books, books, books

[Jack of All Parades]

Too hot to sleep these nights so some mental diversion. In this case a very funny read and homage to classic comic strips from the dawn of the previous century- Krazy Kat- a Novel in Five Panelsby Jay Cantor. Most funny and inventive like its inspiration. The cast is there- Krazy, the ditzy feline, Ignatz her would be lover mouse and Offissa Pup but time has shifted out in Coconino County in Arizona and it is now 1945 and Oppenheimer and his crew have been playing around in Alamogordo in the desert. Their monstrous 'mega brick' has darkened the world and changed forever how we view ourselves as sentient beings. Krazy is literally making herself sick with fear- this is no world a rational person would want to live in let alone play in with a mouse.

The transformations that the characters encounter as they deal with twentieth century existentialism are funny, ribald and quite human. The final chapter had me continuously convulsed with laughter as the big three imagine themselves as humans stumbling together out in the desert as they try to become 'round, feeling human beings'. A most original novel and piece of imaginative fiction. It gives post-modernism a humane face.

[invisible Pole]

Did I miss something? How and when did Christopher turn into Jack?

[Jack of All Parades]

Speaking of transformations- IP, naif that I was, and may well continue to be, never understood when I entered this board that you hide your name behind a psuedonym- my three daughters have long laughed at me for that gaffe- so in the spirit of some naiad in my own farcical version of an Ovidian metamorphosis have transformed in mid board life into a favorite Declan song[a song which by the way provides a powerful voice to a transformation]-as if the prose DNA strands could ever hide the real identity. Had some assistance however! I will always respond to my own name, though.

[Otis Westinghouse]

The transgender imagery is of interest too.

[Jack of All Parades]

Could have been worse, Otis, might have woken up as a giant mammary gland. Wracked my diminished gray matter for the male equivalent of a water sprite to no avail. The visual image by Modigliani has always seemed an evocative and imaginative visualization of my wife-whose sinuous neck line and heart-shaped face, amongst many attributes, has always held my attention.

But I do admire Morrissey, equally.

[Poor Deportee]

Speaking of transformations- IP, naif that I was, and may well continue to be, never understood when I entered this board that you hide your name behind a psuedonym- my three daughters have long laughed at me for that gaffe- so in the spirit of some naiad in my own farcical version of an Ovidian metamorphosis have transformed in mid board life into a favorite Declan song[a song which by the way provides a powerful voice to a transformation]-as if the prose DNA strands could ever hide the real identity. Had some assistance however! I will always respond to my own name, though.

Ha ha, it's interesting to speculate on an internet in which people gave their real names rather than hiding behind pseudonyms. The simple honesty of your initial approach tends to underscore how weird this fundamentally anonymous medium really is.

My personal problem with these internet handles is that I usually register for a message board in a fit of haste, anxious to post something specific, so the name I choose is off-the-cuff. On reflection, I might not have chosen 'Poor Deportee' - just plain 'Deportee' might be closer to the mark, for instance. Oh, well. We're all, after all, IMPOSTERS.

[Jack of All Parades]

Have to love the play on posters to be found in your 'Imposters"- it brings out the inner Christopher Ricks within me[yet another play upon my given name].

[Poor Deportee]

Have to love the play on posters to be found in your 'Imposters"- it brings out the inner Christopher Ricks within me[yet another play upon my given name].

Hey, I didn't even think of that! Felicity, thy name is hastily-scrawled internet postings

[Jack of All Parades]

Enjoyed this piece in today's New York Times on the joys and splendors of Butler Library by the Time's Music critic Ben Ratliff:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/27/arts/ ... l?ref=arts

It truly is a jewel and I, too, have many fond memories of time spent there as both an undergraduate and as an Alum able to use its facilities. I lived in there amongst those stacks during my student days and never grudge the Alumni Association some dollars each year to be applied to its continued operation. I also look forward to introducing my daughter to its many charms. One of my favorite libraries on the prettiest urban campus in the country for my money. A gem.

[Poor Deportee]

Beth Powning, The Sea Captain's Wife. A lyrical little variant on the classic motif of the maiden taking to sea. The story unfolds in the 1860s and memorably invokes both life at sea and the complex, sorrow-tinged lives of the family that makes up its heart. The prose is lovely, literary without being ponderous or self-absorbed. Great summer reading.

[Jack of All Parades]

Not aware of that one, PD-thank you.

Fun profile piece about the 'enfant terrible' and his relocation to Cobble Hill in Brooklyn in last Sunday's NY Times. Liked the discussion of his parenting skills.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/fashi ... wanted=all

[Jack of All Parades]

With his recent passing pulled down from the shelf This Wheel's on Fire-Levon Helm and the Story of The Band Levon's remembrance of his professional life up until 1992 which he cowrote with a Stephen Davis. Had forgotten how 'alive' the book was with what I can only perceive to be his 'spoken' voice. His was a full, real life- rich in detail and action and stubbornness, a trait he makes an art form. Most of all a life informed and formed by music- all kinds of music. A beautiful life, I think.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Just finished Barbara Kingsolver's "The Lacuna." Loved the first half of the book, which details how the main character, Harrison Shepherd, comes to befriend Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (and later become their household cook in Mexico City). When Rivera and Kahlo agree to hide Trotsky from Stalin's assassins, Shepherd finds himself enlisted as Trotsky's personal secretary. Kingsolver does a lovely job of making these larger than life characters three-dimensional, especially Kahlo. After Trotsky's assassination, Shepherd moves back to the States and becomes a novelist, eventually getting ensnared in the Red Scare hearings. I found this part less compelling, maybe because I had more knowledge about the McCarthy Hearings than I did about Rivera/Kahlo/Trotsky.

In any case, it was beautifully written if a bit overlong.

[Jack of All Parades]

Regularly need to return to a master[for me]- Mr. Hardy. Rich sustenance is to be found in his poetry and prose. These last few weeks a revisit to a favorite of mine The Woodlanders. Also a personal favorite of his, as well. It contains in its slim volume all the strengths I go to him for with regularity: his strong sense of nature, the mystery and pull of physical and mental emotions and desire, his comprehensive understanding of the world and people around him, both coming into existence and vanishing. This novel deals frankly with sexuality in a way that is only bettered by his poetry. He deals with fetishism, frigidity, flirtation and sex better than most of his contemporaries. He never shys away from painting a real portrait of human relations. I also have to frequently remind myself that he was a contemporary of Freud. This is the novel of his that most sits astride two worlds- the passing agricultural and rural countryside and the urbanization of 'modern' England. I need to revisit its humanity from time to time.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Starting on Empire of the Summer Moon, about the bloody wars between the US Army and the Comanche tribe in Texas and the Southwest in the mid-19th century. Fascinating stuff so far, and a lot I didn't know - such as the fact that most Indian tribes fought on foot, not on horseback. The Comanches were one of the very few tribes to master the horse, and only after it had been introduced to them by the Spanish. Prior to that they were a fairly obscure group. The portrait that the author, S.C. Gwynne, paints of the "half-breed" Comanche chief, Quanah Parker, is absolutely fascinating. He was the son of a white woman from a prominent Texas family who was abducted by the Comanches in a bloody, horrifying raid. Really gripping stuff and a must for anyone into US or native American history.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Living With Tinnitus and Hyperacusis, co-written by the head of Audiology at Addenbrookes, who I saw recently for my left-ear tinnitus, and who confirmed what I've suspected since 2010, that the ear-splitting noise created by the brilliant Nels Cline on 'Bull Black Nova' at Wilco's Royal Festival Hall, was directly responsible for the onset of my tinnitus, and my position over to the right of the auditorium explains why it's only the left ear (funnily enough when I went to see them a year later at the Roundhouse, earplugs at the ready, they were nowhere near as loud, not even on the above song). The specialist deserves a commendation as he asked me at the end of my appointment if I was going to any gigs soon, and when I said 'Yes, Elvis C at the Corn Exchange tomorrow' he revealed he was too. Nice to have a sympathetic lover of loud music. It was the first gig I wore earplugs too the whole way through. Bit of a shame, but hey, better than no gigs. Took them out for the acoustic numbers. I now have proper moulded protection on order. The book makes me realise that I'm early on with the condition, the ringing is persistent, but unless it's pretty quiet I tend not to notice it, and I can sleep OK. Hopefully with the moulded 25 db reducing plugs I'll be able to enjoy loud music and continue my drumming for a long time to come, but it's scary to think that every gig could damage you permanently. New Order at Brixton did me no good at all - I lasted one song before ripping out the plugs to get the full force, which reminds me of the advice to not mix alcohol and loud music as you will inevitably think you can be exposed to louder music than is wise for you. Not the most thrilling read, but best to be informed.

[Jack of All Parades]

Here is to being 'ring' free or at least substantially reduced in volume. News today of a new collection of essays by David Foster Wallace to be published in late October titled Both Flesh and Not. Fifteen pieces including his seminal essay on Roger Federer[hence the title] that I remember an inactive poster, Alexv, raving about years ago. I know what I want for Christmas now. This comes on the heels of a first biography of the man by the New Yorker editor DT Max that comes out at the end of this month. Should be some good reading this fall.

[Otis Westinghouse]

My son got me his collection of stories, Oblivion for my recent birthday, bless him. Wasn't aware of the book, but am sure I'll enjoy it. Hadn't realised he'd written so many things. Would like to know what his take on Federer was! Loved the way that Federer looked shaky in the first set of the fabulous recent Wimbledon men's final, lots of clumsy errors, but by sets 3 and 4 he was playing some of the best tennis I've ever seen. Millimetre perfect shots all over the shop. Murray put up a good fight, but was simply outclassed. He doesn't have and probably never will have that stature. It's not a very British thing to have! (Unless we're talking about Shakespeare, popular music or code-breaking.)

[Who Shot Sam?]

Starting on Empire of the Summer Moon, about the bloody wars between the US Army and the Comanche tribe in Texas and the Southwest in the mid-19th century. Fascinating stuff so far, and a lot I didn't know - such as the fact that most Indian tribes fought on foot, not on horseback. The Comanches were one of the very few tribes to master the horse, and only after it had been introduced to them by the Spanish. Prior to that they were a fairly obscure group. The portrait that the author, S.C. Gwynne, paints of the "half-breed" Comanche chief, Quanah Parker, is absolutely fascinating. He was the son of a white woman from a prominent Texas family who was abducted by the Comanches in a bloody, horrifying raid. Really gripping stuff and a must for anyone into US or native American history.

Finished this one. Great book, and I may get the chance to visit some of the sites mentioned now that my mom has moved to San Antonio, Texas. On to Destiny of the Republic, about the assassination of President Garfield.

[A rope leash]

Has anyone here read any T. C. Boyle?

I've read three of his novels this year...The Tortilla Curtain, The Women, and When the Killing's Done.

He's a great writer, and I don't say that about anyone but great writers. He keeps his novels moving with a combination of inventive construction, clever phrasing, and well placed plot-teasing. He has an remarkable knack for seeing all sides of the human race, almost as if he were studying it from a distance.

I recommend!

[Jack of All Parades]

Every single book by him going back to the first novel Water Music and its tremendous picaresque cast led by Mungo Park and Ned Rise. Just a tremendous writer and one of our better writers of short stories. He grew up not far from where I live on the Hudson in Peekskill and every now and then you see him on my hometown's main street as he visits a childhood friend who owns and operates a glass blowing business. He has a unique look just as his prose is unique. You will not be wasting your time as you explore his other books. There are quite a few. His website is a hoot- as well. He keeps a web diary there that is hilarious. I like the way you note his observational powers- you are spot on with your description.

[A rope leash]

I will definintely read on!

I haven't been this into an author since Kurt Vonnegut.

[Jack of All Parades]

Water Music is fun. I also recommend Drop City, Budding Prospects, The Road to Wellville and World's End. The last one is about my neck of the woods and it paints a most appealing portrait of the Hudson Valley and its history and inhabitants. Have fun reading and do check out his website. He is also a big fan of popular music.

[Jack of All Parades]

Jim Holt's Why Does the World Exist?-an Existential Detective Story-a self gifted birthday present and a wonderous delight. I am a sucker for these philosophical and scientific examinations and this one continues nicely with a series of tremendous books I have encountered in the last two years- Being Wrong, How to Live, on Montaigne, and last year's The Swerve, on Lucretius's great lost poem. It tackles that ageless question 'Why is there Something instead of Nothing?' and does it with a warmth and sophistication that fills me with an admiration for his skilled manueverings through the various philosophical and religious arguments that men and women have posited over the milennia. How and why did the Universe form? The usual suspects are investigated and debated but what makes this a remarkable read is Holt's winning powers of explication and explanation. He takes very cerebral and mathematically complex notions and makes them easily digested. He is also extremely funny. He humanizes the discussions with examples from his own life- the passing of his dog and his mother. Over the entire book there hangs the all intrusive spector of ceasing to be- our individual deaths-it is scary to look into the abyss and Mr. Holt somehow makes it easier. At the books completion I found myself strangely at peace with the haunting thought of 'absolute nothingness'. His conversation with John Updike, just a few short months before Updike's death, is inspiring. This book has validated my own untutored thoughts on this question. It is a tremendous read.

[Poor Deportee]

Geert Mak's In Europe. It's a fascinating exercise in historical writing, in that it traces Europe's 20th century through a combination of archival research and travelogue, layering contemporary sketches atop eloquent excursions into the past of each location on his itinerary. The result is a shifting dialogue between past and present, asking the fundamentally bewildered question of how today's relatively anodyne Europe can exist only a generation or two from such apocalyptic war and barbarity. Indeed, I'd venture to call this an important document - as vibrant and thoughtful a history as one is likely to come across, vastly more vivid than more scholarly treatments, and yet just as rigorous in its commitment to fact. The translation must be exquisite, because Mak's Dutch is unfailingly transmuted into powerful English prose. A great and moving read.