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What I'm Reading JUNE 2014
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Larry
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Jun 01, 2014 03:28AM
Just finished Alan Cheuse's Listening to the Page: Adventures in Reading and Writing. Cheuse is one of my favorite reviewers, with his short pithy reviews both aired on NPR and also found in written form on the NPR web page. The book is part memoir and part a collection of longer reviews. There's one chapter that's a great look back at Thomas Wolfe and an exploration of why Wolfe has lost favor over the years.
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I seem to be on a detective/action kick lately. :)Last couple of days I've finished Slip & Fall by Nick Santora and Dance for the Dead, A Jane Whitefield Novel by Thomas Perry.
Here are my two reviews.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I love the Native American folklore that Perry intertwines into his Jane Whitefield novels.
Just finished Supreme Justice by Max Allen Collins. He was a new author to me, but he has received all sorts of awards, and is also a very successful screen writer. My review here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cateline,I like Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield series more than any of his other novels.
Hey Larry,I think I do too. However, I have to admit I really enjoyed his Butcher Boy trilogy.
Still working my way through Aubrey and Maturin. Doing the movie research. I did pick up a copy of David Brin's Existence.
You whet my appetite and made me look at my library hold position for The Invention of Wings, Book Concierge! I'm currently 17 of 140, guess it's a popular read!
I'm nearly finished with The Transcriptionist, which I plan on giving four stars. I've found myself invested in the protagonist, Lena, enjoy the satire of the newspaper biz from the point-of-view of a peripheral employee, and find the NYC background very well done. Main issue is that the plotting could be tighter, but it is a debut novel.
Cateline wrote: "Hey Larry,I think I do too. However, I have to admit I really enjoyed his Butcher Boy trilogy."
I think that the Butcher Boy trilogy is better written, but Jane Whitefield is just such a great character.
And I keep on working my way through James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. The end is drawing near in terms of already published volumes. I am now reading the 18th volume in the series, The Glass Rainbow. There is some repetition in the kind of perpetrators in these books, especially when it comes to women married to rich property owners, but that has not diminished my deep admiration for James Lee Burke's writing.
Ahhh, the Robicheaux series is great! A forum friend introduced me to it...must be at least 8 or 9 years ago. I have still only read up to In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead. What lyrical prose. The opening lines to Heaven's Prisoners has to the most gorgeous description of the Gulf of Mexico I've read.
Oddie wrote: "Just finished The Secret Garden. Now I'm starting to read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald."Hi Oddie
I too have the secret garden on my kindle cloud... it is a huge book if I remember correctly, been on my tbr for long..I hope to read it soon...wat did u think of this book??
Larry wrote: "And I keep on working my way through James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. The end is drawing near in terms of already published volumes. I am now reading the 18th volume in the seriesI'm about to start The Tin Roof Blowdown today. I usually listen to these and have always enjoyed Mark Hammer's voice. The last narrator was Will Patton, and it threw me for a loop. He's perfectly fine, but I was discombobulated. The Tin Roof Blowdown was given (or was it lent? I'll have to ask) to me by a friend, but I had to catch up on the series.
Sherry wrote: "Larry wrote: "And I keep on working my way through James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. The end is drawing near in terms of already published volumes. I am now reading the 18th volume in the s..."With the TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN, I felt that the Dave Robicheaux series had hit the modern times ... that's sort of funny because, now that it's almost ten years ago that that event (Katrina) happened. I think that it hit me like that because in a lot of the earlier books there's not something that you can tie the book to a particular year. In any case, it's a really good book.
Finished Stella Bain. As always, I love the way Anita Shreve writes and the characters she creates - their humanity and their complexity. This one has a very quiet ending.
I'm reading two right now, My Story by Ingrid Bergman and Alan Burgess and Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh.
Lyn wrote: "You whet my appetite and made me look at my library hold position for The Invention of Wings, Book Concierge! I'm currently 17 of 140, guess it's a popular read!"Yes, it took quite a while for the audio to arrive from the library. I sometimes request the LARGE PRINT edition, as it has fewer holds and, even with new releases, still allows 3 weeks (rather than 1 week).
Just finished The Yellow Birds Simultaneously lyrical and wrenching, this stunning novel of the effect the Iraq war has on a soldier is unforgettable. Powers, a former soldier and well-regarded poet, in his first novel, limns the horrors of battle with exquisite writing which serves to provide an almost unbearable contrast.. The story of Bart and Murph, portrays the depth of friendship that can develop when one’s life is on the line every day. The difficulty of re-entry into civilian life is believably presented. In fact, it is the authenticity of this book—the situations, the emotions—that makes one feel one has encountered a novel worthy of standing with the great psychological war stories like All Quiet on the Western Front or The Red Badge of Courage.
Finished Shovel Ready by Adam SternberghDifferent apocalyptic/dystopian.
Review here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Joan wrote: "Just finished The Yellow Birds Simultaneously lyrical and wrenching, this stunning novel of the effect the Iraq war has on a soldier is unforgettable. Powers, a former soldier and w..."Concur.
I just finished UNDER THE SKIN by Michael Faber (311 pp, 2000). It was made into a recent motion picture, and I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. It's a very strange, but fascinating novel. About a woman who drives the roads of the Scottish Highlands looking for large muscular man who are hitchhiking. She picks them up and engages them in conversation to see if they meet with her criteria. In the beginning the author gradually lets out hints about the woman and why she is doing this. Not a book for everyone, especially those who find Stephen King scary. But once you start reading, you will find it hard to stop until you reach the end.Marge
Marjorie wrote: "I just finished UNDER THE SKIN by Michael Faber (311 pp, 2000). It was made into a recent motion picture, and I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. It's a very strange, but fascinating nov..."I think maybe we read this as a CR book years ago. Not my cuppa.
I found The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers to be everything that Joan said it was. There are a lot of good books coming out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but most of them are nonfiction. I think that people will be reading this nook for a long, long time.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – 4****I re-read this in preparation for my F2F book club. What a delight! Even knowing the solution I was still engaged and enthralled. Christie was truly a master at her craft.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am reading The Interestings, which is the next CR discussion book. I am about half through and really enjoying it.
Larry wrote: "I found The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers to be everything that Joan said it was. There are a lot of good books coming out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but most of them are n..."The Yellow Birds reminded me, in a way, of the very good Vietnam war novel Paco's Story by Larry Heineman.
Joan wrote: "Just finished The Yellow Birds Simultaneously lyrical and wrenching, this stunning novel of the effect the Iraq war has on a soldier is unforgettable. Powers, a former soldier and w..."Joan, I read The Yellow Birds twice this spring. It is a powerful book. Brought home to me the awfulness of war in a visceral way that no book has ever done. Makes me think about desertion from a war as being perhaps the only sane response to some of what occurs.
Ann wrote: "I am reading The Interestings, which is the next CR discussion book. I am about half through and really enjoying it."I read The Interestings earlier this year and I really enjoyed it--much more actually than I thought I would.
Glad to hear that Joan. I tried it earlier this year when I checked it out from the library, but it didn't grab my interest and the book was due. This time, I kept at it and it's paid off.
About halfway through Harold Brodkey's brilliant Stories in an Almost Classical Mode.
At almost halfway through the audio of My Life in Middlemarch, I'm finding the going a bit tough, but not terribly so. I am very bad at recalling plot details of most novels after I've read them, retaining a vague idea, along with perhaps some highlights, so the author's periodic recap of points raised in the book helps a lot to jar my memory. I'm more interested in present-day events, both in the author's own story, and in her travels to sites in Eliot's life; the actual lit crit aspect seems geared towards serious classic Victorian lit fans, Eliot's in particular, which isn't really me (to that extent).
Oh, Middlemarch is my all time favorite book. I don't know if I'll like this, but I think I just might. I'm a big fan of literary tours as well. Several years ago, my friend and I did a Virginia Woolf-Vanessa Bell tour as well as a Jane Austen tour. Great fun.
In that case I think you'll truly appreciate the book quite a bit!
Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler – 4**** This is a novel of friendship, and of men growing to adulthood. Butler writes prose that is poetic and atmospheric. Each of the five main characters has a chance to narrate, so the reader gets some insight into each of their inner thoughts and feelings, and their observations on the others in the quintet. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy character-driven novels. The audio book features five performers, each voicing a different character in alternating chapters.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Anne Of Avonlea by L M Montgomery – 4****I am late to the party in regards to this series, having read Anne of Green Gables only a few years ago. But I immediately fell in love with Anne. Her enthusiasm for life and natural predilection for finding trouble continue to charm and engage readers a century later. The books are enjoyable for adults and children alike.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book Concierge wrote: " Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler – 4**** This is a novel of friendship, and of men growing to adulthood. Butler writes prose that is poetic and atm..."
I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it to several people.
Jean K.
I've finished Flags in the Dust by William Faulkner. God, that man could write. His books always leave me a bit breathless and a bit floaty. :) But in a good way. :)My review, here.... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Different Seasons by Stephen King – 4**** This is a collection of four short stories/novellas that do not fit neatly into the horror genre. Two have been made into the successful films The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me. Even though these are not horror stories, King still delivers his trademark tight plotting, graphically vivid scenes and memorable characters. They are stories that fire a reader’s imagination. And that, in a nutshell is why I love reading fiction in general, and King in particular.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jean wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: " Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler – 4**** ..."
I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it to several people.
Jean K.
I think this is one that I'll be buying several copies to give as gifts come Christmas ... or for Father's Day ...
I just started reading "Shift Happens! Critical Mass at 20" by Chris Carlsson
In the last couple of weeks, I've read one book on the Pope - Pope Francis: Untying the Knots - which seemed like a pretty fair treatment of his life through the first few months of becoming Pope. And also two mysteries:The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. I read these Armand Gamache books for the pleasure of his company, and for the descriptions of the food, but this one tried my patience.
A Duty To The Dead by Charles Todd. This is the first book in his/her/their Bess Crawford series and this one at least takes place smack in the middle of WWI - 1916, during the Battle of the Somme - while Army Nurse Bess is on leave for a broken arm. Lighter than the Ian Rutledge series and a less pretentious, though close to equally accomplished, version of Maisie Dobbs. (Apologies to the many Maisie fans here on CR!)
Cateline wrote: "I have started The First Man in Rome. By Colleen McCullough."Oh, how I loved her novel, The Thorn Birds ... oh, so many years ago. Let me know how this one is, Cateline. I actually have all seven of her MASTERS OF ROME book, of which THE FIRST MAN IN ROME is naturally the first ... but have never really thought about reading them.
I really like her style.....only about 120 pages in though. I already had four of the seven, so lately snagged two of the missing ones second hand. I don't know if I will pop for the last one, I have read enough about that pair. Can't stand Antony, what a putz.I read Thorn Birds way back when and loved it too.
To each his own. I tried Thorn Birds a couple of years ago, didn't make it past 50 pages, if that far.
Enjoyed reading Thorn Birds a million or so years ago. Tried the Roman series a couple years ago and quit after about 40 pages. Just didn't appeal to me. Might have been the subject and not the writing. I really didn't read enough to judge that.
Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – 5***** and a ❤Something very strange is going on at Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and Clay Jannon (with a little help from his friends) is determined to find the secret. This is a literary adventure, a fantasy quest, a tale of friendship, a coming-of-age story and an exploration of man’s search for meaning all in one. It pays homage to Old Knowledge while celebrating New Technology, and encourages us to look to the past while envisioning the future. The characters are strange and loveable, obtuse and insightful. And the settings! I could feel the chill, smell the books, and I swear the dust made me sneeze repeatedly. Ari Fliakos does a marvelous job performing the audio version of the book.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book Concierge wrote: " Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – 5***** and a ❤Something very strange is going on at Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and ..."
This was a Reading List discussion book just about a year ago. You can see the discussion here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
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