Member: tros

Heh, kif.

At some point in my dotage, I intend to revisit all my former vices. Until then, as much as I can, I intend to uphold my facade of respectable citizenry.

Regards,
Makif

posted by Makifat at 11:35 am (EST) on Jan 5, 2012

Oops. No to A. Merrit, but now I'm informed.

posted by LizzieD at 11:03 pm (EST) on Dec 19, 2011

Hi, Tros! I'm always glad to hear from you, and I see 405 mutualities - that's a bunch!
I'm a great, great *Dance* fan and have read some other A. Powell too. In fact, I intend to reread the 12 - 3rd time through, I think, next year. I have some friends who are reading him for the first time. And I only just now realized that there were videos, so I treated myself to DVDs and hope to watch them over the holidays. It's a great looking series, but it seems to me as if everything is happening in double-time.
I wish you a Merry Christmas or Happy Other Holiday!
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 10:53 pm (EST) on Dec 19, 2011

I need to read it yet myself. A friend in Charlottesville has run the press since the early 90s; he's turned out quite a few interesting titles. Here's a link the website:

http://www.hypocritepress.org/

posted by benwaugh at 8:35 am (EST) on Nov 18, 2011

I have a pipe or two from my dad from the late 60's, called, curiously enough "The Pipe". One is black and one is fire engine red. The story was they were made of some material developed by NASA. Quite likely, because when you smoke them, they heat up faster than a shuttle tile on re-entry. Nice as conversation pieces. Perhaps they are worth something.

Regards,
Maki

posted by Makifat at 3:22 pm (EST) on Oct 27, 2011

Tros,

I noticed you gave Five Branded Women a high rating. I have not heard of the book or the writer. Could you give me a few details about the book?

Thanks,
urania

posted by urania1 at 3:11 pm (EST) on Oct 21, 2011

Hi, Tros. Thanks for your note and friend request. I must admit I haven't really listened to the artists you mentioned, as I tend to like my world music a bit more traditional & raw, but if you have specific suggestions (i.e., some albums or tracks to try), I'm definitely open. Looking forward to perusing your library!

Best,
Nancy

posted by mylittleyellowshoe at 1:25 am (EST) on Oct 16, 2011

Hi Tros. Good to hear from you. I started with a pipe way back in 1980, interestingly enough while I was reading the entire Sherlock Holmes corpus (the stories just called out for a pipe!). I've smoked ciggies and stogies on occasion over the years, but aside from books, I've never been an addictive personality. Growing up with my parents alcoholism probably put me on what the Buddhists and Stoics call the Middle Way. I've had my moments of excess, but I've usually been able to walk out of the party before having to be carried out, if you catch my drift. Of course, these assertions are only based on what I can actually remember, mind you, and there have been isolated events in which I've veered perilously far over the yellow line...

But you asked about the pipes/tobacco, not an autobiography. I have accumulated a few nice pipes (and a lot of cheapies), but I tend to really only rotate only two or three of the most enjoyable ones, a Cellini bent and my long-time favorite Sumerler 2000. For tobacco, my typical blend is an aromatic called "Private Reserve" or something. I like aromatics, but my days with Latakia are behind me. I go for tasty, smooth, and cheap. I miss living in the DC metro area, when I could pop into Georgetown tobacco for some interesting stuff.

Now married w/ children, my pipe-smoking is strictly an outdoor affair, and living in Phoenix when summer temps at midnight are in triple digits (not to mention the constant threat of aggressive GIANT FLYING COCKROACHES), and winter can be surprisingly cold in the late hours, I just don't get to a pipe as often as I'd like. Now, I have tried, as a desparate measure, to smoke in the pool, with the water up to my neck, but then you can't read without risk of a sopping wet book, and reading is a necessary adjunct to pipe smoking. Life is Hell, if you haven't yet noticed.

Regards,
Maki

posted by Makifat at 1:46 am (EST) on Sep 29, 2011

I forgot the artist's name.... But of nearer interest: it looks as though you were influenced by the limoncello business. Have you brewed any up yet? Really nice stuff - but serves up quite the brain tumor if done to excess - or so I've heard.

You can also make arancello (oranges). This one's on my winter to-do list (does one goal a list make?). According to a Sicilian contact, there are similar recipes for basil and for pistacchio. I am less curious about these. Ignore all recipes that call for vodka. Grain alcohol is the way to go.

posted by benwaugh at 8:49 am (EST) on Sep 23, 2011

So many books, so little time. No I haven't read anything else yet, tho I have the Red Carnation. I'm reading Volokhonsky and Pevear's War and Peace right now: not a lot of extra time, with this going on too...

posted by Himalmitra at 6:36 am (EST) on Aug 8, 2011

Hi back, your library seems pretty eclectic too, and as it happens, we share a lot of relatively obscure writers...More books to follow (I'm about 2/3 done, with luck).

posted by Himalmitra at 8:03 pm (EST) on Aug 7, 2011

Cool! I think I read Twilight of the Elephant in a Vittorini Omnibus I had in college, but I don't remember it too well (or at all). I re-read Conversations in Sicily last year, and was reminded then of how much I enjoyed it the first time. I need to seek out more Vittorini the next time I go to the library. If you get the chance to read Conversations in Sicily, keep Pedro Páramo in mind...

Matt

posted by msjohns615 at 9:39 am (EST) on Aug 4, 2011

Thanks for the confirmation, Tros. I don't know when I'll get to it, but the first page assures me that I didn't make a mistake when I bought it.
Have you read/do you recommend Noel Hynd's ghost stories? I just yielded to summer impulse and bought a couple. I think I remember one of his spy novels as being quite O.K.
Meanwhile, reading your mail: "homemade limoncello" - YUM!
I also intend to mend my Rosamond Lehmann ignorance this month.
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 6:56 pm (EST) on Aug 3, 2011

The Jokers by Cossery was a great recommedation - perverse and very funny. Just what I needed. Thanks!

posted by benwaugh at 8:34 am (EST) on Jul 9, 2011

Does it show? Needless to say, I woke up on the couch at 3AM with a glass at my feet and the book on my lap. Strange times call for extreme measures.

posted by benwaugh at 3:48 pm (EST) on Jun 9, 2011

I am reading Chinese Ghosts now (the damned Blackwood is at the abandoned desmene!) in between shots of homemade limoncello.

posted by benwaugh at 11:08 pm (EST) on Jun 8, 2011

Thta one's been on my list for months, thank you for the nudge!

posted by benwaugh at 10:38 pm (EST) on May 9, 2011

By the way - the title of that Fini painting you were curious about is "Cortege".

posted by benwaugh at 12:22 pm (EST) on May 9, 2011

Ah--I see now. I originally searched for "The Devil From Nanking" which produced no results in LT. When I search for "The Devil In Nanking", however, LT lists the book Tokyp. LT's title search is not very forgiving...

posted by SilentInAWay at 5:25 am (EST) on Apr 26, 2011

The Devil of Nanking -- at first this sounds familiar, so I look it up in LibraryThing -- what? Noone in LT owns this book?? Seriously? So then I search amazon, read the publisher's description, scan the first review; not at all what I expected. Now I'm thinking I haven't heard of this after all. Mistook it for The Devils of Loudun or The Rape of Nanking or something. I don't know. So...I'm going to go with "I've never heard of it, but it sounds intriguing...so I've ordered a copy from amazon...thanks for the heads up!!"

posted by SilentInAWay at 5:02 am (EST) on Apr 26, 2011

I have a friend in Japan whose is a big fan of mysteries written by Miyuki Miyabe -- an author who apparently works in many genres. I see that you have All She Was Worth -- my friend told me that this is a good book, although it is in some ways atypical for this author (I wish I could remember why it is atypical...). At any rate, have you read this book yet and, if so, what did you think of it?

posted by SilentInAWay at 8:45 pm (EST) on Apr 25, 2011

This is Leonor Fini, but I can't recall the title of the picture. She is the artist who designed the sets and costumes for the Parisian production of Oskar Panizza's The Council of Love.

Speaking of what else is lurking there, do you like Giuseppe Arcimboldo?

posted by benwaugh at 5:14 pm (EST) on Apr 25, 2011

Good to see another Masako Togawa fan!

Well, I hope to become one, at least. I was given Lady Killer as a gift and recently stumbled across a used copy of The Master Key. I must confess to having read neither yet, however...

posted by SilentInAWay at 3:00 am (EST) on Apr 25, 2011

Haven't heard of them, but will most definitely look them up!

posted by Makifat at 1:35 am (EST) on Apr 21, 2011

Yes, Durer. An old favorite. Not sure who the bearded gent is or who painted him, but substitute a glass of Jameson's for the crystal ball, and it could be yours truly...

posted by Makifat at 11:57 pm (EST) on Apr 20, 2011

Good to hear from you again, Tros. Confession time. I own several Rosamund Lehmanns but haven't read any. I have them because they are Virago Modern Classics, the imprint of a feminist press dedicated to bringing back significant or neglected women writers from the past and publishing contemporary women who might otherwise not be heard of. Most of the time their authors possess some literary quality, but they publish some others simply because they are historically important (as, for example, Valley of the Dolls). I'm guessing that Lehmann is intrinsically worth reading, and she likely also is a good representative of women's writing in the 30's. I'd be interested in what you think if you read one. I will get to her eventually since I'm always reading a VMC.
I wonder whether you ever tried Miéville. The City & The City turned out not to be my favorite, but it was plenty good. I haven't gotten to Kraken and by the time I do, he'll no doubt have something else out. I also wonder whether you know K.J. Parker. If you looked at my profile, you saw reference to the first couple of her *Engineer Trilogy*. Again, I think you would enjoy this series. Check out a review or two!
Keep reading and come back and visit sometime!
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 5:32 pm (EST) on Feb 17, 2011

Juicy title, eh? Most of it is history and essays but he did include translations of some "forbidden" material, e.g. a work of philosophy-porno.

posted by slickdpdx at 9:31 am (EST) on Feb 9, 2011

Wonderful! It is one of my favorite art books. Glad you're enjoying it!

posted by Makifat at 8:20 pm (EST) on Jan 4, 2011

Hi tros,
yes, I did. The book in question falls under the category investigative journalism. I really liked his style of reporting about the situation in Havana. A good mix of facts and human interest, and I learned a couple of new Spanish words as well ;)

posted by Amelsfort at 6:16 am (EST) on Dec 29, 2010

I'm happy you found an affordable copy of the Gibson book. It's a tremendous resource, and I think you'll find it fascinating.

posted by Makifat at 2:17 am (EST) on Dec 28, 2010

Hi Tros,
Sorry for the delay... I searched the internet but cannot find english translations of his work, only titles in spanish. It seems Amir Valle is a topic for spanish reading people only.
Well, maybe a publisher can do something about this?
Enjoy Christmas,
Ingrid

posted by Amelsfort at 10:22 am (EST) on Dec 23, 2010

Oh yes, saw it. Jodorowsky--I saw Holy Mountain (not sure I'm remembering the title right...)

posted by LolaWalser at 10:20 am (EST) on Dec 14, 2010

Ah, well, thank you. I may cannibalize your library for my wishlists. Where in California do you live.

Irene

posted by IreneF at 6:31 pm (EST) on Nov 27, 2010

Also, no one peels potatoes like that. There was another Akerman link on youtube and it was no better, but the complete opposite. Hyperactive camera, shooting in black and white, following a frantic young lady around...

posted by slickdpdx at 2:36 pm (EST) on Nov 9, 2010

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2010/11/01/a-filmy-kind-of-dread/

Thought you might like this short piece on Simenon's Pedigree and Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975). Neither of which I have read or viewed, respectively.

I should be visiting more often for the profile pic updates alone!

posted by slickdpdx at 11:43 pm (EST) on Nov 8, 2010

I like your favorite authors list. Brings back good memories. And hope you eventually add more of your music albums--it was fun to see the cajun and blues items in your "most recent activity" section. Saw we share a J. J. Cale selection and decided to put him on while I catalog Sharyn McCrumb's Ballad series (looking forward to a Nebraska winter in the Appalachias). Am listening to the Road to Escondido album he did with Eric Clapton. I was in Escondido once 100 years ago thinking of applying for a teaching job. Had no idea it was so close to Cale's hometown in California. A road not taken. Instead I took a job on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota and discovered Bob Dylan.

posted by catmeyoo at 12:07 pm (EST) on Oct 28, 2010

AND Mucha, AND the rest of the Pre-Raphaelites. Glad to meet you. May I browse?

posted by 2wonderY at 10:35 am (EST) on Oct 21, 2010

Re: Hedayat
13 stories? Gotta get it. Thanks for the review!

-Maki

posted by Makifat at 12:51 am (EST) on Jul 10, 2010

I've read the story in the UT "40 Years After" volume, but not the stories in the more recent collection of Hedayat pieces published by OneWorld or some such similar press. Is it good? I was so taken by The Blind Owl that I fear anything else wound be a disappointment.

posted by Makifat at 6:30 pm (EST) on Jun 29, 2010

Here's a review of the Endore (also published as "Methinks the Lady"): http://www.dondammassa.com/R4A2010.htm

I have not read it yet (nor the Werewolf of Paris). I still need to get to Carco as well. I have been obsessed lately with Jean Ray. I haven't heard or heard of Joe Louis Walker... until youtube a minute ago (way out of the loop on contemporary/living people ;).

posted by benwaugh at 2:17 pm (EST) on Jun 8, 2010

I like James Melville and almost worship Herman, but China Mieville is something else altogether. I think you should hurry to find *PSS* at the very least! It's kind of, sort of steam punk with a good horror component that I think you'll like. I also think a good bit of it is pretty profound. I didn't write a review of it here, and a lot of other people prefer The Scar, but one thing I like about *PSS* is the city, New Crobuzon. Pretty amazing stuff!
I'm off to see what reviews I think are valid.

posted by LizzieD at 9:25 pm (EST) on Jun 6, 2010

Hey, Tros!
Interesting pictures in your gallery!
I don't remember The Last Best Friend - need to hunt it out to see when and where I got it. No doubt, it was cheap; that's my price.
Do you read China Mieville? I'm excited about getting to The City and The City. I haven't read anything of his that I prefer to Perdido Street Station though. In fact, I'm going to look for it in your library and tell you that if you don't have it, it's a must-have.
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 8:42 pm (EST) on Jun 6, 2010

Aloha! Are you familiar with the singer Sugar Pie Desanto? Any idea if any of her stuff is on lp (comps or otherwise)? Incredible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZIzF2uC9MM

posted by benwaugh at 10:33 pm (EST) on May 16, 2010

Sadly none of my regional libraries carry any of Charles Williams's novels (reprinted or original). I'm not at all surprised either given that they are both rare and valuable. I did come across a new copy of 'A Touch of Death' on Amazon, although I much prefer the original or at least a 2nd printing if I can get my mucky hands on one. I've been reading on the internet that some of CW reprints were inferior and that does worry me.

It's the story of my existence. I consistently fancy books that are either out of print or exclusively printed in another country. I reckon that is half the fun is in the search - like seeking buried treasures on a budget.

posted by CindyBytes at 6:11 pm (EST) on May 11, 2010

Terribly sorry for my delayed reply but I've been out of town for a couple of weeks and only returned last night. I seriously wish I had a laptop at times. Anyway, I did enjoy Dead Calm very much (finished reading it about a week ago). I'm going to check out his other books as well, including the few you recommended. I've seen all those vintage covers of Hot Spot, Hill Girl, and River Girl, but I never knew his books were anymore than cheap pulp fiction. I wasn't aware that he was one of the top crime fiction writers of all time. In fact, I didn't know the film Dead Calm (same name) was based on one of his books until recently...duh. O well, I'm glad I know now. I believe many of his books are in reprints - at least I hope so. It took me awhile to find an old copy of Dead Calm that was affordable. I hope I won't have trouble finding copies of his other titles.

posted by CindyBytes at 7:36 pm (EST) on May 10, 2010

Is Moe's still around? I once did a reading there, with a buncha poets. What with independents biting the dust every few months, I wouldn't be surprised if it was gone, as I heard Cody's was, folding up a year or so ago.

posted by copyedit52 at 1:11 pm (EST) on May 1, 2010

I think it's usually translated as "Still Walking." You can find out about it on the IMDB. There is a DVD out with English subtitles. It was released by Bandai. Don't know about availability outside Japan.

posted by dcozy at 6:01 pm (EST) on Apr 27, 2010

Have you seen Aruite mo Aruite mo yet? Kore'eda's masterpiece, and that's saying a lot.

He was, I believe, unable to find an American distributor for it. As Donald Richie put it, it was too good.

posted by dcozy at 2:22 am (EST) on Apr 26, 2010

So many beautiful covers too. Snooping around a book shop is the only reliable way to see those before you buy 'em.

posted by slickdpdx at 7:12 pm (EST) on Apr 13, 2010

Whose estate sale did you recently hit? Its been fascinating watching the titles roll by!

posted by slickdpdx at 6:14 pm (EST) on Apr 9, 2010

Hey, tros! You must be here now....
No, I haven't read *Dead Don't Lie*, but I think that some of my Kaminsky must be in the attic. I thought I had more. And I didn't read Koenig; I have a vague recollection of his name, but didn't take time to pinpoint what he wrote.
As you see, I've been giving most of my time to women writers - not your thing at all, I gather. I'm also swimming along through *Infinite Jest* which I find amazing in lots and lots of ways.

posted by LizzieD at 11:01 pm (EST) on Apr 4, 2010

*grin* Oh yeah. THAT dope thief review. I think it was pimped at Le Salon.

posted by LizzieD at 8:01 pm (EST) on Apr 4, 2010

Oh man. I missed Kaminsky's death. I know somebody who wore a black armband when Nicholas Freeling died; I guess I won't go that far, but I'll miss him.
That's good news about Blackwater. I feel more secure in my investment now.
(I'm off to read the dope thief review!)
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 7:58 pm (EST) on Apr 4, 2010

Thank you! I'll give them a try.

posted by bcquinnsmom at 12:31 pm (EST) on Mar 23, 2010

Love that dope thief review.

posted by slickdpdx at 1:15 pm (EST) on Mar 4, 2010

Well, how can I compete with High Art and nekkid ladies?

posted by Makifat at 5:05 pm (EST) on Feb 21, 2010

I'll need to look up the Mussett story. Reminds me of a short story (Entrance Fee?) I read recently in the anthology Bachelor's Quarters, about a group of French schoolboys who pool their resources to have a lottery, wherein one of the boys (the lucky one) would get to spend the night with France's most beautiful courtesan. After a lovely night, the boy spills the beans, and the courtesan is so touched that she returns his money - but only his money, the 5 francs he had paid into the lottery. Strangely, the story was not by a French author at all, but was written by the humorist Alexander Woolcott.

posted by Makifat at 3:37 pm (EST) on Feb 12, 2010

I'm enjoying your respectable Victorian soft porn gallery (the one with the satyrs once graced my library wall in a previous existence). I particularly like the ruffian taking post-coital leave of the alabaster skinned lovely.

Please let me know if you enjoy the Bruisov.

posted by Makifat at 11:03 am (EST) on Feb 11, 2010

Almost everyone else has music titles - but start with the Library of Congress. Columbia and U. of Chicago are good for blues and jazz; the DC consortium is good for classical. I entered a fair deal in manually as well.

posted by benwaugh at 9:42 am (EST) on Feb 11, 2010

Thanks so much for the link to *Tros*. When I'm in a more alert state, I'll try to download it to my Kindle..... The thing about pbs is that you can build a wishlist, and if you don't mind waiting, books eventually come to you. I've just now received about 10 that I signed up for in August. I'm happy since I don't need anything else to read anytime within the next 10 or 12 years.
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 10:27 pm (EST) on Feb 6, 2010

Oh NOOOoooooooo

posted by LizzieD at 7:01 pm (EST) on Feb 5, 2010

I neglected to say that pbs = PaperbackSwap. I'm a devoted member except that when I don't want a book and offer it, nobody else wants it either.

posted by LizzieD at 1:07 pm (EST) on Feb 5, 2010

I didn't know that!
I have Kaminskys lined up unread and maybe one Hill. I don't have *M.Fugue* yet. Looking forward to it now though!
(I also have *Tros* on my wish list at pbs.)
Thanks, Tros!
Peggy
WHOA!! Looking at your favorites ---- Celine!!!??????!!! Rich for my blood. Ooo. You also list Derek Raymond - a much neglected writer but not by us.

posted by LizzieD at 9:56 pm (EST) on Feb 3, 2010

I was enjoying the ghostly stories of W. De La Mare back in the fall; I should return to them. I'm plodding through a history of Venice in my free time. In supernatural fiction, I prefer the implied to the explicit... never could get into Lovecraft with his squishy cosmic devils and adjectives. I did like W. Hope Hodgson's House on the Borderland - genuinely creepy.

posted by benwaugh at 11:26 am (EST) on Jan 25, 2010

That's a desert island combo: Bobby Bland and WH Hodgson! I love Big Mama Thornton... Before I left I picked up some nice vinyl pressings of Dock Boggs, Blind Willie Johnson and Tommy Johnson. Great raw stuff.

posted by benwaugh at 8:58 am (EST) on Jan 4, 2010

Thank you for joining!
You have quite impressive tastes!

posted by Dragonrouge at 7:26 pm (EST) on Jan 3, 2010

Not addicted to books??? Oh. Well, admitting an addiction is the first step toward controlling it, so maybe I'm not addicted to books either.
Don't forget Tim.
I haven't had a lot of luck with earlier, golden age scifi. Maybe I should try some more. At least I see where your name comes from now........

posted by LizzieD at 7:47 pm (EST) on Dec 21, 2009

Pigs and crocs, eh? What a world!
Now, I must very seriously counsel you to mend your lack of Tim Powers. I'm not sure that he is exactly a "Horror" writer; in fact, I think that he is counted as a founder of steam punk with James B???---oh shoot. another senior moment that will last several days---, but I find him quite excellent. I have just thought of him because I'm rereading Last Call which involves the Fisher King of the West and his poker game of Assumption on Lake Mead in which he will buy several winning hands to allow himself new bodies as old ones wear out. Lots of Tarot and the tricksiness of cards in general. If that doesn't appeal, try The Stress of her Regard in which the narrator runs into P. B. Shelley and company as they both try to evade psychic vampires - the Nephelim of Genesis in the O.T. - to whom they have accidentally become betrothed. Or Annubis Gates: Victoriana and Egypt. Or Expiration Date, a sort of sequel to Last Call which features the Queen Mary and the ghost of Thomas Edison trapped in a bottle and the next Fisher King, and beyond that, Earthquake Weather. I'd say that I am a real Tim Powers fan, and I suspect that you might be one too. Or is all this in vain because you have read him and burned the books?
At any rate, let culture rule! I need to go read something.
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 4:14 pm (EST) on Dec 21, 2009

Moderately guilty as charged. I think the rest of the world would be relieved to know that there is a site where bookies can get out of everybody else's way. Whether they are equally happy at our reinforcing each other's addiction is another question. (I'm thinking of my DH who reads but doesn't read. He used to say, having built another set of shelves, "---and when you've filled these, don't buy any more books." Silly man.)
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 4:08 pm (EST) on Dec 20, 2009

Now you make me want to actually read him.

posted by jgallatin at 3:44 pm (EST) on Dec 20, 2009

The North is melting, and I'm feeling a bit off myself. ;)

posted by LolaWalser at 11:31 am (EST) on Dec 19, 2009

It probably doesn't speak well for it that several reviews exist for the first volume, and only one ("My favorite series ever!") for all the rest....
Peggy Again

posted by LizzieD at 6:02 pm (EST) on Dec 18, 2009

Don't know Sallis; don't know Hodgson, but here is the Flood - http://www.librarything.com/work/558440
I picked up the first two volumes at a library sale and have never tried either. I'm currently reading more and more women's fiction and hard science fiction, but less and less mystery/thriller/etc.
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 5:59 pm (EST) on Dec 18, 2009

I don't know House on the Borderland, but I enjoyed reading the reviews here. And now I see you own Michael Innes. He's one that even my dear husband reads and enjoys! Oh! You have A. Upfield too - another of his favorites.......I'll look in a minute for J. Gash and Lovejoy and know whether you and DH are of like mind.
Me - I read almost everything except bodice rippers, cozy mysteries, science, economics, philosophy ---- O.K. I don't read everything.
I want to ask you about a series about a flood in Louisiana (?) but I can't remember the author nor any titles. I'll check the shelves and come back some other night.

Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 11:15 pm (EST) on Dec 17, 2009

tros, I'm flattered that you put me in such good company! (Incidentally, the more accurate figure of books that we both own stands at 181 rather than 154.) I don't know that I've read as many authors as you've listed as favorites - much less have read enough of their work to justify the name. On the other hand, I'm a long-time Crispin fan and *Gormenghast* is sine qua non. I have a Peake biography, scanned not read, which both of us should actually read........And I think that you should make the acquaitance of Larry Riley who is on down your "members with" list. He reads a great deal of new, non-American lit and a lot of very gritty, noir mysteries, and he reads all of them very well.
Well-met!
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 10:35 pm (EST) on Dec 16, 2009

I love the Blues, and it's burning a hole in my pockets... I have all the rock, etc., stuff I want (I think), but there's always more Blues stuff I need - particularly rural blues (I like the electric blues, jump blues, some Piedmont stuff... but I prefer the haunted, unpolished sound of the Delta and the deep south).

Williw Dixon was all over the place - writing a good many of the better known Blues songs covered by rock and roll bands in the 60s, and playing bass for just about everybody (another bassist I like quite a bit is Floyd Jones, who, like Howlin' Wolf, got some mileage out of the Tommy Johnson yodel). I like Memphis Slim, but my favorite Blues pianist/crooner is "Champion" Jack Dupree (Blues from the Gutter is always close by the turntable).

HTGD!

posted by benwaugh at 1:27 pm (EST) on Nov 26, 2009

Wow, I must say I feel honored. Your favorite list is overwhelming although I notice our favorite writers overlap quite a bit. I don't have a favorite list on my profile page. I can't quite bring myself to write one. Different books are dear to me in different ways. What kind of art do you like? I live in the south where bluegrass and blues music are venerated. I'm more for folk music myself, although I tend to go for Celtic, Spanish, and Scandinavian folk. In contemporary "classical," my favorites are Arvo Pårt and Lou Harrison.

posted by urania1 at 3:51 pm (EST) on Nov 23, 2009

I haven't. They sound quite interesting!

posted by Winter_Maiden at 11:02 am (EST) on Nov 23, 2009

You are downright scary. Have I developed a split personality when I wasn't looking?

I speak, read and translate from Czech and Slovak. Other interests include French literature and poetry. My genre passions are noir/hardboiled and thrillers. I have just been reading Sallis.

Do YOU see anything scary here? LOL

Welcome to ClubRead. Let's talk.

posted by polutropos at 9:02 am (EST) on Nov 11, 2009

The only ones I know by name are Mucha and Alma-Tadema. Pretty much anything Art Nouveau is okay by me, though. My particular interest with Dulac is his fairy tale illustration, and I'm in general a fan of the "children's" illustrators of the period--in quotation marks because their work wasn't necessarily meant for kids at the time. Dulac also did theatrical design. I love his lushness and how he did even European fairy tales in an Arabian Nights style.

http://dulac.artpassions.net/

A current illustrator/artist I like very much (in part because he is influenced by Art Nouveau) is Yoshitaka Amano. A site with his stuff is below. Check out the Paintings and Illustrations category. (Most of the rest I can take or leave.) His people all have a kind of elegant exhaustion, the very epitome of decadence. I'd love to see his take on Yuki-Onna; he certainly did a beautiful fox demon for Neil Gaiman's "Dream Hunters."

http://www.amanosworld.com/html/work.html

posted by Winter_Maiden at 10:35 pm (EST) on Sep 11, 2009

Indeed, I like it very much! It's one of my favorite supernatural stories. I show excerpts from the film to my World Literature students (and have them read the corresponding Hearn stories, along with a few others), and the Yuki-Onna story is usually their favorite, too.

I've always been a big Edmund Dulac fan, but I only recently discovered who his snow woman was that I had adopted as my emblem. He did the illustrations for "The Dreamer of Dreams," a literary fairy tale written by Marie of Romania. The story is a rather rambling and symbol-heavy allegory about the divine sources of the artist's inspiration. On his journeys the artist of the story comes across the Snow Maiden, who picks up the literally bleeding hearts of those who have exiled their broken hearts to the arctic regions, and who cares for them until God releases them. The only sympathetic portrayal of such a figure that I've ever seen!

http://www.archive.org/stream/dreamerofdreams00sylv/dreamerofdreams00sylv_djvu.t...

posted by Winter_Maiden at 10:48 pm (EST) on Sep 10, 2009

Thanks - this makes me come close to renewing Netflix membership. I used to hold onto dvds for months....

posted by benwaugh at 7:17 pm (EST) on Aug 11, 2009

Excellent. You are the first to get it.

posted by Brasidas at 6:44 pm (EST) on Jun 29, 2009

Yes I did read that Chase had to apologize for plagiarizing Chandler; I'm not sure which book.

I still have a few Willefords to go and I haven't read The Machine in Ward 11 yet. I'll put your recommendations high up on my to-read list.

posted by datrappert at 10:24 pm (EST) on Jun 19, 2009

I haven't read the Dead Stay Dumb yet, though I do have a copy. I'm sure I'll get to it soon. Chase's books are always a lot of fun if not exactly great literature. :-)

posted by datrappert at 10:36 pm (EST) on Apr 29, 2009

Got me indeed! Fagyas sounds Hungarian--of course, there's plenty of Hungarians and Hungarian-like names outside Hungary.

posted by LolaWalser at 3:36 pm (EST) on Jan 27, 2009

ever read M. Fagyas?

No, who's M. Fagyas?

posted by LolaWalser at 3:21 pm (EST) on Jan 26, 2009

I liked the Rome series quite a lot. It's right up there with the MT version of I, Claudius (which I loved because of John Hurt's Caligula. Hurt was getting all the choice literary psycho roles in late 70s-early 80s. He was Rodion Raskolnikov in the Crime and Punishment series and looked appropriately septic and gin-soured in 1984).

posted by benwaugh at 2:47 pm (EST) on Jan 9, 2009

Well hello there. I like the Karan, but I'd like to hear more. The one I'm listening to seems a little bland so far. Lovely, but bland. I've recently been listening to Anne Briggs and Shirley Collins. What do you think of them? It's an unfair comparison with Karan, I know - like comparing poitín with Baileys Irish Cream.

I'd definitely like to hear more, though.

I've seen bits of "Rome", and it's clearly a bloody (literally) enjoyable romp, but - in the true spirit of snobbery - I prefer "I Claudius" and "Carry On Cleo".

Anyway, all the best to you and yours for the new year.

Dave

posted by desultory at 3:59 pm (EST) on Jan 2, 2009

I also enjoy Dorothy Hughes. Thanks for the tip about Futrelle. I've never read the Thinking Machine stories but they sound great and it's a favorite era of mine for popular fiction.

posted by robertajl at 10:36 pm (EST) on Dec 29, 2008

No relation other than in my grizzled thought patterns. Young Jesse is frenetic electric R&B... Probably best known for "Marylou", later covered by Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks. There is a nice ACE cd collection called "I'm Gone". Norton Records, out of New York, has dug him out of retirement.

posted by benwaugh at 10:42 pm (EST) on Nov 26, 2008

Thank you for the mention - I have been very autodidactic with the Blues... and my knowledge is limited. I appreciate the mention (and any more you might have. I went right out and tracked down that Magic Sam lp after you jogged my memory) - sounds right up my alley. Of the original Blues singers, I only managed to catch Muddy Waters - but that was with Eric Clapton and way over processed. Most of the Son House I have was recorded in the early 60s - and is very good. I also should have mentioned Charley Patton... harrowing gravelly voice. Kind of skipping the gap a bit, but have you ever listened to Young Jesse? - great feral R&B. He fronted for The Coasters briefly, I think.

posted by benwaugh at 9:01 pm (EST) on Nov 26, 2008

I don't think I have any Lonnie Johnson - but I will look into getting some (I'm also looking for Magic Sam's early stuff... on vinyl, with the track "21 Days in Jail". WPFW, our local source for jazz, blues and right-minded rant, supplies the bulk of the stock on my shopping list).

I tend to listen to really spare, acoustic country blues: Tommy Johnson, the recently issued early recordings of R. L. Burnside, Robert "Pete" Williams (he's also a great guitarist), Skip James, Son House (and Muddy Waters' "Folksinger" lp). There is something disturbing and hypnotic about the repetitive chords and the desolate vocals.

posted by benwaugh at 11:26 am (EST) on Nov 26, 2008

No I haven't, but I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip.

posted by varielle at 8:47 am (EST) on Nov 5, 2008

Re: 19th gothic: I recently picked up Demons of the Night - Tales of the Fantastic, Madness, and the Supernatural from Nineteenth-Century France. It should make good reading material this month, especially. Maybe I'll put Kolyma Tales down for a short while.

posted by slickdpdx at 5:28 pm (EST) on Oct 2, 2008

Wow, someone else who likes Mrabet... nice!

posted by Fullmoonblue at 1:02 pm (EST) on Sep 17, 2008

Thanks - I'll have to check him out. I have just received the newly remastered re-issue of Little Richard's first Specialty lp - and it sounds great (as does the 1968 recordings of R. L. Burnside - great haunting country blues). I had high hopes for the Skip James 1931 recordings - but it sounds as though they digitally remastered the snaps crackles and pops in the original bakelite sources.

posted by benwaugh at 10:15 am (EST) on Jul 21, 2008

The Human Condition trilogy has not been released on DVD as yet. I was able to save them in my Netflix cart which I hope is an indication they are going to be released soon. I'll check out some of Kobayashi's other films in the meantime. Thankyou for the recommendation.

posted by DavidX at 9:14 pm (EST) on Jul 20, 2008

I noticed you have a copy of Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn. I recently saw the film Kwaidan by Masaki Kobayashi, a recent Criterion collection release. It's based on stories from several of Lafcadio Hearn's collections of japanese folk tales. I was spellbound by both the wonderful tales and the beautiful expressionist style of the film. I highly recommend it, if you haven't already seen it.

posted by DavidX at 10:41 pm (EST) on Jul 17, 2008

it's really an anti-erotic novel.

Oh yes--I'd say there's sex-related anguish, fear & trembling there that's downright Kafkian. L'air du temps... :)

posted by LolaWalser at 11:27 am (EST) on May 7, 2008

NYRB sent me an email about books on sale that included all these Simenon with forewords from various interesting authors (Luc Sante, Wm. Vollmann). I read the first few pages of a couple of the books on google reader and checked out reviews on LT and bought four of them. I'm really looking forward to diggin in! I think I'll hit Dirty Snow first. And I have yet to get to the Carco...

posted by slickdpdx at 7:46 pm (EST) on May 5, 2008

Of Hodgson I've read THE HOUSE BY THE BORDERLAND and THE BOATS OF THE 'GLEN CARRIG,' both of which kept me up late for several nights. I keep approaching NIGHT LAND, but so far haven't taken the plunge (more because of the length than because of the daunting prose style).

posted by jfclark at 8:19 pm (EST) on Apr 16, 2008

I own more H.R. Wakefield than I've read, alas (as with so many other authors), but of course that's because I find Wakefield delightfully wicked. Browsing through your library, I note your "gothic" tagged books are quite choice--I love James Hogg and Arthur Machen, among lots of the others you've got.

posted by jfclark at 10:16 pm (EST) on Apr 15, 2008

I'm nearly finished with Simplicio Simplicissimuss, which has been a fun read. It contains its own share of degradation and perversity. Handled lightly. I was annoyed to find that my copy is abridged to remove "moralizing lectures" and a "fanciful trip to the center of the earth." I enjoy moralizing lectures and I don't appreciate missing that trip. I have a five page copy the The Inferno that was similarly abridged - what a waste!

I think I'll read Apex Hides the Hurt next and finish Riding To Everywhere (which I am enjoying.) Carco is in my immediate pile of reading material and I will get to him soon.

posted by slickdpdx at 3:13 pm (EST) on Apr 7, 2008

I concur with Lola's appraisal of Leppin (etc., etc.) - as well as with this assessment of depravity. Few other amusements have so well sustained my interest over time.

For greater and less grim stretches of such amusement, you might also check out Samuel Pepys's diaries - in which, under the shadow of fear of being caught by his wife he boldly harvests, or at least braves the attempt there toward, the charms of all ladies within his reach, live and otherwise (there is an incident where he clasps and mashes with a long dead royal - so that he may say - to himself - "I have kissed a queen").

posted by benwaugh at 10:03 am (EST) on Apr 7, 2008

Great book. It's a true shame that no one's released a new edition of the Elizabeth Abbott translation -- preferably under one cover instead of in two volumes -- as it's really a better translation than the new one that's in print now.

posted by nsblumenfeld at 7:37 am (EST) on Apr 7, 2008

Hi, Ron, I haven't read "Les innocents" yet, but your impression makes me want to reach for it immediately.

In return, you may want to check out Paul Leppin's "Blaugast" (the original title, not sure what the English one is)--lots of depravity there too. :)

posted by LolaWalser at 12:07 pm (EST) on Mar 28, 2008

Ok, I looked up Carco. Looks good. Any recommendations?

posted by Makifat at 12:01 pm (EST) on Mar 27, 2008

Having a look at our shared books, I'd say we both have excellent taste! I'm going to check out the rest of your holdings.

I have no idea who Francis Carco is/was, but on your recommendation, I will find out.

Regards,
Maki

posted by Makifat at 10:07 am (EST) on Mar 27, 2008

Lots of bells ringing; I am just starting to feel my way into the dark little world of russian lit and the some of the names you mentioned have been on the "must read" list for a while! Have just ordered the Dedalus Book of Russian Decadence to get started and am anxiously awating the mailman...
Yes, Moravia, a great love.
If you have any other recommendations they'd be welcome!

posted by annakarina at 11:28 am (EST) on Feb 20, 2008

They booed Lightnin? Uncharitable hippies - just goes to show sometimes a thing's opposite is its own image - and, by current standards, Mr Hopkins might be right. Nobody's even suggested impeaching the current republican autocrat and Agnew was a virgin to vice compared with He-Who-Cannot-Articulate's bald evil invisible demonic deputy.

posted by benwaugh at 4:24 pm (EST) on Feb 13, 2008

Thanks for the tip (Hyperion) I'll check it out. I haven't yet gotten around to reading Perversity. There's a glut of other poison sloshing around in my trough...

Archie and Mehitabel have some great company in your library!

posted by slickdpdx at 11:01 pm (EST) on Feb 11, 2008

Speaking of Blues, etc. - have you checked out sites like Speaker's Corner and http://store.acousticsounds.com/store.cfm? They are issuing a lot of old stuff (and a lot of Lightnin Hopkins' atuff) on heavy audiophile-quality vinyl. I picked a couple things. I'm still waiting for the original mmono recordings of Little Richard's first Specialty lp.... 2 years now.

posted by benwaugh at 10:41 pm (EST) on Feb 11, 2008

I love Lightnin' Hopkins - especially before the folkies got to him, when he was still plugged in. I love especially the country blues... mournful/raucous stuff like Tommy Johnson, Robert Pete Williams, Muddy Waters, etc. I have conditioned my 5 year old to know her genres - she knows when Lightnin' is playing the boogie as opposed to "regular blues". No doubt she'll regard me as a big nerd some day. But then she'll hit, oh say 40, and I'll be redeemed. Dead, but redeemed(- as we all are told to aspire to be!).

posted by benwaugh at 10:01 pm (EST) on Feb 11, 2008

Yes it is, but I can't remember which one... I suppose I'll need to run through the lps again soon. BB King is not my favorite blues artist - he's too polished for my taste - but I love the lyrics.

posted by benwaugh at 9:02 am (EST) on Feb 11, 2008

nope, haven't read Melmoth yet. I think I should, though. you're the second person here on LT that's recommended it.

posted by violet_nouveaux at 2:54 am (EST) on Feb 8, 2008

You knew Zevon? How was he in High School? Had he developed the bad boy persona yet?

Fantastic lyricist, but I wouldn't have wanted to live downstairs from him.

posted by Makifat at 12:37 am (EST) on Feb 7, 2008

Thanks for the recommendation - I will check Dan Simmons out!
Best wishes
Eloise

posted by Eloise at 2:57 pm (EST) on Jan 30, 2008

Hey - do feel free, if not obliged, to post your thoughts on Gracq and your art nouveau readings on the decadence group. We could use a jump start. I for one would like to know more about Gracq, having just begun my completist project.

posted by benwaugh at 5:45 pm (EST) on Dec 28, 2007

You may find this interesting, particularly the dates of death:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,2232042,00.html

posted by benwaugh at 1:52 pm (EST) on Dec 27, 2007

Ron,

Yes - I read King Cophetua recently and enjoyed it very much - he was able to create what I will define, badly, perhaps, as a sense of temporal claustrophobia - a moment suspended in space - that house, the wait. So - I went out and bought all the other books by Gracq I could find. I just received A. Theroux's new novel and am about to sit down with it for a few weeks.

posted by benwaugh at 9:34 am (EST) on Dec 27, 2007

Thanks for the recommendations. I haven't read any of those authors, but I'll check 'em out!

posted by littlegeek at 12:55 pm (EST) on Dec 26, 2007

From innocence to depravity, 'tis just a step...

posted by LolaWalser at 12:17 pm (EST) on Dec 5, 2007

tros--in some respects it's like a filmscript only much larger in scope or a kind of alternative Latin American history as seen through the eyes or activities (described by others) of the two main characters. Some comparsion for this technique could be made to other works such as Faulkner's 'As I lay dying'--which is narrated by multiple members of the family and then also in an almost glancing way by people they run into briefly along the way. I like the in and out glimpses into their lives which may make the characters harder to understand in some respects but leaves the imagination a lot of room to wander. In any case many Latin American refugees from the dictatorial regimes of the 60's, 70's and early 80's wound up roaming around Europe--going from one dead end to another--some involved in clandestine political activity all the while and some not. Bolano himself and it makes me think in terms somewhat of a modern day retelling of the Odyssey (because in a sense many people like Bolano had it seems lost their country--there was going back for them) though with the focus on two characters instead of one. Beyond making them into almost mythic personnages the questioning of literature and what it means is always lurking somewhere close to the surface--and he seems to reach out to the reader not so much say as a professor might but more so as a co-equal sharing his own thoughts and visions. Anyway it is a difficult book in a lot of ways--always very thought provoking--at least for me and I view it as a masterpiece.

posted by lriley at 9:11 am (EST) on Nov 16, 2007

Yes, Murr is my favourite cat character!
Although we only have three books on common, I'm guessing this is because you have not catalogued all of your library?
WE do seem to share many favourite writers.
Murr
:)

posted by tomcatMurr at 8:35 am (EST) on Nov 3, 2007