Readers and Reading discussion
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Book Miscellany
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What are you reading now? Finished recently? 4/5 through 11/6/2009
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Good audiobooks are always so memorable. The narrator of the "Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series is brilliant, as was the narrator of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
I recently listened to an audio done by Michael Boatman -- about whom I had heard great things. Well, his voice was wonderful but the book was awful (The Race by Richard Patterson). I do not think I got past the first disk.
Yes Lois, mom doesn't like ac, so heres hoping it stays cool. Dont you live in Davenport? Am flyg into Moline and then drive to mom's.
I finished Michael Connelly's The Scarecrow last night. He's really been churning them out, but the quality doesn't seen to have suffered. This was a good one.Also read The Tricking of Freya. The novel explores the background of a woman whose grandfather was Iceland's greatest poet. There are visits to Iceland and some Icelandic mythology and linguistics included. Some of these detracted from the main story, but I really enjoyed this book.
Deb, I figured you'd be flying into our neat little airport....watch out for the construction on I 74 as you head home. Seems like every street in the Quad Cities has construction this summer. I live in Bettendorf... You'll go right by our exit. Any spare time for a cup of coffee?Lois
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On a college tour at Cornell, the young guide told us there are only two seasons there.....winter and construction. I think that is true everywhere!
Cantaloupeby Lee Robinson
Friday I sniffed it
in the grocery store, turned it
in my hands, looking
for bruises
in the rough, webbed rind.
My mother's voice—the one
I carry always in my head—
pronounced it fine. Ripe,
but not too soft.
I bagged and bought it,
would have given it to you
for breakfast—this fruit
first grown in Cantalupo, not far
from Rome. I imagined you,
my sleepy emperor, coming
to the table in your towel toga,
digging into the luscious
orange flesh
with a golden spoon,
and afterwards,
reclining, your smile
satisfied,
imperial.
Now I open the trunk of my car
to find the cantaloupe
still there, flattened, sour,
having baked all weekend
in August's oven.
Grieving is useless,
my mother would say,
Just get another.
Bur why am I so certain
that no other fruit
will ever be as sweet
as that—
the one
I would have cut in half,
scooped the seeds from,
that one I would have given you
on Saturday morning?
"Cantaloupe" by Lee Robinson, from Hearsay. © Fordham University Press, 2004. Reprinted with permission.
I just finished the Help by Kathryn Stockett. It has been billed someplace as another Secret Life of Bees. Actually it is nothing like that book. The book is a fictional account of the injustices and the good things experienced by domestic help in the early days of the 60's civil rights movement. I was all set to find fault with it thinking it would be the usual cruel whites,etc. I was surprised that it was such a truthful book that tried to tell the story from both sides.There was some suspense to the book that made me tear thru 450 pages!
I am now reading The Associate by Grisham. I need a non-serious beach type book for this week.
Kriverbend wrote: "Deb, I figured you'd be flying into our neat little airport....watch out for the construction on I 74 as you head home. Seems like every street in the Quad Cities has construction this summer. I l..."Proably not, as my brother is driving and he will want to get home. We go the back way, down 67 to Galesburg and then home. Of course my brother never goes the same route. I have become aware of a lot of small towns that I had only heard of.
R. wrote: "I just finished the Help by Kathryn Stockett. It has been billed someplace as another Secret Life of Bees. Actually it is nothing like that book. The book is a fictional account of the injustice..."The Help has to be one of my favorite reads this year and I've had several. It was first for my F2F book group that everyone really liked it.
R. wrote: "I just finished the Help by Kathryn Stockett. It has been billed someplace as another Secret Life of Bees. Actually it is nothing like that book. The book is a fictional account of the injustice..."I have picked that book up many tmes and read the cover, but I will wait until t comes out in paperback
I just finished reading A Reliable Wife. An online poster who did NOT like it at all sent me her copy and wished me happy reading. First off, I'm sure many readers will be put off by the dark content of the book; its themes of obsession and revenge are dark indeed. There is sexual content, though it isn't as explicit as I feared. That said, I couldn't put the darned thing down. I recognized the book's debt to Wisconsin Death Trip right away, since I'd read that book last winter. That 1970s nonfiction book chronicles a strange series of murders, suicides and epidemics in turn of the century Wisconsin through photographs and newspaper articles. I refer anyone who thinks such references in A Reliable Wife are excessive to Wisconsin Death Trip. LOL, it's enough to make a person run out and buy a condo in Florida.
I liked the way the story in ARW built, how both the main plot line and the back story developed. While the main characters were flawed (to say the least), the reader comes to understand the circumstances that built each person's character (or lack of), and perhaps have some sympathy for him or her.
The setting is gothic Victorian (isolated, dark, cold, big old house); there is obsessions and sins of all sorts, action, blood, money, beautiful people, and violence. But there is also love and opportunity for redemption. Perhaps one might describe it as classy trash.
Anyway, I had great fun with this one. Thanks to the person who mailed her copy to me.
I rarely post on threads like this, as I am usually somewhere between five and 100 years behind on current books. But my wife asked me to read Soul Survivor The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot. This is really odd. Anyone else read this one?
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Michael wrote: "I rarely post on threads like this, as I am usually somewhere between five and 100 years behind on current books. But my wife asked me to read Soul Survivor The Reincarnation of a World War..."</i>Now this is supposed to be non-fiction, right? It sort of but not quite reminds me of the new book out "Everything Matters". That one isn't a reincarnation story but the baby boy is born knowing when the end of the world is coming. [book:Everything Matters! A Novel
Peg wrote: "Michael wrote: "I rarely post on threads like this, as I am usually somewhere between five and 100 years behind on current books. But my wife asked me to read [book:Soul Survivor The Reincarnatio..."I just bought this book as a bday gift for my friend I have known since 5th grade. I thought it was something she would like even though I have not read it.
I did see a young boy on the repeat of some show who had very vivid memories of being a fighter pilot in WW II. Research was done and there was evidence of some of the things he said about the missions,etc.
meenie
Sherry (sethurner) wrote: "I just finished reading A Reliable Wife. An online poster who did NOT like it at all sent me her copy and wished me happy reading.You're welcome, Sherry, and I'm glad you liked it. Makes me feel better about buying the dern thing.
I finished reading "Rumble Fish" by S.E. Hinton. That novel was wonderful. Also finished reading "Blaze" by Stephen King. Now that one was not a great read.Now I am reading The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier & The Fire Starter by Stephen King. Has anyone read them before? =)~
I read The Chocolate War a million years ago and remember being moved by it, but I can't remember why :)
Many thanks to Peg, who loaned me her copy of The Help. What would I do without my book friends here? I haven't started it yet - other projects keep coming at me, but I hope to start it tonight.
Yes, that is the same boy about whom Soul Survivor is written. It's really two books in one; the look at the veterans of this one particular attack is interesting and, at times, very moving. Whether this boy really said the things his parents attribute to him, the book will not provide the answer. I do recommend it, though; just finished it and found it a brisk read (once you get past the first 30-40 pages, which have an odd tone as though the ghostwriter hadn't found his best stride yet). That there is some more to the family involved becomes clear at one point toward the very end; a passing mention of something not previously indicated left me with another cause for doubt. But, as I say, I would definitely recommend this. R. wrote: "I did see a young boy on the repeat of some show who had very vivid memories of being a fighter pilot in WW II. Research was done and there was evidence of some of the things he said about the missions,etc. meenie..."
I just finished a book by Thomas Mcguane, Nothing But Blue Skies. I bought it out in Livingston, MT, because I met his daughter one night and it got me thinking that I had never read one of his books. The next day we walked by the cute little book store downtown that I wish I owned so of course I had to buy it. It is very raunchy but hysterically funny. I was not just chuckling on the airplane home, but fell into gales of laughter. It was a wild ride. I can't wait to read the other one I bought, 92 in The Shade.
One of his early books was nominated for the National Book Award, so he does have some credibility. :)
I also read Pretty Shield, a true account of a Crow woman written in the early 30s. This was prompted by a visit to the Battle of the Little Bighorn National Park. Pretty Shield's husband was a scout for Custer but had the good fortune to live through the battle unlike his boss. Interesting stories of the Crow way of life following the buffalo.
I've finished All Creatures Great and Small (again), which remains as good a read as it always was. Now I'm into Cancer Ward by Solzhenitsyn, another reread and wonderful so far.For my recent birthday, a friend gave me Choke by Chuck Palahniuk and is insisting I read it because, she says, I'm the only person she knows who will get it. I've tried the first page, "If you're going to read this, don't bother. After a couple pages, you won't want to be here. So forget it. Go away. Get out while you're still in one piece," and my mind says, "OK" and I put the book down. That's just too cute an opening for words, isn't it? Ugh. I don't want to offend Angie, but that opening is so blatantly manipulative - such bad writing - that I can't on. Sigh.
<>Bunny, I tried a book by Palahniuk some time ago....this may be the one. I was immediately disenchanted, so complied with the author's directive!
Lois
I read a book by him. My comment:4092 Fight Club a novel, by Chuck Palahniuk (read 12 Nov 2005) I accidentally heard of this book and noted it had 519 reviews on Amazon, which is a lot, and I, stupidly, decided to read it. I knew as soon as I started it that it was junk, but I finished it. The central character starts fight clubs where there is much violence tho no one dies. It is all fantastic and boring. I think I laughed about four times in the entire reading. The book has a cult following and there is a movie. The book apparently was published in 1995. I found it an entire waste of time.
2457455 Invisable Monsters is an amazing book By Chuck Palahnuik Jo, what is amazing about the book? Tell us a little about it.
I've been ill & missed a timely answer on Palahniuk but wanted to weigh in. I have been a fan for almost a decade. One of the first things i liked about his work is he has an ability to encourage us to look at the way our consumerism works in the US. Additionally, he has an interesting way with words. It's not always pleasant but i found much of his work thought-provoking. His characters are a fascinating crew, none that i'd like to meet in real life, i suspect. Still, i felt most of the MCs were worth getting to know, if only to see how they have been alienated from society. A couple still stay with me, in fact, altering my view on things.
As Jo mentioned, there are some good & curious twists in his work, which is a pleasure to encounter. I also like that he attempts varied ways of presenting his material. In the last i read,
there were several different presentation styles (poetry, short story), most of which i felt he pulled off, despite the writings being from over 8 characters (if memory serves me).
However, there's a reason that was my last Palahniuk. He can write some uncomfortable scenes & one took me too far into that area. Vonnegut did the same thing & i stopped reading him after 13 novels. It took 7 works by P to do the same.
Still, i like his innovative work i just don't want to subject myself to more at this point. I don't regret reading any of them, even the last. Oh, i just remembered one more thing i like--he picks up the oddest bits of information & turns them into worthy notions to ponder, most of which are in our daily life.
deborah
he picks up the oddest bits of information & turns them into worthy notions to ponder, most of which are in our daily life. deborah
That's the gift my friend kept drumming into my head - he made her think differently about ordinary things. Maybe I'll have to give it a try to see if I pick up on that trait or not.
I am reading Seven Up by Janet Evanovich.
Jo wrote: "Was it Haunted that put you off? I havent read that one"Yes, it was. It's about a sort of reality show for writers and only one small section stunned me. However, i just couldn't shake the image, although lately the topic (swimming pool drains) have been in the news.
deborah
I am reading A Mile in my Flip Flops by Melody Carlson. A fun book anout a young lady who thinks she can "flip" a house. A no brainer and probably a beach read. I have really been reading a lot.
Finished up Seven Up by Janet Evanovich last night. Another fun Stephanie Plum. Next I will be reading Suddenly One Summer by Barbara Freethy. Something I picked up at the grocery store.
I finished Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley. Its strange to say but it was an amusing read. His jaundice humor about how both his parents conducted their lives was humorous. Apparently WFB took Ritalin to keep going and downed sleeping pills frequently during the night. Funniest line in the book IMHO Christopher Buckley writes that WFB took enough drugs to give Hunter Thompson pause!Now for something completely different I am reading Testimony by Anita Shreve.
I have a bag full of killer books to read on vacation starting the 13th including a new fictional book supposing that two girls murdered near Ocean City,NJ in 1969 were Ted Bundy's first killings. Since I was a dumb college girl going to all the same places these girls went to in 1969 I have to read it! Since most of these books concern murdered college age girls,I can only read them when my two college girls are safely down the hall!
Mod
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I must have been on another planet in 1969 because I never heard of these murders, and I was not living very far away. Sounds interesting. I am assuming that you read Ann Rule's book about Bundy. C..."Yes,Joann but in those days I was single,living in my own apt. in Ardmore,Pa. and working in center city. So I only read that book on the train! I think I have read almost every true crime book Rule has done except the one about Anne Marie Fahey. That one was most recently added to my TBR pile as a friend loaned it to me!
Mod
I think I have read almost every true crime book Rule has done except the one about Anne Marie Fahey. That one was most recently added to my TBR pile as a friend loaned it to me!
That's the book I helped Rule with, in a very small way. She had me write "local flavor" type things such as what the surroundings looked like around certain places. She also ran a few things past me to be sure she was accurate. She thanked me in the acknowledgements. A very nice lady, anxious to get it right.
My only complaint with her book, and with almost every news story about the case, was that Tom Capano was portrayed as a more important figure in the community than he really was. In essence, he and his brothers were rich people who thought the rules were made for everyone else but them.
Noting death of author read:I have read this by Budd Schulberg:
456 The Disenchanted, by Budd Schulberg (read 4 Jan 1953)
3692 What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg (read 1 Feb 2003)
My comment on The Disenchanted:
This book made a splash when it came out in 1950 because it fitted in with the Fitzgerald revival. Natuarlly 'tis a little ridiculous--such patent "move" and "slick" writing. It is so chichey, so false, with only at times being anything. Very cheap and poor writing, designed for simpletons' consumption.
My comment on What Makes Sammy Run:
3692. What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg (1 Feb) This 1941 novel tells of an unprincipled Jewish boy from the slums of New York seeking success in any way he can. The characters are hard-boiled, and there is lots of "realistic" dialogue. Most of the book held one's interest. I read Schulberg's more famed book, The Disenchanted, Jan. 4, 1952, being a novel based on the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I have long heard of this book so thought I should read it when I noted it on a library shelf.
Wellll--that's exactly what I said to myself after finishing reading the book....
Wow...I didn't know The Disenchanted kinda came under "pop" fiction for that time! It was in our bookcase my whole growing up and my parents were pretty serious readers of good stuff. In college while in my "Zelda" phase I read it and thought it was pretty good!
I just finished reading The Amadeus Net by Mark A. Rayner. It was a great post-apocalyptic book. It begins with Mozart walking into a sex-change clinic in the year 2028 - and that's just the beginning.
I've finished Water for Elephants, a book I missed when everyone else read it. Like it a lot except for the ending which I thought was a good ending but written too sentimentally. Now I'm into Doris Lessing's Into the Shade, the second half of her autobiography, having read Under My Skin, the first half, several months ago. Her writing is so clear and concise, her insights so valid - truly a great writer.
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I actually have a friend who did the same thing with her daughter --- had her "kidnapped" and taken abroad to be re-programmed, for years. Not an easy decision for a parent to make.
Claire and Mia Fontaine have done a masterful job of showing what happens inside a reprogramming center for out-of-control teens....mostly teens on drugs who have been "committed" to these facilities by their parents, who have reached the end of their rope, so to speak.
Since this is a "memoir", I was somewhat skeptical of some of it. One thing that I found to be unbelievable was that Claire "forgets" that a therapist told her that when Mia became a teenager, the memories and emotions of her abuse as a young child will begin to have an effect her. How could she possibly have forgotten such a warning?!?!?!
I think the book could have used some editing for length and I also found the plethora of details about the seminars attended by the parents and the sessions the daughter attended for two years to be just too many words. I got real tired of all the jargon and lingo, to be honest. It began to sound cultish. I also think that there was a lot of unneeded trivia in this book...like parts of the screenplay which Claire was writing.
But it was a compelling, horrifying inside look at what a family goes through when one of its members is a drug addict. Their desperation led them to do what they did, and I cannot judge them for that as many other reviewers have done.
Having spent a lot of my life with my own little drug addict, I can't fault any steps family takes to save their child. Shocking, life threatening behavior only responds to shocking treatment. I won't read the book though. Too many memories.
I've just finished "Velva Jean Learns to Drive," by Jennifer Niven, whose main character and narrator reminded me of Scout in TKAM. The setting is in Appalachia as was the locale of "The Dollmaker," another high recommendation if anyone hasn't read it.I am now reading "Angel's Game," by Carlos Ruiz Zafron, whose "Shadow of the Wind" was also high on my recommendation list. I keep swearing off BFBs, then wind up getting hooked on another. "Angel's Game" is worth it, though.
The next book waiting for me is Vikas Swarup's "Six Suspects" which isn't that much shorter, but I really liked his "Q & A" although I think it's deceptive to retitle that book to match the film "Slumdog Millionaire." Remember when the publishers published paperbacks with different covers throughout the country? People would buy the same book again because they wouldn't recognize the cover. I know better, but I like to think our complaints to the publisher reps made a difference.
Lois
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I have Anne Tyler's upcoming book (Noah's Compass) here, waiting for me to have a do-nothing day so I can focus on it. It is due out in January but I bought it from an Illinois bookstore that has a warehouse in the UK, where it was released last week. My total cost, including shipping, was $22. Not bad. I have no sense of deferred gratification where Tyler's books are concerned!
I never did read "The Tattoo Artist," JoAnn, but "Heroic Measures" is on my to-read list. I look forward to it.As for Anne Tyler's book, clear your calendar and take a day off...enjoy your coup!
Lois
I'm going to back up a bit re: "The Angel's Game," by Carlos Ruiz Zafron that I was so enthusiastic about a day or so ago. It became too convoluted for me. I lost patience and hurried to finish it. In fact, I kept thinking of my good friend who opines that less can be more! Lois
Jo wrote: "I am reading Salems Lot and The Time Travelers Wife "I read Salem's Lot way back when and received the updated version for Christmas a few years back. I love fall for Stephen King Books - excited about his new one coming out in November.
As for Time Traveler's Wife, I'd love to read what you think when you finish. I had the same thought as Lois re: The Angel's Game - that it started out great but then got too convoluted and I too lost patience. though I didn't persevere like Lois.
Peg
Mod
hmmmmm...too many words, eh???
hmmmmm...too many words, eh??? Yep, JoAnn.
Lois, keeping reply to a minimum!
I just started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society for my local group. I tend not to like books that are too predictable or sentimental, but so far this one suits me just fine. I do tend to like epistolary novels, so it has that going for it. Plus it fits into my 2009 requirement of being fewer than 500 pages. :)The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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JoAnn, I don't do audiobooks so I can't have a personal opinion on this, but there was a discussion recently on M/T Reading Friends about how good the Maisie Dobbs audios are. One poster said that the reader depicted Maisie's voice just as imagined.
Jan O'Cat