flight paths discussion

Sneekily extended the timeline to take in holiday with many books.

Just read January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her by Michael Schofield. It was mesmerizing and painful. Also awakened painful memories of my own experience with one of my children.

On holiday I intend to finish John Jakes' Kent Chronicles and leave the books at the library. Have taken Stephen Lawhead's The Skin Map for the return flight. (Having some interoperability issues with add book/author and progess update) hence the long hand and the seemingly slow reading.

I finished January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her, a gripping story about a subject I'm all too familiar with.

I also finished The Book of Disquiet which I totally adored & feel I must read again. Soon.

Have you read it Magdalenye-it seems like totally your kind of book. So smart & filled with poetry & philosophy & quirky besides.

Finished Under the Net last night. What a polite, low-stakes book. Snooze...

Starting House of Leaves today or tomorrow. Looks very interesting.

Also will be re-reading Hamlet in preparation for DFW's Infinite Jest next month.

re: Book of Disquiet, I went to add to my tbr list and lo! its already#50 :->

I am so annoyed that I have misplaced A Slender Thread: Rediscovering Hope at the Heart of Crisis just when I was getting into it....
States Of Emergency is a surprise stunner.

Still have not located Skin Map....i remember reading Under the Net when I was in Jerusalem,long ago. The feeling I got was that something profound was about to happen,but I finished it feeling like I must have missed something.I once saw a copy of house of leaves...it looked pretty baffling, no easy entry...

I wish I had more time to read right now, packing is slow and quite oddly emotional.

Packing is always emotional, I think. Revisiting your entire life awakens such memories.

And, completely irrelevantly, I think I'll reread Hamlet today. Last day off-hurray for the Jewish holidays.

Ellie wrote: "Packing is always emotional, I think. Revisiting your entire life awakens such memories.

And, completely irrelevantly, I think I'll reread Hamlet today. Last day off-hurray for the Jewish holidays."

Shana tova Ellie!
As you say" Revisiting your entire life awakens such memories.

:D

Finally finished States of Emergency and was able to begin another book but slender thread has got away.

Thinking about Ellie and Jim re reading Hamlet. Why?
when there is so much to read. Yes it is great. But I feel quite done with shakespeares melodramas (still treasure his sonnets)by the end of high school;_) So tell me, whats the point of that particular exercise?
(this is meant in a friendly,genuinely curious wondering kind of way, not a sneering or patronizing manner;->)

Magdelanye wrote: "Thinking about Ellie and Jim re reading Hamlet. Why? when there is so much to read..."

Possible reasons for reading Hamlet:

1. We've been lead astray by others
2. We thought it was a new kind of omelet with extra ham
3. The commercials said it would help reduce troublesome belly fat
4. It's Shakespeare's most famous play, in continual performance around the world for centuries
5. James Joyce devoted an entire chapter of Ulysses to a discussion of Hamlet as a metaphor for the English occupation of Ireland
6. Hamlet explores the universal conflicts* of human relations which have occupied all writers and artists from Gilgamesh and Homer to the present day and which will continue to preoccupy writers and artists for the rest of our existence as a species - AND - his exploration was rather well done (*who raped/killed/cuckolded/kidnapped my wife/husband/parent/child/friend/lover and how must I avenge said transgression)
7. Next month we're reading Infinite Jest and a DFW website told us to brush up on our Hamlet (see reason #1 above) because:
a. The title 'Infinite Jest' comes from Hamlet
b. First two words of Hamlet are "Who's there?" and the first two words of Infinite Jest are "I am..."
(i)this one's a bit of a reach
(ii) we're impressionable youths (see reason #1)
c. Infinite Jest deals with the ideas enumerated in reason #6 above
8. Just because...

I think it's probably #1-I'm very impressionable.

But, if it's not #1 then probably because of 7 (or 8). Anything that helps with IJ is welcome.

Then too, I happen to really love Hamlet. I've seen maybe 6 or 7 productions, maybe more, and never get tired of it. Mostly because of the poetry of it but then too I'm uncomfortably fond of Ophelia.

I didn't know about the belly fat. That's undoubtedly the most important reason. Maybe I'll read it twice.

I'll ignore the fact that Joyce used it. :(
I am not, repeat not rereading Ulysses.

Ellie wrote: I am not, repeat not rereading Ulysses..."

You'll be back. They always come back! (wicked laughter, fade to black)

Another reason is that I know that in school districts in California, reading lists are subject to racial politics. Anything by "dead white guys" is looked down upon as retrograde oppression of the masses. With that in mind, whenever I can encourage people to read great literature and check their politics at the door, I do so.

I found this stage production from 1964 starring Richard Burton, directed by John Gielgud (who also does the offstage voice of the ghost). The image and sound quality aren't great, but it's a piece of Broadway history worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRU5yL...

Thanks for the link Jim. I went to watch yesterday but got distracted (what a surprise) and will watch today.

Am almost finished the DFW bio, Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace & am really enjoying it. Interesting comments on his work.

I got distracted because I received a copy of a book I won from LibraryThing, The Pather Panchali of Satyajit Ray: An Illustrated Study which is a very technical analysis of the film. So while I was at YouTube, I thought I'd check to see if I could watch the film & online and, bless YT, there was.

So I spent a great afternoon watching a wonderful film & using the book as a kind of DVD commentary. If you haven't seen the movie (it's the first in the Apu trilogy), you really should. I think you'd enjoy it greatly. And the book was actually exciting to read along with the film. I think it might be too difficult for me simply by itself. It's meant as a companion.

Good thing I have odd definitions of fun!

By the way, I have an old LP recording of the Burton Hamlet PLUS I actually saw it onstage (true, I was only 11 but still, it was very exciting).

Ellie wrote: "Thanks for the link Jim. I went to watch yesterday but got distracted (what a surprise) and will watch today.

Am almost finished the DFW bio, Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Fos..."

The Apu Trilogy is an amazing cinematic creation. The first time I saw it I was overwhelmed! Thank Shiva for Satyajit Ray!

Yes. Exactly.

Finished but disappointed with The Skin Map.
Mixed reaction to the austen type Death comes to Pemberley by PD James.
Finished Mr Jakes' Kent Family Chronicles.
And have now returned to one of my favourite universes - Dune.
Oh yes and lest I forget, still hanging out with Rebus.

Kinkajou wrote: "Ice wrote: "...And have now returned to one of my favourite universes - Dune..."

Legitimate question not intended to cast aspersions on great male science fiction writers :-)

As much as I enjoyed..."

Maybe sci-fi writers couldn't get dates with women and so had an axe to grind - LOL!!!

Given the current title of my Dune book is 'Sisterhood of Dune' I am tempted to rest my case m'lady !

So good to see you guys together again. :)

I'm reading Scarlett Thomas as a break from Infinite Jest. I take back what I said about the prose. Entire paragraphs go by leaving me clueless.

My review will be short and concise and without spoilers. In chronological terms its number 7 of 17 and rising.

For once, it was good to liv in the Bronx!

I'm sorry about your partner. Check in whenever you can-it's always so good to hear from you. And maybe it will help you step outside of the chaos for a minute.

so glad to see happenings,
did you hear me calling out your names as I reached a mountain peak,lets see,was a couple of weeks ago...
do I need to apologize for being so scattered?
I will, I do,but timed computers and old ones
I find myself dancing my prayers, knocked out by the energy