What are you reading right now? (SEE NEW THREAD) Showing 1,901-1,950 of 7,588

[[deleted user]]

I just started Fahrenheit 451

[Vicki]

I am reading Little Bee and Cold Comfort Farm.

[[deleted user]]

Little Bee was an interesting read! Hope you enjoy it.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

I loved Cold Comfort Farm!

[Lisa]

I'm one of the few I know who hated Cold Comfort Farm. I've always loved Fahrenheit 451 though. Little Bee is on my radar and I'll be curious what you think, Vicki.

[[deleted user]]

I have seen the movie made from Cold Comfort Farm, but never read the book. I am enjoying my current read of Fahrenheit 451. I always enjoy it.

[[deleted user]]

Christine wrote: "I am going to start The Kitchen House"

I've been eyeing this one. Looks good!

[Chrissie]

Lydia wrote: "Unfinished Desires: A Novel seems interesting, adding it to my wishlist.

Well, this is Elizabethan London - dirty, plague-ridden and really interesting! Elizabethan just means durin..."
Lots of people call books Elizabethan or Regency or Victorian or Gothic....as if that represented a certain style of writing. This always confuses me. I know they are referring to the time period of a particular regent, but I think tthey mean more! So with Elizabethan they mean a world of plague and grime and social stratification? Victorian means, I think a time of strict social manners. Gothic means spooky novels with dark undertones? Regency - I have no idea about. DO I HAVE THE RIGHT SYYLE CONNOTATIONS? Somebody please help me!

[Lisa]

Chrissie, I think you got those correct. Isn't Regency romance?

[Chrissie]

Vicki, have you read Incendiary by Chris Cleave, the same author as Little Bee? I thought I would read Incendiary first and then try Little Bee second. I wish I could add a few hours to each day!

Christine, I have been eyeing The Kitchen House, but I wasn't sure about the writing style. Are you drawn in by the writing? Does it focus more on character analysis or plot?

[Chrissie]

Lisa, I don't know! No idea. So, at least I kind of understand the others;0)

Someone, help us with Regency!!! Or explain better than my silly "definitions"!

[[deleted user]]

Lisa wrote: "Chrissie, I think you got those correct. Isn't Regency romance?"

I don't think so:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_...

from the article:

The Regency era in the United Kingdom is the period between 1811 — when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent — and 1820, when the Prince Regent became George IV on the death of his father.

The term Regency era sometimes refers to a more extended time frame ... The period between 1795 and 1837 ... was characterized by distinctive trends in British architecture, literature, fashions, politics, and culture... The era was a time of excess for the aristocracy ... it was also an era of uncertainty ... including the Napoleonic wars, periodic riots, and the concern ... that the British people might imitate the upheavals of the French Revolution.

So I think more than Romance, it's highly ornamental and flowery, and living over the top.

ETA: On second thought, that describes most romance books pretty well! ;-)

[Chrissie]

Hayes, good morning!!! That was great. So Regency is highly ornamental and flowery, and living over the top". It is important to know if romance is going to be an important ingredient of such books..... Could it also be books about the need for self determination, the right to govern oneself or the excesses of those in power? HELP!

[[deleted user]]

Good Morning Chrissie! Sorry I can't be more help. That's about all I know about the period. (I saw the movie of The Madness of George III, but haven't read the book.)

I don't like to classify the things I read too much. I find it confuses me terribly, especially as the genres in one country might have a different time period from the same genre in a different country.

Good luck with you research!

[Chrissie]

Hayes, I am only doing it because I want to understand what others say when they talk about a book. I was under the impression every one knew, except me!

[Chrissie]

Hayes and Lisa, in Wikipedia there is a term Regency Romance so I think romance is a major ingredient!

[[deleted user]]

Hayes wrote: "Christine wrote: "I am going to start The Kitchen House"

I've been eyeing this one. Looks good!"

Soooo good so far! I read the first 100 or so pages last night, and it's excellent.

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: Christine, I have been eyeing The Kitchen House, but I wasn't sure about the writing style. Are you drawn in by the writing?..."

I like the writing style. She uses dialect, but not overly so. It's told in two voices, one of a slave and the other of the Irish girl who ends up in the kitchen house.

[Chrissie]

Christine, maybe I should move this up. It is already on my shelves.....

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Christine, maybe I should move this up. It is already on my shelves....."

Me too, methinks.

[[deleted user]]

I'm sick (again) so I'll probably rest today and read instead of all the things I should be doing. At least that's my excuse to get back to my book.

[Chrissie]

Christine, well that is one thing nice about being sick!

[Lisa]

Thanks, Hayes, for that link re Regency. I guess I could have looked it up, given that I wasn't sure, and given that I was wrong.

[[deleted user]]

Well you weren't wrong really... It all depends on what is meant by characterized by distinctive trends in ... culture.

I just remember my mother talking about regency chairs somewhere in a distant past (I guess she meant over stuffed and/or very ornate or something) and I had never associated the word with a style of writing. But I think it fits pretty well for a romance (in both meanings of the word)!

[[deleted user]]

Terms like Elizabethan, Regency, Victorian and Edwardian refer to a specific historical time period in England. Victorian novels are set during Victoria's reign, for example, and the reader expects certain elements of society, dress and mannerisms particular to that time, as well as any technology that might be applicable.

Regency applies to the period when George III was declared too ill to reign and his son acted as his regent. There are plenty of Regency romances, but not all stories set in the Regency period are romances. They can be historical fiction or mysteries, or even fantasy. Jane Austen wrote and lived during the Regency period whereas Patrick O'Brian set all of his historical fiction during the Regency period. Neither author wrote what we now call Regency romance novels.

The book Lydia mentioned appears to be a mystery set in the Elizabethan period. So, there should be castles, and court intrigue and religious/political unrest, as well-as bad sanitation!

Hope this helps define things a little more clearly. :)

[Lisa]

Thanks, Jeannette!

[[deleted user]]

Lisa wrote: "Thanks, Jeannette!"

You're welcome. I hope I didn't come across like a school teacher! :)

[Chrissie]

Jeanette, yes it certainly does. THANK YOU!

I wish I could stop asking questions, but how would you characterize Edwardian literature?

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote: "I hope I didn't come across like a school teacher! :)"

No, that's my job Jeannette!

[Chrissie]

Jeanette, thank you alot!!!! Edwardian - doesn't that come after the Victorian period, ie early 1900s. But still I don't understand how you would characterize that literature. I did look at Wikipedia, but they just list lots of authors. I am looking for the common characteristics of such authors. Tomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling and the Graham's Wind in the Willows. They all seem very different to me. What is the common denominator? Sorry for all the questions....

[[deleted user]]

You know, Chrissie, I'm not certain there is a common denominator. I look at the list of authors on wikipedia, and they cover different styles and genres. As a time period, it was the last hurrah for the British class system. World War I changed a lot of things, and writings of the period following the Great War reflect these changes.

When I think of a story set in Edwardian time period I think of Upstairs, Downstairs, those British drawing-room stories. Women were fighting for the vote, the middle class was becoming more wealthy and influential, a still very proper, and well-mannered upper-class that was being dragged into the 20th century.

Okay, Hayes, can you help me out here? :)

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote: "Okay, Hayes, can you help me out here? :) "

Ack! Can't really add more than what you said.

Perhaps only that it was the beginning of social awareness: in other words in Victorian times, for e.g., Upstairs was upstairs and Downstairs was downstairs and never the twain would meet. Edwardian is the beginning of social awareness, social change, social agonizing.

Whaddya think Jeannette?

[Chrissie]

Hayes and Jeanette,

Mwah - to you guys. You are wonderful! I declare you guys are the literature time-period exoperts! Thank you!

[[deleted user]]

That summarizes the times quite nicely, but I was thinking that you can't put the range of Edwardian authors into any kind of "neat" category. Authors are influenced by their times and their potential audience, but they are often quite different from one another. So, while the Edwardian period, for example, may be easily described, defining a "typical" Edwardian novel/author is quite another thing. I think this is what Chrissie has discovered, that these authors are all very different from one another.

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Hayes and Jeanette,

Mwah - to you guys. You are wonderful! I declare you guys are the literature time-period exoperts! Thank you!"

Thanks, Chrissie! I sure did get a brain workout today! It feels good, too. :D

[[deleted user]]

Wow lots of info there you guys. Thanks! Just finished rereading Boy Trouble at Trebizon. This series is definitely comfort reading for me. I went to a school I hated and never felt like I got the right education or enough of it. That probably explains why I adore school stories, particularly those of upper crust boarding schools, and like to read the Times Educational Supplement (mostly read by teachers).

I've started on Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland, which arrived in the post today. I'm really enjoying it.

I'm going away tomorrow for a few days and wondering whether to schlep my own books or to read some of the books my hosts own. What do you guys do if you're visiting a fellow book lover? Take your own books or read theirs?

[Lisa]

Jeannette wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Thanks, Jeannette!"

You're welcome. I hope I didn't come across like a school teacher! :)"

Not at all, Jeannette. I found it interesting and I love learning things, even if they're things I maybe should have already known. I appreciate the info.

[Vicki]

Chrissie wrote: "Vicki, have you read Incendiary by Chris Cleave, the same author as Little Bee? I thought I would read Incendiary first and then try Little Bee second. I wish I could ..."

No I haven't. I will have to check it out though. I didn't know he had written another book. Little Bee has been drawing a lot of attention for awhile. I completely understand about needing more hours. Sadly, Little Bee was on my shelf for at least 5 months before I got to it. I will keep everyone posted on how it goes.

Kitchen House will be arriving from Amazon shortly. I am super excited to get that one.

Cold Comfort Farm was a little strange in the beginning, but I am 2/3 done and I got into a groove with it.

[Manybooks]

Lydia wrote: "Wow lots of info there you guys. Thanks! Just finished rereading Boy Trouble at Trebizon. This series is definitely comfort reading for me. I went to a school I hated and never felt like I got the ..."

I have that series and should really read it sometime. Lydia, you should check out the Girls' School Story Group on this website, "A Thrilling Term at Goodreads." I also would have loved to have gone to a boarding school, I did not particularly like my school, although I learned quite a bit (but, they did not have the subjects I really wanted to learn, like Latin, Greek etc.).

Lydia, I would at least take one or two of my own books along. That way, you at least know you are going to like them. I've made the mistake of listening to friends and relatives who've claimed that I could always borrow their books. Some of the time that worked, but other times, I just could not find any books on their bookshelves I liked or was interested in reading.

[[deleted user]]

Gundula, I'm a member there too. I'm especially a Chalet School fan.

[Manybooks]

Lydia wrote: "Gundula, I'm a member there too. I'm especially a Chalet School fan."

I have the first book of the Chalet series (for when we read it as a group), but I think it's the shortened version. I think I might try to get a copy of the unabridged version, if they are available (I hate it, when books are abridged or changed around). Do you have the entire series?

[[deleted user]]

I finished reading The Kitchen House, and it was a five star book for me. It's going to be hard to pick a follow-up because my mind will be on this one for a while.

[[deleted user]]

Christine wrote: "I finished reading The Kitchen House, and it was a five star book for me. It's going to be hard to pick a follow-up because my mind will be on this one for a while."

I look forward to reading your review. You've been on a roll Christine! :)

[Chrissie]

Back to the normal thread discussion..... I finished The Accordionist's Son, but only gave it two stars. My review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Since I wasn't too pleased, I chose to read another about the Spanish CivilWar: The Return. The author is suppose to be good and Tara absolutely loved the book. The author's description of the flamenco dance is tremendous, but so far very little about the Spanish Civil War. I haven't come very far yet, but I have high hopes.

[Brenda]

I am just starting Falling In I love the cover with two red boots falling into the ground.

[[deleted user]]

Brenda wrote: "I am just starting Falling In I love the cover with two red boots falling into the ground."

Juvenile fiction and YA just have these great covers, don't they? I'll add this one to my tbr pile because I enjoy fairy tale retellings.

[Mary]

Lydia wrote: "Unfinished Desires: A Novel seems interesting, adding it to my wishlist.

Lydia, Unfinished Desires is promising but I set it aside temporarily to read The Romantics ahead of the movie release. The book has not gotten great reviews but it has drawn me in.

[[deleted user]]

I'm going to start Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

[[deleted user]]

I am reading The Samurai's Garden.

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote: "I am reading The Samurai's Garden."

Oh, I have that one on my bookshelf waiting for me. Let me know how it is. I actually have a few books by this author, but haven't read any yet.