I was going, “Ambitious”? 
So I checked how many pages it is…
. Seriously didn’t know…
On book two of this “cyber punk” trilogy by John Shirley. I discovered his work when I learned he wrote lots of lyrics for Blue Oyster Cult’s latest album “The Symbol Remains”. Love making these unexpected connections.
I don’t like Salman Rushdie because his son got my son into smoking tobacco. I don’t mind the other stuff. Found the evidence when we emptied his bag after a school trip. What was I meant to do, phone him up and curse him? That’s been done already.
I love John Irving. And year before last I read a bunch of Updike back to back. Although they’ve fallen out of favor, they were some really great writers who could really write vividly.
One favorite I read last year was Roger Scruton’s “Beauty: A Short Introduction”. I wish I had taken more humanities classes after HS. The whole “A Short Introduction” series is outstanding for learning new things.
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On the subject of Rushdie, I remember Midnights Children was good. I then got this one, I thought it was awful. It’s signed and might well be a first edition, may be worth a bob or two.
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Well, you appear to be getting some value out of it without selling it. 
It is always someone else’s fault.
Familiar with it, had a friend working there for a while in outage management. I did an assist visit, again related to outage management.
We have a street WhatsApp group and lots of people post “books at no. 37” etc., leave them outside the door and people come and help themselves. Not today, as it’s pouring down. Don’t think I’ll be leaving this one out, but it’s a system that is very popular. The WhatsApp thing works for anything. The last thing was for a charity food collection. A lady down the road arranged at the start of lockdown in March to collect cooked and packaged food for people who were isolated and get it delivered. In the end she collected and delivered something like 500,000 meals.
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Small world indeed.
I like Updike a lot too. Coincidentally, he was a fan and champion of an old high school classmate of mine who’s published several short works, Elizabeth Tallent. I had a chance to chat with him about her at a post-lecture signing years ago.
It is worth reading a writer who has won two Pulitzers.
I have read and enjoyed the Rabbit novels, but have not read any more of his works.
He’s fallen dramatically out of favor in the current climate. I got his complete collection through Library of America. I remember reading his short story “A&P” in junior high and really enjoyed his prose. But he is one of “The Great Male Narcissists” as David Foster Wallace tagged them, so he’s being taken out of the Canon. It’s a real shame. I expect we will lose Philip Roth next. That’s why I buy dead tree books again.
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Great thread Mike.
I was unaware of this, but not surprised. Unfortunate as he brilliantly captured the culture at the time.
And I also like David Foster Wallace, finding his Infinite Jest to be a hoot.
DFW is one of my favorite authors and favorite people. His suicide was a real tragedy that broke my heart for quite some time. “Infinite Jest” is outstanding.
I’m too aware of culture wars. Sad for me.
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How to Make the World Add Up (Ten Rules for
thinking Differently About Numbers) by Tim Hartford
Credit to a utube posted by @aiki14
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I recently read Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove and Bear Town. Both are quite good.
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Yes, his suicide was truly tragic.
A Man Called Ove is a good book and one of the few movies I have seen in the last five years or so. The movie was very well done. The man who played the lead was superb.
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