Sozobe--It was the short story in the New Yorker that started my interest in Lethem. I hadn't even heard of him before, but I loved that story so much that I did some research. When I found out that the story was actually from his new novel, and I knew I had to read it. Between the story and the new novel, which I haven't started yet, I read his "Motherless Brooklyn", which I also loved...
I'm reading HappinessTM by Will Ferguson and some Literary Theory book
Book number 5 of the Zion Chronicles by Bodie and Brock Thoene.
Currently reading Ilium by Dan Simmons
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Lots of gross details. Sick and Crazy! Makes for a nice read.
There's a film on Sylvia and Ted coming out soon, Jollygood. I saw the preview the other night. They make the claim that she had the most important voice of the 20th Century, which, with all due respect, I think is nonsense.
Obviously that was Samuel Beckett...
Commerce of the Prairies by Josiah Gregg (again -- an old favorite).
I have to tell you all that I sat in on a wonderful discussion yesterday. There were 15 people, and we had all closely read two short stories:
Nobody Said Anything by Raymond Carver, and An Encounter by James Joyce.
There was complete attention to the stories and the text; no personal anecdotes, no private conversations going on, just rapt attention to the discussion at hand. Everyone was courteous.
It lasted two hours, and seemed like 15 minutes. Wow!
Sounds like heaven, Hazlitt! How do you know these people?
D'Art, I'm in a program at Northwestern University called Institute for Learning In Retirement. We are currently running about 35 to 40 classes. I think there are about 450 people enrolled. "Students" pay a flat fee and are entitled to take 3 classes. There are two 15 week semesters. The Classes are peer taught. In my case, I found another guy to go in with me and we presented a proposal to the curriculum committee for a short story discussion class which we call Four Masters of the Short Story. My buddy and I spent the summer reading our four authors and picking the stories that the class would discuss. Our proposal was accepted and printed in a catalog of courses. Eighteen people signed up, but three transferred to other classes, leaving us with 15.
On the first day of class I presented the schedule of stories (2 per week) and got students to sign up to lead the discussion on what ever date they choose.
There are ground rules:
The discussion leader must lead by asking questions to which the participants can respond. The leader absolutely cannot lecture. To do so is pure poison.
If you want to speak, you raise your hand, and wait until called on. This way you don't get everyone talking at once.
No talking to your neighbor or across the table while the recognized speaker is talking.
No monopolizing the conversation. The leader will cut you off.
Under now circumstances does anyone ever tell a personal anecdote. These are considered totally uninteresting in the class, but are okay at lunch.
As it turns out the people in our class come so well prepared and are so into the discipline of the discussion that following the discussion I leave the class walking on air.
You used exactly the language I always use in describing this program: It's like a dream come true.
Oh, Yes. One of the nice perks is that we have our own literary journal to which students can make submissions. It comes out once a year. Entries are submitted blind and chosen by two committees. The journal takes prose, poetry, photos, and fine art. Color photos and fine art are printed in full color.
I'm now in my 6th year in this program.
Kovel's Pattern Glass and a couple of other books on antique china and pottery.
Trying to get the nerve up to read
Fellowship of the Ring. I started it last week and couldn't read it.
Just finished
Jailbird, but Kurt Vonnegut. Man, what a writer! The pages just flow one after the other. . . not too many other writers I say that about.
Also finished
A Talent For War, a sci-fi offering by
Jack McDevitt. This guy can write. I've read several of his books, and I can't say enough good about the guy. If you like SciFi, check him out. You won't be disappointed.
Welcome to A2k Turner_727
dude where's my country? by Michael Moore
the language instict. How the mind creates language by Steven Pinker
And I'm still reading the Literary Theory one but I'm taking my time because we're having an exam on it.
Hazlitt, that sounds like a terrific program! Much better than the college courses I took as a lit major many years ago and the book group I was part of for a while. The college courses, including graduate seminars, quickly devolved into efforts by the students to impress the prof--and tear each other down.
It takes maturity, I guess, to appreciate the opportunity to discuss books without being competitive about it...
Hazlitt, that does sound interesting. So you were a student for five years with this program and are now co-sponsoring a class? Great.
I'm currently reading Cold Comfort Farm when I'm upstairs, and Children of God when I'm in the living room. The second book is a sequel to Sparrow, which I read last winter, a sci-fi I claimed could be known as "Jesuits in Space."
Andrea -- My son sent an email this morning saying he had just finished Dude, Where's My Country and wants his father and me to read it. He says it is strong evidence for him that Bush won't last through next November. (If only...)
What BOOK are you reading right now?
I just got started on Sea Biscuit, looks very promising. For fun I just finished Al Franken's book, Lies etc, a fair and balanced look at the right. I am also about halfway thru John Adams, and Roosevelts Secret War. The last two are chock full of facts and what have you, it is a little hard going.
Gave up on LOTR. Will try again later.
Picked up two Kurt Vonnegut books from the Library. Timequake and Breakfast of Champions. Timequake, according to him, is actually Timequake 2. I guess he revisitied it, and that's the edition I picked up.
Still trying to get all the books for Robin Hobb's two series, Royal Assassin and The LiveShip Traders.
Just started reading a collection of short stories by Hanif Kureishi - "Love in a blue time".....
.....When I get time from reading my end of year reports
