Sunday Morning! “The Spider’s House” by Paul Bowles

Rufus F.

Rufus is a likeable curmudgeon. He has a PhD in History, sang for a decade in a punk band, and recently moved to NYC after nearly two decades in Canada. He wrote the book "The Paris Bureau" from Dio Press (2021).

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5 Responses

  1. Aaron David says:

    One of the things I love/hate about your Sunday writings is that it often adds titles to the evergrowing stack of things to read. And I look at that stack, and I look at the possibility of the earth ending in 10K years, and I despair.

    I have been on a bit of a Northern Ireland kick lately, but I need a break from the bleakness so I am rereading Dune.Report

    • Rufus F. in reply to Aaron David says:

      Thank you! I know that despair. I had a plan: I would take in five used books to the bookstore and buy one new one each time I went. This has helped a bit. The problem is I never stick to one new one- it’s usually more like three. And then I randomly visit other bookstores. My room looks like a bar chart with all of the stacks of books everywhere!

      One of them that I was reading but it did get a bit bleak was “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.” If you return to that kick, it’s definitely a good one.

      Dune is another one I’ve wanted to read for a while. I did a course on the Enlightenment years ago and gave an essay assignment where they wrote about a related topic, as long as they could justify it. One student wrote a great essay about Dune, which made me want to read it ever since.Report

      • Aaron David in reply to Rufus F. says:

        Well, not only am I a compulsive reader, I am a compulsive book buyer. I too have stacks of books around the house, and the wife is a bit of the same. I tell myself it comes from the years I spent as a buyer at used book stores, but that was just an excuse. “Say Nothing” is on my list for the NI read-a-thon, but an extra recommendation from you only moves it up the list. I first read Dune in junior high, and it has been the standard that I judge most SF against. Well, that and Conan.Report

    • Slade the Leveller in reply to Aaron David says:

      That’s interesting. I always found Dune, and the rest of the trilogy, to be on the bleak side. It’s been a few years, so I should give it another read.Report