July 2019: Reading Thread

Just finished The Complete Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm. I have three takeaways:

1. Quite a few of the stories were very antisemitic, even going so far as to use the words "thief" and "Jew" interchangeably. That was... unexpected. :(

2. Too many stories end with an ignorant, snotty brat getting everything he wanted and suffering no consequences for being an ignorant, snotty brat.

3. Most of the stories are nothing like the commercialized versions. The frog does not turn back into a prince with a kiss. Instead, the princess hurls him against a wall, and that turns him back into a prince (which I like much better). Cinderella doesn't have a fairy godmother. She has a tree growing out of her mother's grave that gives her things, which I find far more poignant than some random old woman with a wand showing up out of the blue. Neither Sleeping Beauty nor Snow White is awakened by a kiss. In Sleeping Beauty's case, the spell that made everyone sleep was designed to wear off after 100 years. The prince does nothing other than walk into the castle as everyone's waking up. No fighting dragons or slicing through briars. He just traipses on in. He could be the wimpiest guy on the planet for all we know. And Snow White was only asleep because a piece of the enchanted apple was still in her mouth. As they're carrying her away in a coffin, she gets jostled around and the bit of apple falls out, allowing her to wake up. It seems that, in the battle of whose versions of fairy tales get popularized through movies and whose don't, the Grimms lost out big.
 
Well done, OHB! I started my reading of the Pantheon edition of the complete Grimm on 5 Sept. 2009 and am not yet halfway through, but then there's often a hiatus of months between readings. And why shouldn't I take my time? I've also been reading a Pantheon collection of Swedish stories, and various other books also as reading just before lights out, such as a collection of essays by Arthur Machen.
 
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Roger Zelazny and Fred Saberhagen: "Coils" (1982)
Better than I expected. I'm generally not that keen on collaborations. I thought it read well and held my attention. Apparently the original outline was Zelazny's, and this was then turned into a 60 - 70 page chapter by chapter breakdown by Saberhagen. As this paperback edition is only @182 pages, Saberhagen's contribution was significant. I think it was then written straight through by Zelazny.
 
Just finished Gateways (Repairman Jack book 7 by F. Paul Wilson.

Jack goes to help his dad who is in a coma after he is involved in a Road accident in Florida. Jack and a neighbour get involved with a local “clan” of outcasts.

I find myself enjoying these books. Wilson has created a wonderful character in Jack, who is an Honourable man living outside of normal society. The connection to The Otherness remains and i’m glad I’m picking these up after finishing his Adversary Cycle.

Now on to Crisscross (Repairman Jack: book 8)
 
Just finished Hard Luck Hank: Dumber than Dead, the 7th book in the Hard Luck Hank series. What I especially enjoy is that the tales/Hank's adventures, mainly on the space station Belvaille, are varied as the culture of the station continually changes from novel to novel. I enjoy the humor infused in the general mystery or problem Hank tries to solve, and the variety of characters he interacts with.
 
I finished the Wodehouse, Big Money. Very enjoyable - a solid B rating from Plum - not his very best, but certainly good enough.

I’ve now started Relic, by Alan Dean Foster. This is his most recent novel - a stand-alone SF novel of the last human in the galaxy. So far I’m really enjoying it. I think Danny was wondering whether to give this a go, so I’ll be sure to comment more as I progress with it.
 
Bick said:
I think Danny was wondering whether to give this a go, so I’ll be sure to comment more as I progress with it.
Click to expand...
I've got it now as an e-book, however it's positioned way down the reading grid for now.
Your comments may help it move up to pole position!
 
Just now finished The Knife by Jo Nesbo, I found it not quite as good as the early Harry Hole books, it seems as though the series is getting a bit tired.

And, as I said I had planned earlier in this thread, I've started right away on Early Riser by Jasper fforde, too early in the book yet to decide if it's worth reading to the end
 
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"Wonder Tales of Many Lands": Bernard Henderson & C. Calvert, illustrated by Constance E. Rowlands. (1934)
I felt like reading a traditional illustrated fairy book, and this seemed to fit the bill. It seems to be one of a whole series that were popular at the time. This one has stories from Spain, Switzerland and Japan. Pleasant enough, but I can't help noticing the difference in the way the sexes are portrayed - only women seem to have the capacity to be "smooth-tongued, false and avaricious", while it is the responsibility of the husband to take charge, viz "Her Lord had made a mistake. He should have flattered her less and ruled her more", and "Make your plans at the dawn of a year; and rule your wife from the first day".
 
Still enjoying Relic, by ADF, but also started The Emperors of Rome, by David Potter, which I’m enjoying a lot. I’ve read several books on the Roman Emperors, including source texts like Suetonius, but I’m currently enjoying a break in Rome, so this hits the spot.
 
I'm reading The Murderer's Ape, by Jakob Wegelius. It is a superb read about a gorilla called Sally Jones seeking for the truth in a dark world. Filled with freighters, biplanes and steam trains.
 
This morning I've started a SF/ horror book,
Nimbus:Hell on Earth by Tony Marturano.
This is the 2015 revised version of the 2001 original
 
Did you finish Early Riser? I'm over half-way and too busy to read at the moment, but I've found it's gone a bit slow in the middle. The Tocata/Aurora reveal was well played and I didn't see it coming. The book is typical Fforde. I took him four and a half years to write it though. I would talk about it in a thread if you open and invite me. I'd better finish it off first.
 
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