Aussie Readers discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
What Are You Currently Reading? (doesn't have to be an Aussie book)
Just finished off Serenity Rose Volume 1: Working Through the Negativity and Serenity Rose, Volume 2: Goodbye, Crestfallen! - loved these back in the day when I was a moody little turd, they hold up pretty well now that I know what an idiot I was.Now onto Winter Be My Shield - finally starting the Spring challenge!
Kathryn wrote: "Lit Bug wrote: "LOL :D I love eating and reading - preferably at the same time ;)"
I have to agree!! And while most of my books are looked after very well (I try not to break their spines, I do..."
:D Accidents are fun too - I open up a book three years later and come up to an occasional splotched page reminding me I was having coffee the last time I read that page - an intimate memory of good times past :)
Lit Bug wrote: Accidents are fun too - I open up a book three years later and come up to an occasional splotched page reminding me I was having coffee the last time I read that page - an intimate memory of good times past :)"
Gosh - aren't you good, Lit Bug, if you can remember when each food-book accident occurred?!! No chance of that for me - I think I'm doing well if I can remember what I had for dinner last night, or where I've left my phone (a constant problem since it's normally on silent...)!
I've just downloaded The Book Thief. I realised it's my September read for the Annual Aussie Author Challenge and there are 7 holds on it at my local library!! So - it looks like it has to be an e-Book read...
Kathryn wrote: "Lit Bug wrote: Accidents are fun too - I open up a book three years later and come up to an occasional splotched page reminding me I was having coffee the last time I read that page - an intimate..."
I remember them only if I've spoiled a favorite book and then revisit the memory with more fondness than when it actually occurred :D
I've been wanting to read The Book Thief but I always end up reading something else!
Lit Bug wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Lit Bug wrote: Accidents are fun too - I open up a book three years later and come up to an occasional splotched page reminding me I was having coffee the last time I read that pa..."
I've heard very good things about it. Sometimes that's a bad thing when the reality doesn't meet your expectations - let's hope this book is up to the challenge!
Kathryn wrote: "Lit Bug wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Lit Bug wrote: Accidents are fun too - I open up a book three years later and come up to an occasional splotched page reminding me I was having coffee the last tim..."
Would love to know what you think when you're done!
Lit Bug wrote: Would love to know what you think when you're done! "I'll keep you updated. Watch this space!
Lit Bug wrote: ":D Accidents are fun too - I open up a book three years later and come up to an occasional splotched page reminding me I was having coffee the last time I read that page - an intimate memory of good times past :) "I get that with music. I tend to listen to music in phases where I listen to nothing but one band for a month or so, and I always think of that band when I read a book or play a game I was playing at the time. Vice versa, too.
:D Yes, seemingly insignificant things evoke memories... that's the beauty of being alive.
Mod
Mod
I have my copy here Phrynne! Can't wait to get into it:)
Sharon wrote: "Started reading Thursdays in the Park by Hilary Boyd"I enjoyed that Sharon.
Yesterday I started Empire Falls; loved it so much I read till about 1am. I love Richard Russo's work.
Brenda wrote: "I'm the same, my books are in pristine condition...you wouldn't even know they've been read:)"Ditto that Brenda, and I even try not to crease the spines too much whilst reading! Could this be a new strain of OCD (insert dramatic music) :-O !!??!!
Such is the respect I afford my books...they are like my best friends! :-}
Mod
Ditto that Brenda, and I even try not too crease the spines too much whilst reading! C..."
Same Julie! No creased spines for me!! lol I think you might be right though;)
Halfway through Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. I am enjoying the book but finding it difficult to wholly enjoy a novel without being able to relate to, or sympathise with, the main character.
Mod
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Mod
Are all her books like that? I've only read Gone Girl and it did not make me want to read more. There were no redeemable characters in that one.
I just finished The Book Thief a week ago. I loved it, but it totally wrung me out, I cried for days. I was telling a friend about it last night, and cried again when I was explaining it to her.I decided I needed something cheerful for my next book.
I don't like to read too much about a book beforehand because I hate spoilers. I read in another forum that lots of people had recently read Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and really liked it.
Yup - I should have read more reviews, I'm about 1/3 of the way through and it's becoming very clear that this isn't going to be the light & cheerful read I had intended.
I predict more tears!
Mod
I..."
The Book Thief is an amazing book, that's for sure. I haven't read your JoJo Moyes one, but I've heard it is very good...
Brenda wrote: "Pjaye wrote: "I just finished The Book Thief a week ago. I loved it, but it totally wrung me out, I cried for days. I was telling a friend about it last night, and cried again when I was explaining..."Brenda and Pjaye, did you know the book thief has been made into a movie! It's due out in November I believe.
Pjaye wrote: "I just finished The Book Thief a week ago. I loved it, but it totally wrung me out, I cried for days. I was telling a friend about it last night, and cried again when I was explaining it to her.I..."
The The Book Thief is one of the books I have to read for the Spring challenge and I'm looking forward to it.
I've read Me Before You and really enjoyed it. And yes there is more tears to come :)
Mod
Yes I did Melissa, thanks. I haven't seen the trailer but I know it's out there!
Mod
I..."
Me Before You requires at least two full boxes of tissues
Liam wrote: "God knows I treat my job as a charity fund for book purchases."@Liam - since you liked Infoquake, you should probably try The Bohr Maker as well - I've almost reached its end and it's fantastic - it's a pity people have forgotten it. Pure cyberpunk.
Brenda and Pjaye, did you know the book thief has been made into a movie! It's due out in November I believe.That was one of the reasons I read it now, I wanted to read it before the film. Although I heard it wouldn't be out until Jan, but I just looked again, and it says the released date has been brought forward to mid-Nov.
I think this will be a late night, no make-up movie, I'm sure I'll be sobbing before anything sad even happens.
Me Before You requires at least two full boxes of tissues
nooo, don't tell me that! I still had some hope I might be wrong.
Before The Book Thief I don't think a book made me full on sob/cry since Charlotte's Web when I was about 10. Now I seem to have picked two in a row.
Mod
That was one of the reasons I read it now, I wanted to read it before the film. Althoug..."
Never mind, you'll have to try for light and fluffy NEXT time;)
Lit Bug wrote: "Liam wrote: "God knows I treat my job as a charity fund for book purchases."@Liam - since you liked Infoquake, you should probably try The Bohr Maker as well - I've almost reached its end and it'..."
TBR'd!
I just finished it and I think it is brilliant!
Phrynne wrote: "Are all her books like that? I've only read Gone Girl and it did not make me want to read more. There were no redeemable characters in that one."Phrynne, I couldn't get into Gone Girl. With all the rave reviews, I just thought I wasn't in the right headspace for it at the time and put it aside to try again later.
Michele wrote: "The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido"Great title!
Mod
Vicki wrote: "Michele wrote: "The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido"Great title!"
It is isn't it Vicki :) whilst I think this is going to be an enjoyable read, I don't think it is very historically accurate, which is a bit distracting for me, and the person who recommended it said she thought it was based on a real person, which is why I bought it, but from what I have read so far, I am not so sure
Amongst the many books I'm currently reading, the one that is taking the longest time is The Complete Works. I'm very slowly working through his plays. As I find plays difficult to merely read on a page, I'm trying to properly understand them by first getting an overall plot in my head, then reading the play, reading at least 1 play analysis (Cliffnotes or similar versions are great for this) and then try to find a film version so I can actually see what it looks like. As you may imagine, this is a slightly lengthy task :)
Mod
Sounds like hard work Ernest, but as long as you are enjoying it:)
Mod
I'm kind of glad I went to school in England and read most of his plays for A level literature. It was easier with a teacher to explain them for us!
I figured that if I just read the plays as is, they wouldn't make much sense, especially since plays are written to be performed. So, I might as well try to see at least a performance of it, even if it is in film.I did a few plays for high school, but it is different going back to them now some years later.
Ernest wrote: "I figured that if I just read the plays as is, they wouldn't make much sense, especially since plays are written to be performed. So, I might as well try to see at least a performance of it, even i..."Excellent that you are tackling such important works of literature. You're taking such a sensible approach. Simply reading the play is a lot different than properly understanding them. Good on you!
Ernest wrote: "Amongst the many books I'm currently reading, the one that is taking the longest time is The Complete Works. I'm very slowly working through his plays. As I find plays difficult to merely read on a..."I feel inspired. This might be a good retirement project one day. How long does each play take?
Ernest wrote: "Amongst the many books I'm currently reading, the one that is taking the longest time is The Complete Works. I'm very slowly working through his plays. As I find plays difficult to merely read on a..."Ernest, I am incredibly impressed and frankly quite excited to see you tackling Shakespeare's entire oeuvre. I am a card- carrying Bardophile and would love to discuss the plays with you and offer what help I can, if you want to add me as a friend or just discuss things here. Shakespeare can be an acquired taste, but I was lucky enough to have an excellent English teacher in high school who introduced us to the Bard by intensively and creatively studying Romeo and Juliet, one of the easier plays to understand. It wasn't until we went on a class excursion to actually see the play performed by the Bell Shakespeare Company that I really 'got it'. So you are being very smart to look for performances of the plays, rather than just reading them. I also studied several Shakespeare units in the course of my BA, and without fail, the opening statement made by every lecturer in those units was, 'The most important thing to keep in mind is that Shakespeare never intended for his plays to be read, he intended for them to be PERFORMED.'
FYI, in case I can be of assistance, Hamlet is the play I know best, I also know a fair bit about A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice , Romeo and Juliet and Othello. I am somewhat acquainted with King Lear (one of the most difficult plays to fully understand) and The Tempest, and have read but failed to fully understand The Taming of the Shrew and The Winter's Tale.
There are so many excellent and important books to read in order to fully understand the context and scope of the plays. First and foremost, the Norton Critical Editions of each individual play are by far the most useful editions to read, as they include a detailed introduction to help you understand, plus primary sources that Shakespeare would have drawn on when writing the plays (with only one or two exceptions, none of the plots of Shakespeare's plays was original, they were usually retellings of popular folk stories and oral histories), contemporary critiques of the plays by Shakespeare's peers, plus later critiques by famous writers such as TS Eliot. Of the plays I've read on my own, outside of the academic system, I feel like the only one I really got a good grasp of was The Tempest, because I read the Norton edition of that.
Other books that I highly recommend for understanding the context of the plays are:
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human
The Elizabethan World Picture
Shakespeare on Toast: Getting a Taste for the Bard (this is SUCH an easy to read introduction to the stagecraft and other elements of performing the plays, in Elizabethan times and today)
Shakespeare's Daughters (also very easy to read, about the recurring theme of father-daughter relationships in the plays)
The Wheel of Fire
And the list could go on, LOL. But I think that's enough for one day!
Sally's recos are wonderful, and almost a must-read.For online free notes, I'd also suggest www.sparknotes.com
And do read what T. S. Eliot has to say on Hamlet - it is an amazing essay.
Also read modern criticism on SS (that's how I call Shakespeare) - for a cultural studies analysis of racism, colonialism and other cultural issues in SS's works...
Lit Bug wrote: "Reading Cloud Atlas!"Ooooh, looking forward to hearing what you think of it, it's been on my TBR list for a while.
Sure!!! :) I saw the movie first and loved it!
Mod
Sally, can I make a suggestion that you or Ernest make a new thread where you and other interested persons can discuss this topic? Perhaps put it http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_... and title it Shakespeare play discussions, or similar...
The reason is I think it's a very important topic, and it will certainly get lost in this thread as it's off topic, and there will be other comments not related. If you need help (would like me to do it) please say and I'll set it up. You could also put the link here for others to go to....
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Aussie Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Sister (other topics)Saving Fish from Drowning (other topics)
The Zahir (other topics)
The Zahir (other topics)
Libriomancer (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Rosamund Lupton (other topics)Kerry Greenwood (other topics)
J.D. Robb (other topics)
Thomas Ligotti (other topics)
Peter Swanson (other topics)
More...
I love eating and reading - preferably at the same time ;)"
I have to agree!! And while most of my books are looked after very well (I try not to break their spines, I don't dog-ear the pages, I don't write in them and I always use a book-mark rather than splaying them open), there are some occasions where I have a little accident that either involves a book and a dinner plate, or chocolate, or (more rarely) a cup of tea/coffee... If it's a book someone has lent me, however, I am on my best behaviour ;-)