Literature Fans

Poll

Are you interested in posting in this thread?

Only registered users are allowed to vote for this poll.
23 votes were received.

Yes - I care	14		61%
No - I don't care (Put this man in cell #1, and give him a drink!)	9		39%

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Anybody here enjoy reading - and sharing about it? There's a book thread on USCHO but I thought I might start one here if anyone is interested.

So do you care? (Bueller?)

I can post some thoughts on the last few books I read and the next ones I'm intending to read to kick things off, if applicable. (Bueller?)

I'm personally interested mostly in 20th century fiction (Salinger, Steinbeck, Kesey, Burgess, etc.) but it can be a broader thread.

Those who are interested will post or lurk, those who aren't will stay away.

Currently reading Maugham (his ultra-shorts and OHB) and Lawrence after rereading Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.

Thanks. I haven't read Fight Club, I take it you like it given you reread it........

I'll write some of my suggestions when I have more time.

I always hear widely polarized reactions to Palahniuk, but I haven't read any of his books... just an article he wrote praising Amy Hempel, whose short stories I sometimes love and sometimes think are overrated.

I just started "Henderson the Rain King" by Saul Bellow. Because if there's anything I need in my life, it's more Ivy League hand-wringing.

There is something about both Fight Club and Princess Bride that makes me stay away from reading any more from the author -- a premonition of a hack happening to hit all the right notes, just once, by luck or grace.

How many people could just go into estate law, after, and be happy? That could be awful. Well, other than the feeling of having written one perfect story, which must be like nailing a three and getting high-fived by God.

It's not really literature, but I am currently speeding through (no pun intended) "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and their battle for speed and glory at Le Mans" by A.J. Baime.

pretty good most gear heads would like in my opinion.

I guess this fits in this thread as well as any others.

Anyone have any strong opinions either way on any particular e-readers? I have been looking at getting one, just not sure yet.

Bonni loves the Kindle 2. I asked her what the best and worst thing was. Best: instant downloads. Worst: no backlight.

Does she read newspapers on the K2? I'm thinking of getting one for the train ride into NYC every day. I like being able to see the graphics but hate newsprint.

Ahh, this is a proper offseason thread. Well done.

At the moment I'm reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, but I'm not far enough into to be able to say whether or not I recommend it yet.

RatushnyFan
Does she read newspapers on the K2? I'm thinking of getting one for the train ride into NYC every day. I like being able to see the graphics but hate newsprint.

She hasn't tried newspapers or magazines on it. It might be difficult to navigate them, but if they do special e-book versions (which they will as soon as they figure out it's the only way for print to stay relevant) I'd think they'd present more aptly for the medium. Plus, having search and indexing on newspapers would be awesome.

Josh '99
Ahh, this is a proper offseason thread. Well done.

At the moment I'm reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, but I'm not far enough into to be able to say whether or not I recommend it yet.

Depends which story arc you're on. That book was full of hills and valleys of interest.

We're just back from two weeks in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Read Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon for background to the trip to understand (or attempt to...no one really can) how Yugoslavia came to be what it was and found the book to be remarkable. She's an English novelist circa mid-20th century and writes delightful prose, and her insights into Balkan history were remarkable.

ugarte

Josh '99
Ahh, this is a proper offseason thread. Well done.

At the moment I'm reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, but I'm not far enough into to be able to say whether or not I recommend it yet.

Depends which story arc you're on. That book was full of hills and valleys of interest.

Parts of the book took me by surprise. In the end, I liked it and think back on it often. How often a book comes to mind in the years after I read it is one of the main ways I judge it. Fluff, though fun to read, doesn't persist in my psyche. Other books I find linger with me for years....especially when my own life finds a point of resonance with them (as, for example, "The Good Mother" which I read many years ago, but now has pointed relevance to my life.)

I recently finished "Breaking Her Fall" (Stephen Goodwin) which, though the plot gets a bit busy at times, is a lovely look at a father's relationship with his teenage daughter. There are some beautiful passages and the dialogue is often dead perfect. It should resonate (uncomfortably, at times) with any parent, particularly one of a teenager.

I'm currently reading "The Shipping News" (Annie Proulx) but I'm not far enough in to judge. And, I'm also reading "The Borderlands of Science: Where Sense Meets Nonsense" (Michael Shermer). I'm only a few chapters into it but I'm going to hate the man if he keeps referencing his other endeavors so often.

CK

Al DeFlorio
We're just back from two weeks in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Maybe we should start a travel thread too.

I did the Balkan tour (Slovenia, Hrvatska, BiH, and Crna Gora) a couple of summers ago and loved it. Were did you go?

jtwcornell91

Al DeFlorio
We're just back from two weeks in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Maybe we should start a travel thread too.

I did the Balkan tour (Slovenia, Hrvatska, BiH, and Crna Gora) a couple of summers ago and loved it. Were did you go?

Zagreb, Zadar, Sibenik, Krka Falls, Split, Korchula, Hvar, Dubrovnik and Opatija in Croatia; Kotor and Cetinje in Montenegro; Neum and Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina. And they'd all start Killing each other again at the slightest excuse, I regret to say. Fascinating place to visit, though.

Riding the T gives me lots of reading time, so in the last 6 weeks I've read a few fun books and a few "I like to learn about the stuff that interests me" books.

If you like WW2 history, After the Reich is a look at Europe during the years when the Occupying Forces ran Germany and Austria. It's a new look at something most of us don't know much about: many of the camp became a place for the prisoners of war, and they got similar treatment to that which they had doled out.

The next books I read to make up for the depressing nature of After the Reich were Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street and Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut. If you like the muppets and Sesame Street, Street Gang is a fun and quick read giving the history of Children's Television Workshop and how it developed with Sesame Street and Henson's other creations. Breakfast of Champions is one of the Kilgore Trout novels.

The most recent books are Game Change about the 2008 presidential campaigns and Nine by Jeffrey Toobin which is an inside look at the Supreme Court and its inner workings. These two are really interesting, with Nine being a little denser, but still very readable. Both books are by reporters who have covered politics and the Court for years and years.

I have to admit that I didn't see this thread getting Godwin'd.

ugarte
I have to admit that I didn't see this thread getting Godwin'd.

You know who also didn't see themselves getting Godwin'd?

The Nazis.

It's true. Look it up.

Currently reading or recently read

Recommended:

From Plato to NATO, Gress - history of "the West", original and really fascinating
Novus Ordo Seclorum, McDonald - intellectual foundations of the Constitution
All Art is Propaganda, Packer - collected essays of George Orwell, he's much more than Animal Farm and 1984, great writer
Homage to Catalonia, Orwell - the Spanish Civil War made comprehensible, sort of
The Dirty Dozen, Levy and Mellor - 12 infamous, infuriating and unfortunately precedence setting Supreme Court cases
The Evolution of God, Wright - (actually listened to the book on CD) how we got to monotheism and why it matters

A waste of time:

The Age of Wonder, Holmes - science from 1780 to 1830 (approx), meanders and not particulary illuminating
Predictioneer's Game, de Mesquita - using game theory to predict world events, self promoting and somewhat obvious, no "beef"
Dirty Rotten Strategies, Mitroff - "how we trick ourselves into solving the wrong problems precisely", shallow, repetitive

Ken70
All Art is Propaganda, Packer - collected essays of George Orwell, he's much more than Animal Farm and 1984, great writer

What does he write about in the essays? Just curious why you like it. I like Orwell but have only read Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984.

Ken70
Novus Ordo Seclorum, McDonald - intellectual foundations of the Constitution

I have this on my bookcase. Maybe I'll give it another try, I remember being disappointed.

RatushnyFan

Ken70
All Art is Propaganda, Packer - collected essays of George Orwell, he's much more than Animal Farm and 1984, great writer

What does he write about in the essays? Just curious why you like it. I like Orwell but have only read Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984.

I read this just after reading another collection of his essays, also compiled by Packer, Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays and to be honest I think I mentioned this one in my post just because it was the last one read, both collections are equally worth a read. "All Art..." I guess would be categorized as art and literary criticism, but Orwell uses his essays on T. S. Eliot, Charles Dickens, Henry Miller, Graham Greene and Kipling, among others, to comment on politics and other topics. I liked it primarily just because I like the way he writes: he's erudite, seemingly completely honest, and has absolute clarity on what he wants to say. At least it seems that way to me.

An interview on Booktv of Packer by Christopher Hitchens got me interested in these two volumes, and it illuminates both books and Orwell far more clearly than I can. It's at [www.booktv.org] in case you're interested.

Trotsky

Ken70
Novus Ordo Seclorum, McDonald - intellectual foundations of the Constitution

I have this on my bookcase. Maybe I'll give it another try, I remember being disappointed.

I'm glad you mentioned it; in rereading it it's great.

Anyone on here use an e-Reader? Any recommendation, caveats? I'm still just toying with the idea, as my gut feel is that the market is still shaping up and the products will be sufficiently better to make it worth waiting for at least 1 or 2 more design cycles.

I figured the literature fans here might enjoy this. On the other hand, it might fill you with rage or sadness. I found it amusing, but you've been warned:

[www.examiner.com]

For anyone wanting a quick and fun read: Her Fearful Symmetry. It's by the author of the Time Traveler's Wife. It's a little into the fantasy realm, but I enjoy it while commuting places.

Robb, my wife loves the latest Kindle more than she does me. I'm not sure which that says more about.

I love my Kindle. Backlight would be nice but there are lots of reading lights built for it. Really only need it for very dim conditions. For some strange reason, really bright sunlight like at the beach seems to make the electronic ink fade on mine. Absolutely NOT good for graphic intensive materials.

Check the posts following dpprks post at the top. The technology always gets better if you wait, but while you're waiting your left with the old 15th century stuff. I like my kindle because it fits in sportcoat pocket, free wireless G makes it easy to impulse buy or just download samples from amazon, and you can access email also.

Reluctant to enter such a high brow thread, but will lower the bar a little for good fiction- The Help by Katherine Stockett is a great story about domestics in 50s-60s Mississippi.

Trotsky

Trotsky

Ken70
Novus Ordo Seclorum, McDonald - intellectual foundations of the Constitution

I have this on my bookcase. Maybe I'll give it another try, I remember being disappointed.

I'm glad you mentioned it; in rereading it it's great.

I was just looking for a non-ideological history of the Constitution and it filled the bill perfectly I thought.

Ken70

Trotsky

Trotsky

Ken70
Novus Ordo Seclorum, McDonald - intellectual foundations of the Constitution

I have this on my bookcase. Maybe I'll give it another try, I remember being disappointed.

I'm glad you mentioned it; in rereading it it's great.

I was just looking for a non-ideological history of the Constitution and it filled the bill perfectly I thought.

Publication date: 1985, before the Great Stupefication.

Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac for Friday April 23 noted the birthday of Vladimir Nobokov and added:

He was invited to give a lecture on Slavic languages at Stanford University in 1939, and he decided to stay, formally immigrating and becoming a U.S. citizen. And he started writing books in English, including the one for which he is most famous, Lolita (1955).

[writersalmanac.publicradio.org] (check the archives if you click on this link on a different day)

Hmmm. Seems like there is some missing information that might be of interest to folks on this board but I can't quite put my finger on it.

On my short train ride into work and back, I'm now reading Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey". The 10-15 minute ride is perfect for Austen because after about 15 minutes, I need a break. I'll slowly get through this book at the clip of ~15 pages/week.

The book does relate a bit to hockey in that I got it in Denver at the Tattered Cover Book Store when I was out there for the Frozen Four in 2008.

In Detroit for this year's Frozen Four, Kim and I found a huge used bookstore (John K King rare and used books). I am planning on going to St. Paul for next year's FF and will be looking to get lost in a used book store in the Twin Cities.

Currently reading Jonathan Lethem's "Chronic City" and enjoying it, but particularly for the NYC landmarks very familiar to me. Just finished Curtis Sittenfeld's "Prep," and enjoyed it but wouldn't say it was fine literature.

Beeeej
Currently reading Jonathan Lethem's "Chronic City" and enjoying it, but particularly for the NYC landmarks very familiar to me. Just finished Curtis Sittenfeld's "Prep," and enjoyed it but wouldn't say it was fine literature.

Prep was beach reading for me. Sittenfeld has some other beach lit, which as you said not fine literature, but still enjoyable to read.

Ken70
Currently reading or recently read

A waste of time:

Predictioneer's Game, de Mesquita - using game theory to predict world events, self promoting and somewhat obvious, no "beef"
Dirty Rotten Strategies, Mitroff - "how we trick ourselves into solving the wrong problems precisely", shallow, repetitive

So that brings up a beef that I have with many pop sci books such as Th Wisdom of Crowds, The Black Swan, Freakanomics, etc.

Aside from being rather repetitive and anecdotal (they really don't have much to say), they seem to imply or claim that they have discovered some previously unknown principles of math, science, economics. If so, then why not go for it and do the match and science and get yourself a Nobel. Why the reliance on vague anecdotes and a near total absence of math (the language of science) to make your point?

Roy 82

Ken70
Currently reading or recently read

A waste of time:

Predictioneer's Game, de Mesquita - using game theory to predict world events, self promoting and somewhat obvious, no "beef"
Dirty Rotten Strategies, Mitroff - "how we trick ourselves into solving the wrong problems precisely", shallow, repetitive

So that brings up a beef that I have with many pop sci books such as Th Wisdom of Crowds, The Black Swan, Freakanomics, etc.

Aside from being rather repetitive and anecdotal (they really don't have much to say), they seem to imply or claim that they have discovered some previously unknown principles of math, science, economics. If so, then why not go for it and do the match and science and get yourself a Nobel. Why the reliance on vague anecdotes and a near total absence of math (the language of science) to make your point?

Because the "pop" in pop science is not inconsequential to some people. I would say most literate people have heard of Freakonomics, but only a very specific subset of that could tell you what the last ten Nobel Prizes in economics were won for, and I can only name one winner because Russell Crowe was in a movie about him.

Roy 82

Ken70
Currently reading or recently read

A waste of time:

Predictioneer's Game, de Mesquita - using game theory to predict world events, self promoting and somewhat obvious, no "beef"
Dirty Rotten Strategies, Mitroff - "how we trick ourselves into solving the wrong problems precisely", shallow, repetitive

So that brings up a beef that I have with many pop sci books such as Th Wisdom of Crowds, The Black Swan, Freakanomics, etc.

Aside from being rather repetitive and anecdotal (they really don't have much to say), they seem to imply or claim that they have discovered some previously unknown principles of math, science, economics. If so, then why not go for it and do the match and science and get yourself a Nobel. Why the reliance on vague anecdotes and a near total absence of math (the language of science) to make your point?

FWIW - I read these three and I found Freakanomics and TWoC way better than the two I diss'd above. But I agree The Black Swan fits in the "repetitive/no beef" category. It was a one trick pony turned into a three ring circus.

I thought Freakonomics was more about bringing new findings in economics (really behavioral economics) to the attention of the general public than putting forth any unique discoveries the authors themselves have made. Although scattershot it was enjoyable and thought provoking, which was, it seemed, all it attempted to be (in addition to making the authors a few bucks).

Wisdom of Crowds made a interesting argument, I thought, which was: in many circumstances individual decisions, even by "experts", aren't as a good as group decisions, and group decisions in which the decisions of independent members are combined/averaged to arrive at an answer are more accurate/better than those in which the group arrives at a concensus answer. It's more complex and nuanced than this, but that's the intriguing gist. Siruwiecki backed this up pretty well with various studies as well as anecdotes, and gave examples of how it worked in organizations from the military to sports to industry. He has a short chapter on government and democracy at the end but doesn't mention the fact that his argument supports not just general democracy but the "wisdom" of Federalism, the genesis of which is nicely described in another book we've mentioned here, Novus Ordo Seclorum.

Tom Lento
I figured the literature fans here might enjoy this. On the other hand, it might fill you with rage or sadness. I found it amusing, but you've been warned:

[www.examiner.com]

26. Marcel Proust, according to Evelyn Waugh (1948)

I am reading Proust for the first time. Very poor stuff. I think he was mentally defective.

If you're calling the author of À la recherche du temps perdu a looney, then I shall have to ask you to step outside!

Beeeej
Currently reading Jonathan Lethem's "Chronic City" and enjoying it, but particularly for the NYC landmarks very familiar to me.

IMO "The Fortress of Solitude" is excellent, "Motherless Brooklyn" not quite as good, although the awards they have received would say the opposite.

Ken70
I thought Freakonomics was more about bringing new findings in economics (really behavioral economics) to the attention of the general public than putting forth any unique discoveries the authors themselves have made. Although scattershot it was enjoyable and thought provoking, which was, it seemed, all it attempted to be (in addition to making the authors a few bucks).

My memory of Freakonomics is similar. Much, if not all, the work had been published by Levitt in scholarly journals. Someone thought the stories were interesting enough to be presented to the lay audience, and he/she was right.

Ken70
Wisdom of Crowds made a interesting argument, I thought, which was: in many circumstances individual decisions, even by "experts", aren't as a good as group decisions, and group decisions in which the decisions of independent members are combined/averaged to arrive at an answer are more accurate/better than those in which the group arrives at a concensus answer.

Unfortunately this idea has now become a cottage industry in Corporate Idiocy World, with Dilbert-esque "consensus skills" seminars. If you've ever had to sit through "The Blizzard," you want to prevent the guy who wrote WoC from being born.

Also, it defies another time-honored truth.

I've been in a bit of a perseverance and adversity rut, I just read The Grapes of Wrath and The Road. I actually enjoyed both novels but wouldn't necessarily recommend reading them consecutively. I found that both were hard to put down. The Road was a very quick and easy read whereas The Grapes of Wrath required more concentration due to a broader cast of characters. The Road had far more closure at the end which helped ease my mind. I don't know what it is about Cormac McCarthy, his sentences are so short and the dialogue is so simple (and without quotation marks of course) but he does an excellent job of developing tension and a sense of foreboding. I enjoyed No Country for Old Men as well, even more than The Road. Steinbeck plays the oldest trick in the book in The Grapes of Wrath, leaving the reader without a definitive sense of closure at the end of the novel, but it gave me a chance to think for myself which was nice. I understand that the union theme in the book was highly controversial at the time, times have certainly changed. I really enjoyed Tom Joad's conflicted character, I found myself cheering for him and hoping for some sort of a reprieve.

I'm currently reading In Cold Blood.......I've always had a morbid curiosity about the book. I haven't read Capote before. I'm about 100 pages in, I like how he spends time giving the reader a fair amount of detail about each of the victims (I would say character development, but they weren't characters!), their neighbors and the two perps. I think I'd like to read The Grass Harp at some point based on the description.

I think I'm going to cool off with all of the death and suffering for a while, maybe relax with a John Irving novel next. There's still a couple that I haven't read.

I actually read The Road this past weekend. It was the first book by Cormac McCarthy that I have read, and it definitely took more than a couple of pages for me to get used to his style. His prose sure is pretty, though. The book reminded me a bit of The Giver by Lois Lowry in terms of a young boy trying to cope with hopelessness.

Dave Eggers's Zeitoun is next. And at some point I have to read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep for our Cornell Club book club.

Trotsky

Ken70
Wisdom of Crowds made a interesting argument, I thought, which was: in many circumstances individual decisions, even by "experts", aren't as a good as group decisions, and group decisions in which the decisions of independent members are combined/averaged to arrive at an answer are more accurate/better than those in which the group arrives at a concensus answer.

Unfortunately this idea has now become a cottage industry in Corporate Idiocy World, with Dilbert-esque "consensus skills" seminars. If you've ever had to sit through "The Blizzard," you want to prevent the guy who wrote WoC from being born.

Also, it defies another time-honored truth.

For a fuller and more erudite discussion of said truth see: [www.cartalk.com]

As to TWoC, Surowiecki is strongly anti-consensus.

mnagowski
And at some point I have to read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep for our Cornell Club book club.

Forget everything about Blade Runner before you read it, it's essentially an entirely different story.

Currently reading John McPhee's new book "Silk Parachute" and finding it highly educational and enjoyable as I have found most of his previous books.

My favorite being probably "Coming into the Country" or maybe "Encounters with the Archdriud" but I highly recommend any of his works as good summer and travel reading!

For more on John McPhee see John McPhee's homepage

Two months and no one has any book reviews to share?

Although not "literature" in the classic sense, I recently finished "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris who is also a frequent contributor to NPR's "This American Life".

It is the first book of his that I read, but won't be the last. The collection of essays was perfect reading for my daily train rides and beach/pool reading. I enjoyed his interesting and unique take on people and his surroundings and many times I found myself laughing aloud on the train.

The first essay is about the babysitters that he and his sisters had when their parents would go away on a week long vacation and really set the tone for the book. The final essay is about his quest to stop smoking by relocating to Tokyo for several months and the trials (and ultimate success) that he had. Of course, what set him on the road to quit smoking has now made me hesitant to use the remote in any hotel room without thoroughly sanitizing it first!

In non-fiction I flew through "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine" by Michael Lewis, author of "Moneyball", "The Blind Side" and "Liar's Poker". Didn't learn too much I didn't already know but the backgrounds of the players that cashed in the mortgage mess are interesting. And ratings at S&P and Moody's are like grades at Harvard: everyone gets an A.

I enjoyed Mil Millington's short comic novel "Love and Other Near Death Experiences." The potboiler "The Dark Tide" was highly mediocre, but it was free for Kindle and was a quick read, so whatever. Now about 95% through "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," enjoying it thoroughly, and looking forward to the other two books in the series.

I'm still on a WWII non-fiction kick (thank you Brookline Booksmith Bargain Table). I recently finished Harry Truman and the Foundations of Israel and am currently reading the Last 1000 Days of the British Empire. The former is far more gripping than I'd been expecting, and even though we all know that Israel exists, throughout the book I was waiting with anticipation for the final diplomatic moves that would establish the state. The Last 1000 Days has excerpts from many of the diaries of the men involved in the dismantling of the British Empire which show the real feelings rather than those published in the official archives. And how else would I have learned that Churchill "pissed on the Rhone" just to prove British superiority during the final push towards Berlin as the German defenses were crumbling rather than attending a meeting in regards to Indian independence.

munchkin
I'm still on a WWII non-fiction kick (thank you Brookline Booksmith Bargain Table). I recently finished Harry Truman and the Foundations of Israel and am currently reading the Last 1000 Days of the British Empire. The former is far more gripping than I'd been expecting, and even though we all know that Israel exists, throughout the book I was waiting with anticipation for the final diplomatic moves that would establish the state. The Last 1000 Days has excerpts from many of the diaries of the men involved in the dismantling of the British Empire which show the real feelings rather than those published in the official archives. And how else would I have learned that Churchill "pissed on the Rhone" just to prove British superiority during the final push towards Berlin as the German defenses were crumbling rather than attending a meeting in regards to Indian independence.

Rhine, not Rhone.

Al DeFlorio

munchkin
I'm still on a WWII non-fiction kick (thank you Brookline Booksmith Bargain Table). I recently finished Harry Truman and the Foundations of Israel and am currently reading the Last 1000 Days of the British Empire. The former is far more gripping than I'd been expecting, and even though we all know that Israel exists, throughout the book I was waiting with anticipation for the final diplomatic moves that would establish the state. The Last 1000 Days has excerpts from many of the diaries of the men involved in the dismantling of the British Empire which show the real feelings rather than those published in the official archives. And how else would I have learned that Churchill "pissed on the Rhone" just to prove British superiority during the final push towards Berlin as the German defenses were crumbling rather than attending a meeting in regards to Indian independence.

Rhine, not Rhone.

Typo.

Al DeFlorio
Rhine, not Rhone.

He crapped in the Rhone. French, you know.

Trotsky

Al DeFlorio
Rhine, not Rhone.

He crapped in the Rhone. French, you know.

Hmmm... I'm sitting about 300 yards from the Rhone right now. Maybe I should go take a leak in case anyone ever writes a book about me.

Hmmmm.......I'm sitting about 300 yards from Lynah right now. I like the view.

RatushnyFan
Hmmmm.......I'm sitting about 300 yards from Lynah right now. I like the view.

I'll be stopping in at Lynah this weekend since I'm going to be in Ithaca to go to the Finger Lakes Wine Fest in Watkins Glen.

munchkin

RatushnyFan
Hmmmm.......I'm sitting about 300 yards from Lynah right now. I like the view.

I'll be stopping in at Lynah this weekend since I'm going to be in Ithaca to go to the Finger Lakes Wine Fest in Watkins Glen.

And, to bring this thread full-circle, I just finished penning a novel that partially takes place on a Finger Lakes vineyard...

Not that anyone should be a fan of it, myself included.

You're a writer? Lucky you....

Bringing this back into play. I just finished a fantastic memoir: In the Sanctuary of Outcasts. It's about the last Leprosarium in the country and the story of one of the inmates from when the Bureau of Prisons was using half the facility as a minimum security prison after most of the leprosy patients had left. Also then watched the PBS Special about Carville, the leprosarium, on Netflix to learn more about it.

Some recent good reads:

>The Powerbroker: Robert Moses..., Robert Caro. A reread after 30 years. Still great biography but there are a couple places where it's now apparent to me that Caro has gone over the top to indict Moses.

>The Rider, Tim Krabbe. Short book about a bike race. Maybe you have to be a cyclist to appreciate, but I found it enthralling.

>Hitch-22, Christopher Hitchens. Be sure to have dictionary handy. Seems like he knows everybody, or wants you to believe he does. But he's very bright and fun to read just for that fact.

>Education's End, Anthony Kronman. The history of higher education in the last two centuries and how the author, a Yale law and philosophy prof., sees the humanities losing its way since the 1960s. Interesting for the argument more than his writing style.

>The Rational Optimist, Matt Ridley. I'm a Ridley fan so this is probably less than objective, but this book seems to have high explanatory power when pondering the question of why things are the way they are (as did his previous The Origins of Virtue). And he's a very good writer.

Just finished and enjoyed Spiral, a technology-based thriller written by Cornell physics professor Paul McEuen. Lots of the action takes place in the Ithaca area including on campus.
For a more detailed review, see [www.news.cornell.edu]

jkahn
Just finished and enjoyed Spiral, a technology-based thriller written by Cornell physics professor Paul McEuen. Lots of the action takes place in the Ithaca area including on campus.
For a more detailed review, see [www.news.cornell.edu]

Oh wow, I read the first draft of that for him when I worked in the Vice Provost for Research's office. Good for him for seeing it through.