August - what will you be reading?

[Shirley]

Feel free to share what you are planning to read during August here...

[LauraT]

Here the first titles ...

Alan Bennett,  The Uncommon Reader
Lawrence Hill,  Someone Knows My Name
Jojo Moyes, Me Before You
Ford Maddox Ford, The Fifth Queen
Graham Green,  The End of the Affair
Andrea Camilleri, La piramide di fango

[[deleted user]]

1. The Uncommon Reader
2. Bel Canto
3. The End of the Affair

I'm also carrying on with Dante, finally finishing Nicholas Nickleby (when I get my kindle back!) and re-reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[Marian]

I will be reading
1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
2. Wise Blood
3. Crucible
And possibly some of Ernest Hemmingway's work - any recommendations?

[Cathie]

The End of the Affair
Bird Box
Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
The Light Between Oceans

[Alannah]

LauraT wrote: "Here the first titles ...

Alan Bennett,  The Uncommon Reader
Lawrence Hill,  Someone Knows My Name
Jojo Moyes, Me Before You
Ford Maddox Ford, [book:T..."

Would love to hear what you think of Jojo Moyes, Me Before You. Had quite a few people recommending it to me.

[Alannah]

Don't think I will be reading much for the first half, I have two weeks today to finish and send off my dissertation.

I haven't been reading at all these past couple of weeks, I am currently reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.

When that and my university work is done I hope to read:

Room by Emma Donoghue (my recommendation swap from Erica)
Half Bad by Sally Green
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

[[deleted user]]

Good luck Alannah! Something to look forward to at the end of the dissertation-doom

[Diane S ☔]

The End of the Affair
The Emigrants
World of Wonders
The Thing About December
The Lotus and the Storm
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Lisette's List: A Novel
The Burning of the World: A Memoir of 1914

[Amber]

I'll be reading
Midnight's Children
The Exquisite and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinoza
finishing up Killer Rumors
The Tekhen of Anuket
and go from there.

[Bionic Jean]

Oh Heather - what happened to your kindle? :( I dread my really old one going wrong even though I have a new one, as I love the simplicity of the old one. It even has a little keyboard at the bottom - remember those?

I'm not sure of all August's reads yet, but I do know I'll be reading:

The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier for the continuing Daphne du Maurier readalong. Probably some time in the first half of the month.

Also the final Inspector Morse book The Remorseful Day by Colin Dexter, a delayed reading for the mysteries group I'm in (I should have read it last month.)

Maybe another Fernando Pessoa, for the seasonal poet. And one of the classics I'm behind with for another group...

Other than that, I shall try to fill out my "Around the World" challenge a bit. There are still 2 continents I haven't read both fiction and non-fiction from I think (and no, one is not Antarctica! LOL)

Last month I revised my Dickens challenge to include some books about him, but I am getting serious withdrawal symptoms for The Inimitable himself, so I may sneak in some of his short pieces too :D

[Alice]

My plan at the moment is:

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Jenny by Sigrid Undset
Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

A friend has given me a 2010 Kindle but I've had problem with the registration. I'm connected to WiFi and I have an Amazon account, but when I try to register, the pop-up screen shows "Presently you're not connected ....." (SIGH!)

[Gill]

Alannah wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Here the first titles ...

Alan Bennett,  The Uncommon Reader
Lawrence Hill,  Someone Knows My Name
Jojo Moyes, Me Before You
Ford Maddo..."

Alannah, I really enjoyed 'me before you.' I wept loads though so have plenty of tissues ready!

[Gill]

Alice wrote: "My plan at the moment is:

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Jenny by Sigrid Undset
Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck
The White Queen by Phil..."

It might be worth having an online chat with Amazon about your Kindle, Alice. I had problems with mine sometime back and they're very helpful. Eventually got fixed. Hurray!

[Chrissie]

I know I want to read

Pierre and Jean by Maupassant
Anton Chekhov: A Life
Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West

so probably I will be doing them this month.

Maybe Empire Falls. I need help from people who know me well, if they think I will like this or not!

I am currently reading An Officer and a Spy because I wanted to know more about Dreyfus, Charbel said it was good, I wanted test another thriller and the author is supposed to be excellent.

[Alice]

Gill wrote: "Alice wrote: "My plan at the moment is:

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Jenny by Sigrid Undset
Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck
[book:The White Queen|59..."

Thanks, Gill. I'll certainly try that!

[[deleted user]]

Jean, it's safely back with me now! I left it at the new house when I went back to the old house! I have a keyboard one as well, don't need anything more fancy than that!

[Chrissie]

Oh, I forgot this one: Nana.

[Bionic Jean]

That's good Heather! :)

[Katie]

A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary by Marta Hillers
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

[LauraT]

Alannah wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Here the first titles ...

Alan Bennett,  The Uncommon Reader
Lawrence Hill,  Someone Knows My Name
Jojo Moyes, Me Before You
Ford Maddo..."

I've been recomended it as well. And I've been given it as a present by a friend. I'll let you know. Up to now is quite all right, dealing with a theme close to me - my father was the chief doctor of the spinal cord unit in our town.

[Dhanaraj]

1. The Emigrants (Readalong with Jenny, Gill and Diane S.).
2. To Begin Where I Am: Selected Essays - A companion for my journey in Poland.

Of these two, I am certain.

[Anastasia]

For our group reads:
- The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
- The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal
- Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov

And then by myself:
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (I'm already reading it now)
- The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
- The Information by Martin Amis
- The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
- The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
- Critique of Practical Reason by Immanuel Kant
- Alberto Sordi: L'Italia in bianco e nero by Goffredo Fofi
- Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine (I have to finish it)

[LauraT]

Great that on by AgathaChristie!

[Anastasia]

LauraT wrote: "Great that on by AgathaChristie!"

It is already compelling!

[LauraT]

Anastasia wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Great that on by AgathaChristie!"

It is already compelling!"

Tell me what you think in the end! She sort of... Cheeted!

[Erica]

I'll be reading The God of Small Things, for another group's monthly read of a modern classic. Then I'll start on The Garden of Evening Mists which Paula recommended as part of this month's recommendation swap. Looking forward to them both.

[B the BookAddict]

Given my disastrous failure to finish my July reading, I'm not committing to a whole list this month. Definitely will read:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Good Life by Jay McInerney
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene - a re-read for me but on our Classic Read this month.

The rest will be a lucky dip!

[Dhanaraj]

@ Anastasia: THE SENSE OF AN ENDING is a fantastic book and I hope you will love it. Michael Ende's book is also one of the books that intrigued me many times. But then, I am yet to read it.

[LauraT]

Dhanaraj wrote: "@ Anastasia: THE SENSE OF AN ENDING is a fantastic book and I hope you will love it. Michael Ende's book is also one of the books that intrigued me many times. But then, I am yet to read it."

I do agree. It was my last recomandatiom swap and I loved it

[Greg]

Alice wrote: "My plan at the moment is:

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Jenny by Sigrid Undset
Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck
The White Queen by Phil..."

I really enjoy Pearl S. Buck in general, but I haven't read that one yet

[Beth]

I just started The Secret History and when I am finished with that I intend to read:
The Headmaster's Wife
Plain Truth
The Lemon Orchard

and then we'll see what else I have time for.

[Chrissie]

Katie wrote: "A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary by Marta Hillers
Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Rans..."

Oh, Woman in Berlin is fantastic! I mean really, really, really good.

[[deleted user]]

I love The Sense of an Ending as well, great book!

@Erica I have The Garden of a Evening Mists on my kindle so I look forward to hearing your thoughts

[Anastasia]

LauraT wrote: "Anastasia wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Great that on by AgathaChristie!"

It is already compelling!"

Tell me what you think in the end! She sort of... Cheeted!"

I've finished it! Is it legit to be glad of finding the guilty person 20 pages before the end? :-D A cold comfort! (view spoiler)[When Poirot brought into focus the reticence of Sheppard while he was reading his manuscript, I understood that he was the murderer (hide spoiler)]

I'm very curious to read The Sense of an Ending! :) And I really hope I will love it like many other readers. It seems very appreciated!

[Beth]

Since everyone seems to be reading The End of the Affair this month I decided to buy it and read it too - only to find that it is not available on Kindle!

[[deleted user]]

I'm planning to read

The Uncommon Reader
The End of the Affair
A Room of One's Own
People of the Book (chosen for me by LauraT)
The Charterhouse of Parma

And this leaves room for some spontaneous reading as well.

[Beth]

Sooooooo....stupid question and I hope no one minds - I have not read A Room of One's Own and thought I would get it and read it this month too - there are a bunch of different versions for sale for Kindle - is there any difference or are they all the same? (they vary in price).

[Greg]

I don't use my kindle very often, but in terms of book versions, I'm thinking the actual work is the same in all of them. Different editions have different prefaces, and some may bundle A Room of One's Own with other of Woolf's works. If you're getting something with an audio version just make sure it's unabridged. I have in the past gotten some open domain cheap classics on Kindle that were poorly scanned in with typos, but those were usually 99 cent ones (and even those did have the whole work).

[Beth]

Greg wrote: "I don't use my kindle very often, but in terms of book versions, I'm thinking the actual work is the same in all of them. Different editions have different prefaces, and some may bundle A Room of O..."

thanks - I don't have audio on my Kindle (I have an original) so as long as the versions are the same I'll just buy the least expensive one - thanks!

[Chrissie]

So where should one start with Virgina Woolf? I was thinking of reading To the Lighthouse and then Mrs. Dalloway, but maybe that is wrong.

[Greg]

@Chrissie, that depends on taste somewhat. But I think Orlando is a good one to start with if you're used to plot driven books because it has more traditional story elements than her other books. It also has literary and historical characters popping up too; so it can be fun for avid readers, even people who aren't fans of stream of consciousness. I don't know if it's her best book in terms of literary merit, but it's a lot of fun and perhaps a good starting place.
Then again, the other books you mention are wonderful too. And A Room of One's Own is shaping up to be both accessible and enthralling despite the fact that it's an essay; so that might not be a bad start either.
If you like stream of consciousness stuff already, you might want to try The Waves. That's probably my absolute favorite!

[dely]

Anastasia wrote: "I'm very curious to read The Sense of an Ending! :) And I really hope I will love it like many other readers. It seems very appreciated! "

Just to hear a different opinion: I liked only the first half of the book, the second one was a disappointment above all because the first part was enthralling and promised a good book.
So now I'm curious to read your opinions about it.

In August I will read:
Tess of the d'Urbervilles for the recommendation swap (currently reading)
Oblomov for a readalong with Charbel and Anastasia
The Remains of the Day

Everybody is reading A Room of One's Own...will there be a readalong? I should have it on my kindle though I'm scared to read another Virgina Woolf.

[Tejas Janet]

Not sure there's a wrong or right way to start with Virginia Woolf for a serious reader like you, Chrissie. I've only read Mrs. Dalloway and A Room of One's Own as yet, and enjoyed both.

I think that my ratings are more lax than yours in general. But I'm less willing to read stuff than you are if I don't think I'd give it a pretty strong rating. Not sure though.

[Chrissie]

Re Viginia Woolf:

Texas Janet, yes, I like being proven wrong, so I am willing to try books that I am not sure will fit me. I believe that almost any genre of book, in the hands of a good author, can be good. I prefer long over short books so that is why I have avoided A Room of One's Own.

And I don't know how I will react to Woolf's stream of consciousness. Does it lack punctuation? Although this is not much of a problem since I will be listening to it.

Greg, I actually prefer character portrayal over plot driven books. Does that change what you think I should pick?

Re Ishiguro:
Dely, I wonder how you will react to Ishiguro.... I have read both An Artist of the Floating World and When We Were Orphans, neither blew me over. I have trouble with his character portrayal. The latter I read when I was in Japan and I really wanted something more.

I have SUCH a hard time choosing books.

[dely]

Chrissie wrote: "Dely, I wonder how you will react to Ishiguro.... I have read both An Artist of the Floating World and When We Were Orphans, neither blew me over. I have trouble with his character portrayal. The latter I read when I was in Japan and I really wanted something more.

i have SUCH a hard time choosing books. "

In these days I didn't go on the beach so I couldn't read further but I will let you know when I will finish it.

Yes, I understand what you mean. With me it happens often when I read books I don't like so I feel upset and choosing another book worries me.
Do you want a good book you will probably like? Life and Fate: The Complete Series

[Chrissie]

Has anyone read Night and Day?

I HAVE to choose something and if I end up not liking it I may never try another! That is what I don't want to happen.

[EleonoraF]

dely wrote: "Everybody is reading A Room of One's Own...will there be a readalong? I should have it on my kindle though I'm scared to read another Virgina Woolf.
"

It's the book for the non-fiction reading for August and September :)

[dely]

♪Eleonora♪ wrote: "It's the book for the non-fiction reading for August and September :) "

Thanks! Perhaps I will join.

edit: no, in my omnibus edition of Virgina Woolf there isn't A Room of One's Own!

[Greg]

Chrissie wrote: "Re Virginia Woolf:

Texas Janet, yes, I like being proven wrong, so I am willing to try books that I am not sure will fit me. I believe that almost any genre of book, in the hands of a good author,..."

@Chrissie, I'm not sure. By stream of consciousness I mean that the writing tries to approximate the way people think so it often shifts from idea to idea abruptly and mixes ideas with sensations. Some people don't like it because they find it too incoherent. In the more extreme examples, you might feel like you're being forced to piece together the story from fragments.

I haven't been in this group long; so I don't know your taste well. Maybe To the Lighthouse would be good? I still think Orlando is a lot of fun. Orlando is definitely a little less extreme in its use of the technique than the other novels of hers that I've read. I don't know. I've read several books of hers but not Night and Day; so I can't comment on that one.

This link has examples of stream of consciousness so you know if you like the technique:

http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/Stre...

Whatever you decide, hope you enjoy it!