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Jim H

Jim H

Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies. - Nietzsche

Truth flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. - anonymous

All revolutions degenerate into governments. - Mexican proverb

For ages the fault creeps secret through the rock; in a second, ledge and railings, tourists and turbines all thunder... more »
  • member since February 1 2008

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Public Notes

  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Hi, Jim--

    I'm not quite finished with Indignation. Maybe over the weekend, more likely Mon. or Tues. Yes, he definitely kvetches. Not sure about this one yet. So far, I've found Everyman far better than either this one or Exit Ghost.

    Re The March, not compelling sounds about right, though specifics elude me (sigh). Something about it just didn't grab me the way his others have--they grab and don't let go. This one, for whatever reason, didn't. The ones that stand out for me are Billy Bathgate, World's Fair and Loon Lake. Ragtime we've talked about. Looking forward to Homer and Langley. Mom for the moment is doing a bit better and I think for the time being I'm going to give up The Wilderness and read Lorrie Moore's latest which just came in at the library.

    Wonderful, cool fall weather here. I absolutely love this time of year--

    Leslie

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Hi, Jim--

    I'll be interested in your reaction to Indignation. I'm not so sure about this one. Exit Ghost was interesting, mostly for me because of his point/counterpoint argument he made about trashing a dead author's reputation. For me, this is what Roth himself did in The Plot Against America; in Ghost, he takes the opposing view. Interesting.

    Pat Barker's trilogy--wow! I'm nearly finished with The Ghost Road. What amazing, powerful books.

    Fidelity (my mandatory reading) finally came in! We're headed to KY and NC the Columbus Day holiday week. Seems like a good companion to take.

    Last question--is it near enough to winter that you want to take on To Siberia?

    Looking forward to talking books with you, amico (we're studying Italian)--

    Leslie

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Mary E

    Mary E says

    I think I'll try it if I can find it at the library.

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Mary E

    Mary E says

    It's on my "to read" list. How's she like it so far?

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Mary E

    Mary E says

    I noticed you read "The Long Walk", what did you think of it?

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Hi, Jim--

    Yes, I really like Regeneration, too. I've had this book kicking around for the longest time (as well as the others in the trilogy) but am just now getting around to it. I loved the part with Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, where Sassoon is helping Owen construct a poem. More to talk about--soon.

    Also, I broke down and bought Doctorow's newest. Have you a reserve for it in your library yet?

    Back to knitting--

    Leslie

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Joel B

    Joel B says

    Great, hope you enjoy it. I thought it was pretty amazing... lots of memorable, small-scale portraits, in the midst of an epic novel. Made me think.

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Hi, Jim--

    Just saw that Doctorow has a new book coming out next month and wanted to let you know, just in case you hadn't heard. It's called Homer and Langley, about two brothers living as hermits in NYC--sounds like a lot of great material for Doctorow to mine!

    I just started A Summons to Memphis. Dad gave it to me years ago (Taylor was a favorite of his) and if I read it, I'd forgotten it. Enjoying the (re?)encounter greatly--a delightful read. I saw you recently added another Taylor to your shelf. Have you read others that you enjoyed?

    Hope all is well. Take care--

    Leslie

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Joel B

    Joel B says

    J - My folks gave me Edi Lanner's "Illusions" when I was but a lad, and it made a huge impression on me. It's about optical illusions and all related subjects, ranging from Escher to Dali to the magic lantern to Soviet photo retouching. It also featured a photo of a nude woman whose body was painted to look like a face... that image definitely stuck in my impressionable mind. I think the book was one of many that helped form my understanding that sensory perception (and the mind itself) is an untrustworthy source of information about the world. It's still a favorite theme of mine, as you can probably tell from the fiction I love.

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Sieur Jehan

    Sieur Jehan says

    Hello, Jim--

    ....At least the fur needs to go in the warmer weather, you are correct. Yes, on the Meyers-Briggs I consistently come up ENFP, although I am a somewhat introverted extravert. I don't know if you have played around with Enneagrams/Enneatypes: on those I vacillate between being a Nine and and a One. We all have wobbly paths sometimes. Thanks and good reading, John/Jehan

    posted 4 months ago. ( send a note )
  • breid

    breid says

    Hi, Jim. I've had so many people recommend Wendell Berry's novels that I think it's time I gave him a spin. I've read his poetry for years. Thanks for the tip. Bethany

    posted 4 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Hi, Jim--Just finished Ragtime. I agree that it gets a bit more linear as the story progresses, but it still has the feel of a Joplin rag for me. Toward the end, I was saying to myself, when is he going to bring Houdini back in? And he did, brilliantly, with his looking at the world upside down 12 stories up. I'm really glad I reread it, and while I found it dazzling, it just didn't move me--except for a couple of places, maybe. But then I sort of feel that way about Joplin. I enjoy his music but don't get inside it. This is probably my failing, not Joplin's. But I do think Doctorow does a brilliant job of capturing that feel in his novel. How do you like World's Fair?

    Take care,
    Leslie

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Ragtime just came in finally and I love it on second reading. I can almost hear Scott Joplin in his sentence structure, the way he goes from idea to idea, then comes back to a sort of home base, then goes off again. Brilliant! Hope you like World's Fair.

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Zero

    Zero says

    The sad thing is that I was going to make an allusion to 'In Search of Lost TIme' in reply but I think that is one of the symptoms of my condition. It's all these books that are getting to me!

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Interesting you should say that. I've got The Stranger on the library pile but haven't read The Plague. But right now am reading The Song Is You in the a.m. and 2666 at night--or did I already mention this? Brain fog. I really think you'd like The Song Is You. Music pervades the book and his writing is just wonderful! Still want to talk about A World Lost?

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Hi, Jim--

    Well, I've got Ragtime on reserve for a second reading. It will be fun to talk about with you. My memories of the others I mentioned are just these overall general impressions. The one I especially liked was Loon Lake, though I don't think it got the critical acclaim the others did, and I might not feel the same way about it now.

    Couldn't sleep earlier and didn't want to tackle 2666 right then so started A World Lost. Like what I read this morning very much--thanks!

    Off to veg and knit--

    Leslie

    posted 6 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Jim--

    When I was putting this shelf together, I was more generous with stars and favorites, I think. And looking back over the Doctorow books I had read, the ones that stood out were Loon Lake, World's Fair and Billy Bathgate. You're probably right, that it's been too long to make a real distinction. I just responded to the characters in those three more, in the way Doctorow presented them, than in Ragtime then--I think I'd almost certainly have a much different view now. At that time, Ragtime didn't give me the emotional payback that I sought so strongly in books. I was then too obtuse to see what Doctorow was doing, I guess. "Ah, but I was so much older then; I'm younger than that now."

    posted 7 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Leslie E

    Leslie E says

    Hi, Jim--

    Welcome back--hope you had a good trip. I loved So Long, See You Tomorrow. Thanks much for that one.

    Take care,
    Leslie

    posted 7 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Zero

    Zero says

    Just hit a rough patch to start the month off but things have taken a turn for the better since 'Midnight's Children.' I believe I have a new favorite author in Durrell; if the rest of his Alexandra quartet is as good a 'Justine' I'm in for a very pleasant couple of weeks.

    posted 7 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Sieur Jehan

    Sieur Jehan says

    Hi Jim, I'm about due for a re-read of Jung's MDR myself. I would vital surrender body parts to have a face-to-face with the late, great Dr. Jung. At last count I have 19 Jung-related titles on my shelf. A bientot, Sieur Jehan

    posted 7 months ago. ( send a note )


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