Go Fug Yourself Book Club discussion
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What are You Currently Reading?
Elizabeth wrote: "I just started reading The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennett, published this last month. I'm enjoying it quite a bit! It's very definitely some beach-type reading, and is sort of a social media re-int..."Elizabeth, are you familiar with the Youtube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries? The Secret Diary was written by the creator and one of the writers of the show as a sort of companion novel, giving a peek at things the series didn't show. There was a big social media component to the show, in fact the website for the series http://www.lizziebennet.com has everything in chronological order, the videos, social media interactions, etc.
As for what I'm reading, I'm just about to start Landline by Rainbow Rowell
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I finished 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas yesterday (it's out today - go buy it; it was great). A slim thing of a novel, 250 pages, and takes place over the course of 24 hours. Three lives interweave with an old jazz club at the center of it all. So lovely.I'm currently reading The Supernatural Enhancements. Only 50ish pages in so far and enjoying it! I'm usually not one for epistolary novels, but this is great.
What does anyone think about Jennifer Egan? I read Look at Me a couple of weeks ago and found it very disturbing, and just finished The Invisible Circus, which I liked more, but some of it was unsettling. Should I try anything else or move on? I did like ...the Goon Squad.
I only read the Goon Squad. Maybe I won't try any of her others. I also liked the Goon Squad.
Bonnie wrote: "I am about 2/3 through A Tale for the Time Being and it is fantastic. I had not seen it mentioned here. Has anyone else read it?"I read that in April this year, and was blown away. I just loved it. I read it so slowly because I didn't want it to end.
Kris wrote: "Just got back from the library, where after being 189th on the list, I finally got my number called for The Goldfinch. Wish me luck!"Good luck! I loved it, but I do understand the STRONG FEELINGS it elicits!
I'm delving into the world of Mindy Kaling with her book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?. It's entertaining and reminds me that most actors/comics/people on the screens actually work incredibly hard to be where they are!!
I've started Lydia Netzer's How to Tell Toledo From the Night Sky but its been a bit slow going. Anyone else reading/read it? I loved Shine Shine Shine so I'm hopeful.
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I love Jennifer Egan. Definitely a top 10 for authors currently working for me. That said, it is all very unsettling. I loved Good Squad, but it is not for everyone.
I'm reading "The Panic Virus," which is about the anti-vax movement, and "Zooburbia," because the author happened to be doing a reading at Powell's bookstore when I was visiting Portland. The first makes me angry so I have to put it down a lot; the second is good but can be read in discrete chunks, so it's easy to put it down and then come back when I have a little time.
Just finished "Among Others" - my personal catnip combo of british, bookish, and magic. I'm determined to finish "Wolf Hall" although I am finding it a bit of a slog.
Well thanks to these comments, I've just added half a dozen books to my already overflowing to-read list! I've just started the Marie Lu trilogy (too early to offer opinion) and am also on a Carlos Ruiz Zafon re-reading streak, in order of publication, which I've never done before. If you've never read him, please please please do, I cannot recommend him enough. The Shadow Of The Wind is his most famous, and a great place to start, but everything else is wonderful too. The writing is just. so. beautiful. I am (im)patiently waiting for the next and final novel in his Cemetery Of Forgotten Books cycle. If you love books about people who love books, about the power and importance of books, get on it!
Since I can't seem to keep CNV out of my hands, I need something else to read! Any recommendations? Has anyone read The Cat's Table? My mom is reading it now and loves it (hates the discussion questions that came with it, though).
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I have a ton of suggestions Joanie. That said, I am going to mention one book that focuses on female friendship, and has been on my mind since hearing of Robin Williams heartbreaking passing last night. Truth and Beauty is a memoir of the friendship between Ann Patchett and Lucy Grealy, and it is sad and beautiful and loving. I should also mention Grealy's wrenching memoir of her childhood cancer and resulting disfigurement Autobiography of a Face.
I'm currently reading Flannery O'Connor's "The Complete Stories." It's no surprise that I'm enjoying it, since I like the weightiness of the southern gothic genre. The tone is pairing well with all the true crime shows I keep watching.
Bonnie wrote: "I have a ton of suggestions Joanie. That said, I am going to mention one book that focuses on female friendship, and has been on my mind since hearing of Robin Williams heartbreaking passing last night. Truth and Beauty is a memoir of the friendship between Ann Patchett and Lucy Grealy, and it is sad and beautiful and loving. I should also mention Grealy's wrenching memoir of her childhood cancer and resulting disfigurement Autobiography of a Face. "Thanks, Bonnie! I'm going to check out Truth and Beauty. It sounds like just the thing right now.
I know that many of you have read Jenny Lawson/Bloggess's book Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir and loved it. She wrote an excellent blog post yesterday referencing the tragic passing of Robin Williams: http://thebloggess.com/2014/08/if-you...If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it :)
I just finished Emma Donoghue's ROOM about three minutes ago, and if you can muscle your way past the preciousness of the child narrator, it is a fantastic read.
I loved Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find - well, the collection of stories under that title. The one with the old man and the parade totally creeped me out.Love Jane Austen, too. I'm a huge romance reader for the most part, but I do dive into other genres on occasion.
I remember reading ROOM when it first came out, I got it from the library and read all afternoon and evening and had a little bit left when I went to bed. So I got up early the next day so I could finish before work. There are some quibbles, but I would, and have, recommend it.
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Most of my friends loved this book, but I did not. I could not get past Jack's narration. He conveniently veers between being a young child and being a 40 year old when the author needs him to do so. He is chatting like an early learner anthropomorphizing furniture and watching kids shows and suddenly switches into SAT vocab mode and deep philosophical musing. He also remembers and understands every adult conversation even those he could not possibly understand. This made it impossible for me to enjoy the book.
Bonnie--I think this is one of my main problems with the book, and something that I have struggled with when other authors have used child narrators (See Also: Jonathan Safran Foer), and I desperately wanted to hear from Ma's perspective, but it was a super compelling read despite it, IMO. It isn't perfect but it was a good reading experience for me.
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Everyone I know whose taste in books I respect really liked Room so I think its just me. BTW, I also had the same issue with Extremely Loud but I still really did like that one somehow.
Hi, ladies!I'm excited for GFY book club :) currently I'm reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. So far, so good. Is anyone else reading it?
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I'm excited for GFY book club :) currently I'm reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. So far, so good. Is anyone else reading it?"
Read it a couple years ago Stephanie. I was not a fan, but lots of people loved it. There was a good bit of discussion (pro and con) on the "Books You Didn't Like" thread.
I am reading... nothing. I have run out of books. I cleaned the house in despair.
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Wish I could send you some. I have thousands here on my TBR shelves. Pretty soon Hoarders is going to show up. Luckily there are extra rooms in the house so I have a dedicated "library." (This is comprised of Ikea shelves in a basement bedroom with indoor outdoor carpet and an old recliner -- no Persian rugs, leather bindings or lost Guttenberg bibles.)
Bonnie,I'll have to check out the thread. It does seem like a divisive book. My sister told me she hated it but this was after I bought it and so I just decided to go with it.
I usually rent ebooks from my library but I looked up 10(!!!) books that day and they all had like 50-100 people already on the wait list. Then my parents live in an area that no longer has any bookstores, which to me is horrifying as I was in need of a new book while I was visiting them. So I went to Target and this was the only book they had out of the ten I wanted. It was a trying day for a book lover to say the least!
Bonnie wrote: "Wish I could send you some. I have thousands here on my TBR shelves. Pretty soon Hoarders is goin..."Thanks! There are two in the mail. So I only have a day in limbo.
I generally listen to audiobooks, rather than reading given my schedule. Actual reading is often reserved for boring "management" books for work and discussion with my boss.I'm currently listening to The Passage by Justin Cronin on recommendation from someone at work. I'm finding it entertaining, but just ok. I do have a few authors mentioned, Ruiz and Fford, waiting to be listened to.
I'm waiting on the library for Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo. Any other mystery audiobook recommendations?
Meagann wrote: "I'm currently reading Flannery O'Connor's "The Complete Stories." It's no surprise that I'm enjoying it, since I like the weightiness of the southern gothic genre. The tone is pairing well with al..."I love Flannery O'Connor.
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Wish I could send you some. I have thousands here on my TBR shelves. Pretty soon H..."
I will have to use landscape function cause there are piles one after another:) I have hundreds in my room and hundreds more in my basement "library." I am addicted to bookstores and used book sales -- library book sales are my Waterloo.
Kris wrote: "My IRL book club meets at my house this month - this coming Monday night, as a matter of fact. It is not a good sign that on page 282, I skipped forward to 350 and have been skimming since then, w..."The Las Vegas part does seem to go on forever and is just so despairing. Hang in though, the book does not stay there forever!!
I'm just over halfway through The Magician's Land (#3 in Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy). Loving it. Can't wait to stop whatever is keeping me away from it to get back to it. Don't want it to end.
I've finally reached the 70% mark of Cryptonomicon. I'm enjoying it despite moments of author-induced rage, but I think I will need a quick read next - maybe a visit to the familiar land of Austen.
I just finished The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, and...I don't know what to think. If I had known going in that it was (apparently) the first book of a series, I would have waited to pick it up, as I find annoying cliffhanger endings, well, annoying.
I just started Houses of Stone. I need to find some time this weekend to really focus on it while stretched out on the couch with a cool drink.
Erin M. wrote: "I just finished The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, and...I don't know what to think. If I had known going in that it was (apparently) the first book of a series, I would have..."I loved this book! The wait for the next is absolute torture though - I had initially received this one as a review copy from the publisher. It's already been a year since I read it and from what I understand, she's still writing the second.
haha, I'll definitely need to do a re-read by then!
I've been neglecting reading since school started back up, but today we started SSR, and I picked up Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I'm on page 28, and I'm really liking the nostalgia, but I'm waiting to pass judgement.
Tawnia wrote: "I've been neglecting reading since school started back up, but today we started SSR, and I picked up Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I'm on page 28, and I'm really liking the nostalgia, but I'm w..."I had good fun with Ready Player One, even though many of the references went right over my head!
I actually recommended it to my sister and she added it to her honeymoon book pile. Both she and her husband ended up enjoying it. :)
I am reading some Sarah Dessen for the first time and liking it so far.
Well I finished Gone Girl and I am personally a fan. Did I hate the characters? Yea. But in the end it seems that they got what they deserved in a way. I'm actually excited to see how they put it to film and for some reason I totally see Ben Affleck as Nick.Now I'm reading Eleanor & Park. It's pretty much the only teenage love story that I've read that doesn't make me want to roll my eyes...so far.
Currently reading Fangirl and liking it a lot :) Only halfway through so far, though.
Stephanie wrote: "Well I finished Gone Girl and I am personally a fan. Did I hate the characters? Yea. But in the end it seems that they got what they deserved in a way. I'm actually excited to see how they put it t..."I recently read Gone Girl, and found it totally compelling, even though by the end I was horrified by the characters. Looking forward to Affleck as well!
I started Stone Mattress this morning. It's an upcoming short story collection by Margaret Atwood. i'm only one the second story, but so far so good!
Janine wrote: "Currently reading Fangirl and liking it a lot :) Only halfway through so far, though."I loved FANGIRL, I didn't want the book to end! Happy reading :)
I read Gone Girl last year and I found it quite compelling too - I know a lot of people didn't like it because they couldn't like the characters, but isn't that kind of the point? They are thoroughly unlikeable people, we're supposed to hate them! I had mixed feelings about the ending, although I honestly could not think of an alternative that I would have preferred - I guess there's really no way to bring that kind of story to a satisfying conclusion. I hear the movie ending is different, so I am eager to see what they have come up with! And I agree that Ben Affleck is spot-on casting, as is Rosamund Pike.
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Go Fug Yourself Book Club
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I LOVE Jasper Fforde! I keep waiting for him to write a sequel to Shades of Grey (and still can't get over the unfortunate timing of his book appearing right before 50SOG). Have you read his Dragonslayer series? Not quite YA, more like middle grades, but I love his writing so much that I gobbled these up.