All About Books discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
General Archive
>
What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations & reviews
Yesterday, I read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh 3★My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
LauraT wrote: "Finished The Luminaries. I liked it, but in the end I found it was ... too much, at least a bit too much!
Too many pages, too many characters getting in touch with oneanother..."
I think I liked it a bit more than you! I found the characters made much more sense in the second half of the novel
Too many pages, too many characters getting in touch with oneanother..."
I think I liked it a bit more than you! I found the characters made much more sense in the second half of the novel
Finished reading : House for all Seasons by Jenn J. McLeod 4★My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished reading A Little Princess. It is a heartwarming story of a girl who falls from riches to rags and then with tenacious effort rises from rags to riches. A perfect story for children in which the adults could gather many lessons as well.Four Stars.
Dhanaraj - I think I have seen the movie of that (when I was a child). I'll need to pick up the book sometime :) glad you enjoyed it.
I liked The Other Side of the Bridge, because it has humor, covers interesting topics (Canada during WW2), well depicts sibling rivalry and how even if parents love all their kids you never feel exactly the same for each one. How can we? Each child is different....and we are different too.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Becca wrote: "Dhanaraj - I think I have seen the movie of that (when I was a child). I'll need to pick up the book sometime :) glad you enjoyed it."It was a lovely book and I am sure you will love it. Now, I need to check out the movie versions.
Yesterday I read Landscape of Farewell by Aust author Alex Miller. 5★My review is at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've been terribly lazy about this group the last couple months. I've spent a couple hours catching up today! I have to say, regarding the discussion about how this thread is used, that I rarely click on a link to a review unless there is something else in the post to make me want to check it out. I'm probably missing out on a lot of good information by ignoring these links, but I guess I mostly read this thread for the opinions and recommendations.
Since my last post in May, I've read five books. I didn't rate The Good Luck of Right Now at the time I read it because I couldn't decide how I felt about it. A month later, I still don't know. It was quirky and sad and funny. But I can't help it, I always compare to other books I've read by the same author, and this just doesn't live up to The Silver Linings Playbook.I finished Redeployment during a particularly emotional and difficult week, so that may color my memory of it a bit. It was good but didn't blow me away, and I suspect this has more to do with the fact that it was short stories than anything else.
I have finally read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I didn't love all of the untranslated Spanish, and I didn't know the history of the Dominican Republic, but the story still hooked me. Worth reading.
I read Please Ignore Vera Dietz in one day. I wouldn't necessarily have picked this up, but I received it in the last Book Riot Quarterly delivery. I think I would recommend this book just because I loved Vera so much. And it was nice to read a YA novel about real life.
And finally, I finished The Killer Angels yesterday. I decided to read this book after I visited Gettysburg a few weeks ago. I thought it was excellent and definitely recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction or have any interest in Gettysburg.
(Sorry for the lengthy post.)
Kristi,I'm glad to hear that you liked The Killer Angels . I have had a copy on my kindle for a while and never seem to get to it . I'll have to get to it one of these days soon.
Angela wrote: "Kristi,I'm glad to hear that you liked The Killer Angels . I have had a copy on my kindle for a while and never seem to get to it . I'll have to get to it one of these days soon."
Angela, The Killer Angels is on my 'Jeffrey Keeten Recommended' bookshelf; if JK liked it, then I know I will. It might help increase my knowledge of US Civil War which is sketchy at best.
Dean Koontz InnocenceNot as good as his other works. slow and boring at times. Co-character was really good.
I have finished The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovannino Guareschi and I would recommend it to everybody.The stories talk about the "rivalry" of Don Camillo, a roman catholic priest, and Peppone, the communist major. The stories are amusing and moving, we learn about life after WWII in Italy and, above all, the main characters and the stories are so human and able to touch you deep inside.
I just finished the short, little Pereira Maintains. It is totally fantastic. Great message. Funny lines and I love the central character. You will too. It reads like a mystery, but it isn't, not in the conventional sense at least. Great book. Read it.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
@ Chrissie: I knew you will like it and you have heaped more praises on the book than I had imagined. What is important is that you liked it. I am happy for it.You can also check out my review if interested. This is it: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am off to read your review, Dhanaraj!
I just finished Black Star Canyon: The Complete First Season. Here's my review if anyone wants to check it out. It was a pretty good read.Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The book I finished yesterday was The Wasted Vigil. The story takes place in Afghanistan, and it was excellent (4 stars for me). This Pakistani/English writer (Nadeem Aslam) is able to address both sides of the terror issue. I came away with a better understanding of the war in Afghanistan and the history of the Taliban.
That sounds fascinating, Terri,
Terri, that author is good! the book has very difficult episodes , but they are balanced with wise lines and beautiful descriptions. I remember the idea that one sees and hears through one's memories rather than one's ears and eyes. I thought that was great. Maybe I should read his latest book.Leslie, I have heard that The Uncommon Reader is a really humorous, fun novella, even if some of the events are a bit unbelievable. So you liked it a lot too. I guess it is time I read it too.
Chrissie, I've also read his latest (The Blind Man's Garden) and I thought it was excellent, I gave it 5 stars. This was my introduction to Nadeem Aslam and led me to seek out some of his earlier work.
Terri, Jeez another book I should read! I think I want to hug people that tell me NOT to read a particular book. Just joking. Thank you.
@Leslie, The Uncommon Reader sounds like my kind of book . I have just added to my tr list . Thanks .
Uncommon reader was one of our library book discussions. Good little book, everyone seemed to enjoy it as I did. Have never read Naseem, but I do have his Maps for Lost Lovers which I hope to get to eventually.
Leslie wrote: "I finished The Uncommon Reader the other day -- what a charming short novel! 4½ ★"I loved that one too, but I'm a sucker for royalty. I also liked Mrs. Queen Takes the Train and The Queen and I
Completed reading a short story collection by Agota Kristof titled La vendetta. A. Kristof conveys much with limited words and the short stories attest to that. Some of the short stories read like Prose Poems. Worth a try.
I just completed The Rise & Fall of Great Powers. Who should read this book? Anybody who loves meeting great characters and those readers who love solving a mystery/puzzle.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've just finished A Midsummer Night's Dream which I enjoyed very much. I've never been a Shakespeare fan but this delightful comedy did win me over. Now I'm all the more eager to watch the stage performance this November in Hong Kong (my friend got a very good seat for me too!)My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished a book that left me breathless Neverhome: A Novel. It will be published in September. It's about a woman who disguises herself as a man to fight in the civil war.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A new series beginning, an investigative crime novel The Ways of the Dead: A Novel https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've finished Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch a few days ago, and it took me a while to mull it over. My reaction to his books is generally a ambiguous one, he writes very well but there's something about his books that always leaves me with a bit of a feeling of having been cheated. I already had a bit of a hard time with The Dinner which most people I know loved. I can handle a lot of cynicism but I find it very hard to handle the complete absence of beauty. And thinking about that I ended up thinking about beauty in the context of literature or art in general, because it doesn't have anything to do with art being particularly jolly or pretty does it? Primo Levi wrote about his time in the concentration camps yet there was beauty in his writing. I think it has to do with a connection someone makes through his art to something profoundly human in all of us, be it ugly or nice. So in lack of a better phrase, I will call it a shred of soul, however feeble. I am not sure if I am making myself understood very well, but I'd be interested to hear if anyone has thoughts on that.My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh, I forgot: I WOULD recommend it to anyone who loved The Dinner, because it is very similar in tone and interestingly also subject, even though it is tackling the subject from a different end.
Reply to Jenny:On Beauty in the context of literature and art:
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." That is very much true in the context of literature and art also. Generally a piece of literature or an artistic piece is perceived to be of worth for its universal appeal ("shred of soul"). But then, there are also some areas where they may be 'universal' and 'not universal' at the same time. May be, the book or a drawing does not speak to one or appeal to one for the person has not the 'feel' for it and had no experience to help him/her have a 'feel' for it. That explains why a book appeal to your friend and does not appeal to you (Eg. DINNER). In an exhibition a drawing speaks much to me while some other drawing speaks practically nothing to me. All the same, I have seen some spending much time in front of it obviously understanding something.
Another thing: Beauty also has many languages. May be, according to you or according to many it is related to the 'sighting of the common soul shred'. One might find it in the content while others may find it out just in the means. One may delve into the characters or a plot while the other may be content with the language itself. Sometimes we read a novelist just for the sake of his language. (Arundathi Roy's GOD OF SMALL THINGS received a mixed response in India. Some did not like the novel. To me personally the plot did not appeal to me at all, but I was in love with the language she used and ended up reading the entire book.) Same example may be used for a drawing: While one looks at the entire concept some may be interested only in the colours used or the lines used. Beauty speaks in different ways.
These are some immediate thoughts. What do you all think?
Let me also admit that there may be some writing or a work of art, that may appeal to no one. That is a different case altogether.
thank you for that Dhanaraj i fully agree. What sparked the question was that to me it seems as if Koch was denying the existence of beauty in his novel and in turn achieved a complete absence of it in his writing as well. It does sound horribly harsh but maybe Koch would take it as a compliment?
to be clear: this is not about appeal per se because I am convinced it will appeal to many and it is not a bad book by any means. The decision to avoid beauty is a rather deliberate one it seems to me. which led me to my question about the concept of beauty.
Jenny wrote: "thank you for that Dhanaraj i fully agree. What sparked the question was that to me it seems as if Koch was denying the existence of beauty in his novel and in turn achieved a complete absence of i..."Was Koch a Realist or an Existentialist or a Nihilist? Now is the time to go into the background of a writer. Otherwise, when a writer makes the reader to think in such a way is itself his success.
Jenny wrote: "to be clear: this is not about appeal per se because I am convinced it will appeal to many and it is not a bad book by any means. The decision to avoid beauty is a rather deliberate one it seems to..."When I was commenting the same, you pointed out the same. I had not understood you earlier.
Alice wrote: "I've just finished A Midsummer Night's Dream which I enjoyed very much. I've never been a Shakespeare fan but this delightful comedy did win me over. Now I'm all the more eager to watch..."
I read this at school and loved it :)
I read this at school and loved it :)
Tim Winton has been mentioned in our World Lit thread. His novel In the Winter Dark is simply superb.My review is at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished reading Amerika by Franz Kafka. I've been reading this book for some days now - I just couldn't get through it so easily (or so fast, if you please). I always take my time with Kafka's works: they are so full of painful absurdity, that I am not in the least capable of ingurgitating so much pain for too many hours a day. I am a fan of Kafka's works and he is, as a personage and as an author, a very intriguing figure. I always find myself thinking about his wish of not publishing his manuscripts and I can't but wonder about his impulse: was it truly an impulse, or a vehement decision against publishing all those works? Are his works so painful that he, the AUTHOR, doesn't want to show them, or is it that he is so displeased with them that doesn't want to bother? On the other hand, he could not burn his manuscripts himself - he handed them to a friend to do it after his death. There might be some reasons for doing so, after all. Anyway! to get to the book now... I have to say I liked this work as much as I liked The Trial (my first book of Kafka, I also read some short stories, and adored The Metamorphosis), however I also felt the same anguish while going through the work. Every experience Karl had was full of absurdity, yet it made so much sense that it hurt - he, the character, in its entity, was absurd and kafka-ish (lol, he should be that way, after all) - but it is very hard for me to express anything with regard to this work. I enjoyed it, and it was a painful experience (I am a masochist when it comes to reading).
I've finished Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana GabaldonMy review is at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dhanaraj wrote: "Reply to Jenny:On Beauty in the context of literature and art:
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." That is very much true in the context of literature and art also. Generally a piece of li..."
This is me putting a like on Dhanaraj's comment.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
All About Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Red Shoes for Rachel: Three Novellas (other topics)Kindred (other topics)
Kindred (other topics)
Kindred (other topics)
The Promise Girls (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Octavia E. Butler (other topics)Octavia E. Butler (other topics)
Octavia E. Butler (other topics)
Marie Bostwick (other topics)
Deon Meyer (other topics)
More...
Too many pages, too many characters getting in touch with oneanother...