What are you reading?

[haydnguy]

[Herzeleide]

I have the Morgan (though not the Pople *jealous*).

It's very good, though he's a bit crap with Messiaen, incongruously lumping him in with the post-WWII avant-garde. In fact, whilst the first half of the book is very good, I'd say that he was only adequate on post-WWII music. This is better for post-WWII music:

[haydnguy]

Thanks Herzeleide, right now I'm just trying to get a general understanding of the history of music (and the players), then as time goes by I'm hoping my understanding of music will develop to the point that I will be able to appreciate the actual "music parts" of the books.

[Florestan]

I am reading PopCo by Scarlett Thomas, who I love (apart from her early crime novels, which are rather clunky).

Her publisher has reissued this book - it was first published before her breakthrough novel, The End of Mr Y - but I don't think people who liked Mr Y will be disappointed. It does, however, have a lot of young and trendy people in it, which could grate. And her books always have a romantic element, even if there is a lot of weird stuff going on. (The super smart heroine always seems to cop off with some sexy but nice guy).

Having said that, there is also a lot of very interesting stuff about maths and cryptanalysis, so it's an odd mix of trendy and nerdy. In fact, it is largely about trying to reconcile the two.

It is better than I have made it sound.

[birabiro]

(This is grossly over simplified.) According to Nick Pre Modern is a tribal view of culture, with a group identity and a spiritual wholeness (the one). Every one is related. It's problem is loosing the individual, and also what Jungians would call individuation. Modern is individual based - atomic where each atom is related by accidental collision. Its problem is greed and destruction of the community and environment as individuals pursue private goals. Post Modern has two categories - deconstructive - which is nihilistic, and constructive which seeks to find the good of the two previous eras and mold them into a new design.
I don't know much about this stuff - but, I like to see people trying to get the baby out of the bathwater before if flows down the drain.

[stephen w]

A book where on every other page there's a sentence or paragraph that makes me want to write it down, tell a friend!

[Florestan]

Wow.

[Florestan]

I am reading Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141010010/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=]Amazon link[/ame]


Stephen and Dame Hilda - if you haven't read this book, you've got to - you will absolutely love it.

My stepsister and her husband bought it for philidor for Christmas and it is absolutely wonderful. Phili raved about it and now I can see why.

[Dame Hilda Tablet]

That's definitely in the shopping basket poised for payday!

[Florestan]

I must point out that the above was not a 'message from our sponsor', in light of our new Brightcecilia virtual Amazon store. It really is a beautiful book.