What I'm Reading in October - 2012

[Carol]

I like the book I am reading, I forgot to mention it is about the writer's , scholars and poets of the times also.

[Jennifer]

Finished a couple this week: closing in on the end of a few others.

Finished The Caine Mutiny on audio-- the narrator made Queeg sound a little like Humphrey Bogart, which was kinda cool. The book was probably a little longer than it needed to be but Wouk handled Queeg subtly -- which he needed to-- so overall an effective story.

Finished A Brew to a Kill for a challenge, and also to bring me up to date with this series. One of these days I really will remember to try one of the recipes!

Finished The Sister Queens which was 500 pages long but ended only about halfway through the sisters' lives and I'd have been just as happy if it had gone farther!

Started The Forsyte Saga: Swan Song on audio and am more than halfway through. This is book 6 of 9 in this series, probably my all-time favorite series.

Almost done with Secondhand Spirits -- my first by this author but not my last.

Partway through Kitty Foyle and The Paris Wife and just started Summer at Tiffany .

Bought a couple yesterday that look interesting: The Age of Desire which is a historical novel about Edith Wharton, and The Shadow Queen: A Novel of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor .

[John]

Thanks, Yulia! I'll keep my expectations relatively low; I think his Mediterranean Winter: The Pleasures of History and Landscape in Tunisia, Sicily, Dalmatia, and the Peloponnese may be more to your taste.

I had brought along Penelope Lively's Spiderweb on a recent trip, but gave up about 2/3 of the way through. I liked her YA book A Stitch In Time, so am wondering if there are any fans of hers who can confirm that perhaps I had bad luck reading one of her ... weaker novels?

[Ruth]

I've read quite a few of Penelope Lively's books. I particularly liked Moon Tiger

[Barbara]

Susan_T. wrote: "I started Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace), but didn't get very far. Any of y'all read it? I am wondering if I abandoned ship too early. I'm not all that post-modern in my reading...

I'm looki..."

Susan, I keep trying to read Wallace too. We did a short story of his that was very intriguing. You can find it here: http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/feat...

It made me realize why so many people are intrigued with Wallace's writing. Our discussion is still up in the short story conference too. I just read the opening description in the story to the folks at the CR convention this morning.

[Beth]

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted in this group! I was traveling most of September and early October(including a fun trip to Cleveland for the Bouchercon mystery conference). During my travels, I read The Mapping of Love and Death and really enjoyed it. I've put the first book in that series on my to-read list, so I can go back and catch up to the one I read, the 7th.

Some great non-mystery books I've read lately are:
The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar (contemporary India)
In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (early 1500s Venice)
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (rural Wisconsin, 1909)

I'm now reading a fascinating memoir,
Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black

[Mary Ellen]

Nicole wrote: "Mary Ellen wrote: "Ann & Nicole, my favorite part of ATSS was the first section, when the narrator was a boy in Afghanistan. I knew virtually nothing about that country apart from the long USSR wa..."

Absolutely right, Nicole. I did not like ATSS as much, maybe because I didn't have the same feel of discovering a new culture. And the main character's story was so brutal.

[[deleted user]]

I am one disc into the audio version of The Sandcastle Girls, by Chris Bohjalian, and I'm considering not finishing it. It's fiction, set in the heart of the Armenian genocide, and it is brutally honest in the descriptions of the atrocities. It seems like an important book that I will be glad to have read, but I'm not sure that I am up for the emotional cost of the experience. Any thoughts from the group?

[Joan]

Just finished The Fellowship and here's my review.
The Fellowship by Roger Friedland and Harold Zellman. Half genius, half charlatan Frank Lloyd Wright devised The Fellowship as a means of saving his beloved Taliesin which he’d already lost three times, twice to fire and once to bankruptcy. Wright invariably found a savior to rescue him from vorays into speculations. The idea of The Fellowship, a group of paying resident students who would benefit from proximity to the master, may have germinated from Wright’s third wife Olgivanna’s experience with the Gurdjieff cult in France. Wright was also influenced by Gurdjieff as were his daughters Svetlana and Iovanna. Initially, Wright seemed to have little intention to instruct the students who served as laborers rebuilding Taliesin, the studio and in general farming tasks. They also built Taliesin West near Scottsdale, AZ. As some apprentices departed, Wright realized he’d need to have a more scholastic approach. Since he, himself, had no university degree nor license as an architect, he could not confer degrees upon the students. His magnetic personality and the originality of his architectural concepts kept many of the acolytes mesmerized. Wright’s career began as an associate of Louis Sullivan, grew with his Prairie House designs, and came to fruition in his later years with Fallingwaters, designated as the most beautiful house design (though lacking engineering expertise, Wright’s cantilever system was sharply criticized, and probably only succeeded as his students surreptitiously added more rebar to the cement, than Wright specified. Similar problems occurred with the Johnson Wax Building as the lilypad columns which upheld the structure were thought to be too weak; again his apprentices dealt with these problems, sometimes over Wright’s objections. In the case of the Johnson project, Wright was correct that the unusual design, strengthened with steel mesh rather than rods could hold five times the weight necessary. The glass rod skylights, beautiful as they were, leaked as did many of Wright’s roofs.) Overall, Wright was more artist and visionary of architecture than a pragmatic engineer, yet it is undeniable that his influence –for example the Usonian house which was the precursor of the ranch house that became the prototypical suburban home of the 50’s—has had worldwide influence. Always a controversial figure, he was recognized by the Architectural Society for his lifetime achievements, and typically, he took the occasion to criticize much modern architecture. The Fellowship, written in 2006, briefly covers Wright’s personal history up to the founding of The Fellowship. As a primary engine for Wright’s designs as well as producing the cash needed to pursue his goals, The Fellowship was seen by some outsiders as a cult, while being revered by many prominent individuals, especially avant garde devotees of Theosophy, Spiritualism and other such beliefs. Wright was inclined to manipulate these disciples, rather than succumb to their doctrines, though he was always interested in the revolutionary idea. He was too much of an egotist to wish to share the stage with another celebrity. Ayn Rand who had based her main character in The Fountainhead on Wright, upon meeting him was disillusioned as he was far from the idealistic ideologue she had imagined. Wright’s wife Olgivanna had a great deal of influence on the members of The Fellowship and following Wright’s death, she assumed control, including music and dance as an important venture, based on her Gurdjieffian ideas. With her death, The Fellowship declined, though the program exists to this day. Taliesin East and West have both come to prominence as tourist destinations to showcase the work of Wright and his followers.

[Carol]

For those interested, I downloaded Louise Erdrich's new novel , The Round House and I can't leave it alone. It is so interesting.

[Ruth]

Joan wrote: "Just finished The Fellowship and here's my review.
The Fellowship by Roger Friedland and Harold Zellman. Half genius, half charlatan Frank Lloyd Wright devised The Fellowship as a means of saving h..."

Wright was more than a bit of an sob, wasn't he? The CRs who just came back from our Pittsburgh convention might be interested in this book. They got to see Falling Water.

[Lynn]

Yes, I just commented about the extra steel in the cantilevers at Falling Water over in the Pittsburgh thread. I'll have to check this out.

[Marjorie]

Tina wrote, "I am one disc into the audio version of The Sandcastle Girls, by Chris Bohjalian, and I'm considering not finishing it."

I read the first couple of chapters of The Sandcastle Girls. It was confusing, first told by his grandmother, then by him. About his Armenian relatives who were exiled from Ottoman Turkey. The subject was of interest, but the book did not capture my interest. Perhaps I should have given it more time, but I felt like this was going to be another of his long-winded boring books like his Double Bind. So I sent it back to the library unfinished.

Mary Ellen: What book is ATSS?

Marge

[Carol]

Mary Ellen ,ATSS is "A Thousand Splendid Suns."

[Susan_T.]

Barb, thanks for linking that DFW short story above. I will check it out. I will probably read the bio at some point. Mary Karr mentions him in her memoir Lit; they had a relationship for a while.

[Ann D]

Joan,
You might be interested in the book Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. It is a fictional account of Frank Lloyd Wright's relationship with lover, Martha "Mamah" Borthwick. He was not a nice person - maybe that goes with being a genius.

[Ann D]

Marge,
I really liked A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, although it is a sad book. It is about the life of a young Afghan woman.

[Joan]

Ruth. Yes, FLW was a supreme egoist who announced he was the world's greatest architect. We have visited Taliesin in Spring Grove, his studio in Oak Park,Fallingwaters, and of course, he built a usonian house for my neighbors which is just down the road.

I've read biographies of him, but The Fellowship is the first that detailed the cult atmosphere that surrounded him, and how he pretty much used them as slave laborers. Most were willing however, in order to work with their master.

I've read "Loving Frank" which frankly I thought was not very well written, certainly didn't get at the gist of who FLW was, and focused on their love story as central to FLW's life, when in fact, his 30+ year relationship with his third wife Olgivanna was far more influential. However, Taliesin is taking advantage of the book's publication by offering a "Loving Frank" tour--and given FLW's talent for taking monetary advantage of every situation, that fits right in.

My husband's roofing company did a lot of work on local FLW houses, nearly all of which had major structural problems plus roofs that leaked. Nevertheless, my husband considers him an American icon.

[Ruth]

I didn't think Loving Frank was very well-written, either.

The fire and murders at Taliesen, make me almost feel sorry for the b*stard.

[Joan]

He certainly recovered promptly, adding a new and neurotic wife. FLW was quite the little ladies man.

[Lynn]

Has anyone read The Women by T.C. Boyle? I think it's better written than Loving Frank and covers all the women in FLW's life, starting with the last wife and moving back through time to the first.

[[deleted user]]

Lynn wrote: "Has anyone read The Women by T.C. Boyle? I think it's better written than Loving Frank and covers all the women in FLW's life, starting with the last wife and moving back through time to the first."

I was just writing the same thing, when I noticed your post. I read both titles for a book club, and much preferred Boyle's look at FLW.

[Carol]

Me, I read The Fellowship also. I am fascinated by his life and his talent.

[Lynn]

I just found out that my local library has The Fellowship so I'm going to check it out (pun intended).

[Ann D]

To be fair, Loving Frank was much more about Martha "Mamah" Borthwick than it was about Wright. I did think it was well written and I had trouble putting it down.

However, it sounds like I am definitely in the minority here.

[Sara]

Lynn wrote: "Has anyone read The Women by T.C. Boyle? I think it's better written than Loving Frank and covers all the women in FLW's life, starting with the last wife and moving back through time to the first."

Yep, that is a good one, but then, it's T.C.!

[Sara]

Ann wrote: "To be fair, Loving Frank was much more about Martha "Mamah" Borthwick than it was about Wright. I did think it was well written and I had trouble putting it down.

However, it sounds like I am de..."

Nope, I really liked it, and then read a non-fiction book about the murders (which sought to blame Wright, of all things) that served to help me understand the profoundly not understandable.

By the way, according to a documentary I saw later, Wright stipulated in his will that he wanted to be buried next to Mamah. He was, but later that "influential" (I think controlling) third wife (or perhaps someone connected to her--forgive my faulty memory) had him exhumed and moved to Taliesin West.

One of the best moments in the non-fiction account concerns him first meeting the father of Mamah's children on the train from Chicago after the murders--the father going to retrieve their bodies. They were able to put aside everything else in their sorrow. Then Wright insisted on making Mamah's coffin, strewing it with wildflowers and burying her. Many witnesses heard him sobbing uncontrollably as he carried this out. So, yes, he was an S.O.B. and definitely full of himself, but I was still moved by his grief.

[Carol]

Sara and Ann , that was the first book I read about Wright ,and as I had always loved the beauty of his work, I wanted to read more about him. So I join you both in thoroughly enjoying the book., "The Women".

[Ann D]

Sara,
The death and burial was devastating, wasn't it? The book really seeks to understand Mamah's search for independence and a life of her own - at the expense of giving up her family. She so thoroughly attached herself to Wright that she gave up both her independence and her children. As you can imagine, my in person book club had a field day with this one.

[Jennifer]

I may have mentioned that one reason I love to read plays from the mid 20-th century is they usually publish the casts, and I often spot people whose work I know from films and television. Today I read Take Her, She's Mine by Henry and Phoebe Ephron. Art Carney and Phyllis Thaxter (who just died this last August) were in it. It won Elizabeth Ashley a Tony in what I think was her first role-- turns out she was born about 40 miles away from where I live. And Richard Jordan was in it -- he played Lo Armistead in Gettysburg, one of my favorite films, and was supposed to have had the lead in The Fugitive but he died of a brain tumor and the role went to Harrison Ford.

Here's a picture from the play: Carney, Thaxter, Ashley and an actress names June Harding who, as far as I've been able to discover, hasnt done anything else...

[[deleted user]]

I just finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and I highly recommend it.

[Barbara]

Jennifer wrote: "I may have mentioned that one reason I love to read plays from the mid 20-th century is they usually publish the casts, and I often spot people whose work I know from films and television. Today I..."

Thank you, Jennifer! I love reading the casts in older plays as well. This is a nice reminder of the genesis of the Ephron sisters. And, I love seeing Art Carney. We all forget that he definitely wasn't just in The Honeymooners.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

I just gave up on Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. Well, I liked it to start with, but I've decided not to finish it, even though I own the book. That's rare for me. It's a case of the bad people being so evil, and the good people being so wonderful, that I'm giving up. Joan starts out as this feisty young girl intent on learning to read, and being so severely punished for it that she is almost killed. Obviously her father is one of the baddies. She is too precocious to believe, even though I have a pretty precocious granddaughter myself, so I know they exist. She's about thirteen now, and she is sexually attracted to her very nice foster father. It's starting to read like a romance novel. I've read other reviews just to see if I should finish. Most people loved it, but enough of them had the same reaction that I'm having, that I've decided to pack it in.

[Lyn]

I just read The Housekeeper and the Professor, a sweet, gentle and short book which I enjoyed.

I am still missing the world of Shantaram, which kept me in its spell for so long.

[Larry]

I finished Ken Follett's Fall of Giants today. The characters are cardboard like at times but you still care about them, the plotting has one amazing coincidence after another but you're glad when they occur, and the writing is anything but literary. BUT ... Follett is a good storyteller. All in all, I enjoyed the book and I'll start the sequel to it, Winter of the World this afternoon. In thinking about the last two historical novels I've read, this one and Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, well it's like eating beef. FALL OF GIANTS is like a good hamburger and WOLF HALL is like a fine filet.

[Carol]

I think I will want to readBring Up the Bodies at some point. I want to read Mantel's take on Anne Boleyn.

[Greer]

Recently completed the audio book for State of Wonder and really disliked it. Just didn't ring true to me. Ultimately a toss-up about which was more annoying - Hope Davis' grating narration or insipid main character Marina.

Started catching up on my Harry Bosch mysteries over vacation with A Darkness More Than Night (which was ho-hum) and City of Bones which was more engaging. I'm currently reading the next in the series, Lost Light.

[Larry]

I put down Ken Follett's Winter of the World for a few days to read John Grisham's new The Racketeer. After a few pages of the new Grisham, I know why I like him so well. He just gets better and better. To be honest, I really disliked his first few books (especially THE FIRM and THE PELICAN BRIEF) and stopped reading him for years. And then I started with what he was writing about ten years ago and now read everything he publishes.

[Nicole]

finished The Lucky One 2 stars and will start The Night Circus

[John]

Finished Rules of Civility recently - dragged a bit in places, but Towles can really turn a phrase! Audio narration was a good choice here.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

John wrote: "Finished Rules of Civility recently - dragged a bit in places, but Towles can really turn a phrase! Audio narration was a good choice here."

John, I really liked the audio version of Rules of Civility, too.

I just finished listening to Doc by Maria Doria Russell, and it was very very good. I think it was Book Concierge who I first heard of this from, and I'd like to thank her. I thought the narrator was excellent.

[Larry]

Sherry wrote "I just finished listening to Doc by Maria Doria Russell, and it was very very good." Sherry, Mary Doria Russell's Facebook postings are great if you haven't subscribed to her ... she's been regularly updating how the sequel to DOC is coming along.

[Kat]

Fell off the CR wagon for awhile, or got knocked off by life, as usual, but today have been enjoying reading about what folks have been reading in October (from the 18th on!).

The novel I most recently completed was THE BIRD ARTIST, by Howard Norman, which really kept me turning the pages. I found his characters as illustrated by their dialogue arresting. It's set in Newfoundland in the early years of the 20th century. I'm still pondering what it all may mean, but I like it when a book gives me that experience.

Am just beginning HOW IT ALL BEGAN by Penelope Lively.

I got 100 pages into INFINITE JEST and gave up. I mostly feel very sad at this failure, but I confess I have moments in which I think DFW just couldn't do character.

[Mary Anne]

Welcome back, Kat!

I'm currently listening to In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alverez, and loving it. My daughter, the IB English teacher, has been recommended it to me for years.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

Larry wrote: "Sherry wrote "I just finished listening to Doc by Maria Doria Russell, and it was very very good." Sherry, Mary Doria Russell's Facebook postings are great if you haven't subscribed to her ... she..."

Thanks for letting me know, Larry. I'll sign up for sure.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

Larry wrote: "Sherry wrote "I just finished listening to Doc by Maria Doria Russell, and it was very very good." Sherry, Mary Doria Russell's Facebook postings are great if you haven't subscribed to her ... she..."

I wasn't able to find her on Facebook, when I searched it just sent me out to the web. Could you send me a link to her page?

[Larry]

Sherry wrote: "Larry wrote: "Sherry wrote "I just finished listening to Doc by Maria Doria Russell, and it was very very good." Sherry, Mary Doria Russell's Facebook postings are great if you haven't subscribed ..."

Sherry, do a Facebook search on MARY Doria Russell ... I noticed that you had mentioned her name as MARIA Doria Russell. It's interesting that I sometimes mispronounce her name that way when I'm speaking of her. Let me know if that doesn't work.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

Thanks, Larry. I think I got her middle and first name mixed up.

[Larry]

Just finished John Grisham's The Racketeer. Thrilling all the way through. It gets a bit rushed at the end, almost too sketchy, but still a thoroughly enjoyable book. And now on to Justin Cronin's sequel to the Passage, The Twelve. Another long book that will keep me from getting back to Follett's book. Oh, well, who can complain about good books waiting to be read?

[Larry]

Sherry, have you read Mary Doria Russell's A Thread of Grace. It's all about how Italians, including the Italian army(!) worked to save as many Jews as possible form the Nazis. In the end they saved 43,000. When the Germans pressed the Italian army to turn them over, the Italian general replied that that would "be against the honor of the Italian army." Russell is wonderful in telling part of this little-known story.