What are you reading now?

[Jonathan]

Not reading just yet but recently purchased the late Christopher Fifield's book "The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms, the fall and rise of a genre". There are loads of unsung composers to discover about in this book!

[vinteuil]

.

Henry James : The Wings of the Dove

I read it many many years ago when I was in a period of reading all of James.
I think I read it far too swiftly then ; I am now re-reading at a much more considered pace - and appreciating it much more. Golly it's good...

.

[smittims]

Yes, I think one needs to go at a leisurely pace to enjoy it. Some of James' sentences, dictated, I believe, rather than written out, can challenge one's grasp of grammar and syntax. .

[gurnemanz]

I recently read Cosimas Kinder: Triumph und Tragödie der Wagner-Dynastie by Oliver Hillmes and as a follow-up I am into The Death of Franz Liszt; Based on the Unpublished Diary of Lina Schmalhausen, introduced, annotated, and edited by Alan Walker. The 22-year-old Fräulein Schmalhausen, a Liszt pupil of limited talent, was devotedly obsessed with him and was present during his painful, in all senses, last days in Bayreuth. She offered him valued support until ejected by Cosima. The Wagner clan had no interest in its coming to light and the 84-page diary was only unearthed by Walker in 1977. It contains a day-to-day description of Liszt's demise in July 1886. Lina's comments may not be an entirely reliable record in every detail but along with Alan Walker's experts notes it offers fascinating, if depressing, insights into the humiliating circumstances of the great man's final demise.

[richardfinegold]

I have been reading Robert Harris's 'Pompeii.' This is only the second book of his i have read. I love Roman history and this book is entertaining not only for the story but also identifying the sources of the historical detail. It is really amusing and adds alot of appeal for me. It was oroif read by Prof Mary Beard. Great fun.

Quite a bit of the detail Harris uses comes from Mary Beard’s book about Pompeii

[Jonathan]

I recently read Cosimas Kinder: Triumph und Tragödie der Wagner-Dynastie by Oliver Hillmes and as a follow-up I am into The Death of Franz Liszt; Based on the Unpublished Diary of Lina Schmalhausen, introduced, annotated, and edited by Alan Walker. The 22-year-old Fräulein Schmalhausen, a Liszt pupil of limited talent, was devotedly obsessed with him and was present during his painful, in all senses, last days in Bayreuth. She offered him valued support until ejected by Cosima. The Wagner clan had no interest in its coming to light and the 84-page diary was only unearthed by Walker in 1977. It contains a day-to-day description of Liszt's demise in July 1886. Lina's comments may not be an entirely reliable record in every detail but along with Alan Walker's experts notes it offers fascinating, if depressing, insights into the humiliating circumstances of the great man's final demise.

The Schmalhausen diary is a profoundly depressing read, showing how appallingly treated Liszt was in his last fortnight even by Cosima. She seems to have been too busy to realise or bother with her dying father.