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1FlorenceArt
Well it's high time I started my 2017 thread, even though I have been busy not reading so far. Or rather, not reading books. It seems that most of my reading is done on the internet these days. I should probably keep track of those readings, or at least the most interesting of them, but there are so many...
My name is Florence and I live in Montreuil, near Paris. I have been reading less and less these last few years. I read about 30 books last year but several of them were very short books or comic books, and practically none of them were what I think of as "serious" literature.
I have no idea what 2017 will look like reading wise, but my first finished book of the year is in keeping with last year's trend: Harmonica, a sketchbook by Joann Sfar. It's a journal of sorts where he talks and draws about his life, his learning to play the harmonica and later the ukulele and playing with his friends, attending comic book and other festivals, watching his infant daughter grow. The book is dated from 2002 and I think he has written more of these books since then. I liked it and I intend to read the next one in the near future.
My name is Florence and I live in Montreuil, near Paris. I have been reading less and less these last few years. I read about 30 books last year but several of them were very short books or comic books, and practically none of them were what I think of as "serious" literature.
I have no idea what 2017 will look like reading wise, but my first finished book of the year is in keeping with last year's trend: Harmonica, a sketchbook by Joann Sfar. It's a journal of sorts where he talks and draws about his life, his learning to play the harmonica and later the ukulele and playing with his friends, attending comic book and other festivals, watching his infant daughter grow. The book is dated from 2002 and I think he has written more of these books since then. I liked it and I intend to read the next one in the near future.
2SassyLassy
Glad to see you back and looking forward to more of your posts, whether about reading or not.
3FlorenceArt
Thank you SassyLassy!
Right now I'm on holiday in Miami, visiting my sister. As usual, I'm having a quiet time, spending a lot of time beside the pool (it's a tiny bit too cool for bathing, though I'll probably have a go at the jacuzzi later) and visiting museums and exhibitions mostly. Yesterday we went to the Perez Art Museum. It's a beautiful building and they are getting better over the years as controlling the inside temperature, though it was still a bit cold in some places, but not arctic as it used it be. The biggest and most enjoyable exhibition was a retrospective of Julio Le Parc's works. Lots of huge installations with moving parts, mirrors and lights, some of them interactive. Cool. Also a small exhibition by Ulla bon Brandenburg with a very nice video installation.
I decided I will try to keep track of at least the most interesting articles I read on the web, so here is the first one:
Death Row: the Lawyer Who Keeps Losing in the Guardian Long Read. Chilling.
Right now I'm on holiday in Miami, visiting my sister. As usual, I'm having a quiet time, spending a lot of time beside the pool (it's a tiny bit too cool for bathing, though I'll probably have a go at the jacuzzi later) and visiting museums and exhibitions mostly. Yesterday we went to the Perez Art Museum. It's a beautiful building and they are getting better over the years as controlling the inside temperature, though it was still a bit cold in some places, but not arctic as it used it be. The biggest and most enjoyable exhibition was a retrospective of Julio Le Parc's works. Lots of huge installations with moving parts, mirrors and lights, some of them interactive. Cool. Also a small exhibition by Ulla bon Brandenburg with a very nice video installation.
I decided I will try to keep track of at least the most interesting articles I read on the web, so here is the first one:
Death Row: the Lawyer Who Keeps Losing in the Guardian Long Read. Chilling.
4RidgewayGirl
Interesting looking article, and it's available in audio. I'll listen when I put together dinner tonight.
6ELiz_M
Hello! I look forward to your posts and do hope you'll occasionally include a museum visit/review as well as whatever books/articles you pick up.
8DieFledermaus
Good to see you again! Looking forward to hearing about your reading, museums or anything else.
9janeajones
Welcome back, Florence -- and welcome to Florida.
10FlorenceArt
Thanks everyone! I'm enjoying Miami and even used the swimming pool a couple of time. I'm going back to paris tomorrow and I've just had word that the temperature is -6 degrees Celsius there.
Yesterday I finished a novel, a graphic novel (of sorts) and an article. That's what happens when the battery on my iPad is depleted and I have to stop playing Don't Starve for a couple of hours.
La carte et le territoire (The Map and the Territory) by Michel Houellebecq
I'm not sure what to think of this. It's not very well written and it's full of banalities, and yet the detailed description of the life of an artist in today's Paris was so life-like and detailed that the feeling of recognition got me hooked at first. This impression didn't last the whole book though, and I enjoyed it less as it progressed. Houellebecq's outlook on life and opinion of human beings (including himself apparently) are decidedly bleak, but I found this less depressing than Extension du domaine de la lutte which I read quite a few years ago. I wonder what future generations will think of his books, or even how it feels to an American reader, as its appeal, for me, resides mostly on this feeling of recognition that he is in some way describing my whole life down to the most trivial details. Not sure that crosses the cultural or time barriers very well. I couldn't help seeing a connection to his photos that I saw last year at the Palais de Tokyo, which are just ordinary (though not bad) photos of ordinary French landscapes. But he is more convincing as a writer than a photographer.
Les praticiens de l'infernal, Volume 2 is even more nonsensical than the first I think. A quick and fun read.
Neanderthals Were People, Too in the NYT Magazine. Very insteresting article about the recent changes in how we view our cousins who were less lucky than we were ar the evolutionary roulette. I saw a conference on the same subject during my summer holidays in the "Valley of Man" (the Vézère valley in Dordogne). What we think we know of our ancestors and their relations is mostly interpretation built on very few facts, and the way we interpret them is shaped by our prejudices.
Yesterday I finished a novel, a graphic novel (of sorts) and an article. That's what happens when the battery on my iPad is depleted and I have to stop playing Don't Starve for a couple of hours.
La carte et le territoire (The Map and the Territory) by Michel Houellebecq
I'm not sure what to think of this. It's not very well written and it's full of banalities, and yet the detailed description of the life of an artist in today's Paris was so life-like and detailed that the feeling of recognition got me hooked at first. This impression didn't last the whole book though, and I enjoyed it less as it progressed. Houellebecq's outlook on life and opinion of human beings (including himself apparently) are decidedly bleak, but I found this less depressing than Extension du domaine de la lutte which I read quite a few years ago. I wonder what future generations will think of his books, or even how it feels to an American reader, as its appeal, for me, resides mostly on this feeling of recognition that he is in some way describing my whole life down to the most trivial details. Not sure that crosses the cultural or time barriers very well. I couldn't help seeing a connection to his photos that I saw last year at the Palais de Tokyo, which are just ordinary (though not bad) photos of ordinary French landscapes. But he is more convincing as a writer than a photographer.
Les praticiens de l'infernal, Volume 2 is even more nonsensical than the first I think. A quick and fun read.
Neanderthals Were People, Too in the NYT Magazine. Very insteresting article about the recent changes in how we view our cousins who were less lucky than we were ar the evolutionary roulette. I saw a conference on the same subject during my summer holidays in the "Valley of Man" (the Vézère valley in Dordogne). What we think we know of our ancestors and their relations is mostly interpretation built on very few facts, and the way we interpret them is shaped by our prejudices.
11FlorenceArt
Still not reading books, but busy with the newsfeed.
Can democracy survive the fourth industrial revolution? Should it?
I've been asking myself these questions for years. Long before last year's catastrophic events (and the current electoral campaign in France is shaping up to be just as disastrous) it was already obvious that the representative democracy we inherited from the 18th and 19th centuries is no longer working. We urgently need another model if we want to save it. I have no idea what that model could be.
Unfortunately this article doesn't even pretend to try answering the questions it poses, but it does provide an interesting historical perspective. Frustrating but still recommended.
On a slightly more optimistic note, this article I read last year has an actual suggestion on how to improve things:
Why elections are bad for democracy
And a random essay I read this morning (I thought it would be a short story, it's not but it reads a bit like one). I feel guilty I let my subscription to Granta expire without making much use of it, but I still have their feed on my rss reader and enjoy one of their free access articles once in a while.
On The Road by Janine Giovanni
Can democracy survive the fourth industrial revolution? Should it?
I've been asking myself these questions for years. Long before last year's catastrophic events (and the current electoral campaign in France is shaping up to be just as disastrous) it was already obvious that the representative democracy we inherited from the 18th and 19th centuries is no longer working. We urgently need another model if we want to save it. I have no idea what that model could be.
Unfortunately this article doesn't even pretend to try answering the questions it poses, but it does provide an interesting historical perspective. Frustrating but still recommended.
On a slightly more optimistic note, this article I read last year has an actual suggestion on how to improve things:
Why elections are bad for democracy
And a random essay I read this morning (I thought it would be a short story, it's not but it reads a bit like one). I feel guilty I let my subscription to Granta expire without making much use of it, but I still have their feed on my rss reader and enjoy one of their free access articles once in a while.
On The Road by Janine Giovanni
12dchaikin
From your elections link:
"Never before has the fate of a country – of an entire continent, in fact – been changed by the single swing of such a blunt axe, wielded by disenchanted and poorly informed citizens."
An unfortunate theme of the moment.
"Never before has the fate of a country – of an entire continent, in fact – been changed by the single swing of such a blunt axe, wielded by disenchanted and poorly informed citizens."
An unfortunate theme of the moment.
13FlorenceArt
Did I mention the presidential election was shaping up to be a disaster over here? Boy, was that an understatement.
14janeajones
What, what, what is happening to western democracies?? Did we all become too complacent about liberal progress?
15FlorenceArt
We sure did. Among other things.
16RidgewayGirl
>13 FlorenceArt: Yes, and it's hard not to see France as a tipping point. It's ironic that the fate of Western Democracy may well rest on German shoulders.
18FlorenceArt
I like Dana Boyd. She has honest and informed views on social and digital issues. And this article is very relevant to the political issues we were discussing.
Failing to See, Fueling Hatred
Failing to See, Fueling Hatred
19janeajones
Great essay. Thoughtful and nuanced.
20FlorenceArt
I've been following Dan's struggles with Mason & Dixon and decided it could be the right book for me right now. So far it looks like I was right. I'm enjoying it, a few pages at a time because that's how I read nowadays. Can't say that I understand everything, but that has never stopped me before.
22FlorenceArt
A random poem found in the Granta feed yesterday :
Mars is a stupid planet. The title was intriguing and I liked the poem.
Also I watched an interesting documentary on Arte : Ni dieu ni maître, a history of anarchism. The film did not even try to pretend to objectivity and the end was pretty much a passionate defense of anarchism. This was somehow refreshing if a bit frustrating, since I only got one side of the story. But I learned something
about events I barely knew about (the Mexican revolution, Makno's army, the Spanish civil war) and I enjoyed it.
Mars is a stupid planet. The title was intriguing and I liked the poem.
Also I watched an interesting documentary on Arte : Ni dieu ni maître, a history of anarchism. The film did not even try to pretend to objectivity and the end was pretty much a passionate defense of anarchism. This was somehow refreshing if a bit frustrating, since I only got one side of the story. But I learned something
about events I barely knew about (the Mexican revolution, Makno's army, the Spanish civil war) and I enjoyed it.
23FlorenceArt
Another interesting documentary on Arte: Hannah Arendt, du devoir de la désobéissance civile (this is a German film but I can't find the original title). I watched it because I've had The Origins of Totalitarianism in my TBR for a while and I keep thinking it's high time I got to it, but somehow never do it. It thought this might help, and it did provide an additional reason to think that I need to read it urgently. The film was very well done and explored the ways that Arendt's thinking is still highly relevant today. Some disturbing footage of the Nuremberg and Eichman trials showing how mass murder can become a bureaucratic process.
24FlorenceArt
So it looks like our next president is going to be either Le Pen or Macron. It could be worse, there's one of them I can actually vote for, even if it's with a decided lack of enthusiasm. I voted for Hamon the underdog, mostly because of his basic income program, which I think is an idea that deserves a try. At least we have one candidate who doesn't want us out of the EU. Whee.
25janeajones
Good luck! Glad you're going to vote. Those that sat out the American election because of a lack of enthusiasm certainly helped to elect Trump.
26Simone2
>24 FlorenceArt: An important day for France. We've been following it close here in the Netherlands. Of course I want you to all to vote for Marcon now, and for Europe. I think we need a to stick together in these turbulent times. Bonne chance!
27FlorenceArt
An excellent outsider account of the French election in the NYRB: http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/04/24/france-against-itself/
A couple of quotes that sum up the situation, and my own feelings, pretty well:
"Add together the votes of Le Pen, Melenchon, and the marginal candidates and you find that up to 49 percent voted for anti-EU, anti-establishment, and mostly Russian-friendly platforms. That gives you an idea of just how fed up many French are."
"many I met, especially educated, middle-class people (...) resented their position as “useful voters,” meaning people mobilized to vote against someone they detested, rather than for someone they believed in."
A couple of quotes that sum up the situation, and my own feelings, pretty well:
"Add together the votes of Le Pen, Melenchon, and the marginal candidates and you find that up to 49 percent voted for anti-EU, anti-establishment, and mostly Russian-friendly platforms. That gives you an idea of just how fed up many French are."
"many I met, especially educated, middle-class people (...) resented their position as “useful voters,” meaning people mobilized to vote against someone they detested, rather than for someone they believed in."
28RidgewayGirl
I really hope France doesn't get to find out what it feels like to place a protest vote against the status quo. It's not working out so well for us over here.
30FlorenceArt
Today I visited a bookshop for the first time in ages. It was frustrating because I much prefer buying books in electronic form, but I do miss the physical browsing part. I came across a stand of small books whose titles all started with "Le goût de" (a taste of/for"). I bought Le goût de Naples because I'm going there for a few days in a couple of weeks. It's a collection of short book excerpts about Naples. I read one of them by Water Benjamin. Pliny is also there somewhere of course. And by reading the back cover, I learned that Naples was founded by a siren. I guess not many cities can claim as much.
And yeah, I do realize (though to be honest it didn't occur to me until I came across an article in Le Monde) that now would be a perfect time to start reading Elena Ferrante, but I don't particularly feel like it.
And yeah, I do realize (though to be honest it didn't occur to me until I came across an article in Le Monde) that now would be a perfect time to start reading Elena Ferrante, but I don't particularly feel like it.
31thorold
>30 FlorenceArt: Le goût de Naples ... Walter Benjamin - Did he have pizza?
I hope Goethe and his mysterious princess are in there as well!
The book on Naples I keep meaning to read and never getting to is Norman Lewis (Naples '44). Everyone says positive things about it, and I enjoyed Jackdaw cake very much.
I hope Goethe and his mysterious princess are in there as well!
The book on Naples I keep meaning to read and never getting to is Norman Lewis (Naples '44). Everyone says positive things about it, and I enjoyed Jackdaw cake very much.
32FlorenceArt
>31 thorold: I don't know, he doesn't mention it, only the crowd and the noise. Alexandre Dumas describes the pizza, which in summer is replaced by the cocomero or watermelon. No Goethe but I'm sure there are a couple of princesses here and there.
33RidgewayGirl
Oh, enjoy Naples. It's such a wonderful, chaotic place. I saved the final Ferrante novel for a visit, but was too distracted by the city to read more than a few chapters.
Have a fantastic time. You've reminded me of sitting outside of a cafe on a busy street corner, drinking an Aperol Spritz and being entertained by the traffic. It's an art form of its own.
Have a fantastic time. You've reminded me of sitting outside of a cafe on a busy street corner, drinking an Aperol Spritz and being entertained by the traffic. It's an art form of its own.
34janeajones
The Ferrante books are a history of the last half of the 20th c from a female perspective. Highly recommended.
35FlorenceArt
Looks like we avoided the worst outcome this time. I think this quote in Le Monde from a Macron supporter sums it up very nicely:
"c'est 10 millions de gens qui souffrent, pas 10M de racistes. Ce soir, ce n'est donc pas glorieux.et 26% d'abstention, c'est énorme"
(Talking about Le Pen voters) "This is 10 million people who are hurting, not 10M racists. So tonight isn't that much of a triumph. And 26% abstention is huge."
"c'est 10 millions de gens qui souffrent, pas 10M de racistes. Ce soir, ce n'est donc pas glorieux.et 26% d'abstention, c'est énorme"
(Talking about Le Pen voters) "This is 10 million people who are hurting, not 10M racists. So tonight isn't that much of a triumph. And 26% abstention is huge."
36SassyLassy
>35 FlorenceArt: The outcome is wonderful news and a huge relief. That is a large abstention rate though. Does it count "blanc" voters, or are those spoiled ballots?
37FlorenceArt
Yes it is a relief. I had a moment of panic when I saw the abstention rate. And to answer your question, it includes blank and invalid ballots.
38Simone2
>35 FlorenceArt: 10 million people who need to be taken seriously and listened to. Let's learn from what happened in the US when so many people felt ingnored.
For now I am happy for you, for France and for Europe.
For now I am happy for you, for France and for Europe.
39janeajones
So happy for France, Europe and the rest of the world!
40baswood
Huge sigh of relief here - I was at the count in our Marie (polling station). It didn't take long to count as there are only 130 registered voters.
41VivienneR
Happy for you - and France! But Macron had a close escape when Trump almost pulled his arm off at the G7 meeting.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/25/trump-v-macron-french-president-...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/25/trump-v-macron-french-president-...
42FlorenceArt
Feeling guilty for not updating this for so long...
I just bought a Kobo e-reader, which I hope will incite me to read more books. A lot of my (shrinking) reading time is spent reading articles these days. In fact I selected Kobo specifically because it will also allow me to read articles via my Pocket account, so maybe it won't affect my book reading so much.
I did manage to finish Ukulele by Joann Sfar, the second of his notebooks series. I enjoyed it and it motivated to start drawing again, though I'm still as bad as ever.
Making slow but steady progress with Mason & Dixon, which Kobo informs me I am 20% in. I am, not very surprisingly, a bit confused at who's who and doing what (and why), and I'm sure that most of the historical references are escaping me, but I'm enjoying the read. I do check stuff on Wikipedia in the rare instances where I can actually tell I'm missing something. I learned about the Black Hole of Calcutta, and I started reading the article about John Company. Interesting stuff.
Also I decided to actually read the NYRB series on consciousness, which has been sitting in my Pocket queue for ages. So far I have only re-read the first two dialogs, and they are just as interesting the second time. But this time I'm hoping to get to the end. Or at least the end of the published part, I don't know if it's still ongoing or not.
I'll end on an interesting quote from that:
"It’s obvious that for modern science to happen, the object had to be separated off from the subject; only an elite of savants could be acquainted with the thing itself. Remember that Galileo, the founder of modern science, was also a Platonist, and Plato was a prominent member of his city’s elite and the first philosopher to place the object of intellectual enquiry outside of the reach of the everyday man: that is, man is trapped in the cave watching shadows on the wall while reality is outside, beyond his grasp."
I just bought a Kobo e-reader, which I hope will incite me to read more books. A lot of my (shrinking) reading time is spent reading articles these days. In fact I selected Kobo specifically because it will also allow me to read articles via my Pocket account, so maybe it won't affect my book reading so much.
I did manage to finish Ukulele by Joann Sfar, the second of his notebooks series. I enjoyed it and it motivated to start drawing again, though I'm still as bad as ever.
Making slow but steady progress with Mason & Dixon, which Kobo informs me I am 20% in. I am, not very surprisingly, a bit confused at who's who and doing what (and why), and I'm sure that most of the historical references are escaping me, but I'm enjoying the read. I do check stuff on Wikipedia in the rare instances where I can actually tell I'm missing something. I learned about the Black Hole of Calcutta, and I started reading the article about John Company. Interesting stuff.
Also I decided to actually read the NYRB series on consciousness, which has been sitting in my Pocket queue for ages. So far I have only re-read the first two dialogs, and they are just as interesting the second time. But this time I'm hoping to get to the end. Or at least the end of the published part, I don't know if it's still ongoing or not.
I'll end on an interesting quote from that:
"It’s obvious that for modern science to happen, the object had to be separated off from the subject; only an elite of savants could be acquainted with the thing itself. Remember that Galileo, the founder of modern science, was also a Platonist, and Plato was a prominent member of his city’s elite and the first philosopher to place the object of intellectual enquiry outside of the reach of the everyday man: that is, man is trapped in the cave watching shadows on the wall while reality is outside, beyond his grasp."
43dchaikin
Love that quote.
My sympathies on M&D. I think I'm glad I read it, but I think it also did me in for Pynchon.
My sympathies on M&D. I think I'm glad I read it, but I think it also did me in for Pynchon.
44FlorenceArt
Too bad M&D put you off Pynchon. I don't mind not understanding everything, that certainly helps with a book like this.
I finished all the articles published so far in the consciousness series. I'm not convinced by Manzotti's theory but he asks good questions. This reminded me of an article I read some time ago about researchers who applied neuroscience's tools to try to understand how a microprocessor works. A good reminder that no matter how much we know about the brain, we are still far from understanding how it works.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/can-modern-neuroscience-understand-donkey...
I finished all the articles published so far in the consciousness series. I'm not convinced by Manzotti's theory but he asks good questions. This reminded me of an article I read some time ago about researchers who applied neuroscience's tools to try to understand how a microprocessor works. A good reminder that no matter how much we know about the brain, we are still far from understanding how it works.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/can-modern-neuroscience-understand-donkey...
45FlorenceArt
this week-end I finished a graphic novel I had borrowed from the library at the beginning of summer. The library is now closed for renovation works until October, but luckily I can now borrow e-books from the Paris municipal library.
Une si jolie petite guerre is a personal account of the beginnings of the Vietnam war. Marcelino Truong was a child in Saigon and his father was working as an interpreter for the government of South Vietnam. Not very well written but interesting since I know next to nothing on this subject (which is strange if I think about it, considering how much it shaped the world I live in). And I liked the drawings.
Une si jolie petite guerre is a personal account of the beginnings of the Vietnam war. Marcelino Truong was a child in Saigon and his father was working as an interpreter for the government of South Vietnam. Not very well written but interesting since I know next to nothing on this subject (which is strange if I think about it, considering how much it shaped the world I live in). And I liked the drawings.
46FlorenceArt
(Tiptoeing back on thread, trying to pretend I haven't abandonned it for months...)
Some time ago, Pocket informed me that I was in their top 5% readers this year (again) and had read the equivalent of 12 books. Which is just as well, because as far as "real" books go, this year has been a disaster. According to LT, I finished six books this year, and five of them were graphic novels! That leaves a total of ONE new novel and ZERO non-fiction book finished in 2017. For the record, this one book is The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, a Lord Wimsey mystery by Dorothy Sayers. So nothing too heavy as you can see.
OK, so this doesn't include the re-reads (some Georgette Heyer and one Jane Austen, nor the numerous books I started and either abandoned or am still more or less reading. Notably, the abandons include Mason & Dixon. The books I am reading and still hope to finish some time next year are:
The Goldfinch which I'm enjoying but taking slowly as it's rather stressful reading. Donna Tartt has that effect on me. I didn't finish The Little Friend, it was just too oppressive. I think I'll finish this one but it will take some time.
New American Stories: I got stuck some time ago on the first story and it took me ages to finally decide to skip it and go on with the rest. Since then I've finished a couple. I liked the second one a lot, it's by Deborah Eisenberg and it's the second time I read one of her stories in a collection and it stands out for me. Maybe I should try a whole book of hers.
Histoire mondiale de la France is a collection of short essays on, well, the history of France. Some are better than others but I'm enjoying it, slowly, like the rest.
So, what have I been reading while I wasn't reading books? Mostly depressing stuff on how science and facts are being evicted of every significant political and environmental debate. I'm going through a mixture of Facebook anxiety and the "Someone is wrong on the internet" syndrome.
But. I tried going through my Pocket archive to pick articles that stood out in my memory, and here is a list. Perhaps not surprisingly, they are also mostly depressing. Except the first two.
Print your own body parts
The Odyssey and the Other
Charlottesville And The Rise Of White Identity Politics
The Rise of the Violent Left
Cairo
What is a black professor in America allowed to say?
Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race
Why time management is ruining our lives
Some time ago, Pocket informed me that I was in their top 5% readers this year (again) and had read the equivalent of 12 books. Which is just as well, because as far as "real" books go, this year has been a disaster. According to LT, I finished six books this year, and five of them were graphic novels! That leaves a total of ONE new novel and ZERO non-fiction book finished in 2017. For the record, this one book is The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, a Lord Wimsey mystery by Dorothy Sayers. So nothing too heavy as you can see.
OK, so this doesn't include the re-reads (some Georgette Heyer and one Jane Austen, nor the numerous books I started and either abandoned or am still more or less reading. Notably, the abandons include Mason & Dixon. The books I am reading and still hope to finish some time next year are:
The Goldfinch which I'm enjoying but taking slowly as it's rather stressful reading. Donna Tartt has that effect on me. I didn't finish The Little Friend, it was just too oppressive. I think I'll finish this one but it will take some time.
New American Stories: I got stuck some time ago on the first story and it took me ages to finally decide to skip it and go on with the rest. Since then I've finished a couple. I liked the second one a lot, it's by Deborah Eisenberg and it's the second time I read one of her stories in a collection and it stands out for me. Maybe I should try a whole book of hers.
Histoire mondiale de la France is a collection of short essays on, well, the history of France. Some are better than others but I'm enjoying it, slowly, like the rest.
So, what have I been reading while I wasn't reading books? Mostly depressing stuff on how science and facts are being evicted of every significant political and environmental debate. I'm going through a mixture of Facebook anxiety and the "Someone is wrong on the internet" syndrome.
But. I tried going through my Pocket archive to pick articles that stood out in my memory, and here is a list. Perhaps not surprisingly, they are also mostly depressing. Except the first two.
Print your own body parts
The Odyssey and the Other
Charlottesville And The Rise Of White Identity Politics
The Rise of the Violent Left
Cairo
What is a black professor in America allowed to say?
Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race
Why time management is ruining our lives
47dchaikin
But someone is wrong on internet... (I've got a little problem too)
Really glad to see an update from you Florence, and not surprised Mason & Dixon went unfinished. I did finish, but placed a hard stop on Pynchon afterward, which allowed me to pick up a bunch of dusty books on the shelf, previously in deep repose.
I'm reading the NT next year. Starting with all those books that aren't exactly in. Any interest? Martin is in, it will be in the Tropics. PM if you're interested.
Really glad to see an update from you Florence, and not surprised Mason & Dixon went unfinished. I did finish, but placed a hard stop on Pynchon afterward, which allowed me to pick up a bunch of dusty books on the shelf, previously in deep repose.
I'm reading the NT next year. Starting with all those books that aren't exactly in. Any interest? Martin is in, it will be in the Tropics. PM if you're interested.
48kidzdoc
Thanks for posting the links to those articles, Florence. Most of them are of interest to me, and since I'm off from work until next Tuesday I'll try to read them.
49LovingLit
>46 FlorenceArt: I have been looking for this article for ages now but couldn't remember what it was called! ...Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race...
I just can’t engage with the bewilderment and the defensiveness as they try to grapple with the fact that not everyone experiences the world in the way that they do.
I just dropped by to say yay- LT provides- I will read the lot asap.
I just can’t engage with the bewilderment and the defensiveness as they try to grapple with the fact that not everyone experiences the world in the way that they do.
I just dropped by to say yay- LT provides- I will read the lot asap.
50RidgewayGirl
Glad you're still here, Florence, and the books will all wait until you're in a mood to read them.
51FlorenceArt
>47 dchaikin: Thanks Dan, definitely interested and I joined the Tropics.
>48 kidzdoc: I thought about you when reading them, Darryl.
>49 LovingLit: Glad I could help! I felt really sad reading this article.
>50 RidgewayGirl: Thanks!
>48 kidzdoc: I thought about you when reading them, Darryl.
>49 LovingLit: Glad I could help! I felt really sad reading this article.
>50 RidgewayGirl: Thanks!
53FlorenceArt
>52 ELiz_M:
LOL! Nothing very exciting really. Days are Dogs at the Palais de Tokyo was rather boring. I was not even interested enough to get angry at it. I was only annoyed that the exhibition took up all the museum's space, so there was nothing else to see.
A few weeks ago I spent a couple of days in Honfleur, which turned out to be a very nice town. I visited the maisons Satie there. Lonely Planet was raving about it but I wasn't much impressed. It's nice, but not my kind of museum. The only way you can visit it is with an audio guide and I hate those. So I guess you could say it's a good sign that I actually followed the recommended path (took me about 20 minutes for a one-hour tour) instead of just walking out after 5 minutes. The displays were cool looking but there was absolutely no information to be obtained from them, unless I suppose you actually listened to the whole one hour audio, but that was too much to ask from me.
Actually I've been mostly busy with an art project of my own: I am working with musicians and we have weekly improv sessions. They improvise the music and I the images. I love it but it's been taking a lot of my time and energy. You can see some recordings of our sessions here: https://vimeo.com/album/4660937
LOL! Nothing very exciting really. Days are Dogs at the Palais de Tokyo was rather boring. I was not even interested enough to get angry at it. I was only annoyed that the exhibition took up all the museum's space, so there was nothing else to see.
A few weeks ago I spent a couple of days in Honfleur, which turned out to be a very nice town. I visited the maisons Satie there. Lonely Planet was raving about it but I wasn't much impressed. It's nice, but not my kind of museum. The only way you can visit it is with an audio guide and I hate those. So I guess you could say it's a good sign that I actually followed the recommended path (took me about 20 minutes for a one-hour tour) instead of just walking out after 5 minutes. The displays were cool looking but there was absolutely no information to be obtained from them, unless I suppose you actually listened to the whole one hour audio, but that was too much to ask from me.
Actually I've been mostly busy with an art project of my own: I am working with musicians and we have weekly improv sessions. They improvise the music and I the images. I love it but it's been taking a lot of my time and energy. You can see some recordings of our sessions here: https://vimeo.com/album/4660937
54RidgewayGirl
The Hapax project is fascinating.
55FlorenceArt
>54 RidgewayGirl: Thank you!
Turns out I forgot one book I finished in 2017: La carte et le territoire, so I actually read two novels!
A couple of recent, and interesting, articles I read:
The Truth About ‘Cultural Appropriation’, by Kenan Malik / ArtReview
Consciousness: Where Are Words?
I still don't know what to think of Manzotti's theories. My reaction is that although they make some sense in a purely philosophical way, they can't have any sort of scientific relevance. Maybe that's because I don't understand enough of his theories or the whole subject of consciousness. But I sure wasn't convinced by the experiments he proposed to "prove" his theories a few articles back. It didn't seem to me that they would prove anything at all.
Turns out I forgot one book I finished in 2017: La carte et le territoire, so I actually read two novels!
A couple of recent, and interesting, articles I read:
The Truth About ‘Cultural Appropriation’, by Kenan Malik / ArtReview
Consciousness: Where Are Words?
I still don't know what to think of Manzotti's theories. My reaction is that although they make some sense in a purely philosophical way, they can't have any sort of scientific relevance. Maybe that's because I don't understand enough of his theories or the whole subject of consciousness. But I sure wasn't convinced by the experiments he proposed to "prove" his theories a few articles back. It didn't seem to me that they would prove anything at all.
