Fall 2012 - What are you reading & why?

[Kat]

Helen wrote: "It was my RL book club meeting tonight - so I now have to read. I know he's supposed to be good, but this doesn't look like an easy read. the reviews use words like er..."

I attempted to read that one on holiday several years ago. I think I got most of the way through, but it is quite dense. Strangely enough, I ended up getting a copy on Kindle too, so maybe it's still calling me ;)

[Chrissie]

Kat wrote: "Helen wrote: "It was my RL book club meeting tonight - so I now have to read. I know he's supposed to be good, but this doesn't look like an easy read. the reviews use..."

Kat, what do you mean? Did you try it and found it boring, bu then bought it again for your Kindle. Please explain what you remember of the book.

[Kat]

Chrissie wrote: "Kat wrote: "Helen wrote: "It was my RL book club meeting tonight - so I now have to read. I know he's supposed to be good, but this doesn't look like an easy read. the..."

I think the problem was that I was reading it on holiday when I was with a bunch of friends and didn't have the concentration to focus on it.

From what I remember (this was 8 or 9 years ago), it was very very descriptive, in more of a telling rather than showing way and at nearly 800 pages those descriptive passages/pages were quite overwhelming.

My paperback copy is buried in a box in Australia, and I picked up the Kindle version simply because I wanted to go back and 'conquer' it.

I believe I may have attempted Charlotte Gray at one time and abandoned that too. I want to love Sebastian Faulks, I really do, but I'm starting to think we are just not meant to be.

[Chrissie]

Kat, I read Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War and loved it, but then I read A Long Long Way and liked that even more. Both are about WW1. I was then considering removing a star from Birdsong, but never did. I have been considering Charlotte Gray, but when I saw that Human Traces was longer and took place in Austria and Brittany, I thought wow! Yep, people simply react differently.

[Janice, Moderator]

I'm bookless! Well, not exactly since I have bookcases with lots of books. I'm just between books.

Today, I will start Lust for Life for my buddy read and "around the world" challenge. And I'll start listening to The Templar Legacy because it's next on the list.

I don't know how much time I will have to read since I have two year ends to complete, and my son is coming tonight to finally set up my desk.

[Chrissie]

I finished The Gypsies
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Now starting: The Phantom of the Opera
The musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber was fantastic, so I have to read the book!

[[deleted user]]

I've decided to leave the Faulks for a bit & have started The Lovely Bones. Picked as a buddy read on another GR group. (shh, yes, I'm in more than one!)

[Chrissie]

Judy, the book is quite different from the musical! The romance parts were bad for me, in fact I got annoyed at Christine. But I like all the confusion, hysteria in the Opera and the bit with the new managers and the safety pin is fun. I would not call this excellent literature, but it is, at least at the moment, fun.

[Chrissie]

Helen, most of us are in more than one group! Don't feel bad.

[Layla]

I'm reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
I just started it today.. It's not very exciting yet, but I'm sure it'll get better

[Chrissie]

Layla wrote: "I'm reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
I just started it today.. It's not very exciting yet, but I'm sure it'll get better"

Well, many do like it but not me. I hope you do.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Layla wrote: "I'm reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
I just started it today.. It's not very exciting yet, but I'm sure it'll get better"

Ohhh good luck. I have a story for you when you finish.

[Layla]

Rusalka wrote: "Layla wrote: "I'm reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
I just started it today.. It's not very exciting yet, but I'm sure it'll get better"

Ohhh good luck. I have a story for you when you finish."

Okayyy.. Can't wait!!!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I may have built up my story too much lol.

I'm reading The Cypress Tree: A Love Letter to Iran as an AtW book for Iran, and for my blue book.

I thought it was a novel. Apparently it's a memoir. Now I am getting over that shock (it just changes how you read a book) it's rather enjoyable.

[Chrissie]

Judy, for me The Phantom of the Opera was only "meh". I cannot even get my energy up to write a review. I don't think I am the type of person to judge this book.

[Stuart]

I am reading as I liked another book by the author also as a group read.

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Judy, for me The Phantom of the Opera was only "meh". I cannot even get my energy up to write a review. I don't think I am the type of person to judge this book."

I'd like to suggest an alternate view, Chrissie. A "meh" response is equally as valid a response to a book as those that either love it or hate it. And I tend to find that's the issue with internet reviews - people only ever go to the trouble of reviewing something when they've loved it or hated it; it becomes very black and white when most of us experience life in many shades of grey.

[Chrissie]

Helen, what you say makes sense, but I am usually very opinionated about books. A "meh" book is a rating in itself.

[Chrissie]

Gaeta, I would say that one must always explain exactly why you react as you do because we are all different in our likes and dislikes. What I like about GR is that one sees how different people react. Hopefully a review will explain enough so we can judge if the given book will fit our own peculiar preferences. If a book doesn't move me at all I am scarcely motivated to write a review. This doesn't happen often; I am too opinionated.

[Chrissie]

I am the opposite from you, Gaeta.

[Janice, Moderator]

I'm a bit like Gaeta. I find it hard to review a book that I loved.

[April]

Chrissie wrote: "I am the opposite from you, Gaeta."

I have to agree. It is more difficult for me to write a review about a book I loved. Also, if it's a book that I didn't like, I feel that it doesn't deserve my time.

[Janice, Moderator]

Truth be told, I've been having difficulty writing any review lately. I admire people like Chrissie who can analyze the book and be so detailed.

[Chrissie]

Oh Janice, sometimes my mood affects me too!

[[deleted user]]

I would agree that it's difficult to be analytical about a book that you adore. It's hard to separate yourself from the strong emotional response and work out what it is in the book that's causing it. The ones you hate it's too easy to simply trash everything. But even in a dreadful book, there are usually positive points.

Finished The Lovely Bones, which left me with a strange, mixed reaction. Emotionally it worked, but the structure didn't. A compromise rating of 3 and a long explanation as to why results! http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Chrissie]

Helen, but don't you want to pinpoint what it is that you are enjoying in a book that blows you over? I am not saying it is easy. It is very hard to find an answer to what exactly it is that is so marvelous. I want to answer this question so I pick fewer books that disappoint me. This is partially because I do not have access to a library.

Conversely, the biggest danger of pinpointing what it is you like is that you might stop experimenting with new book types. Experimenting can certainly be rewarding.

[Janice, Moderator]

Welcome to our group Iolanda. :)

[Pragya]

I'm reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer because I loved the first one in the series and starting The Bankster for review.

[Kimberly]

Pragya wrote: "I'm reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer because I loved the first one in the series and starting The Bankster for review."

Can't wait to see what you think of both of those!

[Nicole]

Helen wrote: "I would agree that it's difficult to be analytical about a book that you adore. It's hard to separate yourself from the strong emotional response and work out what it is in the book that's causing ..."

I disliked The Lovely Bones

[Pragya]

Kimberly wrote: "Pragya wrote: "I'm reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer because I loved the first one in the series and starting The Bankster for review."

Can't wait to see what you think of both of those!"

I'll surely let you know, Kimberly.

[Pragya]

Nicole wrote: "Helen wrote: "I would agree that it's difficult to be analytical about a book that you adore. It's hard to separate yourself from the strong emotional response and work out what it is in the book t..."

Helen wrote: "I would agree that it's difficult to be analytical about a book that you adore. It's hard to separate yourself from the strong emotional response and work out what it is in the book that's causing ..."

I'm in the middle of reading it. It's going a bit slow for me and I can't see what the hullabaloo was about.

[Kimberly]

Helen wrote: "I would agree that it's difficult to be analytical about a book that you adore. It's hard to separate yourself from the strong emotional response and work out what it is in the book that's causing ..."

I loved the Lovely Bones. I read it 10 years ago when it first came out ( I was 12). I've re-read it dozens of times. Probably not something kids should read but luckily my folks never believed in censoring my reading. I'm surprised you gave it a 3 star rating from what I've seen it's a very love it or hate it book with very few people in the middle. Nice review though Helen! I love seeing what people think of that book.

[Chrissie]

Finished Butterfly's Shadow
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I do recommend this book. Good historical fiction about life during the Depression and being Japanese in the US during the war. You learn interesting things about the Japanese language too.

Now I will start The Book of Ebenezer le Page. I want to know more about life on Guernsey, one of the channel Islands.

[Shannon]

I haven't read a play in a very long time so I am reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead . It's my pick for our bookclub but unfortunatley I won't be there for the discussion. BUT I am looking forward to reading it. I have always enjoyed Hamlet so this is right up my alley.

[Ann]

Private Games
This is what I am reading right now. It is about terrorists trying to stop the 2012 summer games in London because they believe the games are corrupt. It's interesting and a quick read as most of his books are. I am enjoying it quite a bit.

[[deleted user]]

just finished Dreams of Joy. Strikes me as one of those books that some people would love - but it never really took flight for me. I couldn't really distinguish between the two women who narrate it - their language and the way they used it was the same, whereas I'm sure two people of such different experience would be different.

I have more books than I know what to do with currently sitting on the desk to read. eeny meeny miny mo...

[Janice, Moderator]

Helen wrote: "just finished Dreams of Joy. Strikes me as one of those books that some people would love - but it never really took flight for me. I couldn't really distinguish between the two women who narrate i..."

Did you read Shanghai Girls which is the book that introduces the characters. I enjoyed Shanghai Girls but not enough to want to read the sequel.

[[deleted user]]

No, Janice, I didn't. I'm not sure it would have made a massive difference to how I felt about it - there were odd occasions when I thought I might be missing something, but it wasn't as if the book made no sense as a stand alone.

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished listening to The Templar Legacy yesterday. It was much like The Da Vinci Code, but I didn't enjoy it as much. Learning the history of the Knights Templar was worth the read.

I'm in a quandry. I need to renew Lust for Life at the library and finish it for my buddy read with Judy. If I start another audiobook, I probably will listen to it instead. So, I'm thinking I will concentrate on Lust for Life and get it done.

[Kimberly]

I just finished reading The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston I really enjoyed this third book in the Agent Pendergast series it's becoming one of my favorite series. I can't wait to read book 4 when my hold comes in.

I'm going to be starting tonight. I hope its a quick read since I have to return it for the 15th.

[Shirley]

What's a Ghoul to Do?



I think I am going to enjoy this series.
Good narration by Eileen Stevens

[Janice, Moderator]

I started listening to The Strain. I hope I get accustomed to Ron Perlman's narration. He's pretty monotone.

[Kat]

Janice wrote: "I started listening to The Strain. I hope I get accustomed to Ron Perlman's narration. He's pretty monotone."

I really liked his narration of
The Strain the more I listened to it. Then they switched narrators for the second book and it just felt all wrong!

[Janice, Moderator]

I've been reading the reviews on Audible, and several people have echoed that sentiment, Kat. I shall perserve with Ron. :)

[Nicole]

Started The White Tiger, so far so good

[Kimberly]

I started Bride of New France by Suzanne Desrochers last night. I don't read many Canadiana Fiction so I have high hopes for this one.

[[deleted user]]

I'm getting into Human Traces now. It's not an easy read, very densely written. And (fortunately) page 170 or so has a glossary of technical terms used. Could have done with being a little earlier, imo!

[Chrissie]

Helen, how strange to put a glossary in the middle of the book. I am curious to hear what you think of it, what is good and what is be! Glossaries are very difficult when one listens to an audiobook..... Paper books really have definitely some advantages!

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie - it's probably unfair to call it a glossary. It's set within the context of the story. Sonia, the sister & wife of the two protagonists is trying to understand what the two men are on about, so has been given a set of definitions to read - which has helped clarify a few words that I was a bit hazy on the meaning of...

Certainly proved helpful to this reader.