Play Book Tag discussion
2016-19 Activities & Challenges
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PBT Reading in Memory of Denizen
Joi, this is the thread so read and post away!
Karin wrote: "This is the one I was planning to read--is it okay if more than one of us reads the same book? If not, I can comb my tbr and compare it with this list...."Oh, I'm sure it is ok if more than one reads it, but I also wanted to help finish the list! So, I wanted to pick something no one else has/had yet chosen. I do think I'll stick with my other choice of
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis.
I have “Fifteen Dogs” - I don’t think anyone has picked that yet, so I’ll read it with pleasure. 🐕
I've read 16 but own four others not read yet I will pursue (not mentioned by others as targets). I understand that multiple PBT readers is fine and like the idea of tapping as many as possible.
KateNZ wrote: "I have “Fifteen Dogs” - I don’t think anyone has picked that yet, so I’ll read it with pleasure. 🐕"I'm curious to hear what you think. I considered it, only because it was part of Canada Reads last year. But, I decided against it. But, who knows!? I could change my mind again later!
I've got these on my priority TBR: The Book of Night Women by Marlon James and Rivers by Michael Farris Smith
Well, I picked upThe North Water last evening...and now I know why it has sat on my physical book shelf (as well as my TBR list) for so long-just not my cup of tea...so I am hoping someone else will give this one a go. Sorry, but I promised myself I would not finish any book this year, just for the sake of finishing-got myself on a real low doing this. I will take up The Kept sometime this week-end with hopes of feeling better about that one.
Joanne wrote: "Well, I picked upThe North Water last evening...and now I know why it has sat on my physical book shelf (as well as my TBR list) for so long-just not my cup of tea...so I am hoping ..."It was very thoughtful of you to relay that info! Sorry the book was the wrong choice for you . . .
Andersonville was delivered today and my mom said that it is a really great book, so I look forward to starting it soon!
I ordered Out of Africa from Amazon quite a few days ago so it should be here soon. I'm really looking forward to it!
I feel so sad. I haven't checked in for a couple of weeks and was so shocked to see this. I think I'll give The Game of Kings a try.
I just ordered a fine balance from the library. Looks like already we’re getting quite a lot of her titles covered.
This is a very cool idea. I have had trouble reading this year with work and life (all good just very busy and tired). Anyway, this beautiful tribute has re-energized me. I'm good for both The North Water and Far Bright Star.
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle2 stars
Paula O'Leary set her sights on Charlo (Charles) Spencer when she was only a teen. He was handsome, charming and, somehow, slightly dangerous. After they married she was blissfully happy. That happiness would prove to be short-lived. It took very little for Charlo to lose his temper and Paula became his favorite punching bag. It took 17 years of what Paula called one constant beating for her to throw him out of the house and that only happened because she saw him looking askance at their oldest daughter. Poorly educated, alcoholic, permanently injured, Paula must now make a life for herself and her 4 children.
I wish I could say I liked this book as it was on Denizen's short list, but, nope. The abuse was horrendous, the characters are extremely unlikable and Doyle's writing style of short, choppy sentences is difficult to read with any flow. I didn't hate it but I sure don't recommend it.
Ellen wrote: "The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle2 stars.."
Guess I liked it more than you did (though I do not remember it at all!).
Your comment about the short, choppy sentences may explain this part of my review, though:
"One complaint for my edition, though (1998, Viking) - the number of editing errors! Whoa! There were lots of periods in the middle of sentences and plenty of typos to go along with it. I'm sure I would have rated the book the same, but it was somewhat distracting at times."
Maybe it wasn't editing and typos!
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - 4 starsI finished this book last night and really enjoyed it. The species were well-crafted. Some begin life as female and end it as male, there are creatures that bond with a virus having religious significance, and gender/species differences are celebrated. I did not know Denizen, but it felt good to read in memory of a fellow avid reader.
My review:
Science fiction set hundreds of years in the future on the Wayfarer, a ship that constructs wormholes to facilitate space travel, Chambers builds a universe teeming with diverse species and cultures. The characters take center stage, and they are given enough attention to understand their personalities and motivations. This book provides a positive image of the future. Mostly, the different species show respect to each other and attempt to understand their cultures. Of course, wars and speciesism (future equivalent of today’s racism) still exist and create a good part of the dramatic tension in the story. Themes include acceptance of differences, family, friendship, personhood, teamwork, and creative problem solving.
Chambers writes lucidly about technical concepts and creates an interesting cast of characters. I especially enjoyed the camaraderie of the Wayfarer’s crew. This book differs from other science fiction in that it is not militaristic, humans are not the smartest or most powerful beings, and space travel is available to all. While this book is listed as part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. Recommended to science fiction enthusiasts, and those that enjoy character-driven stories. Engaging and imaginative story of relationships and acceptance in the form of a space opera.
As a side note, do NOT buy the Kindle version of this book, as it is missing at least six pages where there should be text! I did not let this defect impact my review and have notified Amazon.
Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just returned from a vacation with very little internet connection and haven't been on-line. I remember Denizen from back in the Shelfari days. This is such sad news. The obituary was a beautiful tribute. I remember that we did this for Gale. I'll go check the shelf for a title.
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett - 4.5 Stars
I chose this book from Denizen's Shortlist because I have had it on my TBR for years. I know there are so many fans of the series and I absolutely love this time period (Scotland in the mid sixteenth century). The Game of Kings is the first of six volumes focusing on Francis Crawford of Lymond, “a scapegrace nobleman of crooked felicities and murderous talents, possessed of a scholar's erudition and a tongue as wicked as a rapier.” He has returned to Scotland after a five year absence and he's thought to be a traitor. He has assembled a band of mercenaries and plans to prove his innocence and restore his name. He needs to find the man who framed him, forcing him to spend two years as a galley slave before he escaped. This is also a very perilous time in history with Mary, Queen of Scots a four year old baby, leading to complicated politics between England, Scotland and France.
These books are not for a casual reader. The Game of Kings was written in 1961 and Dunnett has used language that won't be familiar to many of her readers. There are occasional poems written in archaic French where I had no idea what was being said. But ultimately, it made no difference. The character of Francis Lymond was so charismatic and the other wonderfully complex characters came to life in my mind.
I've heard the most difficult of the books is The Game of Kings. It's the introductory book of a series comprising over 3000 pages. This book still works as a standalone novel even if you don't have an interest in going further into the series. Given the amazing blend of mystery, history, betrayal, and action, I plan to read Queens' Play, (the second book) as soon as possible.
Since Denizen never had a chance to read this I'm awarding it a 4.5 Stars on her behalf. After looking at her favorites and realizing she enjoyed intricate historical novels, I have no doubt she would have enjoyed this book and put the next one on her TBR. Denise, I hope you are enjoying unlimited access to books in that Great Library in the Sky.
Great review, I also have The Game of Kings on my TBR. I am currently reading Exit West which was on her list, but this one was also on my short-list of her short-list.
I've a paperback copy of this book that's been on my shelf so long that it's probably crumbling to dust. I know I started it more than once. I put it down, not because I didn't like it, but because it was not the kind of book that I could give my attention to when I was working and raising children. I could attend to it now and I'd like to read it. But I'll never read that paperback with its teeny tiny print now! Time to recycle that one.
A fine balance just came in for me at the library.
Amy wrote: "A fine balance just came in for me at the library."Oooh, I so hope you like it!!!
Completely thought of you and Jason! Got to figure out how to fit it in. I’ve seriously never read this little in my life. Still have 2 1/2 books to finish before May is over. I will do some serious catch-up after huge June event
Olivermagnus wrote: "The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett - 4.5 Stars
I chose this book from Denizen's Shortlist because I have had it on my TBR for yea..."
You beat me! I was going to read this one. I'll have to go see what hasn't been chosen yet. Of course I didn't see that you had chosen it before I did. :-)
Dibs on The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. This sounds a lot like my one of my favorites: Replay.
Barbara -- it's OK if someone else has read the book, you can still read in Denise's honor. It's up to you.
JoLene wrote: "Barbara -- it's OK if someone else has read the book, you can still read in Denise's honor. It's up to you."Thats ok, if we want to get through most of the list, we should choose different titles. This second choice was also on my list!
I started Out of Africa a few days ago. It's beautifully written and I'm really enjoying it.
Amy wrote: "A fine balance just came in for me at the library."I never knew Denizen, but it is a great way to honor her.
I have wanted to read A Fine Balance for a long time, so think I will join you on this one if I am able to fit it in :)
Hilde wrote: "Amy wrote: "A fine balance just came in for me at the library."I never knew Denizen, but it is a great way to honor her.
I have wanted to read A Fine Balance for a long time, so thin..."
Fantastic, Hilde. This book is one of my all time favorites, so I hope you enjoy it!
Hilde - I would love to read this with you. My reading of slow this month. So I also may not get to it for quite some time. Let’s shoot for summer.
Amy wrote: "Hilde - I would love to read this with you. My reading of slow this month. So I also may not get to it for quite some time. Let’s shoot for summer."Perfect!:) I just started The Count of Monte Cristo, and I know that one will take me a while for sure. Loving it so far, hope the fast pacing continues and that it won't drag too much!
Anita wrote: "Fantastic, Hilde. This book is one of my all time favorites, so I hope you enjoy it!"Thanks, so glad to see it come recommended once again, so many people seem to love this. Looking forward to it :)
Well Hilde, you and I are riding a similar train. I myself am also stuck in historical France. Reading the 545 page Abundance, about Marie Antoinette. It’s a great read, but my life is not allowing my guilty pleasure these days. Also in this last week of May, I’d like to finish my Decathalon book, the Sense of an Ending. I’ve never missed a challenge deadline yet, though this may be the week. It’s a very tight two weeks in my life. Also, my son and his English teacher need me to start and finish Catcher in the Rye. It will be interesting to see June’s decathalon, and see what next month is going to actually look like. I ordered four magical realism books from the library. It’s a category I like.
The North Water by Ian McGuire - 5 starsA dark, violent story about a whaling voyage (circa 1850) that goes wrong. Other words that can be used to describe this book are brutal, vicious, barbaric, Tarantinoesque, savage, Blood Meridian meets Moby Dick, inhuman, monstrous and F-bombs laden. The story mainly centers on two characters, a surgeon and harpooner, locked in a mortal fight as the ship drifts into the north water where it meets its intentional fate.
I think this book is an allegory for the hard switch in human evolution that trips between Early and Late Modern History. What is shared between the two characters at odds is the commercial world in which they live, the wars waging around them (both between man and beast), the price of progress, violent death, good, evil, escapism and alienation. Although the harpooner is clearly the epitome of evil, the surgeon is no angel and all the other characters fall somewhere in between.
Although I found this book to be very thought provoking and all in all very good, I have to admit I physically winced more than a couple of times from the ferocity and sharpness of its violence. I love history, especially the American Civil War, and my interpretation of the book and liking it may just be me personalizing. Short of that, I’m not sure there is much here that is life affirming or even redeeming and although I didn't know Denizen personally, I think maybe it's good that this book stayed unread by her.
Charlie wrote: "The North Water by Ian McGuire - 5 starsA dark, violent story about a whaling voyage (circa 1850) that goes wrong. Other words that can be used to describe this book are brutal, v..."
So happy someone else picked up this book after I had to put in down. glad you enjoyed it, I could not get through it!
I have five of Denizen's books already on my TBR and hope to get to all of them before we're done:Exit West
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Out of Africa
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
A Fine Balance
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid(Cross posted to May 2018: Other Books)
4 stars
This is the story of a relationship between Saeed and Nadia. As there relationship blossoms so does the unrest in the unnamed city and country where they live. As life becomes increasingly difficult, they decide to take a chance by using one of the doors that are appearing around the city to escape. However, life on the other side of the doors has its own set of problems as the world gets caught up in a global refugee crisis.
This was a beautifully written story of a relationship. The book was not long and the reader must fill in some of the blanks about the details. As an example, Saeed and Nadia are the only characters that have names --- everyone else is referred to in reference to them (Saeed's father) or to their role (the chef). The country is not named but seems like it is somewhere in the middle east and their religion is not named but seems to be Islamic. Because of this, the writing at times had a dream like quality since often, in dreams, you don't have all the details. The magical doors created a vehicle for moving Saeed and Nadia to different places, each with its own set of problems. With this device, Hamid is able to explore what it means to belong and how experiences can bond but also can exacerbate differences. I definitely recommend the book and may bump it up a star after pondering it for some more. This might be something that I actually re-read because perhaps I would have some understanding of some of the "interludes" where some unrelated people are discussed.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - Claire North4 1/2 stars
For Harry August, death is not final. Whenever he dies he is reborn back at the beginning of his life to live it again. This sounds a little bit like, Life After Life, but unlike the main character in that story, Harry always remembers everything that happened to him in previous iterations of his life. There are others like Harry who also live in a continuous loop and make up a community that spans centuries of our time. One day, those from the future send a message to those of the past that something is going wrong with time and the end of the world has been sped up. Harry has to find out what is happening and why and try to stop it.
I really enjoyed this book. It asked some interesting questions and approached the time loop story in a unique way. The beginning of the book moves a bit slow and the structure may be a bit confusing, but about half way through the book it all comes together as the plot finally takes off. As you read the second part of the book, the first part makes sense. I recommend it to others that enjoy time travel/time loop books and who have the patience to read through the slow and winding start.
Exit West by Mohsin HamidNadia and Saeed meet and fall in love in an unnamed country (which sounds suspiciously like Syria) wracked by civil war. As their relationship blossoms, the war escalates around them until they begin to consider fleeing the country. They hear rumors of doors - strange doors that take people far away, even into other countries, for a price paid to the people who control these doors. Nadia and Saeed decide to take a risk and step through a door, which takes them to Greece.
What an interesting concept. The doors are merely an instrument which the author uses to transport his protagonists to an alien environment and see what it does to their relationship. It's also used as political and social commentary. While I enjoyed the writing overall, I wasn't keen on the lack of a plot once the couple go through the first door, because after that it just meandered along. Hamid has a way with words, but I did get somewhat tired of his run-on sentences that used comma after comma, with a sentence filling up a page and sometimes (it seemed to me - I was reading on a Kindle) spilling over to the next. I think he was probably doing it deliberately for effect, but I felt he did it too often.
I did enjoy this book, and I can see why this has garnered awards, but this type of writing is not really my cup of tea. But I'm glad I was able to kill two birds with one stone and read this for the monthly tag and the tribute to Denizen.
American War - Omar El Akkad - 4 starsAmerican War is a dystopian novel that begins as the Second American Civil War breakTs out in 2074. It follows the trajectory of Sarat Chestnut, a child when the war breaks out, and challenges the reader to put themselves in the shoes of those in the world who are displaced. It shows us that it is possible to create a terrorist in any nation with the right combination of factors. There were times when I felt distanced from the story given that I am not American and have what I would define as a basic understanding of the lived civil unrest in the country, as well as a basic understanding of the geography. Half way through the novel I thought that a 3.5 star rating was shaping up to be appropriate, however I found the second half to be more engaging and I was able to feel an emotional connection that I hadn't felt in the first half. In the end I feel as though it is worthy of four stars. The concept was interesting, the writing was above average, and I was compelled to finish and hear how it all played out. Book Riot mentioned that it was as if Jesmyn Ward had written The Road, and I think that is a major stretch, but nonetheless I felt that it was worthy of my time. The audiobook was very well done.
For Denizen.
I feel really bad but I'm not going to be able to finish Out of Africa. I got 3/4 of the way through but it just has too much killing of animals for me. I think some other people were wanting to read it though so I thought I should let them know. I've looked over Denizen's list again and I'd love to read A Natural History of Dragons.
I'm still going to read the book I picked from her list and i got another one from the library that no one has said they are reading yet but since I had to read a magic realism book for the tag I read one off her list too.Exit West by Mohsin Hamid 3 stars
Nadia and Saeed are a young couple newly dating in an unnamed middle eastern country when war breaks out. Soon doors begin appearing that take people to other parts of the world and a worldwide immigration crisis arises. I never really connected with Nadia or Saeed, the only two characters who get names, which made me less invested in the story. There are also brief stories of other people who use the doors scattered throughout the book but I don't think they added much to the story. Hamid does have beautiful writing in spots but at times his sentences dragged on and on with multiple commas. Overall the book was a bit of a letdown considering all the raves I've read about it.
I read this book off Denizens list and am glad I was ale to finish read this book for her. Empire Falls is a small, dilapidated town in Maine. The whole town is owned by one lady, Mrs White. Miles Roby, who runs a grill owned by Mrs. White, is getting a divorce because his wife left him for the fit, older, obnoxious gym owner. His daughter is trying to cope with all of this along with her own school problems. Miles brother is a recovering rebel who works at the grill with him.
This story reminds me of A Spool of Blue Thread but instead of just a family dynamic, its a whole town that is plagued by the decisions of each member and the decisions of the past.
I didn't like any character. At time I felt for Miles but overall it feels as if Russo tried so hard not to make his characters one dimensional that he made them all too imperfect. I didn't like the portrayal of women and the fact that almost everyone in the town has been or is getting a divorce and then the story seemed to stand still at times. I felt as if this has been discussed before. Russo built his relationships then went back and rebuilt them again and again.
It was okay and I think the problems with Miles daughter were powerful but ended in an unbelievable way.
I would vote for this book to be cut in half or at least by a third. Not horrible, buy not great.
Jason wrote: "I read this book off Denizens list and am glad I was ale to finish read this book for her. Empire Falls is a small, dilapidated town in Maine. The whole town is owned by one lady, Mrs White. Mile..."
I read this book a number of years ago and loved it.
Here is my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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After looking over the list, I am going to read A Natural History of Dragons
A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #1)by Marie Brennan