Whatcha reading?

[UpperWestside 6161]

This is a heavy read, but what a book. The insights provided into the minds of Japan’s military commanders, as well as Emperor Hirohito himself, was well worth the almost 900 pages it encompasses. It was published in 1970 when many of the participants or their immediate subordinates were still alive. The ability to interweave stories of the average Japanese soldier on the battlefield and civilians caught in the crossfire made this a wonderful read. I highly suggest reading this book if you have an interest in the Pacific War, especially from the perspective of the enemy at the time. John Toland wrote a history that still is found to be really interesting almost 80 years after hostilities ended.
 

[SimonBolivar 10957]

I love that book. I keep it downloaded on Audible on my phone for those nights when I want to drift off to something 

[Texas Curl 14]

I read everything by …

 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Peter-Grainger/author/B00FV1KPIU?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

[UpperWestside 6161]

On 10/8/2023 at 5:37 PM, SimonBolivar said:

I love that book. I keep it downloaded on Audible on my phone for those nights when I want to drift off to something 

It’s such a good read. One of the passages was from before the war talking about a Japanese man who told an American that, and I’m paraphrasing this as best I can from memory, “The Americans treat dealing with us Japanese like we are adults when we are in fact like children.” The idea being conveyed was that the US understood western-style diplomacy, but the Japanese did not.
 

This book really underscores the diplomacy issues each faced just trying to understand the customs of each other, not counting how Japan really was not up to speed on how to conduct modern diplomacy. Several parts did read like something happening within the confines of a kindergarten class. So interesting to read the entirety of this book. 

[UpperWestside 6161]

I loved reading this book. James Hornfischer did a masterful job painting a picture of what that battle was for those men. It was absolute hell on those waters near Savo Sound. It’s a shame cancer took Hornfischer two years ago. I believe he was living in Austin and had two degrees from UT as well. He had so much more to write and was just exceptionally good at writing. I will shortly be reading another book of his. I am including a picture of a small passage in this book. The humanity shown by the Japanese sailor is something I think we should all take to heart. Even in the absolute worst circumstance this man ever found himself in at that point he did what was best regardless of who they were. The final two pages are also a hard read.

Edited October 12, 2023 by UpperWestside

[UpperWestside 6161]

Finished this book a couple of days ago. It’s an easy read of around 240 pages, but the story really grips you with how Chennault and his airmen took on Japan when the US was still reeling from Pearl Harbor. The personal backstories of this motley group are worth the read. 

 

[The Original Greaser Bob 2822]

Dilla Time (2022) (audio)

Wow, I really liked this. My hip hop knowledge is pretty limited.  But this has some aids on the books website and it's just fun having your iphone nearby to link to all the beats and songs mentioned. A really great mix of music history, music theory, the music business and biography.  

[UpperWestside 6161]

I finished this book last week. This should be required reading for everyone. Ernest Evans should have a statue in every single state in the US for what he did that day as well as being a Native American graduate of the Naval Academy. The balls of these guys to head straight into the teeth of the IJN’s center force while Admiral Halsey left them with no help because he was too busy chasing decoy carriers is incredible. The dummy torpedo runs of up to 20 times just to distract the massive gunships by the aviators above. Hornfischer is right in calling the Battle off of Samar (Part of the bigger battle in Leyte Gulf) the single greatest victory in US Navy history and maybe world naval history. I knew of the basics before this book, but reading the individual stories really drove home the sadness of the survivors.

Edited October 30, 2023 by UpperWestside

[Post Oak 20208]

 

Such great writing.

 

There was a sad fellow over on a bar stool talking to the bartender, who was polishing a glass and listening with that plastic smile people wear when they are trying not to scream.

The girl gave him a look which ought to have stuck at least four inches out of his back

Mostly I just kill time," he said, "and it dies hard

I belonged in Idle Valley like a pearl onion on a banana split.

[YGIFS 19449]

I'm gonna go back and read "Shopgirl" by Steve Martin.  Didn't realize Steve was a grooming deviant.  But I've always liked his writing, no idea why I didn't read this when it was released 20 years ago.  

Texas Book Festival is this weekend.  Great lineup, as per usual.  Rain should hold off, knock on wood...

[The Original Greaser Bob 2822]

Demon Copperhead (2022)  (Audio)

I'm glad I read it.  I had read David Copperfield a few months ago, and considering the source material, this was a fantastic improvement, and I think an important piece of Americana. In other words, it worked mostly, if you like all that David Copperfield kind of crap.

Seems like someone could turn this into a pretty good one season on Netflix kind of thing.  

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

On 10/10/2023 at 2:57 PM, Texas Curl said:

I read everything by …

 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Peter-Grainger/author/B00FV1KPIU?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Suggestion for one to start with?

[TonyTexas 10508]

I’m re-reading Texas by Michener. Should be required reading for anyone living in Texas, whether a native or an immigrant. You should be warned though that is a major time investment, closing in at 1,428 pages. 

[After irth 1243]

On 11/13/2023 at 9:45 AM, Seasick Sailor said:

Suggestion for one to start with?

I was looking at the author info.  Seems like An Accidental Death is the place to start.

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

On 11/14/2023 at 4:23 PM, TonyTexas said:

I’m re-reading Texas by Michener. Should be required reading for anyone living in Texas, whether a native or an immigrant. You should be warned though that is a major time investment, closing in at 1,428 pages. 

I've heard great things about it. 

I recently checked out "The son" by Philipp Meyer. Half way through and I must say its one of the best books I've read. 

[YuppiesOfftheEastSide 28]

On 11/7/2023 at 9:51 PM, Post Oak said:

 

Such great writing.

There was a sad fellow over on a bar stool talking to the bartender, who was polishing a glass and listening with that plastic smile people wear when they are trying not to scream.

 

On 11/7/2023 at 11:52 PM, BeardIP said:

I  love that you are loving that. I am on this thread pages ago talking about a brief love affair and phase I went through with Dashiell Hammett and his writing (which of course is always compared to Chandler).

Chandler’s Philip Marlowe and Hammett’s Continental Op/Sam Spade are great. If you’re liking the hard boiled stuff I can also recommend James Ellroy and Walter Mosley. There’s so much good stuff out there.

i also tend toward detective stuff and love Dorothy Sayers, Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie. For one y’all have probably never encountered, check out The Conjure-Man Dies by Rudolph Fisher — doctor-detective solves a baffling murder in 1930s Harlem

[YuppiesOfftheEastSide 28]

On 3/23/2023 at 3:53 PM, CycleTex87 said:

About 2/3 of the way through this.  Not sure yet.

I’m sorry to say I found this one to be kind of a slog. I feel like they gave her the Pulitzer really for THE SECRET HISTORY, which is a gd masterpiece and a favorite of mine

[YuppiesOfftheEastSide 28]

Proceeding backward through this thread, I’m not surprised to discover that old white dudes love detailed accounts of wartime and Rome and reductive accounts of history. That said, all that stuff is entertaining. I do have trouble with the David Graeber kind of stuff, but bullshit jobs had an interesting premise. But his bad etymology stuff in chapter one was pissing me off, so I gave up.
 

I’ve returned recently to the Thomas Harris Hannibal books and they hold up. Silence of the Lambs is awesome. I don’t think I’d read it since middle school.

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

23 hours ago, YuppiesOfftheEastSide said:

I’m sorry to say I found this one to be kind of a slog. I feel like they gave her the Pulitzer really for THE SECRET HISTORY, which is a gd masterpiece and a favorite of mine

Loved Goldfinch but think "the son" was a better book that year.

[YuppiesOfftheEastSide 28]

On 11/24/2023 at 12:49 AM, Coach pop a bitch said:

Loved Goldfinch but think "the son" was a better book that year.

I’ve never read it! (Or American rust). Is it more cormac McCarthy or Larry McMurtry? I do love a good period piece and a good western. 

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

15 hours ago, YuppiesOfftheEastSide said:

I’ve never read it! (Or American rust). Is it more cormac McCarthy or Larry McMurtry? I do love a good period piece and a good western. 

I have lonesome dove in a pile haven't read it yet. I can't really compare him to Cormac his prose isn't near him.  But the story is amazing

[shakahorn 1645]

On 4/6/2023 at 6:55 PM, Elmer_Fudd said:

Started this tonight

 

Started out good, ended kinda WTF?  By the time I got to the WTF part, I was pot committed so I had to finish.

On 6/16/2023 at 11:33 AM, wild_turkey said:

Just finished reading The Wager by David Grann. Really enjoyed it. He reminds me of Erik Larson in the way he researches and writes about historical events.

About to start The Lost City of Z.

The Wager was quite good.  I actually wish it was longer.  The ebook version says it's something like 850 pages but the last 200 are illustrations and whatnot.

[shakahorn 1645]

I found this to be an excellent read, but you gotta stick with it. If I wasn't stuck on a long plane ride with nothing else to read, I probably would've quit. Once you get to the third book, it all comes together.

[NorthLoop 14183]

Kind of ashamed that I've lived 41 years as a Texan and never read Lonesome Dove. 

 

But I started it last night. 

[TonyTexas 10508]

2 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

Kind of ashamed that I've lived 41 years as a Texan and never read Lonesome Dove. 

 

But I started it last night. 

I’m jealous. I’ve probably read it 4 times, the first being well before the TV series came out. It was a revelation. 

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

Growing up I was a huge three 6 mafia fan. Cool little behind the scenes info about the group. 

 

[atomheartbevo 89629]

For All Mankind is giving me an itch to scratch about Mars colonization, so I'm going to re-read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (https://www.kimstanleyrobinson.info/content/mars-trilogy) as well as the companion book.  It's been many years since I read them all cover-to-cover, and I'm curious if they've held up (outside of a few things here and there that either he took liberties with to move things along or due to findings that NASA has made since he wrote them).

He did a really good job of juggling a lot of characters and settings.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2822]

Whalefall (2023) (Audio)

Dude gets swallowed by a whale.  Fantastic idea.  I wasn't crazy about the narrator in the audio book, and I also didn't like the faux dialogue with the guy and his dad, which just didn't feel true, although the whole book is based on a pretty wild premise. 

Still, I think it could have been fantastic if there was a second narrator who talked about the science of whales and diving and they nixed the dialogue and just had the guy thinking about the dad as he was going about surviving.  There were also some secondary characters that could have been interesting if fleshed out.  Less dad, more dad friends.

 

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

1 hour ago, The Original Greaser Bob said:

Whalefall (2023) (Audio)

Dude gets swallowed by a whale.  Fantastic idea.  I wasn't crazy about the narrator in the audio book, and I also didn't like the faux dialogue with the guy and his dad, which just didn't feel true, although the whole book is based on a pretty wild premise. 

Still, I think it could have been fantastic if there was a second narrator who talked about the science of whales and diving and they nixed the dialogue and just had the guy thinking about the dad as he was going about surviving.  There were also some secondary characters that could have been interesting if fleshed out.  Less dad, more dad friends.

 

Been wanting to read this one

[Guest]

On 12/7/2023 at 12:12 PM, NorthLoop said:

Kind of ashamed that I've lived 41 years as a Texan and never read Lonesome Dove. 

 

But I started it last night. 

Same boat in that I've made is this far without reading it. Lemme know your thoughts.

[Guest]

Loved this book. I have a bit of a financial background so it was right up my alley. Went into it knowing the main players and the headlines of the story, but not much else. Just wild stuff.

[YuppiesOfftheEastSide 28]

*Lonesome Dove* is so good. Definitely read it before the others in the series, even though they're out of chronological order. 

I've never gotten around to the miniseries though. Glad I read it before I had those actors' faces in my head. Good casting though

[atomheartbevo 89629]

8 hours ago, YuppiesOfftheEastSide said:

I've never gotten around to the miniseries though.

[NorthLoop 14183]

8 hours ago, YuppiesOfftheEastSide said:

*Lonesome Dove* is so good. Definitely read it before the others in the series, even though they're out of chronological order. 

I've never gotten around to the miniseries though. Glad I read it before I had those actors' faces in my head. Good casting though

It's funny you mention that. I'm pretty sure I watched it when it came out, but I was 7 so I don't remember it. However I do know what actors played who, and my brain tries to imagine Duvall and Jones and it just doesn't fit right. I'm sure if I watched it again it would help - but honestly if I didn't know what actor played who, I would peg Jones as Gus and Duvall as Call based on their book personalities. 

[WholesomeChungusSocialist 3]

Been working my way through Bret Easton Ellis' oeuvre. His latest, The Shards, is definitely one his best, imo. Might even be his best overall, though I still think The Rules of Attraction is better. I'm kind of perplexed as to why he's so often regarded as a hack, provocateur, etc. Whatever, you know? This country clearly doesn't appreciate greatness, or even distinct perspectives, as much as it used to; and I don't say this as an older person reminiscing on the past, either. 

Also, I heavily recommend Peter Watson's The French Mind: 400 Years of Romance, Revolution, and Revolt. It's nominally nonfiction, but reads much more like a great novel. Almost reminds of me of Caro's works, but it's probably a bit better than those, which are ofc great.

[TwiceHorn 31440]

On 12/11/2023 at 11:11 AM, FirstTimeCaller said:

Loved this book. I have a bit of a financial background so it was right up my alley. Went into it knowing the main players and the headlines of the story, but not much else. Just wild stuff.

If you have not, you need to read all of his.  Liar's Poker is one of the best.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

If you have not, you need to read all of his.  Liar's Poker is one of the best.

Want to get it, but worry that it will be outdated. Wasn't it written like 15-20 years ago?

I started to read The Premonition but just couldn't get into it. Have read Moneyball and another ML book that I can't recall.

[SimonBolivar 10957]

 

Enjoying it so far and just enjoying some literature before getting back into the thesis work in January. 

[Post Oak 20208]

On 12/20/2023 at 4:30 PM, SimonBolivar said:

 

Enjoying it so far and just enjoying some literature before getting back into the thesis work in January. 

I heard the Rest is History interview her for their pod.  I added it to my Goodreads.  I'm interested to hear your review.

 

 

[Post Oak 20208]

Just finished this.  I've been on a noir kick recently and I really enjoyed it.  

Short read.  It's lean.  He doesn't waste time or words getting to the story, which I appreciate.

Gonna watch the movie after Christmas

 

[YuppiesOfftheEastSide 28]

On 12/20/2023 at 5:30 PM, SimonBolivar said:

 

Enjoying it so far and just enjoying some literature before getting back into the thesis work in January. 

I'm a fan of ZS and saw her give a nice talk on campus several years ago. She was super cool and among the better literary speakers I saw at UT. What kind of thesis you working on? 

[YuppiesOfftheEastSide 28]

On 12/18/2023 at 8:39 PM, WholesomeChungusSocialist said:

Been working my way through Bret Easton Ellis' oeuvre. ... I'm kind of perplexed as to why he's so often regarded as a hack, provocateur, etc. Whatever, you know?

I don't have a good answer to this other than to point out that many of his contemporaries also have similar reputations -- many of them were wealthy, elite, and arrogant (though of course that's not particularly unusual among the 90s literary set). 

If you don't know it, this is a great article about the Bennington crew, especially Donna Tartt and Easton Ellis, and the shared influences they derived from this morally bankrupt place.

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a27434009/bennington-college-oral-history-bret-easton-ellis/

[WholesomeChungusSocialist 3]

1 hour ago, YuppiesOfftheEastSide said:

I don't have a good answer to this other than to point out that many of his contemporaries also have similar reputations -- many of them were wealthy, elite, and arrogant (though of course that's not particularly unusual among the 90s literary set). 

If you don't know it, this is a great article about the Bennington crew, especially Donna Tartt and Easton Ellis, and the shared influences they derived from this morally bankrupt place.

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a27434009/bennington-college-oral-history-bret-easton-ellis/

Yeah, I've been listening to his podcast for a while and know his general deal, but still I'm not sure how someone makes their way through his stuff and decides he's a hack. I've never listened to Once Upon a Time at Bennington -- can't stand its creator Lili Anolik; very well-off NY/Boston suburb mentality to her, with none of the talent or much of the taste that can go with that -- but might read this article anyway. 

Of his contemporaries, I think he's the only one who has been willing to engage with everything/everyone from Tarantino to Charlie Sheen to Kanye to Anthony Jeselnik to Gore Vidal to Edith Wharton. I really think he's the best American writer (of any medium) under 60 or so. Sure, you can say there isn't as much competition as there used to be in this regard, but I'd say there is -- it just takes a much different form than most might expect. 

[WholesomeChungusSocialist 3]

Also, I don't understand how Donna Tartt has sold so many books, not that that is indicative of much anymore (if it ever has been). Don't want to shit on her because she seems cool, but man she is far too much of a stylist for her own good. Similar to Camile Paglia in that respect, actually.

[YuppiesOfftheEastSide 28]

Good posts; you clearly know a lot more about these guys than I do. I did listen to the podcast, which felt a bit too indulgent and voyeuristic for me. That said, the article is mostly told in the voices of the people who were there, and their stories feel a lot more consumable in tiny excerpts than they did for me in podcast form. 

As I think I posted earlier in this thread, I love THE SECRET HISTORY for about as many reasons as I hate it. Didn't love THE GOLDFINCH even though I wanted to. BEE books are on my stack but haven't gotten there yet. Your endorsement will bump them up the list. Cheers

[WholesomeChungusSocialist 3]

Would've liked your comment, but have limited reactions for now. Again, don't want to critique her; her works just might not be for me. 

Since you haven't read any of his stuff, I'd start with Less Than Zero and then work your way forward in any order from there if you take to him. Having finished Glamorama since my first comment on him, I'd say that one's better than The Rules of Attraction, and probably better than American Psycho too. I'd place it with The Shards as either one or two depending on my mood, probably. 

Personally, I was first drawn to him when I noticed he was one of the only ones to eviscerate David Foster Wallace. He was right to imo; DFW was ashamed of his conservative leanings, far too obsessed with themes for his own good, and never could get over the clinical depression that plagued him throughout his life -- so much so that he was only ever a nonfiction writer who also tried to write novels.

Anyway, I write on the side, and he, Truman Capote, and Christopher Isherwood are probably my biggest (literary) influences to date. Can't exactly be objective when talking about any one of them, but how can you be objective about anyone in the arts/entertainment?

[SimonBolivar 10957]

On 12/24/2023 at 8:27 PM, YuppiesOfftheEastSide said:

What kind of thesis you working on? 

American history with a focus on civil religion as it pertains to presidential funerals and memory.

 

 

Really exciting and groundbreaking stuff 😂

[BearSchlong 8083]

Want to get it, but worry that it will be outdated. Wasn't it written like 15-20 years ago?
I started to read The Premonition but just couldn't get into it. Have read Moneyball and another ML book that I can't recall.

More like 35, and Michael Lewis is timeless, IMO. Always a good read, more so with the benefit of hindsight.

The Undoing Project is one of my favorites.

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

On 12/24/2023 at 3:24 PM, Post Oak said:

Just finished this.  I've been on a noir kick recently and I really enjoyed it.  

Short read.  It's lean.  He doesn't waste time or words getting to the story, which I appreciate.

Gonna watch the movie after Christmas

 

The movie is probably my favorite film noir.