Sarah's comments (member since Nov 07, 2008)

Sarah's comments from the Book Nook Cafe group.

kate/Edukate12 wrote: " I developed a fascination with Sweden. I've also had a pen friend there for at least thir..."

Kate, your mention of struggling with unfamiliar names and settings reminds me of my struggles with Kristin Lavransdatter, the epic trilogy by Sigrid Undset, set in Norway in the Middle Ages. My mother LOVED these novels, and we had similar tastes. But sadly, I just could not wrap my head around the names, and finally gave up. I also struggle with traditional Russian names, and the way the same person is referred to in so many different ways.

Yas, thanks very much for coming out to share your point of view. I agree with you that many people come to public boards simply to read. Public participation is not required, and should not be. Lurking (visiting) is a well-known and natural feature of these boards. It is inevitable. I've been a little uncomfortable about the pressure to post, as well.

This board seems active and healthy, even though the number of active posters is not as high as it could be. Discussion boards change over time, and people come and go for many reasons.

I'm glad some people here are so comfortable sharing their thoughts, but we aren't all in that position. "Membership" just doesn't have a lot of meaning in a public discussion board. Some people post, some don't. I hope we can all just move on into a great New Year, and thanks to all of you who come to this Board, whether you are active posters or not.

I've heard such mixed reviews of it, but a lot of the people whose opinions I respect seem to like it, so maybe I will too.

Connie, I look forward to hearing your reaction, since we often have had similar reactions (although I was OK with that long novel you loathed about the mute guy and the dogs . . . not remembering the title right now . . . David something.) I think that with Hedgehog, it helps to keep in mind that the two "voices" are somewhat stilted, defensive and theatrical, maybe because the characters have limited opportunity to talk to people naturally about their enthusiasms.

Kate, I've saved the mostaccioli recipe too, and look forward to trying it. But lord help me if I have to pronounce it. Can I just call it moustache?

And Alias, thanks for posting the Hoppin John recipe. It's getting close to New Years, so I have to have some black-eyed peas on New Years Day. Of course, I MIGHT sneak in a little bacon . . . got to respect those traditions, you know.

Sherry said: Count me in as a fan of Elegance of the Hedgehog too . . . In this case persistence paid off with a satisfying story.

Sherry, it did take a little persistence, didn't it? I'm glad I didn't have to rush through the book, because I often put it down. My book group is reading it soon, and I'm going to warn everyone not to wait until the last minute to start reading (as so many of us do!)

Here are a few of the more interesting books I've read during this holiday. I haven't been keeping a reading journal.

The Man in the Wooden Hat, Jane Gardam. This is a companion to Gardam’s excellent recent novel, Old Filth. These are complex, intelligent novels about marriage. This one centers on the story of the wife, while the earlier novel centered on the husband. These British expatriates met and married in Hong Kong. After his retirement as a judge, they return to live in rural England. The novels are stand-alone in the sense that Gardam doesn’t expect you to read one before the other, but they do work most effectively together. Each character has secrets and thoughts/motives that are inexplicable to the other partner (and to the reader) until you’ve taken in both sides. Gardam is a thoughtful, careful, expressive writer, and she also is witty and satirical.

One Second After by William Forstchen. If you said I would read a novel with a forward by Newt Gingrich, I’d ordinarily respond that you were smoking the Christmas holly berries, but this story was very compelling. It is set in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina, an area I know and love. The protagonist is a retired colonel teaching history at a local college. A weapon called EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) has devastated the USA in an instant by knocking out all electrical and computer circuitry, plunging the country into a technological and social Dark Ages. The pulse instantly disables cars, airplanes, refrigerators, telephones, computers, and every piece of technology that relies on microchips or power. For me, the fascinating concepts were what would happen to our social structures in such a cataclysm: what happens in the immediate aftermath when there is no communication, no transportation and limited supplies? Who has leadership ability and how do they use it? Who has survival skills and how do they use them? What do local governments do and how do they see “outsiders?” In this case, people stranded on the interstate (I-40) seek help in the little town, and people from a city flee the city with the erroneous idea that rural areas are a place of refuge and food. Some social structures hold up; some people revert to barbarism and self-interest. It’s not good literature, since the characters are one-dimensional and the writing is plain. But it’s competently written and there are many gripping and disturbing questions and images. Gingrich comes in because this weapon is available to terrorists and enemies, and he is advocating for Homeland Security to immediately increase our preparedness by “hardening” essential communication and transportation systems against an EMP attack.

While My Sister Sleeps, by Barbara Delinsky. This is a light, but far from light-hearted, look at contemporary family relationships, told in Delinsky’s reliable way. I always worry that Delinsky will sink to the level of Jodi Picoult, and there are similarities, but this one works. Her plots and themes have that “ripped from the headlines” quality. This one involves a young woman who is a marathon runner and Olympics contender. One afternoon during a routine run she has a heart attack and falls into a coma. The plot revolves mostly around the responses and decisions of her younger sister and her mother, although the guys in the family are also involved. It’s a familiar treatment of jealousy, guilt, denial, and secrets, but also of course all the love and joys of family life.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery. This one is hard to characterize, maybe in part because it is a translation from the French. I ended up loving it. The story is told from the interior monologues of two unusual and charming characters, a dumpy, frumpy concierge in an upscale apartment building, and a wealthy 12 year old girl who lives on the 5th floor. Both have chosen to disguise their great intelligence, and live in relative isolation. However, the concierge is actually an intense autodidact who lives a rich interior life, and the young girl is a gifted observer and natural philosopher. In the course of the story, they each find excitement and redemption in their relationship with a new tenant in the building. It’s a funny and intelligent book, and I found a lot to contemplate in the way these characters think and reflect and react. And I loved the inherent message that appearances can be deceptive, and that there is value and beauty in the least among us. This is powerful social satire. Although the occasional erudite passages and references sometimes brought me up short, they also made me think.

These boards have always ebbed and flowed, with level of activity, with posters, and with topics. It seems to me that this board is quite active, so I don't really understand the concern. I do miss many beloved posters from earlier years, of course, but as Barbara says, change is inevitable. BTW, I actually like the GoodReads format.

Many of the current book choices and discussion topics don't interest me but that's OK. They obviously do engage many of you, and that's a good thing. I read the board out of habit, but I don't really have the energy or inclination to be more involved these days, for good personal reasons. However, I will manage to put some thoughts together about some of the books I've enjoyed recently, and post them in another thread.

As for lurking (or "visiting" as JoAnn so nicely puts it), that's an inevitable part of a public discussion board. Some of us participate publicly and some don't. I know it frustrates the hard-working people who do post so actively, but I'm sorry to see anyone monitor how often someone reads the board or how often they post. As a lurker, I'll admit to checking in frequently but I choose not to publish my thoughts often.

I hope everyone has a GREAT holiday season and new year. The beautiful deep snow we've recently enjoyed in the DC area gave me a little welcome quiet time (although the remaining icy roads in my neighborhood are now a royal pain in the patootie).

Best wishes - Sarah

Interesting that several of us are listening to White Teeth instead of reading it - I am, too. I've enjoyed it, and look forward to my walks to get further along.
I had decided to re-join the discussions here since this is a book I've wanted to read for some time, but how frustrating! The month I decide to do so and actually begin the book at the right time, I am getting ready to leave (Monday) for a long trip without internet access, and won't be able to participate. I look forward to reading your thoughts when I get back, and will try to catch up.
Best wishes to everyone on this cool, pleasant 4th of July.
Sarah

Another trick is to click on "date" at the top of the thread, so that the newest posts are on top, not on the bottom.

I haven't figured out if there is a way to make that the default setting yet.

I'm reading "Crossing to Safety," and just finished "God's Harvard" by Hannah Rosin. It's a fascinating and well-written piece about Patrick Henry College, which was started to train fundamentalist kids to be political activists. God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America

JoAnn - re: Simon Baker, who is Australian but speaks without an accent on "The Mentalist." I am completely in awe of people who can master accents so well. It's always shocking to me when I learn that a favorite actor is British (or whatever).

Recent revelations: Hugh Laurie who plays Dr. Greg House on "House," is also the delightful British nitwit Bertie Wooster on Wooster and Jeeves. I showed W&J to my sons, who are big House fans, and they were shocked!

Dominic West, who played Baltimore detective Jimmy McNulty on "The Wire."

And to any fans of "The Wire" . . . we went to see Henry IV, Part I at the Folger Shakespeare Theater in Washington DC last week, and were amused to see Sgt. Jay Landsman (Delaney Williams) playing Falstaff! (Good job, too)