Readers and Reading discussion
Book Miscellany
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Reading/Planning to Read - topic started 2/28/2010
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The Children's Blizzard
yet? That sounds like something I'd find interesting.....
Donna
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I'm guessing now that they were probably that group that they now call "The Travelers." IIRC, they Winter in South Carolina, then spend the rest of the year 'traveling' around and committing Home Improvement scams. I have seen a couple of reports on them on either 60 Minutes or Dateline.
Donna
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yet? That sounds like something I'd find interesting.....
Donna"
Have not finished it yet, Donna. It was daunting to think of reading this in the midst of our blizzards. I am taking it to my daughter's with me today, along with two other books. For three days. LOL
I hate to mention what I'm reading (and enjoying) right now, but I will anyway :) It's Miss O'Dell's Long Days and Hard Nights with The Beatles, etc. by Chris O'Dell.One wouldn't exactly call Chris a groupie because she always worked for her place in the rock and roll world, but still . . . she did manage to bed most everybody. I think I'd like her personally - she's very clear about who she is and what happened to her. And a lot happened to her! Not a disillusioning book but a humanizing look at a lot of rock icons. Pure trash and good reading.
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***Jodi Picoult has a new book coming out, yet ANOTHER one of her legal-medical thrillers, with the same title as Lawson's. Picoult's "condition of the year" this time is Asperger's Syndrome.
Going tomorrow to get Jodi's new book. Should have the 1 finished I am reading and that wouyld be a good one to get into.
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One wouldn't exactly call Chr..."
Bunny, I need to add that one to my "To Be Read" list. Thanks for telling us about it!
Donna
Re Jodi Picoult's new book-- I've liked the books I've read by Picoult. I've liked some more than others. I think I'm going to read House Rules because I'm interested in Asperger's Syndrome. Though lately the politically correct phrase is Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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I used to read and enjoy her old books, maybe 12 years ago, before she started churning out a book/syndrome a year. Since then, she writes too fast (a book a year...puhlease), makes lots of errors, and uses far too many similes.
JMHO
I have just started a booj, that is a debut book. I think somebody here mentioned it, but this book has really grabbed me, Saving CeeCee Hunneycutt by Beth Hoffman. What a great book. Have already read over 50 pages and want tok keep reading. About a young girl who's mom dies and she goes to Savannah to live with a Great Aunt.
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Made my trip to the bookstore today and picked up -The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell - the bookstore clerk said she was two chapters into it, and it was great.
The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra -The first in a trilogy set in Afghanistan today. "A chilling portrait of fundamentalism run amok and its fallout on ordinary people".
The Water's Lovely by Ruth Rendell - enough said :)
Under the Dome by Stephen King - why didn't someone warn me about how big this book is????
The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns - I think this is an older book about a small town in the South in the early 1900's that I missed. Looks delicious.
Ann Rule - Heart Full of Lies
Murder in the Marais by Cara Black - a woman detective in Paris in the late 20th century.
The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black - I recently read a review of an author named John Banyun, one of the the best writers in modern times, according to the reviewer. The review mentioned that he'd also written this mystery series set in Dublin, so I thought I'd try it. They said it was easier than his usual prose :)
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick - might as well throw my two cents worth in!
Kitchen Chinese by Ann Mah - Chinese American girl ends up in Beijing writing restaurant reviews.
Out Stealing Horses by Per Ptterson
Still Life by Louise Penny -Mystery set in Montreal with good reviews and awards.
The Final Solution by Michael Chabon - Chabon can't go wrong for me.
This should keep me busy for a while ~
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I have the Children's Blizzard here to read - from the library so I need to get to it.
I hope you both enjoy
The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin as much as i did. Reading it my first summer in Texas was a good choice, i must say. deborah
>>Still Life by Louise Penny -Mystery set in Montreal with good reviews and awards<<Looks like you picked up a nice variety of books.
Still Life was one of my top reads of 2006 and the author, Louise Penny, is very popular over at the M/T Reading Friends group.
I need to try out both Henning Mankell and Cara Black sometime since I am a big fan of crime fiction set in foriegn locales.
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The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell - the bookstore clerk said she was two chapters into it, and it was great.
The Swallows of Kabul by..."
Bunny, How wonderful that there are people like you that can afford to buy so many good books! I say that in all sincerity, as where would the publishers and authors be without people to actually BUY the books? I am only able to buy one or two books a year now, and am giving many of those that I did buy over the years to the local Library Sale. You have a wide and varied interest, so you should never be bored! I hope you enjoy ALL of them!
There's something in my dim memory that thinks there was a movie, not sure if theatrical or for tv, made from Cold Sassy Tree.
Donna in Southern Maryland
I want to read the Children's Blizzard, too
We're hardly rich (except in that huge part of the world where we're probably filthy rich :)) but I like to spend money on books, and I know I'm lucky to have it to spend. I usually box them up and give them to the library sale or the local old people's home (there must be a politically correct way to say that) who appreciate them very much.
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Bunny, maybe I phrased it wrong. Not that there's anything WRONG with being rich, mind you! :o) It's just that we are in a spot right now where I'm no longer ABLE to buy books. I'm glad to hear that there are people who can still afford to buy them. There's nothing I like better than opening a brand new, never been read, smells and feels brand new - book! Something from my childhood, I guess. A real treat! :o)
Donna
I was surprised to learn today that 1 of my CC gives points towards gifts and 1 of the places you can get Gift Cards is Borders,. Yippee. Ordered 2 Gift Cards and can buy more. They have been accumulating for a long time.
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My checking account gives points when I use my debit card as "credit". Mind you, it still comes immediately out of my checking account, but something must cost the bank less than if I say "debit".
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A defense attorney (nickname is Shameless) just finished his opening statement in the murder trial of the former first lady. He was pumped. He had owned the courtroom. Life or death. Buckley writes "He was floating in endorphin soup." That is when I choked because I laughed so hard.
I love this author. On a gloomy rainy day, this is just what I need.
I started Still Life by Louise Penney (sp?) only to discover I'd read it already - not only read it but remembered who did it and how they were found out. Darn :) So, instead, I began The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black, the nom de plume of John Banyun, touted as one of the greatest writers in the English language by the reviewer I read in the LA Times. It's off to a good start, a pathologist in Ireland with a friend who doesn't want his recently deceased wife's body autopsied (sp? Again :)) The writing is remarkably clear and crisp.
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Did you read Christine Falls, a prequel to Silver Swan? If not, does SS make sense to you?
(And that author is John Banville)
I'm reading THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL, and in the story, the bookseller recently spent time in the Pakistani city of Lahore, which is that country's cultural capital. Today I read that six bombs went off in that city this morning. Is there any hope for that part of the world, I wonder?
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If there is any hope, it certainly is beyond what I can figure. Beyond sad.
I wonder how many hundreds of years they've been fighting the same battles? I remember a story I read in the newspaper about an American serviceman talking to an Afghani about the feud between two villages. The Afghani said that someone's father in one village had killed someone's father in the other village - in the 12th century! I was once again reminded of how huge the rift between our way of thinking and their way is - impossible to cross, I think.
If there is any hope for Afghanistan, it may be because of Greg Mortenson. I just finished his book, Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.I am now staying in that part of the world withThe Sword of Medina: A Novel, the sequel to the controversial The Jewel of Medina which I read and found compelling.
I am going to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Rebecca for buddy reads in the next two months.
I see there's a Swedish movie version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo coming out very soon. It's been a huge hit in Europe - should be interesting!
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to the Library today. Finished it in 2 days, and gave it 4 stars.Waiting for me is
The Bone Thief: A Body Farm Novel.
I'm currently reading Apple Turnover Murder
for some light reading in the middle.Donna in Southern Maryland
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There is nothing better. I am very lucky.
Lisa S. books are set in Philadelphia, right, Donna?
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This one, with this set of characters, is.
Glad you are enjoying the book you are reading!
Donna
Dont fail to read the sequal to this book At Home on Ladybug Farm. There will another one too.
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Would you believe my library system only has one copy and it has been marked "lost". I am going to have to buy it. ABEBOOK'S vendors have several copies, several for under $4.
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Got Elizabeth Berg's new book at the library....The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel I have been waiting for it for months.
I plan to finish it this weekend.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I just SCORED!!!!Got Elizabeth Berg's new book at the library....The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel I have been waiting for it for months.
I plan to finish it this weekend."
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:) I love the anticipation of a good book. Just mix together some quite time to relax as I sip a cup of tea and fall into the magic of a great read. What's better than that?
I heard of this book long ago but never took the opportunity to read it. When i saw your post, Shomeret, i looked it up Wiki & learned it was a Pulitzer sandwiched between two books* i read & enjoyed. I keep telling myself i want to read more Pulitzer fiction winners but never do. I hope you enjoy the novel.*The two Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin
Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes
deborah
Shomeret wrote: "I am about to start Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Storyby Oliver LaFarge."I look forward to seeing how you enjoy it - or not. :)
Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love StoryI read it back in 2004 and I am sorry to say I didn't care for it. In my jnl I gave it a 2 on a 0-5 scale.
Well, I finished Laughing Boy. At first I had trouble with the author's intrusions into the narrative. He's supposed to be writing a fairly tightly focused Navajo viewpoint, but I'd see things that obviously couldn't be the thoughts of a Navajo. This problem seemed to vanish over the course of the novel and I became involved in the lives of the protagonists and their relationship. I intend to give it three stars.
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I see the synopsis mentions the BOOK OF KELLS. I saw that a couple of years ago at Trinity College in Dublin. It took my breath away!
Shomeret wrote: "I am now reading Brigid of Kildare by Heather Terrell."I've not heard of her, Shomeret. Is she someone you've read about earlier or does this novel just appeal to you? I liked the description, i must say.
deborah
Deb, Heather Terrell has previously written thrillers. I've purchased, but not yet read The Map Thief: A Novelby her because it looked interesting. I prioritized Brigid of Kildare for its women's spirituality content. It's also short, which makes it a better choice for me right now. I've got end of the semester projects rushing at me.Brigid of Kildare has two narratives. There is the historical one that is from the perspectives of Brigid and Decius, the papal investigator. There is also the contemporary narrative from the perspective of the appraiser Alexandra Patterson. So far, the historical narrative is more compelling.
Thanks for filling me in, Shomeret. It's sounding more & more interesting! deb
Readers and Reading
Books mentioned in this topic
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (other topics)The Last Jew (other topics)
My Life in France (other topics)
Rebecca (other topics)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Maeve Binchy (other topics)Robert Barnard (other topics)
Robert Crais (other topics)
Brian Haig (other topics)
Henning Mankell (other topics)
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Feb 27, 2010 07:34AM
Shomeret wrote: "I just finished Church of Cheesewhich is an anthropology book dealing with gypsies."
JoAnn asked What "brought" you to read this book? Just curious.
message 246: by Shomeret
13 hours, 38 min ago
Re Church of Cheese-- I've always been interested in gypsies. I have a friend who is an ethnic gypsy. After reading this book I understand a great deal more about her history and background. This book isn't about the gypsy tribe that is most written about, but it is about the tribe that is the largest in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is where I live.
message 247: by JoAnn/QuAppelle
13 hours, 30 min ago
1244119 I have a Lebanese friend who is descended from gypsies there. She is a very ethereal and spiritual person (devout Catholic). My husband met her before I did and I still remember him calling me to tell me that she had read his tea leaves after dinner.
13 hours, 29 min ago
JoAnn asked : What exactly is an "ethnic gypsy"? I have never heard that term.
message 249: by Shomeret (last edited 13 hours, 21 min ago)
13 hours, 24 min ago
An ethnic gypsy means that she is descended from gypsies. My friend's mother was a member of a gypsy tribe. According to DNA tests gypsies are originally from India, not from Egypt as gypsies used to claim. We don't know exactly why or when they left India, but they scattered all over the world. There are gypsy enclaves in most major cities. My friend isn't part of any local gypsy community and she doesn't participate in gypsy culture, but there are ways in which having been brought up by a gypsy mother impacted her and her outlook.
message 250: by JoAnn/QuAppelle
12 hours, 51 min ago
Shomeret wrote: "An ethnic gypsy means that she is descended from gypsies. My friend's mother was a member of a gypsy tribe. .."
Thanks for this information. I guess my friend is an ethnic gypsy too!
My only encounters with gypsies were in Italy, where they are everywhere, begging and stealing. One of our friends had his pockets "picked" twice on one trip. He kept nothing of value in his pocket, and the second time this happened it was a toddler who was being held under a blanket and "directed" by his mother.