Constant Reader discussion
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Constant Reader
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What I'm Reading - Jan & Feb 2019
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PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Gina wrote: "I'm reading World Without End right now but had to interrupt it to read Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver, one of my favorite authors. I thought it was a ..."I love Barbara Kingsolver and have read every one of her books. Unbelievably to me, Unsheltered I had to set aside. I just couldn't get into it. Didn't feel like a Kingsolver novel to me. Maybe I'll give it a try again in the future.
Just finished Fierce Attachments: A Memoir by Vivian Gornick. 3 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
Mary wrote: "Graham Greene’s THE QUIET AMERICAN. Excellent! Even though it was written in 1955 and is set in Vietnam when the French were fighting the war and we Americans were just beginning our involvement, i..."I loved that one. Greene is great!
Read a couple of books for local book groups:Christodora, which felt like work to read, none of the characters engaged me, and the conversations and relationships seemed so shallow they almost hurt to read.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which deserves its popularity as a remarkable true story.
Storytelling at its best - a new favourite! Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield is mysterious and magic.
5★ Link to my review
solitaryfossil wrote: "Mary wrote: "Graham Greene’s THE QUIET AMERICAN. Excellent! Even though it was written in 1955 and is set in Vietnam when the French were fighting the war and we Americans were just beginning our i..."I, too, loved the film and the book. I saw the version with Michael Caine and just can't imagine Audie Murphey in the role. At the moment, we are watching Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, where you have the same egos and political manuveuring as in The Quiet American.
Anne wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Gina wrote: "I'm reading World Without End right now but had to interrupt it to read Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver, one of my favorite aut..."Yes, Kingsolver did get a little preachy, but I skipped over that and enjoyed the rest.
Gina wrote: "solitaryfossil wrote: "Mary wrote: "Graham Greene’s THE QUIET AMERICAN. Excellent! Even though it was written in 1955 and is set in Vietnam when the French were fighting the war and we Americans we..."Agreed! Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is fantastic.
We discussed The Quiet American in 2004. Here's a link to our discussion: http://constantreader.com/discussions...
Sherry wrote: "We discussed The Quiet American in 2004. Here's a link to our discussion: http://constantreader.com/discussions..."What a memory! Thank you.
Sherry, thank you! I found the 2004 discussion of THE QUIET AMERICAN very interesting. I, too, am totally impressed that you remembered it AND could find it. There were several references to “it’s been 50 years” and that we could make the same observations about our involvement in other countries. Well... it’s been nearly 65 now and it’s still the same. Also, the issue of Fowler’s neutrality was brought up several times. I had actually thought a lot about that theme while I was reading the book. I wound up wondering whether neutrality can ever be a truly moral position, or does it by default tend to empower the aggressor. As I posted before, the political, moral, and religious questions still resonate today....a hallmark of excellent literature I think.
I really enjoyed both of these! This clever Czech detective has an appetite and wardrobe and disregard for protocol like Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb without the farts. Loved and understood (!) the Eastern European intrigue.Graham Brack,s first two in the series:
Lying and Dying
4.5★ My review of Lying and DyingSlaughter and Forgetting: Murder and intrigue on the streets of Prague...
4.5★ My review of Slaughter and Forgetting
Anne wrote: "Just read Lissa Evans' 
. 2 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...."For those of us with old eyes, could you also put the name of the book, not just the cover? Thanks.
Sherry wrote: "Anne wrote: "Just read Lissa Evans' . 2 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...."For those of us with old eyes, could ..."
Done.
Anne wrote: "Sherry wrote: "Anne wrote: "Just read Lissa Evans' . 2 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...."For those of us with o..."
Thanks.
Elaine Weiss’s THE WOMAN’S HOUR, narrated by Tavia Gilbert. I would not have read this book were it not for one of the Goodreads book clubs in which I participate discussing it; I followed their discussion and decided that even though I knew a lot of the suffrage movement history and the contextual history in which the 19th Amendment was finally ratified, I knew relatively little about the political context in which Tennessee ultimately became the 36th state to do so. I loved this book! It was beautifully narrated by Tavia Gilbert and her interview with Elaine Weiss, a bonus on the audio edition, was quite interesting. I particularly appreciated being reminded of the striking parallels with our current political environment in the United States. I was aware of similarities from my own reading of history but the effectiveness and clarity of Elaine Weiss’s writing highlighted them for me. We women owe the women of the suffrage movement a great debt; they deserve our gratitude and our respect. The finest tribute we can give them is to cast an educated and informed vote in every election.
Joyce Carol Oates’ EXPENSIVE PEOPLE. I think Oates is often brilliant and some of her earlier works are among her finest. This book, published in 1968, is the second in her Wonderland Quartet. It explores affluent characters and their suburban, mid-century lifestyle. Specifically, it examines a family - mother, father, son. It is a first-person narrative written from the perspective of the son, now an 18-year old, writing a “memoir”, his story of events at age 8 and age 11. It is chaotic, violent, disturbing, confusing. It feels real, delusional, unsafe, insane. I am awed by Oates’ ability to put herself and us in the deeply disturbed mind of this child. What is real? What is not? This one will haunt me for a while.
I am finally reading The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. I like historical novels, and so far this hasn’t disappointed. History books don’t tell us about the laws that were passed because of the misuse of radium and the companies who sparked the court battles to give workers their due compensation.
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules – Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg – 3***
Martha Andersson is 79 years old and lives in a retirement home whose new management is cutting corners. Martha and her friends – the League of Pensioners – aren’t going to take this lying down. These characters are a hoot! As outlandish and ridiculous as many of their schemes are, I found it great fun to watch them unfold. This is the first in a series. Wonder what the League of Pensioners will get up to next?
LINK to my review
BC, did you ever read Tim Sandlin’s JIMI HENDRIX TURNS 80? If not, you might enjoy it. It’s another tale of nursing home residents. My husband and I thought it was wickedly funny
Jimi Hendrix Turns Eighty does sound great! I know exactly who I need to gift it to, too, once I've read it. I'm so glad you mentioned it, thanks!
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. I just finished this book. If you like history , this book details the lives about the girls and women who worked in the factories painting the glow in the dark instruments, watches and clocks. Their fight for compensation when the workers developed radium poisoning, which led to laws protecting workers from unsafe work environments. I thought the research the author did was excellent without being dry. These women came alive. Their respective tissues that were saved still is used today in the medical and radiobiology communities.
What is it about penguins that is so cute? This little Not-So-Brave Penguin surprises herself when her friend is lost. Another lovely Steve Smallman children's picture book.
4★ Link to my review with pictures
I've always enjoyed Maggie O'Farrell's mysterious stories, but I'd never read her debut After You'd Gone until now. Glad I found it! Good book and well worth a read.
4★ Link to my review
Jasper Fforde’s EARLY RISER. Another inventive creation from one of my favorite authors. This stand-alone novel about winter hibernation, lucid dreaming, plots, mayhem and intrigue did not disappoint. Effectively narrated by Thomas Hunt.
I'm a fan of Fforde's Thursday Next series (and others of his) but I wasn't aware of this one. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Mary.
I'm in the middle of Where the Crawdads Sing, and enjoying it, except: this is supposed to be taking place in a marsh, which I suppose is way on the east coast. But the characters seem to go to Asheville a lot. Whenever I see that, I'm shot right out of the story. No one living on the swampy parts of NC would go all the way to Asheville (a good six-hour drive) to get provisions. There are many other towns, good-sized ones, much much closer. Does this type of thing bother anybody else?
Sherry wrote: "I'm in the middle of Where the Crawdads Sing, and enjoying it, except: this is supposed to be taking place in a marsh, which I suppose is way on the east coast. But the characters s..."Yes! I love books that are based in areas, I know, particularly where I live. But, I tend to attribute mistakes like these to laziness on the part of the author. That really surprises me in this case.
Since I live in Asheville, and I drive to the beach most summers, I know how long it takes. It also seemed like her version of the marsh is more Georgia-like than NC-like. I wonder why she didn't place it there, since that's where she grew up. I guess we should wait to discuss this when it's time for our discussion.
J.M. Coetzee’s THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS. I haven’t read any of Coetzee’s books for a number of years and I was looking forward to getting re-acquainted with his talent but this may be the end of my reading relationship with him. This strange little book was oddly compelling but I kept asking myself why I was persisting in reading it. I know I didn’t fully grasp its meaning or intent. I expect I will be pondering it for a while. The sequel is on my TBR list and right now I feel ambivalent about reading it - do I really want to enter this world again? Will the sequel add clarity? We’ll see....
I am now reading Paper Wife: A Novel. About a young Chinese woman given in marriage to a widower . She has to leave China for America , under an assumed name. The widower’s wife died and he had one week to find a wife . In an instant the new wife obtained a husband and a new son.
Mary wrote: "BC, did you ever read Tim Sandlin’s JIMI HENDRIX TURNS 80? If not, you might enjoy it. It’s another tale of nursing home residents. My husband and I thought it was wickedly funny"Thanks for that recommendation, Mary!
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens – 2.5**
I wanted to like this. I found it intriguing and interesting. I loved Owens’ descriptions of the marsh and the marvels of the natural world. I was invested in Kya’s story from the beginning, and her loneliness was practically tangible. I marveled at her resilience and intelligence. However, as the novel progressed things got a little too unbelievable and soap-opera-ish for me. After all the drama of the murder and trial, the ending seeming rather anti-climactic.
LINK to my review
I just finished The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks. 3 stars. It was a pretty good read but I didn't love it as many did. My review explains why: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
Finally, I've read a Bosch mystery, The Black Echo, the first of the popular series by Michael Connelly. In 1992, LA cops fought crime with payphones and state-of-the-art pagers and faxes. And guns. Always guns. Looks like I'm in for a long ride!
4.5★ Link to my review
Bernice McFadden’s PRAISE SONG FOR THE BUTTERFLIES. A touching story, simply and well-told. I did not know about the practice of ritual servitude in Western Africa and now I do. This tale is sad, disturbing and hopeful. I’m glad I read it and will read other books by Bernice McFadden.
Finished The Hate U Give, and as usual, glad to have read the book before I saw the movie. Very readable and involving, showing intricate relationships and emotions within a black community in the aftermath of a police shooting of a young black man.
Finished The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen, one of the best contemporary novels I have read in years. Brilliant. I highly recommend it.About to begin Kenzaburo Oe's The Silent Cry.
Yes, The Sympathizer is excellent, but not so easy to read of the hardships.
Thanks for the reminder, Patty Mac! It's open now.
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Constant Reader
Books mentioned in this topic
The Sympathizer (other topics)The Silent Cry (other topics)
The Hate U Give (other topics)
The Black Echo (other topics)
The Wife Between Us (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Michael Connelly (other topics)Greer Hendricks (other topics)
Maggie O'Farrell (other topics)
Steve Smallman (other topics)
Lissa Evans (other topics)
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I loved The Quiet American. Also loved the movie. There are two versions. One from 1958 with Audie Murphy and Michael Redgrave and one made in 2002 with Michael Caine and Brendan Frasier. Can't lose with either one.