Goodreads Ireland discussion
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What Are You Reading
Declan wrote: "As Jamielynn says, it's very new, Colleen, and suffering from a lack of reviews as a result.I did find this though:
"Anyone who's ever doubted the truth of William Faulkner's famous assertion th..."
Thanks Declan That review sounds much better than the one on Goodreads and more reliable I'm guessing. I think I'll at least add it to my ever growing TBR list:)
I'm reading The Gargoyle which is a fascinating and brilliant read so far. About an ex-porn star recovering in a serious burns unit who receives visits from a strange woman who seems to have lived many lives. Always amazes me the amount of brilliant books out there that I somehow never heard of before.
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I have read/discovered a couple of great ones though.
Jonathan Lethem's Fortress of Solitude paints a great portrait of life in Brooklyn in the late 70s and 80s and the start of gentrification. I even liked the second half, which some folks (based on a sampling of Goodreads reviews) really didn't). It reminded me a lot of Michael Chabon's work. I'm glad Allan pushed it and Heather got it for me as part of our holiday exchange. I had gotten the impression was one of these new pretentious great American novelist types. I was glad to be proven wrong. I will be reading more Lethem!
Elijah of Buxtonwas the incredibly moving tale of an eleven year old boy who was the first child to be born free in a Canadian settlement composed of runaway slaves from the United States. The novel mixed humor, a unique narrative voice, and seriousness, to tell a tale that moved me nearly to tears at times. While Elijah is a fictional character the settlement of Buxton really existed. I would be interested in visiting the site and/or reading a nonfiction account of the settlement.
Finally, for the local Solas Nua (Irish) book club Barbara and I are in, I read Ratlines by Stuart Neville. While it wasn't as deep as the other two books, it did hold my attention. I suspect I would enjoy Neville's books about Northern Ireland more, as I felt Ratlines wandered when it left Ireland.
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Sara. It's good to see that your reading this month has been profitably spent! I was glad to see you enjoying Lethem, and I can definitely see the Chabon comparisons myself. I completely agree with the difference in depth of Neville's work as well, and I'd venture that Neville himself would be the first to acknowledge such a fact. He's a very effective thriller writer at the end of the day. I'm intrigued also with Elijah of Buxton, and am going to have a look at this one on Amazon.Over the last few weeks, I've had very much a Goodreads Ireland influenced reading themed time. In addition to finishing and enjoying Winter in Madrid, recommended by Susan and some others on audiobook, I've read three books kindly purchased for me by friends in the group on the occasion of my getting hitched in December. I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry, Rules of Civility by Amor Towles and Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. And without embarrassing anyone, thanks to Barbara, Sara and Susan for their kind gifts! :)
I've now got stuck in to the first in Karl Ove Knausgaard's acclaimed 6 volume autobiographical collection 'My Struggle', and despite having managed to read very little over the last couple of days, on account of being away with the kids (I'm presently on the early shift in the corridor of the residential building!), I know that this is a collection that I'll go back to. I've also just started Gary Schteyngart's new memoir, 'Little Failure' on audiobook, having read an article on it on Sunday, and know that I won't be disappointed by it either!
I'm very lucky to have a half term week long break starting on Friday, and while I'll be at a wedding on Monday, am ready to pronounce 'Let the reading commence!' :) First on the list is the new Willy Vlautin, The Free, bumped up the list by my mate, who actually rang me to tell me how good it was. He'd usually take a month to finish a book, but was finished this one in a day, giving it a 5 star rating all the way. I can't wait!
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Allan wrote: "Sara. It's good to see that your reading this month has been profitably spent! I was glad to see you enjoying Lethem, and I can definitely see the Chabon comparisons myself. I completely agree with..."Sara and Allan - I am itching now to read more Lethem and Vlatin.
It's a snow day but I have four faculty portfolios to review. It is very time consuming to do it correctly and people's jobs depend on our ratings.
We have over a foot of snow. I cleared away some snow from the front stoop and walkway. My son however will have to do the rest and clear off the cars.
I am listening to We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver.I had no idea this novel was about a school shooter because I didn't read the description. A good friend recently listened to it so I followed her lead. The 2006 novel won the Orange Prize. It predates the 2012 book on a similar theme, Defending Jacob, but takes a very different approach. It is pretty chilling reading, especially for a mother.
I am reading The Blood Spilt - another Swedish mystery. I enjoy the details of the geography, places and people most as it is set in the remote far north of Sweden.
Back to work!
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Two of my books are free on Kindle 14 - 15 Feb. One is light crime and the other is equestrian romantic suspense; both are set in Ireland. Enjoy! Any reviews would be much appreciated.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_...
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I will be going back and reading the first book in Zafon's loosely related Cemetery of Forgotten Books trilogy before reading the third which connects the first two. Barbara (or anyone really) do you know of any books about the history of Barcelona? Reading Angel's Game.
I will also definitely be reading more of Laura Lippman's work soon as she seems to write fairly tight thrillers with well developed female protagonists. I have the first in her series about Baltimore (about 45 miles North of D.C!), Baltimore Blues, on my TBR shelf.
Today, I should finish up Wildwood. So far the story is just average, but the art is delightful especially the full color panels. I'm then going to try to read about 100 pages of a People's History of the United States before jumping into easier material like Divergent (to see what the fuss is about before the movie comes out) and/or the concluding volume in a graphic novel series I've really enjoyed (also one that I had to wait forever for the library to order the final volume).
Sara, I haven't had the chance to read all of the posts above, but noticed your Barcelona book request, and Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell came immediately to mind. It's on my TBR shelf, and I'll be aiming to read it relatively soon, having recently read Winter in Madrid. When we were in Barcelona in 2010, I came across George Orwell Square. The book details Orwell's experiences during the Spanish Civil War, and I know that some of it is about the Barcelona of the time.You might also want to check out Colm Toibin's 'Homage to Barcelona', which I haven't read, but whose title I assume is self explanatory. I know in his short story collection, 'The Empty Family', at least one of the stories was set in the city.
I'll be interested to see what anyone else comes up with re books about Barcelona! :)
Sara I really envy your ability to power through so many books. You seem to fly through them :)
Mine too JL. It's like he gets home from school and makes up for 5 hours of no talking lol
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Sara wrote: "Well my "snow day" reading was quite successful. I finished the two books I intended to finish. I was a bit disappointed in the way they both ending, but overall I recommend them. I will be going..."
Oh yes - I do. Robert Hughes has a big book Barcelona and a smaller, shorter one Barcelona: The Great Enchantress. I have them both and still haven't read them. I also have Gaudi: A Biography by Gijs van Hensbergen. Not sure if I have a copy of Hugh Thomas's Spanish Civil War but I do have the Orwell and Toibin books. I read a book years back about the anarchists in Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War that was fascinating, but have no idea of the title. The Kate O'Brien novel Mary Lavelle which was made into a film Talk of Angels is about an Irish woman in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. I remember loving the novel when I read it - better than the film.
Gerry wrote: "Sara I have read The Angel's Game. I have to say as much as I enjoyed it Barcelona plays a far more important role in the other two books in the series - Shadow Of The Wind and The Prisoner Of Heav..."Glad to know that about The Prisoner of Heaven as I got the kindle version on sale and picked up the audiobook for cheap. It may end up being my next audiobook.
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Sara wrote: "Thankfully Barbara got it at our local independent bookstore. She called them, and they said to just come by and they'd do an exchange even without a receipt. I guess I know how I'm spending part o..."And that's why we shop there!! Service, service, service.
I went by the library to return 2 books due today and it was closed! I knew they were closed yesterday but was surprised they weren't open today. Lots of kids and families are probably going stir crazy with schools closed for 2 days. And Monday is a federal holiday so they'll be closed then also.
Clare wrote: "Two of my books are free on Kindle 14 - 15 Feb. One is light crime and the other is equestrian romantic suspense; both are set in Ireland. Enjoy! Any reviews would be much appreciated.
http://ww..."
Just downloaded them, Clare, and look forward to reading them.
@Clare. I'll be downloading the Mensa mystery. It sounds like something I might enjoy. Thanks for the share. :)
Re. Zafon: I read In The Shadow... and all that impressed. I found a lot of it quite hokey. The writing was lovely but I don't know how of that was down to the translator. She deserves a great deal of the credit, though, I'm sure.
Re. Zafon: I read In The Shadow... and all that impressed. I found a lot of it quite hokey. The writing was lovely but I don't know how of that was down to the translator. She deserves a great deal of the credit, though, I'm sure.
Clare wrote: "Two of my books are free on Kindle 14 - 15 Feb. One is light crime and the other is equestrian romantic suspense; both are set in Ireland. Enjoy! Any reviews would be much appreciated.
http://ww..."
Clare - Just got my copy of Murder at Irish Mensa and look forward to reading and reviewing it!
Have a great day,
Caroline
Allan wrote: "Sara, I haven't had the chance to read all of the posts above, but noticed your Barcelona book request, and Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell came immediately to mind. It's on my TBR shelf, and ..."Hi Allan -
Colm Toibin is a brilliant man. Am ashamed I haven't made the time to read any of his work yet, though I know people who know him, and heard him speak at a Belfast Festival event years ago. He was introducing Roy Foster, who was speaking on Yeats -- he'd just put out his second volume of his Yeats biography. Brilliant to hear them both. They're heroes to me.
Caroline wrote: "Allan wrote: "Sara, I haven't had the chance to read all of the posts above, but noticed your Barcelona book request, and Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell came immediately to mind. It's on my T..."I had both volumes of the Foster bios on Yeats but in my grand book clearout last summer, I sent them to a friend who is an English professor:)
Caroline, I've read a number of Toibin's novels and the short story collection I mentioned above, but Barbara is definitely the Toibin expert of the group! :) He is certainly very engaging as a speaker -while I haven't listened to him in person, I always make a point of watching or listening to him being interviewed on tv or radio.
Sara / Barbara / Declan. I'm intrigued by the Shadow of the Wind book in particular, and having read Gerry's comments about it above, and seen Sara's and Barbara's 5 star ratings of the book, have added it to my Audible wishlist with a view to it being my next purchase. Knowing my tastes, do you think I'd like the book? Having recently finished Winter in Madrid, and with Homage to Catalonia on my TBR shelf, I have to say that I'm tempted!
Not sure where to post this but the book The Shetland Bus is $1.99 today on kindle. My deals of the day (Amazon and Audible) went out aroudn 3:30 PM instead of 3:30 AM.The "Shetland Bus" was the nickname given to the Norwegian fishing fleet, which was used to shuttle refugees secretly to freedom and bring supplies and intelligence to the Allied forces. Howarth, a British naval officer, was among the leaders of the Shetland Bus operation, so this history is based on firsthand experience.
It was actually an operation based in the Shetland Islands, thus my interest:
http://shetlandbus.com/
Barbara wrote: "Allan wrote: "Sara. It's good to see that your reading this month has been profitably spent! I was glad to see you enjoying Lethem, and I can definitely see the Chabon comparisons myself. I complet..."Barbara, I read We Need to Talk about Kevin a year or so ago after a good friend of mine raved about it. I appreciated the book, but I had a really hard time finishing it, so much so that I had to put it down for awhile and go onto something else. Chilling, it is.
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And just to reiterate what Barbara said about the excellent service at our local independent bookstore. I exchanged my copy of Wildwood today with no problems. They even commiserated with me as to how odd it was that it had been missing pages, and double checked the new copy they gave me to make sure it had all of its pages. While there I bought two other books, spending $23. I also spent $3 or $4 at the coffee shop. Good customer service pays!
1. Open Secrets by Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro. (I was seduced on the drive over by an old episode of Book Riot talking about her work).
2. Ghost Lights by Lydia Millet off the remainder (discount) shelf. Unfortunately it seems to be part of a trilogy.
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And just to reiterate what Barbara said about the excellent service at our local independent bookstore. I exchanged my copy of Wildwood today with no problems. They even commiserated with me as to how odd it was that it had been missing pages, and double checked the new copy they gave me to make sure it had all of its pages. While there I bought two other books, spending $23. I also spent $3 or $4 at the coffee shop. Good customer service pays!
1. Open Secrets by Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro. (I was seduced on the drive over by an old episode of Book Riot talking about her work).
2. Ghost Lights by Lydia Millet off the remainder (discount) shelf. Unfortunately it seems to be part of a trilogy, but I think the library has the first volume.
Never tried Munro, ashamed to say -- Open Secrets sounds brilliant.
@Allan. If nothing else you'll enjoy the writing. It certainly isn't a book you'll regret reading.
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One of the books they recommended Winter in Madrid which you just finished and enjoyed. I think that lends more credence to the idea you would like Shadow of the Wind.
Thanks Declan and Sara. I've got the book in my Audible basket, and am going to take the plunge and buy it with the credit that I have.
Enjoy, Allan. I look forward to hearing what you think of it, too.
I'll be sure to post a review when I listen to the audiobook. :)
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A couple days ago I finished Divergent, the first in a young adult dystopian trilogy. It definitely wasn't high literature or even as good as others in the genre like the Hunger Games. It did however, hold my attention and I gobbled most of the almost 500 pages down in 2 days. Most of it was fast paced, and I can see where it will be an excellent movie. I will definitely be reading the second one, likely next year before that movie comes out.
Right now I'm in the middle of a few different things:
In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination by Margaret Atwood: I'm reading this gradually, a few essays at a time. While I don't agree with all of Atwood's conclusions, her discussion of individual topics and books in science fiction is quite interesting. I was particularly into her essays on the genesis of utopian and dystopian novel (in light of the fact that I had just finished Divergent). This may be one for Declan.
Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronvitch (my Secret Santa gift from Cathleen!) I've read the first chapter and it's definitely sucked me in. I'm intrigued by a detective who can see ghosts.
Finally, I'm reading some poetry in The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems. This one is designed for kids and the art work is absolutely stunning.
and a P.S. My copy of The Third Policeman should get here today!
I've been reading The Rosie Projectand the The Lace Readerand I'm enjoying both.I need to readDivergent before the movie comes out.
I'm finishing Míle Fáilte: The Goodreads Ireland Group Writing Challenge 2013 and listening to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
I think I'll be Starting Roddy Doyle's The Guts.
I was considering reading Divergent before the cinema release but I recently saw the trailer and wasn't impressed. I think I can put it on the long finger for the time being.
I've added The Pillars of the Earth, too. It's been nominated for the March monthly read, and it caught my attention.
@Sara. I really hope you enjoy The Third Policeman.
I think I'll be Starting Roddy Doyle's The Guts.
I was considering reading Divergent before the cinema release but I recently saw the trailer and wasn't impressed. I think I can put it on the long finger for the time being.
I've added The Pillars of the Earth, too. It's been nominated for the March monthly read, and it caught my attention.
@Sara. I really hope you enjoy The Third Policeman.
I finished The Free by Willy Vlautin this morning, and it's as beautifully written as the best of his work, with as powerful a message on the plight of the underdog in society as reviews have promised it would be. Vlautin has been one of my favourite writers since his first novel, and like the rest of his work, the characters in this book will remain with me for a long time. I'd love to hear what those of you particularly in USA think of this or any of his other books if you ever read them, given their setting on the margins of small town society in the west of the country. The comparisons for Vlautin with Steinbeck are well deserved.I'm also currently about 80% through the audiobook of Gary Shteyngart's memoir, 'Little Failure', a humorous tale about growing up as a Russian Jewish immigrant in 1980s Queens. I've not read any of his novels, but purchased this on the strength of an article in the paper a few weeks ago. Typical 'woe is me' memoir fayre, but enjoyable all the same.
As mentioned on another thread, I'll be starting Glenn Patterson's new novel 'The Rest Just Follows' later, and will probably start the new James Franco novel, 'Actors Anonymous' on audiobook. Given the weather forecast for the weekend (rain for a change!), I reckon there'll be a lot of reading time over the next few days! :)
@Colleen - I'm also keen to read "The Rosie Project" but have heard mixed reviews so glad to hear you liked it.@Sara - yes, "Divergent" another one on my list but want to read "Dust" by Hugh Howey first (also a dystopian trilogy and I thought the second installment "Shift" was even better than the first one, "Wool")
My mom is visiting from Kerry and brought us "Tom Crean - Ice Man: The Adventures of and Irish Antartic Explorer". I'm reading it to my son and it's a great read as I knew little about him before.
Also reading some New Zealand short stories by Katherine Mansfield as we recently visited her birthplace and she was a great writer, very insightful about people and especially women.
Also "The Piano Teacher" by Janice Y.K. Lee - an easy read set in Hong Kong during the second world war and in 1953. Nothing heavy but interesting as I don't know much about the Japanese invasion there during the time.
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@Sara - yes, "Divergent" another one on my list but want to read "Dust" by Hugh Howe..."
I absolutely adored Wool but haven't gotten a chance to read either of the other 2.
Sara, you will love Shift then. It is the lead up to "Wool", tense and faster pased and you put all the bit and pieces together.
Sara wrote: "I'm surprised that this thread hasn't received any comments in about 48 hours! What's wrong with us all? Are none of us reading anything? LOLA couple days ago I finished Divergent, the first in a..."
Sara, I'm glad you liked the first chapter of Midnight Riot. It was such a quirky book that I couldn't put it down.
I just finished the group's book, Míle Fáilte, and it's excellent. Recommended to all, by the way.
I've just started Roddy Doyle's The Guts, which started brilliantly. I think I'm going to enjoy this a lot.
I've just started Roddy Doyle's The Guts, which started brilliantly. I think I'm going to enjoy this a lot.
Declan wrote: "Re. Zafon: I read In The Shadow... and all that impressed. I found a lot of it quite Hokey..."Declan - I found it extremely Hokey. And binned it after a short time.
I saw a lot of people talking about it recently and didn't want to weigh in with a bunch of negative stuff. But now that you mention it!
Colleen wrote: "I've been reading The Rosie Project"Me too. Been quite enjoying it. This line made me laugh out loud in the office last week:
"Since I had never been so sexually attracted to a woman before, I was suddenly compelled to examine her ears."
I actually had no idea it was such a well known book, until I spotted it on a spinny stand at my local garage.
Caroline wrote: "Colm Toibin is a brilliant man. "I see him quite a lot at lunchtime. Out and about around Baggot street. (It's a real hotsport for minor celebs actually). Maybe he has an office or home nearby. I haven't read any of his books yet, but I've been meaning to.
John wrote: "Colleen wrote: "I've been reading The Rosie Project"Me too. Been quite enjoying it. This line made me laugh out loud in the office last week:
"Since I had never been so sexually ..."
I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it and I read there will be a sequel ...not sure how I feel about that. I think I'm on an Australian reading binge .I startedThe Husband's Secret and so far I like it.
John wrote: "Declan wrote: "Re. Zafon: I read In The Shadow... and all that impressed. I found a lot of it quite Hokey..."Declan - I found it extremely Hokey. And binned it after a short time.
I saw a lot o..."
Loved The Shadow of the Wind so much that I read his other two novels in the series.I plan on reading Winter in Madrid because it was suggested for people that like Shadow in the Wind
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It was a perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday night in San Francisco, Jamie. Green Apple is a great bookstore...reminds me a bit of Kenny's old shop in Galway.