All About Books discussion
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I'd like to try reading...what would you recommend?
Rushyenka wrote: "I've just finished typing a paper on Francis Bacon and reading The Goldfinch so any suggestions for books about painters/paintings? Preferably fictional works and not biographies. :)"The World to Come is a book I read recently, which is fiction about a painting by Chagall.
Rushyenka wrote: "I've just finished typing a paper on Francis Bacon and reading The Goldfinch so any suggestions for books about painters/paintings? Preferably fictional works and not biographies. :)"The Painted Kissand Arrogance are two books that immediately come to my mind. I really liked both. Re Schiele, you end up knowing who he was and why he was the way he was. That was my favorite of the two, but since they painted at the same time it is good to read both. And then of course you have Girl With a Pearl Earring, which is excellent, but you have probably heard of that one. You can go to my art shelf if you want more ideas......A couple of years ago I was on an art jag! I don't know which artists interest you most. I have lost there and you can see my ratings and click on reviews if you want.
Dhanaraj wrote: "Heather wrote: "I haven't read the whole series but Swallows and Amazons was a favourite as a child, would definitely recommend."The endorsements increase. Will add that book to my shelf. Thanks."
I've also read Swallows and Amazons as a child, but not the rest of them. I did enjoy it, but I agree with Gill - I'm not sure how many children had that kind of childhood - escapism from years ago.
I can also recommend The Painted Girls which I recently read and thought was terrific - it is (somewhat) about the life of Degas.
Rushyenka wrote: "I've just finished typing a paper on Francis Bacon and reading The Goldfinch so any suggestions for books about painters/paintings? Preferably fictional works and not biographies. :)"I've read a few fictional works about painters/paintings that I would recommend:
Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d'Art
The Forgery of Venus
The Muse of Edouard Manet (note: not a perfect work by any means but entertaining; lots of use of "smirk")
The Swan Thieves
Rushyenka wrote: "I've just finished typing a paper on Francis Bacon and reading The Goldfinch so any suggestions for books about painters/paintings? Preferably fictional works and not biographies. :)"Have you read Girl With a Pearl Earring? Very good historical fiction about Vermeer. Or there is The Art Forger...
Or The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham, which he always protested was not about the artist Paul Gauguin - although it reads very like it...I must admit I also have a soft spot for Lust for Life about Vincent Van Gogh and The Agony and the Ecstasy about Michelangelo - both by Irving Stone. Very exciting :)
Memories, Jean. Have forgotten all about Irving Stone. Read both of these in school. I reme er really enjoying his books.
The Center of the World, which is about the painter J. W Turner. Have not read yet. But have it on my kindle.
Jean wrote: "Or The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham, which he always protested was not about the artist Paul Gauguin - although it reads very like it...I must admit I al..."
Ah, Paul Gauguin! I can't help thinking that he might have been the reason why Van Gogh sliced off his own ear in anguish!
Alice - there's quite a lot about the period where they lived together in the novel! They were described as being poles apart both physically and temperamentally. So you and Irving Stone seem to think alike.Diane - thanks for the heads-up. I have not heard of that book, but love J. M. W. Turner so have added it :)
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It narrates both the story of Gaugin and of his revolutionary grandmother!
And another for my TBR shelf! Thank you so much Laura. I am loving the direction this thread is taking :)
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I think it is really a book worth reading Jean. Let me know when you read it what you think about it.
I will! And I have just worked out how to add the "recommended by" bit to my record at long last!! So if anyone reading this remembers recommending something personally to me in the past, please if you have a moment, let me know so I can record the fact!
Modigliani by the very talented biographer Meryle Secrest is an interesting book on an artist.I've seen two films about Modigliani but neither portray the secret health problem which the artist took pains to hide.
Bette BookAddict wrote: "Modigliani by the very talented biographer Meryle Secrest is an interesting book on an artist.I've seen two films about Modigliani but neither portray the secret he..."
Thanks for the tip. I have always loved his paintings and didn't know about this book.
I'm in the process of planning some exciting travelling for next year. I love reading books set in the country I'm visiting. Has anybody read any good books set in Morocco or Thailand? Fiction preferable but I'd also read non-fiction
Jennifer, for Thailand you have to to read something about the "Death Railway" and the bridge over the River Kwai.... about Japanese atrocities in Thailand during WW2! this is tyhe one I think that is bestThe Forgotten Highlander: My Incredible Story Of Survival During The War In The Far East, much better than Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption! My review of the former: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I was pulled into all the media hype about The Sheltering Sky and was very disappointed, unless you dig existential thinking. This one is for Morocco. Do you love Saint-Exupéry? Part of The Tale of the Rose: The Love Story Behind The Little Prince is set in Morocco, and it is fabulous, that is if you think like he and his wife.
Thanks Chrissie, they look great and the 1st book and the last book to my tbr list to buy at a later date. The river Kwai is on my travel list. We're going in December so I'm hoping the political situation will be better by then!
If you like Crime fiction then check out Jake Needham. He writes books set in South East Asia, including Thailand. I read one of his books when I was travelling and it was great as you could picture things more clearly, the references to Bangkok and Thai people etc. Not great if you don't like Crime novels though.
Heather,One Fourteenth Of An Elephant is also excellent, but I found Urquhart's a teeny bit better. I really hope you have an interesting trip with lots of great memories. IF you want more books check out my shelves for Thailand and Morocco.
Rushyenka wrote: "I've just finished typing a paper on Francis Bacon and reading The Goldfinch so any suggestions for books about painters/paintings? Preferably fictional works and not biographies. :)"There are SO many good recommendations on this thread! Someone should create a List on Listopia: Books About Art & Painters!!!
Wow, Chrissie! What fabulous shelves. Will be having a browse later.
Thanks Gemma, I love crime so will check that out. I will definitely be re-reading the beach as well. Nearer the time I might have to pick your brains about Thailand, we only have 3 weeks including 6 days on koh samui for a wedding so not long!
Thanks Gemma, I love crime so will check that out. I will definitely be re-reading the beach as well. Nearer the time I might have to pick your brains about Thailand, we only have 3 weeks including 6 days on koh samui for a wedding so not long!
Heather wrote: "Wow, Chrissie! What fabulous shelves. Will be having a browse later. Thanks Gemma, I love crime so will check that out. I will definitely be re-reading the beach as well. Nearer the time I might ..."
Glad I could help.
Heather wrote: "Wow, Chrissie! What fabulous shelves. Will be having a browse later. Thanks Gemma, I love crime so will check that out. I will definitely be re-reading the beach as well. Nearer the time I might ..."
Chrissie has AWESOME shelves!
Shirley wrote: "I've also read Swallows and Amazons as a child, but not the rest of them. I did enjoy it, but I agree with Gill - I'm not sure how many children had that kind of childhood "I actually had something not too different from that, spending summers on my grandmother's farm on a large lake in Maine with a boathouse, canoes, and sailboats, and islands on the lake we visited (but didn't camp on).
But for me, the key is that one can, or at least I could, imagine actually doing the things they did. Some children's books you really can't realistically imagine being in -- Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Where the Wild Things Are, most fairy tales, etc. They're very good books, but not realistic of what young people could actually do. But Swallows and Amazons was, for me at least, different in that everything they did was something I could actually imagine myself doing.
Bette BookAddict wrote: "Chrissie has AWESOME shelves! "I am blushing. I like reading books set in different countries, having lived in several myself, so I always file a book on its location. That also helps me find the book later! Reading books about people of different cultures, and how history has affected them personally, has always fascinated me.
I'd love to do something similar with my shelves, actually. I love reading books set in different countries, particularly when I'm visiting. Maybe one day I'll sit down and organise my goodreads shelves!
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This is something I'd love doing... but then it would be even more difficoult to find my books!!!
LauraT, you don't have to remove the current shelving just add where they take place too!Heather, just add location in the future. I was lucky, I knew when I started I wanted to do that. I have added topic shelves later though. I know that some books are not on those shelves and they should be! Dumb me, I have a history shelf, but added WW2 only recently so most of my holocaust books are only on my history and religion shelves..... Each of us know the errors in out own shelves! they are personal so who cares if they are not complete.
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Heather, just add location in the future. I was lucky, I knew when I started I wanted to do that. I have a..."
Yes. I was actually thinkig of "real" shelves!!!
LauraT wrote: "I was actually thinkig of "real" shelves!!! "Sorry, I wasn't clear.
I love "Dumbo". It always makes me cry. But not as much as "Bambi"! :DEveryman - you've got me thinking now. Do you think some children veer more toward adventures they can actually imagine doing, and others towards more fantasy? From what you say you prefer the first sort, but I think I was drawn to a bit of both - probably what would now be called magical realism.
Even with solid adventures there can be a huge fantasy element (children always depicted as heroic, adults usually shown as not interested or even plain stupid etc.) I don't know the Hardy boys or Nancy Drew, but maybe they would fit there?
Heather wrote: "I'd love to do something similar with my shelves, actually. I love reading books set in different countries, particularly when I'm visiting. Maybe one day I'll sit down and organise my goodreads sh..."Heather, I'd like to do this too. But I think I'm too lazy to go back thru all my books.
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Alannah wrote: "On my 2014 challenge I still have a couple of poetry anthologies to read. I might go to the university library tomorrow to see what they have. Does anybody here have any recommendations?"I recently read some Polish poets. I loved them. You can try either W. Szymborska (Poems New and Collected)or C. Milosz (Selected and Last Poems 1931 2004). If you are not interested in translations then try Franz Wright. He was also good.
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Thank you.
Alannah wrote: "On my 2014 challenge I still have a couple of poetry anthologies to read. I might go to the university library tomorrow to see what they have. Does anybody here have any recommendations?"I don't know if you prefer fiction or non-fiction.....
Fiction:
To the End of the Land
Burial Rites
SongdogsThe Hard Blue Sky
Between Love and Honor
Lolita
Non-fiction:
Speak, Memory
All That I Am
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
The Tale of the Rose: The Love Story Behind The Little Prince
Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague, 1941-1968
Portrait of a Turkish Family
OH my , now I see you only want poetry books and they are very difficult for me. So, do I remove all the great books above? Nah, maybe others are interested in them after I have taken time to pick some really special books. I have heard that Mary Oliver is wonderful, but I have not read her. I have been considering A Thousand Mornings and Dog Songs
Most of the books above are NOT the big famous authors, except maybe Nabokov.
Read more carefully, Chrissie, and I will save time!!!!
LOL Chrissie! I did exactly the same thing, spending over an hour looking at my notes and assembling my thoughts on women throughout Dickens, in response to a question from Alannah (hello Alannah!) on my Dickens challenge thread. I never "cut and paste" ( unless I credit it). Then it turned out that her (your) tutor had suggested she just stick to two novels! Aaargh!Never mind, eh? For me it focused my thoughts, which is always good, and in your case those novels look a fascinating selection! Lots of us will appreciate that, so please do NOT delete it! :)
Jean, it does make me feel better that you made the same error.... OK, I will not delete it. Let me add though it is not complete. I stopped the minute I realized I was going in the wrong direction.
It is hard to make a list of good books. You need different books for different moods.
Right now I am in love with Native Son by Richard Wright.
Chrissie, I echo Jean's thoughts as I'm glad you've decided to leave this post up too. I have 3 of those books on my 'to read soon' list - Burial Rites, Speak Memory and Portrait of a Turkish Family. So now I'm off to check out the other suggestions that I haven't read of heard of! Thanks :)
Pink, phew, I was worried. Thanks for telling me. I mean, I do understand that one must keep the threads rather focused so others are not bothered by irrelevant comments.All three that you have chosen I really, really enjoyed. I only mentioned books which I have given five stars, and I am very restrictive with my stars. IF you are curious/unsure about the others you can always look at my reviews where I explain why I love the given book. Of course my star rating only indicates my personal reaction to the book...and each reader is different. Or just ask me a question and I will see if I can answer.
Chrissie, you opened the door to some great new books for me too! Thank you:)
Alannah wrote: "On my 2014 challenge I still have a couple of poetry anthologies to read. I might go to the university library tomorrow to see what they have. Does anybody here have any recommendations?"Alannah, my recommendations would be Selected Poems by W.H. Auden, T. S. ElliottCollected Poems, 1909-1962 by T S Eliot.
There's also a great book The World's Contracted Thus: Major Poetry From Chaucer To Plath by John R.P. McKenzie.
Thanks Chrissie, I had a look and added a couple more books to my list.
Bette and Pink, glad I could help you find great books. I hope someone has added To the End of the Land....Do you know how it is? When you love a book, you want others to know about it!
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The endorsements increase. Will add that book to my shelf. Thanks.