Goodreads Ireland discussion
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What Are You Reading
Susan wrote: "Trelawn, I went back and looked and I haven't read Gaudy Night. For some reason, I stopped. Maybe it will get me going again."I just restarted reading Dorothy Sayers. It's the one about the Belladonna Club.
I am listening to Belfast Noir on audiobook in preparation for my book group next week. GR had a fit and the page crashed on my when I tried to enter this book that I've already read, albeit this time in a different format.I am also reading Peter May's Runaway- one of my Tesco bargains. After finishing the heavy Preparation for the Next Life, I wasn't ready to move into light fare but wanted something less intense.
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I worked for several years with a wacky woman from Puerto Rico who talked constantly about "The Chupacapra," a mysterious animal that killed goats and sucked their blood. Goat sucker=Chupacapra in Spanish
@ Cathleen that's a good one. I hope you enjoy it. Re Bryson I was quoting bits from the Liechtenstein section to Paul last night to try justify the amount of times I was laughing out loud.
I have just finished two books Me and My sisters by Sinead Moriarty and The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes. These two authors I have only read recently and I like both their styles but I particularly like Jojo Moyes. Her style had me not wanting to leave the book down as I constantly wanted to read more. Love a book that I can get into like that.
Emma wrote: "If you enjoyed Jojo Moyes you should check out Me Before You. It's probably the best of her books."Thanks Emma for the recommendation. Will definitely get it.
I finished Runaway in 24 hours. These big British paperbacks have large print so 400 pages is like 200 in some other books. I am reading another of my Tesco buys The Children Act which is only around 200 pages. Both are a break after my last intense read Preparation for the Next Life. I plan to read one of my other purchases next - either a NI read or one of the new books I got at Hodges Figis.My goal for this year is 125 books and I am already well over 100 books.
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Next up is finishing Gun Street Girl, so I can leave it for my father and his friend in Maryland.
After that I'll start Station Eleven which I'm super excited about.
On audio book, I should finish the massive Telegraph Avenue on audio book partway through my drive to Maryland Wednesday. It's grown on me over time. I would compare it to The Fortress of Solitude, but it's slightly less "tight" as a novel. Candidates for my next audio book listen are On Immunity: An Inoculation and Babycakes.
Not a huge fan of Space Opera either Sara.I just finished Red Rising by Pierce Brown , it won Best Newcomer at last years Goodreads Choice awards.
Well deserved. I really enjoyed it. Now I'm reading Joe Abercrombies Half a War, the last part in his latest Trilogy.
I'll follow that with Station Eleven unless my copy of Terry Pratchetts new book arrivex quickly( waterstones screwed up my order)
I'm listening to The Silkworm and finding it quite good. Usually I avoid reading two mysteries at the same time, but I just started Thursday's Child by Nicci French. It should be a pretty quick read despite the 485 pages as the print is quite large.
I'm reading Stone's Fall http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61.... At 600 pages long, it is longer than what I have been reading recently. It is intriguing so far. Very well written, detailed, without being laden with extraneous information. Already I am wondering where the story is going but am enjoying the slow read to find out.
Trelawn have you read Bill Bryson's Shakespeare? Was wondering what folks on here think of it. I'm currently about half way through
I really enjoyed it Daniel. I thought it refreshing that a biographer highlighted how much we don't know about Shakespeare without feeling the need to recite conspiracy theories every other page. I like Bryson's style. He is clearly intelligent and well informed but doesn't write to a certain demographic. I think he books are widely acceasible and enjoyable. How are you finding it?
I'm kind of surprised to be enjoying it (although like you, I very much like Bryson's style.) thing is I've never been that much taken with the Bard (I know!?!)
shock shock horror :-) I like Shakespeare, what I have read anyway. I am not familiar with all the plays and I don't seek them out but I do enjoy them when I come across them. Hamlet is my favourite. The sonnets are also worth a look.
I did woo you with some of his Sonnets ;-)
Trelawn wrote: "I'm reading Stone's Fall http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61.... At 600 pages long, it is longer than what I have been reading recently. It is intriguing so far. Very well written,..."It's $1.99 right now on Amazon kindle which I got via Book Gorilla. Think I'll get it.
My reading has been a little choppy lately. Now that I've finished Company of Liars, I can pay more attention to The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club which was languishing on my coffee table, and I've just started A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League, a book related to a course I'm teaching. I have several books out from the library, including Ann Patchett's This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, as well as the Agatha Christie buddy read. I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish the Patchett book before it's due, though.
Cathleen wrote: "My reading has been a little choppy lately. Now that I've finished Company of Liars, I can pay more attention to The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club which was langu..."I love the library but hate due dates, sigh.
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I have started I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty
I got it from the library on inter library loan.
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My review, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Barbara wrote: "Cathleen wrote: "My reading has been a little choppy lately. Now that I've finished Company of Liars, I can pay more attention to [book:The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club|192887..."Not surprisingly...I have to renew it!
If someone is waiting can it be renewed. I think I remember you can't here.
I just finished a book The Shadowed Sun by NK Jemisin and it was stunning. Again I'll thank Sara for pointing me in her direction. Her books are very different to a lot of other fantasy , wirking with more African and Native American concepts.
Just started S Street Rising: Crack, Murder, and Redemption in D.C. for my book club next Saturday. The author, a former Washington Post reporter, is coming to our group.
I finished Decline and Fall the other day. I'd never read anything by Waugh before and hadn't known what to expect. I'm not usually a big fan of satire but was pleasantly surprised by this. Of course, as I noted in my review (4 stars), I'd probably have appreciated it a great deal more if I'd gone through the British public school system.
Susan wrote: "That should be interesting."It's interesting to consider how vastly different DC was 25 years ago. Having just read Washington's U Street: A Biography I knew that before 1968 many of these blighted neighborhoods were solidly middle class and lower middle class before the riots following Dr. ML King's assassination. The decline of some American cities is a fascinating, but sad history.
I've just started listening to The Ice Twins a thriller/mystery by S.K. Tremayne. It is set in London and a Scottish island. So far, so good.
Frank wrote: "I finished Decline and Fall the other day. I'd never read anything by Waugh before and hadn't known what to expect. I'm not usually a big fan of satire but was pleasantly surprised b..."I haven't read Waugh either, but this is a push to do so.
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Sara wrote: "I absolutely Brideshead Revisited and have a few other Waugh books on my shelf waiting to be read."Thank you, Sara, for reminding me to put that book on my To Read list. From what I understand (which admittedly isn't much at all), Waugh's style changed radically in his later books. It's always fascinating to see how an author's viewpoint evolves over the years.
It's definitely worth reading, Barbara. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.
Frank wrote: "It's definitely worth reading, Barbara. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it."Thanks Frank!
I just finished reading A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League, a book I've wanted to read for a very long time. It's a nonfiction account of a teenage male student who journeys from a very troubled, urban high school in Washington, DC to being admitted into Brown University, an elite university in Rhode Island. I thought it was fantastic--a nuanced portrait of the student as well as his family, friends, acquaintances. It was written in the 90s, but a lot of the issues are still the same.
Just finished Uprooted by Naomi Novik which was recommended by Brandon Sanderson (he told me to read it in a signed book I bought off his site).Definitely one for Sara, Paul and Gavin I think. It is well written and removes all the fluff you so often get in fantasy books. The best way I can describe it is as a dark Medieval fairytale, since it shares many characteristics of a wonder tale. I really enjoyed it anyway and I like that fact that it is a standalone book as well.
I have come close to buying it but wanted to see ig anyone i knew enjoyed it. Glad to her its good
I'm listening to The Harder They Come by TC Boyle. One of the characters lives in Willits California. Isn't that Susan's territory?
Sounds familiar alright Barbara, I think that's where she lives.
OMG, Barbara. A book that has a character from Willits. Amazing. I have read nothing about this but will definitely have to read it. Unfortunately, the incident it is based on was horrific for us and it was a very hard time. It impacted everyone in lots of ways. Thanks for the heads up. I have book club in an hour and I can't wait to share the news. Willits?
Susan wrote: "OMG, Barbara. A book that has a character from Willits. Amazing. I have read nothing about this but will definitely have to read it. Unfortunately, the incident it is based on was horrific for us a..."Yes, Willits! Don't tempt me to look up the incident. I want to be surprised. But TC Boyle writes well about California.
There wasn't much I could do outside today as the Pope was visiting and it was impossible to travel easily anywhere about NYC. Instead, I remained indoors and finished reading an anthology of British novellas. Most were well known works but there were two with which I hadn't been familiar. One was George Eliot's The Lifted Veil and the other Aldous Huxley's The Gioconda Smile. They were fascinating reminders what great writers these once well known authors were.
Frank wrote: "There wasn't much I could do outside today as the Pope was visiting and it was impossible to travel easily anywhere about NYC. Instead, I remained indoors and finished reading an anthology of Brit..."That sounds like a good day, Frank.
It's a quick easy read Emma. I am looking forward to a quick read after the tome I am currently reading. I am really enjoying it but it is taking me ages to get through.
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Longer review:
"It's interesting to see the development of such a iconic figure in detective fiction. It's also interesting to think about the history of actual detective/police work and forensic since. On the other hand, I find the colonialism and casual racial and other stereotyping to detract from the stories. Of the first two novels, "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of Four," I liked "A Study in Scarlet More."
I also think that the older style of novel becomes a bit grating to listen to too much of in a row. I've now listen to the roughly the first 8 hours (out of 56!) in the audio collection, and think I'll take a break and switch to We Have Always Lived in the Castle until that's done.
In terms of physicals books, I finally got a chance to start The Guts, the sequel to the The Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments / The Snapper / The Van (a former GRI read), and it's absolutely fantastic. Roddy Doyle has a year for dialogue, and the scene in which Jimmy Rabbitte tells his father he has colon cancer is gut (pun intended) wrenching and rings true...being possibly one of the best father son conversations I've ever seen in literature.
I'll have to retread The Guts soon as it'll be discussed Oct12th at our Solas Nua book group.
I just started the audiobook All Souls: A Family Story from Southie. This is a book that some of my students read for an assignment in my spring course. Having just seen the film Black Mass about the gangster Whitey Bulger, this was a perfect time to "reread" this title. The audiobook is particularly effective as it is read by the author; with the cadence and accent of his Southie upbringing, it has a greater impact. I can't help but immediately think of parallels between certain neighborhoods in Belfast, where loyalty is fierce, and denial even stronger.
I spotted a book recently in Waterstones, that I had heard of but I've since promptly forgot the name.It's a send up of the literary scene, the main protagonist (Pugg or something like that) sees himself as a powerhouse of the literary world. Does anyone know this book? It came out a couple of years a go. Sounds quite funny, I'd love to know the title.
Am finishing the audiobook of The Guts by Roddy Doyle. I love the audio book! It's for my Monday bookclub. I have started listening to We Have Always Lived in the Castle and just started NOS4A2. So far NOS4A2 isn't spooking me but I am enjoying the setting of one part in Haverhill Massachusetts.
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Trelawn, I read that book about ten years ago, right before my husband and I took a trip to Italy, and I kept quoting bits of it to him while we were travelling. I thought there were so many funny parts--and bits and pieces of his observations kept popping in my head as we were travelling.
Speaking of Bill Bryson, we're going to go see A Walk in the Woods this evening. If the movie is half as good as the book, we'll enjoy it.