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What books are you reading now? (2020)
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Lynaia
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Feb 09, 2020 08:14PM
Just finished 'If I Were You' by P.G. Wodehouse today. It definitely had a different feel to it from other books by him. Although it had its moments of farce, it seemed a little more serious than most of his novels. He seemed to be making a real statement about what makes a true gentleman. I believe you could get some really good conversations about this book. Maybe not as tight a novel as many of his others but still an enjoyable read.
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Originally, The Plateau by Maggie Paxson intrigued me. On reading it, it rubbed me the wrong way.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
After the last book, boy am I in need of something with humor. The Card: A Story of Adventure in the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett is indeed funny.
Nigeyb wrote: "I really enjoyed that book Joy - the follow up is well worth reading too, it's called Seeing"I'll check out Seeing, Nigeyb, thanks for the tip!
Pam wrote: "Joy - I read Blindness a few years ago. I remember that the unconventional writing style drove me nuts. Did you have a problem with it? I need more natural breaks in writing, not just commas betwee..."Pam, once I got used to the writing style, it didn't bother me at all. Every now and then I had to re-read to figure out who was saying what. I don't recall any 3-page paragraphs, but as I say, I adjusted to the writing style so maybe I didn't notice. I almost stopped reading it too, when the violence against women went over the top, but I stuck with it and was ultimately glad I did.
I have never rad P.G. Wodehouse. So where does one start? Please first explain to me what kind of humor he uses. I have noted that humor for one person is very different for another.
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https://theculturetrip.com/europe/uni...
The humour? Wordplay, misunderstandings, social awkwardness etc. All very innocent and, for those that take to it, completely delightful
I hope you enjoy his work, if so you're life will be enhanced significantly. Not everyone seems to get him which is a complete mystery to me, but there we are
Nigeyb wrote: "All of these are good PGW recommendations Chrissie...https://theculturetrip.com/europe/uni...
The humour? Wordplay, misundersta..."
Thank you. It is hard to pick one so I will with the first on the list.
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We've got a dedicated P.G. Wodehouse thread here.....
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Thank you, I will check that out too.
I just started 'The Secret Diary of Hendryk Groen'. I'm only through January and already laughed out loud a few times. Looking forward to the rest of the book.
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Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty
It's my current real world book group choice
Set in the Northern Ireland of the 1980s, Cal tells the story of a young Catholic man living in a Protestant area.
For Cal, some choices are devastatingly simple: he can work in an abattoir that nauseates him or join the dole queue; he can brood on his past or plan a future with Marcella.
Springing out of the fear and violence of Ulster, Cal is a haunting love story that unfolds in a land where tenderness and innocence can only flicker briefly in the dark.
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The Card: A Story of Adventure in the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett proved to be fun--so fun that I gave it four stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I don't tell you much at all about the plot because that is part of the fun of the book!
Next month the author's Riceyman Steps will be a group read. I assume the book will be as good as Bennett's others, so I am looking forward to it.
I have begun Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago and am liking it from the start. The author is Boris Pasternak's great niece. She is critical toward how the Pasternaks have treated Boris' mistress and literary muse, Olga Ivinskaya.
Nigeyb wrote: "I've just started...Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty
It's my current real world book group choice
Set in the Northern Ireland of the 1980s, Cal ..."
That looks good. Let's see what you have to say.
Chrissie wrote: "So what is this with the super long sentence that ends The Rotters' Club. That doesn't sound good! If you both say it is better........should I just forget that sentence?"Hi Chrissie! I just finished The Rotter's Club and loved it! Re: the super long sentence, it is actually a chapter that consists of a long stream of consciousness by one of the main characters. It did feel weird to me at first but now I think it was brilliant! After this chapter, there are 1.5 pages which bring the reader back to the current day. There is one sentence in that section which I think explains why Coe wrote the chapter the way he did. It's not a spoiler for the book but I will put it under a spoiler so that anyone who hasn't read the book can come across the statement on their own and have that "Aha moment!"(view spoiler) I hope you decide to read the book!
Pam, it is still on my wishlist, so maybe next month. Thanks for your help. I have left a note to myself on what you have said--the spoiler I will read later.
I have started The Fortnight in September
by R.C. Sherriff. I read The Hopkins Manuscript by him last year and thought it was brilliant, so I have high hopes for this one.
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by Colum McCann. Although I have just started, I think it might be something special.
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Here follows my review of Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago by Anna Pasternak:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am now reading Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow.
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Sounds fab Susan
As one reviewer states....
The Hours Before Dawn is often described as one of the original, but sadly largely forgotten works of domestic suspense, a genre that has become increasingly popular through the works of authors such as Gillian Flynn or Shari Lapena. And even though this book was written and is set in the 1950s, I was shocked by how incredibly timeless it felt.
I started Their Eyes Were Watching God. There is enough dialect I thought it would be hard to follow, but I've settled in. I think it will be an extraordinary read.I, too, have finished The Hours Before Dawn. I'll be heading over to the discussion shortly.
I started “The Girl Who Lived Twice” by David Lagercranz but I quickly lost interest so it’s a DNF. I’m going to try “Our Man in Havana”. I seem to be on a British author kick this month. Might as well keep it going! This is my first book by Graham Greene.
I'm loving it! I originally heard about it when reading Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert D. Kaplan. One of the things I'd really like to do is visit eastern Europe.
You’re in for a treat Pam. Graham Greene is one of my favorite authors and ‘Our Man in Havana’ is one of my favorite books by him.
Pam wrote: "I’m going to try “Our Man in Havana”. I seem to be on a British author kick this month. Might as well keep it going! This is my first book by Graham Greene."Our April group read!
Nigeyb wrote: "Looking forward to your reaction Tania - he's a writer who I am interested in"I loved it. It is as the title suggests, a story about the family's annual holiday in Bognor. Not a lot happens, it is mostly made up of the reflections of the various members of the family, but is one of those books I just sank into.
Personally, I think The Hopkins Manuscript is a better place to start, very prescient.
I haven't read that one yet, I would like to read a lot more of his. I do own Greengates, so that will be the next one. Off to see if the library has any.
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Has anyone read In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck? If you have, what are your thoughts on it? I could not find a thread for the author.
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Feel free to start a thread - we should probably have one as he's such a key 20th century writer
Yeah, exactly, few people speak of In Dubious Battle. All I know is that it is set in the time of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, just as The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men are. Sanora Babb, who writes about this period in her books Whose Names Are Unknown and An Owl on Every Post is an author I can highly recommend. She was ignored b/c of Steinbeck, which is really a shame.
Weird how some books get all the acclaim and others don't. This is what started me thinking about In Dubious Battle.
I have read only one title by Steinbeck: East of Eden. I found the characterizations 2-dimensional and his writing style a bit simplistic. As to this latter, I've since learned that many of his better known works have a vocabulary and sentence structure suitable for about 5th grade, or 11-year olds.
Chrissie wrote: "Has anyone read In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck? If you have, what are your thoughts on it? I could not find a thread for the author."For whatever reason, it was always one of my favorites of Steinbeck. I read it many years ago now.
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https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I will set up a separate author thread for Steinbeck in a minute.
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Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty
It's my current real world book group choice"
And now I've finished
Here’s my review
3/5
I do like some of Saul Bellow's books, but not Henderson the Rain King. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have begun Hell Ship by Michael Veitch. So far, I am pleased.
Jan C wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Has anyone read In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck? If you have, what are your thoughts on it? I could not find a thread for the author."For whatever r..."
Oh my, that is good to hear. I will have to read it soon.
That is nice of you, Judy. I do think he is an author worthy of his own thread.
Published in 1999, and set in an unnamed alternate version of mid-twentieth century large US city (likely New York), the plot defies easy description but it is a blend of crime fiction, science fiction, and speculative fiction. The book is creative and well-written. At times it feels rather disjointed, jumping to various topics that do not readily fit into the storyline. There is also an allegorical layer regarding race and social change, relating elevators to upward mobility and taking society to task for prejudice and inequality. It takes a bit of work to keep track all the plot threads and layers of meaning. I found it though-provoking, but not overly enjoyable. I can highly recommend Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys and plan to read more of his work. The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead - 3 stars - My Review
Joy - I agree with your assessment of The Intuitionist. I read it when the Great American Reads list came out. I still find it highly suspicious that it was on this list when it seemed like nobody had even heard of it, let alone read it! I plan on reading The Nickel Boys. Glad to hear you recommend it!
I’m reading “American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst” by Jeffrey Toobin. This is one of 2 news stories I remember from my childhood. I never knew all of the details so this is an interesting read for me.
Apart from a couple of group reads for other groups, I have been concentrating on the longlist for the Republic of Consciousness prize for small presses, and I am over halfway through my tenth of the 12 books (Leonard and Hungry Paul, which is quite funny but a little too gentle for my taste). These are the reviews written since I posted here:That Lonesome Valley by Melissa Lee-Houghton My review
Under Pressure by Faruk Šehić My review
Love by Hanne Ørstavik My review
Animalia by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo My review
Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi My review
El Llano in Flames by Juan Rulfo My review
Aetherial Worlds by Tatyana Tolstaya My review
Fatherhood by Caleb Klaces My review
Broken Jaw by Minoli Salgado My review
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett My review
The Green Isle of the Great Deep by Neil M. Gunn My review
Reading the 20th Century
Books mentioned in this topic
Anna of the Five Towns (other topics)Riceyman Steps: A Novel (other topics)
Anna of the Five Towns (other topics)
Riceyman Steps: A Novel (other topics)
The Namesake (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
P.G. Wodehouse (other topics)Jhumpa Lahiri (other topics)
Arnold Bennett (other topics)
Vladimir Nabokov (other topics)
Arturo Pérez-Reverte (other topics)
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