what are you reading?

[GinnyT11]

Ralf, I think Erle Stanley Gardner was better writing as A.A.Fair, private-eye novels about the two detectives in the firm called Cool and Lam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_and_Lam
Try one of those. My high school English teacher said I was wasting my time reading them. She was so battle-axe-y that she ruined Dickens for me.

 

[janeray1940]

The dream sequences, a hallmark of Haruki's writing, are vivid, but disconnected and meaningless. The most profound example is the mysterious piano jazz musician and the bag atop the piano. Never comes up again in the story once told, left hanging like lint on a black suit coat (I'm trying to write with lousy metaphors like Murakami. Can you tell?)

My review of H. Murakami: the essence is that the guy is overrated as a writer. Although some could be attributed to translational shortcomings, most is just his style--or lack thereof.

The conversations (dialogue) are so stilted, so unnatural. Long discourses that few living people would say to one another. Humorless and dull. Every character speaks the same; the hallmark of an exceptional writer is that, if one were to remove the dialogue attributions, the reader could still tell who was speaking by inflection, word choices, length of sentences, etc. Toni Morrison and W. Faulkner are exemplary. Murakami is not.

I'll agree, there were a few loose ends - the jazz musician bit drove me crazy! I'm not really a fan of dialogue in general but for some reason, in this context it worked for me - but I could feel the awkwardness of the translation. Some of it I think is his style - I've read one, just one, essay of his in Japanese, without translation but heavily footnoted in English, and there was a sort of elegance to it that I don't feel comes through in his translated works.

But I think he captures the alienation of being an individual in Japanese society really well. Maybe it's because I lived there as a kid and had a lot of Japanese friends who really envied my freedom as an American; perhaps I read a lot of my own interpretation to it - who knows, but I suspect his ability to express this explains his popularity in Japan. But I do wonder about his international popularity - not so much this book, but in 1Q84 I felt that there was a lot that got lost in translation. And even translated, when I talked about it with a non-Japanese-speaking friend who has no knowledge of Japanese culture at all but loved the book, it was apparent that her reading of it was very different from mine.

Love it, hate it, or somewhere in between, makes for interesting discussion regardless!

 

[cua94]

Thanks Ginny for starting this thread. I always have a few books going.

I just finished We Need New Names by Bulawayo. It was an interesting read but a bit depressing. It is about a young girl growing up in Zimbabwe.

Another I am in the middle of is The Silkworm by Galbraith. This is J.K. Rowling's pen name. I like this series, it is kind of a hard boiled detective novel but also funny and romantic.

I hope to start on the new Donna Andrews book The good, the bad, and the emus soon - I love this series and it is a funny quick read. Start the series on Murder With Peacocks.

 

[janeray1940]

For any Salinger fan (and it appears there are none here...lol), I have a tip. He has three unpublished stories, one of which, The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls, being a prequel to Catcher, that Mr. Salinger did not want published until 60 years after his death (purportedly). They are housed at Princeton's archives. Well, some "academic" gained access, hand-copied them, then typed and posted them on the internet. Scandalous this past winter, but then the hoo ha died, and they are still online. (Please don't shoot the messenger, i.e. me). So, if that bothers someone, they can wait until 2070 when it's officially published. In the meantime, the three short stories are here.
http://www.alwayssometimesanytime.c...hree-unpublished-short-stories-by-jd-salinger

...

God, this is so interesting to see what everyone is reading. Everything from Typee by Melville to cowboy poems. I'm learning so much.

As for Salinger - I LOVED his "Nine Stories" so I'm definitely going to have to check these three out. Thanks for the tip!

And I agree, this has been so interesting to see what people are reading. Love it!

(I wish I could say the same for Kerouac -- I never, never should have re-visited him after I settled down and became more adultish.)

Funny thing, I resisted re-reading him for years for this exact reason, but was inspired to do it it last summer after talking with someone who was a Kerouac scholar. And I think I enjoyed On the Road and Dharma Bums way more now than I did back in my teens (when I read him because it was the "cool" thing to do since all my friends were doing it). But then techically speaking, I guess I never really became more adultish - never did the house/kids/family thing. I just got older and got a fancier job

I regularly dip into Buddhist texts like the traditional Dhamapada and Pema Chodron's current take on The 37 Practices and 108 Teachings, and we take Buddhadharma and the Shambhala Sun magazines.

Even though I'm a practicing Buddhist I rarely read any of the texts! I did a lot of that when I was much younger and got kind of... oversaturated I guess. But I've been slowly making my way through the Shōbōgenzō this year. Emphasis on slowly!

 

[GinnyT11]

Thanks Ginny for starting this thread. I always have a few books going.

It's Janeray's idea, Liz. It's a cool way to get to know one another.

 

[Teek]

"Even though I'm a practicing Buddhist I rarely read any of the texts! I did a lot of that when I was much younger and got kind of... oversaturated I guess. But I've been slowly making my way through the Shōbōgenzō this year. Emphasis on slowly! "

Zen boggles me. I "studied" Tibetan Buddhism on and off for years and finally took refuge in the Kagyu lineage or tradition. Beyond the Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path and The 37 Practices I am lost!

 

[janeray1940]

Zen boggles me. I "studied" Tibetan Buddhism on and off for years and finally took refuge in the Kagyu lineage or tradition. Beyond the Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path and The 37 Practices I am lost!

Mine's a very... down to earth lineage. Nobody ever gets hit for being too dense to grasp a koan!

And really - I'm not sure there's much beyond the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path that is necessary. Seems to me that once you've got that, the rest is sort of... common sense. How's that for oversimplification?

 

[coolkayaker1]

But I think he captures the alienation of being an individual in Japanese society really well. Maybe it's because I lived there as a kid and had a lot of Japanese friends who really envied my freedom as an American; perhaps I read a lot of my own interpretation to it - who knows, but I suspect his ability to express this explains his popularity in Japan.

Love it, hate it, or somewhere in between, makes for interesting discussion regardless!

If his goal was to communicate alienation, he accomplished it in spades for me: I feel like a green-headed space invader after reading Colorless. LOL. He's more effective than I thought. lol

No, I'm sure you have hit it on the head, JR40. Like when the protag, TT, sits alone in the diner and sees his gal pal, Sarah, walking hand-in-hand with the older gentleman. Sort of a lost soul spirit to that scene. I love scenes like that--but most of the "wandering" of TT was pointless and didn't budge the story (unlike the scene I mention, which did).

I appreciate your take on it, JR40. I truly do. And your living in Japan as a girl may, indeed, have an influence on the meaning for you. That's fantastic.

Hey, something to consider *it is, after all, your thread ;-)* maybe we should all (anyone who wants to participate) read a single book in a single month. Like, in October, read one book. Something relatively short and perhaps classic (just to start with so that we can all get it from the library or may already own it) and then comment on that book when you give the all-clear to do so (so no spoilers) later in the month. Fun!

 

[BookwormAlex]

I love this thread! Currently I'm plugging away at book four of the Game of Thrones series. I'm also reading Pema Chodron's When Things Fall Apart. Once I make some proper headway with Ukulele for Dummies, which I just bought, I'm going to treat myself with the new Murakami book. I love his work, some books more than others. I just heard today that there will be another new Murakami book released in December called The Strange Library. Yay!

 

[janeray1940]

If his goal was to communicate alienation, he accomplished it in spades for me: I feel like a green-headed space invader after reading Colorless. LOL. He's more effective than I thought. lol

No, I'm sure you have hit it on the head, JR40. Like when the protag, TT, sits alone in the diner and sees his gal pal, Sarah, walking hand-in-hand with the older gentleman. Sort of a lost soul spirit to that scene. I love scenes like that--but most of the "wandering" of TT was pointless and didn't budge the story (unlike the scene I mention, which did).

I appreciate your take on it, JR40. I truly do. And your living in Japan as a girl may, indeed, have an influence on the meaning for you. That's fantastic.

Hey, something to consider *it is, after all, your thread ;-)* maybe we should all (anyone who wants to participate) read a single book in a single month. Like, in October, read one book. Something relatively short and perhaps classic (just to start with so that we can all get it from the library or may already own it) and then comment on that book when you give the all-clear to do so (so no spoilers) later in the month. Fun!

I could be wrong, but I think communicating alienation is his specialty. And I think it's possibly an even more universal archetype in Japan than in the US because he's expressing what people can't/won't express themselves. Just my two cents' worth.

As for a book in a month - if someone wants to suggest this, I'd probably play along. Sounds kind of like the book clubs that some of my friends belong to - I've never been able to commit to something like that in "club" form but in virtual form it seems like a lot less obligation.

I love this thread! ... I'm going to treat myself with the new Murakami book. I love his work, some books more than others. I just heard today that there will be another new Murakami book released in December called The Strange Library. Yay!

Please comment back after you've read the Murakami! And I hadn't heard about the new one coming out in December, thanks for the tip. Sounds like it will be right up my alley

 

[Fleapluckin_Flapper]

"The Game of Life & How To Play it" by Florence Scovel Shinn,Ukulele Roadmaps by Sokolow/Beloff,Summer issue of Ukulelemag,and "Swing Shift" by Sherrie Tucker.

 

[Down Up Dick]

You're from SoCal. Do you belong to a club or group? ld:

 

[coolkayaker1]

Okay, my all-read-a-book-in-one-month idea went over like a lead balloon in a hyper-gravity world.

For what it's worth, UU'er StevePetergal and I have ordered 10:04 by Ben Lerner (never read him before) from our local libraries, coincidentally and independent of one another, based on exceptional reviews that we each stumbled across. It's kismet.

Here's one of the glowing reviews with some details.
http://www.npr.org/2014/09/03/34510...pectacular-novel-connecting-several-plotlines

I'm off to read Salinger's "Bowling Balls" and eat a chicken sandwich. Bye bye

 

[janeray1940]

You're from SoCal. Do you belong to a club or group? ld:

Not sure which one from SoCal your post is directed to, or if it's referring to a book club/group or ukulele club/group? But since I'm in SoCal - I'm not in a book club but I do play in two ukulele groups. My main group is an instrumental ensemble based out of McCabe's Guitar Shop, and I play intermittently with Westside Ukulele Ensemble, co-founded by UU member Lori and myself.

Okay, my all-read-a-book-in-one-month idea went over like a lead balloon in a hyper-gravity world.

For what it's worth, UU'er StevePetergal and I have ordered 10:04 by Ben Lerner (never read him before) from our local libraries, coincidentally and independent of one another, based on exceptional reviews that we each stumbled across. It's kismet.

Here's one of the glowing reviews with some details.
http://www.npr.org/2014/09/03/34510...pectacular-novel-connecting-several-plotlines

I'm off to read Salinger's "Bowling Balls" and eat a chicken sandwich. Bye bye

10:04 sounds worthwhile - looking forward to your reviews! I just waitlisted it at the library. Meanwhile I've checked out but not started a bunch more Murakami, nearly given up on Didion's fiction (although her nonfiction will always be a favorite of mine), and gotten halfway through a memoir about learning to surf called Kook by Peter Heller.

Between books and ukulele and the beach, honestly, I don't think I am capable of ever getting bored

 

[Down Up Dick]

janeray1940, are McCabes's or Westside . . . in Los Angeles? What time do you meet? I was really talking to the woman from Gardena. I guess I should have addressed my comment to her. My bad. ld:

 

[janeray1940]

janeray1940, are McCabes's or Westside . . . in Los Angeles? What time do you meet? I was really talking to the woman from Gardena. I guess I should have addressed my comment to her. My bad. ld:

No worries, it's hard to know who one is addressing unless you "reply with quote" like this McCabe's is in Santa Monica, so not technically Los Angeles. Westside Ukulele Ensemble meets in Mar Vista, which is an area of West LA. I seem to recall you're a beginner - correct me if I'm wrong! Both of the groups I'm in are for intermediate to advanced players - no strum-and-sings, all fingerpicking, but if you check out the McCabe's link in my previous post there are some more beginner-friendly options.

 

[Down Up Dick]

Thanks for the info, janeray1940. I'm not exactly a beginner, but I don't fingerpick much except for my own amusement. ld:

 

[janeray1940]

Thanks for the info, janeray1940. I'm not exactly a beginner, but I don't fingerpick much except for my own amusement. ld:

So are you looking for a strumming-and-singing group? What part of SoCal are you in? There aren't many here in my part of town but there are lots of options elsewhere I might be able to point you toward.

 

[Down Up Dick]

janeray1940, I'm from the OC. There's one here, but I thought there might be one closer. I don't like to drive the freeways much, and I can't drive at night. Thanks for the info. ld:

 

[janeray1940]

janeray1940, I'm from the OC. There's one here, but I thought there might be one closer. I don't like to drive the freeways much, and I can't drive at night. Thanks for the info. ld:

You know what? I can't drive at night either (cone rod dystrophy in my left eye), and I tend to avoid the freeways. Actually, I avoid driving whenever possible

Have you checked out Island Bazaar? Seems there's something uke going on every night of the week there.