Over My Dead Body, a Nero Wolfe mystery by Rex Stout.
what are you reading?
- Thread starter janeray1940
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I've just finished reading two wonderful works of historical non-fiction by David Grann:
Killers of the Flower Moon, about the 'mysterious' murders of members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma
in the early decades of last century, and The Lost City of Z, a broad-paletted biography of the life and explorations
of one Percy Harrison Fawcett, and his obsession with charting new frontiers in the Amazon.
Both are utterly compelling narratives, meticulously researched and read like like novels.
Highly recommended.
Began reading The Go-Between - the L.P. Hartley classic - a few days ago and, 1/3 of the way through,
am mesmerized by the beauty of the writing and my own sense of connection with the main protagonist.
Gorgeous to read.
Killers of the Flower Moon, about the 'mysterious' murders of members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma
in the early decades of last century, and The Lost City of Z, a broad-paletted biography of the life and explorations
of one Percy Harrison Fawcett, and his obsession with charting new frontiers in the Amazon.
Both are utterly compelling narratives, meticulously researched and read like like novels.
Highly recommended.
Began reading The Go-Between - the L.P. Hartley classic - a few days ago and, 1/3 of the way through,
am mesmerized by the beauty of the writing and my own sense of connection with the main protagonist.
Gorgeous to read.
mikelz777
Well-known member
I just finished The Night Fire by Michael Connelly. I've enjoyed all the Harry Bosh books and this one was a mash-up with Mickey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer) and Detective Renee Ballard. I enjoyed the book but I think I prefer the stories where Harry Bosch is the lone major character.
I'm now contemplating on whether I should start Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years by Mark Lewisohn. It's a monster of a book at over 900 pages and it only covers the Beatles up until 1962, just before Beatlemania hits! (It's the first of a planned trilogy.) I think I'm slightly hesitant to make such a commitment right now so I may have to read it in stages with a few other books in between.
I'm now contemplating on whether I should start Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years by Mark Lewisohn. It's a monster of a book at over 900 pages and it only covers the Beatles up until 1962, just before Beatlemania hits! (It's the first of a planned trilogy.) I think I'm slightly hesitant to make such a commitment right now so I may have to read it in stages with a few other books in between.
I love The Go-Between. Must reread it.
Luke Plays Uke
Well-known member
I finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It was such an interesting book and I thought it was fiction based on how it was written but it actually turns out to be nonfiction.
When my wife worked at the library, she was under the impression it was fiction as well. So was a customer who came in. But they wound up finding it in the Georgia History section and both of them were like “huh. How about that?”
Super interesting book.
And I’m calling it for the year. Or starting a much bigger book that I won’t complete before the end of the year at least. I completed my goal of 216 books so I could make this pretty, even picture. I revisited some old favorites, read or re-read all of the original Goosebumps books in an effort to see the indoctrination that was supposedly happening to kids like me. Parents were petitioning schools to not stock the books because kids like me would turn into satanic hooligan deviants and I… did not. But it wouldn’t be the first time I missed the point of a book (or books) so I wanted to try again. Turns out the books are just super formulaic and, after the first ten or so, I was no longer having a good time with it. ;-)
I also started reading romance this year and that was nice.
It’s been a good year of reading and I’m very excited to get back into practicing the ukulele!
When my wife worked at the library, she was under the impression it was fiction as well. So was a customer who came in. But they wound up finding it in the Georgia History section and both of them were like “huh. How about that?”
Super interesting book.
And I’m calling it for the year. Or starting a much bigger book that I won’t complete before the end of the year at least. I completed my goal of 216 books so I could make this pretty, even picture. I revisited some old favorites, read or re-read all of the original Goosebumps books in an effort to see the indoctrination that was supposedly happening to kids like me. Parents were petitioning schools to not stock the books because kids like me would turn into satanic hooligan deviants and I… did not. But it wouldn’t be the first time I missed the point of a book (or books) so I wanted to try again. Turns out the books are just super formulaic and, after the first ten or so, I was no longer having a good time with it. ;-)
I also started reading romance this year and that was nice.
It’s been a good year of reading and I’m very excited to get back into practicing the ukulele!
Arcy
Strummin' in the Rain
I finished the Lost Metal, and my wife is gearing up to start Mistborn. I’mexcited to share that with her!
Next up for me is Guitar Zero, which is about the author’s quest to learn music as an adult and his exploration of the science behind learning. Only 8% in, but so far it’s great! Makes me want to both keep reading and pick up my guitar^H^H^H^H^H^H ukulele
Next up for me is Guitar Zero, which is about the author’s quest to learn music as an adult and his exploration of the science behind learning. Only 8% in, but so far it’s great! Makes me want to both keep reading and pick up my guitar^H^H^H^H^H^H ukulele
Down Up Dick
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Robert Frost’s Poetry
Joyful Uke
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If you're a fan of The Beatles, (most likely, or you wouldn't consider reading the book), it's well worth the read. Looong book, but you can read it in bits and pieces and not lose track of the plot.
I'm looking forward to the next volume, whenever that will be.Meanwhile, a book comes out on McCartney this Tuesday that sounds good, and I plan to read that one. A 2 hour interview with the authors is here, and has some interesting tidbits:
I've got 30 minutes of the interview left to listen to, which I'll hopefully finish tomorrow.
Right now, I'm reading Jann Wenner's book "Like A Rolling Stone", but think I'll start skimming through it. I don't find him as interesting as I thought he might be.
mikelz777
Well-known member
If you're a fan of The Beatles, (most likely, or you wouldn't consider reading the book), it's well worth the read. Looong book, but you can read it in bits and pieces and not lose track of the plot.
Meanwhile, a book comes out on McCartney this Tuesday that sounds good, and I plan to read that one. A 2 hour interview with the authors is here, and has some interesting tidbits:
I've got 30 minutes of the interview left to listen to, which I'll hopefully finish tomorrow.
Right now, I'm reading Jann Wenner's book "Like A Rolling Stone", but think I'll start skimming through it. I don't find him as interesting as I thought he might be.
I'm about 180 pages into Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years. George has just joined the Quarry Men with Paul and John and Ringo is still off playing with another band, not even on their radar yet. I'm enjoying it so far, it isn't as bogged down with tons of minutia which I feared it might be before I started reading it. At almost a thousand pages, I'm trying to pace myself with a chapter a day or every other day. I'm trying to finish off some other books I'm nearing the end of in between.
bbkobabe
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Me too! Hatch Valley chili green salsa from Trader Joe... a classic.
OK- I'm gonna start Water for elephants... just as soon as I finish re-reading The Little Prince!
bbkobabe
Well-known member
I had the same reaction to Mel Brooks' autobio... I began the skim after 80 pages... not all writers are great authors when it comes to writing about themselves...
The wild thing is that the Extended Special Edition is another almost 800 pages! Even that one flies by, doesn't seem too long at all. It's a lot of stuff, but if you've read more than a couple of Beatles books, you'll see why there's no such thing as too many (as long as they're this good). There's just a lot of stuff to cover.
Anything by Mark Lewisohn is going to be a winner. My first book by him was The Beatles Complete Recording Sessions (1988 I think?) which is exactly what it says on the cover.
Sadly out of print, it covered every recording session: who was there, what they did. It's the first time I saw this phenomenon of "Yeah, it's exhaustive, but I still want more." LOL My favorite thing in that book was a throwaway detail: a look at John Lennon's early 60s passport, where he listed his profession as "Rhythm Guitarist", an unexpectedly self-deprecating joke from one of the world's great egotists (he says affectionately). You're going to find gems like that on nearly every page of anything Lewisohn writes...although I honestly felt that he was weighted unfairly positively toward John, at Paul's expense. It would be utter insanity for this volume not to MUCH more heavily feature John -- it was after all HIS group that the other fellas joined -- but that's one dynamic that I hope he handles a little more equitably in volumes two and three as John organically (sort of) ceded leadership to Paul. That's my opinion, and your mileage may vary, but in general, more Lewisohn is always better.
As is more more Beatles books! I have the new McCartney book on order at the library, but the one I'm working my way through now is one of my tippy-top faves yet, Beatles '66: The Revolutionary Year, by Steve Turner. At 700 pages, it's absolutely flying by, one of the most engaging books I've read on any subject. As many books as I've read on The Beatles, including a terrific one just on the making of Revolver (Revolver: How the Beatles Re-Imagined Rock 'n' Roll by Robert Rodriguez -- superlative, and a nice option for someone looking for "less" from a book: under 300 pages), I've still found acres and acres of brand new stuff Turner's book. The year of yes, Revolver, but also their last concert, their first trip to India, but also the lads coming to terms with growing up, and indeed all of England shifting from stodgy to swingin'.
That is in the end my only real issue with the book. It's very English in its perspective, and misses out on some major aspects of the Beatles in America. Aside from the fact that this is where I've experienced them, it's a bigger audience than the UK, and what happened here plays a massive part in the Beatles story of 1966. More broadly, as much as I enjoy the tracklist from the UK Revolver, and is always the one I reach for nowadays, I think that the US trilogy of Rubber Soul (MUCH different than the UK version), Yesterday & Today, and Revolver kicks the entire ass of the UK duo of Rubber Soul and Revolver, and treating the US releases as a distasteful aberration is not only historically inaccurate, but it actually prevents insight. After all, the version of Rubber Soul that shook Brian Wilson to his core, inspiring him to create Pet Sounds out of fear as much as inspiration, was the US version. Pretending that this version isn't worth talking about is just plain wrong. Et cetera. LOL
Far from a dealbreaker, though. Beatles '66 really is one of the best music and/or Beatle books I've ever read. Along with the Tune In, vol. 1, highly recommended!
uketorik
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I read “Tune In Vol. 1” some years back and really enjoyed it. Now I gotta check out “Beatles 66”!The wild thing is that the Extended Special Edition is another almost 800 pages! Even that one flies by, doesn't seem too long at all. It's a lot of stuff, but if you've read more than a couple of Beatles books, you'll see why there's no such thing as too many (as long as they're this good). There's just a lot of stuff to cover.
Anything by Mark Lewisohn is going to be a winner. My first book by him was The Beatles Complete Recording Sessions (1988 I think?) which is exactly what it says on the cover.
My favorite thing in that book was a throwaway detail: a look at John Lennon's early 60s passport, where he listed his profession as "Rhythm Guitarist", an unexpectedly self-deprecating joke from one of the world's great egotists (he says affectionately). You're going to find gems like that on nearly every page of anything Lewisohn writes...although I honestly felt that he was weighted unfairly positively toward John, at Paul's expense. It would be utter insanity for this volume not to MUCH more heavily feature John -- it was after all HIS group that the other fellas joined -- but that's one dynamic that I hope he handles a little more equitably in volumes two and three as John organically (sort of) ceded leadership to Paul. That's my opinion, and your mileage may vary, but in general, more Lewisohn is always better.
As is more more Beatles books! I have the new McCartney book on order at the library, but the one I'm working my way through now is one of my tippy-top faves yet, Beatles '66: The Revolutionary Year, by Steve Turner. At 700 pages, it's absolutely flying by, one of the most engaging books I've read on any subject. As many books as I've read on The Beatles, including a terrific one just on the making of Revolver (Revolver: How the Beatles Re-Imagined Rock 'n' Roll by Robert Rodriguez -- superlative, and a nice option for someone looking for "less" from a book: under 300 pages), I've still found acres and acres of brand new stuff Turner's book. The year of yes, Revolver, but also their last concert, their first trip to India, but also the lads coming to terms with growing up, and indeed all of England shifting from stodgy to swingin'.
That is in the end my only real issue with the book. It's very English in its perspective, and misses out on some major aspects of the Beatles in America. Aside from the fact that this is where I've experienced them, it's a bigger audience than the UK, and what happened here plays a massive part in the Beatles story of 1966. More broadly, as much as I enjoy the tracklist from the UK Revolver, and is always the one I reach for nowadays, I think that the US trilogy of Rubber Soul (MUCH different than the UK version), Yesterday & Today, and Revolver kicks the entire ass of the UK duo of Rubber Soul and Revolver, and treating the US releases as a distasteful aberration is not only historically inaccurate, but it actually prevents insight. After all, the version of Rubber Soul that shook Brian Wilson to his core, inspiring him to create Pet Sounds out of fear as much as inspiration, was the US version. Pretending that this version isn't worth talking about is just plain wrong. Et cetera. LOL
Far from a dealbreaker, though. Beatles '66 really is one of the best music and/or Beatle books I've ever read. Along with the Tune In, vol. 1, highly recommended!
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mikelz777
Well-known member
I agree with you that Lewisohn's Tune In is so good that it doesn't seem like a long book. I think I was initially intimidated by a book nearly a thousand pages long that only brought us up to the time Beatle mania was about to hit. I feared that it would be filled with a lot of minutia which would be overwhelming and/or boring. I'm really glad that isn't the case and I'm really enjoying it. I also have Lewisohn's Complete Recording Sessions book and enjoyed that as well.The wild thing is that the Extended Special Edition is another almost 800 pages! Even that one flies by, doesn't seem too long at all. It's a lot of stuff, but if you've read more than a couple of Beatles books, you'll see why there's no such thing as too many (as long as they're this good). There's just a lot of stuff to cover.
Anything by Mark Lewisohn is going to be a winner. My first book by him was The Beatles Complete Recording Sessions (1988 I think?) which is exactly what it says on the cover.
My favorite thing in that book was a throwaway detail: a look at John Lennon's early 60s passport, where he listed his profession as "Rhythm Guitarist", an unexpectedly self-deprecating joke from one of the world's great egotists (he says affectionately). You're going to find gems like that on nearly every page of anything Lewisohn writes...although I honestly felt that he was weighted unfairly positively toward John, at Paul's expense. It would be utter insanity for this volume not to MUCH more heavily feature John -- it was after all HIS group that the other fellas joined -- but that's one dynamic that I hope he handles a little more equitably in volumes two and three as John organically (sort of) ceded leadership to Paul. That's my opinion, and your mileage may vary, but in general, more Lewisohn is always better.
As is more more Beatles books! I have the new McCartney book on order at the library, but the one I'm working my way through now is one of my tippy-top faves yet, Beatles '66: The Revolutionary Year, by Steve Turner. At 700 pages, it's absolutely flying by, one of the most engaging books I've read on any subject. As many books as I've read on The Beatles, including a terrific one just on the making of Revolver (Revolver: How the Beatles Re-Imagined Rock 'n' Roll by Robert Rodriguez -- superlative, and a nice option for someone looking for "less" from a book: under 300 pages), I've still found acres and acres of brand new stuff Turner's book. The year of yes, Revolver, but also their last concert, their first trip to India, but also the lads coming to terms with growing up, and indeed all of England shifting from stodgy to swingin'.
That is in the end my only real issue with the book. It's very English in its perspective, and misses out on some major aspects of the Beatles in America. Aside from the fact that this is where I've experienced them, it's a bigger audience than the UK, and what happened here plays a massive part in the Beatles story of 1966. More broadly, as much as I enjoy the tracklist from the UK Revolver, and is always the one I reach for nowadays, I think that the US trilogy of Rubber Soul (MUCH different than the UK version), Yesterday & Today, and Revolver kicks the entire ass of the UK duo of Rubber Soul and Revolver, and treating the US releases as a distasteful aberration is not only historically inaccurate, but it actually prevents insight. After all, the version of Rubber Soul that shook Brian Wilson to his core, inspiring him to create Pet Sounds out of fear as much as inspiration, was the US version. Pretending that this version isn't worth talking about is just plain wrong. Et cetera. LOL
Far from a dealbreaker, though. Beatles '66 really is one of the best music and/or Beatle books I've ever read. Along with the Tune In, vol. 1, highly recommended!
Another fun one is A Hard Day's Write which gives the story behind every Beatles song. Definitely an interesting and fun read.
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Oooo, definitely going on my list! Thanks!
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mine too, Tim! thanks for mentioning it mikelz
Joyful Uke
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The Compete Recording Sessions is available, (at least in the US), with a reissue date of 2021.The wild thing is that the Extended Special Edition is another almost 800 pages! Even that one flies by, doesn't seem too long at all. It's a lot of stuff, but if you've read more than a couple of Beatles books, you'll see why there's no such thing as too many (as long as they're this good). There's just a lot of stuff to cover.
Anything by Mark Lewisohn is going to be a winner. My first book by him was The Beatles Complete Recording Sessions (1988 I think?) which is exactly what it says on the cover.
My favorite thing in that book was a throwaway detail: a look at John Lennon's early 60s passport, where he listed his profession as "Rhythm Guitarist", an unexpectedly self-deprecating joke from one of the world's great egotists (he says affectionately). You're going to find gems like that on nearly every page of anything Lewisohn writes...although I honestly felt that he was weighted unfairly positively toward John, at Paul's expense. It would be utter insanity for this volume not to MUCH more heavily feature John -- it was after all HIS group that the other fellas joined -- but that's one dynamic that I hope he handles a little more equitably in volumes two and three as John organically (sort of) ceded leadership to Paul. That's my opinion, and your mileage may vary, but in general, more Lewisohn is always better.
As is more more Beatles books! I have the new McCartney book on order at the library, but the one I'm working my way through now is one of my tippy-top faves yet, Beatles '66: The Revolutionary Year, by Steve Turner. At 700 pages, it's absolutely flying by, one of the most engaging books I've read on any subject. As many books as I've read on The Beatles, including a terrific one just on the making of Revolver (Revolver: How the Beatles Re-Imagined Rock 'n' Roll by Robert Rodriguez -- superlative, and a nice option for someone looking for "less" from a book: under 300 pages), I've still found acres and acres of brand new stuff Turner's book. The year of yes, Revolver, but also their last concert, their first trip to India, but also the lads coming to terms with growing up, and indeed all of England shifting from stodgy to swingin'.
That is in the end my only real issue with the book. It's very English in its perspective, and misses out on some major aspects of the Beatles in America. Aside from the fact that this is where I've experienced them, it's a bigger audience than the UK, and what happened here plays a massive part in the Beatles story of 1966. More broadly, as much as I enjoy the tracklist from the UK Revolver, and is always the one I reach for nowadays, I think that the US trilogy of Rubber Soul (MUCH different than the UK version), Yesterday & Today, and Revolver kicks the entire ass of the UK duo of Rubber Soul and Revolver, and treating the US releases as a distasteful aberration is not only historically inaccurate, but it actually prevents insight. After all, the version of Rubber Soul that shook Brian Wilson to his core, inspiring him to create Pet Sounds out of fear as much as inspiration, was the US version. Pretending that this version isn't worth talking about is just plain wrong. Et cetera. LOL
Far from a dealbreaker, though. Beatles '66 really is one of the best music and/or Beatle books I've ever read. Along with the Tune In, vol. 1, highly recommended!
I recently finished Beatles '66, and agree with your recommendation. I'm partway through Rodriguez's Revolver, but am at a point where I want to be able to listen to each track on Revolver as I read it, which stopped me from reading it when I wasn't at home. And then a stack of library books that I had on hold came through, and those come first. But I look forward to finishing Revolver.
I'll have to look into A Hard Day's Write. I hadn't come across that one. On my "want to read" list is also McCartney's Lyrics, which will be another one where I want to be able to listen to each track as I read about it.
So many books to read!!
Thanks! I missed this because I was looking to replace my 1988 hardcover, which is quite the worse for wear. I think this paperback edition will do the trick!
This really is a terrific book, gorgeous and engaging, and packed full of great stuff I've never seen anywhere else. It's also a great example of a book that needs to be a BOOK. I love my Kindle Paperwhite, but this one needs to be experienced as a physical object. It works in 200 pages because they're big pages, and the photos and scanned documentation provide so, so much of the impact. One of the all-time greats for content AND layout.
Just wow! I look at this pic, and I'm not sure I'll read so many books in 5 years. It is difficult for me to read new. I rather like to re-read something familiar. Christmas is coming soon, and my dear Moomin books by Tove Jansson are waiting for me
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