kingkiller Chronicle but I'm not convinced we'll ever see book 3. We're yet to see the chapter we were promised 3 years ago now for his charity fundraising event
I recommend Bookchin's The Ecology of Freedom as a follow-up
Thank you for the recommendation. I'll add it to my book list.
Currently reading The Horror at Red Hook from this Lovecraft collection put out by Oxford University Press.
I've had the Vintage edition on my bookshelf for a few years since I found it in a charity shop. Accounts of how depressing it is have likely contributed to me not having read it yet. I tend to have to be in a particular mood to read "downers".
