What are you currently reading?

[Salmonchaser]

Just starting A Farewell to Arms- Ernest Hemingway.

Anyone else find it interestingly difficult to read early 20th century literature considering the sentence structure and punctuation? Extremely different than I was taught in school.

Always found Hemingway a little difficult

 

[Salmonchaser]

We, Catherine and I, were pretty excited by RMEF purchasing land on the lower river, freeing up access to the Minam. We’ve spent quite a bit of time up there and since the forest service purchased Red’s horse ranch We’ve had the privilege and serving as caretakers at Reds several times. I was hoping to attach a photo of the daughter riding her own horse into The Minam a little over 30 years ago, she was 3. So far UTL.
A great read if you can find a copy, a truly remarkable piece of wilderness.

 

[fmnjr]

Heartily recommend!

Alaska's Wolf Man: The 1915-55 Wilderness Adventures of Frank Glaser https://g.co/kgs/hR4f4JF

 

[fmnjr]

Another I am enjoying:

Amazon.com

 

[Nicoli7153]

Always found Hemingway a little difficult

Takes awhile to get used to his style. But once you do it gets easier. At least it did to me. Found the same to be true with Jim Harrison

 

[fmnjr]

Another I am enjoying:

Always found Hemingway a little difficult

Don't know what is being taught currently but, long time ago Hemingway and the like were required reading in HS. Even so, he didn't become a favorite author for me.

 

[Potsie]

Another I am enjoying:

Don't know what is being taught currently but, long time ago Hemingway and the like were required reading in HS. Even so, he didn't become a favorite author for me.

Old Man and the Sea was required reading when I came through, hope it still is - if it isn't, it'll at least be required reading in my household when my boys are old enough.

 

[blueridge]

This is the actual observer footage of the events for which Mr. Chapman was awarded TWO MOHs.

Rightfully speechless. …

 

[Hem]

Old Man and the Sea was required reading when I came through, hope it still is - if it isn't, it'll at least be required reading in my household when my boys are old enough.

My wife teaches AP English. By Spring semester she hopes to have the kids dialed in for The Sun Also Rises. It's interesting to hear how her students respond to this novel.

 

[Irrelevant]

My wife teaches AP English. By Spring semester she hopes to have the kids dialed in for The Sun Also Rises. It's interesting to hear how her students respond to this novel.

I read it in early HS. It was the first book I remember loathing, at least in the moment. I didn't know that anyone could/would ever write a book that wasn't light and happy or at least have a happy ending. Who would want to make others feel pity, despair, or resentment? However, it, and for Whom the Bell Tolls, got me introduced to Hemingway, and then to his short stories, which IMO are what make Hemingway great, similar to Harrison.

 

[Hem]

I read it in early HS. It was the first book I remember loathing, at least in the moment. I didn't know that anyone could/would ever write a book that wasn't light and happy or at least have a happy ending. Who would want to make others feel pity, despair, or resentment? However, it, and for Whom the Bell Tolls, got me introduced to Hemingway, and then to his short stories, which IMO are what make Hemingway great, similar to Harrison.

Most people read for instant gratification without any attempt to process any further. ( myself included)
The value of such a class as my wife teaches is in getting kids to realize that there is much more to consider, meaning behind the words. Interpretation is subjective, so maybe there isn't an actual right or wrong understanding, but the process of simply training to think for a second is pretty significant. This, especially in today's world, where everything is laid out one click away.
Obviously there has been endless scholarly research on Hemingways work which paints a picture of his intentions.

I met Harrison once at a reading in Bozeman. Room was full of academics, so I felt out of place...a worker looking dude. I wanted to ask him a seemingly dumb question, but maybe not so. " what do you hope readers get from your novels?" I should have asked.

 

[noharleyyet]

I read it in early HS. It was the first book I remember loathing, at least in the moment. I didn't know that anyone could/would ever write a book that wasn't light and happy or at least have a happy ending. Who would want to make others feel pity, despair, or resentment? However, it, and for Whom the Bell Tolls, got me introduced to Hemingway, and then to his short stories, which IMO are what make Hemingway great, similar to Harrison.

The more I read Hemingway's works, his bio, and his denouement, the more all three merged. A tragedy of toxic masculinity.

 

[Hem]

The more I read Hemingway's works, his bio, and his denouement, the more all three merged. A tragedy of toxic masculinity.

Quite possibly^...but still brilliant.

 

[Hem]

Quite possibly^...but still brilliant.

War time is mostly toxic masculinity, no?
Hunting and fishing to some degree as well.

 

[Irrelevant]

Most people read for instant gratification without any attempt to process any further. ( myself included)
The value of such a class as my wife teaches is in getting kids to realize that there is much more to consider, meaning behind the words. Interpretation is subjective, so maybe there isn't an actual right or wrong understanding, but the process of simply training to think for a second is pretty significant. This, especially in today's world, where everything is laid out one click away.

I go back and forth on this.

Yes, there is clearly a metric shitton of value in being able to see, think, and maybe understand at a deeper than surficial level.

But isn't there a damn near equal value is just being happy? One of those, the happier you are, the happier you'll be? What is the real value is reading about people being shitty to one another and calling it cool?

 

[noharleyyet]

I go back and forth on this.

Yes, there is clearly a metric shitton of value is being able to see, think, and maybe understand at a deeper than surficial level.

But isn't there a damn near equal value is just being happy? One of those, the happier you are, the happier you'll be? What is the real value is reading about people being shitty to one another and calling it cool?

Same reason we read McCarthy or Faulkner...gory human condition written with genius phraseology is riveting.

 

[Deleted member 52098]

Just finished Outlive by Peter Attia (5 thumbs up) and now taking a break from non fiction to read the Longmire series.

 

[Potsie]

But isn't there a damn near equal value is just being happy? One of those, the happier you are, the happier you'll be? What is the real value is reading about people being shitty to one another and calling it cool?

There's always value to a beach read, but the real value to reading about shitty people being shitty to one another is that's real life - it doesn't fit in neat little boxes of white hat/black hat, with a structured beginning, middle and end.

As you say, there's value to both sides of the equation, but it's a mistake to only read one side of a coin.

 

[Nicoli7153]

I believe that Hemmingway (and Harrison) shows us how we all struggle at times with many of the same problems in life, with many of the same feelings (self doubt, self destructive, etc.)
Perhaps we can take some comfort in knowing that human struggles are shared and that we are not alone when we make mistakes.

 

[blueridge]

I don’t get the Hemmingway-Harrison correlation, in their writing or especially personal lives.