Books on the Nightstand discussion
What are you reading January 2014
Just finished The Expats and am deciding between Pavone's The Accident and other books I have squirreled away. Oh decisions....
Melissa wrote: "Just finished Lexicon. Interesting premise, speedy plot, but left me wanting a big Victorian novel with intricate prose and layered characters. What next?
If you can wait a few months, I'm SO looking forward to this:
If you can wait a few months, I'm SO looking forward to this:
Shannon wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Just finished Lexicon. Interesting premise, speedy plot, but left me wanting a big Victorian novel with intricate prose and layered characters. What next?If you c..."
I think I heard about this book at Booktopia Petoskey. Sounds interesting!
Melissa wrote: "Just finished Lexicon. Interesting premise, speedy plot, but left me wanting a big Victorian novel with intricate prose and layered characters. What next?And Tracey, listening to ..."
I just got Lexicon as part of the new Book Riot quarterly subscription service. With a letter & a bunch of Post-It notes from the author inserted throughout the book. No time to start it right now though!
I'm back to reading backlist Stephen King — this time From a Buick 8. It's been my goal to read his whole catalog (minus Dark Tower). Slowly but surely.Happy reading all!
Mod
"
You did hear about it there and it's definitely a "big Victorian novel with intricate prose and layered characters." With a big twist or two!
I finished Angle of Repose and now onto The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro.
Just finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and dried my eyes. I loved it.
Michael wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Shannon wrote: I think I heard about this book at Booktopia Petoskey. Sounds interesting! "
You did hear about it there and it's definitely a "big Victorian novel with intricate p..."
I'm looking forward to it!
I am two-thirds of the way through The Rosie Project on audio. I love the narrator! I was hesitant to start this book because the description sounded pretty predictable: A man who appears to have Asperger's syndrome tries to find a wife, and falls for the woman that he first rejected as unsuitable because she didn't fit his chart of the perfect match.
I was afraid that the man would be the target of jokes based on his undiagnosed Asperger's and that the woman would be the typical manic-pixie-dream girl. The book had so many positive reviews that I decided to give it a chance. Turns out that they are well-rounded characters, not just types meant to serve up a few laughs and sentiment. I haven't finished the book yet, so I cannot yet recommend it (but so far, so good).
Eric wrote: "
We're living in a time when the world (and by this I mean corporate culture) conspires to turn us into machines. Products. Guinea pigs. Implements made out o..."
OK Eric ... I'm adding Saunders to my "to read" list!
Linda wrote: "
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand"I hope you're loving it. I really liked it. If you are enjoying it, I would also recommend "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce
I, too, loved Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, and Harold Fry is also a favorite.
Mod
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand"I hope you're loving it. I really liked it. If you are enjoying it, I would also recomm..."
I own that one, too, Steph, so I'm sure I'll get to it. Eventually. I've owned
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand for a couple of years because I "rescued" it from the remains of my library's book sale (no one had bought it). I'm a tad embarrassed to admit that it took having a book discussion to push me to get it read.I've enjoyed it from the first page. Such lyrical writing.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I adores Major Pettigrew and I have Harold Fry sitting in my "to be read" pile. I am going to start City of Women this week (it is my February book club read). I have heard mixed things about it. I read Gail Caldwell's Let's Take the Long Way Home over the weekend (I am trying to get some Booktopia VT reading in) and I really enjoyed it. I am not really a non-fiction or memoir reader (I like fiction), but I really liked the way she told the story.
Kate wrote: "I finished Angle of Repose and now onto The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro."Linda wrote: "
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand"Angle of Repose is one of my all-time favorite novels. What did you think?
I just finished Dana Spiotta's Stone Arabia..a terrific book.. I'm almost done listening the The Silent Wife, and I've begun Gillian Flynn's 2nd Book,Dark Places.
...and, yes,I'm at the beach!
Karen wrote: "Kate wrote: "I finished Angle of Repose and now onto The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro."Linda wrote: "
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand"An..."
I really loved Angle of Repose. It is one of my all time favorite reads and I can't wait to discuss it at book group. I also enjoyed Major Pettigrew.
I just finished very good but rather disturbing book called ASBO - A novel of Extreme Terror . If you don't mind violence - this is a book you can't put this down until you know how it ends up. Very fast-paced and easy read. Like watching a train wreck!So far I had a very good month of reading. I finished The Rosie Project & The Signature of All Things (both lived up to the hype). I also read a little gem of a novel called When You Were Older by Catherine Ryan Hyde- a spectacularly moving novel about a man's relationship with his mentally disabled brother and the aftermath of 9/11!
Reading a classic from my youth:
by Johann David Wyss. Love survival stories.
Just finished A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and have started Wild by Cheryl Strayed.By the way, this is my first post as part of this fantastic group! I'm new to the BOTNS podcast and I'm hooked.
Mod
By the way, this is my first post as part of this fantastic group! I'm new to the BOTNS podcast and I'..."
Welcome, Heather.
Heather wrote: "Just finished A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and have started Wild by Cheryl Strayed.By the way, this is my first post as part of this fantastic group! I'm new to the BOTNS podcast and I'..."
How did you like Owen Meany? One of my favorite books...
Becky wrote: "Heather wrote: "Just finished A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and have started Wild by Cheryl Strayed.By the way, this is my first post as part of this fantastic group! I'm new to the BOTN..."
I love this quote from Harper Lee: "The book to read is not the one that thinks for you but the one which makes you think." I love a book that makes me think and I'm still processing it! I can't say that I loved the story or the characters, but I think this is why I was compelled to pick this book up again and read it a 2nd time (I actually read this for a high school English class almost - 20 years ago!). So glad that I did.
Heather wrote: "Becky wrote: "Heather wrote: "Just finished A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and have started Wild by Cheryl Strayed.By the way, this is my first post as part of this fantastic group! I'm n..."
Glad to have you Heather! Thanks for the review of Owen Meany. I have that on my TBR list, but have been a bit intimidated by the size.
I have just started
but other highlights so far this year have been
and
Also
which I was putting off because of all the hype but really enjoyed it.
I'm finishing up Inferno as an audibook in my car. As a paper book, I'm reading Tenth of December and Night Film - both of which I had started reading before, but then I had to return it to library.
Elizabeth wrote: "I am reading 
Little Women for the first time ever."I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who hasn't read Little Women all the way through yet. I started it a few years ago but never finished. It's been sitting on my bookshelf, in hard copy, since I was 9 or 10. *ashamed*
Looks like I might finish my two doorstoppers before month's end, The Goldfinch
on Kindle and A Fine Balance
on audiobook. Tough to narrow down what to read / listen to next, but since The Ocean at the End of the Lane
is sitting on my nightstand, I should probably start there. I might also take a break to catch up on all-the-unread-New-Yorkers lying about the house.
@ Ellen,I haven't had my copy that long. I bought it about five years ago though and just put it off.
I am one hundred pages in and I am enjoying looking in on the life of these four sisters.
I'm currently reading Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. It's insane. I can't believe the stuff in this book.
Kai wrote: "I'm currently reading Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. It's insane. I can't believe the stuff in this book."That sounds really interesting. Post your thoughts when you get done.
Melissa, I really liked City of Women.
This novel looks at abolitionist John Brown through the eyes of "The Onion", a boy slave freed by Brown who is mistaken for a girl and winds up living as a girl throughout his seven year association with Brown. Although The Onion is an invented character, many actual historical people show up in the novel, not only John Brown and his sons, but Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Jeb Stuart, among others.
The style of the book, the way The Onion narrates in a homespun vernacular, is reminiscent of
, to the extent that it's hard to ignore the influence. As such, you expect the book to be as funny. Sometimes it gets close, but it never achieves the level of absurd humor of the Twain novel, although John Brown is, in his way, just as absurd as characters like Pap Finn, the Duke, and the King.But once you get past the expectations raised by the style, and accept the book on its own terms, it's quite enjoyable. The Onion is something of a coward, though he makes various valiant attempts to redeem himself. And I suppose he does redeem himself, success or not, by putting himself at risk for Brown and his men.
Brown is other-directed, having long conversations with God, while his more down-to-earth compatriots look on. He's unorganized and impulsive, yet people nonetheless follow him, because they believe in his cause.
The biggest eye-opener in the book is the portrayal of Frederick Douglass. I'll just say it's an irreverent look at the man and leave it at that.
I loved the ending, which some might think overly sentimental, but there's something uplifting about Brown's certainty in the success of his cause, even when he faces certain execution. When I read the last fifteen pages, all my reservations about the book evaporated.
Eric wrote: "This novel looks at abolitionist John Brown through the eyes of "The Onion", a boy slave freed by Brown who is mistaken for a girl and winds up living as a ..."
Eric, The Good Lord Bird is the next book I will be reading, I am looking forward to it & have been a fan of James McBride for quite some time...
I just polished off From A Buick 8 by the man, the myth, the legend - Stephen King. Not quite as good as some of his others, but still a decent read. I started Canada by Richard Ford this morning. It's been on my TBR list since forever. So far it seems like a good one.
Happy reading all!
Chanda2426 wrote: "I just polished off From A Buick 8 by the man, the myth, the legend - Stephen King. Not quite as good as some of his others, but still a decent read. I started Canada by Richard Ford this morning...."
there was a block of time when his writing really dropped off, after the accident recovery….this was one from that time frame, glad he got out of that funk!!! lol
Elizabeth wrote: "I am reading Little Women for the first time ever."I hope you enjoy Little Women. I read it countless times as a child and teen. Even cut the Tasha Tudor illustrations from my book and decoupaged them onto a bookcase. I've also had an ongoing interest in Louisa May Alcott's life. She wrote to support the family because her father was ... well, I'll hold my opinions about him. Was thrilled to visit her home in Concord a few years ago. Her writing style sounds dated and a bit Pollyanna-ish to our ears. But once you get past it, the characters are memorable.
@ readn ponderYou are right in that it is all a bit optimistic, but I do like the sisters and Laurie. I did a sample research paper for my students based on alcott's life and writing. I am glad to finally read one of her books.
I loved Going Clear (about Scientology) - truth is in fact stranger than fiction. Religion is odd enough but Scientology is truly wacko. (apologies to any Scientologists reading this - please don't kill me)
Mod
and I'm confused.I thought this was recommended by Ann or Michael, but I didn't find it listed in the BOTNS index. So, who can fill in the gap? How do I know about this book?
Books on the Nightstand
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And Tracey, listening to Wave was lovely and difficult at the same time. The narrator is incredible. The story is shattering. I could only listen for brief periods of time.