What books are you reading now? (2020) Showing 1,101-1,150 of 2,222

[Barbara]

Joy D wrote: "Published in 1988 by a Brazilian author:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - 3 stars - My Review"

You were more generous in your rating than I. I thought it was preachy and repetitive. I disliked it so much I won't even try this author again. I usually read two books by an author before I abandon him/her.

[Chrissie]

ReRegeneration by Pat Barker

I liked it but did not love it. That it focuses on real people is a plus, but it had holes. I wanted more. What did Sassoon envision as the best way to end the war? Homosexuality is not emotively drawn. Dr, Rivers was the character I found most interesting/captivating.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tania]

I have Regeneration on my library list when it reopens, (no news yet), I recently read Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man by Siegfried Sassoon and I'm going to read Memoirs of an Infantry Officer. I'd like to read a biography of him and of Wilfred Owen someday, but Regeneration first, I think.

[Tania]

Yesterday I read Lady into Fox, an odd story of a man whose wife turns into a fox, with some lovely woodcut illustations, by David Garnett, one of the Bloomsbury set. Odd, but I liked it.

[Nigeyb]

Jan C wrote:


"I think I'm still reading Regeneration - lost somewhere on my kindle"

Try the search function Jan

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Chrissie wrote: "ReRegeneration by Pat Barker

I liked it but dd not love it. That it focuses on real people is a plus, but it had holes. I wanted more. "

You didn't think it was enough to show the effects of war? That it chews men up and spits them out with complete disregard?

[Chrissie]

Most everybody has heard of Dian Fossey's work with gorillas. Gorillas in the Mist is the book she wrote documenting her experiences.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have begun another by Vladimir Nabokov -- The Gift. It was his last book written in Russian. I have found that his Russian books are less complicated than his later ones. In the preface he states that the translation to English has been thoroughly checked by him, The writing is VERY good. You notice this right off the bat.

[Val]

We now have our libraries back, Hooray!, so I have made a socially-distanced visit to collect some of my reservations and will be catching up on various discussions in this group, the women's prize group and the literary prizes group (Mookse and Gripes).

[Susan]

Great to hear, Val :)

[Nigeyb]

Good new Val - I'm still waiting for the same good news

[Chrissie]

Val, I'm happy for you!

[Chrissie]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "ReRegeneration by Pat Barker

I liked it but dd not love it. That it focuses on real people is a plus, but it had holes. I wanted more. "

You didn't thin..."

No, as my rating indicates.

[Joy D]

Finished a book published in 1968, where Edward Abbey shares his love of the Utah desert:

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey - 4 stars - My Review

[Tania]

My library is finally opening next week. They have Regeneration, however, as they also have Memoirs of an Infantry Officer, I have decided to read the source material first and will finish this trilogy before the fictionalised books. (The Complete Memoirs of George Sherston are written as fiction, but are apparently an accurate account of Siegfried Sassoon's life).

[Roman Clodia]

I read extensive extracts of Memoirs of an Infantry Officer when I was school, Tania, as background to the WW1 poetry we were studying - it's immensely powerful. I was only about 14 at the time, and those books were my first real introduction to the experience of WW1, quite different from the 'causes of' approach in history lessons.

[Tania]

Thanks. I imagine it will be harrowing, but interesting.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Even though a participant, we know that Sassoon was against the war. I found it interesting to learn how widespread was the war protest in To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild. As I hadn't studied, it seemed that war protests as a "thing" came with the Vietnam War. The Hochschild was an eye opener.

[Roman Clodia]

I'm on slightly shaky ground here but I think there were protests against the Boer War as well?

And way, way earlier, in 411 BCE, Aristophanes wrote his comedy Lysistrata where Athenian and Spartan women go on sex strike in protest against the Peloponnesian War which had been raging since 431 BCE. Ok, it's fiction but it reveals a deep anti-war feeling.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Roman Clodia wrote: "I'm on slightly shaky ground here but I think there were protests against the Boer War as well?"

I would guess there have been war protests as long as governments didn't put people in jail, shoot or hang them for protesting their government. But I come to that opinion later in life, learning that not everything was created in my youth. ;-)

I have not read about the Mexican War, for example, and I would bet there were those against it. War is terrible. When it doesn't kill young men outright, It maims them. Those it doesn't maim, it leaves with less than a robust outlook on life, perhaps not participating to their fullest. That said, I think all nations should defend against an aggressor. The problem comes when leaders think something is an aggressive move when maybe it isn't, or, in the case of The Great War, not being fully prepared when an aggression actually does happen. (Over simplification, here, I know.)

[Roman Clodia]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "But I come to that opinion later in life, learning that not everything was created in my youth. ;-)"

Haha, who'd have thought!

War as a 'thing' has a complicated history: Homer's Iliad gives us both the ideal of the 'beautiful death', and also has Achilles specifically saying that he'd rather be a goatherd and alive than king of the dead.

I wonder if wars involving conscripts (WW1, Vietnam) are especially prone to protests?

[Chrissie]

A sharp and well written critique of war is drawn here-- The Backwash of War: The Human Wreckage of the Battlefield as Witnessed by an American Hospital Nurse by Ellen N. La Motte. It is available free at Gutenberg.

[Muhammad]

Neuromancer by William Gibson

The Lonely Crowd by David Reisman

The Underground Railway by Colson Whitehead

[Joy D]

Set in Russia from the 1930s to the 2010s, and spanning the country from Siberia to Chechnya, this book covers a block of Russian history, showing many hardships and losses faced by the people, and bringing these down to a personal level. The book starts out as a series of short stories, but they gradually become more interrelated. Marra is an expressive, intelligent writer and I enjoy his style. If you appreciated his book, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, you will likely enjoy this one.

The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra - 4 stars - My Full Review

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Joy D wrote: "Set in Russia from the 1930s to the 2010s, and spanning the country from Siberia to Chechnya, this book covers a block of Russian history, showing many hardships and losses faced by the people, and..."

This is another I have on my wish list. Thanks for reminding me of it.

[Jan C]

Nigeyb wrote: "Jan C wrote:


"I think I'm still reading Regeneration - lost somewhere on my kindle"

Try the search function Jan"

I'll get back to it one day.

[Susan]

I couldn't (and didn't) resist Palace of Palms: Tropical Dreams and the Making of Kew

[Judy]

That book about Kew sounds great, Susan - I will be interested to hear what you think. Does it have lots of photos? Might be one to get in hardback for my husband in the future.

[Susan]

I'm reading it on kindle, Judy. There is a list of illustrations though, so there are some. I will let you know what I think of it, but, yes, I was very tempted and the first chapter, where she talks about the Palm House - and mentions it appeared in a short story by Virginia Woolf - has already got me intrigued.

[Roman Clodia]

Oh yes, do report back, Susan. Kew Gardens has been my 'keep sane' park recently though sadly the glasshouses are all still shut. I especially love the rock garden and the herb/medicinal gardens.

[Susan]

It isn't that close to where I live, but we did go last year. I am at work now, but can that I will be glued all weekend. It is 1838 and they are sending a troop of inspectors after rumours of bad management and a lack of sobriety among the gardeners...

[Roman Clodia]

Hahaha about the drunken gardeners!

This is an image of the Kew rock garden which I love - it's so relaxing.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Beautiful. Not what I'd picture of a rock garden, though.

[Roman Clodia]

There are more 'rocky' areas with alpine and other plants but I especially love that waterfall. I'll see if I can find another pic... here you are:

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Yes, that's more what I'd think of a rock garden. I do love waterfalls. With so much rainfall here and our topography we have multiple waterfalls. Hard to get enough of them.

[Joy D]

Published in 1969, I found this a fascinating account of the eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, which destroyed the city of St. Pierre on the island of Martinique. It is strong on history but light on science.

The Day the World Ended: The Mount Pelée Disaster: May 7, 1902 by Gordon Thomas - 4 stars - My Review

[Tania]

Beautiful photos Roman Clodia, I haven't been for years, and it'll probably be some time before I get there again. Last time I went though, I did see the Chinese Pheasant. Surprisingly well hidden for such a colourful bird.

[Chrissie]

I have loved and hated different parts of The Gift by Vladimir Nabokov. It is semi-autobiographical.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have begun Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb, but I am listening to it in Swedish.

[Judy]

Yes, beautiful photos RC! I last went when they had a display of glass sculptures among the plants, which were amazing too.

[Susan]

Well, I am still in the 1800's and there is all sorts of 'gentlemanly' in-fighting - the sort of, 'if you get this post, we will be neighbours, Sir!' while desperately trying to gain advantage over jobs. Kew is in danger, due to the fact that a young Queen Victoria has, to be honest, absolutely NO interest in it and the government, as they always do, are trying not to have to pay for it. There are also thefts of plants and all sorts of other things going on. Think this will be a winner.

[Roman Clodia]

Sounds so tempting, Susan - I've added it to my watchlist hoping for a price drop.

I'm currently reading We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin, one of my favourite crime/thriller writers. It's deliciously twisted with a bit of a Gillian Flynn vibe, and is on NetGalley if anyone else is interested.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I have started our buddy read, The Death of the Heart. I'm going to love it.

[Susan]

Oh, good to hear, Elizabeth. I loved it too!

RC, Julia Heaberlin has been on my radar for ages. I can't fit any more August review books in, but I will put it on my TBR list.

[Jill]

I have had Black-Eyed Susans on my list for a couple of years now, so good to hear good things of her.

[Roman Clodia]

Aargh, I've jinxed myself! The Heaberlin is brilliant till 50%... and then it just drops off a cliff and never recovers - I'm gutted!

Black-Eyed Susans is very good as are Lie Still and Playing Dead - not so much Paper Ghosts for me. But yes, she's an author well worth exploring.

[Joy D]

Finally got around to reading this one, published in 2001 and set in 1964 in the American South, containing a positive message on racial harmony:

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - 4 stars - My Review

[Roman Clodia]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I have started our buddy read, The Death of the Heart. I'm going to love it."

I'm just about to start it too.

[Chrissie]

I have completed the Hungarian classic Journey by Moonlight (Resa i månljus in Swedish) by Antal Szerb. By its end I liked it a lot.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have begun Velocity: A Memoir by Mandy Sayer. It drew me in right from the start. Let's see if it stays good. If it does, two books follow.

[Chrissie]

I have completed the first of three autobiographical books about the Australian street performer, turned author, Mandy Sayer. She came to marry Yusef Komunyakaa, a black poet and Pulitzer Prize winner. The book has been hard to put down. It is well written, so well written that I have immediately picked up the next--Dreamtime Alice.

My review of Velocity: A Memoir:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nigeyb]

I've just started listening to....


A Bit of a Stretch (2020) by Chris Atkins

Chris Atkins is a documentary film maker who got embroiled in a dodgy film funding scheme. Whilst he didn’t personally benefit from the fraud, his company did, and so he got sentenced to five years in prison. The first part of his sentence was spent in Wandsworth Prison and, although I am only a few chapters in, it's a hellish environment. The vast majority of prisoners are either drug addicts and/or mentally disturbed. Being locked in their cells for 23 hours a day does little to ease their suffering or sense of well being. Not surpringly Britain has the highest prison suicide rates and the highest re-offending rates in Europe. Chris Atkins is a relateable, middle class liberal ill equipped to deal with this hellish existence. His diary is both fascinating and appalling.

More information....

A shocking and darkly funny account of the reality of Britain's prisons.

Where can a tin of tuna buy you clean clothes? Which British education system struggles with 50% illiteracy? Where do teetotal Muslims attend AA meetings? Where is it easier to get 'spice' than paracetamol? Where does self-harm barely raise an eyebrow?

Welcome to Her Majesty's Prison Service, a creaking and surreal world that has been left to rot for decades in the shadows of polite society. Like most people, documentary-maker Chris Atkins didn't spend much time thinking about prisons. But after becoming embroiled in a dodgy scheme to fund his latest film, he was sent down for five years. His new home would be HMP Wandsworth, one of the oldest, largest, and most dysfunctional prisons in Europe.

Horrifying, moving, and darkly funny, this is the unvarnished depiction of what he found. With a cast of characters ranging from wily drug dealers to corrupt screws to senior officials bent on endless (and fruitless) reform, this is the reality behind the locked gates. Full of incredible and hilarious stories, A Bit of a Stretch reveals the true scale of our prison crisis and why it is costing us all.

[Roman Clodia]

That sounds scary, Nigeyb! I'm always fascinated and equally terrified by books set in prisons.

I've just finished the utterly brilliant The Death of Vivek Oji, and cried for about ten minutes afterwards! All the stars for this one and my review is here. It's on NetGalley if I persuade anyone.