February, 2020: "Surely as cometh the Winter, I know/There are Spring violets under the snow." R. H. Newell

Starting off my February reading with some sci fi, methinks.

Either a novel or three or four volumes of DESCENDER, wrapping up the series.

Finished I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum. All the good essays were at the beginning of the book, including the very best one, a brilliant essay on Joan Rivers. The last third of the book is not bad but the subjects were not that interesting to me. Clearly a talented critic with a sharp intelligence though. Hope to read more by her in the future.

Started another collection of essays from a New Yorker critic, this time Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light, 100 Art Writings 1988-2018 by Peter Schjeldahl.

#2 Lydia Davis' ESSAYS ONE got a lot of great reviews since it came out November, 2019.

You might want to give that one a peek.

Reading Philip Kerr's last novel, Metropolis.

>3 CliffBurns:
Thanks for the tip. Reviews online look great. Will have to check it out.

Never read it so now into Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone, also found Outerbridge Reach in a TBR box.

Moby-Dick, Or, the Whale – Herman Melville
Digital audiobook performed by Anthony Heald
4****

This is a re-read … sort of. The first time I attempted this book I was only 11 years old, in 7th grade, and participating in a “great books” discussion group. I gave up and relied on the Cliff’s notes and watching the movie with Gregory Peck as Ahab.

Some years ago, I read Nathaniel Philbrick’s excellent In the Heart Of the Sea, a nonfiction account of the whaleship Essex, which was the inspiration for Melville’s tale. I found it fascinating and commented “Almost makes me want to read Moby Dick.”

Well I didn’t forget that urge and decided to give the audiobook a try. I’m glad I did.

Yes, Melville writes in great detail – ad nauseum – about the intricacies of whaling, the various species of aquatic mammals, the arduous and dirty (even disgusting) job of butchering the carcass. But he also explores the relationships developed among the crew, the sights of new ports, the weeks of tedious boredom broken by a day or two of exhilarating chase.

And then there is the psychology of Ahab. A man tortured by his own obsession and need for revenge. That was the most interesting part of the book for me and I wanted much more of it.

I struggled with my rating and ultimately decided on 4 stars for the enduring quality of the work; despite its flaws and the things I disliked about it it’s a work that will stay with me.

Anthony Heald was the narrator of the audio book I got from my library. He did a fine job of the narration. He read at a good pace and brought some life to a work that frequently bogs down in minutia.

#6 Wasn't that taken by DOG SOLDIERS but OUTERBRIDGE REACH was amazing.

Not too many people posting about this month's reading. C'mon, folks, let's hear from you.

I just finished Simon Jimenez's THE VANISHED BIRDS. Very unusual science fiction novel, a smart space opera, ambitious and original.

Highly recommended. There's some excellent SF out there these days.

Warping back to the 20s. Reading Robert Graves The Long Week-End and re-reading The Thin Man (which is thirties but the style is consistent). Lining up biographies of Iris Tree and Nancy Cunard.

I have (mostly) laughed my way to the end of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. The first six parts were fun, the seventh I could have done without, and the last two showed Sterne's powers flagging as he became more ill, but still had moments that make it worth reading the whole. A book I was on the fence about ever reading, but I'm glad I did.

Picking at the short story collection Shoebox Train Wreck and for audio the thriller The Whisper Man. Also reading and quite enjoying Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk.

Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows – Balli Kaur Jaswal
Digital audiobook performed by Meera Syal
4****

From the book jacket: Nikki, a modern-day daughter of Indian immigrants, has spent most of her twenty-odd years distancing herself from the traditional Sikh community of her childhood, preferring a more independent (that is, Western) life. When her father’s death leaves the family financially strapped, Nikki impulsively takes a job teaching a “creative writing” course at the community center in the beating heart of London’s close-kknit Punjabi community.

My Reactions:
I was expecting something light and breezy and I was pleasantly surprised to find some depth here. Nikki is a wonderful character who shepherds her students through to success. Along the way she discovers that her long-held assumptions about the women in the community need to be examined and her opinions updated. She finds women who have suffered, and women who have relished in the joys of their role, women who are brave and those who are shy or hesitant. But all the women she encounters want MORE, and want to take some control of their lives even in the relatively small way of reading – and writing – erotic stories.

I loved the women in Nikki’s classes. Some of their stories were heartbreaking, but all of them were so willing to be open and honest in their writing. That their subject matter would “shock” their peers was not a deterrent to their need to express themselves. Brava, ladies! And through their bravery and openness, Nikki comes to learn something about herself and about the value of forgiveness and second chances.

Just a delightful book.

Meera Syal did a marvelous job narrating the audiobook. She really brought these characters to life.

Finished Philip Kerr's last novel--and the final installment of the "Bernie Gunther" detective series--METROPOLIS.

Thanks to Ian for reminding me in an earlier post that the book was finally released (Kerr died last year).

A fitting finale, Kerr on form (could've used a bit more editing but why quibble). An homage to Fritz Lang (especially "M"), well-researched and believable.

I was worried the book might be another example of literary necrophilia (hello, PALE KING), editors cobbling together loose notes into something resembling a narrative. But my fears weren't justified and I enjoyed the book a great deal.

Started The Green Hat. Interesting prose style.

Finished a good thriller by Robert Harris, THE SECOND SLEEP.

At first I thought it was a medieval mystery but then realized Harris had something else in mind. Post-apocalyptic, set in a time hundreds of years after the collapse of technology. Church and state reunited but secrets of the past keep coming to light, disturbing order and casting doubt.

Check it out, it's worth a read.

>16 CliffBurns: On the TBR pile.

Sadly, the BBC serialised it on Radio 4 a few weeks back, just after I got my copy; and they gave away the plot twist in the trailers!

Well, Harris is no Philip Kerr, but he does a competent, professional job. I've read a number of his books and SECOND SLEEP is among his best.

One of the books I'm reading is a collection of Alan Bennett's short plays, Objects of Affection. Found, watched the masterly performance of one of them on youtube & am still occasionally wondering how reading the text affected my perception of the play & of what effect watching before reading would have done.

(In any case I think I'd rather turn to 'A Woman of No Importance' on a rainy afternoon than to a Hollywood Netflix jobbie. No, I know I would. Actually I'd rather have another molar pulled than watch a Hollywood movie on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uNEEfQKfwk)

One of the books I'm reading is a collection of Alan Bennett's short plays, Objects of Affection. Found, watched the masterly performance of one of them on youtube & am still occasionally wondering how reading the text affected my perception of the play & of what effect watching before reading would have done.

(In any case I think I'd rather turn to 'A Woman of No Importance' on a rainy afternoon than to a Hollywood Netflix jobbie. No, I know I would. Actually I'd rather have another molar pulled than watch a Hollywood movie on Netflix.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uNEEfQKfwk. Oh hell sorry seems I can't link to the acutal beginning of the thing.

Russell Brand's RECOVERY: FREEDOM FROM OUR ADDICTIONS. Russell pitches the 12-step method popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous to a society addicted to drugs, sex, food, status, etc.

It worked for him and his take on the process is quite amusing ("how to unfuck your life"), his facility with language as impressive as ever.

Know a smart person currently struggling with addiction issues? This might be the book for them.

Finished Hot Light Cold Heavy by Peter Schjeldahl. The author has a very likeable voice and can write gorgeously. Many of his opinions are offered just to be a contrarian. What distinguishes him is the personality that comes across. A very interesting and intelligent companion. You don't have to agree with him on everything to enjoy his presence.

Riders Of the Purple Sage – Zane Grey
3***

From the book jacket: Cottonwoods, Utah, 1871. A woman stands accused. A man, sentenced to whipping. In … rides … Lassiter, a notorious gunman who’s come to avenge his sister’s death. It doesn't take Lassiter long to see that this once-peaceful Mormon community is controlled by the corrupt Deacon Tull – a powerful elder who’s trying to take the woman’s land by forcing her to marry him, branding her foreman a dangerous “outsider.” Lassiter vows to help them. But when the ranch is attacked by horse thieves, cattle rustlers, and a mysterious Masked Rider, he realizes they’re up against something bigger, and more brutal, than the land itself…

My reactions
I hardly know what to write about this classic of the Western genre. It’s full of adventure, violence, strong men and women, tenderness, brutality and an abiding sense of justice. And, of course, there is the landscape, which Grey paints so vividly it is practically a character.

Yes, the story line and dialogue are a bit melodramatic. But Grey’s story still captured this reader’s imagination with its sense of drama, almost non-stop action, and bold characters. I was reminded of the many western movies I watched with my Daddy in the ‘50s and ‘60s. They were exciting and the good guys always won. Clearly those movies (and other books of the genre) had Grey’s strong foundation on which to build. I’m glad I finally read it.

UPDATE on second reading, January 17, 2020: I chose to read the text in preparation for my F2F book club discussion. If anything, the chase scenes were even more thrilling. And the descriptions of the landscape! The melodramatic - "bodice-heaving" - dialogue was also more evident and I found myself laughing at the ridiculousness of some of the "love" scenes. Still, now that I know there is a sequel ... well I may just have to read it.

Squeezed in one last book this month, Stephen Wright's PROCESSED CHEESE.

Stunning book, original and insightful--no wonder he gets blurbed by the likes of Pynchon and DeLillo.

Mr. Wright is not prolific and his books are finely crafted, intelligent and challenging.

You need to be reading more Stephen Wright.

He is a marvel.

Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Audible audio performed by George Guidall
4****

Who hasn’t heard of Don Quixote fighting windmills, or wearing a barber’s basin as a helmet? Who doesn’t know about his faithful squire, Sancho Panza? Or the beautiful Dulcinea, for whom the Knight is ready to lay down his life?

I’d read snippets from this work over the years but never experienced the whole thing. I’m sorry I waited so long to do so. It is a marvelous piece of fiction and is widely acknowledged as the first modern-day novel.

Cervantes gives us a main character who has lofty ideals and a noble purpose, but who is fatally flawed (possibly insane). His attempts to replicate the feats of chivalry he has long read about and admired are met with scorn and ridicule, yet he remains faithful to his ideal. Certain that he will save the imprisoned Dulcinea and win her heart and everlasting gratitude.

Sancho is the faithful servant, commenting frequently in pithy sayings and proverbs, trying, in vain to steer his master away from disaster, but gamely following and taking his punishment. My favorite section is toward the end when Sancho is “appointed governor” and asked to hand out judgment on a variety of disputes. His solutions are surprisingly wise, despite his convoluted explanations.

This edition is translated by Edith Grossman, and was published in 2003. While I have not read other translations, nor the original Spanish, I thought it flowed smoothly and gave me a sense of Cervantes’ style.

The audiobook of this translation is performed by George Guidall, and he does a fantastic job of it. I was fully engaged and recalled those long-ago days when my grandparents, aunts or uncles would tell stories on the porch on summer evenings, all us children listening in rapt attention. I particularly liked the voices he used for both Don Quixote and for Sancho Panza.

>25 BookConcierge:, I think my favourite bit was the lion cage.

There is also a (very early) scene where a young man falls in love and his fellows decry the woman who so evilly broke his heart; but then she shows up to give her defence statement, and - zing! I've a feeling Cervantes was having a poke at something here, wish I knew what, but I'd imagine it was popular songs or poems of the period.