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What I'm Reading - May/June 2019
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Yes, Lynn, I agree. I enjoyed EARLY RISER much more than SHADES OF GREY. And the Thursday Next series is what got me reading JF’s works in the first place. I think they’re terrific. Have you read the one he wrote retelling Humpty Dumpty? I can’t recall the title right this moment - maybe something like Over Easy.
I enjoyed the first Thursday Next but haven’t read any others yet. It was a delightfully offbeat adventure.
I started Over Easy, Mary, but I don't think I finished it. It just didn't click for me the way that the Thursday Next books did. When I finished one of those books, I felt like I'd been living in her world. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for nursery rhymes at the time when I tried Over Easy.
I am reading An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew. Fascinating story about the Victorian Age Through the Cold War as seen through the lives and losses of Allene Tew a socialite turned aristocrat through her five marriages.
Glad to know it’s fascinating, Carol. That’s one I hope to get to eventually.I’m currently making another try at Brothers Karamazov and enjoying the experience. One thing about Goodreads, it does remind us of past failures. My intention is completion this time and I think I’m enjoying and getting more out of the reading already.
I am glad you are enjoying it. It is a slog , but very entertaining. I hope you get to An American Princess. I am about half way through and so far it hasn’t disappointed. I mean it isn’t the greatest book ever written , but the American way of the wealthy life style at the turn of the 19 th century into the 20 th century until mid century are interesting, to me at least.
To me too, Caro. It’s somewhat like a foreign lifestyle and country :-)
I enjoyed my fifth visit to the lovely Canadian village of Three Pines, which has the occasional, not-so-lovely murder. Another good mystery from Louise Penny.
4★ Link to my review
I finally finished The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels. It has so many inspiring quotes from our forefathers and current citizens. Let us keep searching for our collective soul as a nation. And let not prejudice, injustice and fear prevail and cause us to be lesser humans.
I recently read Death of an Expert Witness by PD James. I've read quite a few of hers but couldn't really place this one. I found it a bit underwhelming, but perhaps because I had a lot going on while I was reading it. Dalgliesh is a complete nonentity in this one, though.
Carol, I appreciate your recommendation of THE SOUL OF AMERICA. My in-person book club is reading it soon. My father also spoke very highly of it.
I forced myself to finish listening to Island of the Blue DolphinsOkay, I realize that this falls into the pastoral fantasy of an idyllic childhood, but frankly I was just irritated by the Tonto-Kemosabe language ascribed to Karana. The main character, a member of an indigenous tribe on an isolated island, while resourceful and brave, speaks in stilted, childish sentences. The whole premise drove me nuts.
Due to Sara’s review of A Far Cry from Kensington, I am now reading it. I had forgotten how much I enjoy Muriel Spark’s writing. Witty, tongue in cheek, Dorothy Parker..ish. Trying to discern who she based Emma Loy , the writer , in the book after. Also Hector Bartlett, whom she called a pisseur de copie.(Mrs. Hawkins)
Carol wrote: "I am reading An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew. Fascinating story about the Victorian Age Through the Cold War as seen through the lives and losses of Allene Tew a ..."I imagine our characters might have crossed paths, Carol. :)
Just read Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, and learned how the young and beautiful gate-crashed the rich and famous in 1938. I bet it still works!
4★ Link to my review
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Carol wrote: "I am reading An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew. Fascinating story about the Victorian Age Through the Cold War as seen through the lives and losses of..."Now that would be an interesting book.
Lewis Shiner's Outside the Gates of EdenOUTSIDE THE GATES OF EDEN
I’ve dropped a lot of things over the last three days as I read through this one thousand page novel. What could have held my attention like that?
I’ll quote from the publisher, Subterranean Press first:
“What happened to the idealism of the 1960s? This question has haunted a generation. Outside the Gates of Eden follows two men from their first meeting in high school to their final destination in the twenty-first century. Alex is torn between his father’s business empire and his own artistic yearnings. Cole finds his calling at a Bob Dylan concert in 1965. From the Summer of Love in San Francisco to Woodstock, from campus protests to the SoHo loft scene, from a commune in Virginia to the outlaw country music of Austin, the novel charts the rise and fall of the counterculture—and what came after. Using the music business as a window into half a century, Outside the Gates of Eden is both epic and intimate, starkly realistic and ultimately hopeful, a War and Peace for the Woodstock generation.” -
And now from two authors worth quoting.
“Outside the Gates of Eden is a powerful piece of work. Shiner writes about music, and the making of music, better than anyone I know. He gets across the tremendous excitement of the early days of rock and roll, the peace movement, Woodstock and the Summer of Love—but also the heartbreak of failure, betrayal, and loss. The prose is terrific, and the sense of time and place is first rate. A brilliant requiem for our generation and all our dreams.”
—George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones
““A story of the sixties that is generous but unflinching, sweeping but intimate, fictional but true. For everyone who’s wondered how we got from there to here and also where we might go next. Hugely ambitious, simply beautiful.”
—Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club
“
My own thoughts now …
It’s music, music, music. … starting with he music of the mid 1960s and then into the 1970s, and on. The book is all about how a few main characters affect and are affected by that music.
Two important points,. There are many, many real people from this decades in this story .. real musicians and other people. The main characters are fictional and interact with each other and the real people of history in an amazing way. And then there is the time-line. Maybe 40 percent of the book is taken up by four year from 1966 through 1968 … and then the years accelerate, almost flying by at the end. But I think that Shiner does this not because he is working form an outline that he needs to wrap up, but because he uses the early years to lay a solid foundation for resolving things. It’s masterful. It’s a Great American Novel, without being THE Great American Novel. (I simply don’t think we’ll ever have THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL.)
It covers all those things mentioned in that first paragraph by the publisher above, but it covers even more, e.g. what was going on in academia during these decades, through the eyes of a major character, Madelyn, who ends up with a Ph.D. in English and even delivers keynote address at the MLA. Oh, and there are drugs and sex also … how those two things affect us and mess up our lives … and even a look at the drug wars in Mexico. But above all there is the music. I’ve never read a novel where the music just is virtually embedded in almost every page. This book simply sings to my soul … and it does so with a Telecaster or a Gibson SG hitting all the right notes, backing up a song that is full of joy and sadness at the same time ... and ultimately ends on a hopeful note.
Wow Larry! I will have to check this one out. Thanks.
I'm intrigued, Larry. Thanks! I'll add this to my list. Larry wrote: "Lewis Shiner's Outside the Gates of EdenOUTSIDE THE GATES OF EDEN
I’ve dropped a lot of things over the last three days as I read through this one thousand page novel. What could..."
Rachel wrote: "I'm intrigued, Larry. Thanks! I'll add this to my list. Larry wrote: "Lewis Shiner's Outside the Gates of EdenOUTSIDE THE GATES OF EDEN
I’ve dropped a lot of things over the last..."
On sale at Amazon for the kindle for 5.99
Thanks for the info Carol. I think I will get it.
Sue wrote: "Thanks for the info Carol. I think I will get it."Yes, seeing it is a tome and would be heavy , it is worth the kindle price. Hardcover new is 40.00
Carol, thanks for helping people to find the reasonably priced version!
Just got it. Looks like a paper edition may come someday though nothing is planned at the moment. Still easier on my paperwhite. It has 4excellent reviews on Amazon too.
Right now I am reading Isabel Allende’s Island Beneath the Sea. So far it has it all, history, voodoo, zombies, sex , pirates all under the quise of 17th century Santo Domingue and Haiti. The fight for freedom by the slaves and the Maroons. Allende does not disappoint.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves – Karen Joy Fowler – 4****
A chance encounter with a fellow college student, causes Rosemary Cooke to briefly abandon the careful façade she’s adopted and has her reflecting on her childhood, and her lost siblings: her sister Fern and her brother Lowell. This is the kind of character-driven literary fiction that I relish. Fowler’s writing brings this wounded family to life.
LINK to my review
Carol - Island Beneath the Sea sounds enticing- I’ve enjoyed several of Allende’s novels.
Joan wrote: "Carol - Island Beneath the Sea sounds enticing- I’ve enjoyed several of Allende’s novels."Joan, so far it is very good. They are still on the island , but the slaves are in revolt and demanding freedom and their own government.
Since it is about New Orleans , I am thinking the story will shift to there soon.
Book Concierge wrote: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
– Karen Joy Fowler – 4****
A chance encounter with a fellow college student, causes Rosemary C..."
Absolutely loved that book!
Book Concierge wrote: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
– Karen Joy Fowler – 4****
A chance encounter with a fellow college student, causes Rosemary C..."
Great book - a family with a twist!
Just finished Circe on the recommendation of an old college friend. It was a very different kind of read for me, but it really made mythology come alive, and was enjoyable. Also quickly read The Wayward Bus, and will save my comments for our discussion.
I’m reading The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. It was a rough start... 95 pages into I wasn’t sure I would finish it. Then the first dragon shows up, and the story takes off. Two days later and I’m on page 731. This will definitely be a favorite for me!
Grab some iced tea, your sunglasses and a beach chair .... and enjoy!
Hissy Fit – Mary Kay Andrews – 3***
Even before I read the jacket blurb, I knew I was in for a light, fun, fast, chick lit, beach read. And that’s exactly what I got. Mary Kay Andrews knows how to write in this genre and she does a fine job of it.
LINK to my review
Die Trying by Lee Child is the second in the popular Jack Reacher series. Reacher is a larger-than-life, modern-day knight errant, trying to save us all from each other. Lots of action!
Link to my review
The Line Becomes a River – Francisco Cantú – 4****
Cantú studied international relations in college and joined the border patrol because, “I spent four years in college … learning about the border through policy and history. I want to see the realities of the border day in and day out.” In this memoir he writes with brutal honesty about what he experienced, looks at the policies and procedures, and explores the toll on humans – both migrants and native-born Americans.
LINK to my review
David McCullough’s THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD, narrated by Edward Hermann. Exquisitely evocative descriptions of place, event, and aftermath. As my father would have said, “Monday morning quarterbacking isn’t worth a damn unless your performance improves in the next game”. We don’t have a very good track record of learning from our mistakes so skepticism about prevention of future disasters through careful planning, quality assurance and monitoring seems appropriate. The important message, at least to me, is that those involved in any way with projects, initiatives, businesses, or R&D that involve the forces of nature should consider the safety requirements needed not only for what is normal and expected but also for events that rare and even unthinkable.
Good point, Mary, especially since events that were once rare or unthinkable (e.g. 100-year or 500-year floods) are now becoming almost common in some areas. Where I live in the Midwest, we've had many floods in the past couple of decades that have been in the "rare" category. I think it's related to climate change, but it's hard to develop projects or policies to deal with that if you are in the camp that denies climate change is even happening.
Eleven Minutes – Paulo Coelho – 3.5***
Well this went in a direction I wasn’t expecting. Yes, of course, Maria winds up a prostitute and not a famous movie actress, but she comes to understand much about herself and the world. She ultimately takes charge of her life. Still, there were times when I thought that Coelho really doesn’t know women at all. And still, I was captivated by Maria and her journey.
LINK to my review
Little Town On the Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder – 3***
Book seven in the popular classic Little House series, has Laura growing into a young lady. I love this series for the way the pioneer spirit is portrayed and the strong family relationships. THIS book, however, has a scene that is very uncomfortable for modern readers. I know this is historically accurate to the period, but I just cringed reading about it. If you are going to read it with your children, be ready for a serious conversation about what is and is not appropriate.
LINK to my review
Suddenly, I want to see the Azores. I’m reading The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores by Diana Marcum and I want to go there, too.
Divining Women – Kaye Gibbons – 3.5***
I like the way Gibbons writes her characters. There are some very unpleasant goings on, and much of it makes me in turns uncomfortable, despairing, and angry. Set in 1918, this is at a time when women had few rights on their own, and yet Mary refused to be cowed by her uncle. And her strength empowered Maureen to fight for the freedom and respect she was due. Brava, ladies!
LINK to my review
Is there a thread for July-August yet?
Thanks for reminding us Patty. I'm closing this one out now.
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Constant Reader
Books mentioned in this topic
Divining Women (other topics)The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores (other topics)
Little Town on the Prairie (other topics)
Eleven Minutes (other topics)
The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches From the Border (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Diana Marcum (other topics)Lee Child (other topics)
Amor Towles (other topics)
Louise Penny (other topics)
Pascale Hédelin (other topics)
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I recently read his latest novel, Early Riser, which I enjoyed more. This one is just as imaginative in creating a detailed alternative version of the current world (I don't know how he does it!), but in Early Riser the premise is that the winters have been getting colder for a long time so civilization has adapted by hibernating in communal "dormatoriums (dormitoria?)" during the cold months.