The Quiet Americans, by Scott Anderson, about the OSS/OPC/CIA during the first 12 years of the Cold War.
Libra, by Don Delillo, a historical novel about the JFK assassination.
Couple books of essays—No Judgment and All Things Are Too Small—by Lauren Oyler and Becca Rothfeld, about this moment.
Prodigals, short stories by Greg Jackson.
Just finished Sandwich by Catherine Newman, which was hilarious and the most menopausal book I’ve ever read.
I’m still reading it. But so far it been good, especially if you like British Naval history.
I read Libra a few years ago. Good stuff.
The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory by Tim Alberta.
I hesitate to describe it too much as it could hijack the thread.
If you’re a Christian who has misgivings about the current role Christians are playing in politics this book may interest you.
I’m re-reading Patrick O’Brien’s Aubrey/
Maturin series — finishing up book 4.
It may even be better this time around as I already “know” the characters.
Gravity’s Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon —> its a grind, but well worth it.
Insane book.
Absolutely love it - is a tremendous amount of work, but that’s why I love it; it is like a present that keeps giving, adding to my education and edification (Slothrop is such a classic literary character) - It takes forever to get a through a chapter (after looking up the analysis or reference) but its like a map to our historical future.
Didn’t know writing could be this intricate and subversive.
Cheers!
GR, and Crying of Lot 49 was great too.
I have been on a Anthony Horowitz kick lately. Really enjoying his mysteries.
I finally finished Stephen Harrigan’s “Big Wonderful Thing”. I read it here and there over a few months, because it’s huge.
Now I don’t know what’s next.
There’s a Gravity’s Rainbow wiki that would probably save you a lot of time. Someone said, about Pynchon, “The things he knows!”
There’s a companion book as well, but I don’t know if it saves time. More likely, it leads you way down interesting bunny trails. Way down.
That’s what I got (the companion book sold to analyze each chapter/word meanings/entendres), as the Wiki - led me to lose my attention span more than I thought possible.
Knox is spot on here, Pynchon has seen some shit.
I was just given/loaned “James” by Percival Everett (the story of Huck Finn as told by “Jim”)
That is on my list. I’m currently finishing Crossroads, so far, so good, but I’m an old white guy burnished by the patriarchy so of course I’m bound to like it.
If she hadn’t handed me the book I would have forgotten about it for quite a while.
I’ve finally finished Harrigan’s history of Texas “Big Wonderful Thing”, which was really good; and I was interspersing that with re-reading chapters of Don Quixote, and frankly that got a bit repetitive
Mrs banedoodle loved James. Percival Everett is on my list for this year.
I loved Crossroads.
Recently finished Maniac, Benjamin Labatut’s follow-up to his brilliant When We Cease to Understand the World. Both are highly factitious novels about destabilizing discoveries / destabilized discoverers. Maniac centered on John Von Neumann. Both beautiful books I straight-up inhaled. Highly recommended.
Reading Cynthia Ozick’s The Cannibal Galaxy right now. Terrific sentences.
That sounds a smidge backhanded.
Not intended.