What books are you reading now? (2020) Showing 1,201-1,250 of 2,222

[Judy]

I also liked The Hired Man - I read it when I was trying to read a book set in each European country, a challenge I have fizzled out on but still hope to complete eventually.

[Chrissie]

Roman Clodia wrote: "I read Forna's The Hired Man but it was before I was on Goodreads so no review. I remember it had good and less good aspects for me. It's set in Croatia in the aftermath of the Balk..."

I became interested in that book when it first came out, having previously traveled to Croatia after the civil war in Yugoslavia. People there still talked about it and that tourism had not yet picked up again.

Having been told that the characters are not referred to as Serbs or Croats, I was worried that it might be confusing. Is it confusing? Many say the writing is "pretty" , but I also want clarity. This is why I have hesitated.

I am guessing she wrote about this having herself experienced the civil war in Sierra Leone,

In your view, what are the book's weak points? Please explain.

[Hugh]

My favourite is probably the memoir, but The Memory of Love and The Hired Man are very powerful, and I liked Happiness a lot too.

[Judy]

I have started The Honjin Murders for next month's mod read - enjoying it so far.

[Chrissie]

Hugh wrote: "My favourite is probably the memoir, but The Memory of Love and The Hired Man are very powerful, and I liked Happiness a lot too."

This is hy I figured I had to try the author, she has so many that people praise, Nice to know I have started with your favorite, Did you see any weaknesses in the The Hired Man? It has been my second choice.

[Nigeyb]

Judy wrote: "I have started The Honjin Murders for next month's mod read - enjoying it so far."

That's good news Judy

I'm looking forward to reading it


I've just started RC's top tip from Netgalley

Mayflies (2020) by Andrew O'Hagan

Summer 1986. A close group of friends from Glasgow have finished school, and before they depart for their various new lives, they descend on Manchester for one unforgettable weekend. Their leader, burning brightest of all, is the great Tully Dawson.

2017. London. James - the quieter, bookish member of the group - receives a devastating message from Tully, asking James to accompany him through his final months, and to grant Tully his final wish.

[Hugh]

The Hired Man does start rather slowly but for me that makes it stronger as the context and back story emerge - she is very good on the subtleties of how the aftermath of civil war affects ordinary lives.

[Roman Clodia]

Chrissie, like Hugh, I thought this started very slowly and it's almost gentle for its topic. I remember that I didn't believe in the narrator (Duro?) or that he'd suddenly tell his story to a family he's just met: the device felt clunky.

There are, of course, important things being told about civil war and its aftermath. For me, though, it felt like the book thought it was a revelation e.g. that former enemies were forced to live as neighbours whereas that's the same in other civil wars even if they don't have that name: Northern Ireland 'Troubles', post-apartheid South Africa, post-Occupation France, Spanish Civil War etc. etc.

I did like the book but it was less powerful than I'd hoped for. But it may be more personal for you as you've been to the area.

[Joy D]

Rather forgettable WWII story set in Italy:

The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith - 3 stars - My Review

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Joy D wrote: "Rather forgettable WWII story set in Italy:

The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith - 3 stars - My Review"

I'm looking forward to the group's November buddy read by this author - Gorky Park

[Joy D]

Antonio, a young boy living in New Mexico in the mid-1940s, is exposed to a variety of beliefs. His mother is a devout Catholic, his father is not religious, Última embraces mystic folklore, a townsman believes in witches and curses, a fellow student is an atheist, and a friend finds the mysterious Golden Carp, a pagan god of Native American legend. He is exposed to violence and grapples with questions of why bad things happen to good people. This book was published in 1972.

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya - 4 stars - My Review

[Chrissie]

I have completed The Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest by Aminatta Forna.

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

Friends have liked this more than me. I found it confusing. Maybe this is a fault in me rather than the book.

I will soon begin The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck

[Judy]

I've finished The Honjin Murders ready for next month, and have now started Table Two. Looking forward to our discussions of both.

[Chrissie]

So I finished another by Steinbeck--The Wayward Bus. I liked it a lot and think it should be given higher acclaim.

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

I have begun High Adventure A Narrative of Air Fighting in France by James Norman Hall--an American pilot writing of flying in France during the First World War.

[Chrissie]

I have completed the short High Adventure A Narrative of Air Fighting in France by James Norman Hall.

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

I have gone back to Émile Zola. I am about to begin The Kill, which is the English translation of the French title La Curée. The book concerns the frenzied hunt for pleasure and money and is a criticism of the French 2nd Empire.

[Nigeyb]

Nigeyb wrote:


"I've just started RC's top tip from Netgalley

Mayflies (2020) by Andrew O'Hagan

Summer 1986. A close group of friends from Glasgow have finished school, and before they depart for their various new lives, they descend on Manchester for one unforgettable weekend. Their leader, burning brightest of all, is the great Tully Dawson.

2017. London. James - the quieter, bookish member of the group - receives a devastating message from Tully, asking James to accompany him through his final months, and to grant Tully his final wish."

And now I've finished

Thanks so much RC - I loved it, loved it, loved it.

Mayflies (2020) by Andrew O'Hagan is a wonderful, heartfelt book about youth, friendship, death, and what it is to be human.

Here’s my review

"

[Roman Clodia]

I'm delighted you loved this, Nigeyb - I thought it was exactly you as I was reading it!

And what a perfect ending to the book, I though O'Hagan got it exactly right.

[Nigeyb]

Didn't he just? Very, very moving


Thanks so much for thinking of me. I really appreciate it


Next up, I've got another shared read with my 16 year old son. He has chosen...

Station Eleven (2014) by Emily St. John Mandel

I know little about it so will be interested to find out more

It's published by Picador which is usually a good portent

It's also had a degree of acclaim....

Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award
Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction
National Book Awards Finalist
PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist

I'll let you know

[Chrissie]

My review of The Kill, the second in Émile Zola's Les Rougon -Macquart series, follows here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


I have begun The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch. The beach on its cover makes me think it appropriate for the season, and Murdoch has become one of my favorite authors..

[Tania]

Nigeyb wrote: "Next up, I've got another shared read with my 16 year old son. He has chosen...

Station Eleven (2014) by Emily St. John Mandel."

I've had this one on my library list for years having heard good things of it, but it's not one of my go to genres, so it hasn't got any further than a virtual list. I'll be interested to see what you make of it.

[Pamela]

Nigeyb wrote: "
Next up, I've got another shared read with my 16 year old son. He has chosen Station Eleven...

I read that a few years ago. I'm not quite sure why it was nominated for/won quite so many awards, but it was skilfully put together and an enjoyable read.

[Nigeyb]

It's fine but nothing amazing. Probably three stars at around the halfway point

[Joy D]

Published in 2000, and set in 1914 - 1984 in Kentucky:

Themes include belonging, independence, dealing with change, and the joys of living a simple life. Berry advocates stewardship of the earth and compassion for its inhabitants. I enjoyed spending time in Port William and found this book delightful.

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry - 4 stars - My Review

[Chrissie]

Joy D wrote: "Published in 2000, and set in 1914 - 1984 in Kentucky:

Themes include belonging, independence, dealing with change, and the joys of living a simple life. Berry advocates stewardship of the earth a..."

I gave that one by Berry four stars too. Now you havet o read The Memory of Old Jack.another very good one by the author.

[Nigeyb]

I've just finished....


Who Owns England? by Guy Shrubsole

A fascinating investigation into land and property ownership in England

Here’s my review

5/5

[Tania]

It'll probably languish there for a few more years then.

[Kirsten]

I've been reading Riceyman Steps by Arnold Bennett and listening to Bleak House by Charles Dickens

[Joy D]

Detailed account of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown in 1986 in the former Soviet Union (now Ukraine). Higginbotham takes a look at the reasons behind the explosion, what happened at the plant immediately afterward, the radioactive fallout, protracted clean-up efforts, and the consequences. It requires a strong interest in science to fully appreciate it. The chapters related to the disaster are both horrifying and riveting. I found it an enlightening examination of the Soviet bureaucracy and cultural legacy of the era. I think a great deal can be learned (mainly on what not to do) from this in-depth assessment of the disaster.

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham - 4 stars - My Review

[Chrissie]

The Sandcastle is another by Iris Murdoch that I have liked a lot.

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

I have begun The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell. The impression I am getting is that it is a satire . Am I off? Am I right? Please help me--those who have read it! I wasn't expecting a satire.

[Pamela]

Chrissie wrote: "The impression I am getting is that it is a satire. Am I off? Am I right? Please help me ..."

There is certainly a vein of dark humour running through it, and I guess you could say that the depiction of the British is satirical, especially at the beginning. But I think there is more to it than just a satire.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I often miss satire, but I did not find Kirshnapur satirical in the least. It is dark and a damnation of British colonialism as is the rest of the trilogy.

[Chrissie]

Pamela wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "The impression I am getting is that it is a satire. Am I off? Am I right? Please help me ..."

There is certainly a vein of dark humour running through it, and I guess you could sa..."

Well, I am now at the start, so I guess i have interpreted it correctly. Thank you for telling me.

[Chrissie]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I often miss satire, but I did not find Kirshnapur satirical in the least. It is dark and a damnation of British colonialism as is the rest of the trilogy."

I say this because clearly we are to be laughing AT, or in other words, critical of the characters' behavior. I have just begun. Maybe the tone will change. Pamela says it does.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I have read the trilogy. You should be critical of the characters' behaviors in all of them, but I would not call this satire.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Perhaps one of our differences in reaction, Chrissie, is that you're listening to someone who interpreted it as satirical, and therefore put that into his reading. Whereas, I was left to my own interpretation and not influenced by someone else's interpretation. I can't honestly say what Farrell intended.

[Hugh]

Farrell did satire with serious messages. There is a strong element of farce but it is a very dark humour, perhaps a British/Irish thing. I love the Empire Trilogy, especially The Singapore Grip.

[Susan]

It is so interesting how we have different reactions to books, isn't it? I have not read all the trilogy, but I did read The Siege some years ago and remember being impressed by it.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I gave Krishnapur 5 stars, Troubles, 4 stars, and Singapore 3 stars.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Hugh wrote: "There is a strong element of farce but it is a very dark humour, perhaps a British/Irish thing."

Interesting that this subjugation of peoples would have an element of farce.

[Roman Clodia]

I've had these books on my radar but did wonder how I'd react to these serious topics being treated with an element of farce - so haven't read Farrell yet.

[Hugh]

Yes, the subject matter is often grim, but Farrell could never resist highlighting the farcical elements. The Singapore Grip has the same contrasting tones. Troubles is a little gentler but still has some dark undercurrents. I said it is a British kind of humour because we see it a lot on TV too.

[Roman Clodia]

Do the three books need to be read in order? I mean, are they just linked thematically or are there characters or families who appear across them?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Roman Clodia wrote: "Do the three books need to be read in order? I mean, are they just linked thematically or are there characters or families who appear across them?"

No, they do not need to be read in order. They are in different countries and different time periods, although the Ireland and Singapore ones are not too far apart. No recurring characters.

I did read them in order, as I thought maybe one should. On reflection, I'd say I should have been surprised that the writing style was already firmly developed in Troubles, so that you don't even think that was somewhat uneven as first novels are and that his writing style improved.

[Hugh]

Archer from Troubles reappears as a minor character in The Singapore Grip. The doctor in Krishnapur also appears in the unfinished fourth book The Hill Station. They all work as stand alone books so the order is not important.

[Hugh]

My memory is a little hazy as I read them all around 10 years ago.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Hugh wrote: "Archer from Troubles reappears as a minor character in The Singapore Grip. "

Shows how much I noticed. But in my defense, I read those two more than 15 months apart (and 5 years ago).

[Roman Clodia]

Thanks Elizabeth and Hugh - yep, I must get to Farrell sooner rather than later.

[Roman Clodia]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Perhaps one of our differences in reaction, Chrissie, is that you're listening to someone who interpreted it as satirical, and therefore put that into his reading."

Yes, audiobooks do insert another's interpretation, mediating the book. I had to abandon an audiobook recently because the reading was so different from mine, though I can't remember which book it was.

I also had to stop listening to something very English (Hardy?) because it was read by someone with an incredibly strong American accent - Texan, possibly!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Roman Clodia wrote: "I also had to stop listening to something very English (Hardy?) because it was read by someone with an incredibly strong American accent - Texan, possibly!"

Ha! We've talked about that before. I think it was in the context of reading Elizabeth Bowen without an English accent. As to Hardy, or Trollope for that matter, I can only 'hear' my own pronunciation of English and I can understand how that would be disconcerting to the British. But I don't want to hear Texan either. ;-)

[Chrissie]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Perhaps one of our differences in reaction, Chrissie, is that you're listening to someone who interpreted it as satirical."

I do not believe so. If a listener consciously thinks about every word it is possible to ignore the audiobook narrator's interpretation. It takes an effort but I am willing to do this because I do not have the possibility of picking up the print version, as you know, because of poor eyesight. I enjoy doing this because for me it is a pleasure to analyze prose.