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

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

I'm almost at the end of part one - it's very interesting, the story hasn't started yet but I'm enjoying it still. I'm enjoying the philosophical stuff - was reading somewhere about the novel of ideas going out of fashion which is why stuff like this isn't read as widely anymore but so far I kind of like it. Although I didn't realise it was actually unfished! Goodness only knows how long the finished version would have been...

Sounds fascinating - I'll keep an eye out for it thanks :)

lol - I thought I'd read it before! I do like it though although it's a bit sad.

This is good, although very sad. Should read some more about the Native Americans - any recommendations Hilary?

Sounds good - I looked at that one but I love Dumas which is why I went for the Dumas Club instead. But hopefully my library might have a copy of it!

I'm at the same place Hilary - just no time at the moment!

Hi and welcome Cleo and Mike! Hope you guys like it here ;)

Lol!

I agree with Hilary that there is some pressure on the site as a whole (not this group I hasten to add) to be quite competitive and to keep up with an abundance of group and buddy reads and challenges. I got a bit sucked into it myself until earlier this year when I realised I was biting off more than I could chew sometimes! But on the flip side, you get to meet some great people and get new recommendations which more than makes up for anything else. I don't get to talk about books much as I know very few people who like reading and the ones that do tend to stick to one genre of books whereas I'm a bit of a magpie! So it's great to have you guys to share what I'm reading with and to hear what you're all currently loving cos I don't have that in my 'real' life. The thing I like about this group is that I would never have come across some of the books we've read on my own - Bernardo Atxaga, Rosamund Lehrmann, Nelson Alghren, Boris Akhunin, and Michele Roberts (just from the last few months) weren't even on my radar, I had genuinely never heard of any of them before they got chosen as monthly reads or authors. So I'm always really excited to see what the next one's going to be! ;)

It's good so far - am only on ch9 though ;)

46. Michele Roberts - Daughters Of The House
47. Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Idiot
48. Hari Kunzru - Gods Without Men
49. Simon Unsworth - Quiet Houses
50. Michele Roberts - Paper Houses: A Memoir Of The 70s And Beyond

The Maid's Version looks good - I've got Winter's Bone on my kindle so hopefully will be able to try that soon.

my plan for may is.....

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell which I'm currently reading;
Therese Raquin by Zola;
The Dumas Club by Arturo Perez-Reverte;
Light in August by William Faulkner;
The Croning by Laird Barron;
also a good chunk of Inferno, The Man Without Qualities and the next instalment of Pickwick.

Sounds lovely - you did pick just the right week to go! And glad to hear your mum is better with her hip now :)
Shame about work though - they obviously can't cope without you!

That's an interesting take on the last line.

I've always loved this and like Hilary the last part is one of my favourites. When we studied it for A-level my English teacher made a point about the ending that almost spoiled it for me but I'm a Gemini so I can quite happily hold two contradictory opinions at the same time without getting into an argument with myself ;)

I did the same and had to make myself get back into it which was a shame as when I was reading it I enjoyed it. I did really like it but it was missing something and I'm still not sure if it was in the translation or the story itself - I think perhaps a bit of both. Will be interested to see how Crime and Punishment and the Brothers K compare to this one when I eventually get round to them.

I'm reading a couple of things at the moment - Michele Roberts memoir Paper Houses: A Memoir Of The 70s And Beyond, I'm nearly done with Quiet Houses and started Swamplandia! earlier which is good so far.

I'm finding it interesting that this very Christian poem owes a lot to the Pagan world. We have Dante being guided by Virgil and now Charon rowing the dead across the Acheron river straight out of Greek mythology. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more from here on in.

ha ha, there was a few of her books at the library! I'd like to be this thorough with all our monthly authors but availability issues and time constraints abound....