All About Books discussion
Book Chat
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I'd like to try reading...what would you recommend?
Alannah, have you decided on something already? I can't really be of help when it comes to English poetry anthologies, sorry. I was wondering though, are you looking for anthologies on contemporary poetry or 'the classics' among the poets?
Jenny wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "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 ot..."
I will read that book in August or September.
Jenny, wasn't To the End of the Land totally fantastic? Now that is a love story - a story about all different love relationships, between mother/father and child, between husband and wife and between whatever partner that may be. It is beautifully written, and I feel the author's own experiences with his own son are reflected in this tale. When authors write about what lies close they write best. I remain amazed that this male author could so well depict a mother's physical connection (for example breast feeding) with the first child and then the how it is to have a second. This book blew me over. I admired Ora,but other's didn't.Dhanaraj, great! Wonderful.
Alannah, so what anthology did you pick?
It did absolutely blow me over as well. I adored the language and most of all the imagery. There was something so raw (not sure if this has the same conotation in english: instinctive?)about Ora, which made me love her. Do you recall what people named as reasons for disliking her character Chrissie?
I too loved that book. HE has a new one out called Falling Out of Time, just brought it home yesterday. It is part prose,part play about parental grief. Totally different, but I do like how he writes so I think it is worth a read. IT is fairly short.
I have heard a lot of good things about David Grossman. I must try his books someday.
Diane , Glad you discovered the new one by Grossman. I loved To the End of the Land also .
Jenny, others said Ora was stupid. I never found her stupid. Were they referring to her relationships? I don't know. I should reread the book to remember more, but I rarely reread books I have so many new ones piled up.Diane, you always get the newest stuff. I will go check it out. About his son? I hope it is not too short, I like l-o-n-g books best.
Dely, you will not be disappointed. Can I convince you with my review? (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) If you read the review now, will you really remember it in a couple of months? I look at reviews, but by the time I get to the book I have forgotten them. It is sometimes handy with such a forgetful brain.
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I couldn't find anything that interested me in the library. I was hoping for Plath's poetry but the library didn't stock any, which is a shame because a couple of modules in English Literature study The Bell Jar.
Chrissie wrote: "Jenny, others said Ora was stupid. I never found her stupid. Were they referring to her relationships? I don't know. I should reread the book to remember more, but I rarely reread books I have so..."Chrissie it is short. 191 pages and mostly in prose.
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Alannah wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "JennThe Bell Jary, wasn't To the End of the Land totally fantastic? Not that is a love story - a sotry about all different love relationships, between mother/father and child, ..."That is bad. I thought just my library sucked. I am embarrassed to say I STILL have not read The Bell Jar.
Chrissie wrote: "Alannah wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "JennThe Bell Jary, wasn't To the End of the Land totally fantastic? Not that is a love story - a sotry about all different love relation..."one of the truly greatest books ever written....
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Strongly recommend it, my favourite text on my Madness in Literature module. The text is so poetic, it really brings out my emotions and I rarely cry at books or movies. My friend still call me cold-hearted for not crying at Les Mis.
Diane S. wrote: "I too loved that book. HE has a new one out called Falling Out of Time, just brought it home yesterday. It is part prose,part play about parental grief. Totally different, but I do ..."I am jealous, I have this one on my list as well!
Chrissie, great review!
OK, I downloaded a sample The Bell Jar onto my new Kindle. Thank you, Jenny. Great to know you felt similarly.
Alannah wrote: "Enjoy Chrissie."I have no excuses now, except maybe that I just bought 13 books........and I have a rule I must read all of them before I buy more.
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Me too! I've loved some of his books; he came to Perugia a couple of months ago, but I couldn't get into the room he was speacking: to crowded!
Alannah, last year and the year before I did real all the book I had purchased years before. I don't want to get in that situation again; one's reading interests change. It is so very fun to buy a book you really want to read and read it right away.
Chrissie wrote: "Dely, you will not be disappointed. Can I convince you with my review? (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) If you read the review now, will you really remember it in a couple of months? I look at reviews, but by the time I get to the book I have forgotten them. It is sometimes handy with such a forgetful brain. "I have tried to read it but I am not able to go on. After a few sentences I had tachycardia for the fear to read too much :(
But this is the same book a person on the beach recommend me last year. It is such a lovely old lady and last year she asked me a lot of suggestions and so I gave her a list with books I liked. Now I'm curious to see her again this summer so she can tell me if she has read and liked them. And this lady said that she loved To The End of The Lane.
Dely, everyone as different tolerance levels for what is a spoiler, but really all I say is how the book affects me and you may react very differently. I never say what happens, and I use spoiler alerts. Of course I respect your opinion. I guess all I can say is that is is a wonderful book about different kinds of love. It also very well captures the rift between Palestinians and Jews.
Chrissie wrote: "Dely, everyone as different tolerance levels for what is a spoiler, but really all I say is how the book affects me and you may react very differently. I never say what happens, and I use spoiler a..."True. Sometimes I like to pick up books without reading the plot and also this is sometimes a nice surprise.
Is it also a kind of historical fiction?
dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Dely, everyone as different tolerance levels for what is a spoiler, but really all I say is how the book affects me and you may react very differently. I never say what happens, an..."Yes, it is based very much on what happened to his son. Clearly he is writing from his own experiences, though I don't know a thing about his relationship with his wife. I am only referring to his son and his experiences as being a Jew and living in Israel.
Chrissie wrote: "Jenny, others said Ora was stupid. I never found her stupid. Were they referring to her relationships? I don't know. I should reread the book to remember more, but I rarely reread books I have so..."Chrissie, I always like a review so that when I get to the book, my like reminds me why I marked it on my tbr.
Bette BookAddict wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Jenny, others said Ora was stupid. I never found her stupid. Were they referring to her relationships? I don't know. I should reread the book to remember more, but I rarely rerea..."It is interesting to see how people consider differently reviews! A lot of people read them to find new books to read; I read usually only reviews of books I have already read and "like" them if I had the same opinions about the book.
Sometimes I read reviews, above all if I'm unsure to read a book or not, and I chose to read a couple of 5 stars reviews and a couple of 1 star reviews (of course I watch first of all the rating of friends and people I'm following). If I know that a book interests me or it is already in my tbr list I avoid to read them.
dely wrote: "Bette BookAddict wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Jenny, others said Ora was stupid. I never found her stupid. Were they referring to her relationships? I don't know. I should reread the book to remember..."
I usually only read reviews on goodreads of books I've already read. I might read a newspaper review of something I hadn't read but on here I don't like to take the risk of possible spoilers.
My favourite is reading one star reviews! I do love ready every star but reading a 1 star, particularly if I like the book, is often funnier
I usually only read reviews on goodreads of books I've already read. I might read a newspaper review of something I hadn't read but on here I don't like to take the risk of possible spoilers.
My favourite is reading one star reviews! I do love ready every star but reading a 1 star, particularly if I like the book, is often funnier
Heather wrote: "dely wrote: "Bette BookAddict wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Jenny, others said Ora was stupid. I never found her stupid. Were they referring to her relationships? I don't know. I should reread the boo..."Heather, 1 star reviews that really have a go at a book I love get me a bit hot under the collar so I avoid reading them, lol.
That's exactly what I like! I do the same when I've booked a hotel or restaurant. I find people's reasons for one star reviews so interesting
I do not know which reviews are real anymore.So many people post reviews without even reading the book. And the sock puppet reviewers. Don't trust them anymore. Only read the reviews of my friends now.
My reviews of books I read are pretty honest and I basically give a brief synopsis before I tell what I think and who I recommend the books too. A lot of mine are 5 stars cuz those are ones I actually got interested in and enjoyed. Only gave one a 4. I only review books after I finish them.
dely wrote: "It is interesting to see how people consider differently reviews! A lot of people read them to find new books to read; I read usually only reviews of books I have already read and "like" them if I had the same opinions about the book.Sometimes I read reviews, above all if I'm unsure to read a book or not, and I chose to read a couple of 5 stars reviews and a couple of 1 star reviews (of course I watch first of all the rating of friends and people I'm following). If I know that a book interests me or it is already in my tbr list I avoid to read them. ."
Dely your point is interesting to discuss. I am unsure about every single book I add to my shelves. I am very skeptical of the book descriptions. Who writes them? The author or the publisher or in any case someone out to sell books, so I want to always know how readers react to a given book. (This is in fact the genius of GR!) I know my friends quite well so it is most helpful to read their reviews first. I can interpret what they are saying more correctly, and I know that these reviews are honest. I am a skeptic through and through. GR has gotten huge and there are "disguised readers" who are merely trying to sell books. I always read one, five an three star reviews. With five stars people can be so blow away that they are unclear and cannot explain exactly what it is they love. The same is true for one star reviews. Three star reviews are very helpful. Nevertheless, you have to know the personality of the reviewer to best judge their review. I even know that if X loves a book it might not work at all for ME. And none of this has to do with the quality of the book; it is simply the need to fit the right book to the right reader.
Heather wrote: "I usually only read reviews on goodreads of books I've already read. I might read a newspaper review of something I hadn't read but on here I don't like to take the risk of possible spoilers."Phew, thanks God I'm not the only one!
Diane S. wrote: "I do not know which reviews are real anymore.So many people post reviews without even reading the book. And the sock puppet reviewers. Don't trust them anymore. Only read the reviews of my friends ..."
I think this problem concerns much more Indie authors amd till now I have never had problems because I don't read them. Sometimes it happens also with new emergent writers and their giveaways but I rarely enter some. I have given a lot of 2 stars to Italian giveaways or new releases by emergent Italian writers but the authors were grateful for my honest review.
Chrissie wrote: "Nevertheless, you have to know the personality of the reviewer to best judge their review. I even know that if X loves a book it might not work at all for ME. And none of this has to do with the quality of the book; it is simply the need to fit the right book to the right reader. "
Yes, this is true. Knowing the tastes of our friends helps to decide if we could like a book or not.
@dely I was thinking the same about Indie authors. To me it's not worth the risk of a bad book so I tend to read more well known authors and therefore reviews are more personal as opposed to the book actually being poor quality.
My exception is non- fiction. I will read reviews to establish which book on a particular topic is best suited to me. But then, you can't really spoil non fiction!
My exception is non- fiction. I will read reviews to establish which book on a particular topic is best suited to me. But then, you can't really spoil non fiction!
I rarely read reviews before I've read a book. To get an idea if I'll like something, I might read the description on here, or the blurb on the back, or look at newspaper reviews which don't tend to give away spoilers. If I read reviews on GR it's too hard to know which ones contain major spoilers and which don't and it's too late once I've read something! I'll read reviews of books I've just finished, especially if I particularly loved or hated it, just to see what other people thought.
Pink wrote: "I rarely read reviews before I've read a book. To get an idea if I'll like something, I might read the description on here, or the blurb on the back, or look at newspaper reviews which don't tend t..."I try not to read reviews for much the same reasons - I don't want to find out too much! The reviews I write tend to be just my impressions of the book, though - whether I liked it, how it made me feel etc, so I give very little of the story away. Most of my friends in this group I would trust to recommend me a book - and I would give it a try, but we are all different and have slightly different tastes. It's funny, sometimes, when I have given a book four stars and another member only gives it two or three - or vice versa. Like Pink, I like to read others' reviews after I have read the book.
But do you then remember to look Shirley? I don't read many reviews at all really - although I make a point of reading all those by my friends, and get them sent to me in a block by email so I don't miss any.I would be cross I think, to find any of these giving the game away, and never have. I am VERY careful myself and tend to overuse the spoiler tab "just in case" even when the story is well-known! But I don't really tell much of the story anyway. What's the point of that? You can read the blurb! (Although that can tell you too much I think, sometimes.)
I am actually extremely critical, starting from a 3, and many stay as a 3 - it is a good rating! A book has to earn its right to stay there - or move up or down (in my view, obviously!)
Although I like to write reviews for myself, to remember better, I would be sad to think that nobody actually read them.
I too like telling about my emotional reaction to the book, NOT what happens, but some people see even this as a spoiler. I feel that one person's reaction may be very different from another's so therefore this cannot be seen as a spoiler. I try to be very, very careful, and use warnings when unsure!
I'm like Chrissie; I even know now that if a certain person likes a book then I will not! Also, it's no good for me if someone says "Wow, I loved this book - I want to know why they loved it, what drew them to story, what the writing was like etc. Chrissie writes a good review: she tell you what she felt and why she felt that way.
Some people would read the writing on a cereal packet and gush over that! I stay away from them:)
Jean wrote: "But do you then remember to look Shirley? I don't read many reviews at all really - although I make a point of reading all those by my friends, and get them sent to me in a block by email so I don'..."Yes, when I review a book, I check what others have written, too, but if they read it after me, I may not see it, although if they are a friend, it appears on my "home" tab.
Bette, thank you. Now I am blushing. It makes me feel happy if I can help others find books that will fit THEM....and maybe if you like my review I am doing something right. I bet there are people who hate the books I love though, but hopefully my review will make that clear to them too.
@Chrissie :) always a big tick on your reviews:)One other thing which I have to get off my chest because I know no-one in real life who uses GR so I can't whinge to them. I HATE reviews where the reviewer posts a picture which plays a few seconds of someone yelling or shouting; the photo jiggles around in front of your eyes. Nothing puts me off a book more than one of those reviews.
Bette BookAddict wrote: "@Chrissie :) always a big tick on your reviews:)One other thing which I have to get off my chest because I know no-one in real life who uses GR so I can't whinge to them. I HATE reviews where t..."
Oh I know, I think they're so annoying!!
Bette BookAddict wrote: " I HATE reviews where the reviewer posts a picture which plays a few seconds of someone yelling or shouting; the photo jiggles around in front of your eyes."Me too, me too. I guess I am kind of bad, but before J.K. Rowling had come out with her new book The Casual Vacancy, there were tons of "reviews" before it even came out and they were filled with those moving pictures, GIFS. So what did I do? I put a question entitled "Do you hate the use of GIFS?" at the bottom of that book page - as a way of complaining. What a ruckus! I mean, aren't we readers; that means we like words, right?!
Shirley - I must try doing that, I think :)
LOL, Chrissie, what a good one! Kudos to you.
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Me too, me to..."
I agree. I don't like those 'popular' reviewers using GIFs.
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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 abou..."
I've read and loved it already, but I fully second that notion and might have potentially bullied Dhanaraj into reading it when I was over in Italy to visit ;)