The Book Vipers discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
General Archive Folder
>
Just finished Reading (2015)
John Le Carre. The spy who came in from the cold. What a treat. I had forgotten how easy and yet how complex this authors books are. It was like the proverbial breath of fresh air. Well written, quick to read. Thank you Mr Le Carre. I missed you.
Mod
Mod
Superb book. He is an uncompromising writer
Paul wrote: "Just finished Life of Pi. Not bad overall, but not great. My review is here"Your interpretation was interesting. I read this book soon after it was published so my memory might not be accurate, but I didn't see it as magical realism. I took it that Pi's story of the shipwreck (with all the animals)was make- believe and his second account the bare truth. I thought that Pi had created the story as a way to help him survive, since dealing with the sort of situations he was in with animals was easier (as you would expect animals to behave like that) than dealing with the reality of people's behaviour.
I've just finished The Victim by Saul Bellow. It's my first Bellow - someone I've been meaning to read for some time. It's an early novel - his second - but it certainly makes me want to read some more.
My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I know Herzog is his most famous work, but just wonder if there's any other Bellow any group members have read they think would be worth moving onto next?
I know like Roth and Updike he has been accused of misogyny. There was no real sign of it in The Victim, but don't know whether it's something that emerges more in later works.
Mod
I finished reading A History of Loneliness by John Boyne. Thoroughly enjoyed it and gave it 5 stars. I've now marked another couple of books by him to read - hope they're as good!
Mod
Finished A Fan's Notes and found it so-so. There's some good bits to it, but the author is a misogynistic ass who I would have avoided in real life.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Mod
Mod
Mod
Well, it's an interesting premise but I just drifted around with it. Every now and then I was quite engaged with it and then I would drift out again and just wish it done. Others have loved it though!
I read The Death of Ivan Ilyich... Interesting even if I'm not sure what to think of it. (Still struggling with Tom Ripleys bloody boring talent)
Mod
I finished The Art of Fielding this week. It is an incredible debut novel, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't understand baseball, there is so much too it. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Paul wrote: "An interesting book about how much of the night sky we have lost because of artificial lighting."Re: your review, I don't really mind the street lights, actually, it's much nicer to walk when you can see where you are putting your foot. Of course we don't have lights during the summer but it can be slippery and icy during the winter. So it IS a security issue here. But what I don't understand is that why it seems that maybe the Nordic countries are the only ones where reflectors are commonly used. At least I haven't seen them in other countries where it does get dark also during the summer. We have a campaign every fall and there are free reflectors here and there, and cute ones for children and different kinds for adults, too.
Mod
Maybe, though I'm not really sure it bothers people here. November is already the darkest month, because there is no snow, so we actually have illuminations in the centre of the town all throughout the winter, anyway, makes it much nicer to walk there. But you don't have to go very far to see the night sky if you want to.But do people use reflectors? At least in Italy one guy was very curious about mine, and I didn't see them in Paris or UK, either.
Finished TomRipley's talent, it was as meh and annoying as I recall the film to be. First 200 pages was very boring only the last hundred picked up as a crime mystery. Kind of a sad ending to my Full Deck Challenge, which have been full of great reading experiences..
But do people use reflectors? At least in Italy one guy was very curious about mine, and I didn't see them in Paris or UK, either..."Tytti I think the reflectors are part of us northeners travelling on foot, bikes etc in the darkness. The rest of the western world seems to have decided that driving cars are essential to human survival and getting to school.
@Paul I thought the same re: your review: yeah great to turn the light off to see the stars, but I'm going to die on my bike in Copenhagen... (but shielded lighting will do!)
Finished Dog!: You'll Never Look At Your Dog the Same Way Again. fantastic book, funny and really well written, you all gotta try it.... not for kids though.
Jason wrote: "Finished Dog!: You'll Never Look At Your Dog the Same Way Again. fantastic book, funny and really well written, you all gotta try it.... not for kids though."Only 99p for Kindle, so I've downloaded it now.
Mod
Finished CivilWarLand in Bad Decline. it was so-so, some good parts, but somewhat repetitive in tone, style, and themes:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Joy wrote: "Jason wrote: "Finished Dog!: You'll Never Look At Your Dog the Same Way Again. fantastic book, funny and really well written, you all gotta try it.... not for kids though."Only 99..."
Nice one Joy, hope you enjoy it.
Ordered the West Country one from library, Paul. Thanks.
Mod
Mod
Jason wrote: "Finished Dog!: You'll Never Look At Your Dog the Same Way Again. fantastic book, funny and really well written, you all gotta try it.... not for kids though."I read this today in one sitting and loved it. I had a tear in my eye at the end! I think the author showed good self-discipline to keep it as a novella; it would have been easy for him to have padded it out, but as it is the writing is really tight.
Finished reading Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. Gave it 4 stars, really enjoyed it. Liked the comments by different characters at the end of chapters.
I just finished reading Dragonfly in Amber, and I'm so relieved! I couldn't stand it anymore. I did like Outlander (gave it 3 stars), but this one was plain exaggerated, boring, repetitive, and so on and so forth. I can't belive I've wasted 15 precious days of my short life reading it. No more Diana Gabaldon for me, you can be sure.
What a coincidence! Just before coming here I had read from a Finnish blog that the blogger hadn't finished the last book after already finding the next to last boring with too large a cast. I myself had already found the second half of Outlander boring...
Mod
For some reason it is still very popular, I have had a friend telling me how she loves the series. I would be interested in the era but I guess I have to find another book. Those books would probably need an editor, they are simply too long.
Tytti wrote: "Those books would probably need an editor, they are simply too long."Yes, they do, Tytti. They definitely do.
Finally finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. I'm about 130 pages into Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Not sure what I think of it so far..
Mod
Just finished "What Stands in a Storm" and it was good even if it made me think of a Harry Chapin song. If you have time (Harry's songs are longer than average) check it out.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHYPZ...
What Made America Famous.
Finished Bastard Out of Carolina. Not an easy book to read, but very moving and powerful:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Just finished Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Loved Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna. In comparison this book, though it had some merits, was a bit of a disappointment. Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Richard wrote: "Just finished Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Loved Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna. In comparison this book, though it had some merits, was a bit of a disappointm..."The Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna are my favourite Barbara Kingsolver books, too, Richard. I also really enjoyed Prodigal Summer but not quite as much as the other two. Have you read Flight Behavior? That is my third favourite of her books.
Sally wrote: "Richard wrote: "Just finished Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Loved Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna. In comparison this book, though it had some merits, was a bit ..."I haven't Sally, but I fully intend to. Prodigal Summer is certainly not a bad book - I suppose I just hoped for more. But it would be remarkable if she could keep up the standard of Poisonwood and Lacuna in every novel. Thanks for the recommendation.
Mod
I wonder if there is some sort of a trend going on when writing about WWII, like "not all Germans were evil Nazis". I think I read that The Book Thief was thanked by someone for showing a German perspective (though written by a young Australian...), or even if the Germans were evil then the Soviets certainly weren't, when the book is set in the Siege of Leningrad (because nothing else happened on the Eastern Front). Actually in the memoir I am reading now I am just coming to that time. The experience was probably a lot different than how it's told in novels.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
The Book Vipers
Books mentioned in this topic
The Three-Body Problem (other topics)The Farming of Bones (other topics)
Now You See Me (other topics)
God's War (other topics)
Career of Evil (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert Penn (other topics)Anthony Horowitz (other topics)
Charles Cumming (other topics)
Elizabeth Haynes (other topics)
Elizabeth Haynes (other topics)
More...
Then Sweet Tooth, which I though was going to be a spy book, but wasn't. . My review is here