Books on the Nightstand discussion
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What are you currently reading?
I just started Revolutionary Road which I want to read before I watch the movie. I've had the movie in my Tivo queue for awhile but like to read the book before watching the movie. So, last night I finally started the book. I'm also in the middle of The Space Between Before and After which has potential but I'm not making any decisions yet about whether or not I like it. The story is engaging but there are some things that are bothering me about it overall. I'm going to wait until I'm finished to see if that changes at all for me.
I just started reading the novel Plain Language by Barbara Wright. It's interesting as a follow up to The Worst Hard Time, which I read a week or two ago.
I'm reading The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff. It's a great stand alone urban fantasy.
I just finished Three Cups of Tea which I really liked and I couldn't decide which one of the many books on my TBR list I should start now, so finally picked Shelter Me by Juliette Fay...has anyone read this one and what did you think?
Amy wrote: "I just started Revolutionary Road which I want to read before I watch the movie. I've had the movie in my Tivo queue for awhile but like to read the book before watching the movie. So, last night I..."I liked the movie better than the book.
Good to know, Stephanie - I have to admit that I'm underwhelmed by Revolutionary Road so far so I am hoping the movie will be better. I just can't seem to get into the book. So far, it feels very cold and clinical. Although its certainly well written, I'm having difficulty finding anything else redeeming about it. However, I'm still fairly early in the book so maybe it will get better ....
That's always surprising when the movie is better. I recently looked into reading "Children of Men" but I read reviews saying the original story was changed substantially for the better for the movie. I thought "The Color Purple" was a better movie than book.
I finally finished "The Road" and have moved on to a Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse novel to give myself a mental and emotional holiday.
Amy wrote: "Good to know, Stephanie - I have to admit that I'm underwhelmed by Revolutionary Road so far so I am hoping the movie will be better.
I just can't seem to get into the book. So far, it feels very..."
I had that same reaction to the book -- there was nothing likeable about any of the characters in my opinion.
I just can't seem to get into the book. So far, it feels very..."
I had that same reaction to the book -- there was nothing likeable about any of the characters in my opinion.
I'm a little more than halfway through Lily Tuck's "The News From Paraguay." I'm a little surprised by it--it won the National Book Award--I'm not sure why. I suppose I expected something a little more narratively driven. I haven't quite figured out what does drive the novel; it doesn't seem to have forward movement exactly. But I'm definitely engaged.
I have picked up The Book of Lost Things again. I got a little side tracked. I hope to have lots of reading time today and most of tommorrow as this book is due back at the library before July 1st. At only .30 cents a day I will keep it till it's finished.
Just finished A Southern Family by Gail Godwin who is one of my favorite authors. Am now primarily reading an omnibus volume of Daphne du Maurier novels and stories -- she is another of my favorites.
New to the group and joined after reading Mr. Pip based on the discussion/group recommendation. Currently, I am listening to PG Wodehouse's Code of the Woosters read by Frederick Davidson (who reads wonderfully). Waiting for Beowulf by the Beach to arrive at the library and Stieg Larsson's Girl Who Played With Fire (I hope it is as good as Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
I will eagerly search the posts for more reads!
Mod
Fantastic news, Ann! GWPWF is our September book club pick. I am addicted to Wodehouse. Every so often, I dip back in and hearing it on audio has made the writing even more enjoyable. (PS: I should have realized that my name wouldn't come up clearly--it's Deby-- formerly of RH)
Mod
Currently reading Surviving a House of Whispers by Sharon Wallace.Laura
I'm reading "The Remains of the Day" (by Kazuo Ishiguro) as an interstitial selection between two Classics ("Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte and "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert.)
I'm also reading an ARC of "The Bonfire" (subtitled "The Siege and Burning of Atlanta") and, "Excursion to Tindari" (an Inspector Montalbano mystery by Andrea Camilleri) for work. The former title is very interesting (I like US military history) and the latter is a very funny, even sophisticated police procedural set in Sicily.
I'm also (still) listening to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (by Stieg Larsson; narrated by Simon Vance.) Now that things have started happening, the pace has picked up considerably!
Need to wrap up "The Remains of the Day," "The Bonfire," " Excursion to Tindari" AND "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" all before Thursday! I'll be boarding a plane then ands my time will be primarily taken up with entertaining my 6 yo!
I'm also reading an ARC of "The Bonfire" (subtitled "The Siege and Burning of Atlanta") and, "Excursion to Tindari" (an Inspector Montalbano mystery by Andrea Camilleri) for work. The former title is very interesting (I like US military history) and the latter is a very funny, even sophisticated police procedural set in Sicily.
I'm also (still) listening to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (by Stieg Larsson; narrated by Simon Vance.) Now that things have started happening, the pace has picked up considerably!
Need to wrap up "The Remains of the Day," "The Bonfire," " Excursion to Tindari" AND "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" all before Thursday! I'll be boarding a plane then ands my time will be primarily taken up with entertaining my 6 yo!
Mod
I'm currently reading a bunch of stuff that will be published in Spring 2010. Also just finished an amazing novel, Last Night in Montreal, that I will blog about later today.
LOL, I would be kidding myself if I didn't think that I won't be up all night Wednesday, packing and finishing up!
Ann wrote: "Uh, Tanya .. you're making me exhausted just reading your list! :)
I'm currently reading a bunch of stuff that will be published in Spring 2010. Also just finished an amazing novel, Last Night in ..."
Ann wrote: "Uh, Tanya .. you're making me exhausted just reading your list! :)
I'm currently reading a bunch of stuff that will be published in Spring 2010. Also just finished an amazing novel, Last Night in ..."
Ann and Tanya, if either of you need an assistant ......
I always keep a tote bag of books in my mini-van. It makes waiting for my kids' activities to end much more enjoyable. I always keep a collection of Wodehouse stories in there to pick me up if I've had a bad day. I am finishing Shadow of the Wind, and I have purchased the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I am still working on Paradise Lost, Titus Andronicus, and Native Son.
Mod
As I believe we may have discussed before, Books on the Nightstand desperately needs an assistant! Best of all, we pay in gratitude and public glory and the occasional pre-read Advance Reading Copy -- none of that bourgeois "cash" stuff for us...
We are accepting applications ;)
Ann wrote: "Suzanne,
As I believe we may have discussed before, Books on the Nightstand desperately needs an assistant! Best of all, we pay in gratitude and public glory and the occasional pre-read Advance Rea..."
Pretty much all of the money I make goes to books anyways, so this would just eliminate the middleman!
As I believe we may have discussed before, Books on the Nightstand desperately needs an assistant! Best of all, we pay in gratitude and public glory and the occasional pre-read Advance Rea..."
Pretty much all of the money I make goes to books anyways, so this would just eliminate the middleman!
Just finished reading Body of Knowledge by Bryce Anderson and am starting Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin.Next book I'm really looking forward to is Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.
Well, if you decide to do a regular audiobook segment, I'll volunteer!
Ann wrote: "Suzanne,
As I believe we may have discussed before, Books on the Nightstand desperately needs an assistant! Best of all, we pay in gratitude and public glory and the occasional pre-read Advance Rea..."
Ann wrote: "Suzanne,
As I believe we may have discussed before, Books on the Nightstand desperately needs an assistant! Best of all, we pay in gratitude and public glory and the occasional pre-read Advance Rea..."
I am in the middle of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which I am LOVING!
Mod
Tanya - as I said on the podcast, you need your own show! I'd be the first subscriber. Seriously.
To Heather and to both people named Amy (cause "Amys" just didn't look right) - hooray!
Amy-just wondering how you liked Body of Knowledge. I just finished it and loved it.Laura
Heather, I am absolutely GREEN with envy regarding your trip to Guernsey! I've wanted to go there ever since reading the book. I want a full report when you return!
I have read some great non-fiction lately: Red Orchestra The Story of the Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends Who Resisted Hitler, Shop Class as Soulcraft An Inquiry Into the Value of Work, and I'm currently reading The Food of a Younger Land The WPA's Portrait of Food in Pre-World War II America.
I am eagerly anticipating the release of Jennifer Weiner's new novel Best Friends Forever next week.
I am eagerly anticipating the release of Jennifer Weiner's new novel Best Friends Forever next week.
I just finished the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I absolutely loved! I cannot wait until I can get my hands on The Girl Who Played with Fire. Until then, I have started reading Mister Pip.
Suzanne wrote: "I have read some great non-fiction lately: Red Orchestra The Story of the Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends Who Resisted Hitler, [book:Shop Class as Soulcraft An Inquir..."Suzanne, I've just finished Best Friends Forever, and thoroughly enjoyed it, although it IS a bit quirky. My very own best friend is arriving tomorrow for a week, so I'll pass it along to her.
Shona wrote: "I just finished the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I absolutely loved! I cannot wait until I can get my hands on The Girl Who Played with Fire. Until then, I have started reading Mister Pip."Shona, I'm in complete agreement regarding Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I'm also anxious to read the next one. I'm currently reading Gone Tomorrow, which has been very difficult to put down!
I'm listening to Little Bee and really enjoying it. Great narrator.
I'm also reading Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey. It's taken about 40 pages to hook me, as all the characters stories are being set up, but I believe it's got me now. Only problem is the font is so tiny I need reading glasses to read it.
I finished the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night and I LOVED it! What a wonderful novel! Wow! I couldn't put it down and hated for it to end!Now, I'm reading something a bit light for a book group that I'm a part of ... then, I'll start on the Gargoyle which is next on my list! Have any of you read that one? What did you think?
Amy wrote: "... then, I'll start on the Gargoyle which is next on my list! Have any of you read that one? What did you think?"
Amy, I listened to "The Gargoyle" in audiobook format and, afterwards, I struggled for days to write a cogent journal entry. What I ended up writing is so very inadequate to the experience, but it was the best I could come up with:
If a book is worth reading once, it’s worth reading twice. If a book isn’t worth reading twice, it may not be worth reading at all. On this premise, The Gargoyle is worth reading at least three times. On the linear level of narrative, a young male pornographer suffers a drug-induced hallucination while attempting to negotiate a dangerous curve at high speeds. His car wrecks, he suffers terrible injuries and is hospitalized for months where he undergoes treatment and surgeries. While hospitalized, he meets a psychiatric patient who is a sculptress, but more intriguingly, claims to be a fourteenth century nun who is destined for him. The opening sections of the book are unflinchingly graphic but not gratuitous. The centerpieces of the novel involve six love stories that span centuries. The stories telescope the narrative like “a puzzle depicting the picture of a man putting together a puzzle that depicts the picture of a man putting together a puzzle… with the final piece finally showing a monster peering through a window.” Symbolism, mysticism, and humanism are played out through literary devices, with varying degrees of subtlety. Finally, the book is a story of redemption. Exposure to Catholic theology may help the reader with the philosophical underpinnings of the final piece of the puzzle.
As for the audiobook itself, Lincoln Hoppe’s handling of foreign words and phrases is a bit awkward and suspect and, his reading of the English is sometimes artless. He sounds unseasoned and startlingly like a Stephen Hoye in the making.
In short, I think it is a wonderful novel,but I was a bit disappointed with the audiobook production. I would have preferred a more seasoned narrator or, better yet, to simply have read the novel in print.
Amy, I listened to "The Gargoyle" in audiobook format and, afterwards, I struggled for days to write a cogent journal entry. What I ended up writing is so very inadequate to the experience, but it was the best I could come up with:
If a book is worth reading once, it’s worth reading twice. If a book isn’t worth reading twice, it may not be worth reading at all. On this premise, The Gargoyle is worth reading at least three times. On the linear level of narrative, a young male pornographer suffers a drug-induced hallucination while attempting to negotiate a dangerous curve at high speeds. His car wrecks, he suffers terrible injuries and is hospitalized for months where he undergoes treatment and surgeries. While hospitalized, he meets a psychiatric patient who is a sculptress, but more intriguingly, claims to be a fourteenth century nun who is destined for him. The opening sections of the book are unflinchingly graphic but not gratuitous. The centerpieces of the novel involve six love stories that span centuries. The stories telescope the narrative like “a puzzle depicting the picture of a man putting together a puzzle that depicts the picture of a man putting together a puzzle… with the final piece finally showing a monster peering through a window.” Symbolism, mysticism, and humanism are played out through literary devices, with varying degrees of subtlety. Finally, the book is a story of redemption. Exposure to Catholic theology may help the reader with the philosophical underpinnings of the final piece of the puzzle.
As for the audiobook itself, Lincoln Hoppe’s handling of foreign words and phrases is a bit awkward and suspect and, his reading of the English is sometimes artless. He sounds unseasoned and startlingly like a Stephen Hoye in the making.
In short, I think it is a wonderful novel,but I was a bit disappointed with the audiobook production. I would have preferred a more seasoned narrator or, better yet, to simply have read the novel in print.
Thanks, Tanya ... I really appreciating your posting your entry. Now, I'm looking forward to reading it even more!
Bobbi - did you know there is a book related "take your book group to Guernsey" contest going on. If you want to enter, here's the website:http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guern...
dottie M.
Hi Laura,I thought Body of Knowledge was quite though provoking. I did notice it needed some editing but the content was interesting. His chapters were short and kept you interested in moving on to the next chapter. I wrote Bryce a note (and sent a check for the book) to ask how he came up with this concept and how much of it is based upon fact!
Amy W,
Dottie wrote: "Bobbi - did you know there is a book related "take your book group to Guernsey" contest going on. If you want to enter, here's the website:http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guern...
..."
Thanks, Dottie - I was already aware of it, and we'll be entering!
First I have to say that The Gargoyle was definitely a book worth reading! Amy wrote a great reply to this so I won't go on and on, but the love stories in the book are wonderful!As for what I'm reading... I just finished The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell! It's a memoir.. Laurie grew up thinking her father was the greatest man on earth only to slowly realize he was a con man. But all that didn't come to light until she started writing an article about him and started fact checking.. this memoir shows us the transformation of adoring daughter to an angry woman dealing with all sorts of issues trying to find the truth about her father and herself....The fun part of this book is that it is a graphic novel! I had no idea when I received this review copy. When I opened the book to glance thru it, I could not put it down. Very colorful, funny, worth reading! And for anyone not familiar with graphic novels a great starting point!
I'm almost through reading "The Little Stranger" by Sarah Waters. It's hard to put down. I've read all her books and think she's a wonderful story teller. This one keeps you guessing, but it doesn't have the kind of plot twists that were in "Fingersmith" and "Affinity." (At least not so far.)
I am trying to get through The Emperor's Children. I'm only 30 pages in but it's taken me a while to get that far.
Libby wrote: "I'm almost through reading "The Little Stranger" by Sarah Waters. It's hard to put down. I've read all her books and think she's a wonderful story teller. This one keeps you guessing, but it doe..."I have tried to start The Emperor's Children several times but never seem to get very far. I just haven't been able to get into it. Let us know what you think ... maybe I'll give it another try!
I am currently reading The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper. Has anybody else read this? I am absolutely in love with it!!
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Laura