What are you reading?

Sat, 2003-02-22 14:10

#2

Liana

Sex, Death, Enlightenment by Mark Matousek. Just bought it in a charity shop, and have only read the first page.. after my last two disasters, I can at least hope it's an improvement.

Sat, 2003-02-22 14:28

#3

Rokkitnite

Not Always So by Shunryu Suzuki. I'm gobsmacked by it. And, strangely, I always feel happier after reading it. Not many books can do that.

Sat, 2003-02-22 16:20

#4

jonsmalldon

Just finished Nothing Natural by Jenny Diski and am now reading some poetry in Acumen and some short stories in Diaspora City

Sat, 2003-02-22 16:41

#5

cazsteed

Tug of War by Joan Lingard. It's kind of topical with the whole Iraq thing going on - more people should read it because it's about refugees and it helps you see them as real people with jobs and families and stuff, not just nameless homeless people.

Sat, 2003-02-22 17:16

#6

markbrown

'Selected Poems' by Anne Sexton, which is brilliant so far, she has a brilliant turn of phrase and her poetry is shot through with the kind of observations that are SO characteristic of manic depressives, gloriously vivid yet off kilter and unexpected. Also reading 'Pleasures of Peace' by Brian Appleyard which is a survey of post war imagination in Britain. It is exceptionally interesting looking at art in general as a set of attempts to solve certain problems. It takes the position that art itself is an attempt to impose a certain shape on the world, responding to a certain shape that the world is percieved to have. Taking this position, art itself is a series of strategies to produce a meaning.

Sun, 2003-02-23 00:37

#7

david floyd

Just finished Class War by Chris Woodhead. Also halfway through reading Penguin Island by Anatole France. Then there's The Cypriot by Andreas Koumi.

Sun, 2003-02-23 01:15

#8

funky_seagull

"The Earthsea Quartet" by Ursula Le Guin One of the best books I've ever read - totally rocks man - fantastic stuff

Sun, 2003-02-23 19:12

#9

andrew o'donnell

Cities of the Red Night by William Burroughs.. excellent and a lot different to other Burroughs I've read. Will embark on some Djuna Barnes after this, I think.

Mon, 2003-02-24 17:30

#10

neil_the_auditor

I've run out of short story collections so I've turned to novels for a change, after reading Maya Angelou's poetry which I greatly enjoyed. Latest three reads are: "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman. I like my fantasy slightly dark and bizarre with plenty of wit, and this hit the spot perfectly, like a pint of "Shoggoth's Old Peculier" (my favourite Gaiman short story). "Mother Country" by Libby Purves. Well-written - Libby's an excellent columnist - but it didn't move me very much; unlike Neil Gaiman I didn't forgo other things to find time to read it. "Tales Of The City" by Armistead Maupin. Once you get past the plethora of unfamiliar names and locations this is an absolute treat; very very funny and affectionate. Sort of like "Friends" on acid. Just realised that all three are variations on the "innocents abroad" theme, which is obviously a perennial source of literary amusement.

Mon, 2003-02-24 18:36

#11

martin_t

ralphie, i read that tim lott book, so good, really enjoyed it... currently i'm reading john bird's book, "some luck" he was a right little rascal wasn't he?

Tue, 2003-02-25 17:20

#12

Ralph

Mart Me and you have such good taste. Drink? Rafe

Tue, 2003-02-25 22:18

#13

martin_t

of course ralphie... let's find us a window...

Wed, 2003-02-26 11:34

#14

Hen

Lit crit on Cohen and a collection of Vonnegut essays

Wed, 2003-02-26 15:03

#15

gail

The Shipping News. I think it's quite good. Not as good as I imagined it would be though.

Wed, 2003-02-26 16:13

#16

spack

The adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chanbon Great so far but very long and has to be finished by next week...

Wed, 2003-02-26 16:24

#17

joel

Just started The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow. Seems pretty good so far. The kind of descriptions that make you jealous. Damn him.

Thu, 2003-02-27 03:48

#18

Memphis Jones

My earliest memory of Fantasy writing is 'The Earthsea Quartet' back in the the early 80's. It's the reason I bought the book when I saw it a few months ago. At least that what I believed, I just checked the publishing info only to find that although the first 3 were printed before then, the last, 'Tehanu' was first printed in 1990... fake memory perhaps?

Thu, 2003-02-27 03:53

#19

Memphis Jones

Hmmm, ooops. I just finished reading Ravenheart by David Gemmel. In fact, in the last week I've read: Hero in the Shadows (Spectacular book) Sword in the Storm Midnight Falcon & Ravenheart all by David Gemmel. Damn fine writier.

Thu, 2003-02-27 12:22

#20

chant

hey Memphis! your memory's not playing tricks. Le Guin originally concluded Earthsea with 'The Farthest Shore', but then, a decade or so later decided to write a new 'final' book in the series - Tehanu. i've been reading Augie March on and off for the last 6 months or so, Joel. i was dismayed to see Bellow had an idea about nomos/physis that i thought was original to me. damn him! descriptions are good, but it's a bit meandering and long for my taste and there are just so many characters i keep forgetting who they all are.

Fri, 2003-02-28 19:33

#21

Jazz

These last weeks i have been mostly reading The Slow train to Milan and The Tiger by lisa st Aubin de Teran, highly autobiographical and magical and marvellous. Am also leafing through an edition of the seventeenth century poets...

Fri, 2003-03-07 15:15

#22

Faithless

i am reading white diaspora by my mate carl neville...he has a website plug plug... www.whatiswhitediaspora.com

Fri, 2003-03-07 15:51

#23

Liana

that link doesnt work Martin... no good plugging if the sink is blocked.... :o)

Sat, 2003-03-08 17:15

#24

andrew o'donnell

Oh the Djuna Barnes is going down like a treat by the way.. finished her short story collection 'Spillway' which is excellent and now onto the amazingly dense and poetic prose of Nightwood.. not sure how long I'll last tho..