What'cha readin'?

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "I am glad you liked it! Cheryl, I think perhaps some readers maybe will be upset if you tell so much of the story. You can use html for the spoiler parts. Click on (some html is ok) on the top righ..."

Hi Chrissie, thanks for the tip. Well noted..

[Chrissie]

Having finished A Century of Wisdom: Lessons from the Life of Alice Herz-Sommer, the World's Oldest Living Holocaust Survivor,

(My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...)

I will soon start Goodbye Sarajevo: A True Story of Courage, Love and Survival. Atka Reid & Hana Schofield. These are both audiobooks.

For my paper book I am reading The Old Capital, but I am not terribly thrilled with J. Martin Holman's translation, and it is his second of the same book!

[Chrissie]

I finished The Old Capital. This is one of the three books for which he received a Nobel, not that I see this as an adequate reason to pick up a book. I am so often disappointed by prize winners, but in this case it is a really good choice. This is my favorite so far by the author.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Now reading The Big Sky. I might be mistaken, but I think he got a Pulitzer for this. It takes place in the 1830s and is about the first pioneers that traveled West, the Oregon Trail and the settlement of Montana. It is like one of the very first Westerns. Others of his books continue where this ends in 1846. Published about 60 years ago it is early historical fiction! The introduction discusses the author's view on what historical fiction can achieve that non-fiction cannot.

The Way West is the second book, and Fair Land, Fair Land the third.

[Chrissie]

Ooooh, I just started Burial Rites on my Ipod and it is marvelous.

Finished listening to Goodbye Sarajevo: A True Story of Courage, Love and Survival. Atka Reid & Hana Schofield and it was creepy b/c it felt so close both in place and time, but the writing felt very ordinary.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Michael]

just started.
also reading
which I am enjoying greatly

[Chrissie]

Michael, so nice you joined this group!

Listening to Burial Rites was a fantastic experience. You are transported to another time and place. Fantastic writing and fantastic narration of the audiobook narrated by Morven Christie.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
From Iceland to......

Sri Lanka! Now I have begun:
Anil's Ghost. I so like Michael Ondaatje's writing.

Both are books of fiction based on real events.

[Chrissie]

BTW, I gave up on The Big Sky. It just plain bored me. I switched to Forever. I am not good with pure fantasy, but through this book you learn about the history of NY. An Irish immigrant saves the life of a magician and for this he is allowed to live forever as long as he stays in New York.

[Chrissie]

Now I am listening to The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars. It is non-fiction and very exciting. For me true crime is better than fictional!

I just finished Anil's Ghost and by the end I liked it a lot, but not in the beginning. Ondaatje isn't the easiest author to follow. His books always hop all over the place, but he can write beautifully, and he gets you thinking.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Kat]

loved the wild by cheryl strayed. it made me want to get out in the woods and take off.

[Chrissie]

Finished The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Now listening to The Walking People.

[Chrissie]

Finished listening to The Walking People.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Many of you will recognize this author from her newer book Fever. Actually I think many will enjoy this novel, particularly in its audio format.

Will start The Sound of Things Falling since I have heard good things about this Colombian author.

[Chrissie]

Finished The Sound of Things Falling.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Ok, I am listening to The Savage Detectives...... this type of book is not my usual read. Maybe it is more for the younger crowd. To be more specific, there is explicit sex and at least now it seems rather juvenile, but I am sticking it out. It does capture quite well how young intellectuals philosophize, but much seems to be sophistry. I have tried to find out what exactly the Visceral Realist Movement is, and the question is if it is a movement at all!

[Chrissie]

I have dumpedThe Savage Detectives, which so many praise. NOT ME! I listened to 7 of 27 hours and could take it no more.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Moving on toA House in the Sky. Non-fiction and exciting, or so I have been told. I really have to wash my brain after the last book.

[Chrissie]

Completed Forbidden Journey and it was good. Ella Maillart traveled in 1935 with Peter Fleming from Peking to Srinagar, Kashmir, by predominantly donkey, horse, camel and her own two feet. Some train and lorries too. Peter Fleming is the older brother of Ian Fleming. Peter has written his own book but I have not read that. For me it was a bit too much on the difficulties of the trip rather than the people and areas she traveled through. Still, definitely worth reading if travel literature is you thing.

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

I will try An Army of Angels: A Novel of Joan of Arc. I wonder how it will compare with Mark Twain's Joan of Arc which I did like. The author thought this was his best book.

[Chrissie]

I can highly recommend A House in the Sky. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author. I appreciated hearing the voice of the woman who lived through the events. This is her story and it should be narrated by her. The narration is absolutely excellent.

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

One book leads to another. My next will be Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic WomenNine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women.

[Chrissie]

Finished Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women set in Saudi Arabia and other countries of the Near East. Non-fiction about Islamic women's lives in the beginning of the 90s. Definitely interesting.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Have started The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed. My son studied forestry so this is particularly interesting for me, and I quite simply value forests and lakes, where I like being and walking Oscar.

[Hilary]

Hi Guys! I just wanted to share my recently published memoir, Dangled Carat - One girl's attempt to convert the ultimate commitment phobic man into a husband with a lot of help from his family and friends... Kirkus Reviews described it as: “Fans of Sex and the City - Grossman makes a reference to Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big - will enjoy the story, but its real-girl charm should draw an even wider crowd.”

http://ow.ly/p1KAT

[Chrissie]

I definitely enjoyed The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed narrated by the talented Edoardo Ballerini. You have to at least look at the gorgeous Golden Spruce. Once you have seen it you want to know why it was chopped down!
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Now I have started Blood Makes Noise, because for a long time I have been interested in learning more about Eva Perón (1919-1952), Evita, and what happened to her body after her death. This is historical fiction but it begins by stating that it is based on true facts.

[Chrissie]

I really liked Blood Makes Noise and would definitely have given it four stars, except I found out at the end that the audiobook version had no author's note. :0/
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Will start She Left Me the Gun: My Mother's Life Before Me b/c it just looks so interesting.

[Chrissie]

Completed She Left Me the Gun: My Mother's Life Before Me
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Will now start An Exquisite Sense of What Is Beautiful. The book description says, "A sweeping novel of East and West, love and war, truths and denials." Really? I hope so. I am intrigued.

[Chrissie]

Finished An Exquisite Sense of What Is Beautiful
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Have started The Sun Also Rises, b/c I feel like another Hemingway. The narration by William Hurt seems good. The Americans sound so terribly "American". Makes me smile.

I also finished An Army of Angels: A Novel of Joan of Arc as my DTB. Njahhhh...... I have read better.
My very short review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I think I will give World of Our Fathers: The Journey of the East European Jews to America and the Life They Found and Made. It is a huge door-stopper.

[Chrissie]

I finished The Sun Also Rises and think this is Hemingway's very best. I loved it.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Although fiction it is based on real events and real people, including Hemingway.

Now I have moved on to Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War's Greatest Untold Story. I have yet to find a good book of fiction set in the Koreas.

[Michael]

[Susan]

Kat wrote: "loved the wild by cheryl strayed. it made me want to get out in the woods and take off." I finished Wild recently and I felt the same way, like I should put on some boots and hike away!

[Susan]

Finished Ketchup is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves and found the style easy to read and the voice humorous. I enjoyed it.
Started Blind: A Memoir which definitely has a serious tone compared to "ketchup".

[Chrissie]

I finished the audiobook Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War's Greatest Untold Story
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Yes, I am very glad I read it. I have read several books about the Vietnam War, but my knowledge of the Korean War was lacking. this is about several people in George Company.

I have begun Family Matters and the narration by Martin Jarvis is captivating. I am hoping it will be as good as A Fine Balance.

[Chrissie]

I finished Family Matters which made me very unhappy.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Moving on to: Mary Coin. How do you look at that photo (see the book's cover) taken by Dorothy Lange back in 1936 of the "Migrant Mother" without wanting to know more.It is fiction, but still I must read it.

[Susan]

Chrissie wrote: "I finished The Sun Also Rises and think this is Hemingway's very best. I loved it.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Although fiction it is based on real events and real peo..."

I enjoyed your review of The Sun Also Rises. I always think, I should read this book. I need a vacation, so it is on my to-read list! If my library has the audiobook, I will select that edition with your recommendation.

[Nilsa]

Just finished reading Etched in Sand by Regina Calcaterra. What a wonderful book! I just could not put it down. I love books that celebrate strong spirits that thrive against all odds. In this same line I would also recommend Gifted Hands and Think Big by Dr. Ben Carson

[Chrissie]

I finished Mary Coin.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Will start tomorrow: The Paris Architect. Both are historical fiction.

[Chrissie]

I finished The Paris Architect and definitely enjoyed it. It is interesting, oh so yucky, exciting and ends wonderfully. :0)
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Moved on to the audiobook All the Names. I prefer listening to Saramago rather than reading text without punctuation! I enjoyed A Viagem do Elefante, so I wanted to read another by the author.

[Susan]

Finished Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych E.R. Did not enjoy the voice. Lots of telling, like I was in a clinical observation instead of reading slice o life.

[Chrissie]

Susan, that one looks spooky. I have a hard time with medical memoirs. They freak me out.

[Chrissie]

Gosh, glad I finished All the Names. Read something else by Saramago. I thought I would avoid the lack of punctuation by listening to this one, but still you cannot avoid the never-ending sentences.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

On to Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. Afterwards I thought I would try American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer if I want more.

[Chrissie]

I just finsihedBomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

It gave me very good background information. It is clear and concise. Adults can easily read this, as a starting point. I would not classify it as YA literature. With this under my belt I have already begun American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer is a truly fascinating person. For me the more little details I know about a person the easier it is for the standard facts to stick. At Harvard, for lunch he liked eating "black and tan", ie a piece of toast slathered with peanut butter and chocolate syrup. I will stick with my peanut butter on wholewheat bread covered with a very thick layer of iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach. Yum. But we both like peanut butter. Oh, his first love affair will make you laugh. I like knowing about famous people's idiosyncrasies, things that make them like other normal people.

[[deleted user]]

For several weeks I have been involved with family medical matters. During those weeks did not get on-line so have not been visiting the group. Matters now mitigated even if not erased.

Now trying to catch up with an immense backlog, omestic and correspondence. Nevertheless, like most of us need respite from time to time.

Have commenced Jane Austen: A life by Claire Tomalin. I enjoyed her biography of Charles Dickens very much for which I posted a review. This looks as detailed and insightful although only at the beginning. Will write a review in due course.

Good to be back in touch although may be a bit sporadic whilst I catch up with backlog.

[Chrissie]

I have finished two audiobooks.

One I loved: American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The other was just OK, although is is supposedly a classic: The Case of Comrade Tulayev
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Now I am listening to Ride With Me, Mariah Montana. It is kind of cute, but really I am getting a bit bored...... Series rarely work for me.

[Mark]

This cowboy's memoir of horses, which will be published in early 2014, appears interesting.

The Horse Lover: A Cowboy's Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs

by H Alan Day (no photo)

He already owned and managed two ranches and needed a third about as much as he needed a permanent migraine: that’s what Alan Day said every time his friend pestered him about an old ranch in South Dakota. But in short order, he proudly owned 35,000 pristine grassy acres. The opportunity then dropped into his lap to establish a sanctuary for unadoptable wild horses previously warehoused by the Bureau of Land Management. After Day successfully lobbied Congress, those acres became Mustang Meadows Ranch, the first government-sponsored wild horse sanctuary established in the United States.

The Horse Lover is Day’s personal history of the sanctuary’s vast enterprise, with its surprises and pleasures and its plentiful dangers, frustrations, and heartbreak. Day’s deep connection with the animals in his care is clear from the outset, as is his maverick philosophy of horse-whispering, with which he trained fifteen hundred wild horses. The Horse Lover weaves together Day’s recollections of his cowboying adventures astride some of his best horses, all of which taught him indispensable lessons about loyalty, perseverance, and hope. This heartfelt memoir reveals the Herculean task of balancing the requirements of the government with the needs of wild horses.

[Chrissie]

I finally finished Ride With Me, Mariah Montana:0)
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

On to something more interesting, which I am thoroughly enjoying, Franklin and Lucy. Good narration too! You really get to understand the people, who they are inside, what makes them tick.

[Sheana]

I just finished Mary Butler's Knocking on Heaven's Door and I have to say it's one of the best memoirs I've read in a long time. She balances her personal story/life with that of big pharma and the end of her father's life. If you have an aging parent, it's a must read.

[Donald]

Have read and re-reading a memoir/biography from South Africa written by Diane Brown. I like it mainly because it takes you on a journey, you feel part of the story - challenges the reader to identify themselves in all the characters and really is quite a thought provoker. Explores duality of human character quite well through the people she encounters in her life. It is an honestly told story and not afraid to put in words what is in her mind,
Well written and increasing understanding of that country

[Paula]

I am reading Long Walk to Freedom for a few weeks now. Also reading Zelda.

[Dawn]

I just finished re-reading Nora Ephron's I Remember Nothing. The first time around, I loved it, but the humor stood out more than the content. This time, I really appreciated the content, that she talked about difficult subjects, like getting old and dying. And yet, you come away having thoroughly enjoyed the book. I laughed about dying, recognized my own feelings and then remembered she died relatively young, in her seventies, from lukemia. Just last year...

[Kristine]

Stanley: The Making of an African Explorer Starting this tonight!

[Mirta]

Please check out the link below and find my book. I'm listed at #149. I'd appreciate your vote for this memoir- a clean, wholesome read about a young, immigrant girl finding her faith, her roots and her true love. Your vote would help with visibility on this extensive list of memoirs.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Thank you!

[Robin]

Just finished "Yes, Chef" by Marcus Samuelsson. Thai was one of the best memoirs I've read.

[Mirta]

karen wrote: "I just finished reading Foreskin's Lament, A Memoir. I loved the title of this book, and had to read it. I ended up really enjoying it. Reading it took me only a few days, which I love with my busy..."

Thanks for a great explanation! I'm tempted to read it too!

[Mirta]

I hope you look at my memoir, With Love, The Argentina Family: Memories of Tango and Kugel; Mate with Knishes

I am honored to say that I have received some great reviews and people are "getting it"...some pretty standard universal themes here, Acceptance, Identity, Faith, Fear...My story is about my journey as an immigrant child from a complicated ethnic & cultural background. Finding oneself is a journey we all must undertake. Clean, easy read. Thanks!

[Joy Weese]

I just finished (for at least the third time) My Love Affair with England by Susan Allen Toth. Here's my Goodreads review: My Love Affair with England

[Erica]

I'm reading The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Author Bill Bryson's take on growing up in 1950's USA. Very amusing read! But lots of interesting facts thrown in as well.