Graceann's comments (member since Dec 20, 2008)

Graceann's comments from the Books on the Nightstand group.

I'm reading the brilliant SCHINDLER'S LEGACY, which is non-fiction regarding the experiences of some of the Schindlerjuden after their liberation. This author has gotten a fair number to tell their stories (many others didn't wish to discuss it anymore, or couldn't be found, or had already passed on). There is anger, determination, sheer guts, heartbreak and, surprisingly, a bit of humor. Highly recommended.

Libby, thanks for mentioning Ahab's Wife - I just read that last month and it was really interesting. For those who might have avoided it because they haven't read Moby Dick, don't. I think it stands on its own beautifully.

Spoilers are bad form and the issue of this post, but Alice Hoffman's first responses, which I've read, didn't mention the spoilers; they only mentioned that this critic was a "moron" and gave out her personal information so that she could be harassed. Spoilers should never be included in a review, but I'd have more respect for Hoffman if she'd started with her discomfort over that factor and remained silent on all others.

I review every book that I finish, but I take great pride in the fact that my reviews *never* contain spoilers. Why would I ruin the reading experience for anyone else? It's just not good reader etiquette.

I haven't added this only because I don't add books to my TBR shelves unless I have them in hand.

On another note, I met Glen David Gold last night and got my very own signed copy of Sunnyside. I've been a fan for a while, but it was thanks to BOTNS that I found out a new book was (finally) coming, so thanks for that! He's a doll.

No, Dottie, I hadn't heard of that one. I might have to mooch it and then carry it around just so I can say "hey, have you seen MY book?" LOL Thanks for the tip. :-)

I LOVED Then We Came to the End so much, but then I think I was the target audience. I worked in an office very much like the one depicted, and I did so for almost 20 years, so I got the jokes (and, more importantly, appreciated them). I laughed out loud (and, occasionally, cried) several times.

I wrote in my review that mileage will vary on this one, wildly. If you haven't lived this kind of life, and if you haven't experienced it in this way, you probably won't care for the book. I thought it was brilliant, but then, I've been there - and have since escaped.

I've been wanting to read Wuthering Heights for a while, and it's been more than 20 years since I've read Grapes of Wrath. The Pit is on my current TBR and I'm looking forward to more Frank Norris.

Conny wrote: "I am not sure if this is the right tab to post under. Anyhow, I was wondering if any of you - and of course, I'd like to know what you Michael and Ann think about this - have "comfort books" or may..."

That is uncanny; I was just thinking of that. I have a sequence from Grapes of Wrath (where they go into the truck stop and are given candy by the kindly waitress) that I sink into when I have the blues. I've read it so many times that my copy naturally falls open to that page. It always puts me back on track.

It's a shame the librarian didn't like The Book Thief, Heather. Sadly, not everyone will like every book. I loved it, and it is so far my top read of the year (the year is young, but still). I was still thinking about it days afterward, and there was a bit about halfway through that had me in tears. YMMV, of course, but I hope it won't.

I tried to read more than one book at a time but the experiment failed miserably. Now I have one "main" book, and a small title that I carry around in my handbag. I just can't keep stories straight otherwise.

Stephanie wrote: "As a side note, Gilead put me to sleep. It was literary Nyquil. I know I am going to catch flack for bashing a Pulitzer, but I have talked to others who thought it was terrible too. "

I loved every word of it, but I'm starting to believe I'm the only one who did. It was one of my top reads of the year, and I read it not having any idea what it was going to be about (it was a book group choice).

Karen wrote: "Graceann wrote: "I'm reading Dogs of Babel, and I'm loving it. I'm starting a buddy read of Guernsey Literary ... on April 1. I'm really looking forward to that."
I just finished Guernsey - great ..."

}}I keep hearing good things and that gives me hope. I spoke too soon about Dogs of Babel - I was mentally punching the lead character all through the last third. Ah well. Can't love 'em all.

I'm reading Dogs of Babel, and I'm loving it. I'm starting a buddy read of Guernsey Literary ... on April 1. I'm really looking forward to that.

I love these sorts of lists, mostly because I believe they reflect what's actually being read as opposed to the books people say they admire but probably have decorating their shelves. (For instance, I know I'm not ever going to read Don Quixote, so I'm not even going to pretend that it's on my TBR). I haven't read a lot of these, and don't really have much interest (except where noted) in reading the ones that I've missed, but it's an interesting cross-section nonetheless.

Of these titles I've read:

3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

On my TBR are:

11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)

I keep a list on goodreads, and an MS Word document on my computer wherein I keep a page count for the year. I also have a handwritten list. I review everything I complete on Amazon and goodreads, so my ratings are all online. I have an exclusive shelf at goodreads for the books that I did not finish, but I don't *review* books that I don't finish, as that is unfair to the author.

I use the rule of 50, though I'm not strict. One I gave up on after the first chapter, I hated it so much, and one I dumped after 200 pages (I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't). Up until this last year, I would have continued reading no matter how terrible the book, but I've given myself permission to stop now, and refuse to feel guilty. It's the author's job to keep me interested, not mine to force myself through something that isn't working for me.

Conny wrote: "This is a very old thread. I guess everybody is reading so much so fast that nobody takes the time any longer to comment here. "

I'll jump in - I'm currently reading THE BOOK THIEF and it is an amazing read. I'm about halfway through, and just read a portion that was so beautiful that it made me cry my face off.

Another podcast to help me through my withdrawals between Books on the Nightstand? Yay! One of the few things I miss about the States is my access to BookTV on the weekends - this will help immensely. :-)

I'd love to hear more about books that *should* be more famous than they are, or at least started out by going nowhere and then became classics.

For instance, one that is near and dear to my heart is The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It won the Pulitzer, but sold nothing, initially. It was released in 1974, and the last thing people wanted to read about then was a book about war (for those who may not know, Killer Angels is a beautifully-written novel about the Battle of Gettysburg). Mr. Shaara passed away thinking he had failed, and then Ted Turner, who loved the book, financed a film based on it, and it became a hit in 1994.

There must be other books like that out there, and I'd love to hear about them and give their authors a voice, however belated.