Book Nook Cafe discussion
What did you read last month?
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What I read in July 2010
I think it's a very good idea to put this thread up a week before the month ends.
* reposting to this thread.by Richiesheff
Sweet Tea at Sunrise Sheryl Woods
Honeyuckle Summer Sheryl Woods
Stay a Little Longer Dorothy Garlock
The Aloha Quilt Jennifer Chiaverini
High Anxiety Charlotte Hughes
A Thread so Thin Marie Bostwick
How to Knit a Love Song Rachael Herron
Not My Daughter Barbara Delisky
Fortunate Harbor Emilie Richards
Whiter than Snow Sandra Dallas
Frankly Dear I'm Dead Livia J. Washbrun
Sizling Sixteen Janet Evanovich
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl Susan McCorkindale
I wont finish anymore this month, and I forgot to post last month. Confessions i a Memoir, but am really enjoying it. I read a variety and really liked Emlie Richards new one.
Richiesheff, it looks like you had a real good July.I have Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl on my TBR list. I think I even nominated it a few months ago.
What did you think of it ?
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl~ Susan McCorkindale
The Glass Room
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Drawing in the Dust
The Stormchasers
Cape Encounters: Contemporary Cape Cod Ghost Stories
Midnight's Children
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the SameI read the children's book for the website, Sweetonbooks.com which is a children's book recommendation website.
Alias Reader wrote: "Richiesheff, it looks like you had a real good July.I have Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl on my TBR list. I think I even nominated it a few months ago.
What did you think of it ? I really liked it. It got a little tedious at the end, but I am glad I read it. The references to living in a male household are funny.
[b..."
I read The Passage by Justin Cronin; The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst; Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst; and Zeitoun by Dave Eggars. I haven't posted a new book in ages, but I haven't stopped reading them. The Passage, and the Cloud Atlas are related stories that connect towards the end. Very modern in structure and kind of science-fiction-y. The Nobodies Album is the story of a mother and son and a murder, not bad. I would not recommend the spy novel by Alan Furst, unless you like him a lot. Nothing happens in his novels, really. And Zeitoun was a true story about an Arab-American in New Orleans after Katrina. Semi-shocking, although if you paid attention at the time, you could see the Blackwater guys "keeping order."
RE:Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm GirlRichiesheff wrote: "I really liked it. It got a little tedious at the end, but I am glad I read it. The references to living in a male household are funny.
..."
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Thanks ! I can't wait till I can have time to read it. I love books where the person moves from the city to the country.
Two of my favorites are:
Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm~ Jeanne Marie Laskas
The Quality of Life Report~ Meghan Daum
Thanks for sharing with us your July reads, thewanderingjew. And Welcome to BNC !I always wanted to visit Cape Cod, but now I don't know if I should ! :-O
One of my f2f book clubs likes to do scary books in October for Halloween. I'll suggest this one.
Did you like it ?
Michele wrote: "I read The Passage by Justin Cronin; The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst; Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst; and Zeitoun by Dave Eggars. I haven't posted a ..."----------------
Welcome to BNC, Michele and thanks for sharing your July reads. :)
I saw Zeitoun at the library and almost took it out. I think I'll put it on my list.
I posted this review of it. "I felt like reading this book because I live at the Cape in an area that the Wampanoag Indian Tribe dwelt and I thought it would be really enlightening. I thought for sure this area would be alive with spirits. Actually my area was covered very briefly in the book and most of the tales reviewed were anecdotal about very benign incidents and feelings that people had when they thought they encountered something out of the ordinary. Most people were not frightened and they looked upon the possible visitors as friendly. They found it hard to describe their experiences in real terms and rather discussed the feelings they had about the possible spirits they encountered.
If you want to read a book which is stress free and easy to read as it is written in an almost conversational style, this is for you. It will take you one day, maximum".
Personally, I didn't post anything really negative because no one wants their book panned, but it was not scary at all and I didn't really learn much about ghosts on the Cape, unfortunately. I remembered reading one about the ghosts of Savanah and also San Diego that were far more enlightening and hair raising. This one was innocuous.
I have The Dome, by King, on my tbr shelf. Maybe that would be a better book for Halloween, but you had better start now, it is thick!
Alias Reader wrote: "Thanks for sharing with us your July reads, thewanderingjew. And Welcome to BNC !
I always wanted to visit Cape Cod, but now I don't know if I should ! :-O
One of my f2f book clubs likes to do..."
thewanderingjew wrote: Personally, I didn't post anything really negative because no one wants their book panned, but it was not scary at all and I didn't really learn much about ghosts on the Cape, unfortunately. I remembered reading one about the ghosts of Savanah and also San Diego that were far more enlightening and hair raising. This one was innocuous.I have The Dome, by King, on my tbr shelf. Maybe that would be a better book for Halloween, but you had better start now, it is thick!"
------------------
Thanks for the heads up. I'll pass on Cape E.
I read The Dome by King back in January of this year. In fact, if you look at our Buddy Reads Folder you will find our discussion on it. But you should wait until you finish the book so you won't read any spoilers.
I liked it. Though his best is still
The Stand
I used to read Stephen King more often but when his books seemed to get more and more into horror and sadistic behavior, I abandoned him. Some of the stories were too graphic for me.I remember liking one of his earlier books, The Dead Zone. Have you read any of the books in the Dark Tower Series? For awhile I collected those and got a couple of First Editions.
BTW, is The Dome more science fiction, I hope, I hope, or horror? Maybe I should check out your discussion so I can decide whether or not to read it!
Alias Reader wrote: "thewanderingjew wrote: Personally, I didn't post anything really negative because no one wants their book panned, but it was not scary at all and I didn't really learn much about ghosts on the Cape..."
I used to read early Stephen King. Than my reading tastes changed and I read a lot more non fiction now. However, when I read people comparing The Stand to The Dome, I had to give it a try. Unfortunately, the two do not compare at all.
Is the book science fiction or horror? I'm not giving anything away to say a dome descends on a town. So I guess that would be considered Sci-fi. There are no werewolves or killer cars but there is quite a bit of intense mayhem.
Do you think it would be a waste of time to read it? I have not read King in a long time and I have so many other books I really want to read, I wouldn't mind just leaving it on the shelf if it isn't really good; it has been there for almost a year already! On the whole, did the discussion group like or dislike it? I would check it out myself but I don't want to read any spoilers in case I decide to read it.Alias Reader wrote: "I used to read early Stephen King. Than my reading tastes changed and I read a lot more non fiction now.
However, when I read people comparing The Stand to The Dome, I had to give it a try. Unfo..."
thewanderingjew wrote: "Do you think it would be a waste of time to read it? I have not read King in a long time and I have so many other books I really want to read, I wouldn't mind just leaving it on the shelf if it isn..."----------------------
Reading tastes are so personal. So I can't tell you if you would like it. And my reading tastes rarely match the majority view. :)
I can say read the first few chapters. Maybe 50 pages or so. If you don't like it, you won't like the book as it pretty much continues that way throughout.
Hope that helps.
Thanks, I will take your advice and if I am still not sure, I will check out your discussion. Alias Reader wrote: "thewanderingjew wrote: "Do you think it would be a waste of time to read it? I have not read King in a long time and I have so many other books I really want to read, I wouldn't mind just leaving i..."
thewanderingjew wrote: "I posted this review of it. "I felt like reading this book because I live at the Cape in an area that the Wampanoag Indian Tribe dwelt and I thought it would be really enlightening. I thought for ..."
We joined a "ghosts of Ticonderoga" tour when we were at the historic fort. It was a major disappointment because it was pretty much a laundry list of sounds & sightings such as, "I saw a figure of a woman in colonial dress in the upper window." And on. No possible fleshing out of history which might account for it (or other "events"). What made this particularly striking is that some tv show (on Sci-Fi channel--now syfi, i think) taped a program there to investigate the sightings. We would have been better served if the guide had just told us the story of their visit!
I used to read "ghosts of" books & liked when possible reasons (sudden deaths or injustices) were shared. Just to tell me you saw a ghost isn't impressive unless i know you & whether you are reliable. This is my opinion, anyway. :-) I suppose it doesn't help that i no longer believe in such things, eh?
deborah
I agree with you about wanting more concrete evidence and history if ghosts are going to be conjured up but I think I do believe that there are spirits or some sort of energy left behind after someone passes. I don't know how long they last or if they are technically ghosts but I remember many years ago, after my dad died, I woke up because I smelled his Old Spice. I swear I saw a shimmering of light at the foot of my bed and it soon disappeared. I was terrified at first because I thought I was hallucinating! Afterwards, I thought that he had come to say goodbye because I was not able to get to the hospital in time to see him right before he died. I had to wait for my brother and he took his sweet time! So, in the end, it brought me comfort and eased my guilt. When my mom died, I hoped she would somehow appear, as well, but no such luck! Maybe spirits are simply our imagination at work, resolving our unsolved issues! Perhaps we may imagine them to bring us peace, although I can't speak to those that seem evil! Maybe those people have more violent imaginations or are far more creative, lol!
Do you believe in second sight or psychic phenomenon?
PS: Coincidentally, right after I responded to you, I received an email from Shelf Awareness and they featured a book called Holy Ghosts which is due out in the early fall.
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/Bo...
madrano wrote: "thewanderingjew wrote: "I posted this review of it.
"I felt like reading this book because I live at the Cape in an area that the Wampanoag Indian Tribe dwelt and I thought it would be really enl..."
thewanderingjew wrote: "Perhaps we may imagine them to bring us peace, although I can't speak to those that seem evil! Maybe those people have more violent imaginations or are far more creative, lol!Do you believe in second sight or psychic phenomenon?
..."
One reason i stopped believing is because in the UK their reports of ghosts decreased dramatically as more cell phones were used. Apparently the new equipment was harnessing the stray electricity in the air with the result of fewer ghost sightings. Or something like that. I can no longer find the article but it was enough to lead me to deeper examination and my conclusion that much can be explained by science and our wishful thinking.
However, i despite that phrase "wishful thinking" i do not want it to sound as though i am dismissing the sightings of loved ones. While they may not be verifiable or quantifiable enough for a scientist, there is something to be said for a person wanting to see a dead loved one so much that they could conjure up the image (at least to themselves) and that this could be imaged on equipment. I doubt they are the actual person, however. Although, as we all know, energy never dies...
That is why i still cannot decide about second sight or psychic phenomenon. It seems science can explain so little about our abilities that we just don't have enough information to make intelligent decisions about it. This isn't to say i believe a single person who hawks this "talent" for money. LOL! I am only opining that most of us have had incredible "moments of knowing" which cannot be logically explained. Someday i believe science will help us figure it out, however.
I hope this isn't too vague. How about you, how would you answer your question, do you believe in second sight or psychic phenomenon?
Btw, i should mention, since you are new to the group, that in my youth, books about such things were almost all i read. I was fascinated. Back then there weren't many books available--they were either sensational (ghosts in my bedroom!) or dry (Duke University study results, they were the U.S. leaders in exploring the topic back then). I think i read my last book along these lines in the mid-80s, a book about "automatic writing", which is when one puts pen to paper & allows a "ghost" to write. Hmmm.
deborah, still curious, though
It is funny, but reading your remarks reminded me of when I was young. I read everything printed on UFO's. My mom had a nephew who wanted to write some article for a publication he produced and she gave him my books to borrow...ahem...i never saw them again. maybe the aliens have them now, lol.I guess I believe that there are many things we do not fully understand yet and therefore I give them all the benefit of the doubt, except as you said, those that use their "gifts" to get rich don't inspire me. I think many are charlatans, like those who predict the end of the world or the next president or disaster. I don't trust their talents. Yet, on my own, I have had many experiences which would fall into what your call "moments of knowing". Also, I have a twin, and there are too many "moments of knowing" to be ignored. When I was young, it happened more frequently. Maybe it has diminished because of cell phone usage, as you said. Wouldn't that be an amazing thought? Cell phones kill psychic energy!
At any rate, this "talent" frightened me and I tried to ignore it as I grew up. I think it does have to be cultivated or it is lost. I still get "feelings" but they aren't as strong. I believe if I tried to cultivate it , they would grow. I should probably stop while I still have some credibility, before I degenerate into what some might consider a total fool. Usually, I don't publicly acknowledge or share these thoughts/feelings with others because they look at me with a funny look in their eyes afterwards...lol. I know the internet is public, but I feel as if I am anonymous...fool that I am, and often post things I wouldn't say out loud!
madrano wrote: "thewanderingjew wrote: "Perhaps we may imagine them to bring us peace, although I can't speak to those that seem evil! Maybe those people have more violent imaginations or are far more creative, lo..."
thewanderingjew wrote: "Also, I have a twin, and there are too many "moments of knowing" to be ignored. When I was young, it happened more frequently." These are just the sort of things which make me think that we will learn more about our bodies as science progresses. You and your twin shared a womb for 9 months--you don't get much closer than that. Many twins (& other multiple birthed children) have that connection (we knew one family where the twins seemed to have their own language, which included them laughing simultaneously at something). So, it seems to me that this points toward the idea we can "connect" and will someday learn how to do so.
Meanwhile, i do believe you (or anyone) could cultivate and develop that ability. For me the key is to be honest in evaluating success. My sister thinks she's psychic because she gets things right so often. However, she doesn't count her wrong "guesses", which are more numerous. LOL!
In the past i thought i'd give it a try but realized it would take more energy than i wanted to use on it. Maybe that's the first sign of doubting? (I'll have to think about that more, later.) Have you noticed, as i have, that you seem to go in streaks? I'll go for 2 or 3 weeks & seem to have a second sense about phone calls, letters or, more interesting, thinking of someone who, it later turns out, was going through a serious problem (usually physical) the day i thought most about them? Because i get streaks like that (DH loves to observe that but neither of us seem to notice when it ceases), i have begun to think external factors must play a part in it, too. Or maybe just eating well?
deborah
A really good month, and I deserved it! Hopefully the cover pictures will appear at the bottom of this post. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury. I don't know how I reached this advanced age without ever having read this book. A futuristic (or is it?) society where TV screens are the size of walls, people walk around with "seashells" in their ears so that they can listen to things that amuse them, and society frowns on anything serious or thought-provoking, preferring instead mindless, shallow entertainment. Oh yeah, and books are illegal. None of that could ever happen, could it? A
One Day - David Nicholls. Meet Emma and Dexter on the day they meet - July 15, 1988 - and then revisit them every July 15th for the next 20 years. They might be together, they might not even be speaking to one other. You might want to punch them in the nose or hug them. This was a well-constructed, well-written novel with some of the best dialogue I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed it. A
Still Missing - Chevy Stevens. After the wonderful dialogue in One Day, the writing in this book was agonizing to read. A young beautiful (natch!) real estate agent is kidnapped while holding an open house, and taken to a mountain cabin where she is held hostage for a year. This book got rave reviews but I could barely bring myself to finish it. A promising premise went downhill from there. C-
This Time Together - Carol Burnett. A collection of stories from Burnett's life and career. An easy, fast read with nothing very deep, even when I might have liked a little more depth. But still enjoyable. B
Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins. The first book in a young adult trilogy that I decided to read on impulse and wound up enjoying very much. Set in a futuristic dystopian society, a teenage girl has to fight to survive the nationally televised Hunger Games where children from different parts of the country battle each other to the death. There's a lot of killing and a lot of dying here and life seems very cheap, but the story is a page-turner and now I'm eager to read the next two books in the trilogy. A-
Brooklyn - Colm Toibin. I really expected not to like this book, but I wound up loving it. It's the very low-key, almost uneventful story of a young Irish woman who comes to Brooklyn after WWII, leaving her family behind in a small village. She gets a job, meets a young man and lives a satisfying life until an emergency sends her back to Ireland. My book group discussed this book the other day, and about half the group didn't care for it. But I liked it a lot and I thought it had a wonderful final paragraph. A
Thanks Connie! I always enjoy your reviews. One Day sounds a lot like a play that was popular several years ago. I cannot think of the name of the darn thing and that is going to annoy me. It was just two actors.......doing what????............reading letters? It covered the span of their relationship. Oh help. Anyone know what I am talking about? I drive myself nuts with this stuff.Kate
Kate -- Hopefully -- even though they weren't reading letters -- could it be Same Time Next Year??If I have now made your mind meld even worse, I apologize. LOL
It's called Love Letters.....Love Letters (play)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Love Letters is a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominated play by A. R. Gurney. The play centers on just two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. Using the epistolary form sometimes found in novels, they sit side by side at tables and read the notes, letters and cards - in which over nearly 50 years, they discuss their hopes and ambitions, dreams and disappointments, victories and defeats - that have passed between them throughout their separated lives.
* 1 Performances
* 2 Adaptations
* 3 References
* 4 External links
The play is a performance favorite for busy name actors, for it requires little preparation, and lines need not be memorized. It was first performed in 1988 at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut with Joanna Gleason and John Rubinstein.
Directed by John Tillinger, it opened with Kathleen Turner and John Rubinstein on March 27, 1989 at the off-Broadway Promenade Theatre, where it ran for 64 performances. The play was performed only on Sunday and Monday evenings and changed its cast weekly. Among those who appeared in it were Barbara Barrie, Philip Bosco, Stephen Collins, Victor Garber, Julie Harris, George Grizzard, Anthony Heald, George Hearn, Richard Kiley, Dana Ivey, William Hurt, Marsha Mason, Christopher Reeve, Holland Taylor, George Segal, Christopher Walken, Joan Van Ark, Treat Williams, and Frances Sternhagen.
On October 31 that same year, a Broadway production opened at the Edison Theatre, where it ran for 96 performances. It opened with Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards. Other performers paired in the Broadway production included Lynn Redgrave and John Clark, Stockard Channing and John Rubinstein, Jane Curtin and Edward Hermann, Kate Nelligan and David Dukes, Polly Bergen and Robert Vaughn, Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth McGovern, Swoosie Kurtz and Richard Thomas, Elaine Stritch and Cliff Robertson, Nancy Marchand and Fritz Weaver, and Robert Foxworth and Elizabeth Montgomery.
In 1992, the play was adapted to Urdu and Indian context by playwright Javed Siddiqui, and performed by veteran Indian actors, Shabana Azmi and Farooq Sheikh, under the direction of Feroz Abbas Khan and later toured to many parts of the world, including US, Europe and Pakistan.[1:] In 1999, Gurney adapted Love Letters for a television movie, directed by Stanley Donen, that dramatized scenes and portrayed characters merely described in the play. Laura Linney and Steven Weber starred.
On December 1, 2007, Elizabeth Taylor and James Earl Jones gave a benefit performance of the play, directed by John Tillinger, to raise $1 million for Taylor's AIDS foundation. Tickets for the show were priced at $2,500 and more than 500 people attended. The event happened to coincide with the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike and, rather than cross the picket line, Taylor requested a "one night dispensation". The Writers Guild agreed not to picket the Paramount Pictures lot that night, to allow for the performance.[2:]
On June 4, 2007, Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels performed Love Letters at New York University as a benefit for the Flea Theatre. Directed by Weaver's husband, Jim Simpson and attended by the playwright, this performance was repeated on July 26, 2008 at the Detroit Institute of Art's Detroit Film Theater in a benefit for Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre Company.
On January 2010, the Canadian Broadcasting Company aired an adaptation with Canadians Samantha Bee and Jason Jones of the American cable comedy show The Daily Show.
Thanks for clearing that up. I somehow knew I wasn't right, but it was a thought.
Yeah, Same Time Next Year Went Through my mind, but I was 99% sure it was letters. Thanks Connie, Love Letters it is! I saw a production with Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers. Oh no................is that her real last name??? It doesn't look right and now that will bother me. Luckily I can look that one up quickly. : )Kate
The list of casts for Love Letters is impressive. There are several i wish i'd seen performing together. Polly Bergen and Robert Vaughn sound promising. Thanks.I'm am stunned to realize that i did not read a single book in July! Yikes! However, as we were traveling, i suppose it's not so odd. Additionally, since our return family members have been here, so it makes more sense. And yet, i'm a tad rattled by the fact!
deb
My July reads:The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat- Oliver Sacks
Rate 2+
Non fiction
Interesting read.
Sacks is a neurologist who shares with the reader a series of bizarre cases he has encountered. The cases were interesting but the book had some big flaws. The cases lacked depth. I felt The writing left a lot to be desired. And he used too much medical jargon w/o defining his terms. A glossary would have been most helpful. Still the book made me grateful for the problems I don't have.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales~Oliver SacksDinner With Friends- Donald Margulies
Rate 3 minus
Play
I really enjoyed this play. There are two couples who are very close friends and one of them decides to get a divorce. The play explores the effect this has not only on the couple divorcing but on their friends as well.
After reading the play, I also rented the movie. I enjoyed that, too.
Dinner with Friends~ Donald MarguliesChelsea Chelsea Bang Bang - Chelsea Handler
Rate 3
Non fiction
Essays by the comedian Chelsea Handler. Her humor is graphic and not for the faint of heart.
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang~ Chelsea HandlerThe Prince and the Pauper- Mark Twain
Rate 2 +
Fiction
Familiar and simple tale of two boys who switch places. The language is archaic so it slows down the reading considerable. I read it for one of my f2f book clubs.
The Prince and the Pauper~ Mark TwainI Am Nujood- Ali Nujood.
Rate 2+
Non Fiction
Ten year old girl from Yemen is married off. She seeks a divorce even though in this culture it will bring shame on the family.
The writing is basic as it is told by a young girl. The story, unfortunately, is all too familiar. It would be a good book for young adults to read.
I read it for one of my F2F book clubs. The story engendered a lively discussion.
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced~ Nujood AliImperfect Birds- Anne Lamott
rate 1
Fiction
I love Lamott's nonfiction. Unfortunately, this work of fiction was mind numbingly boring. The characters just didn't ring true. The focus is on a family dealing with a drug addicted daughter. The wife is a recovered alcoholic with some unspecified mental issues. The step dad is a little too good to be true, as are the friends, church members, and counselors. I kept waiting for something, anything, to happen. But nothing really did. I found it had too little dialog and action and way too much navel gazing. Perhaps someone dealing with this situation would like the book better than I did.
Imperfect Birds: A Novel~Anne LamottA bit of a disappointing reading month for me.
i also read Nujood. This is a piece of my review:This story is about her marriage and eventual escape and pursuit of a divorce. Her courage, which enabled her to bring her case to court and end the marriage, has succeeded in bringing some change to the policies in her country, encouraging other young girls to come forward to try and save themselves from abusive arrangements, but it has also brought unwanted publicity to her family. What Nujood has done, has brought dishonor to them and even her female lawyer has received threats. There is danger in fighting these battles for women’s rights. The world is upside down when a child, defending her own honor, is accused of dishonoring her family by demanding her freedom.
I also found the writing style less than exemplary but the message of the book more than made up for it.
Thanks for your review TWJ. That is a book that I definitely want to read.
I only finished two books in July -- but I have two more books that are very close that should be finished this week.My reads for July were
The Shadow of the WindCarlos Ruiz Zafón
The Angel's GameCarlos Ruiz ZafónThe writing in both of these books is magnificent but I don't think they would appeal to everyone. Lots of suspension of belief and strange plot lines. And I should add they are both really big fat books.
thewanderingjew wrote: "i also read Nujood. This is a piece of my review:This story is about her marriage and eventual escape and pursuit of a divorce. Her courage, which enabled her to bring her case to court and end th..."
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The book sort of leaves the reader on a hopeful note. I said at my group meeting that I thought that was a bit of wishful thinking.
Did any of you happen to see or hear about the current Time magazine cover? It's causing quite a stir. The cover shows a picture of an Afgan women who had her nose and ears cut off. It was ordered by the court and done by her husband. The charge adultery.
http://www.time.com/time/world/articl...
"The Taliban pounded on the door just before midnight, demanding that Aisha, 18, be punished for running away from her husband's house. Her in-laws treated her like a slave, Aisha pleaded. They beat her. If she hadn't run away, she would have died. Her judge, a local Taliban commander, was unmoved. Aisha's brother-in-law held her down while her husband pulled out a knife. First he sliced off her ears. Then he started on her nose.
This didn't happen 10 years ago, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan. It happened last year. "
Connie wrote: "A really good month, and I deserved it! Hopefully the cover pictures will appear at the bottom of this post. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury. I don't know how I reached this advanced age withou..."
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Connie, Fahrenheit 451 is one of my all time favorites. I only read it recently. I think I marked up the whole book with marginalia !
just joined but ready to post my July Reads
-A Man Lay Dead-Ngaio Marsh
-The Help-Kathryn Stockett
-The 39 Steps-John Buchan
- The Master Quilter-Jennifer Chiaverini
-The Wordy Shipmates-Sarah Vowell
The Memory Collector-Meg GardinerRight now I'm still working on these two
-The Historian- Elizabeth Kostova
-Something's Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal-Silas HouseThat last book makes me so mad I can only read a chapter at a time and then have to read fiction to get my blood pressure back down. In June, it was the same way with the book Coal River-
-Michael Shnayersonwe haven't finished it yet but I'm reading a bedtime book to my kids
-Beautiful Joe-Margaret Marshall Saunders
A lot of you are talking about ghosts and hauntings. I'm very interested too. I watch all the Ghost Hunters episodes on SYFYI because I like how they use all that equipment and try to "debunk" first. I read the book too and that Jason man says about 90-99% turn out negative, at least when they were there. There was an episode in the book where they thought they didn't catch anything at all until they heard the tapes. Then it was dramatic. They showed that episode on TV but the book went more into it.I'm trying to keep an open mind but I long to actually see one or have an experience! I went to the Stanley Hotel but only on the tour because my kids were too scared to stay there. At the Myrtles Plantaion, everyone assured me we would have an experience but I didn't. I've stayed places that later on people say are haunted. Either the ghosts are frightened by me, or I'm too stupid to recognize anything. I always think strange sounds are bugs hitting the windows or a mouse or something. : )
Rebekah wrote: "just joined but ready to post my July Reads"
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Welcome Rebekah ! Thanks so much for posting your July reads.
I think the first time I read about mountain top removal was in one of Barbara Kingsolvers essay books. It's criminal !
kate/Edukate12 wrote: "Yeah, Same Time Next Year Went Through my mind, but I was 99% sure it was letters. Thanks Connie, Love Letters it is! I saw a production with Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers. Oh no..............."I saw this same production. Well done!
I am fantasizing about Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers -- ah!!
New member to the group! Last month I read...
I really enjoyed it!
x psted from Readers & ReadingMy July reads
rating 3.5
I enjoyed this mystery which took place in the late 19th century New York.
rating 5
I loved this book eve though some of the storylines ere a stretch. Conroy's use of language is so wonderful,
rating 2
The second book in this series. Not a series i will continue
I enjoyed this novel. The characters were well drawn.
Meredith
My first post about my July reads did not work out quite right. Let's try again
rating 3.5
I enjoyed this mystery which took place in the late 19th century New York.
rating 5
I loved this book eve though some of the storylines ere a stretch. Conroy's use of language is so wonderful,
rating 2
The second book in this series. Not a series i will continue
rating 4
I enjoyed this novel. The characters are very well drawan
I haven't posted my reads in quite awhile, so I'm posting a bunch of months combined.
5/5
4/5John's Story
LaHaye, Tim
fiction
5/26/10
3/5
3/5
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I was reading novels again, first gore vidal's us history novels, & interviews, & edith wharton was mentioned. I had a copy or the age of innocence so I read that. as delicious as recommended. upper middle class doings at the end of the 19th century. In nyc. I carried a lot of books I owned but have never read to my new studio where there's no tv, computer, phone. wolf willow by wallace stegner was one. a history, a story, a menoire is the sub title. I'm reading it but not in that order. I'm reading the story last. & it reminds me a lot of another book I read in july, john williams butcher's crossing. both 19th century set westerns, but modern rather than romantic.
Justeenetta, did you read John William's STONER? What an amazing book that was. What did you think of Butcher's Crossing?
Nancy/nanckopf wrote: "I haven't posted my reads in quite awhile, so I'm posting a bunch of months combined.."
Hey, Nancy....good to see you!
stoner is my new 2nd favorite book of all time. I read butcher's crossing after augustus, the western is marvelous, of course, harrowing too. the hero grows from kid to adult. does he go back & finish his education at harvard? read it & find out.
Hi! I just joined today. Love the site!The Girl Who Played with Fire loved it
The Millennium Trilogy: Parts of this were very slow, especially background info on Swedish politics. Still give it 4/5 though.
The Solitude of Prime Numbers: wondeful book- translated into 30 languages from the original Italian. Focuses on 2 people who have feelings for one another, and how their lives intertwine. Explores how they deal with their issues: one is a math genius with very limited social skills, the other suffers from anorexia nervosa. Both have issues fitting into "normal" society. A quick read.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: One of Christie's best books (so I've read) with a very unusual plot device and ending. I loved it.
Jodi wrote: "Hi! I just joined today. Love the site!The Girl Who Played with Fire loved it
The Millennium Trilogy: Parts of this were very slow, especially background info on ..."
The second book I listed was an error. It should be: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
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This makes it SO MUCH EASIER for us to add books that catch our interest to our "to read" shelves on our own GR page. Please add some description or review or rating if you'd like. It gives us more to go on.
If you find yourself reading reviews and thinking "I always seem to like the kind of books so and so likes" there is a feature on your GR page where you can follow the books of chosen friends. I'm sure Alias can explain it a whole lot better than I can. :o)
Stay cool and happy reading!
Donna in Southern Maryland