Laurel’s Comments (group member since Aug 06, 2013)

Laurel’s comments from the I Read Therefore I Am group.

Hope you get it sorted Angela - I'm afraid I don't have any useful tips to get rid of them!

I've been working all the late shifts till half 9 for the last week then today I got a nice cushy 4 o'clock finish on a lovely sunny day and came out of work to find.... my car had a flat tyre :( So had to sit in the car park and wait to be rescued (although the chap from the AA was very nice so it wasn't all bad!)

Oooh looking forward to that one.

I really enjoyed it but if you didn't like the writing style in 'Ignorance', I don't think you'll like it any better in 'Daughters...', that's how she writes ;)

I've only seen the first one of the Swedish versions but wanted to see the rest cos it was really good. I enjoyed the books but Lee's right - the actual story is good but could have done without some of the details.

And I'm an owl with a curated bookshelf! Ha ha I need to stop mucking around on the internet and go to the gym so I can feel better about making some cupcakes later ;) Did everyone have a good weekend? It's been lovely hasn't it? (although I've missed it cos of work boo hiss!)

I used to love that cartoon lol!
I only watched the first episode and couldn't decide whether I wanted to continue watching it or not - they changed the story which annoyed me and it was a bit over the top but on the other hand Dumas would probs have been ok with over the top, and they were kinda pretty....

I've got a copy of As I Lay Dying as well but decided to read this one first, am really enjoying it so far, it's not an easy read but not as difficult as I thought it would be.

51. Karen Russell - Swamplandia!
52. Arturo Perez-Reverte - The Dumas Club
53. Laird Barron - The Croning

I'm reading Faulkner's Light in August as well as the Zola for the group read. Then once I'm done with these two, I'm going back to The Man Without Qualities and Dante.

Just finished Laird Barron's The Croning which was good but felt like it had been 'padded out' to make it into a full-length novel when it would have worked better as a novella. There was a bit too much extra detail about things and people that didn't really have any bearing on the story and kept detracting from the tension. That said, when it was to the point, it was a good story and very creepy, and the ending was great-horrible so I will definitely be trying his short stories.

The Dumas Club was great - would definitely recommend it, although if you haven't read Dumas' D'Artagnan novels then you might not get all the references (at least The Three Musketeers but Perez-Reverte does drop a big spoiler for the very end of the cycle for anyone who hasn't read to the end of the Le Vicomte de Bragelonne - which would be me cos I'm only a third of the way through Twenty Years After - grrr!). But it's a great story and loads better than the film.

oooh I like the Golding translation - Hilary's right it's very atmospheric! Haven't read Ovid yet (to my shame) but I think I might get a modern copy first so I know what's going on, then this one.
I don't like reading anything I need notes for on the kindle either cos I'm a bit technologically challenged and it's a mare finding your place again once you've gone right to the back for the footnote!

I'm only 4 chapters in but I know it's going to be bleak. That said, I am intrigued and enjoying Zola's writing - this is the first one by him I've read.

I'm reading The Croning by Laird Barron which is interesting and creepy in parts but should have been written more tightly and been shorter because the padding is breaking the tension - I think he usually does short stories (which are very highly praised, although I haven't read any yet) and was trying to expand this into a novel when really it would have been better as a short or a novella.
I also started Therese Raquin on my lunch break but am only 2 chapters in so no real opinions yet....

I enjoyed The Book Thief but don't get the hype - the way people go on about it I was expecting something amazing. I think the gimmick as Angela says was too overdone and also the spoiler thing was an experiment on the author's part (according to my brother who I borrowed the book from and who wasn't that impressed with it) (view spoiler)[ apparently he wanted to see if he could still get readers to empathisise with a character even when they knew he was going to die from quite an early stage - well that just wound me up, I know that all authors try to manipulate the reader but it only works if it isn't blatanly obvious! (hide spoiler)]

@Angela - enjoy your latte! Morning briefings are rubbish - so glad I've escaped from working in an office. We were quite quiet so had a nice relaxed day really.
@Hilary - at least you got some - I made a whole cake tin full of brownies for work a couple of weeks ago and they ate them all in one day! Greedy piglets...
@Anna - the Ibsen one is Brand but you are probably finished the crossword now lol ;) Btw Middlemarch is brilliant - I absolutely love George Eliot - but haven't read Romola, that one's still on my tbr list.

Ha ha cake karma - I love it! Hope you didn't have to share it Hilary ;)

Good luck with the resolutions guys - mine is to do as little work as possible without getting caught out!

Love this - wish the rest of it had survived :(
I've been rummaging through my books for another version but have only got Kevin Crossley-Holland's translation and I think I prefer this one.
Have you guys read Tolkien's version of Sir Gawain? It's not the most scholarly version out there but if I'm just reading for pleasure then it's my absolute favourite.
Also have you read The Battle of Maldon? It's another incomplete one but great heroic poem about the battle against the Vikings at Maldon in 991.

wow Hilary that sounds a bit crazy! Hope you enjoy it anyway ;)
I wish I could send you all some cake but I'm not sure it would survive the journey lol! (especially Angela's) Oh well, if I ever get my own little shop you can all come visit for complimentary book-buddies cuppa's n cake :)
Lee - hope you're feeling better soon! And Angela, I hope it's a bit warmer today....

How is everyone today? All excited for the weekend? I've had my day off today - took my mum shopping this morning, then came back and made a batch of sweet chilli jam and a lemon drizzle cake, and now I'm chilling with The Dumas Club.