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w/o October 6 to 12, 2017
Can I make my pie apple crumble? Happy Thanksgiving! I'm grateful for Susan for welcoming us to her previously established group and fostering such a warm, welcoming and encouraging environment. I'm grateful to all the members for much the same reasons.
This last week I finished "Minds of Winter", which I had on hold before it made the Giller long list. I found it interesting but a wee bit frustrating at the same time because of some of the loose ends the author left. I have not heard him interviewed because I stay away from that with award contenders until after I've read the books. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or not. But I kept thinking, "Really!?!?" It was a very good book. The ambiguity of the plot holes left me twitchy. But kudos to Winter for what most have been a tremendous amount of research, and the use of the name Fay Morgan for one of the characters, which I saw as a toe to Fata Morgana, the fabled Arctic mirages.
I'm currently reading "Brother" and though only 25% in, don't understand how this didn't make the Giller short list. It is an incredibly written, constructed and emotionally paced story. I'll be working on finishing over the weekend and then on to "Son of a Trickster", which I borrowed from my sister's mother-in-law.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!I've got six hours of driving tomorrow to make it to my parents and then have to do it all again on Monday. But it's going to be a fun weekend full of food as we're also celebrating my sister's birthday early.
I've been so busy getting used to work I'm still not reading much. I just recently picked up Certainty by Madeleine Thien and The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro so we'll see how much reading I'll get done this weekend.
Good morning and happy Thanksgiving! I, too, am thankful for the wonderful community of readers created here. Thank you, @❀ Susan for all you do as moderator.In audio this week I listened to Son of a Trickster, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise, and now I'm on to Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body.
I finally finished reading The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac, which is not a book I would recommend to anyone. I began my review with, "Thank God that's over!" LOL.
I'm nearly done with The Woman in Cabin 10 and the main character is soooooo frustrating. She's always overtired or drunk or in some state that makes her unable to think clearly. I can't wait to finish and move on to I Am a Truck!
So many things to be thankful for but among them is living in the best country in the world! :) and books.....must not forget books. :) This week I finished The Devil's Highway: A True Story. @Louise, you were right.... this could have been such a great story....especially if someone else wrote it....like Krakauer for instance. It was just ok for me.
After Vegas happened and I just finished all the death in The Devil's Highway, I decided to pick up something frivolous - The Secret Wife. I felt like I needed something mindless but now I'm getting frustrated with how 'surface' the characters are and how predictable the story is. Oh well.... I have a big drive this weekend too and I won't be the driver so should be able to crank that one off quickly.
After that, I'm thinking either The Boat Runner or the History of Bees (Maja Lunde) - can't seem to find the link, sorry! Thoughts? Which one first??? :)
Happy weekend my book friends,
S
I am also thankful this group, and for Canadian literature! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.This week I finished Nocturne: On the Life and Death of My Brother and A Kind of Freedom.
On audio, I have been reading The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. I love Issa Rae's show but this book has just been okay for me. On paper, I'm also reading an essay collection, We Are Never Meeting In Real Life, which is snarky and humorous. This DEFINITELY could have been a pick for the Book Chosen Solely on Its Cover square in 2018 bingo. Take a look at it - LOL.
In award reading, I'm about halfway through I Am a Truck. I'm enjoying it and curious to see how the story will resolve itself.
Like everyone, I am thankful for this group. As you may remember, my family calls you my "real friends," so I'm thankful for you all! I'm also thankful for my hubby not saying a word when he saw that I'd placed another Book Outlet order this week when I have two shelves of books I haven't read yet!@Natasha, I also liked Minds of Winter, but like you, felt a bit let down by all the open, loose ends left over when I finished the book. So, so, so many streams of plot opened up, and many just left that way.
I finished only one book this week: A Separation. I found there were some glimpses of some really strong writing and insight, but it was just-okay for me overall in the end. A bit sad.
I'm mid-way through Alison Pick's newest book Strangers with the Same Dream, and have just started Little Fires Everywhere in audio.
Have a great long weekend, everyone!
@Susan, glad to you hear you're enjoying I Am a Truck. I'm really looking forward to it. @Natasha @Allison, I've been unable to get excited about Minds of Winter and your comments aren't helping! Lol.
@Allison, how is Little Fires Everywhere? I didn't like Everything I Never Told You very much at all. Most of the characters were too whiney, as I recall.
Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ wrote: "@Natasha @Allison, I've been unable to get excited about Minds of Winter and your comments aren't helping! Lol..."The real strength in Minds of Winter, in my opinion, is the amount of research Ed O'Loughlin did. It's impressive for sure. And he paints a really vivid picture of early polar exploration, and of map making (which is pretty cool and strangely primitive when we live in a world of satellite imagery and Google maps!).
But the plot itself is a bit messy, with bits of loose ends, like we've said. @Natasha, would you agree?
Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ wrote: "@Allison, how is Little Fires Everywhere? I didn't like Everything I Never Told You very much at all. Most of the characters were too whiney, as I recall."@Allison, I was JUST THINKING as you wrote, that this book is very, very similar to Everything I Never Told You! It is basically the exact same mold, same characterization, almost the same setting. I'm not far in, but it's just kinda okay. I'm sure it'll introduce some middle-class, suburban drama here soon, then resolve with a twist by the end, which I may or may not predict just before it's revealed...
I just couldn't get behind the characters in Everything I Never Told You at all. I just wanted them to shut up complaining!
I do agree @Allison. It's almost as of the author is convinced polar expeditions are mystical journeys in and of themselves and full of unexplained mysteries. People do simply get up and wander off never to be seen again. Things do get dropped for years and not followed up because the people in a position to ask the questions are preoccupied with their own survival. I really believe O'Loighlin believed he would be betraying the spirit of polar expeditions if he answered every question his plot raised. The poles still hold some secrets. I think he intended his story to keep some as well.
Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ wrote: "I just couldn't get behind the characters in Everything I Never Told You at all. I just wanted them to shut up complaining!"I didn't like Everything I Never Told You either. The hype didn't match the book. I was very disappointed.
I am looking forward to hearing what the final thoughts on Little Fires Everywhere. I enjoyed it more than Everything I Never Told You. I didn't find the characters to be whining in "Fires" however I did not necessary like too many of them. What I did like was how the author writes about scenarios that a younger you never imagined....and sometimes life is like that.
I must admit my reading has fallen off. Tomorrow I plan on tackling Brother, I managed to salvage that one with the loss of my books on overdrive on my old phone transfer to my new phone, and its due soon. Love books set in my hometown and the projects - since I grew up in one in Toronto.
This months read didn't make the transfer so I am waiting for my new hold to come in.
I am also reading The Sun Is Also a Star, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, and Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic
Natasha wrote: "I do agree @Allison. It's almost as of the author is convinced polar expeditions are mystical journeys in and of themselves and full of unexplained mysteries. People do simply get up and wander off..."That's an interesting point, @Natasha, thank you! Perhaps you're right -- all the left over pieces were intentional. Doesn't mean I "liked" it (ha!) but I can see what you're saying, that the author did all this to enhance the spirit of the environment. That does make some sense.
hello everyone and happy Canadian thanksgiving! I am grateful for a mostly quiet weekend so I can catch up on some writing and some reading:) I've been reading non-fiction this week - I just finished Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowell and it is so so good. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you are interested in Canadian indigenous issues at all, interested in where "reconciliation" can actually start, it is a must read. It is very accessible and easy to read with humour and sarcasm and lots of resources for further deeper reading if you want to follow up. (In other words, the to-be-read list just keeps growing...).
One of my library holds came up so I also just started reading Notes of a Native Son - James Baldwin has been on TBR for a very long time. And of course the first essay talks about Uncle Tom's Cabin and Native Son, so I've acquired both of those (Cabin for free online, Native Son from the library) and have to read those...I have to say, I'm about 20% in Uncle Tom's Cabin and it's painful to read. I'm thinking of it as more of a historical document than a novel - it is an artifact of a particular time in history.
But all that said, I'm pretty sure I'm going to find the Baldwin essays make me think and ponder and want to keep learning, which is a good thing in non-fiction reading for me.
I am interested in the comments on Minds of Winter - I really want to read it but might not get it from the library in time for the awards. I lived in the NWT for several years and spent lots of time in Inuvik, so I am interested in seeing how he writes about the North and how I relate to that...
But I think I'm going to start Son of a Trickster this weekend, since I actually already have it.
I also started, but haven't really been pulled in by, our October read, A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder. I will keep going with it though.
I've been struggling with a cold all week and haven't read as much as I hoped. I did finish In the Skin of the Lion by Michael Ondaatje which was ok, a bit disjointed though well written. Still working on Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (nearly done), The Manticore by Robertson Davies still not really loving it but I'll finish it, re-borrowed The Watch that Ends the Night by Hugh MacLennan from the library and I picked up and started The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz.
I've bought three Giller short listers and will start them as i finish the others above. I Am a Truck, Bellevue Square and Minds of Winter.
@Loretta, Native Son is a book I will never forget. I actually feel changed by it, like a quantum shift in my brain in understanding a little bit more the experience of black men in the USA. It's an intense read, but one of the best books I've ever encountered.Between the World and Me is a more modern, non-fiction slant that had the same impact on me.
Allison, I read Between the World and Me last year and it had the same impact on me you described for Native Son. I'm looking forward to it.
I am thankful for my fellow Goodreads community, who understand my reading obsessions. I just finished reading Dancing Winds which was written by someone I know. It is going to be a bit awkward because I only thought the book was so-so (and the author is my boss)
I am also reading Geek Love which I am having trouble getting into.
I took A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali out of the library and am hoping to get into it this weekend. We don't have any big plans for thanksgiving dinner, just a small meal with immediate family.
I always enjoy reading everyone's Friday posts, I have added quite a bit to my TBR list once again.
Happy Thanksgiving, all! I'm grateful for this weekly reading check-in, which I look forward to tremendously. @Loretta, I too am wildly enthusiastic about and highly recommend Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada. Isn't it terrific?
This week I read Do Not Become Alarmed, which I won as a giveaway. It was a readable suspense novel, although a bit strangely paced.
I finished The Accusation, a fascinating collection of stories by a North Korean author, as well.
And dreamed about gardening with 100 Easy-To-Grow Native Plants: For Canadian Gardens. I'm all about 'easy-to-grow'!
Am now toodling through a geek-out with Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women's Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600, then on to Nutshell.
Happy Thanksgiving!!I'm thankful for all of you wonderful book lovers and the opportunity for me to be able to share my passion for literature (especially Canadian literature).
I'm still plugging along with The Republic of Love. I'm on week two of a bad cold, so I'm not reading at my usual pace.
Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I am ever thankful for the freedom to read and to connect with others who appreciate the love of reading. I am equally grateful for the authors who share their stories and talents with us readers! I am just starting First Snow, Last Light and so far so good! I did not read Wayne Johnston's previous books so this is a new adventure for me. I am also getting into A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder and Ken Follett's latest chunk of a tale- A Column of Fire. It should be a ride back in time.
May you all experience the stunning colours and beauty of Fall!
Thanks for all the good wishes! Best to all, altho Thanksgiving is not a holiday I can celebrate. I will be thankful to have a quiet weekend for reading.Finished the cross country challenge at last, just under the wire. Next year I will be more organized! It was a bit grueling at the end there but I was surprised how much I enjoyed Knife Party at the Hotel Europa by Mark Anthony Jarman. Juliet in August, also known as Cool Waterby Dianne Warren not so much.
The Douglas Notebooks by Christine Eddie didnt make it into the challenge but I read it yesterday and loved it, can use for bingo. I plan to get to Prairie Oyster before I have to return.
Thanks again Mj
Right now Ive just begun Six Degrees of Freedom by Nicolas Dickner I'm not enthralled, but having faith, since I loved his other two.
I was a bit disappointed by Pankaj Mishras The Romantics considering how much I loved An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World
Slowly enjoying The Gift Is in the Making by Leanne Simpson This would be a great book to share with children too.
Utopia for Realists: Why Making the World a Better Place Isn't a Fantasy and How We Can Do It by the Dutchman Rutger Bregman has some great suggestions, and some real blanks, and I could say the same thing about Greg WellsThe Ripple Effect: Sleep Better, Eat Better, Move Better, Think Better
cheers everyone!
lol...had to race off to catch the bus home...and realized as I was rushing for it that I misremebered Prairie Ostrich, again. Maybe once I've actually read it, I may be more on it.None of the nominees for the big prizes are in our library system yet, except for Son of a trickster ❤ but I was able to put a hold on Brother. And today I picked up Lost in September and The passion according to G.H by Clarice Lispector, my newest beloved. Also, a bit grudgedly, because it was on the display, took out the Underground Railroad. This is the 3rd time, will push harder. Mixed reviews from this group, I need to make up my own mind.
Mod
It has been another busy week so I have read very little. I did finish Beneath the Wake for book club. The author, Ross Pennie joined us and we had a fun evening asking him questions about the book, his experiences writing and marvelling over his career change from a highly respected infectious disease specialist (who worked in our local hospital) to a creative author! His latest book will make readers think differently about cruise ships. I have never been on a cruise but would not have thought about the fact that they all have morgue's and can still do burials at sea!
I just finished I Am a Truck which is part of the reason that I am late to the party today. I am still processing it but really enjoyed it, thought the writing was great and was thankful for being able to easily translate the few french words that I had difficulty with as there were some french language conversations thrown in. I wish that I had waited to start it on the weekend and read it in one sitting rather than over 3 evenings. I think it might just deserve a reread!!
On audio I am listening to The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. It came through way to early on my overdrive reserve so started it a little too early for my December, in person, book club.
What's next? Not sure, I have a goodreads giveaway of Smile that I would like to tackle and got my book outlet order including both Outlineand Transit this week... along with an entire bookshelf of TBRs... and also want to read The Water Beetles for the buddy read too!
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@Susan yes well LOL, but no thanks!
This week I finished Beartown which was a huge disappointment. This book is nothing like the author's previous books A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here. But now I'm listening to a FANTASTIC book called Conversations with Friends written by a talented Irish writer. I am hoping to finish my short stories in Prison Noir this weekend so I can delve into some Edgar Allen Poe for the month of October :-)
Happy Thanksgiving weekend! I am thankful for my husband's health everyday and the wonderful people in my life, both on and off line. I didn't finish a single book this week but did do a fair amount of walking in the sunshine with my step-dad. We had a wonderful time.
The Proust read is continuing. I am on-track to finishing by the end of the year....a bit ahead of track in truth. I'm glad I'm reading it, it's an interesting experience.
I've made great progress on a wonderful sci-fi read: Wool by Hugh Howey. Although the book is listed as "#1", this edition is the entire series (#1-5). I am thoroughly enjoying this book.
So many great books listed by everyone. My TBR list keeps growing.
Petra wrote: "Happy Thanksgiving weekend! I am thankful for my husband's health everyday and the wonderful people in my life, both on and off line. I didn't finish a single book this week but did do a fair amo..."
Petra-I had got the audio version of Wool when it was on sale, I am glad you are enjoying it, I have been thinking about starting that one soon (so many books...)
I'm giving up on Little Fires Everywhere. It's not that I don't like it. It's fine, but hasn't grabbed me enough for me to power through before my loan expires, so I've decided not to invest any more time. I won't be in a real rush to get back to it. We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates came in through my loans, and this is one I want to make sure I make time for before it expires. Between the World and Me was a book that shifted my mind and one I'll never forget, so I'm aching to get into his new one.
Heather(Gibby) wrote: "Petra-I had got the audio version of Wool when it was on sale, I am glad you are enjoying it, I have been thinking about starting that one soon (so many books...) ..."Heather, I just finished reading Wool this morning. What a great story! I really liked it a lot. Part 5 seemed a bit drawn out but I think that was more about my mind set than the book's pace. I wanted to speed ahead to find out how things would resolve.....I impatiently didn't want the details. LOL!
I will be looking for other books by this author.
I highly recommend this book for dystopian lovers.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have started reading a new Canadian mystery called Full Curl: A Jenny Willson Mystery. The main character Jenny Willson is a Parks Canada warden. Living where I do on the edge of Kootenay National Park, we have many parks people in our midst, including my daughter's husband, and it's interesting to read a book set in my own back yard. Human-animal contact is a big topic of discussion in my community. Not only that, but it is also a well-written mystery by former warden Dave Butler, who clearly knows his subject.
I'm late to Friday Spine Crackers as we were out-of-town Friday and returning today being Tuesday. It was an extra long Thanksgiving Weekend spent primarily with family. It was most enjoyable to spend time with everyone and catch up.Last week I read and enjoyed The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb. It was chosen for an in-person book club and pretty much everyone was a fan. Gibb is a wonderful writer. Her characters were fabulous in this book and I learned a lot about Viet Nam's history and culture. I previously read Sweetness in the Belly and my recent read just re-confirmed how much talent Gibb has.
The Beauty of Humanity Movement certainly reinforced my gratitude for living in Canada, I am thankful for all the blessings this country offers and the freedoms we enjoy that are our birth right and protected by our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
@MJ-the only Camilla Gibb I have read is The Petty Details of So-and-so's Life which I really liked, I have a been meaning to get to another one of her books, but other priorities keep getting in the way. this one also sounds like a winner.
Heather(Gibby) wrote: "@MJ-the only Camilla Gibb I have read is The Petty Details of So-and-so's Life which I really liked, I have a been meaning to get to another one of her books, but other priorities ke..."my book club just read Sweetness in the Belly which we all enjoyed.
Mod
There really are just SO MANY BOOKS. I've read one Camilla Gibb, which I really enjoyed, and own two others that I just never get to! Ugh.
I read Camilla Gibb's first book, just before she won the City ofToronto Book Award for it. I actually finished it in the morning and then I saw her at the Word on the Street which was much smaller back then-she really wasn't famous at all so I went up to her and told her how much I loved her book. She was so taken aback, I don't think she was that much read back then. She seemed really lovely.
I have Camilla Gibb's Sweetness in the Belly and have had it for years. Still not read. Too many books. Too little time. Sigh.
@ Alan - who is it your want to join on the bench? Sorry, iIt's been a long, tough week and your comment totally went over my shrunken head.
No problem..I was referring to Louise’s tbr and how overwhelming this can be. There were two books in the store I saw this week and I thought I have to have them,but no I was goood and resisted the urge.
I buy more books than I can read. I borrow more books than I can read. I buy books I've already read because the book looks nice. I buy books I already have because I've forgotten I already have a copy. I do all my reading on my ereader so why am I still even buying books? The disease is real.
Louise wrote: "I buy more books than I can read. I borrow more books than I can read. I buy books I've already read because the book looks nice. I buy books I already have because I've forgotten I already have a ..."Ha! Louise, I have this disease as well.
Mod
CanadianContent
Books mentioned in this topic
Geek Love (other topics)Native Son (other topics)
Mansfield Park (other topics)
Uncle Tom's Cabin (other topics)
The Devil's Highway: A True Story (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jane Austen (other topics)Alice Munro (other topics)
Josip Novakovich (other topics)
Robertson Davies (other topics)
Pankaj Mishra (other topics)
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For those of us in Canada, we are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. I am thankful for the enthusiasm, encouragement and positivity of this group. We will never lack in book suggestions and this is a place where everyone understands and supports our love of reading!!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend, full of family, relaxation, reading... and of course some pumpkin pie!!!
What have you been reading? what is up next?