So, What's On the Bedside Table these Days? -- Part 2

[Deborah, Moderator]

I usually have a couple of books going at any one time. One is typically one of our group books. I read that slowly and carefully so I can participate in our discussions. The other I read in bed and is usually what I call "junk food" for my brain. The junk food book is currently a cozy mystery, but can be anything from classics, nonfiction, biography, etc. it's just something that strikes my fancy and I read for fun. I guess I view our discussions, because they usually are so informative, as an education for me.

[Sarah]

I just read an advance pdf version of by Miralee Ferrell. It was incredible, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys inspirational/women's/historical fiction. It is a Christian novel, but it is not at all preachy and would, in my opinion, still appeal to readers who are not necessarily Christian. It speaks to issues of self-worth and self-acceptance and is a good, clean romance. I normally don't read romance, but this book--the second of the Love Blossoms in Oregon trilogy--and its predecessor, ,were truly amazing! It will be released on February 1. Here is a link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Deborah, Moderator]

I just started Burial Rites by Hannah Kent and it's wondeful

[Lily]

I am re-reading Lawrence Durrell's The Alexandria Quartet. Last read it the summer I was twenty-one, and it has been on my to read again someday list ever since! I am in the second book, Balthazar, right now. It is reading much more quickly this time, but is still putting too many other things on hold.

Just finished Judge Sotomayor's My Beloved World and now wish for the time to read the bios of at least several of the other Supreme Court judges. I very much recommend Sonia's story -- I found it slow going to start, but faster towards the end. It became a very satisfying look at a remarkable life.

[Deborah, Moderator]

I love rereading something that I read when much younger. It has a whole different impact.

[Denise]

I've got so many going at once. Tess of the d'Urbervilles, London: The Auto-biography (Jon E. Lewis), Wilkie Collins: A Biography, and Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography. I hadn't realized how many biographical books I was reading until now. They are all really interesting, especially the Wilkie Collins book. He's so normal.

[Sarah]

Denise wrote: "I've got so many going at once. Tess of the d'Urbervilles, London: The Auto-biography (Jon E. Lewis), Wilkie Collins: A Biography, and [book:Vincent Price: A Daughter's ..."

I have that Vincent Price biography on my TBR shelf--love him! Enjoy! :-)

[Deborah, Moderator]

I'll have to put the Wilkie Collins book on my tbr shelf. I'm reading a modern novel called Ready Player One. It's hard to put down.

[Denise]

Yeah, I'm kind of Vincent Price obsessed. Maybe to the point of being unhealthy. Lol. The Wilkie Collins book is good. I think I had to get it from Gutenberg.org, because I couldn't find it again on Amazon. Ready Player One rings a bell with me, but not sure why. I'll have to check it out.

[Deborah, Moderator]

I loved The Death of Ivan Ilyich. In fact, it's what led me to Anna Karinina and War and Peace.

[Paula]

I'm more than halfway through Infinite Jest, and I'm asking myself: Why did it take so long for me to realize what an amazing book this is???? I must have started and stopped reading it 3 or 4 times over the last 5 years, but this time it just clicked in my brain and I'm totally wrapped up in it.

[Linda]

Shuffling four books at the moment: Ender's Game, Things Fall Apart, Don Quixote, and Bleak House.

[Linda]

Paula wrote: "I'm more than halfway through Infinite Jest, and I'm asking myself: Why did it take so long for me to realize what an amazing book this is???? I must have started and stopped reading it 3 or 4 time..."

That's great! I've had that book in the back of my head, not sure if I wanted to try tackling it or not.

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.), Founder]

Erica wrote: "Just finished "The Aspern Papers" by Henry James and it made me so curious to speak with others about it that I found this web site and joined it!"

Erica, I am so glad that you enjoyed The Aspern Papers, and highly recommend that you read Edith Wharton's The Touchstone. You'll find some amazing parallels, and perhaps you'll even walk away with a better appreciation of Wharton. Please do let me know your thoughts about her novella if you read it. Cheers!

[Lori]

Hello! I'm currently reading Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Storiesby MR James. It's a collection of short stories involving ghosts and other supernatural happenings. So far I'm finding it rather disappointing. 'Casting the Runes' itself is quite good, but the others feel very repetitive and not at all creepy or ghostly. What do others think of his books?

[Emma]

Lori wrote: "Hello! I'm currently reading Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Storiesby MR James. It's a collection of short stories involving ghosts and other supernatural happenings..."

Hi Lori, I read Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad after learning it had been voted Scariest Story Ever (I can't remember by who.) I read a few other stories in the same volume and while I found them quite atmospheric, they certainly didn't strike me as the scariest ever.

I think in his time MR James must have been quite innovative, and I can imagine his stories working well when read aloud by a crackling fire with a winter storm blowing outside... but I suspect with so many horror stories/movies around nowadays we're too used to the genre. It's hard to read his stories in the same light as his contemporaries would have approached them.

[penneminreads]

I'm currently reading (and loving) Jane Eyre..

[Abigail]

On my bedside table are (1) a great great great collection of short stories, Painted Cities by Alexai Galaviz-Budziszewski; (2) Abdication by Juliet Nicolson (not enjoying that yet); and (3) Emma by Jane Austen (reading for a book club).

[Natalie]

I have spent 2015 slowly rereading War and Peace. It's well worth it. I am just finishing "The Edwardians" by V. Sackville- West and am also going to slowly reread Moby Dick for a book club in the fall. Finally, I am rereading Trollope's "Framley Parsonage" for another book club.
My Audible read is "The Brutal Telling" by Louise Penny, which I listen to when I go to the gym. I rarely read contemporary works; they mostly disappoint me aside from some of the mysteries. I don't think I am a snob--I just think I was raised to appreciate the cadences and complexities of the 19th-century novel.

[Lily]

Natalie wrote: "I have spent 2015 slowly rereading War and Peace. It's well worth it. ..."

Isn't it wonderful? I am stalled at the moment (at about CD 17 of 40), but am re-listening to it. This will be my third pass through the book, and it is not likely to be my last.

[Deborah, Moderator]

Natalie wrote: "I have spent 2015 slowly rereading War and Peace. It's well worth it. I am just finishing "The Edwardians" by V. Sackville- West and am also going to slowly reread Moby Dick for a book club in th..."

I read popular stuff in bed, and am also reading the Brutal Telling.

[Kat]

I've just started rereading Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse for my face-to-face group; it's so, so gorgeous. Also reading The Tusk That Did the Damage, by Tania James, and recently started Fobbit, which is a dark comedy about the Iraqi war. I usually read three books at once, which isn't always a favor to the books read, but my attention span seems to need to switch around.

I do read contemporary lit and sometimes love it, but when I pick up one of the classics it's like taking off a corset, as though this is literature in its most natural state, the way it was meant to be.

[Abigail]

Recently finished A Tale of Two Cities; currently reading John Halperin’s life of Jane Austen and Die I Will Not by S. K. Rizzolo.

[Deborah, Moderator]

Abigail wrote: "Recently finished A Tale of Two Cities; currently reading John Halperin’s life of Jane Austen and Die I Will Not by S. K. Rizzolo."

I've loved Tale of Two Cities since I had to read it in middle school. Yes, I've reread it since

[Divad]

No Name... somewhat of a slog, but an extraordinary find of Collins'

[Mary Lou]

If anyone's looking for non-fiction, I've read two excellent books this year. The first is "The Boys in the Boat" about the 1936 Olympic rowing team and their quest to stick it to Hitler. I'm not a sports fan, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It centered around one of the team who had a compelling story of his own.

The other is "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande, which explores eldercare and finding the balance between safety and quality of life. Having been my dad's caretaker until he died earlier this year at the age of 93, these issues are all too familiar. Very interesting.

[Stef]

I just finished The Getting of Wisdom which at 1910 just sneaks into this group! :)

It was great. I think I want to read more of the older Australian novels if that was anything to go by. Surprisingly relatable for over 100 years ago!

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Louise]

I'm reading too many books at the moment - as usual :-)

The Professor by Charlotte Brontë
Let Me Be Frank With You: A Frank Bascombe Book by Richard Ford
Bleeding Shadows by Joe R. Lansdale
Two different books by Icelandic author Gyrðir Elíasson and listening to Kansas City Noir on audio :-) I like listening to short stories in my car, as I can usually hear 2 stories each day driving to work and home again.

[Abigail]

Me too, Louise! I’m reading Great Expectations; a study of Population Malthus, Malthus; and A Very Plain Young Man by Christina Dudley. Guess which one I turn to when I’m tired in the evening!

[[deleted user]]

I just started The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton

[Deborah, Moderator]

Kate wrote: "I just started The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton"

I read that and enjoyed it

[[deleted user]]

Deborah wrote: "Kate wrote: "I just started The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton"

I read that and enjoyed it"

I have never read Chesterton and am looking forward to reading this.

[Deborah, Moderator]

Kate wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Kate wrote: "I just started The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton"

I read that and enjoyed it"

I have never read Chesterton and a..."

That title was my first Chesterton too

[Everyman]

Kate wrote: "I just started The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton"

Very strange book. We'll be interested in hearing what you think of it.

[Lori, Moderator]

I'm reading Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas. It's the sequel to The Three Musketeers. It's really good, but there are a lot of political intrigues and I'm having a hard time keeping the characters straight! So right now I'm trying to find a character guide that doesn't give away any spoilers.

[Everyman]

Lori wrote: "I'm reading Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas. It's the sequel to The Three Musketeers. It's really good, but there are a lot of political intrigues and I'm having a hard time keeping the chara..."

Interesting! I read TTM years ago, but had never heard of Twenty Years After. Do you find that the French names make it easier or harder to keep track of characters, or that it doesn't make a difference?

I've always had a problem with Russian novels because they use different names for characters in unfamiliar ways. I realize, for example, that in an English language novel if somebody is introduced as Robert and later somebody refers to Bob, I know that's (usually) the same person because that's a culturally understood abbreviation for Robert. But with Russian names I don't have the same cultural understanding of diminutives, so I'm more easily confused.

Wondering whether you're finding the same in Dumas, or whether it isn't an issue. (Or maybe you read French so it's all familiar territory.)

[Lily]

Mary Lou wrote: "If anyone's looking for non-fiction, I've read two excellent books this year. The first is "The Boys in the Boat" about the 1936 Olympic rowing team and their quest to stick it to Hitler. I'm not a..."

I agree with you that The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is very enjoyable and filled with fun facts. One of the daughters found Brown to tell her father's story and the story of the crew. It, of course, was also the year of Jessie Owens at the Games.

The care of the aging book that I enjoyed this year was the one that had captured a National Book Award nomination: Roz Chast's Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?.

[Lori, Moderator]

Oh yes, Twenty Years After is a sequel that still has all four musketeers in it. There's a third one too that includes the "Man in the Iron Mask" story. I'm hoping to read that too.

Yes, the French names do make it more difficult. I know this sounds terrible, but they all sound similar to me, LOL! And I'm reading on a Kindle, so it's hard to go back and find out where I last saw the character's name! I agree about the Russian names as well.

[Everyman]

Lori wrote: "And I'm reading on a Kindle, so it's hard to go back and find out where I last saw the character's name!"

It's awkward, but sometimes I bookmark my place and then search for a name or incident I need to refresh my mind on. My original Kindle won't search just within the book I'm reading, but my newer one will. (Had to get a new one when the battery on my original K died and Amazon didn't have replacements. Eventually found an after-market battery so it's working again, so now it's by my bedside and my new one by my reading chair.)

[Abigail]

Currently reading The Mysteries of Udolpho. A campy delight in the first few chapters, though I can see how it may swiftly pall.

[Everyman]

Abigail wrote: "Currently reading The Mysteries of Udolpho. A campy delight in the first few chapters, though I can see how it may swiftly pall."

Let us know if it does. When I read it, I found some quite exciting passages, but a lot of interludes which I found went on far too long. But others will see it differently, so let us know what you find.

[Lori, Moderator]

Abigail wrote: "Currently reading The Mysteries of Udolpho. A campy delight in the first few chapters, though I can see how it may swiftly pall."

I liked "The Mysteries of Udolpho," but it did get kind of overly melodramatic at some points. I don't drink at all, but every time I read Anne Radcliff, I think, hmm, someone should start a drinking game where you take a drink everytime someone faints.

Everyman, I have an old Kindle, so the bookmarks don't work very well. Sometimes I try to download the same book on pdf on the computer, so I can search for names there. But I usually read on the bus, so then I have to wait til I get home.

[Abigail]

Lori wrote, “someone should start a drinking game where you take a drink every time someone faints.”

Or bursts into tears! :-)

[Everyman]

Lori wrote: "I don't drink at all, but every time I read Anne Radcliff, I think, hmm, someone should start a drinking game where you take a drink everytime someone faints.."

:) I don't drink either, but even if I just tried to drink a cup of tea each time, I would be wired and bloated by the end of the first few chapters.

[Lori, Moderator]

I'm reading Zanoni by Edward Bulwer-Lytton right now. Someone I really respect recommended it several years ago, but I don't remember why. He is a Sufi, so I suppose it was because of the mystical aspect of the book. I'm a little under halfway through and it's really interesting. Definitely different from anything else I've read!

[Abigail]

I’ve never read any Bulwer-Lytton—sounds interesting! I am reading The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White for the first time since my teens: hilarious, and he plays with time periods in a way that was very innovative at the time of his writing. But the thing that strikes me the most is the lyrical passages that pop out from time to time, especially when our boy protagonist (later to be King Arthur) is in the forest.

[[deleted user]]

I started Villette for the upcoming book read. After the first chapter I am hooked. I may need to read The Life of Charlotte Brontë after finishing this.

[Deborah, Moderator]

Meregwyn wrote: "I started Villette for the upcoming book read. After the first chapter I am hooked. I may need to read The Life of Charlotte Brontë after finishing this."

The Victorian group will be reading that book in March - the life of Charlotte bronte

[Abigail]

I remember getting swallowed up by Villette when I was eighteen, starting it on a Friday and reading day and night till I finished in the wee hours of Monday. It is my favorite Charlotte Brontë novel! Sadly, I don’t have the time for the group read.

[[deleted user]]

Deborah wrote: "Meregwyn wrote: "I started Villette for the upcoming book read. After the first chapter I am hooked. I may need to read The Life of Charlotte Brontë after finishing this."..."

I am in that group as well. I thought after reading Villette, reading about her life seemed like the logical book to read next.