Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Ghost of a Model T

It doesn't seem to matter that I'm reading this out of order. the stories don't seem to be arranged in any order that I can identify. But so far they're all good.

Well, mostly good. There were one or two that didn't really grab me.

Next up: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. A re-read for a book club.

[drofgnal]

Well after finishing the last Shannara quadrilogy and a few Reacher books over the holidays, I'm reading A WWI historical fiction novel by Rhys Bowen, the Victory Garden. It's ok, not great. After this I'm thinking of a reread of Hugh Howey's Silo story. It's been a long time since I read it, and I'm currently watching the Apple TV+ series.

[Uncle Robin]

Currently 20% into Iceland's 1100 Years: The History of a Marginal Society By Gunnar Karlsson. It's very interesting, but also an extremely thorny read. #TooEasy #SorryNotSorry

[issybird]

Originally Posted by issybird

Reading Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London by Lauren Elkin, a mashup of women writers and walking; it would be hard to think of anything more to my taste.

And it turned out to be not very good. A lot of disorganized, self-indulgent twaddle with a very unfortunate section on Tokyo which would have been better off excised, since it was both irrelevant and judgmental.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by issybird

And it turned out to be not very good.

Thanks, you saved me a bit of a read.

If you want a book on walking there is always Eric Newby's, "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush". It's a travel book precipitated by the immortal telegram, "CAN YOU TRAVEL NURISTAN JUNE".

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Renate

If you want a book on walking there is always Eric Newby's, "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush". It's a travel book precipitated by the immortal telegram, "CAN YOU TRAVEL NURISTAN JUNE".

Eric Newby is excellent; I've read most of him including his non-travel memoirs about his experiences as a POW and his early job in the fashion industry. My own favorite book about a long walk and probably my favorite travel book of all time is Patrick Leigh Fermor's A Time of Gifts.

I've started A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Timothy Egan. I like pilgrimage stories, which tend to involve a lot of walking; I just wish there were more non-Christian pilgrimage accounts out there. There are some about the Shikoku pilgrimage in Japan but beyond that they're few on the ground, especially in digital. I am bored reading about the Camino de Santiago.

[Renate]

Yeah, I was very interested in the Camino de Santiago until I found out that scallops only play a minor role.

Also 0.5 million visitors in 2024 seems a bit too busy for me.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Renate

Also 0.5 million visitors in 2024 seems a bit too busy for me.

And every one of those half million seems to have a (bad) book in them.

It makes me think of those pictures of Everest with the long line of climbers waiting for their moment at the summit. It's like an escalator at Macy's Herald Square on Christmas Eve.

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by issybird

Eric Newby is excellent; I've read most of him including his non-travel memoirs about his experiences as a POW and his early job in the fashion industry. My own favorite book about a long walk and probably my favorite travel book of all time is Patrick Leigh Fermor's A Time of Gifts.

I've started A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Timothy Egan. I like pilgrimage stories, which tend to involve a lot of walking; I just wish there were more non-Christian pilgrimage accounts out there. There are some about the Shikoku pilgrimage in Japan but beyond that they're few on the ground, especially in digital. I am bored reading about the Camino de Santiago.

I'm fond of the literary pilgrimage subgenre, walks inspired by travel writing which discuss both the past work and their present travels.
On the Narrow Road to the Deep North by Lesley Downer is the reason I own a number of translations of Matsuo Basho's classic.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by ekbell

I'm fond of the literary pilgrimage subgenre, walks inspired by travel writing which discuss both the past work and their present travels.
On the Narrow Road to the Deep North by Lesley Downer is the reason I own a number of translations of Matsuo Basho's classic.

I also liked On the Narrow Road. You’re probably aware of it, but if not, I’ll recommend a narrative of a Shikoku pilgrimage done by a woman in 1918, The 1918 Shikoku Pilgrimage of Takamure Itsue. It’s much closer to the original spirit of the pilgrimage than contemporary narratives with their tour buses and roadside vending machines.

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by issybird

I also liked On the Narrow Road. You’re probably aware of it, but if not, I’ll recommend a narrative of a Shikoku pilgrimage done by a woman in 1918, The 1918 Shikoku Pilgrimage of Takamure Itsue. It’s much closer to the original spirit of the pilgrimage than contemporary narratives with their tour buses and roadside vending machines.

Thanks, I wasn't aware of it and now I have something to look forward to.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Well, mostly good. There were one or two that didn't really grab me.

Next up: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. A re-read for a book club.

Very good indeed, if a bit horrifying.


Next up: Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin. A recent purchase that my wife wanted. Let's see if I like it enough to put any future books on a watch list.

[Renate]

I recommend "Knife Skills for Beginners" by Inigo Montoya.

I'm not very good with a knife, but I do demand that it be sharp and I'll give it a few licks with a ceramic rod before addressing an onion. Fortunately it does not matter how long it takes me to dice an onion. If I had a 50 pound sack to do, it would.

"A Farewell to Arms" just hit public domain and is on Project Gutenberg.

[issybird]

I don’t feel as if I’m about to say farewell to my arms when I use a kitchen knife, but a farewell to fingers seems a definite possibility. I can’t cook.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I finished up Woolf last night and have now finished all of these. Now I've got:

Audio:
Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King (some nice brain candy to continue this series while I am driving)

Kobo:
Private Rites by Julia Armfield (part of my challenge to read books picked by my wife)

Paperback:
The Claremont Run: Subverting Gender in the X-Men by J. Andrew Deman

Audio:
Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King - this series is really declining in quality. This is the last one she gets out of me. They are primarily my light car listening, but my patience is wearing thin.

Kobo:
I finished Private Rites, which I really enjoyed. Started Emily Tesh's Some Desperate Glory, which picked up a handful of sci-fi awards in 2023.

Paperback:
The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry.