Books on the Nightstand discussion
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Jun 18, 2010 01:31PM
I'm about 40% through The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, and Lisbeth hasn't kicked a single thing yet. Not a hornet's nest, not an ass, nothing. Lisbeth, stop convalescing and start kicking!
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Unfortunately Eric, it will take a little longer for her to start doing so. But she will. I just finished and already miss her.
As I posted, I finished the last in the trilogy of Lisbeth in The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.This last story was more involved in plots galore bringing out all the major carriers a little more. The one I would have liked to have gotten to know more was Armansky - but then this would could have been a thousand pages.
There are those that will say it could have been shorter but for one who likes to stay with good characters and in good books longer it wasn't a point of contention for me.
Also just read in one of the kindle daily reports of the search for the actors do to the roles for the English version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Anyway, I hope you all will enjoy this one as much as the others.
Peg, I agree this book was full of plots, I kept thinking if Stieg had lived which way he would go with some of the characters in his next book. Also I was very sad when it ended. Also check out the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on the cover is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and an article about the movies and the author.
Has anyone read The Bronte Went to Woolworth? I am so confused my head is spinning and I'm only on chapter four. This one may wind-up in the Did Not Finish pile.
Just finished The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag (loved it) and moving on to Lost City of Z (so far, so good), both thanks to Michael's recommendations!
AM wrote: "Has anyone read The Bronte Went to Woolworth? I am so confused my head is spinning and I'm only on chapter four. This one may wind-up in the Did Not Finish pile."
I put it in the did not finish pile -- I couldn't get it either.
I put it in the did not finish pile -- I couldn't get it either.
I just finished The Attack: Novel which was recommended by you, Ann, back in podcast #37 (great search utility on your website by the way.) I loved it. I mean, I loved it so much I bawled at the end. I'm getting ready to cry again just thinking about this book. And when I looked up some newspaper reviews and saw some of them didn't love this book the way I did, I was actually offended. You know how it is when a book has that powerful a hold on you. I think this may be my favorite BOTNS book of all time. I was an Arabic major in school and studied at the Damascus University several years ago and took a trip to the UN-occupied Golan Heights. I met so many Palestinians during my time in Syria that this book had a very personal dimension for me. I am going to have to read some of Khadra's other translated works. I'm now finally going to start Await Your Reply. I think I'm the last person in the group to crack the spine on this.
Mod
Recently finished three books in three different formats:Kindle: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Audio: Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War (really enjoyed Pinchot's narration)
Paperback: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (my new frontrunner for favorite book of the year)
Up next are The Passage (on Kindle) and The Magicians (audio)
Finished two books this weekend.
First, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Four out of five stars.
A young woman in Mississippi in the early 60s aspires to write. She takes on the project of telling the stories of 12 "colored" maids in a book, dishing up stories of the complicated relationships between these women and their employers, including some stories that would put the employers to shame if they were known. In so doing Skeeter trashes her social standing and endangers the well-being of the ladies. The book is written anonymously, but what will happen when it's published? Will the upstanding women of Jackson recognize themselves in the book? And if so, what will they do?
The young writer, Skeeter, the two principal maids, Aibilene and Minny, and their nemesis, Miss Hilly, are all well-drawn characters. Stockett captures the cadences of Southern speech, at least in a way that seemed realistic to me.
The plot creates some suspense, and there are some interesting twists at the end. I think Stockett would like this book to be able to sit comfortably on the shelf with To Kill a Mockingbird, but the book just isn't timely enough to capture that kind of zeitgeist, being written nearly 50 years after the events. Still, It's an entertaining potboiler.
This was an audiobook narrated by Bronson Pinchot. I couldn't figure out why he used that goofy "Balki" accent for all the characters, and why he mispronounced "gooks", or even why the word "gooks" was in this book to begin with.
Okay, I made up all the stuff in the last paragraph. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
Also, The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes. Four out of five stars.
This book covers the state of science in England from the late eighteenth century up to the voyage of Charles Darwin in the early 1830s. At that time there was a lot more cross-fertilization between science and art (particularly poetry) than there is now. It was an era where science, like any other high human endeavor, was expected to enrapture and ennoble the species and the spirit, rather than just unravel the truth.
Key figures dealt with in the book are John Banks and his voyage to Tahiti, William and Caroline Herschel and their telescopes, the balloonists who pioneered manned flight, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, poet and science buff William Taylor Coleridge, and chemist Humphry Davy.
Particularly interesting are the sexual license discovered and participated in by Banks in Tahiti, the role of Caroline Herschel as one of the first respected female scientists, and the wild nitrous oxide parties (disguised as experimentation) thrown by Humphry Davy.
I had read Darwin's On the Origin of Species recently, and it was enlightening to see exactly how he fit into his time.
Now two more books get thrown into the mix. First, on audio, is The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe. this is a reread of a series I love. I already give it a five star rating.
Second, on the Kindle, is Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life by Carol Sklenicka on the Kindle.
First, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Four out of five stars.
A young woman in Mississippi in the early 60s aspires to write. She takes on the project of telling the stories of 12 "colored" maids in a book, dishing up stories of the complicated relationships between these women and their employers, including some stories that would put the employers to shame if they were known. In so doing Skeeter trashes her social standing and endangers the well-being of the ladies. The book is written anonymously, but what will happen when it's published? Will the upstanding women of Jackson recognize themselves in the book? And if so, what will they do?
The young writer, Skeeter, the two principal maids, Aibilene and Minny, and their nemesis, Miss Hilly, are all well-drawn characters. Stockett captures the cadences of Southern speech, at least in a way that seemed realistic to me.
The plot creates some suspense, and there are some interesting twists at the end. I think Stockett would like this book to be able to sit comfortably on the shelf with To Kill a Mockingbird, but the book just isn't timely enough to capture that kind of zeitgeist, being written nearly 50 years after the events. Still, It's an entertaining potboiler.
This was an audiobook narrated by Bronson Pinchot. I couldn't figure out why he used that goofy "Balki" accent for all the characters, and why he mispronounced "gooks", or even why the word "gooks" was in this book to begin with.
Okay, I made up all the stuff in the last paragraph. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
Also, The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes. Four out of five stars.
This book covers the state of science in England from the late eighteenth century up to the voyage of Charles Darwin in the early 1830s. At that time there was a lot more cross-fertilization between science and art (particularly poetry) than there is now. It was an era where science, like any other high human endeavor, was expected to enrapture and ennoble the species and the spirit, rather than just unravel the truth.
Key figures dealt with in the book are John Banks and his voyage to Tahiti, William and Caroline Herschel and their telescopes, the balloonists who pioneered manned flight, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, poet and science buff William Taylor Coleridge, and chemist Humphry Davy.
Particularly interesting are the sexual license discovered and participated in by Banks in Tahiti, the role of Caroline Herschel as one of the first respected female scientists, and the wild nitrous oxide parties (disguised as experimentation) thrown by Humphry Davy.
I had read Darwin's On the Origin of Species recently, and it was enlightening to see exactly how he fit into his time.
Now two more books get thrown into the mix. First, on audio, is The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe. this is a reread of a series I love. I already give it a five star rating.
Second, on the Kindle, is Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life by Carol Sklenicka on the Kindle.
Mod
Thanks for posting these two great reviews -- I agree with you on both!
Eric wrote: "...This was an audiobook narrated by Bronson Pinchot. I couldn't figure out why he used that goofy "Balki" accent for all the characters, and why he mispronounced "gooks", or even why the word "gooks" was in this book to begin with..."
It's very fairy in the morning where I live and my poor torpid brain nearly imploded with all the conflicting data fighting for attention!
It's very fairy in the morning where I live and my poor torpid brain nearly imploded with all the conflicting data fighting for attention!
Eric, that was fun. I read it and backed up to see what I had missed and then back again thinking you might have edited and forgot to cut and paste a section. Thanks for the chuckle.
Ditto. Although what is kind of sad is I had no trouble believing that Bronson Pinchot read that in his Balki voice.
Just finished reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Amazing. I wrote a review on my blogwww.ritaliccious.wordpress.com
I can't remember which ones of you, but there are a couple of people who lament that all their "reserved" books at the library come in at once. Well, it happened to me last week. FOUR BOOKS arrived in one day after the next, among them "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," "Innocent," and "The Shallows." Everything in my life has gone on hold as I try to get through these books before the due date while holding down a job. (No renewals when there's a waiting list.)
That happens to me when I get greedy about reserving too many books. Now I try to only reserve when I am ready to read them. Our library system is wide but each library has limited shelf space since all our towns are small. So each library doesn't get each new book but they will share quickly.
I am currently reading a few books. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom
Dark Dream by Roy Hazelwood
Lastly, my most recent impulse buy.
You Can Run But You Can't Hide by Dog the Bounty Hunter
Hannah wrote: I am currently reading...The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark HaddonAh, I liked that one. He really got into the head of an autistic kid. It was also very funny without mocking the protagonist.
I am almost done with EDUCATING ALICE by Alice Steinbach. Picked it up when I was on vacation(went to Florida for grand opening of Harry Potter theme Park). I am really enjoying her writing style and all the different trips she took. I want to go back and read the one before this WITHOUT RESERVATIONS.Just started PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE By Aimee Bender. So far I like it. The Storyline certainly grabbed me.
I just finished the audiobook of The Strain, and it was fabulous. Ron Perlman was great, especially as the Romanian pawn shop owner Setrakian. The different sections were separated by this really creepy music that gave chills every time it came on, especially at the beginning of the book. In terms of the story, it was very good- it was obvious to me that the story had been written (at least in part) by someone who works in the movies- the plot moved along quickly, and though there were many characters, they all had such different personalities that I never got confused. I think I'm going to listen to the audio of The Lake Shore Limited next, based on different recommendations.
Oh and by the way, Ann shouldn't read The Strain unless someone takes out key parts first- one of the characters is an exterminator who deals largely with rats. Every time those parts came on, I thought to myself, "Oh, Ann wouldn't like this at all..."
Little known fact: Ron Perlman wears prosthetic makeup even when recording audiobooks.
Mod
Oh and by the way, Ann shouldn't read The Strain unless someone takes out key parts first- one of the characters is an exterminator who deals largely with rats. Every time those parts came on, I thought to myself, "Oh, Ann wouldn't like this at all...""
Ha! Callie, thank you thank you for the warning! This was kind of my TBR list, though I hadn't yet bought a copy of the book. Now I know, and I won't. I knew there was a benefit to coming clean about my phobia!
I am halfway through The Passage by Justin Cronin. I don't think I would have picked it up just by reading the jacket cover, but as a recommendation from Anne and Michael I bought it. I can't put it down. What an incredible story so far. I think about this book all day long and can't wait to get home from work to read it. I'm also reading New World Monkeys: A Novel. Also a really good book, but I find it's not holding my interest like The Passage so I think I'll just concentrate on that until I'm done.
I loved The Passage. The characters are so interesting and compelling and I couldn't help but think how would I handle being in those situations. And it's scary. I didn't sleep well the week I was reading it. I think it would have been better if I had waited until my vacation to read it. There are many shocks in the book that just come out of the blue and get your heart rate going. Where did that come from!
I have started the kindle sample of The Passage hoping to get a library copy. If not I'll pay the price because it starts out fast. I've also, based on you all reading audio books, signed up for audible.com on their trial basis. My first one is Turow's Innocent read by Ed Herrmann. It kept me company when driving to the airport yesterday and so much safer than reading while driving.
Just finished Await Your Reply. Thanks for the excellent recommendation. I think this will make a good book club pick. Lil
I just gave in and bought The Passage this afternoon!! I'm very excited, although from the sounds of it I should wait to have some proper free time before I start? The book shop (Waterstones) gave me a couple of sets of sample chapters to pass out to my friends, which I thought was nice! And an excellent marketing move!
I finished The Girl Who Played with Fire last night. I have Hornet's Nest on order. I think I might be in the minority on how I feel about the first book as compared to the second, because I liked Dragon Tattoo better. I preferred the story line and that there was more interplay between Mikael and Lisbeth. Although I found the second book intriguing and couldn't put it down, there were whole sections that I was thinking that didn't really add to the story. Too much Miriam Wu, for one thing. And the Paulo Roberto thing seemed out of place to me too.
I did want to add one thing to the Millennium trilogy conversation, which someone might have touched on before, but I did read on Stieg Larsson's website that there is half of a 4th book on his laptop at the time of his death. In fighting between his partner, Eva, and his family has created a road block to anything happening with it.
In other news, The Passage is up next.
For people who read the Millenium Trilogy- I have a question- one of the things that bothered my tremendously was the style of writing certain parts of the dialogue. A person would be monologue-ing, and in order to break it up (I'm guessing) the other person would interject with some throwaway line, and the other person would go back to monologue-ing. I just felt like it made certain parts go on and on (the explanation of the family mystery for example). There has to be a better way of getting large amounts of information across. Are the other books similarly laid out?Oh, for the record, I'm still in the middle of The Angel's Game, which is going very slowly for some reason.
Ashley wrote: "Has anyone read The Swimming Pool? I'm having a hard time finishing it."I did read The Swimming Pool and also had a hard time finishing it.
Just finished Geek Love. Strangely, it was a book I found hard to pick up after I'd put it down, yet I was thoroughly engrossed while reading it.Next up is 253: A Novel due to Michael's recommendation.
I finished the kindle sample of The Passage and decided I couldn't wait to see if a library copy would get to me. So have spent an enjoyable afternoon reading.I have also sampled Kidder's Strength in What Remains and ordered that as well from the library - I can pick that up this week.Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness
I just finished the audiobook of Gook Love and I have a big problem with the way Bronson Pinchot pronounces the title.
Eric wrote: "I just finished the audiobook of Gook Love and I have a big problem with the way Bronson Pinchot pronounces the title."Well, Eric, as you know there are several ways to pronounce "love"!
Just started reading The Gargoyle which has me hooked. I'm also reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest but I'm reading it slowly because I don't want it to end, I love the millennium trilogy!
I received "The Last Leaf" by Stuart Lutz as a Father's day gift. Quick stories of last known survivors. I call reads like this brain candy. The equivalent to empty calories, tasty but doesn't stay with you for long but still fun.
I finished listening to Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War (by Karl Marlantes; narrated by Bronson Pinchot) on Saturday. It made it to my pantheon of all-time great books/audiobooks, even with the "gook" thing. You can check out my comments on the Matterhorn thread or in the review section of the book.
I've had to read and listen to some heavy stuff this month, so my net audiobook is going to be pretty light. I've picked Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings (by Christopher Moore; narrated by Bill Irwin.) I generally don't like sound effects in my audiobooks, but who can resist whale songs?
I've had to read and listen to some heavy stuff this month, so my net audiobook is going to be pretty light. I've picked Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings (by Christopher Moore; narrated by Bill Irwin.) I generally don't like sound effects in my audiobooks, but who can resist whale songs?
On Saturday I finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Three out of five stars.
When Larsson was firing on all storytelling cylinders, he was great. But unfortunately, that "on position" generally comprised only about a quarter of the length of his books.
Up until the last fifth of this book, Larsson was digressing and treading water. Why so much background on the various "Section" agents? Why the whole Erika Berger subplot? It had nothing to do with the "Girl Who" is the title character. Why the constant proliferation of POV characters? For example, why set up Linder as such an important character? I'd have liked Berger better if she had uncovered and captured her stalker on her own. Monica Figuerola started as a semi-interesting character, but by the end it seemed her only reason for being there was to be this book's "Bond girl" for Blomkvist.
Only the trial and the post-trial coda were truly gripping. Yet even in the trial, once Salander's attorney got going, the bad guys were pushovers. I expected more tussle. More reversals before final victory. (This is the same problem I have with most of John Grisham's work).
Back to the trial. Although I am a lawyer, I admit I don't know much about the Swedish legal system. But I find it incredible that Giannini was able to ask questions of two, sometimes three witnesses at once, and to comment on the evidence during examination to a huge degree. And she brought Holger Palmgren in as co-counsel, yet used him as a witness. Can a witness also be an attorney in a case in Sweden?! It's strictly forbidden in the United States. The trial seemed lacking in what anyone versed in American law would call procedure. If anyone can answer, I'd like to know whether Larsson wrote correctly on Swedish law, or whether he was making up trial procedure as he went along.
Three out of five stars.
When Larsson was firing on all storytelling cylinders, he was great. But unfortunately, that "on position" generally comprised only about a quarter of the length of his books.
Up until the last fifth of this book, Larsson was digressing and treading water. Why so much background on the various "Section" agents? Why the whole Erika Berger subplot? It had nothing to do with the "Girl Who" is the title character. Why the constant proliferation of POV characters? For example, why set up Linder as such an important character? I'd have liked Berger better if she had uncovered and captured her stalker on her own. Monica Figuerola started as a semi-interesting character, but by the end it seemed her only reason for being there was to be this book's "Bond girl" for Blomkvist.
Only the trial and the post-trial coda were truly gripping. Yet even in the trial, once Salander's attorney got going, the bad guys were pushovers. I expected more tussle. More reversals before final victory. (This is the same problem I have with most of John Grisham's work).
Back to the trial. Although I am a lawyer, I admit I don't know much about the Swedish legal system. But I find it incredible that Giannini was able to ask questions of two, sometimes three witnesses at once, and to comment on the evidence during examination to a huge degree. And she brought Holger Palmgren in as co-counsel, yet used him as a witness. Can a witness also be an attorney in a case in Sweden?! It's strictly forbidden in the United States. The trial seemed lacking in what anyone versed in American law would call procedure. If anyone can answer, I'd like to know whether Larsson wrote correctly on Swedish law, or whether he was making up trial procedure as he went along.
Mod
I've read comments from several people about the characters who weren't really part of the story.
My guess (and it's only a guess) is that some of these characters were destined to make appearances in subsequent books. There is rampant speculation that there may have been outlines for up to 10 books on the laptop that Stieg Larsson's partner has. The Millenium Trilogy was never actually supposed to be a trilogy.
Mod
This thread is getting rather unwieldy, and may be intimidating for newcomers to the group.
So copying what I've seen in other groups, I'd like to make this a monthly thread -- What Are You Reading - July 2010, for example.
I'll close this thread at the end of the month and start a new July thread. Anyone should feel free to start the new monthly thread. I'm likely to forget in August :)
Does that sound OK with everyone?
Ann wrote: "Eric,
I've read comments from several people about the characters who weren't really part of the story.
My guess (and it's only a guess) is that some of these characters were destined to make..."
I had read that too. But I still expect somewhat of a beginning/middle/end out of a book. Some closure. Especially if it's a multipart saga. That was one of the reasons I dropped Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. (Another writer who died before completing a multi-volume opus).
No complaint from me re: restarting the thread every so often. That's what we do on the book thread on our music board. Ann, given your musical taste, you'd probably like Black Cat Bone.
Here's a link to the general site:
http://www.bcb-board.co.uk/phpBB2/
Music is discussed on the main "Yakety Yak" forum.
And here's a link to the book thread within the site:
http://www.bcb-board.co.uk/phpBB2/vie...
I go by Velvis on the site, and am one of the admins.
I've read comments from several people about the characters who weren't really part of the story.
My guess (and it's only a guess) is that some of these characters were destined to make..."
I had read that too. But I still expect somewhat of a beginning/middle/end out of a book. Some closure. Especially if it's a multipart saga. That was one of the reasons I dropped Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. (Another writer who died before completing a multi-volume opus).
No complaint from me re: restarting the thread every so often. That's what we do on the book thread on our music board. Ann, given your musical taste, you'd probably like Black Cat Bone.
Here's a link to the general site:
http://www.bcb-board.co.uk/phpBB2/
Music is discussed on the main "Yakety Yak" forum.
And here's a link to the book thread within the site:
http://www.bcb-board.co.uk/phpBB2/vie...
I go by Velvis on the site, and am one of the admins.
Mod
I was trying to find a post I made about a year ago on something and couldn't. I know trying to find something like that is probably very rare, but I do do that type of thing occasionally.
Otherwise, I'm all for making things simpler, easier, more efficient.
Ann wrote: "ANNOUNCEMENT:
This thread is getting rather unwieldy, and may be intimidating for newcomers to the group.
So copying what I've seen in other groups, I'd like to make this a monthly thread -- Wh..."
Good idea, Ann.
This thread is getting rather unwieldy, and may be intimidating for newcomers to the group.
So copying what I've seen in other groups, I'd like to make this a monthly thread -- Wh..."
Good idea, Ann.
Mod
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Books on the Nightstand
Books mentioned in this topic
The Pillars of the Earth (other topics)Eat, Pray, Love (other topics)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (other topics)
Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings (other topics)
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jane Green (other topics)Aimee Bender (other topics)
Aimee Bender (other topics)
Jacqueline Sheehan (other topics)
Jonathan Dee (other topics)
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