Greg’s Comments (group member since Jul 02, 2014)

Greg’s comments from the All About Books group.

Steve wrote: "It's an older book, but seems appropriate for the times, I will nominate The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig.
The World of Yesterday"

I would love to read this one but have already seconded.

Anyone want to second this one or one of the others?

Steve and Nidhi, although we've read it too recently to qualify, I loved that book!

I'll nominate Under the Skin by Michel Faber. I have really liked other books by him, and I'm curious about this one.

Nidhi wrote: "I nominate Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
by Azar Nafisi"

I'll second this one

I have been away from Goodreads for quite a while due to a series of work emergencies, but I'm trying to dip my toes back into reading. I'd really like to join the ongoing read of Nicholas Nickleby as well, but I'm so far behind.
We'll see.

Here's my tentative plan:

Finish up from prior to my hiatus, maybe?:
in progress 28% Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
in progress 36% The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
✔ Apple and Knife by Intan Paramaditha ★★★ (3.0)
✔ Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah ★★★★ (3.5)

Definitely:
✔ Chrysalis by Anna Metcalfe ★★★★★ (4.5)
in progress 39% Juxtaposition by Piers Anthony

Probably:
✔ Huck Out West by Robert Coover ★★★ (3.5)
✔ The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez ★★★★ (4.0)
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Possibly:
in progress 4% A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
in progress 24% Linghun by Ai Jiang

Unplanned:
✔ Permafrost by Eva Baltasar ★★★★ (3.5)
✔ In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka ★★★★ (4.0)
✔ Count Brass by Michael Moorcock ★★★★ (3.5)
✔ The Champion of Garathorm by Michael Moorcock ★★★ (3.5)
in progress 12% The Quest For Tanelorn by Michael Moorcock

Alannah wrote: "Thank you, Jade."

It's a long one, but I'll second Midnight’s Children

Alannah wrote: "I'm now about three quarters into the book, I'm enjoying its fast pace but feel like I'm struggling to remember the characters and who the book is focusing on.

Currently on Chapter 62 [spoilers re..."

Wow, you read fast Alannah! I plan to start soon.

Wonderful to have you join us Alannah!!

This is what I'm planning. I doubt I'll finish all of it!:

Finish up from last month:
in progress 28% Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Definitely:
in progress 52% Apple and Knife by Intan Paramaditha
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami (start 3-month project)
Neuromancer by William Gibson (re-read)
The Painted Kiss by Elizabeth Hickey

Probably:
Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

Possibly:
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

Finish up eventually:
in progress 3% The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
in progress 36% The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart

Unplanned:

Nidhi wrote: "We have reached end of July, I revive my readalong request for 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami from August to October, and would like to know if Greg and may be Petra are stil..."

I'm still planning to join Nidhi!

Erica wrote: "Just read the first chapter so far and really liking the writing style. It feels pared back but at the same time does a brilliant job of conjuring up the feeling of a small town in the old American..."

I haven't started yet but your comments remind me of My Ántonia!

Tom wrote: "I was reminded a lot of [spoilers removed]"

That's a good comparison Tom, and also a great play and movie!

Is anyone else reading this? I'm very curious to hear what others thought. This book is so rich in ideas and character - it's a perfect book to spur discussions!

Now at 75%. I really like the book, very nuanced.

The part where Athena's mother called June was tough to read - I felt so nervous and uncomfortable . . . but the worst hasn't happened for June yet.

Much as June has some valid points - like the idea that all authors use the stories of people they encounter. Maybe it's possible to do that more resctfully than Athena and June do, but there will always be some of the world and the people around them in a writer's work

The main problem I have with June is the way she justifies herself to herself in her own head. Taking a rough draft from another author uncredited is a pretty clearly wrong thing to do but she seems to have convinced herself it was her own work. And she has no guilt over getting Candice fired, or over her really cruel treatment of Skylar in her mentoring gig.

She's a master at deceiving herself and making herself believe she's right, even when she's cruel or wrong. That doesn't make the cruel way the online personalities treated her ok. But it does make me a lot less sympathetic toward her. She almost never seems to take reasponsibility for her own behavior.

I'll re-read in August too Alannah.

About halfway through now - It's a fascinatingly nuanced look at issues of cultural appropriation and online bullying. No one is right, every position has its own flaws, but there are a number of persuasive arguments from different sides of the issue. And the online bullying depicted (which often takes place in the real world) is both horrifying and disturbing.

I am propelled forward and gripped but also feeling a little sick at all the nastiness and pettiness, some of it from June and her "friends" at Eden, but mostly from the online trolls.

Kuang has good reasons for it - I think her analysis of the issues is beautifully done. But after this book I will read something kind and light hearted. :)

In chapter 8, the part June adds to the book with Chinese laborers asking the blond girl for a kiss on the cheek is hilarously tone-deaf and preposterous. June really has no idea how she comes across.

But as clueless as June is about her own offensive behavior, the people she interacts with online seem even worse.

And wow, the satire of social media in chapter 8 is quite ferocious! So many trolls with specific obsessions that they unleash on anyone they can; I imagine for authors, social media can be a nightmare like this. Kind of funny to see Goodreads interactions depicted as well. I don't run across nearly as many trolls on Goodreads as I do on other social media sites, but I can understand authors flinching at 1-star reviews and I have seen many harsh ones.

Kathleen wrote: "A sequel that really worked for me
Less Is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...[..."

Looks fun Kathleen!

It will be interesting to see what everyone thinks after we all finish. There might be several different opinions about Athena and June. I am eager to see what people say!

Athena isn't perfect either - she's definitely a bit pretentious!

Tom wrote: "The manuscript was a first draft, so the very same changes could have been made, or something even more egregious, during Athena's and her publisher's review process."

It's definitely possible . . . but I think Athena would have fought against changes to soften it this extremely. And given Athena's clout with several blockbusters already under her belt, I think she might've won at least some of her points against an unscrupulous editor like Daniella.

That's just my opinion though. It's hard to say what would've happened.