Go Fug Yourself Book Club discussion
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What are You Currently Reading?
I'm in the middle of reading a ridiculous number of things, but most noteworthy is Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. I own all of Austen's books, but haven't read all of them, and I was just inspired by a BBC Radio production (starring David Tennant and Benedict Cumberbatch) to finally start in on this one. :)I'm also slowly working my way through the original Sherlock Holmes stories - I have a copy with reprints of all of the original illustrations, and it's really fun.
I'm looking forward to school being done for the summer so I can really crack on - our local Shakespeare in the Park group is doing Comedy of Errors this summer, and I'm going to read the book/listen to the audio drama in preparation, and I have a Very Large pile of cozy mysteries to get to. I'd also like to re-read Harry Potter - it's been too long! Oh, I've got so many things to read...
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Right now I am reading The Keep by Jennifer Egan. The jury is out. Also, I went to a conference today celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, and the keynote speaker was Gilbert King, who wrote The Devil in the Grove, the true story of four young men accused of rape and of Thurgood Marshall's defense of them. It looks amazing -- such an insightful look at our racial history, and it reads like a suspense novel, but it's all true.
(GFY Petrova Fossil)
Bonnie wrote: "I am often reading more than one book at a time. I am currently listening to Code Name Verity for our GFY discussion and reading The Orphan Train for my IRL book club. Next up is Eleanor and Park..."I love that you and your son have a private book club!
(GFY Petrova Fossil)
arnie wrote: "I'm reading The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer, which I think was recommended on Laineygossip. Unfortunately, so far they are not very interesting at all.I'm halfway through and it's almost sacrile..."
I grabbed it from the library a few months ago, only got a few chapters in before I had to return it, and never felt compelled to renew/find another copy.
I'm currently reading Alison Weir's 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII'. I read her book about Eleanor of Aquitaine when I wrote my thesis and this is quite good as well. I haven't read one of Weir's fiction books, but I'll try them sooner or later. Next up is, of course, Code Name Verity!
I just finished The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince, which was recommended on GFY. The subject and the era have always interested me, so I'm now about 20% of the way through To Marry an English Lord, which is (I believe) the book that inspired Downton Abbey. I really like a theme, apparently, because I'm also reading Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach and Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt.
And of course, I'm waiting on Code Name Verity from my local library.
I'm reading The Night Circus and The Magician KingThe Magician King and have Code Name Verity on the docket for when those are finished!JUST started the Night Circus, so no real feedback on that one yet - The Magician King picks up where The Magicians (which I loved) left off, and I'm really enjoying it thus far. Anyone else read either of these??
I'm about 150 pages into The Goldfinch. So far I'm really loving it, but I worry because it's gotten so many reviews saying that it should have been shorter, that it gets too bogged down in describing every last detail. I'm still enjoying the detail, so I'm hoping that maybe I won't mind it throughout. She's avoided the one kind of detail description I really loath, which is the list of items. You know, when someone is describing a messy kitchen table and thinks that the best way to do that is to list every single item on the table, all 38 of them? I never find that as clever as the author seems to.
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LOVED that book. Did not want it to end. LOVED it. LOVVVVVVED it.
I'm reading "Elizabeth the Queen," based on a recommendation from GFY. I'm also trying to get through the Mary Poppins Collection (all of the books),spurred after watching "Saving Mr. Banks." I've also been stuck for over a year in the middle of the Steve Jobs bio - Not sure I'll ever get through it!
Erin wrote: "I'm reading The Night Circus and The Magician KingThe Magician King and have Code Name Verity on the docket for when those are finished!JUST started..."
I read and loved Night Circus. Haven't read the Magicians or The Magician King yet, but they're definitely on my list since my partner read and enjoyed them both.
Kris wrote: "Erin wrote: "I'm reading The Night Circus"LOVED that book. Did not want it to end. LOVED it. LOVVVVVVED it."
Me too - so good and such an accomplishment for a first novel!
I'm currently reading A Feast for Crows
Leah wrote: "I'm shocked there wasn't already a post for this! So, have at it - what are you currently reading?As for me, at the moment I'm working my way through Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Li..."
Dear Daughter sounds so good! From the description it's making me think of Gillian Flynn novels.
I also loved The Night Circus! I'm currently reading the entire Harry Potter series with a friend! I just started Book #4.
Glad to hear The Night Circus has such awesome reviews!Megan, you'll enjoy The Magicians/The Magician King - they read like a dysfunctional Harry Potter/Chronicles of Narnia; definitely a bit darker than either of those series (which makes sense, as they're aimed at a different audience), but I thought they were really well written - really enjoyable reads.
I'm a little ways into The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince thanks to the many GFY recs, and I'm enjoying it so much! I am on a break from Wolf Hall, about which I am torn. I find it in turns gripping but also exhausting and infuriating. In fact, I downloaded The Heir Apparent to read after Wolf Hall. I took a brief peek but then couldn't put it down. I've enjoyed it so much I haven't been back to Mr. Cromwell and Wolf Hall since I got it. Although, ooh, as a mom, Victoria is GETTING ON MY VERY LAST NERVE. Jeesh, the self-involved melodrama! Sorry, just needed to vent there a little bit.(One thing I do find interesting about the period depicted in Wolf Hall, as a huge fan of the Song of Ice and Fire [aka Game of Thrones] series, is the many beheadings and the posting of said heads on spikes, etc. I guess I knew that had occurred in ye olden times but assumed exaggeration in SOIAF for fiction's sake. Now I'm not so sure!)
I'm also listening to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon on audiobook, but I'm quite at the beginning and the jury's still out on it. Most importantly, I'm awaiting an Amazon delivery today that will include Code Name Verity. I can't wait!
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Thanks Nora! We love it too. BTW, I really love Jennifer Egan (Welcome to the Good Squad is a favorite of mine) but I did not love The Keep. Looking forward to your thoughts.
A final note, the conference sounds amazing and I have Devil in the Grove sitting in my TBR pile and hear great things
(GFY Narshkite -- thanks for doing this Nora, I had not thought of it but its good to know who is talking here on GR)
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Bonnie wrote: "Arnie, though I am alone here, I LOVED The Interestings. They are not interesting at all, that is sort of the joke. It is cool though to see that story unfold, of these people who appear to thems..."Oh, you are NOT alone! I also really, really loved that book. So much. Like, it's the kind of book I want to shove in random strangers' hands to read, not mention all my friends. So subtle and lovely and real.
Mod
Glad not to be alone on the island Starva! Also, your adjectives for this book are perfect.
Erin wrote: "I'm reading The Night Circus and The Magician KingThe Magician King and have Code Name Verity on the docket for when those are finished!JUST started..."
read em both, loved em both! I think the Magician was better than the sequel, but I still tore through the second one.
Just finishing up The Heir Apparent, with Overseas by Beatriz Williams up next!
I'm currently reading What We All Long For by Dionne Brand, who is a fantastic Canadian author! Her descriptions are so captivating and the story seems to be about a group of 20-somethings in Toronto who have very different backgrounds but are friends. It seems to delve into the intricacies and anxieties of discovering who you are in your 20s in an urban environment. So far, I really like it! I am reading it pretty slowly though since I read/research all day for work and I often just don't want to deal with words and thinking once I get home!
I just started Murder on the Home Front: A True Story of Morgues, Murderers, and Mysteries During the London BlitzIt might seem odd to say this is "light" reading, but so far each case is described in a relatively short chapter. I'm enjoying it, but no Nazi spies have surfaced yet.
Just started We Were Liars by E. Lockhart -- it's gotten a bunch of starred reviews and all kinds of praise from the librarians I work with, so I'm excited!Also listening to The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan on audio, which I am not enjoying as much as his other books, and also reading The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn when I want to break up by other reading with something light and fluffy. Also reading Love by the Morning Star as an e-book. I know, I read too many books at once.
:) Oh, Martha, I hope you enjoy Love by the Morning Star!! I thought it was great.
I'm on a Nora Roberts kick right now, so I'm listening toThe Collector in my car and reading Tribute. I know she's light reading, but it's my summer indulgence.Maureen: Murder on the Homefront sounds amazing and totally my thing. I love true murder mysteries that take place during a war (which is a very specific genre). Thanks for the inspiration! I highly recommend Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris
I've been curious about Nora. Do you have any favorites? Where should a newbie start?
Another one incapable of only reading one thing at a time! I started Code Name Verity last night, because I'm also currently reading Steve Jobs' biography, and was getting frustrated at how long it's taking me to get through it! (Super Apple fangirl, but man this book is a brick.) I'm also listening to The Signature of All Things audiobook in my car.
Oh wow, I'm not a big fan of her series books, but I know that some people love them. The Bride Quartet is probably the best series of hers. I'm partial to the stand alone murder mysteries, so: Three Fates, The Villa, Northern Lights, and the two I mentioned already are my favorites.
I recently started Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. I didn't read Atonement (I know, I know but historical fiction isn't my favorite), but Sweet Tooth is so good I might just go back and pick it up. It's a very, very interesting book about Cold War spying and the spirit of liberation in the 60s & 70s and it's just good.
Stavra: "I am on a break from Wolf Hall"I took a break when reading Wolf Hall about halfway through. It was an exhausting book to read. But stick with it because the rest is fab and Bring Up the Bodies is great too. I flew through that in just a couple of days. Can't wait until the final installment.
Tawnia wrote: "Oh wow, I'm not a big fan of her series books, but I know that some people love them. The Bride Quartet is probably the best series of hers. I'm partial to the stand alone murder mysteries, so: [bo...":) Wonderful! Thank you.
I'm thinking the murder novels might be my best bet (goodness that sounds morbid) to start out with.
After finished Dear Daughter this morning (definitely be on the lookout for it come August!) I decided I needed something light and summery: about 20 pages into The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane and am enjoying it so far.
Right now I'm rereading The Cider House Rules, a book I absolutely loved 10 years ago. I'm taking longer to get through it than I thought, so I'm also reading Fifth Avenue, 5 AM. It's a fun book about the drama behind adapting Breakfast at Tiffany's for the big screen.
I'm reading THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. I try to read one "big" book every year, and this one finally ended up at the top of the pile. And you know what? I don't hate it. It certainly takes a long time for things to get rolling, but Dostoyevsky has such a wicked sense of humor and his characters are pretty finely drawn and interesting. And now that the plot is finally moving (I mean seriously, like 400 pages to set the scene?) it is super engaging and I'm kinda into it. But then I'm reading Megan Abbott's THE FEVER and no one can stop me, not even my dissertation committee!
I'm re-reading the Shipping News. I first read it about 15 years ago and it shot to the top of the list of my favorites so I re-read it every couple of years. I also keep starting and stopping the 2nd Game of Thrones.
Megan wrote: "I'm about 150 pages into The Goldfinch. So far I'm really loving it, but I worry because it's gotten so many reviews saying that it should have been shorter, that it gets too bogged down in describ..."I agree, it is very very wordy, way more than it needs to be. I, for the most part, enjoyed the author's (donna tartt? I think?) writing style and found most of the description paid off in the long run. But, towards the end, I started skimming. That was partly because I was worried about what was going to happen, but also because I of all of the wordiness! I doubt I'll read another of her books.
Mod
I recommend On Chesil Beach and Saturday if you are enjoying McEwan!
I just finished The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, and I have feelings. Some good, some not so good. I don't know that I would recommend it. It's hard to get into details about it without spoiling it, but I had the same problems with this book as I did with the Hunger Games series, which I only read the first two and really should've stopped at one. The book was a page turner, and I did get engrossed, but two-thirds of the way through the book I either was getting burned out from my frustration with the main female character's arc or the story just went on too long, because I was tempted to just skip to the end. Which is also what happened with the 2nd Hunger Games book. Maybe I should avoid these dystopian books in general, haha.
arnie wrote: "I'm reading The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer, which I think was recommended on Laineygossip. Unfortunately, so far they are not very interesting at all.I'm halfway through and it's almost sacrile..."
Arnie, put it down with no fear! I found it overwritten, and I agree, the characters aren't Interesting at all! The end of the book was a disappointment, and you will miss nothing by abandoning it.
I got this great app on my phone called Overdrive that allows me to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from my library. Right now, I am "reading" Firestarter by Stephen King through audiobook. I didn't realize I could do so much "reading" while at work!
No matter how hard I try to stagger my library requests, inevitably I have 3 or 4 books come in for me at the same time. I've suspended all of my requests until the end of July, because I am currently reading: Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead (am hoping it gets better).Next in line is Blood Will Out by Walter Kirn (about his friendship with the fake Rockefeller heir), I am Having So Much Fun Without You by Courtney Maum (man tries to win back his wife after an affair) and There Goes Gravity by Lisa Robinson (rock n roll journalist's memoir).
Think I can finish them all in 3 weeks? :)
I just finished The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, based on the webseries The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which is itself based on Pride and Prejudice. Love this version of Darcy. And really enjoy this Lydia and Charlotte, which I've never done before.And I just started The Penderwicks, because it kept popping up around the internet like it was following me. So far so good!
A bit late in the game, but I just started reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It took a little work to get into because he's using a lot of really odd future language (I guess like Clockwork Orange only I've never seen/read C.O.) but, you know, finally getting to a point where it's all running a bit smoother.
Also sloughing my way through The Fellowship of the Ring. It's really uneven? Super slow, then really fun, then super slow again. Where was your editor, Tolkein? Drunk again, I imagine.
Also sloughing my way through The Fellowship of the Ring. It's really uneven? Super slow, then really fun, then super slow again. Where was your editor, Tolkein? Drunk again, I imagine.
Oooh...I adored "The Night Circus"! I've read it several times now and am always dazzled.Just today I finished Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy" which was amazingly gripping, and moved on to a short story collection called "Legal Fictions" about lawyers. As much as I sometimes dislike lawyers in real life, in fiction and movies the whole industry is fascinating...and this collection also includes my favorite Melville short story, "Bartleby the Scrivener."
And clearly I'm behind on my contemporary literature, as these books were published in 1925 and 1992, respectively (and the collection itself ranges from the late 1800s)!
Sophie wrote: "Right now I'm rereading The Cider House Rules, a book I absolutely loved 10 years ago. I'm taking longer to get through it than I thought, so I'm also reading Fifth Avenue, 5 AM. It's a fun book ab..."I bought the Fifth Avenue book last year but haven't found time to get to it yet. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it!!
Hannah wrote: "A bit late in the game, but I just started reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It took a little work to get into because he's using a lot of really odd future language (I guess like Clockwork Or..."I think I'll have to give Snow Crash another try. I LOVED Cryptonomicon, but when I first tried SC I just couldn't get into it. Last time I picked it up was around 8-ish years ago I think, so maybe my tastes have changed?
Leah wrote: "Hannah wrote: "A bit late in the game, but I just started reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It took a little work to get into because he's using a lot of really odd future language (I guess li..."
I tried Neal Stephenson once before too, but it was with Quicksilver and for the life of me I couldn't get past the first ten pages or so (I blame the tiny print and intimidating page length). I was also in high school, and good lord, my high school tastes are so very blackmail-worthy. I think Snow Crash is a book that rewards you for sticking with it. I hope.
I tried Neal Stephenson once before too, but it was with Quicksilver and for the life of me I couldn't get past the first ten pages or so (I blame the tiny print and intimidating page length). I was also in high school, and good lord, my high school tastes are so very blackmail-worthy. I think Snow Crash is a book that rewards you for sticking with it. I hope.
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Go Fug Yourself Book Club
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As for me, at the moment I'm working my way through Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little. It doesn't come out for a few more months, but I have a feeling that when it does, it will find plenty of fans. A socialite's daughter (a socialite in her own right) had been found guilty for her mother's murder a decade ago and, due to a technicality, was recently released. Enter the media frenzy. Everyone is convinced she did it, but she knows otherwise - and she's determined to track down the real killer.
& I rarely listen to audiobooks, but I've been working my way through Orange Is the New Black. While it's clear the show certainly took some liberties, I'm enjoying it!