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message 151:
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Mary
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Oct 12, 2022 12:02PM
P.S. My comment on Disgrace, at least 9 or 10 years ago was, “As usual, a dark and joyless Coetzee novel but oh, so beautifully written.”
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‘Disgrace’ was my first encounter with Coetzee, so I didn’t really go in with any expectations. But I 100% concur with your comment, it is so well written and easy to read, maybe even deceptively simple, but just brutal.I know it challenged me a lot especially with regard to the protagonist who is difficult to sympathetic with, to say the least. It asks a lot of questions about punishment and salvation, and the ‘Othering’ that he experiences is especially fascinating in terms of the political context in which it was written. I learned a lot about post-Apartheid South Africa through reading around the book, and I think his meditations on Byron and on dogs, and the use of and contemplation of grammar within I think elevated the narrative.
Rachel and Catherine, welcome. This is the best online group. I love it and hope you will too.
Welcome, Catherine. Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is a favorite of mine as well--right up there with We Have Always Lived in the Castle." If I may be presumptuous, after your studies of literature, what five "literary" books do you most enjoy/identify with?
That is always a difficult question and my answers are ever-changing. Excluding HILL HOUSE, which I think I love in part because I relate TOO much to Eleanor, I think that if I had to choose five, I would go with:-- The Mill on the Floss - I think Eliot is incredible in general and so fun to read, and this one blew me away the first time I read it. Similarly to The Haunting of Hill House, it has a protagonist who doesn’t conform to the standards expected of her, and can’t be allowed to survive. Just the way Eliot builds on the idea of determinism and uses water imagery throughout the book is engaging too.
- New Grub Street - I love a pessimistic fin de siècle novel, it’s brutal and a great insight into the harsh literary world of London.
- The Gap in the Curtain - I am a big fan of time travel narratives and any book that sprung up in the aftermath of JW Dunne’s An Experiment with Time. It’s such an engaging theory and makes for great literature. The book is also just humorous and satirical, which I think makes it stand out from the rest.
- Outer Dark - Big McCarthy fan, I wrote my dissertation on his work. I could choose any novel of his, but I think Outer Dark. There seems to be a theme with this list, a preoccupation with determinism. I enjoy how McCarthy forces the reader to reckon with how bleak and nihilistic his world is.
- Eggshells - This is more contemporary and one I find relatable. The protagonist is delightful and the way in which Lally uses maps to explore the city of Dublin is distinctive while still in line with a greater tradition within Irish literature.
Thanks so much, Catherine. My TBR piles just grew.
Hello, everyone! I am excited to join this group. I've tried to limit myself to only a few groups (this is my third) because I do like to read with my groups and engage with the discussion. I read a lot of fiction -- a good mix of classics, award winners, random bits of genre fiction, and a lot of 20th and 21st century literature. Maybe about 10 or 15 percent of what I read is non-fiction, and I've a strong preference for science, medicine, history of both, letters, journals, diaries. If I might, Catherine: I love time travel narratives as well. Would you share some of your favorites? I saw the ones you mentioned above and added them to my TBR, but I am always looking for more.
Welcome to Constant Reader, Erika. After reading your intro note, I'm pretty sure you are going to like it here. Since you enjoy time travel books, I'm hoping you will join our discussion of Kindred by Octavia Butler this month. It starts on the 15th but our discussions never end so you're welcome to join in when you can.
Welcome from me, too, Erika. Constant Reader has been in my life for decades! I don't participate as much as I used to, but I'm hoping to change that.
I’m Glenda and I live in Phoenix Arizona. I have been retired for a few years and have traveled the country in our RV. Due to age, we have had to give up our travels. We are living permanently in our 40’ Class A bus. My main hobby is, of course reading. I dabble in crafts a little and enjoy playing cards with friends.
Welcome Glenda. I'm a retired teacher/principal. I look forward to hearing from you. What do you enjoy reading?
Hi Glenda! Hope you'll jump right into whatever interests you.
A question about Zoom, — does CR ever invite authors to the Zoom meetings?Dan posted a poem by Denise M Rogers in the poetry discussion.
It raised some problems for me so I wrote my questions to her. She responded graciously and said she would be happy to speak with all of us by zoom. Is that a CR thing?
a portion of her response…
“I hope this helps, and I am happy to discuss the poem further or meet with your group over Zoom if you like. I'm just so excited that someone in New York found the poem and reached out to me.
How did you come across it? Was it in my book, The Scholar's Daughter?”
I'm sorry I missed the zoom session yesterday. I was completely transfixed by coverage of what was happening in the Tennessee legislature. Before I knew it, it was already 7pm (and we went out to dinner).
Oops, I missed it too. I was preparing a meal for Passover and was too busy. I did think about it Thursday morning and thinking I would take a break at that time, and forgot all about it.Yes, BC, what happened in the Tennessee legislature was deplorable. How can anyone who loves our country call themselves a Republican these days?
Hi Everyone I am Maureen, I live in a retirement community and love to read.
I love to read books and reviews. I look forward to reading your monthly reads, and chatting with you.
Welcome, Maureen! I saw your request to join and instantly knew you would love Constant Reader. Glad to have you here.
Hi Maureen and welcome to CR. I’m sure you’ll feel right at home with this readerly group.
Not everything about Goodreads is great, but Co stunt Reader is. Nice people. Sometimes it gooses me to read a book I might have procrastinated on.
I think you'll really enjoy it here, Maureen. Welcome.
Thank you Alan and Gina I look forward to reading with this group.
Greetings! My name is Joy and I live in northern Nevada. I have a background in science, technology, finance, and management consulting. My reading has exploded in recent years. My primary interests are literary fiction, historical fiction, and non-fiction. I enjoy reading classics and notice that your bookshelf is overflowing with them. I look forward to participating!
Welcome, Joy D! Your reading interests dovetail perfectly with this site. I think you are going to like it here.
Joy D wrote: "Greetings! My name is Joy and I live in northern Nevada. I have a background in science, technology, finance, and management consulting. My reading has exploded in recent years. My primary interest..."Glad you found us, Joy D. Constant Reader has been "my" bookclub since I first found it years ago. Welcome.
Thank you! It's great to be here. I'm looking through the many threads.
Welcome Joy, I hope you enjoy this wonderful group.
Hi, Joy D! Nice to see you here.
Hi, I’m Lori from Florida’s west coast and I am happy to start reading and participating in conversations about the books in Constant Reader. I’m an artist and designer who loves to read, paint and draw. I love dogs of all sorts and love walking and playng with my two pugs.Since I’m new to this group, I’d like to know how much time we have to read the chosen book each month before it starts getting discussed. I just got the email about The Heart’s Invisible Furies and have begun reading it but saw that discussion starts on Nov. 15th. Could someone let me know how it works? The book has 580 pages so I won’t be able to read it quickly. Thanks!
Welcome Lori! Discussions for Reading List books start on the 15th of the month, and Classics Corner books start on the 1st. The full schedule is posted in the top thread of each conference, so you can see the list for 6 months at a time (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...). We'll be voting soon on the list for January - June of 2024. You can also see the books that will be discussed in the nearest upcoming month on the group Home page. Don't worry if you're not done reading by the 15th - discussions generally go on for a while here, and they never expire. They may include spoilers, though, so you might want to wait until you're done reading to check out the discussion if spoilers bother you. Sometimes we have people join a discussion months (or even years) after they originally started.
Thanks so much for clueing me in about how the group works, Lynn! I totally get it now! I've been a goodreads member for a very long time, but haven't been active in ages. I'll look at the current list and will keep an eye out when the voting starts for the 2024 books.
Welcome to Constant Reader, Lori. So glad you want to be in on the discussions. The voting actually opened last night! Look under the Reading List conference for the topic Nominations List - January to June 2024. We really want the votes from people who want to be there for the discussions.
Thanks, Barbara! I’m looking forward to reading a lot more and participating in the group. I’veI only just checked out The Heart’s Invisible Furies from the library so I’ll be late to the party for that one. I’ve voted for the books I’d like to read from the Jan-June list and am eager to learn what the majority chooses!
Hi Tonya! Looking forward to getting to know other readers in the group. Nice to meet you!
It's good to have you hear Lori. I think you'll love Constant Reader.
I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for the welcome, Gina.
Constant Reader
Books mentioned in this topic
The Mill on the Floss (other topics)The Gap in the Curtain (other topics)
Eggshells (other topics)
The Haunting of Hill House (other topics)
An Experiment with Time (other topics)
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