Books on the Nightstand discussion
What are you reading May 2014
I finished all the books for Asheville Booktopia with a five star read!
Eric wrote: "I finished all the books for Asheville Booktopia with a five star read!"
Good! If I have any questions I'll know who to ask.
I just bought that for my daughter for her birthday. But it's not until June 14. Best keep it in the shipping box so I'm not tempted.
I want to hold off 'til summer, too, but not sure if I'll be able to!Victoria wrote: "I just bought that for my daughter for her birthday. But it's not until June 14. Best keep it in the shipping box so I'm not tempted."
Sue wrote: "I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but I'm looking for a recommendation based on some recent reading. I'm halfway through All the Light We Cannot See, which I started ..."Hi Sue -- would love to know what you think of "All the Light We Cannot See" when you finish.
Sue, I love WW II, especially the 'people stories,' fiction and nonfiction. I read Motherland a few months ago, and it was pretty good. Some of my other faves were Those Who Save Us (Jenna Blum--I met her and have signed copy!), and The Invisible Bridge (Julie Orringer) is fabulous. I have so many other favorite that maybe you might like to look at my WW II shelves.
I finished WE ARE NOT OURSELVES at 2 this morning, and I woke up with swollen eyes and a headache from crying. What a fantastic book it was. I can't wait to hear what everyone else thinks.
Sue, nonfiction-wise, I just happened to recall how much I enjoyed Blood and Banquets by Bella Fromme. She actually shows up in Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts, too. You might also like On Hitler's Mountain, The Zookeeper's Wife, and A Woman in Berlin, Eight Weeks in a Conquered City. Fiction-wise, I also loved Suite Francaise and The Complete Maus.
It was slow to start for me - maybe too much hype - but the second half has me riveted. Gayle wrote: "Sue wrote: "I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but I'm looking for a recommendation based on some recent reading. I'm halfway through All the Light We Cannot See, whic..."
Thank you, Denise - I would love to hunt on your shelves!Denise wrote: "Sue, I love WW II, especially the 'people stories,' fiction and nonfiction. I read Motherland a few months ago, and it was pretty good. Some of my other faves were Those Who Save Us (Jenna Blum--I ..."
Thank you - so many wonderful suggestions! Denise wrote: "Sue, nonfiction-wise, I just happened to recall how much I enjoyed Blood and Banquets by Bella Fromme. She actually shows up in Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts, too. You might also like On Hi..."
You're welcome, Sue. I get really obnoxious when it comes to WW II books. Lol I just love so many of them.
Denise wrote: "Sue, I love WW II, especially the 'people stories,' fiction and nonfiction. I read Motherland a few months ago, and it was pretty good. Some of my other faves were Those Who Save Us (Jenna Blum--I ..."I am drawn to this genre also & the 2 books you named are 2 of my favorites….I just got a net galley for We Are Not Ourselves...
Becky, Jenna Blum's book started my craze. When I was with Borders I was able to bring her to St. Louis for a signing. It was a thrill for me, and she is super nice.Can't wait to hear your thoughts on We Are Not Ourselves.
Shannon wrote: "I just finished (and was so charmed by)Mrs. Hemingway 
."I need to get my hands on this one. Big Hemingway fan, though I haven't read him in years. Listened to an interview Wood did on the You Wrote the Book podcast and knew this would be a must read for me.
Mod
Gerald, Yes, the character is named after Wallace Stegner whom Peter Heller talked of as the ultimate novel writer.
I just started reading
by Michael Chabon. I just heard him on a BBC Radio podcast talking about this novel a few days ago. Has anyone read him or this novel? This is my first time reading him.Marion
I read a novel called Stoner by John Williams, regarded by some critics as a modern classic (published in 1965, recently reprinted). It's not a novel in which there's a lot of action or the characters are especially likable (or not); it's more of a slice of life, which for many people, like the title character, is not marked by great triumphs but many disappointments but at least some degree of satisfaction in work well done. It was the May selection for one of my book clubs, and we all liked it but were all rather surprised that we did. The quality of the writing sets it apart.I also recently read The Twelve by Justin Cronin, the second of his Passage trilogy. it had been several years since I read the first volume, so it took me a while to get up to speed with the retuning characters and remember some key elements of the plot from the first one that were relevant to the second. The final volume will be published this fall; I'll try to get to it as soon as it's published so that i won't forget the key characters and events.
I started listening to the audio of J.K Rowling's Casual Vacancy but disliked it almost immediately and very quickly abandoned it. I don't fault Rowling for wanting to break away from the Harry Potter universe, but this book certainly didn't do anything for me. Luckily I have several audiobooks that promise to be much better.
Listening to and reading(trying that again)
I have always been interested in Hollywood actors and directors who went to war although this is about the top directors what went. Actors like David Niven
and Jimmy Stewart and especially Clark Gable who flew in a bomber on combat missions put their lives on the line at the height of their careers.
Just finished
Wow! Will be recommending this to everyone! Just started
and it grabbed me by the end of page one. So far 2014 has been filled with terrific reads. Eric, so impressed that you've already read all of the books for Asheville. This is my goal as well but I've only completed one! Can't wait to see everyone attending Booktopia Asheville...
If I couldn't drag myself past page 5 or so of Seating Arrangements, is it possible I might still like Astonish Me? I've heard so many good things...Karen wrote: "Just finished
Wow! Will be recommending this to everyone! Just started and it grabbed me by the end of page one. So far 2014 has ..."
Karen wrote: "Just finished Wow! Will be recommending this to everyone! Just started and it grabbed me by the end of page one. So far 2014 has ..."My box of books for Booktopia Asheville arrived recently, and i'm eager to get started. I have a few other priorities to read first, one of which happens to be from Booktopia Vermont just be coincidence. Next month I'll get to nominate selections for a book club's July pick, and I think I'll offer the entire Booktopia list. One of the other members asks us to choose from her daughter's high school summer reading list, so I guess it's fair for me to turn to MY summer reading list!
A bit off topic for this thread, but are there lists on the BOTNS site with the reading lists for each Booktopia location this year? I looked a few weeks ago and didn't see any.
Sue wrote: "If I couldn't drag myself past page 5 or so of Seating Arrangements, is it possible I might still like Astonish Me? I've heard so many good things...Karen wrote: "Just finished [bookcover:We Were..."
I recommend picking up a copy at a bookstore and reading the first few pages. If you enjoy the beginning I guarantee (almost) that you'll enjoy this novel.
Like Victoria, I'd like to see the book lists for Booktopia, especially Asheville. Where can we find them?
Mod
Vermont
Gail Caldwell
New Life, No Instructions 
A Strong West Wind 
Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship
Diet Recipes: Cook Your Way To Losing Weight Kelly Corrigan
Glitter and Glue
The Middle Place
LiftJohn Demos
The Heathen School: A Story of Hope and Betrayal in the Age of the Early Republic
The Enemy Within: 2,000 Years of Witch-hunting in the Western World
Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England
A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony
Circles and Lines: The Shape of Life in Early America
Remarkable Providences: Readings on Early American History
Past, Present, and Personal: The Family and the Life Course in American History
The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early AmericaP.S. Duffy
The Cartographer of No Man's LandBruce Holsinger
A Burnable BookJennifer McMahon
The Winter PeopleLinn Ullmann
The Cold SongRupert Thomson
Secrecy 
Divided Kingdom 
The Insult BOULDER
Justin Go
The Steady Running of the Hour: A Novel Peter Heller
The Painter
The Dog StarsKristi Helvig
Burn OutColin McAdam
A Beautiful TruthJonathan Miles
Want Not 
Dear American AirlinesTaraShea Nesbit
The Wives of Los AlamosASHEVILLE
Krista Bremer
My Accidental JihadWiley Cash
This Dark Road to Mercy
A Land More Kind Than HomeKim Church
Denise Kiernan
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War IIAriel Lawhon
The Wife, the Maid, and the MistressE. Lockhart
We Were LiarsAnthony Marra
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Linda wrote: "This is a list that I made from the author list for each Booktopia. I usually included the most recent book by an author. It does not
always include all an author's books.
Vermont
[author:Gai..."
Thanks Linda!
Thanks so much, Linda. Now I see why some titles are being mentioned frequently.
now that has a little bit of a jaw dropping finish.
I finished The Steady Running of the Hours. I was not sure how it was going to end, but once it got there, it seemed to me that the ending fit the storyline. During the course of the story, I changed my mind on how I wanted the book to conclude. I think that the author did excellent work covering Ashley's WWI ordeals and and the Everest expedition of 1924. Now I have started Salem's Lot. It surely is different than what I have just finished, but Stephen King writes books that I find hard to put down.
I started and finished that yesterday (crazy I know), Becky. It was very good. I thought so many of the scenes were written so well, so true to life.
This week I've been reading The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler. I have a bit of an addiction to Scandanavian crime novels-- have enjoyed the works of Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, and Steig Larssen, so I thought I'd give this one a go. It's not bad, but it's not quite as good as the others. I suspect it might be the result of the translation--it's a bit clunky, in my opinion.
Just finishing Elizabeth Berg's Ordinary Life: Stories; 150 pp into Americanah (SO GOOD!) and have Canada by Richard Ford on my nightstand. Summer reading will include a classic or two - maybe I will FINALLY dive into Anna Karenina - what do you think? Russian lit too heavy for June/July??
Just gobbled up the latest two Elizabeth George mysteries.....now will have to find a new mystery author to devour. Loading Asheville books onto my Kindle today to begin reading. No cause for distress...I will buy books again at Malaprops Booktore, have them signed and shipped. Supporting Booktopia authors twice, great indie bookstore, and ailing US Post Office! :)
Just finished Last Things, which I sought out after devouring Dept. of Speculation a month or so ago. I really enjoyed it. I think Jenny Offill's writing is great and she's really good at creating a vivid sense of place. The story, narrated by the eight year old daughter of an unbalanced mother and a slightly less unbalanced father, is both sad and whimsical. It felt like magic realism in places, but really, there wasn't any magic, just the strange, kaleidoscope lens through which childhood is often filtered. I also just finished the audiobook of All the Light We Cannot See. A very good, solidly written and well paced WWII novel, but a wee bit over-hyped in my opinion. I enjoyed it very much, but was not blown away.
I'm going to dip into some short stories by William Trevor and Lorrie Moore while I await the arrival of some books I ordered from the bottom end of my TBR: Bad Marie and Voice Over.
department of speculation is next on my list! and yay, another lorrie moore fan!my dry eyes are making it impossible to do any serious reading! i may consider an audiobook to finish out my VERY unproductive month. :(
Just finishing Seven Locks by Christine Wade,
sent to me by Liberty at RiverRun book store. It's my first book from the Paperback to the Future program (I've got a 6 month subscription), and I'm really enjoying it.
Russian lit isn't too heavy . I'm making my way through The Brothers Karamazov.
Reading The Girls of Atomic City. On another note, how do you post pictures of the book?
Debbie wrote: "Reading The Girls of Atomic City. On another note, how do you post pictures of the book?"Debbie, when you're in the posting box, there's a link at the top right that says "add book/author". You click that and then you can choose between book or author tabs, search for book or author, and you can also choose to do a link to the Goodreads page for the book (so just the hyperlink title appears) or you can choose to link to the cover of the book. The author tab works the same, with the author's name or his/her photo.
Like this:
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II
by Denise Kiernan
Victoria wrote: "Debbie wrote: "Reading The Girls of Atomic City. On another note, how do you post pictures of the book?"Debbie, when you're in the posting box, there's a link at the top right that says "add boo..."
Thanks!
I finished
The Middle Place and now am working on Bingo books. I restarted
We Were Liars which will count as either Young Adult or Published in 2014. ( not both). Or is it Middle Grade?
Eric wrote: "I finished all the books for Asheville Booktopia with a five star read!"
Eric wrote: "
I finished all the books for Asheville Booktopia with a five star read!"
Ditto - Just finished it!
Books on the Nightstand
Books mentioned in this topic
A Burnable Book (other topics)We Were Liars (other topics)
The Middle Place (other topics)
We Were Liars (other topics)
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Denise Kiernan (other topics)Elizabeth Berg (other topics)
Jo Nesbø (other topics)
Stieg Larsson (other topics)
Henning Mankell (other topics)
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Victoria wrote: "Sue, you may want to check out The History Book Club here on good reads. It is an amazing wealth of information on every conceivable history topic. I'm sure they must have a thread dedicated to Hit..."