Recent reading

On Saturday morning in Blackwell's I was tempted by their 3 for 2 deal. But I couldn't find a third book. I have been wanting to read "Cabinet of Equals" since I first heard of it. My partner's interest in Lincoln has certainly rubbed off on me. My second choice was to have been "The Rest is Noise" which is Alex Ross's account of 20C music. But, what to do? I couldn't find a third choice. In the end I left it.

Imagine my delight on finding a copy of Ross's book in my local library later on the same day. It is an excellent read -I was tempted to say that it is journalism of the highest class but in a way that would be unfair. Yes, I have skipped the sections on music in America but I will read them. If they are half as good as the pages on  Schoenberg they will be very good indeed. There are plenty of amusing and  piquant anecdotes such as the passage in which Ross lists the occasions when Schoenberg and Stravinsky were known to have been present at the same event/meeting in Los Angeles and never met.