What are You Reading Now?
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I just finished reading "Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln" collected and edited by Allen Thorndike Rice, 1886. A fascinating old book about a fascinating man.
If you come across a copy, I recommend reading the brief biographical sketches of the contributors in the back as you work your way through.
BTW, the Abraham Lincoln pipe was whittled by my father. I added the long stem, and I'm sure my father would have approved of my modifying it into a "lesepfeife" as much as he'd approve of me reading an old book about Lincoln.
If you come across a copy, I recommend reading the brief biographical sketches of the contributors in the back as you work your way through.
BTW, the Abraham Lincoln pipe was whittled by my father. I added the long stem, and I'm sure my father would have approved of my modifying it into a "lesepfeife" as much as he'd approve of me reading an old book about Lincoln.
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Here are my three current reads:
Anthony Trollope's Victorian novel The Way We Live Now. It's about the decline in Victorian society with its obsession with money and unscrupulous speculators. Sounds kinda current, huh? Some consider this Trollope's best novel but I can't say that I agree.
Mary Beard's history of the Roman Empire SPQR. A lot of social detail without as much detail about the emperors and the wars as I am used to.
Alan Furst's The Polish Officer. A spy novel about a Polish officer starting with the fall of Poland in WWII and his espionage activities in France.
Anthony Trollope's Victorian novel The Way We Live Now. It's about the decline in Victorian society with its obsession with money and unscrupulous speculators. Sounds kinda current, huh? Some consider this Trollope's best novel but I can't say that I agree.
Mary Beard's history of the Roman Empire SPQR. A lot of social detail without as much detail about the emperors and the wars as I am used to.
Alan Furst's The Polish Officer. A spy novel about a Polish officer starting with the fall of Poland in WWII and his espionage activities in France.
Kiki Man Ray: Art, Love, and Rivalry in 1920s Paris by Mark Braude. A very interesting exploration of her influences on art and fashion in pre-WW2 Paris.
I initially read that title as Kinky Man Ray: Art, Love, and Rivalry in 2930s Paris
.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.
This is my first foray into this man’s crazy world. So far, I love it.
This is my first foray into this man’s crazy world. So far, I love it.
I listened to SPQR as an audiobook earlier this year and really enjoyed it. I was on a bit of an ancient/medieval history kick for a few months and her book was a real highlight.
I’m midway through the third novel in the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian, this one is HMS Surprise and it’s excellent (as the first two have been). The narrator Patrick Tull is wonderful, even if he mispronounces “huzzah” nearly every time. (“huh-zay”? Come on, man! Everyone says “huh-zaaah!”)
*note, “nearly every time.” Every now and again he pronounces it correctly, and that only highlights how badly he does it regularly!
*note, “nearly every time.” Every now and again he pronounces it correctly, and that only highlights how badly he does it regularly!
I just started a new one... still in a saxophone groove. It's fascinating. Who woulda thunk a musical instrument could raise such a fuss. Great read so far.
I loved A La Rechereche du temps perdu. I had to read it on holiday to be disciplined enough, but it really was life-changing
I read it the first time way back in my twenties and it was an important book for me . Now I’m revisiting and enjoying it even more. It really can change your life. There’s even a book called “How Proust Can Change Your Life” (which I imagine you probably know)