BOOKS THREAD

Finally dove into The Pale King.

God, this man could write. I can't help but feel blessed and also cheated to have shared such a brief time occupying the same earth.

 

Recently finished two great reads.
Michael Cannell's "The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit," which is actually a dual bio of Ferrari teammates and rivals Phil Hill and Count Wolfgang von Trips. Life was probably as cheap in 50's internation auto racing as it was in Deadwood - all these famous drivers dying in gruesome ways (including one who ends up like the Black Dahlia, I kid you not). Hill and von Trips "worked their way up" the Ferrari food chain simply by staying alive (although von Trips came to as violent and end as any of them).
Also, Sarah Vowell's "Unfamiliar Fishes," the history of Hawaii from the first American missionaries' landing in 1821 to its annexation in 1898, with Sarah bringing her usual goodnatured snark. The most interesting part was the role of Obama's alma mater (the missionaries' children went to Punahou and became the lawyers who took down the monarchy).
Am in the middle of Glenn Stout's "Fenway 1912." Good stuff.

 

I don't know where you're at, but there's a chapter set in a bar that's so good it almost made me want to stop writing completely.

 

The new Pauline Kael biography. Pretty good read. More about NYC's cultural/literary life than Hollywood of course but I learned a lot about the subject, especially about how controversial she was.

 

Raced through "The Expats." Highly recommend if you like spy novels. Now I'm reading "Tomatoland," about the problems with the tomato industry in the U.S., especially Florida.

 

Moved and seconded.

 

Just finished Robert Draper's "Do Not Ask What Good We Do" about the 112th congress. The main takeaway that I got was that everybody wants politicians to work together and give a little, then when politicians actually work together and give a little, they piss off these same people for compromising too much.

 

Sirs, Madames

Just finished reading The Devil's Home on Leave, the second novel I've read in Derek Raymond's Factory series. British 80s noir. If you can penetrate Cockney slang (for those who remember The Sweeney) worth it. I bought a copy of his autobiography online (out of print 20 years, only one copy on abebooks in England) and spent more than any reasonable person would.

YHS, etc

 

Well "Tomatoland" was a quick read. Very interesting. Hard to believe the tomato industry in Florida involves human slavery and human pesticide poisoning. I've now started Richard Ford's newest, "Canada," and it's very compelling so far.

 

Douglas Brinkley's new Cronkite bio was surprisingly blah. I have read and liked several of Brinkley's previous books and given the subject matter I figured it would be better.

 

Sirs, Madames,

I did read The Lock Artist a few months back. Structurally brilliant, original. Hamilton's one I'll pick up every time. If David Mitchell did mystery it would look like this.

YHS, etc