Poetry Forum

I didn't realise Yosemite was that close to you. Doggone it.

She's at Edinburgh, studying Ancient History. An impractical course, but a good one, I think. I wish I could do it myself.

Helloooo.

I feel very new to this once more since I haven't posted for ages but I'd like to get involved again!

Just as an add to the "who's reading what thing," my English/Creative Writing course requires that books are read, but I seem to be spending more time on things outside the reading list. I'm having a Joanne Harris marathon at the moment, re-reading Chocolat, Blackberry Wine and Holy Fools and finding that I enjoyed Gentleman and Players just as much.

Creative Writing at Swansea is pretty cool, we have Nigel Jenkins as a lecturer and he's brilliant. So once I've caught up I shall be brave and see what you guys make of what I've done so far.

I just started reading Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary by Traudl Junge. A very interesting read.

Cool! Definitely one I want to look at, thanks, S.

Having a reading day today but it's mostly just for my course- so poetry by Blake and T.S Eliot, Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' and 'My Antonia' by Willa Cather. I wasn't sure about what to expect from Antonia but I've found I'm genuinely enjoying the read. Can't say the same for Crusoe though!

Raisin wrote: Cool! Definitely one I want to look at, thanks, S.

It was a hot, dry, glaring July day that made Lowell Swift feel as though every germ and sin in him were being baked out forever.

I enjoyed it. The stories lack polish but are still very Vonnegut. If nothing else, they are a learning experience.

Currently reading Hitch-22, the memoir of Christopher Hitchens.

I'm getting my mojo back.

I finished A Fool's Alphabet by Sebastian Faulks which I loved, though it was quite different from his other work. Really interesting how he took the idea of the fool's alphabet and applied it to his work, so it's in alphabetical order of setting and the time is disjointed so it jumps all over the place as the character remembers parts of his life.

Select Samaritan wrote:I'm getting my mojo back.

I'm having a tug-of-war with mine, I'll do a week where I'll read eight different books and then I don't read anything else for the next two.

Hitch-22 was a bit arduous in places but was rewarding enough on the whole. I especially enjoyed the word games:

...the restless quest, again chiefly led by (Robert) Conquest, to inscribe the names of obscure and lowly, unenviable, and ultimately poorly rewarded occupations. Thus: one employed as a disciplinarian of last resort in a turbulent kitchen: "Cook-sacker." As a disciplinarian of last resort in an ill-run lunatic asylum: "Kook-socker." As the man in the bottling plant who keeps things moist: "Cork-soaker." As a sectarian pyromaniac in the Scots wars of religion: "Kirk-sacker." As one who has the lonely task of interrupting boat races by leaning over the bridge to snatch up the steersman with rod and line: "Cox-hooker."

Recently made it through Slash as well. Not the most literary of books, but it's not supposed to be. I'm glad I read it.

Currently several chapters into the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I love Hitchhikers Guide, I went to a very geeky but fun convention last year and met some people from the TV series.

Have to read Ulysses as part of my course and got it from Amazon last week, it's currently sitting on my desk. I feel a bit scared about opening it.

And I put it in a separate post but I'll put it here as well- I've started reading the Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon which I'm already hooked on- I finished The Angel's Game which is a prequel to the one I'm reading now- both were translated by Rupert Graves' daughter.

Currently reading "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" by Daniel C. Dennett. Anyone familiar with his writing? A good friend of Richard Dawkins apparently (as was Douglas Adams).
Also been dipping in and out of Stephen Mitchell's translations of Rilke.

I love Chris Hitchens. His Mother Teresa book is required reading.

B.

brianedwards wrote: I love Chris Hitchens.

Christopher. If only because it's his name...

I haven't read the Missionary Position but I'm familiar enough with its contents.

As for Dennett, I haven't read any of his work, unlike the other big three (Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris). I just don't find him that interesting. Or rather, I find him much more dull than the other three and as such he's way down on the reading list. I'm familiar enough with his ideas however.

In case you haven't seen and are interested:

The Four Horsemen (discussion between all the aforementioned d00dz).

Just come across that video. Not exactly Saturday afternoon viewing though . . . will save it for later.

Dennett is not as immediately rewarding as the others, sure enough. His critique of Gould is highly entertaining though.

B.

I like Dennett. I thought Consciousness Explained was about as close as we've got to, well, explaining consciousness, so far.

Ros

Ros wrote:I like Dennett. I thought Consciousness Explained was about as close as we've got to, well, explaining consciousness, so far.

Ros

I read about a third of it and it fell by the wayside. It was very interesting as far as I read, and I couldn't complain, but other things supervened and in the back of my mind was the thought that if he really had explained consciousness, then wouldn't we have seen it in the newspapers?

I will read it again one day just in case he really does explain consciousness.

Currently reading "The Portable Poe", a great compendium of his best tales, poems and critical pieces (which are lots of fun). Also "Defy the Foul Fiend", the third novel of John Collier, whose collected short stories are a milestone in drollery, and whose first novel "His Monkey Wife" is very good too - but I'm not all that taken with this one -, also "Daniel O'Thunder" by Ian Weir, debut of a Canadian author, about the devil stalking Victorian London and the oaken-hearted pugilist whose mission it is to defeat him - fantastic, ripping yarn and highly recommended.

Almost finished "A Room With a View" - I think it was here on PG I was talking about reading Forster, and now I am. It's OK, quite light, not really my cup of tea but perfectly palatable.

Incidentally you can see what I'm reading at any given time here: http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php ... shelf=list

Re: Hitchens, I'm a huge fan. He's a brilliant essayist very much in the tradition of Hazlitt, Orwell, etc, and especially Graham Greene - if Hitchens had written novels I think he might have been Greene's heir - who should be on the GCSE curriculum.

I think the first time I read an essay was at the age of about 20 - after being required to write them for five or six years previous. Very strange that the essay is so much written by students, and so little read.

KJ!! Funny, we were having a very similar discussion about essays in the school staffroom just last week. Myself and a couple of others have vowed to encourage more essay reading amongst students and ourselves. It really is an under-appreciated art form.

Just started reading the collected poems of Amy Clampitt. Completely blown away so far and I recommend her highly - anyone else familiar with her work?

brianedwards wrote:Just started reading the collected poems of Amy Clampitt. Completely blown away so far and I recommend her highly - anyone else familiar with her work?

Yes, I was reading some of her stuff online a few months ago and I meant to pick up a book. Forgot all about it though, so thanks for the reminder Brian. She's a wonderful nature poet isn't she?

Nash wrote:

brianedwards wrote:Just started reading the collected poems of Amy Clampitt. Completely blown away so far and I recommend her highly - anyone else familiar with her work?

Yes, I was reading some of her stuff online a few months ago and I meant to pick up a book. Forgot all about it though, so thanks for the reminder Brian. She's a wonderful nature poet isn't she?

She is wonderful, yes, I am loving this collection. She manages to make obscure, sometimes quite technical language really dance. Her erudition reminds me of Lowell too. I think Ros would like her.

Just finished "One Day" by David Nicholls which was fantastic, and re-read the Bookseller of Kabul by Anne Seierstad which centres mainly around one family: the bookseller, his wives, and his children. The Great Lover by Jill Dawson is a semi-fictional account of Rupert Brooke, really well-written.

k-j wrote:Very strange that the essay is so much written by students, and so little read.

Thought this was a really interesting observation and very true, though English students read essays and journals to get secondary sources for our own essays.

Raisin wrote:

k-j wrote:Very strange that the essay is so much written by students, and so little read.

Thought this was a really interesting observation and very true, though English students read essays and journals to get secondary sources for our own essays.

That's part of the point though isn't it? Certainly is for me anyway: essays should be read more for pleasure, rather than as "secondary sources." I have to consciously remind myself of that fact . . .

It is what we're supposed to do, but I genuinely enjoy reading them, it's hard not to go off-topic when you're supposed to be researching though.

Don't know if anyone else reads them but I've just finished the latest "Sookie Stackhouse" book, "Dead Reckoning". They're not particularly well-written but very enjoyable and I think the simplicity actually helps to form your own image of each character. The new series is out in America for June 28th as well, which I'm stupidly over-excited about.

Well I've just ordered:

The Collector by John Fowles - Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

All based on watching the film versions.

Just finished Bad Vibes (Britpop and my part in its downfall) by Luke Haines of the Auteurs. I'm a sucker for any musical auto/biogs.

On that note also read "Things the Grandchildren should know" My Mark Everett of the Eels. A compelling tale of the tragedies of his life, his rise to Rock n Roll "fame" and the side tale of his father who popularised the parallel universe theory, and was thought mad for much of his life. Fascinating, plus I'm a big fan of the Eels.

I really like Nabokov, Lolita is a great book. Which film version did you see?

I found The Road to be a huge disappointment. I think that it was vaunted as a great literature/post-apocalyptic genre cross-over type of a thing, failed miserably if you ask me. Won a Pulltizer prize or summat though, so what do I know!

Haven't read The Collector, it's on my list though.