4215 replies to this topic

[Wilfrid]

After reading an endless Vanity Fair piece about him and his editor, that's disappointing.

The general theme of the piece was unsympathetic: the awful struggle of the editor of n+1 to get his first novel published. Yeah, right.

[balex]

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Loving the writing. Thus far, I'm finding it's living up to the hype.

Finally finished the book, and although it started strong the story couldn't sustain itself. I can't decide whether it was too ambitious or just too long and in need of tighter editing. That said, Harbach writes about baseball well.

My thoughts exactly -- plus I am English and don't know anything about baseball.
But the first half or so was very entertaining; then I put it aside for a couple of weeks.

It reminded me a bit of Jonathan Franzen.

[bloviatrix]

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Loving the writing. Thus far, I'm finding it's living up to the hype.

Finally finished the book, and although it started strong the story couldn't sustain itself. I can't decide whether it was too ambitious or just too long and in need of tighter editing. That said, Harbach writes about baseball well.

My thoughts exactly -- plus I am English and don't know anything about baseball.
But the first half or so was very entertaining; then I put it aside for a couple of weeks.

It reminded me a bit of Jonathan Franzen.

Franzen's quotes all over the jacket cover are like a big, sloppy French kiss.

[balex]

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Loving the writing. Thus far, I'm finding it's living up to the hype.

Finally finished the book, and although it started strong the story couldn't sustain itself. I can't decide whether it was too ambitious or just too long and in need of tighter editing. That said, Harbach writes about baseball well.

My thoughts exactly -- plus I am English and don't know anything about baseball.
But the first half or so was very entertaining; then I put it aside for a couple of weeks.

It reminded me a bit of Jonathan Franzen.

Franzen's quotes all over the jacket cover are like a big, sloppy French kiss.

I read it as an ebook so I didn't get any tongue.

[bloviatrix]

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Loving the writing. Thus far, I'm finding it's living up to the hype.

Finally finished the book, and although it started strong the story couldn't sustain itself. I can't decide whether it was too ambitious or just too long and in need of tighter editing. That said, Harbach writes about baseball well.

My thoughts exactly -- plus I am English and don't know anything about baseball.
But the first half or so was very entertaining; then I put it aside for a couple of weeks.

It reminded me a bit of Jonathan Franzen.

Franzen's quotes all over the jacket cover are like a big, sloppy French kiss.

I read it as an ebook so I didn't get any tongue.

That's your loss.

[Wilfrid]

Christ in Concrete by Pietro Di Donato. Novel set among Italian-American construction workers. It was a sensation when it came out in 1937. Reads as very overwrought now, although the author certainly makes the physical challenges and dangers of their work vivid. It's based on the true story of his father's horrible death in a building collapse.

Wondering if Hubert Selby had it in his back pocket when he wrote Last Exit to Brooklyn.

[Daniel]

Reading Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut.. Starting to run out of books by him.

[balex]

Starting to read "Debt" by Graeber; so far it's brilliant.

[StephanieL]

Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart, the author of The Russian Debutante's Handbook. Just finished it and am about to begin RD'H. I found it to be a funny novel; absurd and silly at times. The only parts I didn't like were the self referential sections in which the author makes himself a character who is refered to by other characters as in "she slept with that putz of an author Gary S..." Not an exact quote but that kind of thing. Worth reading though.

I'm about a quarter of the way through now. I agree with you and with Lippy, who asked if a comic novel can be too long even if it is funny. Parts are hysterical, but I really dislike the narrator right now. I find the observations on Russia circa 2001 very biting and no doubt basically true.

The self-referential parts are faintly amusing.

[Daniel]

Just started Don Winslow's, A Cool Breeze Underground. About half way through the book, it's been a good read so far.

[Adrian]

Letham's Fortress of Solitude. Did Sneakeater consult on the Ebdus in the East Village stuff?

[Sneakeater]

Let's just say I felt a lot of strong pangs when I read that book.

[Daniel]

About half way through, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Never read it before.

[Adrian]

Let's just say I felt a lot of strong pangs when I read that book.

I laughed out loud when I read the chapter 17 Beatles discussion. I was waiting for young Wilfrid to step in and tell the kids why The Beatles suck.

[balex]

Letham's Fortress of Solitude. Did Sneakeater consult on the Ebdus in the East Village stuff?

Good book.

I am reading 'Capital' by John Lanchester. A bit plonking at the moment but adequately entertaining.