From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V10 #212 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Thursday, May 24 2001 Volume 10 : Number 212 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: fegbooks, gardening, UM and new addy [Michael R Godwin ] star drek ["Natalie Jacobs" ] Readers Advisory ["3 Rose Cottage" ] FW: worldwide -- Bobfest [LDudich@ase.org] More oily stuff ["Scott McCleary" ] Re: star drek [/dev/woj ] Re: More oily stuff [Melissa Higuchi ] Re: Readers Advisory [/dev/woj ] Imitation of Drew [Miles Goosens ] feg reading [Melissa Higuchi ] Re: Readers Advisory ["JH3" ] Rialto ["Chris Browning" ] Re: fegmaniax-digest V10 #200 [Traveling Riverside Blues ] Re: star drek [Brett Cooper ] more feg reading [Melissa Higuchi ] Reading Rainbow ["Mike wells" ] [none] [Stephen Mahoney ] Re: Imitation of Drew [/dev/woj ] Words, words, words.... [The Great Quail ] various book stuff [Christopher Gross ] he can't sing anymore [Bayard ] RE: Readers Advisory ["victorian squid" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:56:11 +0100 (BST) From: Michael R Godwin Subject: Re: fegbooks, gardening, UM and new addy On Wed, 23 May 2001, she rex wrote: > Hi everybody! Hi! Nice to hear from you again. You'll remember me as a Philip Pullman fan, so you won't be surprised to hear that I am recommending 'The Amber Spyglass' which is the chunky concluding book in the "His Dark Materials" series. It finishes with a full-scale war in heaven and a couple of surprises. In my opinion the wrapping up of the story isn't quite convincing - not up to the standard of Lloyd Alexander's "The High King" for example - but it is still the most ambitious fantasy novel that I have seen in a long time. - - Mike Godwin ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 07:21:27 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Brian Wilson + Steve: >I'm sorry to say it, but [Brian Wilson Live At The Roxy Theatre] >would be a great album if >Brian wasn't on it. The band is excellent, but it's painful to hear Brian >sing, and even more cringe inducing to hear him talk. Mm-hmm. I didn't bother to get that album. Can't say I'd even be interested in hearing it. Brett: >Any thoughts on the final episode of Voyager? Personally, I thought it was >far better than the finale for The Next Generation. I missed it -- what did Costello sing, this time? - ---- Usenet post: Subject: 80's alternative pop song question Newsgroup: rec.music.progressive I know this is o.t. but oh well. Can anyone help me figure out what alternative poppy group did a song called "balloon man." They never became a household name or very well known. My brother liked them and I was trying to mention them to someone. They reminded me of XTC but it's not them. The group was influenced by Syd Barret evidently and their 1992 album was supposed to be psychedelia. Perhaps they were a sort of neo psychedelic band but to me they are probably much more similar to brit pop like Oasis than Porcupine Tree. - ---- Eb (RH didn't even release an album in 1992, much less a psychedelic one...) Rest in peace/torment: the Republican Senate majority ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 08:54:12 -0700 From: "Natalie Jacobs" Subject: star drek >Any thoughts on the final episode of Voyager? Didn't see it. Didn't even know it was ending. Out of morbid curiosity - what happened? I stopped watching it a long time ago, after the episode where the Captain and that other guy somehow mutated into giant salamanders. Tho' I did tune in occasionally afterwards, just for laughs. I hear the next Star Trek series will star Scott Bakula (speaking of quantam leaps). Wish I still had a TV... I miss Babylon 5. Londo for President! n., who liked "Third Rock" too _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 16:44:50 -0000 From: "3 Rose Cottage" Subject: Readers Advisory Miles: As a longstanding fan of unrestrained silliness, I'll have to stick up for THIRD ROCK, which was always a hoot and a half every time I saw it. I also like NIGHT COURT, the Three Stooges, the surreal second season of THE JOHN LARROQUETTE show, the absurdly digressive parts of the Coen Brothers canon (i.e., RAISING ARIZONA and THE BIG LEBOWSKI have it all over FARGO and MILLER'S CROSSING), and lots of other ridiculous things. I completely understand if folks find THIRD ROCK's unabashedly, insanely, completely over-the-top goofiness to be grating, but I enjoyed it immensely. I love dumb humor. 3rd rock sometimes works for me but often theres just too much furniture-chewing and not enough real jokes. Same for Night Court. But for both there are great moments. My ultimate weakness is for the 2 Weekend at Bernies movies. Now theres - -really- dumb humor. And the actings so bad that of all the actors--the guy who plays the corpse is the best! Mahoney: >I am translating our library memos in eubonics also quite amusing!!!!!! If ones particularly good--can you send it to me. She-Rex, glad to see you emerge from lurkdom. Had forgotten how good the Fegbook page is--went back and now have my reading mapped out for the last month. Read somewhere recently a poll which classified as "voracious readers" those who read 7 or more books a month--a figure which seemed low to me. Am I naive or do most Fegs top this? Anyway I have this habit of reading several books at once, so something can take me 2 days or 2 monthes. Im curious as to our reading habits. I wonder what other Fegs tend to read so--- Heres what Im reading now(have finished the Queenan): Readers Digest's Short Cuts to Great Gardens Lindsey, David The Color of Night (I realised awhile ago that Id never done the mystery/thriller genre, so Im scoping that out. Just at the beginning of this one so dont know if I like it yet) Goldberg, Carl The Evil We Do Waterfield, Robin ed. Jacob Boehme Miller, Geoffrey The Mating Mind Moura,Ann The History of Witchcraft So guys--anyone else care to share:-)? Its interesting to see what patterns other people's minds make. Kay _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 13:34:58 -0400 From: LDudich@ase.org Subject: FW: worldwide -- Bobfest > In honor of Mr. Dylan's 60th birthday, WFUV 90.7 FM in New York is playing > all Bob, all day, non-commercial public radio. You can get it streaming > on the web anywhere at www.wfuv.org. Are we feeling old yet? > Luther W. Dudich Alliance to Save Energy Buildings Team Research Associate 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20036 202/530-2243 202/331-9588 (fax) ldudich@ase.org www.ase.org Click here to help the Alliance stop global warming. > http://www.environmentsite.org > "You have marvelous houses, very good. But if you live in these big houses with a turbulent mind, with an agitated mind, with a fearful mind, you will not be a happy person." - -HH the 14th DL Conservationists said US energy "shortages" cited by Bush are the result of high consumption, not low production. International Energy Agency data shows the average US citizen consumed the energy equivalent of 8.2 tons of oil in 1999, compared with 3.8 tons in Europe and 4.1 tons in Japan. So to sum up the current state of the universe: (1) Mars needs women; (2) The United States needs a real energy policy; (3) We need Douglas Adams more than ever; (4) I need a drink. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 11:02:26 -0700 From: "Scott McCleary" Subject: More oily stuff I also have the VHS of their guerilla concert outside the Exxon building 10(?) years ago. Wonder if copies of said same would be of interest as a trade to others on the list, since there seems to be some cross-fandom here. np: Too Much Joy - Cereal Killers ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:07:26 -0400 From: /dev/woj Subject: Re: star drek when we last left our heroes, Natalie Jacobs exclaimed: >Didn't see it. Didn't even know it was ending. Out of morbid curiosity - >what happened? i missed it too but got a summary from someone who did. they got home. twice. janeway, several years after getting back the slow way, travels back in time and figures out a way to get them home sooner piggy-backing on borg tech. >I stopped watching it a long time ago, after the episode where the Captain >and that other guy somehow mutated into giant salamanders. i stopped watching during the first season since none of the characters were in the least bit appealing. i'd periodically check in to see if it had gotten better and, while there were improvements (two of DD not being one of them), it still sucked. >I hear the next Star Trek series will star Scott Bakula (speaking of quantam >leaps). Wish I still had a TV... that's what they say. someday, i'd like to see a series in the start trek universe which doesn't directly involve star fleet or the federation. >I miss Babylon 5. Londo for President! i've been watching the b5 re-runs on sci-fi and reminding myself of all the things that i liked (ivanova, zathras, the cgi) and hated (the dialogue, sheridan, the messiah complex) about the series. despite all that, it's still probably my favorite tv science fiction series. woj n.p. http://kuci.org:889/ n.w. red sox/yankees (go pedro!) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 18:19:49 -0000 From: Melissa Higuchi Subject: Re: More oily stuff Oh yeah, I think I have the special that MTV ran on their blackfella, whitefella tour too and some odd concert vinyl (german concert, Doors front cover, echo and the bunnymen patterned labels. If anyone is interested. Mel > I also have the VHS of their guerilla concert outside the Exxon > building 10(?) years ago. Wonder if copies of said same would > be of interest as a trade to others on the list, since there > seems to be some cross-fandom here. > - -- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:14:27 -0400 From: /dev/woj Subject: Re: Readers Advisory when we last left our heroes, 3 Rose Cottage exclaimed: >Read somewhere recently a poll which classified as "voracious readers" those >who read 7 or more books a month--a figure which seemed low to me. Am I >naive or do most Fegs top this? i read a lot less than i used to and less than this. i probably get through a few books a month nowadays. at my peak, i'd guess i was reading in the neighborhood of over a dozen a month, i'd guess. >So guys--anyone else care to share:-)? i just finished jack finney's _time and again_ and have c.j. cherryh's _fortress of owls_ and heinrich harrier's _seven years in tibet_ on the nightstand. woj ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 13:47:58 -0500 From: Miles Goosens Subject: Imitation of Drew Or of Kay. By way of consolidation, I mean. I'm sure I have few of the virtues of either fine Feg. I'm hardly the poster child for political correctness, but there's something about stuff like the "Ebonics translator" that makes me cringe. Just an opinion, not an aspersion cast forth. I like what Drew and Kay have said about art that leaves room for play. I need the fully-realized stuff in my life too -- THE SEVENTH SEAL right alongside TIME BANDITS. But I've found that in the long term, I do tend to prefer things that admit multiple interpretations and provide room for me to situate myself within the framework of the song or film. Lou Reed's NEW YORK and the Velvet Underground's third album are both worth your while, but I felt like after I'd played NEW YORK for the third time, I didn't need to hear Lou tell those same stories again; I can play that VU album three times today and three times tomorrow, enjoy it every time, and discover something new in it on every listen. These sorts of more abstract entertainments can also evolve with you. As your perspective shifts, so do they, and they become no less lustrous when the light reflects at a different angle. Fegbooks: Since I'm only quoted in it about "Heart of Darkness," I see I'm going to have to say some onlist things about Gene Wolfe's BOOK OF THE NEW SUN series, which is my single favorite literary work of the last thirty years (TOM JONES still the all-time champeen). Don't have time to even scratch the surface today -- I've written a lot in this missive, sure, but reacting to the opinions of others is always easier than coming up with a prime composition yourself. Yay for SheRex for putting the page together, and reminding us of its continued existence! Mike Wells, then woj: >>"is Packard Goose" the best song on Joe's Garage, or isn't it? YOU MAKE THE >>CALL" > >i'd give the nod to "watermelon in easter hay", myself. Me too! Lots of great songs on Vol. 1 ("Crew Slut" and "Catholic Girls" are standard reference points for me, and it's always fun to sing "I probably got the gon-o-ca-ca-cacus" in the men's room), but often the only thing I can even remember off of Vols. 2 and 3 is the gorgeous soloing from "Watermelon." What the second half of the original version of "Layla" almost is. Natalie opined: >I miss Babylon 5. Londo for President! > >n., who liked "Third Rock" too No matter how much Natalie and I may disagree over Momus or FIGHT CLUB, a reminder (or in this case, TWO! Sometimes one reminder is not enough) of why I'm fond of her is never far away. :-)))) Will there be B5 DVDs? I sure hope so. Luther wrote: >So to sum up the current state of the universe: > >(1) Mars needs women; It also needs guitars. later, Miles ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 19:16:38 -0000 From: Melissa Higuchi Subject: feg reading I think I may occasionally get to 7 books a month. My part time bookstore job is largely responsible for that. my favorite Observatory Mansions by Edward Carey - freaks, obsessions, the relationship people have with their posessions. other recent stuff: The Dark Room by Sieffert Perfume Yellow Jack Second Hand by Michael Zadoorian Under the Skin A Prayer for the Dying by Stuart O'Nan - I'm the One I Want - Margaret Cho Man in the High Castle Melissa ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:17:54 -0500 From: "JH3" Subject: Re: Readers Advisory >So guys--anyone else care to share:-)? As far as recent stuff is concerned, I think Quail and I both recommended Mark Danielewski's "House of Leaves" not too long ago. Awesome book... And both "The Quincunx" and "The Unburied" by Charles Palliser, and Iain Pears' "An Instance of the Fingerpost" -- the latter is probably the best historical mystery I've ever read, and I've read a bunch (it's probably my favorite literary genre). Also, there was a guy on the Wire list named Michel Faber who wrote a very interesting sci-fi/horror novel called "Under the Skin," which I also wanted to mention because I believe Wire fans (generally speaking) deserve everyone's support. Also, has anyone read Graham Parker's new novel? It's called "Carp Fishing on Valium." I was scared off by the title -- frankly, if it's even vaguely similar to Richard Brautigan, I'd probably throw it away after 15 pages or less -- but maybe I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, even in the literal sense. John "Valium Carping on Fish" Hedges ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 20:27:19 +0100 From: "Chris Browning" Subject: Rialto people seem to be asking after Rialto - not sure why, i always thought they were a bit rubbish, especially when i saw them live - but they appear to have a new album out next month. there was a review of it in this month's Q and the bloke as foppish as ever... hope this pleases the Rialto fans chris ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 08:16:02 -0700 From: Traveling Riverside Blues Subject: Re: fegmaniax-digest V10 #200 Don't forget, this is the same guy who ruined the climactic moment of one of his best albums by forever associating it with a soft drink, when he sold "Love Reign O'er Me" for a 7-Up commercial. Mike, lowing through three weeks (>500 pages!) of back digests. >At 02:10 PM 5/16/01 -0400, loehr@charter.net wrote: >I don't blame Nissan for going for the real Who version; I blame Townshend >& Co. for letting them use it. Color me disillusioned (although I guess >I've come to expect it) when someone apparently cares so little about their >art to sell not only one of their songs, but their very own performance of >it. I'd hate either one, actually, but I can at least rationalize hearing a >cheap copy version as "maybe the artist really needs the money for some >good reason". > >Does Pete *really* need that extra cash? (Well, ok, maybe he's trying to >finance that new radio version of Lifehouse, or the new sitcom version of >Tommy... ) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 15:59:04 -0400 From: "Poole, R. Edward" Subject: RE: Readers Advisory >So guys--anyone else care to share:-)? Not necessarily recent to the world, but recent to my bedside table: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (despite self-consciously cute title, I found it to be an accurate description of the book) A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (oft-funny, always sharp essays; the title essay is one of the funniest things I've ever read) David Boring, Daniel Clowes (vaguely surreal comic by underground comic wunderkid and former hyde park (chicago) neighbor) This Must Be the Place: Adventures of Talking Heads in the 20th Century, David Bowman (not terribly rigorous in what could have been a very interesting analysis of the cultural impact/importance of a seminal band; still fun reading, particularly the tina/david catiness and tales of Eno's sexual prowess (who woulda guessed?)) Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Christopher Moore (you love him or hate him; I love him; note, also, his name is neither david nor daniel, an oddity for this list) About a Boy, Nick Hornby (he of High Fidelity fame; another fine read) Little Green Men, Chris Buckley (ok, kinda fun; major disappointment if you've read thank you for smoking) Long Dark Teatime of the Soul, Douglas Adams (again; for obvious reasons; I liked it again, but it made me sad) Wow. It strikes me that there are no women on there. This is unintentional and a bit surprising. What chicklit should I have been reading? (note to the easily offended: "chicklit" is (a) a joke (b) in reference to the fine website (http://www.chicklit.com/) of the same name). - -ed "terribly tired of reading cases about insurance law" poole ============================================================================This e-mail message and any attached files are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the addressee(s) named above. This communication may contain material protected by attorney-client, work product, or other privileges. If you are not the intended recipient or person responsible for delivering this confidential communication to the intended recipient, you have received this communication in error, and any review, use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, copying, or other distribution of this e-mail message and any attached files is strictly prohibited. If you have received this confidential communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail message and permanently delete the original message. To reply to our email administrator directly, send an email to postmaster@dsmo.com Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP http://www.legalinnovators.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 12:40:31 -0800 From: Brett Cooper Subject: Re: star drek on 5/24/01 7:54 AM, Natalie Jacobs at emma_blowgun@hotmail.com wrote: >> Any thoughts on the final episode of Voyager? > > Didn't see it. Didn't even know it was ending. Out of morbid curiosity - > what happened? You just heard from someone else what happened, and even though you may not have cared for the series, I have to admit that the scene of Voyage flying over Golden Gate bridge at night and then back into the sky was a very cool scene, effects wise as well as aesthetically for anyone who shares the dream of space exploration. > I miss Babylon 5. Londo for President! Or not. Brett ******************************************** Cooper Collections http://home.gci.net/~coopercollections ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 20:48:37 -0000 From: Melissa Higuchi Subject: more feg reading How could I forget! The Philip Pullman series the Amber Spyglass, the Subtle Knife and the Golden Compass. That was easily the best and the most compelling series I've read in a long time. I couldn't possibly do it justice but I have to say that it was far better thanmost things i've read that were written for adults. Melissa ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 15:53:02 -0500 From: "Mike wells" Subject: Reading Rainbow >From Mr. Poole > A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (oft-funny, always sharp essays; the title essay is one of the funniest things I've ever read) Isn't that a great read? And it's so dead-fucking nuts correct there's no escaping. The other one that floored me in that book was memories of growing up and playing tennis in Central Illinois, "Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley." Now I'll have to go read that one again, too. Recently batted: "The Puzzle Palace: A Report on America's Most Secret Agencyy" by James Bamford (finally completed, about 15 years late) "Mort" by Terry Pratchett (Discworld) "Sourcery" by Terry Pratchett (Discworld) "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (re-read since I heard they're making a movie out of it) Now hitting: "Access 97 Bible" by Cary Prague In the on-deck circle: "Dark Alliance: The Cia, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion" by Gary Webb (promise I'll finish it this time) "Big Trouble: A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets Off a Struggle for the Soul of America" by J. Anthony Lukas "When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi" by David Maraniss (God I hate the Packers, but this should be a good read) Michael "better read than dead" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 14:02:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Stephen Mahoney Subject: [none] O. Henry a collection of 38 of his short stories...on "man about town" right now "gift of the magi" opened the collection. almost picked up that novel by ethan cohen, but ended up reshelving it. Stephen "if only I had a couple of hours of reading time for every good title I came across" Mahoney np(in me head): the golden age of wireless- thomas dolby "windpower" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 17:04:20 -0400 From: /dev/woj Subject: Re: Imitation of Drew when we last left our heroes, Miles Goosens exclaimed: >Me too! Lots of great songs on Vol. 1 ("Crew Slut" and "Catholic Girls" >are standard reference points for me, and it's always fun to sing "I >probably got the gon-o-ca-ca-cacus" in the men's room), but often the only >thing I can even remember off of Vols. 2 and 3 is the gorgeous soloing from >"Watermelon." i once described it to a friend as an existentalist guitar solo and was told that there could be no such thing. after i played it for him, though, he has to agree. >Will there be B5 DVDs? I sure hope so. that's what i hear. i think the first two ("the gathering" and "in the beginning") are expected this summer. woj ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 17:35:22 -0700 From: The Great Quail Subject: Words, words, words.... I have been reading a LOT of Beckett these last few months. Lots. More than any one person should probably read in a given time span. But I have read a few works I think fellow Fegs might find of interest: 1. "Motherless Brooklyn." Though Jonathan Lethem's book is really a detective story, the protagonist has Tourrette's Syndrome, and his struggles with his own rebellious nervous system are really at the heart of the book. It's a great read, very easy but also literate, and it takes place in my very neighborhood! Which is an added bonus. 2. "The Fuck Up" and "Dogrun." Two short books by Arthur Neresian, both detailing down-and-out bohemian types in New York City. They are funny, hip, and pointed without seeming overly precious. Believe me, after living here for 3+ years, I *know* the people who fill these pages -- they would also seem at home in books by Nick Hornsby or Douglas Coupland. 3. "Monstruary." By Spanish writer Julian Rios. I am reading it right now, for a review -- and though I like it, I am not quite sure what to think of it. It's a hallucinogenic study of a fictional artist, Victor Mons, and his circle of friends -- artists, sculptors, writers, patrons, and so on. There is not much of a plot -- the novel is told in anecdotal chapters which skip around through decades, painting pictures of these "monstrous" people. It is very Borgesian, with constant allusions to other works of literature, especially Joyce, Kafka, Lovecraft, Borges, Calvino.... The prose is very intricate and winding, and uses frequent multi-lingual puns and wordplay. But the overall feeling is one of borderline insanity -- hence the title, which stems from a series of portraits painted by Mons of his associates, paintings where he paints them all as mythological beasts. Anyway, I couldn't resist a thread about books! - --Quail - -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Great Quail, K.S.C. (riverrun Discordian Society, Kibroth-hattaavah Branch) http://www.w-rabbit.com/gerbils.html "People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history." --Vice President Dan Quayle ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 17:43:29 -0400 (EDT) From: Christopher Gross Subject: various book stuff On Thu, 24 May 2001, 3 Rose Cottage wrote: > Read somewhere recently a poll which classified as "voracious readers" those > who read 7 or more books a month--a figure which seemed low to me. Am I > naive or do most Fegs top this? At my peak, during high school and college summer vacations, I used to read as many as 20 books a month, though many of them were short and simple fantasy/SF novels. Nowadays I might finish seven books in a good month, but three or four is more usual. On the other hand, I read an awful lot of magazine and journal articles now, so maybe I still count as voracious. > Lindsey, David > The Color of Night > (I realised awhile ago that Id never done the mystery/thriller genre, so > Im scoping that out. Just at the beginning of this one so dont know if I > like it yet) Never read it, but that name reminds me of a woman named Lindsey Davis. She wrote my favorite series of historical mysteries, about a private detective named Marcus Didius Falco in ancient Rome, ca. 70 AD. The first book is called Silver Pigs. Can't quite think of a Feg angle here, but they are pretty good. On Thu, 24 May 2001, Mike wells wrote: > "The Puzzle Palace: A Report on America's Most Secret Agencyy" by James > Bamford (finally completed, about 15 years late) Just in time! This year he came out with a new book on the NSA, titled Body of Secrets. Haven't read it myself, but I have seen one or two favorable reviews. Like Kay, I tend to read several books concurrently. Right now I'm in the middle of another my attempts to read Ulysses; I'm on track to finish by Bloomsday if I can keep my current pace up. Meanwhile, for Metro reading, I have The Merry Men by Robert Louis Stevenson and Access 2000 for Windows for Dummies by John Kaufeld. Does anyone else out there like Patrick O'Brian? (I see Mike Godwin mentioned him on the Fegbooks page.) Again, they might not be too Feggy, but I love O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin books. Great plots, great period detail, and some of the best dialogue and descriptive prose I've ever read. Who was it who mentioned Gene Wolfe? I apparently deleted it.... Aside from his awesome New Sun series, check out The Fifth Head of Cerberus and, even better, Peace. - --Chris, cackling gleefully about Sen. Jeffords ______________________________________________________________________ Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 15:23:39 -0700 (PDT) From: Bayard Subject: he can't sing anymore public service announcement: this bloke had the cojones to pos "bob dylan blues" on his site, in case anyone is curious to hear it. this is the track that only mr barrett's family (and david gilmour) had possession of until the latest "greatest hits re-release with one new track" manouevre. http://user.tninet.se/~pow333h/ i also dug up an untitled, unreleased song from syd barrett's last session, in (you guessed it) 1974. it's an instrumental, of course.... ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 15:01:37 -0700 From: "victorian squid" Subject: RE: Readers Advisory On Thu, 24 May 2001 15:59:04 Poole, R. Edward wrote: >About a Boy, Nick Hornby (he of High Fidelity fame; another fine read) Second this. Great great book. Another one about male emotional coming of age. Not that I'm complaining, but it appears that Mr. Hornby may be more evidence for Evelyn Waugh's theory that most people only have one or two novels in them and just keep writing variations. >and a bit surprising. What chicklit should I have been reading? Older: (turn of the last century) Kate Chopin is too often overlooked. Try "Bayou Folk" and if you like that, you'll probably like "The Awakening" too. Another great overlooked author is Charlotte Perkins Gilman. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a good collection- the title story (a woman slowly going mad while confined for "hysteria") is harrowing and may haunt you for life. Another great book of short stories is "Roman Fever" by Edith Wharton. Actually anything by Edith Wharton is pretty great, particularly if you really like sharply observed portraits of human foible. If you like mysteries, you've probably already read Dorothy L. Sayers, so this particular recommendation is pointless :). Barbara Comyns is a wonderful, surreal, lovely author who is also too frequently overlooked. I believe she is a favorite of Robyn's also, btw. Kay mentions the "Voracious Readers" thing: In grade school and high school I was continuously scarfing up books, to the detriment of my "official" schoolwork. Way beyond seven a month, and we're talking Dickens and such here too, not skinny books :). Once I got to college "official" reading pretty much took up all my reading time and it went down to one or two. I'd say now I'm at maybe three a month? I do a lot of reading but it's mostly news and financial stuff, not real books. I also don't tend to read a lot of fiction these days. No conscious choice or reason, just things that look intriguing to me usually end up being nonfiction or biography for whatever reason. Books I have read recently: Just finished- "Gypsy", Gypsy Rose Lee's autobiography. Wonderful, fascinating, funny book. I'd especially recommend it to people who have an interest in vaudeville or theatrical history. Now starting- "Seeing Is Forgetting The Name of The Thing One Sees", a biography of the artist Robert Irwin, by Lawrence Weschler, also author of "Mr Wilson's Cabinet of Wonders" and "Boggs- A Comedy of Values", both of which are very worthy and great. I'm only a few pages into it but it looks to be fascinating. loveonya, susan Join 18 million Eudora users by signing up for a free Eudora Web-Mail account at http://www.eudoramail.com ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V10 #212 ********************************