Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
What Are You Reading Now (anything goes) 2017
Sounds like a thumbs down, overall!
I said to my friend well its kinda dark and depressing . She goes well did it have a happy ending..? Well I had to think about it. The first character died and so did one of the sisters..it ended with one of the daughters falling over when she was elderly and then having flashbacks. Her son then rescues her..hes the one that becomes a minister. So I dont know. Its kind of like Gone with the Wind when scarlett is dumped by Rhett. You know it would happen because shes that sort of person but tomorrow is another day. A survivor.
At least in this one she doesnt throw herself under a train.
Sounds like you need something a little more uplifting to read!
Mod
4 stars
The book In Cold Blood was based on the murders of the Clutter family in Kanasas by Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Edward Smith. Around the time of the Clutter murder there was another family in Florida that remains unsolved. The author forms a hypothesis that the murders were done by the same people. This is a short e-book on Kindle.
Koren wrote: "In Colder Blood by J.T. Hunter4 stars
The book In Cold Blood was based on the murders of the Clutter family in Kanasas by Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Edward Smith. Around the..."
Did the author convince you?
Mod
4 stars
The book In Cold Blood was based on the murders of the Clutter family in Kanasas by Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Edward Smi..."
Yes. I would say I am about 98% convinced. Hickock and Smith were seen in Florida around the time of the murders. Both murders were similar, including the fact that in both families the mother, father and two children were killed and in a similar manner.
Little Miss Princess by Roger Hargreaves.Some light hearted reading for a change, and its on royalty! :-)
Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Koren wrote: "In Colder Blood by J.T. Hunter4 stars
The book In Cold Blood was based on the murders of the Clutter family in Kanasas by Richard Eugene Hickock and..."
Ordered it.
I am right in the middle of, and loving, two fictional works: Micro and Fuzz.
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
Bill Bryson
4.5/5 stars
Bill Bryson is a enjoyable writer and I was not disappointed in this book originally released in 1990. You would think that a book on the English language would be as dry as toast but I found it fascinating and Bryson's writing made it a joy to read. I especially got a kick out of the chapter on Word Play and there were sections that just made me laugh out loud. The section on Names was also quite interesting and dealt with meanings of words that are not the same in different countries like when Standard Oil was thinking about to changing its name to Enco till they learned the enco meant stalled car in Japan. Highly recommended!
Memoirs of a Mangy Lover by Groucho Marx.
Re-reading this for about the twentieth time, it helps if you read it as though he was narrating it as an audio book.
Re-reading this for about the twentieth time, it helps if you read it as though he was narrating it as an audio book.
Mod
Re-reading this for about the twentieth time, it helps if you read it as though he was narrating it as an audio book."
I love Groucho. We need more comedy like them, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett. Too bad so many people think it is pretty lame today.
Mod
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
Bill Bryson
4.5/5 stars
Bill Bryson is a enjoyable writer a..."
I think I would like that book. I'm always wondering who decided how a word should be spelled or pronounced. For instance, who decided there should be a there, their and they're. Just yesterday I asked my daughter-in-law Autumn who decided there should be an N at the end of autumn.
Koren wrote: "Just yesterday I asked my daughter-in-law Autumn who decided there should be an N at the end of autumn. "It was the same committee that decided "autumnal" had a better ring to it than "autum-ish."
Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
Bill Bryson
4.5/5 stars
Bill Bryson is a enjo..."
I think you would enjoy this book. He is so interesting and he does discuss spelling of words.
Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything
Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
4/5 stars
Armstrong discusses the phenomenon of the continued fan obsession of the Seinfeld show despite having ended in 1998 and its influence on American culture till this very day. The book is definitely geared to Seinfeld fans and from a few reviews that I read of this book, it covers some material already covered in other books on the show of which there are quite a few. I have not read any of the other books but I found this book very interesting and it has inspired me to re-watch the series again.
The Middlesteins
Jami Attenberg
4/5 stars
Set in Chicago and the nearby suburbs, we find a Jewish family that is falling apart. When Edie, an accountant and her husband, Richard Middlestein, a pharmacist, separate the children are appalled and it affects the lives of all including their grandchildren and friends. This was a fascinating, quick read for me and I love the ending which is probably one of the most realistic endings I have read in a while.
Mod
5 stars
Well-written true crime about a group of guys that were tied together through a fitness business in Miami and decided they could get rich by torturing wealthy people until they signed all their assets over to them and then killing them. They may have gotten away with it for a longer time if one of their victims hadn't lived to tell about it. And yet there is a plot twist where the police didn't believe this person and so more people died. It is unbelievable what these men did to their victims and not for the faint of heart.
So Big
Edna Ferber
4/5 stars
Edna Ferber's So Big though written in 1924 is still a wonderful and relate-able read to modern readers. It follows the story of Selina Peake DeJong, who after losing her father has to make over her life while coping with a change of fortune. She ends up in a farm community teaching their children and falling in love with a young farmer and supporting the artistic talents of a young neighbor. Despite hard times she puts her whole life into her family's farm and raising her son who is her pride and joy but who will make choices he eventually will regret.
Julie wrote: "So Big
Edna Ferber
4/5 stars
Edna Ferber's So Big though written in 1924 is still a wonderful and relate-able read to modern readers. It foll..."
I read this one years ago! I can also relate to my namesake..which is not very common. I wonder if other people like to read about characters that share their names?
Selina wrote: "Julie wrote: "So Big
Edna Ferber
4/5 stars
Edna Ferber's So Big though written in 1924 is still a wonderful and relate-able read to modern rea..."
I don't purposefully look for books that have characters with my name but I do get a kick out of it unless they are a terrible person!
Julie have you read Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of LivingI think it was about a girl named Julie's obssesion to cook like Julia Child. It got made into a movie starring Meryl Streep.I saw the movie but didnt read the book by Julie Powell, she did write another one in which she tried her hand at being a butcher, it was called Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession. I think Julie had issues with obssession...
Mod
5 stars
If you like to travel to places where crimes have happened, all of the crime buff guides are very helpful. A lot of the places in the book are not open to the public so that might be a bit disappointing. Short ( a few paragraphs to a couple of pages long) articles of crimes that happened in the state of Pennsylvania. Some are well-known and some are not. A well-researched book about crimes in Pennsylvania from the 1700's to the present.
Selina wrote: "Julie have you read Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of LivingI think it wa..."Yes, I did read that and I enjoyed it and saw the movie. I did not read her other book but I ended up reading a book on Julia Child which I enjoyed which was My Life in France.
Another couple of food related biographies that I loved were-
Sweet and Low- A Family Story by Rich Cohen, Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life Of Wealth, Empire and Utopian Dreams by Michael D. Antonio and
Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man by Mark Kurlansky
Torn in Two, Michael Schumacher4 stars
This is the story of how the "witch of November" took out another cargo ship on the Great Lakes, a few years before the 'Mighty Fitz' went down in almost identical circumstances. In this case there was a single unlikely survivor and we hear his story along with that of the sister ship, the same size and design, that shipped out with this one but made it home in one piece. A scary, gripping read.
Cybill Disobedience: How I Survived Beauty Pageants, Elvis, Sex, Bruce Willis, Lies, Marriage, Motherhood, Hollywood, and the Irrepressible Urge to Say What I ThinkIm about to start this,I didnt look it up untill after I ordered it and could only find negative reviews so Im not too hopeful (I hate the cover)
But Cybill seems brutally honest to me in the few interviews ive seen by her,she doesnt seem to care what others think of her- which i love and is bound to get her some haters so Im hoping thats whats sparked the negativity and that the book is atleast somwhat entertaining.
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn. Yes, ANOTHER Jim Jones biography. But it digs deeper than any other I've read, and encompasses the bios of a lot of Peoples Temple members I've never even heard of before. I'm reading it with Who Died on November 18, 1978 in the Jonestown, Guyana Mass Murder-Suicides open next to me and finding face after face in there.
I rewatched a documentary about jonestown just last night actually- i havent read any books about it yet but I have some on my wish list! fascinating yet disturbing beyond belief😐
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Claire North
4/5 stars
Lead character, Harry August is born a kalachakra which is a person who lives multiple but not infinite lives. When he dies, his life is reset and he is reborn to live his life again. Harry does not have a boring life and has encountered a similar kalachakra, Vincent Rankis who is bent on making a quantum mirror which could have devastating results for the Earth. Harry spends each of his lives tracking Vincent down in hopes of preventing a possible catastrophe that could be caused by Rankis with the only means possible of destroying him. Not a perfect book but very intriguing and thought provoking!
Julie wrote: "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Claire North
4/5 stars
Lead character, Harry August is born a k..."
I really liked that book, too.
Mod
5 stars
Interesting from beginning to end. The criminal starts out as a clean cut, All-American Mormon boy and for some reason went into a deep, dark abyss of mental illness that led to the deaths of several people. The investigation and courtroom is nicely condensed and not repetitive. I felt like i got to know the victims and was sorry for what they had to go through.
Hard Times
Charles Dickens
3/5 stars
The setting is the industrial age in England where money, machinery and materialism off sets relationships, love and respect of all humans. Mr. Thomas Gradgrind is a teacher and has taught his children and his students, the importance of hard work, facts and reality. This leads his daughter into an unfortunate loveless marriage and a son who becomes addicted to gaming. Things come to a head when a man who works at the local factory is eschewed for speaking his mind, forced to leave his job and accused of stealing.
I had a little difficulty with some of the language but there were references in the index for some of the vocabulary and sayings but otherwise I enjoyed the book.
Mod
4 stars
I had never heard of the Hiccup Girl but apparently she was a big deal when she was about 14 years old. She appeared on television and newspapers for a while. She had the hiccups for several months and when they suddenly went away her 15 minutes of fame was over. After that it was all downhill. The book raises the question: Did her fleeting fame have anything to do with her problems afterwards. The front cover tells us that she was later convicted of murder.
Koren wrote: "One Breath Away: The Hiccup Girl - From Media Darling to Convicted Killer by M. Williams Phelps4 stars
I had never heard of the Hiccup Girl but apparently she was a big deal when ..."
That story sounds so familiar.
Mod
3 stars
A quick read at 115 pages. Not a lot of detail here. There was no delving into background history with the victims and very little about the murderer. It was more 'first he killed this person and then he killed this person'. I did like that he attempted to get inside the mind of the killer. There are other books that go into more detail.
I dont really want to get into the mind of a killer or murderer Koren. Sure they were angry about someone or something but that doesnt mean you have to kill them and think that will solve the problem.
The very first murder happened because one brother was annoyed and jealous that his other brother got it right and he got it wrong.
I think people that resort to murder are living in darkness, and maybe so consumed with their own problems that they just dont see a way out.
On a different note, was reading some gardening books.
The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature's Salvation was interesting. Dont know about weeds taking over the planet is a good thing though but theres something to be said for migration. Not just plants and animals but humans too. I mean we all need to to live together and make it work I suppose. You cant completely eliminate weeds, which colonise spaces because its there. You just need to harvest them or know what function they have. Native doesnt necessarily mean better, I mean some of our prized native species in nz are weeds somewhere else. Possums which are protected in australia are treated as pests in nz! Thought provoking book.
Selina wrote: "The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature's Salvation was interesting. Dont know about weeds taking over the planet is a good thing though but theres something to be said fo..."Well, any plant growing where you don't want it to is a weed, right? Is this author seriously saying that the Cossack Asparagus choking out the cattails around the Great Lakes is a GOOD thing?
Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature's Salvation was interesting. Dont know about weeds taking over the planet is a good thing though but theres somethin..."He didnt mention cossack asparagus.
He would probably be of the opinion that the cat tails might be better off somewhere else and that the cossack asparagus is helping the environment recover from pollution in the lakes, its adding biodiversity providing habitats for animal species and that man should blame themselves for polluting the lake on the first place.
Mod
Sure they were angry about someone or something but that doesnt mean you have to kill them and think that will solve the prob..."
So Selina, are you saying if you read a book about a crime that you want just the facts and only the facts?
Selina wrote: "He would probably be of the opinion that the cat tails might be better off somewhere else and that the cossack asparagus is helping the environment recover from pollution in the lakes, its adding biodiversity providing habitats for animal species and that man should blame themselves for polluting the lake on the first place."I guess nobody ever told him that foreign species LOWER biodiversity. A native black walnut tree supports something like 450 local insect species in my state, which in turn feed the birds, and so on up the food chain. A Bradford pear, which is poisonous to local insects, supports nothing. In fact, it kills any insect that's fool enough to lay its eggs on the bark.
He's certainly right that people are to blame for the introduction of Cossack asparagus. But that doesn't mean the asparagus is a good thing!
I collect my copy of the Hiccough Girl tomorrow - a bit worried about the root cause of that one but any solutions to halt the hiccoughs included will be taken note of! (Been hic coughing everyday now since at least May 2015 - so a little over 2 years!)I have "Waterlog" to read at the moment - about a guy - author, Roger Deakin, - on a swimming journey around Britain! He was inspired by John Cheever's short story "The Swimmer," apparently, and Deakin's autobiographical account of his swim adventures will include the sea, rock pools, rivers, streams, tarns, lakes, lochs, ponds, lidos, swimming pools and spas, fens, dykes, moats, aqueducts, waterfalls, flooded quarries and canals. He apparently asserts the swimmers right to roam, or is it float.
Anyway I love swimming - an ideal form of exercise for many with the flexibility of focusing on building on certain areas of the body or working around problem areas - e.g. resting one leg and just using 2 arms and the other leg instead (useful if your hip hurts). A bit concerned about braving the depths like I used to though because a hiccough underwater could cause water inhalation 😩 💦 and it's awkward to anticipate them accurately or avoid them!
Sarah wrote: "I collect my copy of the Hiccough Girl tomorrow - a bit worried about the root cause of that one but any solutions to halt the hiccoughs included will be taken note of! (Been hic coughing everyday ..."I love to swim. Just being in the water makes my whole body melt-so relaxing.
Mod
Cant wait to hear what you have to say about the Hiccough (hiccup) girl. I just finished the book. She tried many things so I hope you get some ideas.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "I dont really want to get into the mind of a killer or murderer Koren. Sure they were angry about someone or something but that doesnt mean you have to kill them and think that will..."
No I just not interested in crime, it's evil.
We just say whoever killed someone is wrong.
A friends ex partners cousin and mum were shot in killed the other day by a tenant on a rental property. Im not particullarly interested in the state of mind of the killer' who ended up dead in house fire. He was angry. Thats all I know. Killing someone doesnt solve anything.
Its the victims lives that ought to be remembered, not the killers.
Fishface wrote: "Selina wrote: "He would probably be of the opinion that the cat tails might be better off somewhere else and that the cossack asparagus is helping the environment recover from pollution in the lake..."Well you can take it up with rhe author, if you read the book.
He might be one of those hippie envrionmentalists that embrace anything. He would probably say the bradford pears support heaps of wildlife if you dont restirct it to local or native species..and what is meant by local anyway...every species has to come from somewhere else. If you were to restrict every kind of species to native, there would only be native americans in america.
Koren, thank you for your thoughts and encouragement with the trying to solve the hiccough thing!
I hope to be inspired by ideas of solutions and not led down a dark path like this lady but rather challenged to make good choices.
The current book I am reading - Waterlog - has some lofty aspirations for any type of group who shares support with the example of the "Fellowship of Anglers" chronicles quoted, which I'll share here (already taken as quote)
"For let it here be recorded, that in this Club the good example of Izaak Walton, our Patron Saint, has been so invariably followed that no jealousy, no envying, no strife, no bickering has ever existed. the wish of an individual, whether expressed or implied, has been the Law of all; the happiness of each other has been the compass by which all have steered; no angry word, no selfish feeling has ever betrayed itself in our enviable circle. Every successive Meeting has been the means of uniting more firmly, if possible, that friendship and good fellowship which has manifested itself from beginning; which it has been the object of us all to encourage; which has been the unalloyed satisfaction of all to have experienced, and which, with hearts so constituted, must remain unshaken. Our Society may be dissolved by circumstances over which we have no control, but the friendship which our Meeting has established, and the remembrance of the many happy hours passed in the company of each other can only terminate with our lives."
These seem lofty aims for any group and remind me of the Society of friends/Quakers with talk of Meetings - my personal tutor at college was a Quaker.
Izaak Walton, incidentally, was born in Stafford (I'm a Staffordshire lass really) and is the author of "The Compleat Angler" as well as a friend of the vicar John Donne (another famous literary figure).
There is a tale of how a member of this eccentric Englishman's club caught a 6 pound pike (a minister of one of my congregations - Baptists - was a Mr Pike - gave good succinct sermons that you felt you gained something from - usually food related not fishing.) This fish, "landed by Mr Warburton on 18 July 1853 was found to contain in its stomach a 1-pound pike, a water vole, and a live crayfish 'which swam away merrily when restored to the water'."
This reminds me of the attempt of the ladies' group at my current Church (Anglican) fellowship meeting to find evidence for the account of Jonah and the whale with some human whale survival tales cited as evidence for the potential.
Anyway, hope to keep inspired in positive ways and will be collecting said Hiccough book today - plan to continue swim related accounts of Waterlog as a holiday book - go away for a week soon to the area of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne area so more chance to read for a time then perhaps!
Interesting Sarah.If I come across any true whale tales I will let you know.I have read one fictional account called Thor by Janice Marriot. The boy wasnt stuck inside a whale though. In the story he was just a whaler who longed for adventure.
Jonah was like the opposite! He wanted to stay at home.
Mr. Adam
Pat Frank
3/5 stars
In this science fiction satire written in 1946, we find Mr. Adam as the only man left in the world with the ability to sire children after a atomic plant explosion. He is whisked away to Washington to assist in impregnating women but the politicians leave him disgusted and he does the only thing he can think of to prevent him from being the only fertile man around. I think this story has held up pretty well and while not a perfect novel, I found it pretty entertaining.
Long Walk to FreedomNelson Mandela is an amazing inspiring human. the book is well written and take you to the heart of Apartheid. Highly recommend it if you need some boost to stand up for your right.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose (other topics)Hardball: How Politics Is Played, Told by One Who Knows the Game (other topics)
Escaping the Arroyo (other topics)
Stolen Lives: The Untold Stories of the Lawson Quins (other topics)
The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kate Alcott (other topics)Annie Hartnett (other topics)
Rachel Joyce (other topics)
David Mitchell (other topics)
Diane Setterfield (other topics)
More...
I do feel like I've read through someone's dirty laundry after finishing this book. Fiona Kidman is an acclaimed writer in NZ but this is the first book I've read of hers.
Basically it's mostly about women and their choices and lusts and then the inevitable consequences of their behaviours..i.e unplanned pregnancies, incest, alcoholism, drug abuse, escapism, adultery, fornication, homosexuality..it's all here with the backdrop of nz social history from the 50's up to the present day following a saga of one family through their mother's children (and love children).
I don't know what to make of it. I think I want to slap the mother who maybe read too many novels/watched too many movies and thought Anna Karenina was a romantic heroine.