What I read September 2010

[Alias Reader]

Mike wrote:madrano wrote: "Mike, i enjoyed reading your comments but MUST ask which homesteading book by a woman you read. I've read several and liked (not to mention learned from) each one. In fact, i'm eager to see all your nonfiction list, as it's my preferred reading. Regardless, thanks for sharing."
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Mike wrote
Here is the woman homesteader one...
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16623
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I have that on my TBR. In fact, I think I nominated it once for our group read.

A book in this genre that I thought was quite good was

Pioneer Women~ Joanna L. Stratton

[Mike]

Alias Reader wrote: "I read Man in Full, but it was so long ago I don't recall it.

I was wild about

The Bonfire of the Vanities~Tom Wolfe. He captured that time perfectly. It was funny and quite a page turner, too"

Huh, that's funny I just realized I read Bonfire of the Vanities way back in my 20's. I had to scan the wiki entry of the plot to be sure it was the one I was thinking of. I remember enjoying it. I seem to remember it making life in NYC seem extremely unappealing though. There were parts about feeling scared everywhere, on the subway and all. Fear was a big part of the storyline but I think it was mostly focused on one character, the public defender guy. But anyway, now that I know A Man in Full is written by the same author as that long ago read I'll give it a higher priority on my TBR shelf.

Thanks for making that Frederick Douglass search come up, I was frustrated that I couldn't get it to work.

And I have yet to read Little Women as well.

[Mike]

Alias Reader wrote: "I have that on my TBR. In fact, I think I nominated it once for our group read."

I didn't think the author, Elinore Pruitt Stewart, or the book, Letters of a Woman Homesteader, would be searchable here. For me it was a very good read, I'd say 4 stars. Goodreads also has her other indexed - Letters on an Elk Hunt: By a Woman Homesteader.

'Pioneer Women' looks real good to me.

[Kristin]

Alias Reader wrote: "Kristin wrote: "In September I read:
, , , [bookcover:The Art of Racing in the Rain|3153910..."

I LOVED it. The only reason I kept putting it off was because I very rarely buy new from bookstores anymore, but I found it for a dollar and HAD to get it. I wrote a review on it on here if you want to read it, he does write about and use references to racing a bit, but the chapters are so short when it comes that that it didn't even bother me since it was only like two pages worth of racing talk LOL I think you'll enjoy it.

[Alias Reader]

Mike wrote: Pioneer Women' looks real good to me.
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The book is non fiction. It contains some very good photographs, too.

The author was visiting her grandmother and came upon old files that the grandmother had kept. Apparently her grandmother, in the 1920s, had set out to record first hand accounts of pioneer women. This book based on the letters that the grandmother received.

I loved the first line of the book.

"History is lived in the main by the unknown and forgotten."

I also like this quote-
History chronicles the large and glorious deeds of the standard bearers, but tells little of the men on whose shoulders they are borne to victory, and they tell nothing at all of the courageous women who keep the business of the house going."

"Surely not a star in Heaven will be too bright for the crowns of those brave women who, with lonely hearts and the dismal music of coyote calls, often watched the stars from humble homes out where the West begins."

[madrano]

Mike wrote: "Here is the woman homesteader one...
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16623..."


Mike, i read and really liked that one. Did you know there is a movie based on the book? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartlan... I didn't until a couple of decades later. Conchatta Ferrell and Rip Torn played the two leads. I'm not a Torn fan but when he is good, he is very good. I loved the movie as much as i loved the book.

deborah

[madrano]

Mike wrote: "I'll take your hint there, wait until my 2011 challenge and start with one that is her known to be her best, like The House of Mirth.
Thank you, Deborah. ..."

My pleasure. I hope you enjoy whichever one you decide to read.

deb

[madrano]

Mike wrote: "Then on deployment the discipline slipped and there was to much "familiarity" between the officers and enlisted. He thought they became "unprofessional" and he didn't trust that they were leading as well as they could...."

Mike, i think you make a good point. I suspect this was part of the problem with DH, too. It didn't help that a family friend (of his Army-career dad's) pulled DH into his unit. My husband found the man to be totally different over there, including having a mistress. Why the man did this to DH is beyond me but it was hard for him to see the man once he returned stateside.

deborah

[Julie]

Alias Reader wrote: "I know I must be the last person on earth not to have read Little Women.


Nope, I haven't read it. It's on my to-read list though.

[Mike]

madrano wrote: "Mike, i read and really liked that one. Did y..."

Wow, I thought this was just some obscure journal that Gutenburg volunteers thought might be worth transcribing. I had no idea it was popular at all. I'll check out the movie for sure. We were talking about how old books were often serialized the other day, in one part of the book she describes seeing a wolf and writes "I thought of Jack London"s 'The Wolf'". Obviously referring to "White Fang". It just struck me that it was so popular that she referenced it like anyone reading her letter would recognize it and yet the title was not so "official" or something like that.    

[Bobbie]

September was kind of a strange month for me -- starting things and not always finishing.

Brave New World Aldous Huxley Started to read this with the group. Read it years ago. Got bored and didn't finish.

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work Matthew B. Crawford Started to read this for my F2F book. The premise of the book is that we have so compartmentalized work and we don't respect people's innate creativity. I agreed but that was chapter 1 and most of the rest of it had to do with his own personal work experiences which I found boring.

Little Bee Chris Cleave
I enjoyed this book although the characters were a bit far out. The immigrants were more believable than the "helpful" characters. British background -- I hope we do better.

The Defector Daniel Silva A typical Daniel Silva -- not exactly spy genre. Don't know what to call it. I needed a break LOL and I do love his books.

Now I am in the midst of 3 books which I will clearly finish in October so I will not share them yet. :)

[madrano]

Mike wrote: "madrano wrote: "Mike, i read and really liked that one. Did y..."

Wow, I thought this was just some obscure journal that Gutenburg volunteers thought might be worth transcribing. I had no idea it ..."

This is about Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart. Mike, when i read the book, at least a dozen years after seeing the film, i had no idea they were about the same woman. I kept thinking the story was familiar but didn't make the connection until i did a bit of online research (i think this was pre-google). It made it all the sweeter.

deb

[RNOCEAN]

I was in a biography mood in September so I read:

"Angelina: An Unauthorized Biography" by Andrew Morton

"Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton, the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner

I like both of them but the highlight of the month:

"Leaving The World" by Douglas Kennedy

Rate this book 5/5 would give it higher if I could. I picked this book up and noticed the length, 480 pages, and said to myself, "well it better be good". I started reading, hoping to find a reason to not like it. It was after all a book about a woman written by a man, and I was prepared to not like it. I read this book in 2 sittings! It drew me in and I only put it down to get some sleep for the night. I loved it! Great story, great characters, and I loved the main character, Jane, even though a man wrote her story.

[Mike]

madrano wrote: "...Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart"

I tried to queue the movie at Netflix and looked at the library but both were a no-go :(

[Alias Reader]

Deb does the movie and the book have the same title?

[Alias Reader]

RNOCEAN wrote: Rate this book 5/5 would give it higher if I could. I picked this book up and noticed the length, 480 pages, and said to myself, "well it better be good". I started reading, hoping to find a reason to not like it. It was after all a book about a woman written by a man, and I was prepared to not like it. I read this book in 2 sittings! It drew me in and I only put it down to get some sleep for the night. I loved it! Great story, great characters, and I loved the main character, Jane, even though a man wrote her story.
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It's great when a book really grabs you.

I don't know anything about the book, I have to check the GR link.

Leaving the WorldDouglas Kennedy

[madrano]

Alias Reader wrote: "Deb does the movie and the book have the same title?"

No. I'm sorry if that wasn't made clear by the link to Wiki's page on the movie itself. Heartland is the title of the film.

deborah

[Mike]

madrano wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "Deb does the movie and the book have the same title?"

No. I'm sorry if that wasn't made clear by the link to Wiki's page on the movie itself. Heartland is the title of the fil..."

Ahh, I didn't open the link, duh. I did find it at Netflix now and queued it up to come by the end of the week. Rip Torn?!?! I thought he was only ever in wacky comedies.

[Bobbie]

Once upon a time Rip Torn was a really good actor. Probably before he pickled his brain.

[Mike]

Oh but you know what¿ I thought Rip Torn was this guy


LoL I got curious about it and did a search. And I'm not the only I thought that, I got that picture from a website saying there was confusion about the two. It had a picture of the right guy too of course, Rip Torn that is. Yes I have seen him in some good films.

[madrano]

LOL, Mike!

Bobbie, i agree with you about his brain.

deb

[Mike]

It so strange that I, and apparently many others from the web search about it, thought Rip Torn ws the dude up there in the pic. And simply because his name is Rip Taylor. Well I guess you don't come across many people named 'Rip' everyday. That dude in the pic named Rip looks like he needs to get a grip!

[Alias Reader]

I thought it was the guy in the picture, too.

[madrano]

Mike wrote: " Well I guess you don't come across many people named 'Rip' everyday. ..."

True! They couldn't even revel in the First Name phenomenon the way Cher or Barbra or Liza could. LOL!

[NancyInWI]

I'm late again!!!

The Sugar Queen Odd little book, but I liked the ending. Gave it a 3.5/5



Shadows of Lancaster County My first time reading a "bonnet book" and this was a mystery. I enjoyed it even if the story got a bit convoluted at times. I have it a 4.5/5

Miss Match I never finished this. Got about halfway through it and it was just too silly for me. It would probably appeal to 20somethings.

[NancyInWI]

I have never read "Little Women" either...

[NancyInWI]

I'm not Kristin but I didn't particularly care for
The Art of Racing in the Rain. I guess it was the racing aspect and the fact that it was told from the viewpoint of the dog, though I've read other books like that and it didn't bother me.

[Alias Reader]

Nice to see you, Nancy !

Thanks for sharing your reads with us no matter when you can get to it.