F. R. Ogbarf

Too much of a good thing!, Dec 3 2011

This is a set for dipping into once in a while, not for intensive listening.

The performances and recordings are, as you would expect from Chandos, beyond criticism; it's the music itself that can be wearing if you don't pace yourself. A useful comparison is Leroy Anderson: both composers wrote mostly rather short pieces intended for sheer entertainment, but whereas Anderson contented himself with one arrangement per work, Grainger enjoyed re-casting many of his works for all manner of different ensembles. And trust me, these multiple versions do turn up repeatedly throughout this set. Though Grainger was no slouch as a composer, hearing different takes in quick succession of… Read more

Pratchett in fine form, Nov 28 2011

I was wondering if Pterry's battle with Alzheimer's meant his writing wouldn't be up to snuff. Happily, I can report that Pratchett is writing as well as he ever did.

Snuff takes place outside Ankh-Morpork, at Lady Sybil's "country place" (some place! hundreds of servants!). Young Sam is now seven years old, and takes a prominent part in the book, in the process developing a profound interest in poo; and there is the usual cast of villains, good guys, clowns, and so on. Pratchett even comes up with yet another race, the goblins, to incorporate into his multi-species world.

I was especially pleased to spot one of Pratchett's endless in-jokes: a very fat woman, a member… Read more

The book could do without so much who-had-sex-with-who material, Mar 7 2011

This book would have been better had it been organized topically into sections on, say, "early life", "closeted in academia", "Stein and Toklas", "the Kinsey connection", "life as a tattooist", and so on. As matters stand however, the organization is chronological, which mixes these topics up together. Further, there is too much emphasis on Steward's fevered sex life, which is not of lasting importance to human history. We can read about that side of Steward's life in his own words in "Chapters from an Autobiography". In consequence, "Secret Historian" is pretty tedious at times, the first half in particular.

I have no regrets whatsoever about buying this book, having been given… Read more