#2071
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Finished BOOKS AND BATTLES by Irene and Allen Cleaton last night. Never heard of the Cleatons before and as far as I know this is their only book but their account of American Literature in the twenties, the decade of revolt by the younger generation led by F. Scott Fitzgerald zeroing in on novels and stories offering "shocking situations, unconventional language, and iconoclasm" indicates they had a ringside seat. Usually clear sighted and open minded they seemed to slip uncomfortably --- at least for me ---when it came to what they called Dark Art. In the chapter titled "The Vogue For Vogues" they said "The Negro Renaissance...attracted an enormous amount of attention in the first half of the 'twenties" because "the Young Intellectuals were demonstrating their lack of race prejudice by vocifeous praise of the art of the down-trodden black brother." Even though this book came out in 1937 I'm still uncertain how to view this. Neither good nor bad, just the way thinking percolated back then? Sub-conscious or subdued-conscious acceptance of white superiority? Anyway, they go on to say "But although they wrote prolifically and some of them wrote skillfully, the worth of their literature may be questioned now the fad has died...Few of the Negro writers and poets resisted the temptation to state the case of their race while the whites were welcoming their work so kindly." Gee, how nice of us White folk.
Racism or not, the Cleatons write well on a subject with which they have remarkable insight. Recommended with only one reservation: watch your step. Some nuggets are moss covered pyrites.
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"It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being." Mary Shelley, FRANKENSTEIN "Within the framework of most horror tales we find a moral code so strong it would make a Puritan smile." Stephen King, DANSE MACABRE |
#2072
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Getting ready to start Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke.
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#2073
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just finisht reading Dracula. amazing!
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#2074
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Yeah, I'm gonna have to read that sometime. Read FRANKENSTEIN and really liked it.
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"It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being." Mary Shelley, FRANKENSTEIN "Within the framework of most horror tales we find a moral code so strong it would make a Puritan smile." Stephen King, DANSE MACABRE |
#2075
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Im reading a collection of stories by Arthur Machen, he wrote some creepy stuff. His stories dont really describe the horror, but just the idea of it. I think that is more frightening than graphic blood and guts that so many stories have nowdays. I read The Great God Pan before I went to sleep last night and it was a little disturbing.
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#2076
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Getting ready to start "Cemetery Dance" by Preston & Child. Also reading "Murder She Meowed" by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown.
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#2077
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I still haven't managed to finish reading "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne so I've downloaded an Ebook version of it-see if that helps me finally get to the end.
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"The wind that would have killed us both, it saves my life"-Bel Canto |
#2078
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Just finished Cemetery Dance. Loved it! I recommend it for people who like mysteries. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this duo.
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#2079
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The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
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#2080
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By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz
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