What are you reading now?

[Decrepit Poster]

I finished my seventh reading of Robert Jordan's Eye of the World at 1642 this afternoon. Whether or not I will continue on with the series remains to be seen. I'll almost certainly know by bedtime.

[Zevy]

I have read a decent number of titles since my most recent thread entry. I mention only the last, a recently acquired copy of Beethoven for a Later Age: Living with the String Quartets by Edward Dusinberre, current first violinist with the Takacs Quartet. It's a good read, though as a long-ago performing musician and fairly well read on Beethoven I encountered no shocking new revelations on the inner workings of a performing ensemble or the composer himself. One sad reminder of classical music's ever sorrier status in the commercial recording industry: even a group as prestigious as Takacs needed to self-fund seven of the nine recording sessions required for their early 2000s Beethoven complete quartet CD set, which according to Dusinberre added up to almost $100k.

I just finished reading this book. I found it very interesting, as I am not and was not ever a chamber musician (I'm an accordionist, and let's not go there...).
I also found it very interesting, although not surprising at all, that current recording technique allows for so much "cut and paste". I do it all the time, but I would like to think of a classical recording as an actual live rendition. It's perfectly fine; I just don't want to hear about it...

[Decrepit Poster]

At 2210 yesterday evening I finished my sixth reading of Robert Jordan's The Shadow Rising, book four of The Wheel of Time. This volume houses some of my favorite story-lines in the series. Rand and Mat's initial visit to Rhuidean and the unraveling of the Aile past. The breaking of the White Tower. First and foremost, Perrin and Faile in The Two Rivers.

I place much blame for my lessening of interest during the middle volumes on the Perrin-Faile story-line in general and Faile as a character in particular. Thankfully that's not in evident here. Not yet. Yes, Faile already displays some of the characteristics that will later make many of her passages hard to endure, but at this stage they are sufficiently offset by more admirable qualities.

Tanchico is pretty darn good too. I honestly don't think this volume has any major faults. I minor flaw...during a confrontation in Tanchico Jordan uses the stale device of letting the "villain" gloat over her supposed certain victory over an opponent, in the process revealing much valuable info about a valuable object to that opponent, who wins out in the end. Jordan himself attempts to justify the reveal in the following paragraph, but for me the explanation doesn't quite pan out. Not a lease breaker, but regrettable in a book of this caliber.

I began book five, The Fires of Heaven, after finishing Shadow, but fell asleep after about twenty pages.

[Decrepit Poster]

At 2314 yesterday evening I concluded my sixth reading of Robert Jordan's The Fires of Heaven, book five of The Wheel of Time. Another fine series entry, the highlight of which, for me, is Mat's "antics" during the battle at Cairhien. If forced to assess individual novels up this point I'd place book four slightly higher, but that's splitting hairs. Some consider this the last high quality entry prior to the series' mid-books decline. I disagree, considering book six amongst Jordan's best. Leastwise that has been my opinion during all previous series reads. We shall soon (?) see if my stance survives unaltered.

Even my listing of completion times and dates scribbled inside the book's cover proved of interest to me. It shows my initial reading to have ended on 1 Jan 1996, followed by a seconded reading finished 26 Feb of the same year! I initially assumed one of those dates to be in error. Not so. My computer reading log for 1996 shows that I indeed concluded my initial reading when I said I did, then went back and began reading the series from book one, eventually reaching and re-reading book five. I don't think it's possible for me to read that many massive volumes in anywhere close to that short a time-span any more.

I suppose it goes without saying, thought I'm obviously about to, that I will likely begin book six, Lord of Chaos, by day's end.

[Hollywood]

I'm currently reading this book:

[Megan]

DANGEROUS -Milo Yiannopoulos

[Quijote]

I have to confess that my reading activity (actual text on real paper) has been very limited of late, I tend to read content on the internet...
That said, I recently read John Irving's Avenue of Mysteries. It took me a while to get into it - I found it frustrating at times - but overall, a satisfying "magical realism" type of novel.
I also have to confess that I'm more into Netflix these days !!

[Megan]

Currently reading:
Music in the Castle of Heaven. A portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach.
by, John Eliot Gardiner.

[Decrepit Poster]

At 1657 this afternoon, during supper, I concluded my fifth reading of Robert Jordan's A Crown of Swords, book seven of The Wheel of Time. In the past I've felt this to be the volume which began the series' mid-book slump. This time round I noticed little evidence of that, though I did catch slight forewarnings in earlier parts of book six, a volume I previously considered above suspicion. Were I forced single out one plot-line of Crown as being my favorite, I might settle on the search for the Bowl of the Winds in Ebou Dar. That's likely due in large part to it being somewhat Mat centric. Jordan always did right by Mat Cauthon, imo.

I'm now a few pages into book eight, The Path of Daggers.

[Decrepit Poster]

At 1135 this morning, just after lunch, I concluded my fourth reading of Robert Jordan's The Path of Daggers, book eight of The Wheel of Time. Next up, Winter's Heart.

[Quijote]

Struggling with Dante's The Divine Comedy (translated by Clive James, bless him) and Milton's Paradise Lost (in "Plain English" version).
Struggling, because when I care to look down at the pile of books next to my computer, I realize I can't make up any more excuses for not reading all this stuff...

[Sorrano]

Struggling with Dante's The Divine Comedy (translated by Clive James, bless him) and Milton's Paradise Lost (in "Plain English" version).
Struggling, because when I care to look down at the pile of books next to my computer, I realize I can't make up any more excuses for not reading all this stuff...

Does Les Miserables happen to be in that stack? That's a good (long) read, as well.

[Decrepit Poster]

At 1139 today, at the tail end of lunch, I finished my fourth reading of Winter's Heart, book nine of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. An enjoyable entry. As is often the case, my favorite sections were those centered on Mat Cauthon, who has at last found (or been found out by) the Daughter of the Nine Moons. The book's ending wasn't half bad either.

While I still feel that Jordan's best writing is found in books one through six, I've not yet noticed the mid-series slump I detected during prior readings.

Next up, Crossroads of Twilight.

[Harvey]

[Megan]

I purchased a beautiful hard back illustrated original , of the A - z of Classical Composers. Brilliant find from a second hand book store.

From the 16th and 17th century through to the classical and romantic periods.