Art Kavanagh

In recent months I’ve read more books than usual that I found disappointing or unsatisfactory. While I generally prefer to write about books I’ve enjoyed, I find I want to say a little bit about some of the ones I haven’t.

The Guardian’s lines will have come up nearly undigested in Alex’s review, I suspect, because the AI didn’t have lots of reviews to subtly compost in the way it subtly composts billions of sources for most of its work.

Sam Leith on how that NYT AI/plagiarism kerfuffle came about

I was watching a video on YouTube of a discussion and instead of concentrating on what the speakers were saying, I was watching the subtitles, looking out for the next error, so I gave up after a few minutes. Uncorrected subtitles are distracting and can effectively make a video unwatchable.

Ethan Iverson’s 50 ECM tracks prompted me to dig out my copy of Not Two, Not One (Bley, Peacock, Motian) 🎶, which I hadn’t listened to for 17/18 years:

The pianist in particular had become essentially intractable; it was the drummer who had grown into one of the musicians of the age.

When did Channel 4 streaming stop being available in Ireland (Republic)? A few weeks ago, I could watch it online with no problems. Suddenly it’s saying it’s only available in the UK 🤷🏻‍♂️

Reading this Irish Times story about Brendan Behan, I just realized that my father must have been locked up in the Curragh at the same time as Máirtín Ó Cadhain. As an Irish-speaker, he must have known Ó Cadhain there, but I never heard him mention him. He was contemptuously dismissive of Behan.

Somerset Maugham’s First World War spy is more an observer than a man of action, appropriately for someone whose role is the gathering of intelligence.

eyelashes like draught excluders

Tana French, The Keeper 📖 Looking forward to this, though I probably won’t read it till the paperback comes out in about a year’s time.

In the late 70s my aunt was enthusing wildly about Sweet William, so I started to read her copy and really didn’t get on with it. I gave up and haven’t tried to read anything else by Bainbridge till now. I just read it over the past few days and I found the humour too cruel for my taste 🙁 📚

If he dies? You mean he might be immortal?

Headline from the i paper reading “Russia: Analysis: Putin is coughing and croaking. This is what happens if he dies"

Deep Down is one of the 20 or more Pieranunzi albums that I have but I haven’t listened to it recently. Thanks to Ethan Iverson for the reminder 🎶🎹

Comparing a memoir (Sex with Shakespeare), some short stories (including “Secretary”) and a novel (Normal People), all of which deal in one way or another with themes of masochism and/or submissiveness.

People should read more French novels, says Cecily Carver. She makes a good case for Stendhal’s The Charterhouse of Parma … and for starting with Balzac.

Ironically, high housing costs, seen as a sign of wealth by some, taken together with a thriving multinational sector, seen as a sign of economic success, is probably the most disastrous combination militating against the establishment of a diverse, healthy economy.

David McWilliams, Irish Times

Lisa Lutz’s The Accomplice is the story of inseparable, long-term friends Luna and Owen. Owen is suspected of being responsible for the deaths, 15 years apart, of a former girlfriend and his wife, while Luna still hasn’t shaken off feelings of guilt over something she did when she was 11 years old.

I’ve noticed that Substack is now offering a free read of a paid post if you take a free subscription to the relevant newsletter — but only if you use their app! You can’t just read it on the web. No thanks.

Ethan Iverson on the legacy of Wynton Marsalis. This passage may throw some light on why I rarely listen to the original Akoustic Band albums, two of which I have, but am decidedly enthusiastic about their Live (2018) 🎹 🎶

Chick Corea and Michael Brecker got the memo, and soon had warmer-toned musicians in their acoustic bands presenting concerts that sounded more like jazz. (See, for example, the difference between Corea’s ’80s Akoustic band with John Patitucci and Dave Weckl and the later Trilogy with Christian McBride and Brian Blade. Patitucci may be the musician most affected by the buffeting winds of bass fashion: He sounds like a completely different player in his early years than after 1990 or so.)

I must have read the wrong Julian Barnes novels. The only two I was sure I’d read were Before She Met Me and Talking It Over (though I think I must at least have started A History of the World in 10½ Chapters). Then this week I read The Sense of an Ending. Still prefer Rushdie and McEwan 📖

George Eliot’s early novel combines a study of individual psychology with socioeconomic history. The stability and balance of this combination aren’t always apparent, but are nevertheless real.

I cancelled the month’s trial subscription to The Observer meaning to buy the printed paper occasionally — certainly not every week. Today was going to be a day I’d buy it but I woke up very late and all copies were sold. Maybe there’s something to be said for online subscriptions after all?

One summer in my early twenties, I was so poor that I was buying used books purely based on their length.

I found this piece by Erin Somers on the death of Martin Amis by following a link from Andrew Gelman’s post about her novel The Ten Year Affair 📖

The first two novels in Tana French’s Irish “western” series, complete with gold rush and new twists on some familiar tropes

I hate at least two-thirds of the stuff that the Substack Notes algorithm feeds me but I don’t know how to find the kind of thing that would train it to show me something I’d like better.

Didn’t the EU just reach a trade trade agreement with Trump in August? If he can tear that up and impose new tariffs whenever he wants something else, how can there be any point at all in negotiating with him? EU considers retaliatory measures over Trump Greenland tariff ‘blackmail’

He was scrupulously fair and totally unreasonable.

Jo Ellison on the possible benefits of having a monstrous parent. FT, so probably paywalled.