Constant Reader discussion
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Constant Reader
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What I'm Reading - Feb 2013
I got slowed down with Housekeeping because of migraines---that book deserves a clear and painfree head if at all possible. So I'm reading Elegy for Eddie, a light mystery, continuing with Shadow Country, which is broken into wonderfully manageable, short chapters. And I will shortly re-read The Housekeeper and the Professor. There's now a forecast for a major snowstorm for Friday and part of Saturday so I'll have plenty of reading time.
I've read about a quarter of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared and skimmed the rest, hoping it would improve. It started out amusingly enough, but quickly became a one joke story. Not sure what is next.
Book Concierge wrote: "Lost City Radio – Daniel Alarcon – 4**** In an unnamed South American city, Norma hosts the popular “Lost City Radio” show, where people try to reconnect with loved ones they’ve lost track of. ..."
I enjoyed this novel, BC. I was in Peru during the war here described (though not in the midst of it, thankfully) and I liked connecting my experience with what I read in the novel--it all fit.
Barbara wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Lost City Radio – Daniel Alarcon – 4**** In an unnamed South American city, Norma hosts the popular “Lost City Radio” show, where people try to reconnect with loved ones t..."
I think I found this discussion. This was during a time we had discussions "under the book" instead of here. http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
Sue wrote: "I got slowed down with Housekeeping because of migraines---that book deserves a clear and painfree head if at all possible. So I'm reading Elegy for Eddie, a light mystery, continuing with Shadow C..."They are predicting a couple of feet of snow--hunker down!
I'm reading two books.The first is The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia byOrlando Figes. I recently finished Catch-22. The Russian book is like reading a real life application of the absurdities in Catch-22. It shows bureaucracy and ideology totally run amok to ruin the lives of millions of innocent individuals. At the same time, it is very interesting because it is based on Russian archival information and because it shows the tremendous ability of human beings to adapt.The other book I am reading is Jennifer Haigh's Mrs. Kimble. Haigh is a Goodreads participant. This is the story of 3 women who have been married to the same man. At first I had a bit of trouble getting into it, but by the time I got to the second woman, I was totally hooked.
I just finished The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. There could be dissertations written about the many "great fire" meanings. The most obvious is the bombing of Hiroshima, where the book first starts. Aldred Leitch is a hero of WWII and takes time to wander China to record the lives of the people before their lives are turned upside down. He goes to occupied Japan for something to do with his military job and ends up in Kure, a village outside Hiroshima. There he encounters two young people who are living with their very strangely uninterested and disconnected parents. Hazzard's characters are very real and she places them in historical situations that give you an idea of what it might really have been like. I highly recommend this, although it's fairly dense and slow-moving, there are some very moving elements. She captures the essence of people very well. These are not characters; they seem real and you care about them. One thing that made a big impression on me is that I feel like I now know the world that I was born into a little better. I was born in 1948 and the world was like this then. It seems very real.
Sara wrote: "Sue wrote: "I got slowed down with Housekeeping because of migraines---that book deserves a clear and painfree head if at all possible. So I'm reading Elegy for Eddie, a light mystery, continuing w..."Yep---checking the flashlights, charging the phone and kindle. Still haven't bought one of those crank/battery radios. but I'm set, pretty much. Many many books to read.
Sherry wrote: "I just finished The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. There could be dissertations written about the many "great fire" meanings. The most obvious is the bombing of Hiroshima, where the book first star..."Thanks for a good description Sherry. I think I'll check it out.
Sherry wrote: "I just finished The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. There could be dissertations written about the many "great fire" meanings. The most obvious is the bombing of Hiroshima, where the book first star..."I loved this novel, Sherry. But I felt the ending was a tad over-romantic. Did it work for you?
Kat wrote: "Sherry wrote: "I just finished The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. There could be dissertations written about the many "great fire" meanings. The most obvious is the bombing of Hiroshima, where the ..."I liked the ending, but then I guess I'm over-romantic. I had just finished a book where I really disliked the ending, so this was a relief.
Sherry wrote: "Kat wrote: "Sherry wrote: "I just finished The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard. There could be dissertations written about the many "great fire" meanings. The most obvious is the bombing of Hiroshima..."Yes, endings are vital. One reason I love the novels of Henry James.
I've started Speaking from Among the Bones: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley. For my in-person book club, I will be reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I've been told that the dialects are difficult to read, but I'm looking forward to delving into the novel.
Cateline wrote: "I've read about a quarter of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared and skimmed the rest, hoping it would improve. It started out amusingly enough, but quickly became a on..."I bailed on that one early.
Jeffrey wrote: "I've started Speaking from Among the Bones: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley. For my in-person book club, I will be reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I've been tol..."Jeffrey, I found that the Hurston book read pretty well if I read it as it looked, sort of phonetically, as it flowed, instead of trying to turn it into "my" English. Then it worked and I could understand the dialect without much problem at all. (sort of aloud in my head)
Yesterday, I finished Joe Queenan's One for the Books, his life through the books he's read. Audiobooks are bad because they're "all abridged versions" and ebooks are for scifi dorks. Now you know. The kicker was his proudly quoting his daughter's opinion of those who read ... library books (gasp!) "They (libraries) are everything bad about cemeteries without any of the redeeming qualities. When I read a book it is an investment, not a loan. If you don't want to own books, it means you are an asshole."
John wrote: "Yesterday, I finished Joe Queenan's One for the Books, his life through the books he's read. Audiobooks are bad because they're "all abridged versions" and ebooks are for scifi dorks. Now you know...."Well...thanks for that John. One more I can happily ignore!
Just finished The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch.Because I loved his Finn and Kings of the Earth so much I could hardly wait to get my hands on The Thief of Auschwitz. Unfortunately, Clinch set the jump pretty high for himself with the first two books, so that I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed in this one. Perhaps it’s because so many books have been written about the Holocaust, or perhaps it’s because I’ve read way too many. This is a well-written book that I plowed right through. But…but… Don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent book, but I expected something exceptional, and this wasn’t.
Thanks for finding that discussion of Lost City Radio, Sherry. It was fun to reread it.
Sue wrote: "Jeffrey wrote: "I've started Speaking from Among the Bones: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley. For my in-person book club, I will be reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston..."I remember struggling with the dialect a bit at the start, but once I got used to it it was no problem, and the characters were terrific creations.
Thanks for the tips! I'll keep them in mind while reading Watching God.
Jeffrey wrote: "I've started Speaking from Among the Bones: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley. For my in-person book club, I will be reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I've been tol..."There is an audiobook of Their Eyes Were Watching God CD: Their Eyes Were Watching God CD read by Ruby Dee that is absolutely outstanding. The link that I just posted is to that production and it really helps with the dialects. Lot of libraries own it. You might even want to listen to it while you are reading it because it gives you a good feel for the dialect. This is one of the audiobooks that first addicted me to listening to them.
I'm halfway through The Man Within My Head, where travel writer Pico Iyer relates Graham Greene's work to his own life - a sort of bio/autobio combination, which sounds odd (perhaps I'm not describing it perfectly), but really works. Not essential to be familiar with Iyer's work to appreciate the book; as a matter of fact, I had previously found him a tad ... snooty, but now accept that he's just a really bright guy!
John wrote: "Yesterday, I finished Joe Queenan's One for the Books, his life through the books he's read. Audiobooks are bad because they're "all abridged versions" and ebooks are for scifi dorks. Now you know...."wow...As I work at a library and I am a all around lover of libraries, not very keen on that comment!
John wrote: "I'm halfway through The Man Within My Head, where travel writer Pico Iyer relates Graham Greene's work to his own life - a sort of bio/autobio combination, which sounds odd (perhaps I'm not describ..."I read that, too, and liked it, but didn't love it. I saw Pico Iyer at the Key West Literary Seminar and he was wonderful. I liked him better than I liked his book (I haven't read anything else by him.)
I'm compulsive enough to finish a book even though I don't like it (always hopeful of some prospective reward). But not withTigers in Red Weather Here's my review.I was intrigued by the title, but this is not the sort of book I would commonly read. Variously described as a “beach novel” whatever that means, and as a combination of Scott Fitzgerald and Patricia Highsmith, it is certainly not the latter. The author uses clichéd plot devices—the unfulfilled housewife of the postwar era (done better in Revolutionary Road—which I also didn’t admire). The pill addicted Hollywood wife. The adolescent girl finding herself. The disturbed boy. A murder inserted as an added attraction. The writing is pedestrian, the dialogue sophomoric. But a hell of a title.
Jeffrey wrote: "Thanks for the tips! I'll keep them in mind while reading Watching God."This was one of my favorite books. You'll be rewarded for finishing it, I think.
Joan wrote: "I'm compulsive enough to finish a book even though I don't like it (always hopeful of some prospective reward). But not withTigers in Red Weather Here's my review.I was intrigued by the title, but ..."I have removed it from my Library request.
For the last 40 days, I have been with my mother as she died. First in a hospital (Virginia Hospital Center), then at Capital Caring's Halquist Hospice House, and then at a nursing home for the last three weeks. A lot of sitting, a lot of praying, and a lot of reading. I went though all of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch books (probably 15 of them) that I hadn't read during this time. It was a life saver to have my Kindle, so that I could read these books ... and the Washington Post, and the Economist, and Science News, etc.
Larry wrote: "For the last 40 days, I have been with my mother as she died. First in a hospital (Virginia Hospital Center), then at Capital Caring's Halquist Hospice House, and then at a nursing home for the las..."Oh what a hard time for you. My condolences.
What a gift you gave her to be with her all of that time, Larry. Losing a parent is so difficult. Give yourself plenty of time to grieve and heal. My mother died when I was young so I thought that I would be fine after my father died in his 80's after so much pain. Instead, I felt like I'd been kicked in the head for a very long time.
Barbara, that is the exact feeling. Larry as you go through all the stages of grief, we will support your need to talk, laugh and cry. She lived, she loved and left. Sorry for your pain.
Larry wrote: "For the last 40 days, I have been with my mother as she died. First in a hospital (Virginia Hospital Center), then at Capital Caring's Halquist Hospice House, and then at a nursing home for the las..."Good that you could immerse yourself in reading during that time period certainly. Had my own experience of the last nine months of my mother's life a couple of years ago and still have reverbrations from that experience which arrive unexpectedly. Less often as time passes, some good and some not.
Larry,My deepest sympathies on the loss of your mother.
Oh, Larry, I'm sorry. It's hard when a parent dies. What do people who don't read do to get themselves through such experiences as yours?
Larry, my condolences to you. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Oh Larry, I am so sorry for your loss. And I agree that it's good to have books as an escape and comfort.
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is okay, skipping all the repetative drival. Cuts the book in half. I don't think the translation is all that good either.
I'm curious about something -- I'm reading a book now that has the translation slammed, presumably by folks who did not read the non-English original, but I think it reads fine. How does one know a translation is "bad" without having read the original (aside from classics with multiple translations available)?
Sometimes translations have kind of an awkward feel. Sometimes I find I'm distanced from a translated book by reasons I can't put my finger on.
That is what I am feeling with The 100 Year Old Man. It feels clunky and awkward.
Larry wrote: "For the last 40 days, I have been with my mother as she died. First in a hospital (Virginia Hospital Center), then at Capital Caring's Halquist Hospice House, and then at a nursing home for the las..."I went through the loss of my mother 2 years ago. I am very sorry for your loss. At the time, I was very happy for the caring friends I have here at GR and the reading that I love. That was one gift from my parents I'll always appreciate.
John,It's hard to tell if the awkwardness is due to the original author or to the translator. Another problem can occur when the translation reads smoothly, but is not accurate.
I know that when we have read some of the Russian classics here, Barb Moors has been very good about tracking down the best translation.
Of course, with a lot of books, there is only one translation. I don't know how you can tell, unless you notice that the translator does not use idiomatic English. There can also be differences between British and American English, especially when it comes to slang.
John wrote: "I'm curious about something -- I'm reading a book now that has the translation slammed, presumably by folks who did not read the non-English original, but I think it reads fine. How does one know a..."John, I usually read the reviews of translations like crazy when I read something originally written in another language. I've read translations that seemed okay until I read another one that turned out to be far better. That made me very motivated to find the good ones. And, the only way you can truly know is to get the opinion of someone who read it in the original language.
Finished A Partial History of Lost Causes, well written and enjoyable to the end. Now am quickly making my way through The Death of Bees, a page-turner with short chapters that alternate narrative speakers. Not enjoying it with the same depth as the Dubois book above, but it's fairly captivating.
Thanks for the input, folks. However, I'm still left with the feeling that blaming a translation is kind of a cop out to explain away disappointment. Specifically with the 100 Year Old Man, I saw that the problem may have been that the book just didn't lend itself well (culturally/stylistically) to English-language readers - there's only so much a translator can do in those cases.
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Constant Reader
Books mentioned in this topic
Citizen Sherman:: A Life of William Tecumseh Sherman (other topics)Dangerous Liaisons (other topics)
Salvage the Bones (other topics)
Citizen Sherman:: A Life of William Tecumseh Sherman (other topics)
Autobiography of a Face (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ann Patchett (other topics)Orlando Figes (other topics)
Jennifer Haigh (other topics)
In an unnamed South American city, Norma hosts the popular “Lost City Radio” show, where people try to reconnect with loved ones they’ve lost track of. ..."
I really liked Lost City Radio, BC. We read and discussed it here shortly after coming to goodreads, but I can only find a few notes, not the whole discussion. His short story collection, War by Candlelight: Stories is also excellent. When we read one of his stories on the Short Story conference here, I emailed Alarcón with questions and he was very forthcoming with responses. He put me on his email list after that and I still hear about what he is doing.