Book thread

[redbirdjazzz]

As a guy who had never read any of Mark Twain's work growing up would it be worth doing so as an adult? I mean you can see the guys hometown from my farm. Seems like I should at least give him a look.

Yes. Huck Finn is going to be your more profound work, full of the social commentary (ie, black people are humans and should not property) that may seem somewhat banal today, but was radical for its time. There's also some great river imagery, and it's like a travelogue of our country as it was at that time.

Tom Sawyer is great too. It's more in the tradition of a picaresque American comedy. Not as much on the social commentary. Just an enjoyable set of Americana. This reminds me, I haven't read either of these books in a long, long time.

This. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is another one full of social commentary, and it's hilarious. His travel writings (Roughing It, Life on the Mississippi, etc.) are fantastic, too.

[Vidor]

The ending of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" knocked me on my ass.

And here's a very very short read: an 1879 speech by Twain given to a private club about...masturbation.

http://www.textfiles.com/etext/AUTHORS/ ... nanism.txt

Of all the various kinds of sexual intercourse, this has the
least to recommend it. As an amusement, it is too fleeting; as an
occupation, it is too wearing; as a public exhibition, there is no
money in it.

The internet proved him wrong about that last part.

[Jocephus]

[Famous Mortimer]

I just finished reading "They All Love Jack", a book about Jack The Ripper from Bruce Robinson, better known as the director of Withnail & I. He did his research, and it's an interesting argument, even if I don't agree with all of it.

What is interesting is how he praises the American press, who weren't tied down by Royal and Freemasonic webs of influence, and stuck the boot into the corrupt British ruling class.

[thrill]

RIP Jim Harrison. One of my favorites. Can't think of anyone who's art made me feel more connected to the earth and what it means to be human. I've been reading his memoir in bits and pieces and figured this day would come sooner rather than later, but based on what I've read so far, very few people lived quite as much or quite so stubbornly how they wanted to. This is a man who devoured life in huge gulps and savored every drop. I'd stack his 78 years up against just about anyone's.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/28/arts/ ... .html?_r=0

[Freed Roger]

Yeah, Jim Harrison had a lot of fun. Enjoyed reading his collection of articles -Just Before Dark. Kind of hard to put a label on him.

[thrill]

This is a good profile on Jim Harrison.
http://www.outsideonline.com/1893296/last-lion

[The Third Man]

I'm finally reading Catch-22 and laughing my ass off.

[Tim]

Reading The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst. 70% done. It's meh

[MrSaigon]

Gladwell's new thing is a podcast called Revisionist History. The first episode didn't really click into place well, IMO. The second was an interesting new perspective on the buildup to the Vietnam war.

I also recently discovered Google's podcast library/streaming thing. It's made (dodging) my workday more efficient. If you listen to podcasts off a computer like I (mostly) do, it's good. No install involved.