tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148557807474310110.post7231777503442151766..comments2022-07-19T07:48:28.683-04:00Comments on Belle, Book, and Candle: The Abandoned Book PileBellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04335523622158333456noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148557807474310110.post-29796267751112821652013-04-18T16:43:34.043-04:002013-04-18T16:43:34.043-04:00Thank you so much for the recommendation, Tullik. ...Thank you so much for the recommendation, Tullik. I do love a good mystery with a sense of humor. And some art history thrown in to boot! I now have 'Headlong' on my reserve list at the library. And, I will look into Claire Tomalin's work as well. Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04335523622158333456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148557807474310110.post-7290022092883748522013-04-18T13:02:27.365-04:002013-04-18T13:02:27.365-04:00Belle!
I highly recommend "Headlong". It...Belle!<br />I highly recommend "Headlong". It concerns a long lost painting of the "peasant" painter Pieter Bruegel. A "laugh out loud" hilarious yarn with excellent art history (some of it fictitious!) thrown in for good measure. As someone interested in art history I gravitated to it immediately and go back to read it regularly and still laugh at the bumbling antics of Martin, the main character. Frayn is a true and rare polymath; a newspaper reporter, humorist, novelist, playwright etc. His wife Claire Tomalin is no slouch either, she is an excellent biographer and literary journalist. Her Charles Dickens & Thomas Hardy biographies, among many others are simply wonderful. Tullikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10524256855855014534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148557807474310110.post-38741638628913846022013-04-17T09:29:37.368-04:002013-04-17T09:29:37.368-04:00Oh Tullik, I have no problem anymore abandoning bo...Oh Tullik, I have no problem anymore abandoning books that don't appeal. But, I am disappointed in favorite writers that I have enjoyed for years and then 'Dud'!<br /><br />Thirty pages in is a good rule. With the above books, I gave them more than that and still wasn't hooked. Time to move on.<br /><br />I have not read anything by Michael Frayn. I see though that he wrote 'Noises Off' which is one of my favorite plays/movies. I will investigate! Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04335523622158333456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9148557807474310110.post-42439259638481234472013-04-16T12:56:28.708-04:002013-04-16T12:56:28.708-04:00I'm glad I am not the only one who has no qual...I'm glad I am not the only one who has no qualms in not finishing a book. For a long time I was wondering if I was at fault in some way, lacking in staying power, etc etc. As an example recently I had to set aside "The Human Touch: Our part in the creation of the universe " by Michael Frayn. I felt a little guilty on two levels; one, Michael is one of my favourite authors and two, i just felt pretty stupid not being able to grasp a fraction of what he was trying to convey. As there are so many books I wish to read I don't feel compelled to stick with a book just for the sake of it any more and have instituted a 30 page rule OR earlier. I recall finishing many many books that I wish I had just said "This is doing nothing for me! I have to move on!" Tullikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10524256855855014534noreply@blogger.com