tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post616114039955641841..comments2024-03-27T16:48:21.039-05:00Comments on Wuthering <br>Expectations: The Wuthering Expectations Best Books of 2014 - yes, best, dang itAmateur Reader (Tom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-20275814662419743772015-01-05T15:44:45.837-06:002015-01-05T15:44:45.837-06:00Maybe I should redecorate the blog with some Pinoc...Maybe I should redecorate the blog with some Pinocchio or Pinocho images.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-32890458559080001422015-01-05T13:08:12.642-06:002015-01-05T13:08:12.642-06:00Those Bartolozzi illustrations are wonderful. &quo...Those Bartolozzi illustrations are wonderful. "Pinocho" looks intriguing...Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-53519980633534174292015-01-04T21:56:47.033-06:002015-01-04T21:56:47.033-06:00Doug, terrific that you'll be reading along. ...Doug, terrific that you'll be reading along. The number and quality of the illustrators is overwhelming. <a href="http://50watts.com/Pinocchio-s-Spanish-Cousin-Pinocchio" rel="nofollow">Salvador Bartolozzi</a> is another great one, even if his <a href="http://50watts.com/Salvador-Bartolozzi-s-Pinnochio" rel="nofollow">Pinocho</a> is not the real thing.<br /><br />RT - that sounds no more foolish than the general idea of writing on a book blog. The more <i>Bleak House</i>, the better.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-58908975511091161182015-01-04T15:53:38.782-06:002015-01-04T15:53:38.782-06:00I read "Pinocchio" years ago, but I reme...I read "Pinocchio" years ago, but I remember many nightmarish sequences. The little puppet had a rough time of it. Well, I'll try to read along, in Italian, since I'd like to reread it.<br /><br />Pinocchio has had some fine illustrators, too. I'm particularly fond of Tony Sarg, Roland Topor, and Benito Jacovitti, but there are many. Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-14542657586676631302015-01-04T10:06:15.252-06:002015-01-04T10:06:15.252-06:00Tom, regarding Bleak House, consider this:
http:/...Tom, regarding Bleak House, consider this:<br /><br />http://www.beyondeastrod.blogspot.com/2015/01/and-so-2015-project-begins-serialized.html<br /><br />This may be a case of a fool rushing in where others have already been treading more wisely. But, so it goes.R.T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13220814349193561823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-38934618032538854632015-01-03T21:58:23.334-06:002015-01-03T21:58:23.334-06:00How fun to read these comments after avoiding the ...How fun to read these comments after avoiding the internet for so long. Thanks for writing them.<br /><br />If I spent more time with contemporary books, I would depend almost entirely on book blogs and a handful of reviewers, although it was the latter who told me about Cole and <i>Song of the Shank</i>. Get with it, book bloggers. Although the Allen novel might be unbloggable. Faulkner might be unbloggable.<br /><br /><i>Bleak House</i>, by contrast, is ideally bloggable. Or so I found it. A great inclusion on a once-a-year list, or, in my case, once-a-decade.<br /><br />Séamus, Pushkin, yes, "must," yes!<br /><br /><i>Pinocchio</i> has some scenes that I remember as essentially dream sequences, nightmares, even though in the novel they "actually" "happen." I hope I am not mis-remembering the novel <i>too</i> badly, since I am so looking forward to it.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-10051824889668210852015-01-03T19:40:11.586-06:002015-01-03T19:40:11.586-06:00Happy New Year! I've been catching up on blog ...Happy New Year! I've been catching up on blog reading (finally), to find your always enjoyable end-of-year posts. Group reading does seem to make for the best reading, or at least I seem to do better with that added bit of responsibility to fellow readers. Although The Trickster of Seville wasn't a favorite; I blame translation woes. (It did improve my Spanish, however.) I'm looking forward to Pinocchio, or at least the English translation as I've been dipping into the Italian. Your comment intrigues me, though--"nightmarish fun"? That's something to look forward to…amanda @ simplerpastimeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14127945915013121105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-87085528104861626522014-12-30T04:15:05.146-06:002014-12-30T04:15:05.146-06:00I may also attempt to fit a reread of Bleak House ...I may also attempt to fit a reread of Bleak House into 2015 but I don't have a very good record of completing my resolutions. I also have to read Eugene Onegin which has been on my must read list for the longest time (since the eighties!).Séamus Dugganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00574186409184247059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-11485101218217954172014-12-29T13:42:34.504-06:002014-12-29T13:42:34.504-06:00_Bleak House_ will be one of my re-reads in the co..._Bleak House_ will be one of my re-reads in the coming year at my new blog. It is simply too good not to be on everyone's once-a-year list for closer-readings. I'll be chatting about it, and -- when I do -- I look forward to your reactions. BTW, if it is not too late, Happy Holidays from your cantankerous old curmudgeon on the Redneck Riviera.R.T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13220814349193561823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-64080283545817756952014-12-27T15:36:44.002-06:002014-12-27T15:36:44.002-06:00I bet you could get six days' worth of recomme...I bet you could get six days' worth of recommendations from a few other blogs. Or no. Maybe you couldn't, now that I come to consider.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00251983804060081813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-59488300408961825812014-12-23T08:18:09.567-06:002014-12-23T08:18:09.567-06:00I read so much from 2014. Two novels, three books...I read so much from 2014. Two novels, three books of poems. A book about the history and culture of Syria. So many books.<br /><br />Maybe someday I will do a year - or 6 months - or 6 days - of reading nothing but current releases. "Well, that was mediocre" is a phrase I will copy and paste again and again. How do people stand it?Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-28626454144099587442014-12-23T04:38:37.731-06:002014-12-23T04:38:37.731-06:00Cabbel Branch's Jurgen is a very, very odd nov...Cabbel Branch's <i>Jurgen</i> is a very, very odd novel. In fact I think most fantasy novels from that time were: <i>Lud-in-the-mist</i> is indescribable, perhaps proto-psychedelic.LMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08538873868140070018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-55702888508207828632014-12-23T04:35:53.684-06:002014-12-23T04:35:53.684-06:00Christ, you gave me a fright; when I read best boo...Christ, you gave me a fright; when I read best books of 2014 I thought you had literally read books from 2014. It's good to know everything's still normal at Wuthering Expectations :)<br /><br />Damn it, you read so many authors I want to read more - Dostoevsky, Austen, Pushkin - but never do, getting caught up in other stuff.LMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08538873868140070018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-79047736312920455412014-12-22T20:25:53.845-06:002014-12-22T20:25:53.845-06:00Pinocchio link is fixed - thank you very much. Th...<i>Pinocchio</i> link is fixed - thank you very much. That book ought to be a lot of nightmarish fun.<br /><br />Papa Ubu is a sort of mythic figure. Strange that in all of human history only Jarry could see him so clearly.<br /><br />Rise - do I ever agree. From whence comes this idea that plays are not meant to be read? They're printed, ain't they? Even the craziest Strindberg plays - or especially the craziest - had a strong "what will possibly happen next" momentum.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-58599982790108283532014-12-22T19:58:23.456-06:002014-12-22T19:58:23.456-06:00I don't know of any science fiction. The ones...I don't know of any science fiction. The ones I read were fantasy, with mythical beings and whatnot, played for allegory and satire. Enjoyable, but I must admit I prefer some of the writers on his hate list.Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-61949250762256065162014-12-22T19:37:39.112-06:002014-12-22T19:37:39.112-06:00From your list I've only read the plays of Ibs...From your list I've only read the plays of Ibsen and Strindberg so far. Plays are great reads. Not necessarily easier but page-turning nonetheless.Risehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17446964640160585194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-40420722623992198472014-12-22T16:30:42.657-06:002014-12-22T16:30:42.657-06:00Cabell was a kook. I read the Jurgen novels as a t...Cabell was a kook. I read the Jurgen novels as a teen, and was totally baffled by them (and mildly amused at the double entendres, of course). I read <i>Hamlet Had an Uncle</i> a couple of years ago, and it was pretty good. He wrote a lot of science fiction, didn't he? I haven't read any of that.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-88687770948448837772014-12-22T16:29:17.621-06:002014-12-22T16:29:17.621-06:00The Ubu plays were great, a lovely discovery, anot...The Ubu plays were great, a lovely discovery, another connective thread in the world of literature. Rakhmetov is certainly a Palcontent.<br /><br />The Pinocchio link above is broken, or points not where you intend, I think.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-35931343239664274002014-12-22T13:00:46.371-06:002014-12-22T13:00:46.371-06:00I never thought I would find a readalong to equal ...I never thought I would find a readalong to equal Alfred Jarry, so I am hopeful.<br /><br />Unputdownability - on the train in Italy I overheard a pair of college women, foreign exchange students, discuss their favorite books, and it seemed that the only measure of quality was unputdownability, and then the impulse to immediately download the next book in the series. Of course every book mentioned was in a series. Of course not a single book mentioned was Italian. Heaven forbid a college student learn something about - anyways.<br /><br />It was the aesthetic effect of a computer game. One more turn, just one more turn, just one more turn, ah - it's 4 a.m.!<br /><br />Certainly a kind of enjoyment.<br /><br />Yesterday I read only 25 pages of George Eliot and 10 pages of Walt Whitman but over 100 pages of an Alan Glynn mystery not because the mystery was more enjoyable, but because it was <i>easier</i>.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-22543607756029832262014-12-22T12:05:14.677-06:002014-12-22T12:05:14.677-06:00I do not know how you're going to find anythin...I do not know how you're going to find anything as cool as Chernyshevsky for a future readalong, but I'll look forward to it.<br /><br />A "read," in the way that I think about it, is the book's unputdownability factor. It has entirely to do with how enjoyable it is. If I say something is a great read, I carried it around the house to read and neglected other duties in favor of it.Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14247515387599954817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-51795493946220154632014-12-22T11:43:42.085-06:002014-12-22T11:43:42.085-06:00A good hater.A good hater.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-52910115852415018212014-12-22T11:41:04.531-06:002014-12-22T11:41:04.531-06:00Well, in context he makes it clear that he still d...Well, in context he makes it clear that he still dislikes all of them. He makes a slight exception for Peacock, who "had not ever annoyed me with the relentless and deep tedium of the others."<br /><br />Cabell can be charming. The novels I've read are rather similar; and his double entendres now come across as coy, rather than daring. He was an odd one. Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-60233169462795779492014-12-22T10:55:37.665-06:002014-12-22T10:55:37.665-06:00That is amusing, and curious. It would not be too...That is amusing, and curious. It would not be too hard to come up with my own list, modified, as above, by "once," and another list replacing "once" with "still." <br /><br />I have been revising my ideas about James in public, for some reason. I guess that is one use of book blogs, to publicize ignorance.<br /><br />Poor George Borrow! But I am not sure that Peacock and even Meredith are too far behind him on the path to oblivion.<br /><br />I should try Cabell sometime. I value a number of books written by people who valued his books.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-26838677801750570852014-12-22T10:32:05.907-06:002014-12-22T10:32:05.907-06:00For your amusement, here's another list of ten...For your amusement, here's another list of ten, from James Branch Cabell's "Straws and Prayer-Books." Curious!:<br /><br />Here, in any event, are the ten "established" authors endowed with "cults" whose masterpieces once appeared to me the most violently uninteresting and ill-written: Jane Austen, George Borrow, Miguel de Cervantes, Henry James, Herman Melville, George Meredith, Friedrich Nietzsche, Thomas Love Peacock, François Rabelais, and Walt Whitman. Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.com