[JMab]

Since the last book thread seems to have disappeared, I thought I'd start a new one for my fellow erudite forum-goers.

I am currently reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. I almost feel guilty reading Dan Brown, due to the plethora of quasi-intellectuals posting on the internet telling me that Brown's plots are ludicrous and written in a populist, low-brow style. But I enjoy the books, even if the villian in this one is a little far-fetched.

What are you reading?

[Dave Bing]

The internets, mostly.

But living in DC, I want to get cracking on that Dan Brown book. Damn the smarties.

[Hobbs]

I read the other Dan Brown books (picked them up for $1 a piece) and they were nice reads. Obviously not earth shattering stuff, but fun and worth the time. I'll probably eventually get the new one too when it hits the clearance section at used book stores.

Currently I'm going through a couple of the Retrieval Artist novels by Kristine Katherine Rusch. They're sort of a hybrid of detective and science fiction. They're decent stuff, not great, but worth the time.

I think the last book I really enjoyed was The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch were good too.

[Money23]

I'm reading a pretty cool book on the history of Universal Studios' films called The Universal Story by film critic Clive Hirshhorn.

[JMab]

The last book I finished before The Lost Symbol was Kokoda. Not a very well known battle in WW2, but pretty significant to Australia. 20,000 crack Japanese troops of the South Seas Invasion Force, who had ravaged their way through Asia, including the Philippines, invaded Papua New Guinea, which was being defended by 6,000 Australians with negligible air and artillery support. Of course the Aussies just about wiped them out, with the help of the least hospitable place on Earth to fight a battle, the New Guinean jungle.

[Fool]

I just grabbed The Invention of Air from the library. I'll write more when I'm more than a chapter and a half into it.

[hack]

I'm reading Picture This, by Joseph Heller. It appears to be full of useful facts about the rise of the Dutch empire, as well as a critique of power and greed in that Catch-22ish way that Heller does those things. A review:

HISTORY IS A BUST

Date: September 11, 1988, Sunday, Late City Final Edition Section 7; Page 9, Column 1; Book Review Desk
Byline: By ROBERT M. ADAM; Robert M. Adams's books include ''The Land and Literature of England'' and ''Decadent Societies.''
Lead: LEAD: PICTURE THIS By Joseph Heller. 352 pp. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. $19.95.
Text:
PICTURE THIS By Joseph Heller. 352 pp. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. $19.95.

This odd piece of fiction is an extended sardonic joke on or about Rembrandt's painting ''Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer,'' the one that was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1961 for the then-record sum of $2,300,000. The book is a departure for Joseph Heller, not really being a novel or pretending to novelistic form, but consisting rather of a set of reflections on the loosely related themes of war and its stupidity, justice and the lack of it, money, and government. Scattered through the book is a good deal of material about the painting itself, the circumstances of its creation, the model who posed for Aristotle, the bust of Homer, the commission that led to this picture as well as several others, plus its pedigree (that is, the list of people who successively owned it as it made its way from Amsterdam to Sicily to England to the Metropolitan). This material is more or less directly about the painting.

Then there is something about Aristotle, the historical Aristotle, who lived from 384 to 322 B.C. But there is not very much about Aristotle, partly because not very much is known about the philosopher, partly because his life does not contain many good stories. Philip of Macedonia and Alexander the Great enter into Aristotle's biography, though only allusively into Mr. Heller's picture, and there is something about them. But Aristotle is largely overshadowed by Plato, who isn't in Rembrandt's painting at all. Mr. Heller regards Plato with a mixture of contempt and reverence, ridiculing his ''Republic'' but copying or closely paraphrasing long sections of the dialogues describing the trial and death of Socrates. The story of Socrates is directed at the moral that good guys very often fall victim to the machinations of bad guys, and this is very likely true, though its relation to the picture in the Metropolitan is a matter for private speculation.

Aristotle has a second presence in Mr. Heller's book; he is the pigment-person on the canvas, endowed for the moment with his own set of responses to and reflections on the situation in which he has been placed. He is not much impressed with the model who is impersonating him, or with the painter who is portraying him; and he is distinctly miffed when persons looking at the picture mistake him for someone else.

There is an account of the Peloponnesian War, largely based on, modeled after or cribbed from the history of Thucydides, with a few added touches from Plutarch's lives of Pericles and Alcibiades. This story, which stands quite independent of Rembrandt's picture, incorporates a number of the best-known episodes from Thucydides, such as the deepening civil conflict and ultimate massacre on the island of Corcyra, the extraordinarily tough-minded debate leading up to the extermination of the city of Melos and the fatal climax in which the Athenian expedition against Syracuse came to cataclysmic defeat. The story is directed at the moral that wars are pointless and destructive; and this also is very likely true, though, in fact, a summary history of the rise of the Dutch Republic in the 17th century seems to offer grounds for an opposing point of view. Among the major digressions are scattered numerous minor ones, on the history of the herring trade, the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, the deleterious effects of a money economy and the several iniquities of democracy and imperialism. ''Picture This'' is a volume crowded with peremptory opinions on questionable matters, which makes the occasional cheerful confession of ''I don't know and I don't care'' particularly welcome.

By and large, Mr. Heller takes a sarcastic view of history, which he tends to look on as blind repetitions of pointless cycles of greed, brutality and ignorance. Needless to say, there's no lack of material to illustrate that point of view, especially when one isn't tied down to any special time, place or topic. Ideal commonwealths are just as bad as actual ones, perhaps worse; Mr. Heller treats the whole panorama of history past and present with the bravado of Mark Twain in one of his sassier moods. He likes to list a lot of unrelated events that took place in the same historical period by way of emphasizing their absurd disparity. The animation of Aristotle the painted figure is another of the book's small jokes, and there is a concentrated little shtick about imitation: if Rembrandt imitates one of his imitators, who is imitating whom?

Mr. Heller writes in one-liners; their unrelatedness seems aimed at comic effect, but sometimes reaches such extremes that the chief effect is incoherence:

''He [ probably the cartographer Gerhardus Mercator ] was the fourth of five sons in a family of eight living children, the ninth child of a total ten, and the terms agreed to in the Twelve Years' Truce with Spain were dictated by the Dutch, who were introducing tea from China into Europe while Henry Hudson, an Englishman employed by the Dutch, was exploring the eastern coast of North America and found the river that bears his name.

''Dutch prostitutes working the docks preferred tea leaves to money as payment.

''So struck was Hudson by the breadth of the entrance to the Hudson River that he assumed he had made that momentous discovery of a northwest sea- passage to the Pacific and Indian oceans. ''Whereas, in truth, he had not even discovered a river. ''The Hudson River is not a river, although some may wish to argue.

''The East River on the opposite side of the island of Manhattan is not a river either. Four of the five boroughs of the City of New York, the country's finest, are not on the continental mainland.

''The explorer Henry Hudson was set adrift in a small boat with his son by a mutinous crew and was never seen again.

''Rembrandt's father was a miller, his mother the daughter of a baker. . . .''

Without pretending to have traced all the sources on which Mr. Heller drew for ''Picture This,'' I can say that many of them are first-rate - and as for being irrelevant to one another, or to anything else in particular, that was evidently part of the comic intent. So I would say it represents very spaced-out writing. It may be funky as well, and for all I know it's awesome.

[Fool]

The Hudson River, is a river, just not there.

[esther kim]

I need to read Joseph Heller one of these days.

I grabbed Push by Sapphire.

[hack]

never any before? if you haven't read catch-22 by november I'm gonna beat the crap outta you.

[esther kim]

Ha!

never. it's always on the "must-read-before-you-die-lists" but I somehow I find a way to evade it. It's one of those books you have to struggle to break the shell...but I guess it's either that or my shell. LOL

[hack]

Dunno. I'm not a reader of the canon either. Catch-22 is something else. It is totally suitable and relevant in the Age of Irony. On every college syllabus, but still actually feels relevant. Plus, there's Heller himself. I'm sure I've told this story before, but 20 years after it was published, Heller was asked in an interview why he hasn't written anything as good since then. Heller's answer was ``Well, no one else has either''. You gotta read a guy who can come up with that for an answer to that question.

[Dave Bing]

Just finished The Lost Symbol. God, Dan Brown is such a hack writer. But he can spin a yarn an create some tension. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who wants to punch Robert Langdon in the face. But some good loose conspiracy stuff. And it is a love note for my home town, DC. But it gets the gestalt of our capital all wrong. We run on sex and corruption, not mystical higher powers!

[Medz]

I just finished it too. Sam Dav should read it, his head would explode.

You're right though, he's good at building tension, but it's pointless because you know he's just going to concoct some ridiculous twist to get everyone out unharmed. The "water" plot was especially ridiculous. The big "reveal" at the end was projected from the first minute.

Dan Brown is like eating McDonalds. It tastes good while you're eating it, but you know there's no nutritional value and you feel sick afterwards.

[JMab]

I tried to get Sam Dav interested in the Lost Symbol plot on the politics thread, but he wouldn't bite.

To follow on the conspiracy theme, I was reading a trilogy called Illuminatus! until today (conspiracy comedy, I think). But my 2yo son hid it somewhere yesterday, and I couldn't find it this morning, so I started reading Shooting Balibo instead. It's about the making of a film about the shooting of 5 Australian journalists in East Timor during the Indonesian takeover in 1975.

One thing that has already struck me, is how fucking pretentious the average journalist is (no offence Hack). They really hold themselves above the rest of humanity, like some sort of watchmen.

[Money23]

I'm reading Disneywar by James Stewart. It's about the power struggle within the Disney company between Roy Disney and CEO Michael Eisner. Fascinating.

[hack]

None taken. I bought into that early on, and I wish I hadn't. Still see it on paper, but not in reality. As a result, whereas I shoulda ditched this career long ago, I am only just now waking up to the ex-journalism possibilities.

[Money23]

I think a lot of it is perception, especially if the journalist in question is extra wordy.

[Dave Bing]

Mixed bag, hate to say. I have met plenty of journo-martyrs and some real authentic characters. It comes with the power of shaping consciousness. Even the most pedestrian journos in Sudan and Afghanistan are in many ways heroes. But a fair amounts are dicks as part of the bargain.

Again, Hack, sorry for splitting the middle!

[hack]

If there's anything I know about this forum, it is that the center will hold.

[tin mad dog]

Anyone read Carl Hiaasen? I really enjoy his books.

[JMab]

I think I need to discover a new genre.

[Dave Bing]

A book that I have been reading a lot lately is called "The Noisiest Night" by Thomas Taylor, a fascinating morality play about an arrogant youth, spurred on by cavalier friends who must confront the impact of his lesser instincts. I would recommend it wholeheartedly. I have been reading it cover-to-cover, sometimes more than once a day, for weeks.

[JMab]

I've been frequently reading a tale about a cheeky young fellow who goaded another youngster into a reckless and potentially deadly street/rail race around the countryside, endangering the lives of all their passengers and anyone else with the misfortune to get in their way.. The tales ends with the triumphant win of the boy racer, giving no moral lessons whatsover. On the plus side, the book has an actual sound effect! If all books had sound effects, I'd be a lot more learned.

[Dave Bing]

Careful. This is where Money comes in, describes them as works of genius, and stresses that comic art is an unfortunately devalued bit of high culture that may not be appreciated in this generation. Thomas the Tank, like a Van Gogh night sky, cannot be properly appreciated in its own debased era.

[Money23]

Originally Posted by Dave Bing

Careful. This is where Money comes in, describes them as works of genius, and stresses that comic art is an unfortunately devalued bit of high culture that may not be appreciated in this generation. Thomas the Tank, like a Van Gogh night sky, cannot be properly appreciated in its own debased era.

Nah...but hey, George Carlin pimped it. Take it up with him, snobby.

[hack]

Hiassen's great -- high-quality crime writing. It's been years since I read any, but I was pretty avid when I was a crime reporter in Florida. Edna Buchanan is the queen of the genre, but Hiassen's gone a more complex.

As I am here for work, I am currently reading the Bradt Guide to Nigeria -- one of few travel guidebooks on the country. The promotional pull-quote on the back cover is from a review in The Guardian. The quote: ``The author does not seek to oversell the destination.''

[Dave Bing]

Nigeria... it's better than... well, never mind.

[Money23]

Lol!!!!

[esther kim]

Hahaha at the above! I had to watch "Veggie Tales --Esther, the girl who became queen" with my friend's 4yr old. We watched it over, and over, and over and over again...after a while I wanted somebody to poke out my eyeballs...AND even after all the viewings I had no idea what veggie Esther was...a green onion or a cucumber?

I ditched "Push". Too heavy for me so picked up Leonard Chang "Crossings".

[RugbyPike#11]

Esther, I picked up Alan Greenspan's autobiography at a book sale. You can borrow it when I'm done. :-)

[whoDean]

I'm reading the new Wheel of Time book, Sanderson seems to have picked up well for Jordan.

[esther kim]

Originally Posted by RugbyPike#11

Esther, I picked up Alan Greenspan's autobiography at a book sale. You can borrow it when I'm done. :-)

LOL!! On sale?! They should have given it to you for FREE after what that joker did...or at least make better use as toilet paper!

[Fool]

Originally Posted by whoDean

I'm reading the new Wheel of Time book, Sanderson seems to have picked up well for Jordan.

Oh, I didn't know that was out. Thanks!

[RugbyPike#11]

Originally Posted by esther kim

LOL!! On sale?! They should have given it to you for FREE after what that joker did...or at least make better use as toilet paper!

Haha, I knew that would get a rise out of you. I'm actually really interested to read his reaction to the financial crisis. I'm not as up to date on the financial sector as I was before law school, but my understanding is that Greenspan has said mea culpa, we went too far with deregulation. I probably won't have a chance to read it until winter break, or maybe even after I take the bar in July, so I'll let you know my reaction in a few months.

[esther kim]

yeah... let me know what you think, Kirk.

AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BAR!! :)

[whoDean]

Originally Posted by RugbyPike#11

Haha, I knew that would get a rise out of you. I'm actually really interested to read his reaction to the financial crisis. I'm not as up to date on the financial sector as I was before law school, but my understanding is that Greenspan has said mea culpa, we went too far with deregulation. I probably won't have a chance to read it until winter break, or maybe even after I take the bar in July, so I'll let you know my reaction in a few months.

Deregulation was one thing, his loose monetary policy was the real culprit.

[Medz]

Originally Posted by whoDean

I'm reading the new Wheel of Time book, Sanderson seems to have picked up well for Jordan.

I'm about 150 pages in, and I'm surprisingly enjoying it. I think Sanderson may have saved this series. He's a much better writer than Jordan ended up being.

[Hobbs]

I'll eventually get to Sanderson's WOT book, but I've read several other books by him and he's solid. He's not a great writer, but I would guess he's a good fit for an established thing like WOT. He'll get the plot moving and the characters are already established so he can't mess that up.

I wonder who they'll get to take over for George RR Martin once he kicks... cause there's no chance he finishes his series at the rate he's going.

[Medz]

He's at a pace of around 5 years per book. That means he needs another 10 years to finish the series. It could go either way, I guess.

I imagine his books will get a huge popularity boost from the HBO series, and he may be delaying for that purpose.

Sanderson is doing a great job with Wheel of Time so far. The world Jordan created was great, he just made it extremely boring. Sanderson is moving the plot along and making the characters interesting again, much like they were early in the series. I'm happy he's doing 3 books instead of just one.

[whoDean]

Yeah, Sanderson's book is a much quicker read than Jordan's last few in that series.

[Fool]

I hope so. The WoT series had gone from a labor of love to a chore I took on just because I'd already read 8 or so books in the series.

[hack]

[Money23]

LOL, that's great.

[Medz]

Just started reading

[hack]

Owen Lattimore, The Desert Road to Turkestan.

Is anyone reading Harper's regularly? The current issue is horrible. Have they lost their way post Lapham?

[Dave Bing]

I blew through last months and wondered why I bought it. Just left it on a chair in an airport.

[JMab]

I'm reading Stephen King's The Stand again (extended version). I just love that book, it's like an old friend.

[Medz]

Just finished



About to start

[hack]

I found myself stuck for reading and did Paulo Coehlo's Alchemist recently. What a bunch of flimsy Oprah-book-club garbage that was. Glad it was under 200 pages.

In a nod to my summer location in Chiapas, Mexico, I am about to start in on Graham Greene's The Lawless Roads, about travelling through the region. Then I will do his The Power and the Glory, also set in Mexico. Can't go wrong with Graham Greene. Can go very, very right, actually.