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What I'm Reading MAY 2014
message 51:
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Cateline
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May 12, 2014 12:29PM
Sometimes it's not the book/story, but the memories it revives. :) Good stuff. :)
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I m glad that you agree to that Cateline :)
The Innocent Man by John Grisham (Book on CD read by Craig Wasson) – 5*****Grisham turns a spotlight on justice in America, focusing on the story of Ron Williamson who was wrongly convicted (and sentenced to death) for a murder he did not commit. It’s a gripping account of a horrific episode. If the reader is disturbed by the events portrayed, one can only imagine the horror of living such a nightmare. Well-researched and well-written. Craig Wasson does a fine job reading the audio version.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished The God Delusion Dawkins makes a scientific case for aetheism, sometimes too repetitively.His retelling of Old Testament stories is amusing; however, his black/white focus leaves no room for speculation—he refuses to acknowledge the good that religion can accomplish, both materially and spiritually He knocks agnosticism as a cop-out and maintains a strident tone that is reminiscent of the fundamental zealots he despises. He defends his attitude as he views belief ingod as a grievous error. This hard-line ideology weakens his position, at least with this reader, who would actually agree with most of his opinions, had he stated them with less vehemence.
I just finished HEAVEN IS FOR REAL by Todd Burpo, a church pastor in a small Nebraska town. Has anyone read this recent book? About the author's four-year old son who claims to have visited heaven while he was undergoing surgery for a serious illness. The boy claims to have spoken with Jesus and others including his grandpa who died before the son was born and his sister who died before being born. Hard to believe, especially for me, an atheist. Marge
Marge, you know that is a current movie too, right?Don't plan to see it, or read the book. I am way too cynical for that kind of stuff. It isn't just hard for me to believe, it is impossible.
No Tonya I haven't seen the movie made of HEAVEN IS FOR REAL. Don't plan to see it. The book was more than enough.Marge
I have thought several times about whether I wanted to get into this discussion about Burpo's HEAVEN IS FOR REAL. For what it's worth, I will begin by saying that I am a Christian and more specifically a PC-USA Presbyterian. I read the book when it came out and found it not very believable and more than a little manipulative. I don't recommend the book to anyone and I don't have any desire to see the movie.
Finished Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes--brilliant stuff. It would be hard to go quite as far as James Dickey, who called it the 'best book written in English since The Great Gatsby,' but it's a new favorite for me.
I loved that book when I read it, although the book didn't resonate quite as thoroughly for some of the women in my class thirty years ago. One of them called it a "long male whine." I've added it to the revisit list on the strength of your reminder :)
Geoff wrote: "Finished Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes--brilliant stuff. It would be hard to go quite as far as James Dickey, who called it the 'best book written in English since The Great Gatsby,' but it's a ..."I have three different editions of A FAN'S NOTES. I can't remember whether I've read this book three or four times now. If you're old enough to remember Frank Gifford as a player--and I am--you'll never look at him again in the same way after you've read this book. But in some ways, Gifford just stands in for "the sports hero," and allows Exley to write about what it means to be an adoring fan of a sports hero .. and what it means to be an alcoholic fan ... and what it means to be an alcoholic author slowly squandering your talents. Yeah, Robert, I understand why it resonates better with male readers and those who could understand/appreciate Exley's fascination with golden coeds. I truly wish that Exley hadn't let the alcohol drain his talent over the decades. He could have been a contender ... instead, he was just great.
Geoff wrote: "Finished Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes--brilliant stuff. It would be hard to go quite as far as James Dickey, who called it the 'best book written in English since The Great Gatsby,' but it's a ..."Geoff, Jonathan Yardley listed A FAN'S NOTES as one of the 14 most important books in post-WW2 (?) American literature. Maybe that's about right.
I finished reading 'Any meat in that soup'.. I was more of a chick lit rather than a murder mystery...I fun read though :)
Autobiography of Us by Aria Beth Sloss – 3**** This is a character-driven novel, told by an older Rebecca, relating her youth to her daughter. It’s a coming-of-age novel that is intensely personal and mimics the upheaval the country was undergoing in the 1960s. The best way I can describe this novel is that it is atmospheric. Maybe that’s because I, too, was growing up in that era, and questioned the apparent expectations that society had for me.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Geoff and Robert,I also read Jonathan Yardley's biography of Exley, Misfit: The Strange Life of Frederick Exley. It's quite well written but I didn't enjoy it very much. Yardley does too good of a job of capturing Exley's depressing life. It's just a real downer.
I am enjoying The Black-Eyed Blonde: A Philip Marlowe Novel. Black certainly captures Chandler's style.
Carol wrote: "I am enjoying The Black-Eyed Blonde: A Philip Marlowe Novel. Black certainly captures Chandler's style."Glad to hear it! I thought Banville did a great job.
I didn't know he had written a Marlowe novel.
Robert wrote: "I loved that book when I read it, although the book didn't resonate quite as thoroughly for some of the women in my class thirty years ago. One of them called it a "long male whine." I've added it ..."Robert and Larry,
Yes, I found myself in a couple stretches of the book thinking that I might hesitate to recommend it to female friends. There's a chunk of 30 or so pages in the middle that are kind of awkwardly and bombastically male. The rest was so good that I decided to give him a pass. Anyway, it's not like he's asking you to like him/his narrator. His distaste for himself is more potent (and potently stated) than the reader's could be.
Just finished The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale. What a lovely story, beautifully written, that is intriguing and rich with content about a bygone world. Jane Borodale succeeding in immersing me in her fictional world with her richly detailed second paragraph. Perhaps reading it here will entice you to read her book: "I am inside the house, bending over the hearth. I lay pieces of dry elm and bark over the embers and they begin to kindle as the fire takes. A warm fungus smell rises up. And the logs bubble juices and resin. The fed flames spit and crackle, colored jets hissing out wet. A column of thick smoke pours rapidly up the chimney and out into the sky like a gray liquid into milk. I hang the bellows from the strap and straighten up. Fire makes me feel good. Burning things into ash and nothingness makes my purpose feel clearer."
Just finished Gone Girl which I disliked for reasons stated below. I had similarly mixed feelings about Flynn's earlier books too. I liked this book up till the first big plot twist where it began to be contrived and my interest waned. I thought there was a serious story to be written—a psychological study of Nick and Amy replete with well-planted and disturbing foreshadowing. A story, in fact, that might remain diffuse and suggestive, that would not seek to tie up all the ends neatly. The first section of the novel tended in that direction before veering off into pot-boilerism with implausible switchbacks. Ultimately, I lost interest in these byways which became tedious as the characters also became repellent and tiresome.
Ruth wrote: "Agree wholeheartedly, Joan. You can read my review herehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
I should have read your review first, and not have wasted my time with this book. I was curious, because it got such rave reviews as did her other books, which I also found wanting.
Ha Ruth! When I read your review of Gone Girl, I took it off my list. BUT when I saw you had read The Ocean at the End of the Lane I was just baffled - knowing you as I thought I did, believing your tolerance of this this sort of thing to be so minimal its impossible to measure, I couldn't believe you would even look past the cover! Your review of this had absolutely no bearing on my list! (I have a moderate to extra-moderate tolerance of this sort of book.)So much for what I think I know. I didn't even make the 50 pages allowed every book. Just. Could. Not. Go. On.....
Hee, Tonya. I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane because I listened to Gaiman's audiobook reading of Neverwhere and thought it was one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. Gaiman is fantastic.
Why did I choose it? Our library's stash of audiobooks has a zillion books, 99% of which I've already read or wouldn't touch with a 10-footer.
You can see my review of Neverwhere here.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ruth wrote: You can see my review of Neverwhere here.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
... [and in your review, Ruth] What do others think of Neverwhere? To me it was a modern Alice in Wonderland, a true falling-down-the-rabbit-hole experience, complete with allusions to other books and contemporary culture, just as Alice. Do you agree?"
Ruth, that captures NEVERWHERE so well. I stopped reading fantasy novels because more than 90 percent seem to be based on some medieval world that, to begin with, is not very interesting and then have some tired old fantasy elements added to that world. Gaiman approaches fantasy in a different way and it often works out great. And NEVERWHERE is one novel where everything just clicks.
I haven't read Neverwhere, but I did really enjoy American Gods (which is on the schedule for the second half of this year, so I'll have the chance to re-read it; yea!). I also recently read the collection of short pieces called Smoke and Mirrors; it's worth reading for the story "We can get them for you wholesale" alone. I agree that Gaiman is not typical of the genre fiction he gets shelved with, and (for me at least) this is a really good thing.
My fondness for American Gods was why I just knew Ruth's opinion of Ocean at the End of the Lane would not apply for me. I really, really liked that book! (Don't know if I will reread, it will probably be a snap decision.)
I think that Gone Girl is what the Brits call a "Marmite" book. Love or hate it. I gave it a five star rating. I just read a few reviews of it on GR, Nicholas Sparks's being one. He also gave it a five star rating, comparing it to Alfred Hitchcock's work. I thought the comparison appropriate, as I grew up watching his television shows.So, in essence, to each their own kettle of fish. :)
Still reading Angle of Repose, I wish I could love this as I loved Stegner's Crossing to Safety. Quite often, I just wish he'd get on with it.
I loved AMERICAN GODS and didn't really care very much for OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE. The latter was just a disappointment, but it is just a matter of tastes.
Larry wrote: "I loved AMERICAN GODS and didn't really care very much for OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE. The latter was just a disappointment, but it is just a matter of tastes."I started and put aside Ocean At The End of The Lane, but enjoyed American Gods. Also loved Neverwhere.
I finished the Black book, wow what a treat. The Black-Eyed Blonde: A Philip Marlowe Novel. Now because everyone enjoyed Neverwhere so much, I downloaded it and have started it today.
If you get a chance to do Neverwhere as an audio book, it's a real treat. Gaiman's reading is a marvelous performance.
Larry wrote: "I loved AMERICAN GODS and didn't really care very much for OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE. The latter was just a disappointment, but it is just a matter of tastes."Same here. Loved Neverwhere, enjoyed American gods, and got disappointed by the ocean at the end of the line.
Read one of the only biographies available on Peter O'Toole, by Michael Freedland. Very chatty, but I can't believe nobody has done a full-scale bio on this great actor yet.
Just finished Hilary Mantel's memoir Giving Up the Ghost. Disclaimer that I've never read anything if hers before; historical fiction isn't generally my thing. This one seemed rather grim to me, but her fans may like it, and her experience may resonate with some folks.
I just finished reading Memoirs of Bad Dog which I chose to read as part of a challenge with the other group. It was light, fun read, written from the perspective of dog trying to prove his loyality and undo a mistake against his human companion. The author did a fair job indeed n I liked how Bogart (the protagonist) evolves from being a meek domesticated dog to the a determined and courageous fighter. I am not too diverse in my likings for all kinds of books, so far as my biased goes, this one gets two stars. For doglovers it is though a recommendation :)
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt – 5***** This is an emotional coming-of-age story, set in 1987 when a diagnosis of AIDS was a certain death sentence. I liked the very personal story of one family’s response to this issue, and particularly how Brunt used an innocent child to concentrate on the love and admiration for the person, rather than the disease that killed him. I really liked the final resolution of the story, though I was distressed by certain aspects. However, the emotional impact of the story completely carried me away, and it’s on the strength of that reaction that I give it 5 stars.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished A Kings Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman and loved it!The trouble is it is always hard to find a book that measures up...Bu I have started 'My Enemy's Tears.'
Just finished The Martian and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and I enjoyed both quite a lot. Reading now Changes and so far, not a great book, but at least it's not a drag.
Raúl G. wrote: "Just finished The Martian and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and I enjoyed both quite a lot. Reading now Changes and so far, not a great book, but ..."
I loved The Martian, too.
Just finished Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity A pitiless observation of the Indian garbage pickers who dwell in abject poverty. Boo details their lives unsentimentally; the filth, rat bites, desperation and particularly the endemic corruption that infiltrates every area from the orphanage where the nun sells items donated for the children, the police station where beatings are commonplace, the hospital where care is dependent on bribes and even then rarely supplied, the schools where teachers hold classes only when the authorities visit, to the dwellers themselves who are victimized by their own leaders such as Asha who rises to some prominence through graft, deals and sleeping with political toadies. Suicide is frequent, often by rat poison, compassion is understandably rare. Especially moving are the boy thief Sunil who feels that a bad life is still a life, and Manju who attends college and expects to be the first of the slum dwellers to graduate, though instead of following the career of a teacher, she chooses to join her mother’s political scams. Like most girls, her future may include an arranged marriage. The Annawadi dwellers fear the government will demolish their huts to extend the airport, though modern, but tiny, apartments are being promised. Forced to be ingenuous, the inhabitants find ways to survive. Boo brings a reporter’s sharp eye to the task of portraying what seems a hopeless situation. The story is unforgettable and disturbing.
Joan wrote: "Just finished Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity A pitiless observation of the Indian garbage pickers who dwell in abject poverty. Boo detail..."Powerful book. Well written. I had to keep convincing myself that I wasn't reading a novel. Were you around last year when it was an official Reading List book? Here's a link to the discussion. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I'll definitely look over the discussion. I never seem to be able to read anything "to order" which makes me shy away from discussions and book clubs...but I do enjoy reading what others have to say.
Cateline wrote: "Also How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny...review here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."I love this series!
Joan wrote: "Just finished Gone Girl which I disliked for reasons stated below. I had similarly mixed feelings about Flynn's earlier books too. I liked this book up till the first big plot twist..."The last third of this book made me pissed off I'd wasted my time reading the first two thirds.
Finished The Bright Forever
-- meh. Reading
Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures and The King's Concubine: A Novel of Alice Perrers
and enjoying both. Just finished the last released in Louise Penny's Three Pines series and the next one can't come out soon enough!
Jennifer wrote: "Joan wrote: ".The last third of this book made me pissed off I'd wasted my time reading the first two thirds. ."Me,too!
I too loved The Martian. It's almost a badly titled book in that my first thought at the title was that it was standard sci-fi, but it's so much better than just that. Yes, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity is unforgettable.
Just finished The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny. Its ultimate findings are interesting, however the forward pretty much sums up what one can expect, first a quote from E.B. White, then a statement:
"Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."
Let's kill some frogs.
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Constant Reader
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