The Book Thread

[Grace]

Looks like I'm the only one reading

Just finished Gary Jobson: An American Sailing Story by Gary Jobson.

My brother, who almost never reads, recommended this to me. Gary Jobson has been a sailor all his life. He was the tactician on Courageous - winner of the 1977 America's Cup, skippered by Ted Turner.

I enjoyed this - interesting adventures and wonderful pictures. For those of us with a bit of salt water in our veins.

[phesina]

I'm still reading Scandinavian noir (?), mysteries and other weird stuff, even if I haven't checked in. I finished Mercy, which Carole tipped me off on, and thank you!

Then I read Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian mystery to do with past- and present-day Nazi and other fascist activity in Norway. This was especially relevant after the recent Norwegian bombing and shootings.

In fact, Jo Nesbo had a commentary in the New York Times about that a couple of weeks ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/op...nes&emc=tha212, saying essentially that Norway will never be the same again.

Then I re-read maybe the first Scandinavian-set mystery I'd ever come across, Death in a Cold Climate by Robert Barnard, who is actually British and at the time was Professor of English at the University of Tromso in northern Norway, which is where the story takes place.

Now I'm re-reading Smilla's Sense of Snow, which I read long ago when it was first out and popular. Since I don't remember any of the details from then, I'm finding it very well written.!

Aside from being a very intriguing mystery, this book is filling in for me some of the history of just what the relationship between Denmark and Greenland is, about which I don't know anything.

[tokolosh]

Looks like I'm the only one reading

That will never be, while I'm alive I never seem to be reading anything other people have ever heard of so anything I say about 'my' books is a monologue. However. . .

I'm reading A Fairly Honourable Defeat, by Iris Murdoch, not at all for the first time. Really like it. I like everything Murdoch - well, almost everything. Her very first and very last weren't quite 'there' for me. And I think I must have them all, somewhere around here. She was so incomprehensible and so heartless to her characters, and completely without pity. I find her comforting No matter how drab and awful and senseless your own life may seem, so long as you have Iris Murdoch at hand you never have to feel like this is the worst that could ever happen to you. Being one of her characters is the worst it can get on this earth, as far as purely mental torment goes.

She put them through such contortions. Always smiting them with sudden uncontrollable love for completely unsuitable people, messing around with their heads, trashing their lives . . . but she did write a few that were kind, in spite of all the turmoil. This one is one of them. It has what is probably the first gay couple I ever encountered in it, and I still think they're the only really believable, 'relate-to'-able gay relationship I've ever found in a book. It should probably be on reading lists for that reason alone.

[Catty1]

I read book one of the Stieg Larssen trilogy...and couldn't wait to read the other two!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

There were supposed to be 10 of these books. Sadly, Larssen died shortly after handing the first three in to his publisher. He died of a heart attack at age 50.

Half of the fourth one is still in his computer; you can read about the legal situation holding this up if you look him up on Wikipedia and other sites.