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Double Bass DB forum "what books are you reading" thread

#301
JGoldberg said:
I also read hundreds of trashy detective novels out loud to a blind man. Does that count? Probably not.
Click to expand...

Read him "Pulp".

He'll never want to listen to them again after that.

Ironically, just finished Pulp by Bukowski. It was all I hoped it wouldn't be, and more.

Working on "The Empathic Civilization" by Jeremy Rifkin. I'm not sure what I'll read next. Maybe South of the Pumphouse by Les Claypool.
 
#304
"Ghost Story," the latest Harry Dresden book by Jim Butcher.

These things are mostly brain-candy -- the plotting got pretty formulaic as the series moved through a dozen volumes.

But THIS ONE is really a giant step forward. Dresden, the wizard / detective hero, is now dead and that has allowed Butcher to go to a deeper level of characterization. (And it's just as much fun as ever.)

Can he keep it going at this level for the next one? Tune in, readers . . .
 
#305
I've read this thread before, and I still am curious as to how you make a distinction between Literature and Fiction.
As you have them listed, each and every work under your
"literature" label is fiction. "Literature" is an all-encompassing term for all written forms of prose and poetry.
 
#306
Right now I'm reading For Whom the Bell Tolls by E. Hemingway (listening to a playlist of my favorite jazz songs, and big orchestral peices all instrumental) again, after, I have my Ron Carter bio I want to read again, its signed :)
 
#308
Just finished A Song of Ice and Fire. I usually stick to classics but since Game of Thrones was so good I thought I would give it a try. Certain chapters in these books left me feeling sick and angry, the entire series being driven by a deep thirst for revenge. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book which will probably come out in 5 years.
 
#309
I recently got a Nook Tablet as a gift, and I've been really enjoying getting back into a daily reading regimen. I have to say, I like the reading experience with the Nook...screen is bright and very hi-res, the e-reader software is flexible with useful features, and books are a snap to download.

So far I've read Nathan Englander's short-story collection, "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges," and I'm eager to read more of his stuff.

Right now, I'm wrapping up Edward St. Aubyn's first four short "Patrick Melrose" novels (Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, Mother's Milk). The novels follow the life of the aforementioned protagonist, born to a wealthy English family in the mid-20th century. Beautiful prose. The fifth and final Melrose book At Last is in the queue.

Next up is Imagine by pop science writer Jonah Lehrer.
 
#310
Just finished the Divine Comedy, having read Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, it was perfect. Defenately on my list of all time favorites, inferno is probibly my favorite out of the "series" in the comedy but what do I know I just play bass...I would reccomend Dante's Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost/Regained to anyone and everyone...they are must reads.
 
#311
The Power of Habit
Why we do what we do in life and business
Charles Duhigg
Random House, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4000-6928-6

I picked this book up a few days ago. It's an easy read (not a dry academic tome) with lots of real-life examples that help present useful concepts and practices from a variety of circumstances and perspectives. The author provides several real-world examples that illustrate how to deliberately create and reinforce the kinds of desirable habits that cause successful individuals, and groups, to thrive.

No mysticism. Mostly common sense. But, presented in a way that provides both convergent and divergent perspectives.

I read it from cover to cover, then re-read, notebook in hand. For business, great schema to help clarify my pedagogical objectives and make implementation simpler and more deliberate; for my personal life, an opportunity to perform a forced ranking that helps me look for congruence between by day-to-day behavior and my stated goals; for music, an opportunity to bolster collaboration and focus energy.

FWIW, it's not "literature," but I found it a worthwhile investment in myself and my relationships.
 
#312
I'm pasting this in from another thread because I'm lazy & it's Friday:

I started reading Mozart by Maynard Solomon (HarperPerennial). This guy writes as if he's a friend of the family, as if he was there. Full of quotes from letters & memoirs, Solomon takes a hyper-informed, intimate approach if you can stomach 600pp of that. Dense with information. Tjhere are portraits, images of handwritten notes, & music. I think most will appreciate how robust it is.
Beethoven is similar but one chapter reads about his personal life then the following chapter is about the music somehow related to the history in that previous chapter. I liked the Beethoven book & I like the composer, better. I recommends both.
Solomon--former Yale/Harvard/Columbia professor. Kinda smart.
 
#313
Mike Goodbar said:
I recently got a Nook Tablet as a gift, and I've been really enjoying getting back into a daily reading regimen. I have to say, I like the reading experience with the Nook...screen is bright and very hi-res, the e-reader software is flexible with useful features, and books are a snap to download.

So far I've read Nathan Englander's short-story collection, "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges," and I'm eager to read more of his stuff.

Right now, I'm wrapping up Edward St. Aubyn's first four short "Patrick Melrose" novels (Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, Mother's Milk). The novels follow the life of the aforementioned protagonist, born to a wealthy English family in the mid-20th century. Beautiful prose. The fifth and final Melrose book At Last is in the queue.

Next up is Imagine by pop science writer Jonah Lehrer.
Click to expand...

Nice. There are a million free classics online--are they also available for the Nook for free?
 
#314
Just finished my first downloaded book, 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I'd sworn off SK for the duration after so many battles with the Devil, until I heard him talk about this one on NPR. He said he had been thinking about it since the 70's and the JFK assassination happened when I was 12, so I had to check it out. It was a page-turner as promised and well-worth the ride.
So, on to the big Ken Burns Civil War book. So far, so good - great reviews on Amazon.
Ike
 
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#315
Before Brave New World, 1984 [or Anthem] there was "We" by Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin (1874-1937). "We" (the personal pronoun "I" was verboten) was repressed by Stalin and his literary thugs. However, copies were smuggled out and "We" became the precursor of the above mentioned novels. The number of the newest translation from the Russian by Mirra Ginsberg is ISBN: 0-380-63313-2
P.S. Don't let the science fiction label throw you off.
 
#317
gerry grable said:
Before Brave New World, 1984 [or Anthem] there was "We" by Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin (1874-1937). "We" (the personal pronoun "I" was verboten) was repressed by Stalin and his literary thugs. However, copies were smuggled out and "We" became the precursor of the above mentioned novels. The number of the newest translation from the Russian by Mirra Ginsberg is ISBN: 0-380-63313-2
P.S. Don't let the science fiction label throw you off.
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Thanks I'll have to get to this. I like Russian lit a lot.
I read bulgakov for the first time last year
I dont know how that eluded me for so long, &have been reading Gogol (I realize he's Ukrainian) & the famous Russians since college daysfor some time now.
For you I recommend Chekhov's A Tragic man Despite Himself: Complete Short Plays. They're not kidding some are half a page long--more scenes than plays. I prefer Chekhov's fiction. His flow is like hot lava.
 
#318
Mike Goodbar said:
Chuck,

There are a lot of free books offered for the Nook, mostly public domain classics and so forth. They have a kind of "cut out" section, too...freebies that are low-rated or poor sellers. Again, I have not explored it too much.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
If I were to get a tablet device it might be a kindle fire so I could also use it for netflix.
 

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