New Providence Memorial Library's Online Reading Group discussion
Escape Ordinary Summr Rdng 2015
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Escape the Ordinary - Week 7
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I would say I'm about 50/50 between fiction/non-fiction. Most of my favorite authors are in the fiction category since they usually publish more books or series. I too stay away from sci-fi but do like a good mystery or adventure. I never see a movie without reading the book first. Right now I am reading non fiction, Moby Duck. What about the book that's connected with To Kill A Mockingbird that was written by the next door neighbor??? Should that be included as a "to read"??? It's on my shelf.
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hi all, while on vacation last week i stayed "off the grid" as much as possible, so am catching up. fiction, about 75 % and NF 25%. i'd echo much of Lisa's remarks. my favorite genre is historical fiction, a more lively way to learn about the past. (just finished Geraldine Brook's March a few weeks ago.) for me it's not just about learning textbook history, but about how people lived.
contemporary fiction is OK, as long as it's not "chick lit". i avoid mysteries and sci-fi, though i like watching them.
as far as recent non-fiction, i'm on an admittedly macabre streak. after the last book lovers' circle i read the recommended Smoke Gets in Your Eyes written by a self-professed death obsessed writer, Caitlyn Daughy, a surprisingly young woman who has worked in mortuaries and now runs an alternative funeral practice. she writes about the hesitance most of us have to think about our death, more specifically what happens to our bodies once we die. it has gallows humor mixed with some eye opening accounts of death/funeral practices and culture, both historical and current from here and around the world. very interesting.
i'm currently reading Atul Gawande's Being Mortal, not about our post-death plans, but about rethinking our last stages of life, how to plan for it in order to experience them the way we want, and how medicine, with it's overarching goal to "fix", is often at odds with a dignified and pain-free path.
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books by Maureen Corrigan is close to the top of my list. and i've perused and will return to Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris, both right up my alley.
as Lisa mentioned, an interesting fusion genre is (the newish ?) "narrative non-fiction" which is NF that reads like a story. Erik Larsen (In the Garden of Beasts) is a master of this.
bio/autobiography i rarely get into, though i enjoyed Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father. Loved political NF Game Change (about the 2008 Election) i've started the follow up book, Double Down (2012) and will return to it. it's a little more "user friendly" (easier to read, and with some humor) than The Center Holds, which is more sophisticated and more detailed, but drier.
Go Set a Watchman is on my HOLD list at the NPL ! and i LOVE books about books, writers, booklovers, libraries (Shadow of the Wind comes to mind.)
Judy,i have to mention, funny... when you wrote Moby Duck, i thought it was a typo, but you also wrote Non-Fiction, so i looked it up ;-)
sounds interesting ! how are you liking it ?
I'm definitely a fiction reader, almost anything except the "bodice rippers". I've got Heather Graham's "The Unholy" and James Grippando's "Found Money" e-books (both borrowed from the library) on my phone for commuting purposes, right now. At home, started paperback Mary Higgins Clark's "Daddy's Gone A Hunting" yesterday.
I used to read only fiction, a lot of mysteries. Nowadays I have left the mysteries alone and read a lot of fiction that is based on real life. The book I am currently reading is "My Mother's Secret" by J.L. Witterick. The book is based on stories of Holocaust survivors. How two Jewish families managed to survive the war with the help of a non-Jewish family in Poland. I realize I have been reading more books on this topic as well as books about suffering of slaves in the South in the 1950-1960. I guess it is the tale of real human suffering that intrigues me. Sci-fi doesn't appeal to me, guess it is not "real" enough.
I am a big fiction fan, but some of my favorites are nonfiction. For example Unbroken and The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks; both really great books. And how about nonfiction about animals? Seabiscuit (Hillenbrand) and The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery are 2 highly enjoyable examples.
I am definitely a mystery addict; it's my favorite genre but I'm trying to diversify more. I'm currently reading Sara Gruen's latest - At The Water's Edge. Just started it. I never read scifi - could never get into it. I also never "got" short stories until a few years ago, when a friend, who was a reading teacher, explained it to me in 2 sentences. She said a novel is a complete story and a short story is a glimpse of a story (or something to that effect). Ever since, I've tried to make a habit of reading some short stories, keeping in mind what she said, which definitely helped.
I read fiction mostly, but am a big fan of Eric Larson's non-fiction. He writes like it's a novel. I thoroughly enjoy his books. My favorite genre is probably Amish fiction. I love wholesome! Also, there's a couple library and book themed mystery series out there that I enjoy reading (Library Lover's mysteries by Jenn McKinlay and Bibliophile mysteries by Kate Carlisle). I never read sci-fi, just doesn't appeal to me.
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Sangeeta wrote: "hi all, while on vacation last week i stayed "off the grid" as much as possible, so am catching up. fiction, about 75 % and NF 25%. i'd echo much of Lisa's remarks. my favorite genre is histo..."
Being Mortal sounds intriguing. I feel our American culture does 'death' baldly- at least today with modern medicine. Not enough compassion and communication, too much of what we should try next.
Let me know what you think when you finish the book.
Helene wrote: "I used to read only fiction, a lot of mysteries. Nowadays I have left the mysteries alone and read a lot of fiction that is based on real life. The book I am currently reading is "My Mother's Secre..."Helene: you might like The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isobel Wilkerson. Non Fiction that reads like a novel documenting the movement of African Americans to the northern cities from 1930- 1970. It may be the best book I've read this year.
I read abt 75% fiction and 25% non fiction. Generally, I don't read mysteries. For Sci Fi, I like those teen dystopia books (Hunger Games, Divergent)- they're a fun, quick, entertaining read. I also liked The Giver and The Handmaid's Tale.For fiction, I like historical fiction and stories that take us to another place. I'm currently enjoying The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan Philipp Sendker about an American girl's journey to Burma in search of her missing father and an understanding of the first 20 years of his life before coming to the US.
Eileen - I went thru the teen dystopia books (both series you mentioned, as well as "I Am Number Four", and just read book 1 in the "Mortal Instruments" series), but couldn't live on a steady diet of them.On historical fiction - Ariana Franklin's "Mistress of the Art of Death" series - I'm always hoping for the next.
Eileen wrote: "I read abt 75% fiction and 25% non fiction. Generally, I don't read mysteries. For Sci Fi, I like those teen dystopia books (Hunger Games, Divergent)- they're a fun, quick, entertaining read. I ..."I just finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats- and recommend it. Sangeeta: you'd like it:)
I would say I'm about 50/50 between fiction/non-fiction. Most of my favorite authors are in the fiction category since they usually publish more books or series. I too stay away from sci-fi but do like a good mystery or adventure. I never see a movie without reading the book first. Right now I am reading non fiction, Moby Duck. What about the book that's connected with To Kill A Mockingbird that was written by the next door neighbor??? Should that be included as a "to read"??? It's on my shelf. The book by Harper Lee's neighbor is "The Mockingbird Next Door: life with Harper Lee" by Marja Mills. I haven't read it yet, but I would like to.
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That said, please tell us how you like the neighbor book when you read it!
Sangeeta wrote: "Judy,i have to mention, funny... when you wrote Moby Duck, i thought it was a typo, but you also wrote Non-Fiction, so i looked it up ;-)
sounds interesting ! how are you liking it ?"
It was very interesting especially from the author's perspective (a former charter school English teacher) but it was also a little to scientific at times; but learned much about ocean currents.
Sangeeta: I just found week 7. Apparently Goodreads goes directly to Spam which I why I lost 7-8 days. A great read written in the 70's is a book called the "The American Way of Death" and how morticians exploit people at their most vulnerable times and how to get the major $$$. When I was at Drew 12 years ago taking classes on palliative care, 2 morticians lectured us on all the "buzz" words and phases they are trained to use to get the most bang out of YOUR buck. The way they are trained to reframe your thinking and re-direct your purse to buy the more expensive of everything is truly amazing. EVEN there is a science of how they lay out the caskets and put spot lights are certain pricier ones and crowd the cheaper ones off in a corner or wall. They even HIGH gloss the very expensive, and dull finish the cheaper ones. They have done research on what colors sell more and what wood finishes turn people off, right down to religion and race. AND Satin versus Sateen liners ( about 1000K)with pillows or not? Plush plump interior, or simple flat sateen finish? It's all in the wording. I was so disgusted I was furious. When my Dad died I told them a pine box, that was HIS request for cremation. They gave me hard time, so I said, how about this, cardboard box with pine floor and make sure you remove the staples with a magnet before I bury his ashes next to his Mom. That was all I had to say. They knew I knew.
good to hear from you Marie. Smoke Gets in your Eyes spends some time talking about that subject (the huge "business" of death and burial) but not in as much detail as the book you talk about. fascinating. i'll look that up.
Sally Mann's memoir also talks about the natural way of death. She did an entire photo series of it.
Sally Mann's memoir also talks about the natural way of death. She did an entire photo series of it.
Sally Mann's memoir also talks about the natural way of death. She did an entire photo series of it.
i looked it up. i believe it's called What Remains ? i'll look it up next time i'm at b&n . thanks
New Providence Memorial Library's Online...
Books mentioned in this topic
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (other topics)Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory (other topics)
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books (other topics)
- remember that I'm doing a special prize drawing with just people who have brought somebody new into our contest. As of now, there is nobody in the drawing so the odds of winning are pretty good!
- the end-of-party tea is happening on Thursday night, July 30 @ 7. More details to follow but there will be giveaways in addition to grand prize drawings.
Now, down to business! My nightstand is currently crowded with a few things that I'm dipping into including Interpreter of Maladies, Unforgettable - Scott Simon's memoir of time spent with his mother before her death and I've just started To Kill a Mockingbird of course because Harper Lee's sequel/original book is coming out in a few days. Next week's questions will probably pertain to that book specifically so start consulting the Cliff Notes..
Anyway, I've been jumping around lately between non-fiction history, non-fiction memoirs, short stories and historical fiction. Occasionally I read a "straight" novel. I'm looking forward to reading The Orchardist for this September's book group selection. But if I have a comfort zone, it's probably historical fiction. It's sort of a painless way to learn history and so much easier to absorb facts if you have a story to follow along. I also like straight history in the hands of a good author such as Erik Larson or Mark Kurlansky. And of course I like to read natural science books.
There are genres that I never pick up such as mysteries and sci fi. They just don't appeal to me on the page yet I was an enthusiastic watcher of Star Trek and the Star Wars movies. And I love to watch mystery series and crime shows on TV - especially some of the British series such as Inspector Lewis and Midsomer Murders. I have no explanation for any of that but it just is.
What about you? Do you prefer certain genres over others? What is your favorite or least favorite and is there a specific reason why? Do you watch different things than you read?