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Constant Reader
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What I'm Reading - May/June 2017
Mary Ellen wrote: "Kat, when I was taking an adult ed Italian class about 12 years ago, our teacher talked about The Betrothed - I Promessi Sposi in Italian, IIRC - and what a classic it is. I had the impression ever..."I'll ask my Italian teacher about that! Maybe they read abridged editions?
Everybody dreams in Behold the Dreamers, the debut novel of Cameroonian-born author Imbolo Mbue. Then the GFC of 2008 hits NYC.4.5★ My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished A Piece of the World, the latest by the author of Orphan Train. In this novel, Kline uses both research along with her own imagination to tell the life story of Christina, the woman in Andrew Wyeth's painting "Christina's World." In reading it, there is the feeling of learning of the details, heartbreaks, and daily struggles of real life. Christina is born with a severe disability of her limbs with an unknown cause. She is given little help or pity (and does not desire it), and manages a highly productive life on a Maine farm with ofttimes gut-wrenching independence. The novel is absorbing, with events and situations that a reader will reflect upon long after finishing the book.
Maurice – E M Forster – 4****
Written between 1913 and 1914, Forster’s novel of a young man’s awakening homosexuality was not published until 1971, a year after the author’s death. I loved the way that Forster developed this character, showing Maurice’s progress from a naïve student, to a young man awakening to the possibilities that a mature and loving relationship might offer him.
LINK to my review
Joyce Carol Oates is famous for her quirky mysteries, and these short stories are certainly that. Dis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense.My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished Bitter Bronx: Thirteen Stories by Jerome Charyn. BB shows the Bronx as a great place to grow up until Robert Moses dynamited whole neighborhoods and cut the city in half for a thoroughfare. These 13 stores are raw, poignant and blessed with grit.
This week I'm reading The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota (shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize this last round) for my in-person book group Directed Reading.Really looking forward to the upcoming discussions here of The Underground Railroad and One Hundred Years of Solitude!!
I just finished re-reading Black Swan Green by David Mitchell in anticipation of the upcoming discussion with my in person book club. I loved the book just as much the second time around, and our discussion of it here earlier this year, led by Melissa, was outstanding!By the way, I used the re-read function on Goodreads for the first time. In order to access it, you have to search for the book, drill down as if you are going to write a review. Below the dates of your first reading you can add start and finish dates. The book does not show up on your "currently reading" list, but does count toward your annual books read count.
Mary Anne wrote: "I just finished re-reading Black Swan Green by David Mitchell in anticipation of the upcoming discussion with my in person book club. I loved the book just as much the second time around, and our d..."Mary Anne, I didn't know that's how to do a re-read here. I just documented it in my review and did mark it as currently reading. I'll try to remember this.
Islam isn't sexist and feminism isn't "Western". Old cultural practices are just that - old. Susan Carland's new book, Fighting Hislam: Women, Faith and Sexism, explains it well. Don't blame religion for bad behaviour!
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've dipped into the Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters. I lucked upon a volume containing the first two (as well as a world-of-Brother-Cadfael work with photos of Shrewesbury, Wales & environs). I enjoyed A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first, enough so that I have moved on immediately to the second, One Corpse Too Many. I usually find it best to space series books out a bit lest the author's tricks and quirks become too apparent by successive reads.) Great creation of the 12th century world in England/Wales.
Fates And Furies
– Lauren Groff – 4****The book is told by the two central characters: Lotto (Fates) and Mathilde (Furies). Groff is masterful building these characters, with qualities that draw the reader into their circle. One revelation breaks the bond. Forcing first Lotto, and then Mathilde to examine their relationship. By the end I’m left feeling battered and bruised and stunned. I want to start reading it again from the beginning so I can pick up any clues Groff may have buried.
LINK to my review
22 Britannia Road – Amanda Hodgkinson – 4****
Hodgkinson’s debut novel is a beautifully told story of how a family torn apart by war slowly comes back together. Hodgkinson divides her chapters by location/time and by character, telling parallel stories: Poland during the war, England after the war. I was engaged and interested in the story from beginning to end.
LINK to my review
I have finished two books:The Wonder by Emma Donoghue, a novel about a girl who has been fasting for four months, and the nurse who is sent to observe her. I gave it 3 stars. Here is my review, which I've marked with a spoiler alert.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
On the other hand, I gave Stories by Jane Gardam 5 stars. Many of us here on CR read Old Filth and The Man in the Wooden Hat a few years back, and this book of short stories does not disappoint. My brief review:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
am just starting "Deep Freeze"Lisa Jackson" and 2 more follow.
5★ Compassionate look at early-onset Alzheimer's disease: Who are we when we aren't ourselves? Still Alice is by neuroscientist and author Lisa Genova. I don't know whether or not the lower case i in the title, ALiCE, is to show that she is disappearing, but that there is still a bit of her left at the core.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mary Anne,Thanks for drawing my attention to The Stories of Jane Gardam. I put than one on my TBR list. She is a wonderful writer.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "5★ Compassionate look at early-onset Alzheimer's disease: Who are we when we aren't ourselves? Still Alice is by neuroscientist and author Lisa Genova. I don't know..."
I loved both the movie and the book, and thought they were done tastefully and hauntingly.
Gina wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "5★ Compassionate look at early-onset Alzheimer's disease: Who are we when we aren't ourselves? Still Alice is by neuroscientist and author [author:Lisa Gen..."
I'm looking forward to the movie, Gina.
I just read a re-release of the 1979 Whitbread award-winner The Old Jest: A Novel by Jennifer Johnston.1920 Ireland, 18-year-old Nancy itches for Life, discovers war.
4★ My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Loved my re-read of The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir by Vietnamese-born Australian comedian, (lawyer, who knew?), artist (we know now) Anh Do. 
5★ My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, which purports in its blurb to answer the question, "How do writers make money?" Many different writers wax philosophical about writing and money or give autobiographical summaries, yet manage to completely avoid answering that question with any practical routes or figures. I'm also midway into One Hundred Years of Solitude and trying to keep all the Aurelianos straight!
just finished the search (nora roberts and starting "deep freeze" liza jakson
I'm reading Our Man in Havana. It should be perfect for me: It's very funny and Greene has a good time playing with issues of imagination and creativity. But it seems not to be quite what I'm in the mood for. On the other hand, when I picked up Joseph Conrad's The Shadow-Line last night for my face-to-face book group, expecting it to be a bore, I found myself instantly engaged. I can only conclude that I was made to read Conrad at too young an age, before I was able to appreciate him.
Lyn wrote: "Finished Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, which purports in its blurb to answer the question, "How do writers make money?" Many different writers wax philoso..."I'm also midway into One Hundred Years of Solitude and trying to keep all the Aurelianos straight!
Lyn, I posted a handy, illustrated (not by me!) family tree in my review. I could never have managed without it, but I loved the book! Hope you enjoy it and hope you find the family tree.
My review of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Absolutely mesmerising, compelling, overwhelming. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is both harrowing and full of love.
5★ My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Starting The Underground Railroad for our discussion starting next week.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Lyn wrote: "Finished Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, which purports in its blurb to answer the question, "How do writers make money?" Many different writers..."Thanks so much for the family tree. That helps. I've printed it out so I have a copy close by while I read.
Gina wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Lyn wrote: "Finished Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, which purports in its blurb to answer the question, "How do writers make money..."I would have been completely lost instead of only happily befuddled reading One Hundred Years of Solitude without that family tree, Gina!
Aussie author Louis Nowra wrote Into That Forest about Tasmania, inspired by stories of feral children elsewhere. I've added links in my review to the fascinating 'real' stories.My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Not sure how many of you can access this but I just discovered BBC's Listen Online First and am listening to The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy which is currently being serialised as BBC Radio4's Book at Bedtime
Columbine – Dave Cullen – 4****
Gripping, fascinating, and horrifying. Cullen has done extensive research and made every effort to remain an impartial journalist, ferreting out facts and revealing them without judgment. The result is perhaps even more disturbing than what I thought I knew about it.
LINK to my review
Read Lincoln in the Bardo. The book's format was very creative, but I felt LITB was disjointed. Yes, it was a book about grief, but the irreverent and foul-talking ghosts distracted from the story. I'm not really into George Saunders.
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson is another mind-twisting 'family history' that takes place during, between, and after World Wars One and Two. My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson is another mind-twisting 'family history' that takes place during, between, and after World Wars One and Two. My review:
https://www.g..."
We discussed this about a year ago. You might be interested in our discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I just finished One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It was a reread for me and have changed its rating to 4. I almost quit around page 248 but am glad I persevered to the end. Looking forward to the discussion.
I just read Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota. I liked it a lot, and gave it a 4. This is really a sort of memoir. The first half of the book leads up to his 2008 election to the US Senate, the second half describes his Senate experience and today's environment. He is a good narrator about politics and government, and, of course, he has a point of view.
Sherry wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson is another mind-twisting 'family history' that takes place during, between, and after World Wars One and Two. ..."Thanks, Sherry - I'll go have a look now. :)
Mary Anne,Coincidentally, I am just finishing up Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. I am going to give it a 5. Of course, the fact that I mostly agree with him politically probably enters in. :-)
I enjoy his sense of humor, but even more I liked his insights into how politics really works. It's not all gloom and doom.
He won his first Senate election by only 320 votes - yes, your vote really counts, at least some of the time! He beat his opponent by 10 percentage points when he was reelected in 2014. A Harvard graduate, Al Franken is very intelligent but, even more important, very hard working. He reaches out to work with senators across the aisle to get legislation passed when they can agree on an issue.
His sense of humor is both a help and a hindrance. He had to learn to suppress his joke making most of the time to succeed in politics, but he lets his natural inclinations out in this book. You find out interesting tidbits. For example, Lindsey Graham is the wittiest guy in the Senate. Who knew.
Please Look After Mom – Kyung-Sook Shin – 3***
This is the story of one family’s search for their mother, who has gone missing one afternoon in a crowded Seoul subway station. The author tells the story from the perspective of four characters, and also uses second person voice for much of the book. Perhaps she intended to draw the reader in with this technique, or perhaps it is a common grammatical choice in Korean, but I found it difficult to connect to the characters.
LINK to my review
Ann wrote: "Mary Anne,Coincidentally, I am just finishing up Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. I am going to give it a 5. Of course, the fact that I mostly agree with him politically probably e..."
I may have to disregard my rule about buying new books. I really want to read this.
Sherry, I managed to be first on the wait list at my library.
Mary Anne wrote: "Sherry, I managed to be first on the wait list at my library."I'm going to be traveling in a couple of days, and don't want to take a physical book. Kindle it is. I just downloaded and started reading.
Check out the Fresh Air podcast of Terry Gross's May 30 interview with Al Franken: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444908...I like to listen to podcasts on my antiquated MP3 player - it's the only way I can stand to clean.
Ann wrote: "Check out the Fresh Air podcast of Terry Gross's May 30 interview with Al Franken: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444908...I like to listen to podcasts on my antiquated MP3 player - it's t..."
I listen to audiobooks, Ann. Thanks for the podcast link.
While I don't agree that Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, I certainly enjoyed watching her awkward attempts to accept and be accepted.My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished A Room with a View by E.M. Forster. It took me a bit to get into, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that when I have been reading a lot of more modern fiction and then dip back into and older book, it takes me a number of pages before I can sink into the writing and let the author's voice take over. I'm not sure why that is, exactly.Also finished Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold. A novella set in the world of the five gods that she used for The Curse of Chalion it was completely enjoyable and I am looking forward to the next novella in the series.
After many years away (since my now 31 year old son was a boy and we read them together) from the Harry Potter series, I am listening to the Jim Dale audiobooks. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed them the first time around. He is such an excellent narrator that I find myself crocheting longer and longer and longer while I'm listening. That's helping my "homemade gifts" project immensely.
Terry wrote: "Just finished A Room with a View by E.M. Forster. It took me a bit to get into, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that when I have been reading a lot of more modern ficti..."That's a book I really want to read, Terry since I saw the film in the 80s. I think I have it on my kindle. I understand what you say about moving between contemporary and older books. Sometimes it does take some adjustment, both for elements of the story and the style of writing.
Terry wrote: "Just finished A Room with a View by E.M. Forster. It took me a bit to get into, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that when I have been reading a lot of more modern ficti..."I read this about five years ago. I also struggled with engaging ... but those last five chapters redeemed the book for me.
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Constant Reader
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I have no memory of that, but it's been a long time since I read A Room with a View. Maybe this would be a good time to revisit.