Books on the Nightstand discussion
What Are You Reading October 2013
I recently read
Something Wicked This Way Comes for the first time and I was just enmeshed in the story with its haunting imagery and foreboding tone. I really need to read more Bradbury.I have now started
The Snow Child.
for Victoria--"What is wrong with me? Nothing seems to be holding my attention."Never fear, as Ann and Michael said in their latest podcast, there are so many good books out there, something will strike you soon! I used to worry about my tastes (and attention span) when I disliked or gave up on books that everyone else seemed to enjoy, titles like Wolf Hall,The Interestings, Gone Girl, Fifty Shades of Grey et al., The Corrections (ugh!), and the endless list of fantasy series (like Game of Thrones, in a genre I don’t particularly enjoy). Keep trying!
One thing I did last year to break a rut was to read books that have movie adaptations coming out, like Nick Hornby’s A Long Way Down A Long Way Down(not his best, but with the cast in mind, it was an entertaining read), Bill Granger’s November Man series, The Homesman: A Novel by Glendon Swarthout , Ann Leary’s !The Good House, Ender's Game, and The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History
And it’s ok to give up on something. Life is too short to struggle with a story you don’t like!
Good luck finding books you enjoy.
Amy wrote: "I read them together, switching back and forth between the two. It was a fantastic way to read both books and compare the different angles of the story of Huck Finn and Pap Finn. And I got to thank Jon Clinch for this somewhat unique experience at Booktopia in Vermont this past April! "
I decided that I should read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and then The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before I read Finn, so I dutifully trotted off to the library in search of Twain's Classic novels. After about twenty minutes of searching for "Tom Sawyer," I was fuming that the library didn't have any copies! Of course, if I had actually looked under "T" for "Twain" instead of "S" for "Sawyer"," I might have had better luck! Yeah, that was embarrassed an me in the stacks with an amused librarian!
Jon Clinch (and his wife Wendy Clinch, also an author in her own right) were at the very first Booktopia. He was extremely gracious and, yes, it was surprising that he wrote such a dark tale! I guess that you really can't judge a book by its cover! ;-)
I decided that I should read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and then The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before I read Finn, so I dutifully trotted off to the library in search of Twain's Classic novels. After about twenty minutes of searching for "Tom Sawyer," I was fuming that the library didn't have any copies! Of course, if I had actually looked under "T" for "Twain" instead of "S" for "Sawyer"," I might have had better luck! Yeah, that was embarrassed an me in the stacks with an amused librarian!
Jon Clinch (and his wife Wendy Clinch, also an author in her own right) were at the very first Booktopia. He was extremely gracious and, yes, it was surprising that he wrote such a dark tale! I guess that you really can't judge a book by its cover! ;-)
This past week, my reading and listening time was limited as my daughter had three days off from school so I only read one book and one audiobook:
Horns (by Joe Hill) - Ignatius “Ig” Perrish wakes up with a killer hangover and a set of horns growing out of his head! Set in New England in the recent past (as evidenced by cell phones and x-ray security at a state politician’s office,) Horns is a fun and clever, if not particularly horrific story about the transformation of man a year after the rape and murder of his girlfriend. Ig is the prime suspect, though he was never charged, or for that matter cleared of suspicion. As the town’s dislike and abhorrence of him becomes crystal clear to him, Ig changes both temperamentally and in physical stature. The story twists both that which seems sacred & profane as well as that which is both material & metaphysical with an adept hand of wit and humor. There are poignant moments which ground what would otherwise be an overly comic spoof of references to the devil. I admit that there were times that I laughed, remembered that the book was classified under the heading of “Horror” and then felt a little uneasy about laughing; but it really is a funny book :-)
Kenny and the Dragon (by Tony Diterlizzi; narrated by Alan Cumming) is about a boy who encounters a dragon that's more interested in creme brulee than battles; but the townspeople are all up in arms anyway! The story is cute; but with quite a number of Briticisms that I'm not sure my ten-year old caught. Also, without the illustrations, it took us a while to realize that all the characters outside of the dragon were actually anthropomorphized woodland creatures (rabbits, badger, porcupine, etc.) Alan Cumming was very entertaining, easily reminding me of Monty Python in his narrative stylings! We'll probably do a re-read in print to make sure we caught everything :-)
Now I'm reading The Sisters Brothers (by Patrick DeWitt) and this afternoon my daughter and I are starting up The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett (an Origami Yoda book by Tom Angleberger; performed by multiple narrators including Mark Turetsky, who by the way, does an amazing Chewbacca impersonation on Revenge of the Fortune Wookee!) :-)
Horns (by Joe Hill) - Ignatius “Ig” Perrish wakes up with a killer hangover and a set of horns growing out of his head! Set in New England in the recent past (as evidenced by cell phones and x-ray security at a state politician’s office,) Horns is a fun and clever, if not particularly horrific story about the transformation of man a year after the rape and murder of his girlfriend. Ig is the prime suspect, though he was never charged, or for that matter cleared of suspicion. As the town’s dislike and abhorrence of him becomes crystal clear to him, Ig changes both temperamentally and in physical stature. The story twists both that which seems sacred & profane as well as that which is both material & metaphysical with an adept hand of wit and humor. There are poignant moments which ground what would otherwise be an overly comic spoof of references to the devil. I admit that there were times that I laughed, remembered that the book was classified under the heading of “Horror” and then felt a little uneasy about laughing; but it really is a funny book :-)
Kenny and the Dragon (by Tony Diterlizzi; narrated by Alan Cumming) is about a boy who encounters a dragon that's more interested in creme brulee than battles; but the townspeople are all up in arms anyway! The story is cute; but with quite a number of Briticisms that I'm not sure my ten-year old caught. Also, without the illustrations, it took us a while to realize that all the characters outside of the dragon were actually anthropomorphized woodland creatures (rabbits, badger, porcupine, etc.) Alan Cumming was very entertaining, easily reminding me of Monty Python in his narrative stylings! We'll probably do a re-read in print to make sure we caught everything :-)
Now I'm reading The Sisters Brothers (by Patrick DeWitt) and this afternoon my daughter and I are starting up The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett (an Origami Yoda book by Tom Angleberger; performed by multiple narrators including Mark Turetsky, who by the way, does an amazing Chewbacca impersonation on Revenge of the Fortune Wookee!) :-)
I just finished Stoner and it is still in my blood stream. Any recommendations for what to read next?
Heyelley wrote: "I just finished Stoner and it is still in my blood stream. Any recommendations for what to read next?"If you're in the grips of NYRB I'd suggest two of my favorites from them: THE GO-BETWEEN by L.P. Hartley or a great collection of short stories from Daphne du Maurier, DON'T LOOK NOW.
Wow I had forgotten all about The Go Between which I read in college, quite some years ago now! Thanks for the reminder I feel a re-read is in order.
Who will be joining me in Saratoga tonight to see Anne Rice?
I just finished Alex, recommended by Ann, thank you very much and I have been listening to The Silent Wife on audio. They are both making me ponder the difference between truth and justice. I love it when 2 completely different books make you think about the same theme.
Just finished
. Am about halfway through
.
I'm reading four books at the moment :
melodie wrote: "Janet alex wrote by who"That is by LeMaitre. Just out this month.
Mod
You Changed My Life and started
The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives
I'm reading Joe Hill's "20th Century Ghosts" in honor of Halloween month. I just finished Doctor Sleep which I thought was great. AND I'm writing my second book now that the first is finally published; I count revisions as part of my reading haha. A busy month, so far.
How was Burial Rites? It's on my list...
Oh thanks! Not promoting I swear! It just takes up a lot of reading time. I'm hoping to finish 20th Century Ghosts quickly so I can pick up some of the suggestions here.
Kate wrote: "I haven't posted in a while. I finished 
for book club and Booktopia and really liked it. I also read 
which was fun a..."I haven't posted in a while either. But hopefully I can make it more regularly now; I loved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Perfect title!
I finished The Lowland yesterday. It was good, but maybe not for me. Started Alex last night.
I'm reading BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH CHE GUEVARA by Ben Fountain. Pretty good, but not as enjoyable for me as BILLY LYNN was.
Chanda2426 wrote: "Becky wrote: "currently reading Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome & the Making of Christianity in the West, 350-550 AD, I studied this author in college and it's really interest..."Thank you Ellison, Linda, and Chanda for the suggestions for my friend's 8 yr old who loved Wonder, very helpful!
Just started Law in a Lawless Land: Diary of a Limpieza in Colombia and Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism. Enjoying both of them although they are very different books. I'm trying to sink my teeth into "Law" but it's based on diary entries so it's a bit disjointed at times.
I read Hitler's Furies and The Good House last week. I don't know why I waited so long to read The Good House. I loved it!
Has anyone read Bellman & Black
?I LOVED The Thirteenth Tale and was hoping for thoughts about the new one.
Thanks
I just finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker. This is an absolutely beautiful book. I'm amazed when authors come across a unique idea for a story. I listened to the audiobook and thought the writing was incredible. Some people criticized the writing so it is possible the narration helped. I highly recommend reading this book to see for yourself. This is a first novel so I am looking forward to future stories.
I'm on three books now; I read too fast!
Still reading
which I will finish and just finished
for one of my book clubs. I really disliked it which is rare for me, I usually find something to like in a book; if it wasn't for book club I would've stopped reading!
I am now reading "The Dinner" by Herman Koch. I love it...different subject matter and grabs you almost immediately. It gets my recommendation.
Denise wrote: "I read Hitler's Furies and The Good House last week. I don't know why I waited so long to read The Good House. I loved it!"What did you think of HITLER'S FURIES, Denise? I have a copy but am nervous to start due to the violence. Should I put on my Big Girl Pants and give it a go?
Finally finished The Orchardist and am reading a nonfiction book called Gray Matters: Navigating the Space Between Legalism & Liberty and will start The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I hope to finish these two by October 31st, leaving me a dozen more books to finish to equal my sort-of-pathetic total of 2012, by year's end. Geesh!
Julie wrote: "Finally finished The Orchardist and am reading a nonfiction book called Gray Matters: Navigating the Space Between Legalism & Liberty and will start The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I hope to..."Julie,
I have read Gray Matters by Brett McCracken. I found it a very good and fascinating read.
Here's my review of the book:
http://kammbia1.wordpress.com/2013/09...
Marion
Pam wrote: "I just finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker..."
Oh! How I love The Art of Hearing Heartbeats! It was a very emotional experience for me. My father had recently passed away before I read the book and I was drawing a lot of correlations between that experience and the book. Then, I had heard that the author had been listening to Puccini while writing the book. I pulled the only Puccini I could find from the shelves and indulged in Madame Butterfly. The combination of my personal experience, the opera, and the book led to my weeping on the floor of a hotel room and, quite frankly a wreck! I moderated the session with Sendker at the Bellingham, WA Booktopia and I'm still not sure I made any sense! Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the audiobook; and as to the critics, "Bah!"
This past week, I finished off The Sisters Brothers (by Patrick DeWitt.) It is the story of two brothers who act as hit men for a wealthy man outside of Portland, Oregon in 1851. They travel south on their latest assignment in Sacramento, CA. It's a whimsical Western and, the fact that they stopped in Jacksonsville, OR (not very far from where I live) added to my enjoyment of the novel as I was able to picture the scenes more vividly. I'm not much for Westerns, but this really was fun :-)
Now I'm in the middle of Shutter Island (by Dennis Lehane.) In the mid-1950s, two U.S. Marshals head out to an island off of the New England Coast to track a missing prisoner/patient. A hurricane is in the offing, making a somewhat Stehpen King-like setting even more dramatic. The first couple of sections flew by, but then I decrypted one of the ciphers in the book and spoiled not only the mystery but the book as a whole. I'm continuing only because I actually do enjoy the descriptive abilities of Lehane and who knows, maybe he'll throw in a little surprise between now and the end!
I also finished off a short story collection, Classic Ghost Stories: Eighteen Spine-Chilling Tales of the Supernatural (edited by Bill Bowers.) This is a collection of public domain short stories, not all of which feature ghosts, but do represent a wide range of styles: From traditional lore ("Tieg O'Kane and the Corpse") and poetry ("The Erl-King" by Goethe) to the expertly crafted tale of suspense by W.F. Harvey, "August Heat" and the anecdotal ("A True Story," by Benjamin Disreali) and more. If the stories are not the sort that would have you keeping on the lights at night, it is because labeling the collection as "spine-chilling" removes the element of surprise. Moreover, many of the stories are not representative of the best of the authors' respective oeuvres; and the dated material lends a certain quaintness to tales of coaches and toll-houses. Don't get me wrong, all the writing is very good/excellent, just not very scary!
Now I've started Stories:All-New Tales (edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio.) I've only read two of the stories (one by Roddy Doyle and another by Joyce Carol Oates) but I'm loving it so far! It's what I call "fiction on the edge:" very imaginative but just a little shy of being fantasy :-)
I finally finished A Beautiful Place to Die (by Malla Nunn; narrated by Saul Reichlin)! Set during the 1950s in Apartheid South Africa, the story features Emmanuel Cooper, a British DSI who is sent into a rural town to investigate the death of a white police chief. The time and place are brutal, thick with racism and a sense of God-given destiny, both of which seem to inculcate a special kind of personal ugliness and hardness amongst the Afrikaaners and a meek/resigned acceptance on the part of the natives and other non-whites. Saul Reichlin, a British narrator (who narrated the UK editions of The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson) does a yeoman's job is providing each character with a distinct voice and style. The pace is a little on the slow side and he isn't as smooth as say, Simon Vance in delivery, but listeners can understand the narrative clearly (i.e. no need to translate the Queen's English!)
My daughter and I finished off The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Pupett (by Tom Angleberger; narrated by multiple readers, starring Mark Turetsky.) The students at McQuarry Middle School are in an uproar when the administration institutes FunTime, a program designed to improve the standardized test scores of the student body. What are the kids going to do about it? The story isn't particularly satisfying, leaving the listener in eager anticipation for the conclusion in the next book, Princess Labelmaker but that which won't be released until next year! The productions values weren't strong, but that seems to be par for the course since the Fortune Wookee book: really long and awkward pauses (editing issue) and the Star Wars character voices weren't as good this round either.
We now have moved onto Chasing Vermeer (by Blue Balliette; narrated by Ellen Reilly.) I'm not exactly sure what this is about yet other than it involves paintings by Vermeer and two classmates ( a boy and a girl) who feel they are onto some sort of mystery.
Tomorrow I start Christine Falls (by Benjamin Black; narrated by Timothy Dalton.) I've had this in my audible library since August, 2010!
Oh! How I love The Art of Hearing Heartbeats! It was a very emotional experience for me. My father had recently passed away before I read the book and I was drawing a lot of correlations between that experience and the book. Then, I had heard that the author had been listening to Puccini while writing the book. I pulled the only Puccini I could find from the shelves and indulged in Madame Butterfly. The combination of my personal experience, the opera, and the book led to my weeping on the floor of a hotel room and, quite frankly a wreck! I moderated the session with Sendker at the Bellingham, WA Booktopia and I'm still not sure I made any sense! Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the audiobook; and as to the critics, "Bah!"
This past week, I finished off The Sisters Brothers (by Patrick DeWitt.) It is the story of two brothers who act as hit men for a wealthy man outside of Portland, Oregon in 1851. They travel south on their latest assignment in Sacramento, CA. It's a whimsical Western and, the fact that they stopped in Jacksonsville, OR (not very far from where I live) added to my enjoyment of the novel as I was able to picture the scenes more vividly. I'm not much for Westerns, but this really was fun :-)
Now I'm in the middle of Shutter Island (by Dennis Lehane.) In the mid-1950s, two U.S. Marshals head out to an island off of the New England Coast to track a missing prisoner/patient. A hurricane is in the offing, making a somewhat Stehpen King-like setting even more dramatic. The first couple of sections flew by, but then I decrypted one of the ciphers in the book and spoiled not only the mystery but the book as a whole. I'm continuing only because I actually do enjoy the descriptive abilities of Lehane and who knows, maybe he'll throw in a little surprise between now and the end!
I also finished off a short story collection, Classic Ghost Stories: Eighteen Spine-Chilling Tales of the Supernatural (edited by Bill Bowers.) This is a collection of public domain short stories, not all of which feature ghosts, but do represent a wide range of styles: From traditional lore ("Tieg O'Kane and the Corpse") and poetry ("The Erl-King" by Goethe) to the expertly crafted tale of suspense by W.F. Harvey, "August Heat" and the anecdotal ("A True Story," by Benjamin Disreali) and more. If the stories are not the sort that would have you keeping on the lights at night, it is because labeling the collection as "spine-chilling" removes the element of surprise. Moreover, many of the stories are not representative of the best of the authors' respective oeuvres; and the dated material lends a certain quaintness to tales of coaches and toll-houses. Don't get me wrong, all the writing is very good/excellent, just not very scary!
Now I've started Stories:All-New Tales (edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio.) I've only read two of the stories (one by Roddy Doyle and another by Joyce Carol Oates) but I'm loving it so far! It's what I call "fiction on the edge:" very imaginative but just a little shy of being fantasy :-)
I finally finished A Beautiful Place to Die (by Malla Nunn; narrated by Saul Reichlin)! Set during the 1950s in Apartheid South Africa, the story features Emmanuel Cooper, a British DSI who is sent into a rural town to investigate the death of a white police chief. The time and place are brutal, thick with racism and a sense of God-given destiny, both of which seem to inculcate a special kind of personal ugliness and hardness amongst the Afrikaaners and a meek/resigned acceptance on the part of the natives and other non-whites. Saul Reichlin, a British narrator (who narrated the UK editions of The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson) does a yeoman's job is providing each character with a distinct voice and style. The pace is a little on the slow side and he isn't as smooth as say, Simon Vance in delivery, but listeners can understand the narrative clearly (i.e. no need to translate the Queen's English!)
My daughter and I finished off The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Pupett (by Tom Angleberger; narrated by multiple readers, starring Mark Turetsky.) The students at McQuarry Middle School are in an uproar when the administration institutes FunTime, a program designed to improve the standardized test scores of the student body. What are the kids going to do about it? The story isn't particularly satisfying, leaving the listener in eager anticipation for the conclusion in the next book, Princess Labelmaker but that which won't be released until next year! The productions values weren't strong, but that seems to be par for the course since the Fortune Wookee book: really long and awkward pauses (editing issue) and the Star Wars character voices weren't as good this round either.
We now have moved onto Chasing Vermeer (by Blue Balliette; narrated by Ellen Reilly.) I'm not exactly sure what this is about yet other than it involves paintings by Vermeer and two classmates ( a boy and a girl) who feel they are onto some sort of mystery.
Tomorrow I start Christine Falls (by Benjamin Black; narrated by Timothy Dalton.) I've had this in my audible library since August, 2010!
Mod
The Dinner was not one of my favorite reads, possibly because the praise I had heard prior to reading it set my expectations unrealistically high.
It is so interesting how different readers react to different books.
Kate wrote: "Still reading
which I will finish and just finished for one of my book clubs. I really disliked it which is rare for me, ..."I read A Simple Plan shortly after it came out because the author is from the same town that I am from. I thought it was comical. Was it too gruesome for you? I recall my husband commented that I kept laughing or groaning while I read that book. It got made into a movie, too.
Elizabeth wrote: "I recently read Something Wicked This Way Comes for the first time and I was just enmeshed in the story with its haunting imagery and foreboding ton..."I read Something Wicked last year, shocked I had not read it by now, loved it & I can see the influence Bradbury had/has on Stephen King...
A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Conner 
Absolutely the best short story collection I have ever read (and I hate short stories!). O'Connor is a master story teller. I will make it my life's work to read everything she has ever written! 5 stars, 10 stars!
I just started
I thought it would be fun to read near Halloween. This is my first book by Joe Hill.
Just finished
. It was an unexpected enjoyable read. He has quite a talent for storytelling.Debating between
,
,
and
.Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks.
Happy reading!
Karen wrote: "I just started I thought it would be fun to read near Halloween. This is my first book by Joe Hill."it is a good one!! Creepy through & through…..
I downloaded Windows 8. 1 and that wiped out my audible books on my ITUNES so I have to see what's going on with that .
Chanda2426 wrote:
Debating between..."
I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed Cartwheel and would highly recommend it!
Debating between
..."I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed Cartwheel and would highly recommend it!
Absolutely loving the new book by Jonathan Miles,
!
!
I'm currently listening to 'The Circle' by Dave Eggers and I am about half way through. It is fantastic so far. I read 'A Hologram for the King', also by Eggers, about a year ago and really liked it as well. I am enjoying the reader also, it is Dion Graham.
I have just a little bit left of Great Expectations. I am listening to the audio book and also reading along. I am not sure how I missed it while I was in school. But, I heard it mentioned a few times on the podcast and decided it was time to read it. it is an excellent story.
Linda wrote: "Judi wrote: "I am now reading "The Dinner" by Herman Koch. I love it...different subject matter and grabs you almost immediately. It gets my recommendation."The Dinner was not one of my favorit..."
Linda, I probably should have read it as a comedy. I took it too seriously and read it as a suspense novel. It really was ludicrous. I can't wait to hear what everyone else at book group thinks of it!
I really enjoyed Shine Shine Shine. It probably won't be included among my favorite books of all time, but it was an endearing story and I enjoyed it more than I had initially thought I would. I have now started my November book club book: In the Shadow of the Banyan. I read about 20 pages at the gym last night and I am having trouble getting into it, but it won many awards so I am hopeful it will get better. I think part of me is just a little worn out of reading about war. It seems like out of the last 6 books we've read for book club 4 have been about war. We are a debut authors book club, so our selections are a bit a limiting sometimes.
Finished BOOK OF AGES by Jill Lepore which sagged a bit towards the end but was interesting overall. Also read the new one from James Sallis, OTHERS OF MY KIND, which I didn't care for. Now I'm in the middle of THE REALM OF LAST CHANCES by Steve Yarbrough. I love his story-telling.
Books on the Nightstand
Books mentioned in this topic
Bellman & Black (other topics)The Rosie Project (other topics)
The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives (other topics)
The Faraway Nearby (other topics)
Cartwheel (other topics)
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I finished ALEX last night and while it was very clever, it's also very dark. Bet this one will soar once it hits paperback.