Sandi's comments
(member since Nov 28, 2009)
Sandi's comments from the Books on the Nightstand group.
(showing 1-20 of 22)
The Borders bookstore that I go to is closing down. I think it's inevitable that these big chains will start struggling. Hopefully, we'll see a renaissance in independent bookstores and not have to rely on the internet to obtain books. There's something to be said for being able to pick a book, flip through the pages and take it home that day.
I wish I had an indie 12 miles away. There are some in Los Angeles and Pasadena and there's one in San Diego that I'd love to visit, but the only indies left in my area are a couple of children's book stores.
Sonya wrote: "I love this topic; I wonder if, in the age of the Internet, our brains are evolving to both crave and manage multiple books at one time."I developed the ability to juggle multiple books when I working on my English lit degree in college.
I recently read an ARC of Let the Great World Spin A Novel by Colum McCann. The copy I got didn't even have the real cover, it had a bunch of quotes from reviews on it. From the quotes, you'd think this was the greatest book ever written. I got just a few pages in and started thinking that Harper Collins had something really special and they knew it. I wondered if they were trying to promote it for a Pulitzer Prize. By the end, I was of the opinion that it is a Pulitzer Prize worthy novel. I'll be interested to see if it wins in 2010.
Have you read anything new that you think might be some sort of a prize winner in the next year?
Stephanie wrote: "I am in the minority, but I did not like this book at all. Neither did my English teacher buddies, and we normally eat stuff like this up. "Welcome to my minority.
Cindi wrote: "I will be reading Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert!Thanks, Cindi"
I love that book! I read it once just because and a second time for a World Lit class in college. I loved it both times.
Maybe I should pick up that copy of Don Quixote that's been sitting on my shelf for a year. Maybe Great Expectations would be a better choice. I've been wanting to read it ever since reading Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series.
I probably should give Jane Austen another shot.
Don't forget the classics:Little Women
Little House on the Prairie
Anne of Green Gables
A Wrinkle in Time
All of these have very strong female characters and girls absolutely love them. That's why they've withstood the test of time.
The one book, other than Anne Frank's diary, that moved me more than any other was The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Ten Boom was a girl during WWII whose parents hid Jews from the Nazis. It's one of those books that makes me wonder if I'd have the courage to do the right thing or not. A more recent book is Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. It's a fictional account of one girl's experience during the round-up and incarceration of Jews in France and a 21st century journalist's uncovering the little girl's story and her husband's family's connection to it.
I think my self-challenge has to be a bit different. I've been reading almost nothing but new-to-me authors. I'll read 1 or 2 books by an author (with a long time in between readings) then get distracted by all the authors I haven't read. Some authors I'd like to re-visit:China Miéville
Tobias Buckell
Toni Morrison
Octavia Butler
I've read:1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990) I started, but couldn't finish.
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)I started, but couldn't finish.
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)I started, but couldn't finish.
That's 18, three of which I couldn't finish.
Heather wrote: "I did read a few of them, but I wait a couple of years until the hype dies down if there is one I want to read. I was so mad earlier this year because I started to read Edgar Sawtelle and then BAM-..."I figure if it's still getting good reviews several years after the hype dies down, then it's worth a try if I don't have anything better to do. I ended up liking The Secret Life of Bees and Water for Elephants, but I only recently read them.
Heather wrote: "Pretty much if Oprah grabs ahold of it, I'm ashamed to say I'm reading it/have read it. There are few exceptions, but that's my general rule! :)Heather in KS"
Yeah, that.
I've read 34 of the books on the list and portions of others. In some cases, there is an author on the list that I've read, but have read something other than the listed book. I have read all the Shakespeare on the list, so that upped my count. What's really sad is how much on the list I haven't read considering that my degree is in English Literature.
OH! I saw those, I didn't see anything that indicated that they were graphic novels. Then again, I didn't look too close. The omnibus is going on my to-read list.
Ann wrote: "Sandi,I had exactly the same sentiments when Michael wanted me to read a graphic novel. I read 3, and after just a few pages of Persepolis, all of my prior thoughts were proven wrong. I would stro..."
I'll add that one to my to-read list. Do you have a link? I don't seem to be finding it with a search on "Persepolis".
I've thumbed through a few very popular graphic novels in the bookstore and just couldn't see myself reading one. They're not linear enough for me and the graphics are very distracting. I think I'm just the wrong generation for them.
I wish I had a local independent bookstore. I have to rely on Borders and B&N. Sometimes, their people are helpful, sometimes not. Fortunately, they have those computers that allow you to look up books and it tells you where it's supposed to be shelved. Unfortunately, I don't find a lot of the books I want to read. However, they're far better than my county library system.
I don't like having a lot of different sections in the bookstore. I'm primarily a science fiction reader. However, I've really expanded my horizons since joining GoodReads. I'm finding it very difficult to find books when I visit the bookstore these days because I never know where a book is going to be shelved. Sometimes, I find the same book in more than one section. There is a lot of genre cross-over going on these days and maybe it's time to narrow down the categories rather than expanding them.
