I'm reading a thread on progressiveears.org in the Way Off-Topic forum that asks, "What are you currently reading?", but somewhat less recently I've been reading the first book in the Brad Taylor/Pike Logan series, One Rough Man, having gone through all of the Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp and Brad Thor/Scot Harvath books.
Giving Good Weight by John McPhee.
I read and owned this book years ago, lost it and recently (re) purchased it.John McPhee, imo,a great literary journalist.
"please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide
I love his books.Originally Posted by walt
The Control Of Nature and Basin and Range are favorites of mine.
For a long while I was reading Studs Turkel's books. Working, The Good War, and American Dreams, Lost and Found are all powerful books.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
I'm about halfway through Tolkein's Silmarillion. I've picked it up several times in the past and never finished it, this time I will.
Bill
She'll be standing on the bar soon
With a fish head and a harpoon
and a fake beard plastered on her brow.
Flying Saucers Rock and Roll by Jake Austen. Biographies of and interviews with a number of music eccentrics such as Sam the Sham, David Allan Coe, The Fast, Billy Lee Riley, Zolar X, etc. Fascinating stuff.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
How to Make Money Blogging From Home by Skip Mcgrath & Marsha Perry
that sounds fascinating! I just wishlisted it in paperback at amazon.
Bought this one yesterdag (in translation): Philip Glass: "Words Without Music".
The book-seller told me he hoped the translation of the book is better than the one of the text on the back in which they translated "string quartet" with the Dutch word for "violin quartet".
I have "Writings On Glass : Essays Interviews Criticism", but I never finished that one, because it looked like the same pieces were reviewed again and again. Still, a nice reference-book.
Me, the Mob, and the Music by Tommy James. Quite gripping story of Tommy's rise to fame with the Shondells and his relationship with Morris Levy, owner of Roulette Records and assoicate of the Genovese family. Years ago I met Morris Levy, when he owned the 85-outlet New England record store chain Strawberries. I was on an advisory committee in my town of Medford, MA. A new development of a little-used industrial/commercial parcel of land was being considered, and Morris came to a meeting with the potential developers. One of the Strawberries stores was on the parcel, and he stood to make out whatever was done with the land. As soon as he was introduced, one of the committee members stood up and yelled, "This man is a crook, and I'll have nothing to do with him," and left the room. I had no idea of Morris Levy's history. so I was stunned when the guy burst out like that and left. I learned a little about Morris over the years but never knew the full extent until today when I finished Tommy James' book. Wow, what a story! One of my small brushes with infamy. And I also have a lot more respect for Tommy and his music than I did in high school when he had all those hits I regarded as bubblegum music.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
Natchez Burning
Greg Iles
First book of a fiction trilogy about bringing to justice KKK types responsible for a whole bunch of racist based killings through the sixties to the present.
800 pages + and a very compelling read.
Unfortunately I'm almost finished and the second book is still only in hardcover so I will have to wait a few months for the paperback to be released.
DtB
Last edited by Dave the Brave; 06-17-2015 at 12:12 PM.
The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson, a good sci-fi author with a dozen or so titles, most of which I have read. The Affinities are social networks, but not online ones like Facebook. I'm not very far into it, but so far, the premise is good and it's keeping me turning the pages, awaiting the evil that will eventually arise.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
That sounds like an interesting book, Lou. The first Tommy James song I remember hearing as a kid was "I Think We're Alone Now." Bubblegum, but pretty catchy. James' later hits "Crystal Blue Persuasion" and, especially "Crimson and Clover (long version)" were pop-psych classics. I know nothing about his life. Thanks for the review and the recounting of your own experience.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
Just finished Bathed In Lightning and about to start Composing Myself (Jack Bruce).
I'm proof reading the school newsletter that is going out on Thursday since it will be my last job before I retire .
Continuing my interest in the lives of those in the rock and roll bidness, I've just started reading I Slept with Joey Ramone by his brother Mickey Leigh. Poor kid; got beat up by the neighborhood bullies in Queens.
I hope you enjoy your retirement, Tony.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
1 Henry IV. Using it to teach rhetoric next year.
Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin. And, man, this is good.
I'll take a brain break after those and read some sci-fi. My parents brought me my box of paperbacks from my teenage-dom, and I've got a nice selection of Asimov, Heinlein and Herbert from which to choose.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
David Baldacci's "King and Maxwell." His books are good airplane reads, but as with Carl Hiassen, I think he's begun to overstay his welcome with me; the stories are a little too "samey."
In both cases, I'll read a book or two, and then I have to move on to other stuff for a while. Haven't read any of the "King and Maxwell" series, but I've read other stuff by Baldacci.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Apparently I'm coming very late to this discussion and I'm not about to read 30 screens worth! of postings so my apologies for not knowing what anyone else has posted. I am a big Doctor Who fan. In 1991, Virgin started releasing a series of Dr Who original novels called the "New Adventures" (7th doctor stores). About 70 of them came out between 91 and 96. I bought and read them all and stuck them in a box and haven't looked at them since. I dug that box out two years ago and decided to reread most of them. I'm up to about #63 right now. So basically I've read almost nothing but Dr. Who books in the last two years. Can't wait to finish them off so that I can read something else! Funny thing, the books have not weathered the time very well. In reading several of them, pages are falling out, spines are breaking, etc.
I've got 2 books going at the moment:
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb- Not too much as far as heavy action goes, but still a well written trilogy with engaging characters.
The Man in the High Castle by P.K. Dick- My first foray into the written word of Philip K. Dick though I think I have seen every movie adapted from one of his stories. This particular novel is a lot more akin to the speculative fiction of Huxley, Orwell, Bradbury than his usual SF fare. Pretty good so far (about halfway through). I believe they will be adapting this one to film soon. It's about an America in the early 60s in a world where the Axis has won WWII. America is basically divided between the Japanese and Nazi Germans...
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
That sounds pretty cool. Added to the never-ending list.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
It's really a low key affair though. It takes place mostly in San Francisco which is under the more benevolent Japanese rule. The East Coast is under Nazi rule and is hinted at more than anything else. The story is the interplay between the conquered Americans and their conquerors who are obsessed with American cultural artifacts. The man in the High Castle is an author who has written a controversial book, which I believe will spearhead a revolution; about an alternate reality where the Allies win the War. I believe that it will stir up some pro-American sentiment in a conquered people. I haven't gotten far enough along to know if this is what will occur though...
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
I read The Man in the High Castle years ago, Yves, on someone's recommendation. If I remember correctly, you've outlined the basic story. I found it not to be an easy book to read; I think because there's not a lot of action. I'll have to give it another try.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
It's not the easiest read but it does get easier as you move along. It's an "ideas" book. It also relies on certain Eastern philosophy, with many references to the "I Ching" for example. I believe Dick was heavily into Eastern philosophy at the time so he writes about it like someone who knows about it. Not always easy for the layman to comprehend.
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
It's very good.That sounds pretty cool. Added to the never-ending list.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
I'm reading a bunch of stuff from Nathaniel Mackey, a poet, experimental fiction writer, and literary guy. He's influenced by Jazz, especially free jazz. It's not easy stuff, but it's really interesting--and I'm learning a lot about African cosmologies, amongst other things.
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