What 📔book are you reading right now?

Olorgando said:

The third of four books on Jazz that my dad must have bought in the early-to-mid 1960's, among the few books of my parents that I saved for our already overstuffed "library" when I had to clear my mother's large apartment twelve years ago. One is a biography of sorts of Duke Ellington, copyright of the German translation 1961, a collection of essays and articles. One is the German translation of a Danish (!!!) lexicon of Jazz that strays into the mid-1960's in some entries. And two are books by German "authorities" on Jazz, both copyrighted 1961.

It's fascinating to read about veterans born in the 1880's still being somewhat active, and people born in the late 1920's to mid-1930's being considered "hopeful young musicians" ... 😬

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Now on the fourth book of this collection of my dad's. This one's occasionally a tough slog, as the author (as far as I can tell - not very far!) assumes at least some familiarity with music theory for parts of what he writes. This is Appendix E territory for me, where JRRT goes into philology beyond me (parts of HoMe are even more incomprehensible for me ... 🥴 ).

Starbrow said:

Have you read Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic?
I am in awe of what those men accomplished. I will have to read Worsley account to see how it differs.

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I just realized that you were posting about the same book I was talking about in my later post.
I didn't notice that at first because you didn't mention the author, and you also mentioned the Subtitle, which I had forgotten.
How 'bout that 1300km voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the James Caird, an open boat?!!
The navigated the Drake Passage which is considered one of the most treacherous bodies of water on earth.
It took them 17 days and they did it in this:

Deimos said:

in the cards

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thank you for using this idiom. i decided to look it up. interesting.

Ent said:

thank you for using this idiom. i decided to look it up. interesting.

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Evocative, too 😄😉

Squint-eyed Southerner said:

You may also like to try this aptly-titled memoir by a member of Scott's ill-fated expedition.
View attachment 20632

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I've got this but haven't read it yet. I thought I'd read the Worsley book first as it's short and so can serve as an intro to this Antarctic literature.

Starbrow said:

Have you read Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic?
I am in awe of what those men accomplished. I will have to read Worsley account to see how it differs.

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No I haven't got this one - looks good though.

What book are you reading right now?

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Right now?

Eyewitness: BIBLE LANDS.

Deimos said:

Still trying to locate a particular and affordable edition of The Mysteries of Udolpho, but that edition, even not in the best condition, is priced in the hundreds of dollars. 😱

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Are you trying to find a first edition? 😳
Mine's an Oxford paperback. 😄

Squint-eyed Southerner said:

Are you trying to find a first edition? 😳
Mine's an Oxford paperback. 😄

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No, not [necessarily] a FE. I'm not a "Book Collector", just a reader.
But different people write the intros for different editions.
I choose the edition of a book based on several factors.
If it's originally in a language other than English, and has been translated, the faithfulness of the translation to the original is the primary factor.
Then I look at the intro/commentary and especially the foot/end notes.
Then there is the construction of the book. I prefer hardbacks, and the binding to be sewn, not glued (cf. "stirred, not shaken" 😄)
Along with the construction would be the overall condition. I'd like the book to be at least GOOD if not Very Good condition.
But many book sellers play fast and loose with the adjective "Good", which is why I prefer the condition to be "Very Good" , because then I know it will probably be in what I would describe as at least Good Condition.

The Mysteries edition I'm looking for is the 2 vol set published by Everyman's Library around 1940 (I think it was around that time).
Most of the time I've only seen Vol 2 available (when all the action takes place 😄).
The one time I found the set that was in better than Good Condition , the price was several hundred dollars.
Of course, if I finally can't find what I want at a price I'm willing to pay, I'll get it in paperback, (and still keep looking) but who writes the intro and footnotes is still a very important factor (for me anyway)

Rivendell_librarian said:

Also reading Shackleton's Boat Journey by the captain of the Endurance: Frank Worsley. Wonderful descriptions of Antarctic hardships with temperatures in Fahrenheit and a great sense of exploring the unknown with little previous knowledge of how to do it - rather like the Apollo moon programme.

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After re-reading all the posts about the Shackleton expedition, it must be the Worsley book that is the other "best version" that I couldn't at the moment recall in my post.
Published in 1931 and written by an eyewitness, the captain himself.... can't get much closer to the real event than that 😉.

Squint-eyed Southerner said:

Are you trying to find a first edition? 😳
Mine's an Oxford paperback. 😄

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Oxford University Press generally has very good editions of the classics, good commentary/notes and, if the book was originally not in English, faithful translations.
I have the OUP editions of Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and also Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
I bought those editions for those two reasons; the translations are completely faithful to the original (French), and the commentaries/notes are comprehensive.

In between more testing volumes (JRRT, physics, evolution etc.) I like to cleanse my palate with an easy read usually a biography or similar. Recent books have been Freaky Dancin' (Bez of Happy Mondays fame) and This is a Call (Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters amongst many others, to about 2011 or so). Both excellent in their ownway. The current one is Madness, Before We Was We. It's a lively account in their own words of the life as they grew up and formed the band. Really nice to see into their heads in a sense.

Squint-eyed Southerner said:

Our Mutual Friend, one of his most complex novels, opens with perhaps the grimmest scene in all his works -- as well as introducing a character who gave us the term "podsnappery".

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I found a pdf of the novel and read the first chapter.
(To read any further I will get a copy from the library.)
You are right; the opening scenes and those immediately following are quite grim.
One might even say "icky" 😬.

I'm reading A Man Called Ove, which I got for Christmas. I'm enjoying it.

Starbrow said:

I'm reading A Man Called Ove, which I got for Christmas. I'm enjoying it.

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Ooh yes that’s a good book! I recently read it for Literature class. 😊

Starbrow said:

I'm reading A Man Called Ove, which I got for Christmas. I'm enjoying it.

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Did you decide to read it because of the movie (A Man Called Otto)? Which is remake of the Swedish movie a Man Called Ove, which is a dramatization of the book you are reading. (Wow., what a chain of causality 😬).
Anyway, just curious as to what prompted you to read it.
I have no interest in the Tom Hanks remake, but I might watch the original Swedish movie (with subtitles, of course), but I am leaning toward reading the book first.

Having just finished 'Before We Was We' by Madness in their own words (I usually read a palette cleanser between more complex books or often something different) I am now back with Pippin and Gandalf in Minas Tirith reading 'The Return of the King'. Alongside my main book I am still working through Dante's 'Divine Comedy' canto by canto and as I go I'm illustrating the Tolkien with 'The Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-earth'

Amon Rudh said:

Dante's 'Divine Comedy'

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I love that one...so much philosophy and deep meaning behind it!

Vairë said:

I love that one...so much philosophy and deep meaning behind it!

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I have a friend who LOVES that book! May be worth a read one of these days.

Deimos said:

I might watch the original Swedish movie (with subtitles, of course), but I am leaning toward reading the book first.

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I would read the book first because then you’ll see the differences and stuff. The book is definitely better (of course) because it has more details and you can really dive into it. The movie is pretty good, but it’s nothing compared to the book. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading it because it’s very touching and also pretty funny.