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I’m 200 pages into 2666 by Roberto Bolano, translated by Natasha Wimmer. Only 700 more pages to go!
I’ve been waiting a long time for this book to come out. When Bolano died in 2003 at the age of 50 (amid international tribute and acclaim), none of his works had been translated and published in the U.S. It wasn’t until six months after his death that the first of his books began to appear in the U.S., beginning with By Night in Chile. Since then, six more translated works have come out, including last year’s The Savage Detectives, which blew me away when I first read it.
"Live From Cape Canaveral" by NBC newsman Jay Barbree - the only journalist to have covered over 150 launches from the Cape, from the beginning of the space program to the present day.
I inherited boxes of books from my grandmother, who was a member of the book of the month club for decades. I picked one up the other day that was published in 1946. (I'm on winter break with not much else to do) The book was "The Sudden Guest" by Christopher LaFarge.
Impressions: Wow, the prejudices inherent in this book are enough to knock our socks off. By page 10, I was appalled. The story itself was about a lonely woman preparing for a hurricane. Some of the terminology used would get you arrested today. On top of that, the conversation is soooo formal. "As one looked out upon the ocean, one could see........."
Overall, I can't say I was very impressed. I made it to page 100 (a rule one of my English teachers instilled in me - never judge a book unless you've read at least the first 100 pages). I don't think I'll finish this one .
"The World In Six Songs" by Daniel Levitin, the rock musician/engineer/producer who became a neurophysicist, specializing in music's effects on the brain. His previous book is "This Is Your Brain On Music."
Ummmm, the N-word? I can't think of anything else used back then that would get you in that much trouble today.
OK - not literally. But there were a lot of references to brain capacity for learning "the most menial of tasks" and such. Actually it was more prejudicial towards the Irish and Jews.
"The World In Six Songs" by Daniel Levitin, the rock musician/engineer/producer who became a neurophysicist, specializing in music's effects on the brain. His previous book is "This Is Your Brain On Music."
Ohhhh, I will have to get that one. I read "This is Your Brain On Music." In fact, I use excerpts from it in class.
I went out to the beach behind our house last week and read "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung in one sitting. I honestly could not put it down. A girl's autobiography about the Khmer Rouge taking over Cambodia.
Now I'm reading "The Ice Limit" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Someone gave me an assortment with three of their books in it and this is the last one. Not something I'd buy for myself normally, but not too bad.
"Cooked" by Jeff Henderson. He had the show "Cheff Jeff Project" on the Food network. He's a convicted felon and ex-inmate who found a passion for food and the science of the kitchen and the skills necessary to survive in the culinary world while in prison and after being released to rise to the top of the game. It's just an amazing fascinating and quick read. I read the entire book yesterday and was blown away by the entire story, every detail. I highly recommend it for inspiration and a neat story with a happy ending.
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