THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion
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WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WHY!!
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Not like the movie."
Adam wrote: "I'm reading the Grapes of Wrath right now, because it's a gap in my classics. I am enjoying it thoroughly. I went to a bookstore once to pick up a copy of Crime and Punishment because I had never r..."
I have to be honest- I did not really enjoy Grapes of Wrath- loved the film- Jane Darwell was amazing- but I felt the alternating chapters- the plot, then a descriptive chapter, took away from the overall flow
I'm reading The Brutal Telling and Bury Your Dead back-to-back, and I recommend that any other Louise Penny fans read these two books together, because they are connected. Otherwise, you may be disappointed in The Brutal Telling.
I finished reading A Life For A Life - Tim Ellis and now I am going to embark on reading Road Closed - Leigh Russell.
I am reading
, as a group read book and because I was very impressed by a novel by the same author.
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, as a group read book and because I was very impressed by a novel by the same author."lOVE Janny! one of the earliest James Mason members and a great lady!
Adam wrote: "I'm reading the Grapes of Wrath right now, because it's a gap in my classics. I am enjoying it thoroughly. I went to a bookstore once to pick up a copy of Crime and Punishment because I had never r..."I love Steinbeck's writing! He has a way with the English language that very few other writers can come close to.
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I just finished The Blackhouse by Peter May. It was terrific, and the ending blindsided me, and that doesn't happen very often.
Plan for November:Silent Witness - Rebecca Forster
Chasing Amanda - Melissa Foster
Priced to Move - Ginny Aiken
Nightfall - Stephen Leather
Revelation - M.J. Mancini
The Trafficked - Lee Weeks
The Tiger's Wife - Téa Obreht
I've just downloaded a collection of 19 classic novels - Tolstoy, Jane Austen etc - for $4. I've started with Tolstoy's Anna K.Decades since I read it at highschool. Now what surprises me is how I missed the humor. Humor, apparently, comes with age, a kind of compensation for the other side effects of wear and tear.
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it is amazing - being able to get complete works of Dickens, Trollope ect for a few bucks! still Rod- even though I have 3 Kindles- chock full of books- still prefer reading old fashioned hard and paperbacks!!
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A Life For A Life - Tim Ellis
Road Closed - Leigh Russell
Silent Witness - Rebecca Forster
Chasing Amanda - Melissa Foster
Priced to Move - Ginny Aiken
Nightfall - Stephen Leath..."
great idea- making a list!
Curious how you like Nighfall- Stephen is a James Mason member and great guy!
Will let you know when I've read it x
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by Eugene K. Bird. Been wanting to read it for years and got it for a ..."Looks like an interesting book. I'd be interested to know what you think of it.
Adam wrote: "I'm reading the Grapes of Wrath right now, because it's a gap in my classics. I am enjoying it thoroughly. I went to a bookstore once to pick up a copy of Crime and Punishment because I had never r..."Adam, I just read that myself for the same reasons. Depressing and faith affirming all at the same time.
I've just finished Road Closed - Leigh Russell and now thinking of reading Chasing Amanda - Melissa Foster.
I was reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin but I was constantly tripping over my tongue trying to pronounce the strange words, and find a story to follow. I threw the book to the floor in dthliglush, i mean disgust!
I have 2 I'm actually reading & one more I've got on deck to pick up after I'm done with one of these 2:Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, very well written, I've always been an Anglophile :) I even married a Brit, LOL.
Main Street-on my 1001 book challenge list...
This is on deck:
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
Larry wrote: "I was reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin but I was constantly tripping over my tongue trying to pronounce the strange words, and find a story to follow. I threw the book to the flo..."Too bad you didn't enjoy it, Larry. It's a past favourite of mine, I've read a couple of times.
I'm starting The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. I'll report on this non-Harry Potter title.
@Bill, this is the third Le Guin Ive tried to read . I just dont like her style I guess.
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Beginning latest Odd Thomas book- love the character!!
I am currently reading Bloodweight by Eva LeNoir. Have been requested to write an honest review on it and so far so good. Loving the flow of the story and will have review added once I post on my blog. Not sure what else to share but feel free to ask me any questions. :)
Larry wrote: "@Bill, this is the third Le Guin Ive tried to read . I just dont like her style I guess."We can't always like the same books, it'd be a pretty boring place.. :0) At least you gave her a shot.
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We can't always like the same books, it'd be a pretty boring place.. :0) At least you gave h..."
very well put Bill!!
Rick,right now i am reading "The link" by Colin Tudge-it's about the fossil Ida found in the MESSEL PIT-before that i had been reading about Louis and clark-then the building of the transcontintental railroad-
also read books on the Civil War and The Help by Kathryn Stockett==and i watched an old silent movie with John Barrymore the other night which prompted me to read a book that i had on my shelf for years called
"Good Night Sweet Prince" by Gene Fowler-
I am reading
by J.K Rowling. I read half of it when I was a kid but I never did finish it.
Just finished Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth, an up-to-date look at an 'inconvenient truth'.
Just finished The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. What an undertaking just to read all 1150 pages with copious footnotes. For someone who is interested in the topic and/or WW2, I'd have to say its a must read. Anyone else, I dare ya to get through it.Using captured German documents and testimony from the Nuremberg trials, this work traces the history of Germany and Hitler's rise and fall from 1918 on. This gives the reader kind of an 'inside' look at the Nazis and their intrigues within the inner circle as well as impressions from foreign diplomats and emissaries. Talk about a cult of personality.
Some of the best stuff is from Mussolini's son in law (executed for conspiracy against his father in law) where he describes how vulgar Herman Goering was. He describes him at a dinner party with fancy rings on each finger and how HG constantly talks about them. He is also wearing a full length fur coat in Rome described as 'the kind worn by an automobile driver of 1906 or a high-priced prostitute going to the opera.'
Not for everyone but if you like history, pick it up. You can find good hardcover editions for about $5.
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it's about the fossil Ida found in the MESSEL PIT-before that i had been reading about Louis and clark-then the building of the transcontinten..."
Huge Barrymore fan here!
Gene Fowler was a friend of Barrymore and wrote that great book shortly after his death.
Ken wrote: "Just finished The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. What an undertaking just to read all 1150 pages with copious footnotes. For someone who is interested in the topic a..."I just bought that in four volumes in a used book store a couple of weeks ago, looking forward to reading it.
I've just begun reading
by Alice Munro.
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by Alice Munro."never read her...curious if her stories are similar to Grace Paley
I just finished rereading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The 'why' is that I won a nice hard copy 2012 edition from The Folio Society. I often find Dickens' stories witty and insightful. I like his writing style, although it runs contrary to contemporary guidelines. Dickens, writing in the middle of the Nineteenth Century, had more words and commas available for his use, and sentences could be much longer, perhaps because people had longer attention spans than they do now. :-)Now, I'm reading an indie book, 'The Ultimate Inferior Beings' by Mark Roman.
I'm reading
and IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
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Zero Day. Excellent crime thriller so far. I love this authors works."I remember meeting David Baldacci right after his first book- he was signing at the Borders(or was it a B&N?..forgot!) in the World Trade Center Mall- recall him being a very nice and down to earth person- very few folks were on line as he was not well known then so I had the chance to talk to him quite a biy.
Right now, I'm reading Arnold Schwarzenegger's new autobiography: Total Recall. It is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. Man came over here as an immigrant unable to speak English and rose to the top of every field he went into.I'm also reading When We Meet Jesus in Hell. It's a short novella, published independently, but pretty gruesome. Sort of like the books I write--I'm enjoying it.
Ken wrote: "Just finished The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. What an undertaking just to read all 1150 pages with copious footnotes. For someone who is interested in the topic a..."
ken,i will definitely read it when i get done with the books i am reading now-who is the author?have you read " In The garden of Beasts" by Eric Larson--it is about the American ambassador to Hitler"s germany, William E Dodd. it's an eye opener as to the way the Jews and others were treated at those times.
The Elegant Hedgehog, translated from French to rave reviews. Frankly, it seems a tad pretentious (so far).
The Book of Transformations, by Maxine Tobias - one of those children's books with adults in mind and perfect for my 11 year old niece this Christmas. It's compassionate, moving and adventurous, all at the same time.
re-reading, for inspirational purposes, some Raymond Chandler. This one is
. One of his absolute best and the highlight is when Marlowe visits a casino and writes a masterful description. I love this line when he describes the hatcheck girl:"She had eyes like strange sins."
I'm trying, like many authors before and to come, to capture some of that masterful Chandler 'voice'. I'm better than half done with the draft and I hope a little talent rubs off on me.
BTW, The High Window was made into a movie as "The Brasher Doubloon" with George Montgomery as Marlowe. Never seen it. Wonder if its any good?
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. One of his absolute best and the highlight is when Marlowe visits a casino and writes ..."Does it get any better than Chandler!!!
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by all means friend me on facebook and post about your books- those you are reading/those you wrote- hope you like pic LOL
The City of Dreaming Books(re)Reading this one because it's in my top 10, and because a sequel just came out ('Labyrinth of Dreaming books).
I just finished 'Rescue My Heart' by Jill Shalvis and enjoyed Adam's story. Any romance with a military protagonist is usually on my radar. Jill's Animal Magnitism series is my favorite and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the third book. I'm thrilled to hear there will be a fourth one out next August.I do tend to stick to romances, although I am a big fan of Iris Johansen's and have several of her forensic scultor--Eve Duncan books to catch up on.
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THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
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Love the title!!!