Reading any good books? II

[GrayMouser]

I've never heard of Robertson Davies, but he sounds like a fascinating individual. Sounds a bit like Roger Scruton. Anglo-Catholics are always so much more interesting than us poor Romans.

Beloved in Canada, and shorted for the Booker...maybe a bit more, um, lively than Scruton.

Though in all fairness, all I've read of Scruton is his "Short History of Western Philosophy" and his part of "German Philosophers: Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer and Nietszche" (he wrote the Intro and the section on Kant) which, while both being excellent, are not exactly the liveliest of subjects.

I watched the BBC series on Beauty you posted, and am going to reply in the next week when I've got a bit more time to re-view it (end of term, very busy), but it did bring a bit of Davies to mind.

In "What's Bred in the Bone" he deals with an artist who would have been hailed in previous ages for his skill, but is forced to become an art forger in our age when only "shock" and "imagination" count for anything.

When being appprenticed to one of the last of the Old School Masters, his first test is to draw a perfectly straight line - freehand, of course- down the middle of a page; the point being if you can't do that you're not even fit to be a beginner.

[GrayMouser]

Special shout out to inked- have you read this guy? I think you'd love it.

Start with the Cornish trilogy- while I think the Deptford trilogy is on the whole is a little better the opening may be a little rougher for non-Canadians- though any small town North American may appreciate it.

[GrayMouser]

Originally Posted by katya

My 9th grade English teacher tried to dissuade me from reading Russian literature when he saw me reading Anna Karenina. Said it's too depressing and it just gets worse right to the end. He encouraged his students to read Stephen King. NOT my favorite teacher.

Looks like some Russians agree...

The opening of a Moscow Metro station named after Fyodor Dostoevsky has been postponed after complaints that murals decorating the platform walls are too depressing. The images, drawn from the 19th-century novelist’s works, could prompt depressed commuters to kill themselves, critics say.

One scene, right, depicts a man preparing to hit a woman with an axe while another lays dying at his feet — inspired by Rodion Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment. Another shows a man holding a gun to his head — based on The Devils, in which Kirillov commits suicide as a declaration of freedom. A stern portrait of the author is also among the Florentine mosaics.

Mikhail Vinogradov, a Moscow psychologist, said that the station could become a magnet for people considering suicide. Bloggers on Russian internet sites condemned the designs as “grim” and “suicidal”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle7127302.ece

[Gwaimir Windgem]

It's been pointed out that there are many, many beautiful moments in the works of Dostoyevsky, as well: Alyosha falling to the ground, the kiss in the Grand Inquisitor, the redemption of Rodya at the end of C and P, etc. The imagery which, apparently, was used for these decorations doesn't seem to really capture the scope of Dostoyevsky; it remains down in the dregs, while failing to turn its gaze upwards, as he does so well.

[katya]

I finally finished The Wicked Day. It was kind of disappointing. I really couldn't get into that one much because Merlin's not in it. But I still liked it and The Last Enchantment better than a lot of books I have read. I'm glad I'm finished with the series now so I can read something else, though.

[GrayMouser]

Originally Posted by katya

I finally finished The Wicked Day. It was kind of disappointing. I really couldn't get into that one much because Merlin's not in it. But I still liked it and The Last Enchantment better than a lot of books I have read. I'm glad I'm finished with the series now so I can read something else, though.

Yes, she's still a good writer, but they are a bit of a let-down considering how good the first two are.

[Rían]

Dostoyevsky is well worth reading, although his works are certainly not chirpy and light-hearted! But I think that the subjects for the wall murals were not a great choice ...

[Valandil]

Just finished up a re-read of LOTR, and while starting into the appendices, picked up some Dickens books. Have gone about 5-6 chapters into Little Dorrit. Also picked up Bleak House and Tale of Two Cities.

[Rían]

I wasn't wild about Little Dorrit, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bleak House and Tale of Two Cities. BH starts a bit slow, but just remember that Dickens was often paid by the word, and feel free to skip over some of his long, descriptive sections that must have happened because of unexpected bills

[EllethValatari]

Originally Posted by Valandil

Just finished up a re-read of LOTR, and while starting into the appendices, picked up some Dickens books. Have gone about 5-6 chapters into Little Dorrit. Also picked up Bleak House and Tale of Two Cities.

I also loved A Tale of Two Cities! It is pretty descriptive, but it's very well written and has a captivating plot. A very enjoyable way to study the French Revolution!

[Valandil]

I liked Little Dorrit. After it, I quickly read The Good Shepherd by CS Forester. He wrote the Horatio Hornblower series. This one is about a WW2 destroyer captain, fending off German U-boats while escorting a convoy.

I've just started Tale of Two Cities.

[Pitchike12]

Yes I did, I'm reading right now is "The Fellowship of the Ring"*...(I'm reading it again.)

[Valandil]

I finished Tale of Two Cities, then re-read Voyage of the Dawn Treader before going to see the movie.

I've just read The Devil in the White City. It's really two stories - one about the building of the Chicago World's Fair for 1893, the other about a psychopath who moved to Chicago around this time and went on an undetected killing-spree. The book has had rave reviews... but I really didn't like it that much. For one, I think it OUGHT to be two stories - unless the author intends both parts to be commentary on 'the American City' or 'the Modern City'. Also - the handling of the serial killer is inconsistent, but maybe that last is quibbling on my part.

[Earniel]

Finally finished Tolkien's 'Letters from Father Christmas'. This time of year seemed liked the perfect moment for reading that one. Very sweet, it reminded me of some of the Sinterklaas letters I got when younger. Good childhood memories. Although Tolkien managed to keep on going for twenty years and for four kids. With drawings. Quite an achievement!

[the insane one]

After finishing my tolkien collection, including History of Middle Earth, I started reading books from an American author called Brendan Dubois. Some of his stuff is old but he is still writing new books. A very good bit of light reading

[Pitchike12]

I'm reading "The Hobbit" right now. After that I will read "The Voyage of the Dawn Threader by C.S. Lewis".

[Fool_of_a_Took]

I am a huge fan of John Irving, especially "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and his latest (I believe), "Last Night in Twisted River"

Fantastic author, two incredible books that I could read over and over again.

[katya]

I just finished Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother which was interesting and got me to write a "tiger daughter" list of things to do everyday (like brush my teeth, I know, high standards I have for myself).

Then I read The Winter of our Disconnect about a family that goes "screen-free" for 6 months which was kind of interesting, kind of interesting also because the family reminded me of my own family. Might try to cut down on my aimless internet surfing that I find so very spiritually draining.

Read a chapter and a half of a book called "War is a Force that Gives us Meaning", which is interesting but not a very enjoyable read in a way (the writing itself). Interesting ideas though.

Before that I finished "Nausea" by Jean-Paul Sartre, which I liked quite a bit. But I was totally having an existential crisis which I'm largely "over" now.

I've been reading at a pace of more than a book a week. I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge all of the sudden. (Last couple years have been about 25 books a year.) Been leaning heavily toward non-fiction.

[barrelrider110]

Originally Posted by Fool_of_a_Took

I am a huge fan of John Irving, especially "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and his latest (I believe), "Last Night in Twisted River"

Fantastic author, two incredible books that I could read over and over again.

Yes, agree with you Fool_of_a_Took, "Owen Meany" was by far Irving's best. I even thought Owen had a lot in common with Frodo; diminutive in size but fastidious in purpose to fulfill his destiny.

My recent favorite read was "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. It's a book about survival and spirituality, humorous and sad, that can be read and interpreted on many levels. It's great book to discuss. Also, like JRRT, Martel shows a deep appreciation for the natural world:

"I am not one given to projecting human traits and emotions onto animals, but many a time during that month in Brazil, looking up at sloths in repose, I felt I was in the presence of upside-down yogis deep in meditation or hermits deep in prayer, wise beings whose intense imaginative lives were beyond the reach of my scientific probing."

[GrayMouser]

Being turned into a movie by Ang Lee, currently being filmed here in Taiwan