Books on the Nightstand discussion
What are you reading: March 2011
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Mar 11, 2011 11:49AM
Also, kudos to Ann and Michael for being mentioned in the acknowledgements.
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Amy wrote: "Well, I though I would start March off with Room. However, I threw it in my suitcase for a roadtrip this last weekend (in case I finished Something Missing - which I did) and ended up reading THE W..."*Nickel and Dimed* is a real eye-opener. Wonder how much more of an impact it would have if it came out newly published, NOW, in this economy.
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Thank you! And I'm thrilled with your first choice from our recommendations. I really wish I could read Invisible Bridge for the first time again -- I would savor it for much longer.
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Im new here :-)
My name is Louise and I live in Denmark.
I'm reading Milan Kundera's "Immortality" for my book club, as well as "Dark Tyrants" a vampire the dark ages anthology.
And I'm l..."
Hi Louise, and welcome! I'm curious about the audio of Norwegian Wood. Are you enjoying it?
You know you're old when you hear people talking about the audio of "Norwegian Wood" and you suspect they're not talking about the Beatles.
Hi All, I just finished Eventide and The Winner and have just started The History of Love. I'm trying to decide my next audio book and it's between The Kitchen House, The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean, and All Clear.
Misty wrote: "Pam wrote: "I finished Hunger Games last week and just got Catching Fire today. I finished Quentins by Maeve Binchy yesterday. I enjoyed this book after reading a run of depressing books. Someone d..."I did enjoy Quentins. It was just what I needed. I also really enjoyed the audiobook of Hunger Games and am starting on Catching Fire soon.
I read The Color of Water years ago and this time I listened to the audiobook. It was very well done and helped that having a male and female narrator to distinguish the parts. I used Overdrive to check out the mp3 audiobook online and it worked easily. Great listen!
I feel kind of weird about admitting this but I've gotten through 150 pages of Madame Bovary and am about to throw in the "the towel". The writing is wonderful in many ways but there's so much detail that I find myself in search of the story. I have a long list of books "to read" and I want to look forward to picking up the book I'm reading.I really hate to give up on a book..but I think it's "on to the next one".
I think Mme Bovary is wonderful but despite all the plot I wouldn't say it's exactly plot-driven. It's about - well, boredom & desire, I think.
I just finished The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall. I loved it. Now I'm finishing Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn. I wish it were as good as its incredible title, though it's not bad considering I'm impossibly old to be reading it.
nancy wrote: "I feel kind of weird about admitting this but I've gotten through 150 pages of Madame Bovary and am about to throw in the "the towel". The writing is wonderful in many ways but there's so much det..."I remember having to read Madame Bovary in college and I didn't like it at all. I certainly wouldn't pick it up again. I know what you mean about not quitting a book, I'm 2/3 of the way thru Kraken and I just don't like it. I had stopped reading it for a while and someone said that it was worth finishing but so far I just don't see it.
Flora- it picked up for me in the last 100 pages or so... but that was just me. There was a lot more action at that point, and I enjoyed that. I'm sorry if it doesn't work out for you and if my recommendation wasted your reading time.
I just started Moonwalking with Einstein by Josh Foer.
This book is an interesting study of the art of memorization. By the way Nancy, I agree with Eric on Madame Bovary - keep reading.
Its ok. I could've chosen not to continue, but I hate not finishing a book. I agree that it has picked up but its certainly not one I care much for. And it seems to go on forever :{
Just finished A Red Herring Without Mustard which I enjoyed more than the second Flavia de Luce book. Not sure what is next.
I just passed page 1000 in the War and Peace read-along (I'm a little bit ahead, but not as much as the folks who have finished already!). On the side I'm also reading
A Visit from the Goon Squad
Just finished The Kitchen House, and I loved it. The other night I was birthday shopping in the YA section and had a Bookseller randomly hand me Matched, which she could not find enough words to recommend highly to me- so I am reading it next! I can never say no to an enthusiastic bookseller!
Reading So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman. Have recently (peripherally) seen a lot of buzz about it on twitter, but no reviews or blurbs about what it's like, so I picked it up cold.
Just startedThe Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I have been saving it since last summer. Now I want to know how the series ends!
Ann wrote: "Louise wrote: "HelloIm new here :-)
My name is Louise and I live in Denmark.
I'm reading Milan Kundera's "Immortality" for my book club, as well as "Dark Tyrants" a vampire the dark ages anthology..."
It's ok, except the narrator reads R E A L L Y slowly, which sometimes causes me to loose track and go back a bit. But I'm a big Murakami fan so its ok :-)
Lori wrote: "Kirsty wrote: "I'm reading The Memoirs of Cleopatra and, while I'm enjoying it, it's taking me forever to get through. I don't know why, but I get really daunted with huge books and I ..."Lori, I read this book years ago and remember that I really liked it. I like the way that Margaret George writes. You are getting a history lesson in an enjoyable and interesting way by reading her novels. Another one I recommend by her is The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers. Its another long tome but very good and so interesting.
Eric wrote: "You know you're old when you hear people talking about the audio of "Norwegian Wood" and you suspect they're not talking about the Beatles."LOL, Eric --- thats the first thing I think of when I see that title (the Beatle's N. Wood).
I finished Room and really liked it. I am about 1/2 way through The Hunger Games and like it so far.
I'm reading The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly in preparation for watching the film, and i'm really enjoying it!
I just finished Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen and really liked it. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.I'm almost finished with Kraken. Looking forward to putting this one behind me.
My bifocals broke early last week so I can't read well, even if I have the eBook font size on high, so I haven't been reading much. They are in and I'm going to pick them up tomorrow. Guess what I'll be doing all weekend? :D
I am participating in a Jane Eyre challenge. I cannot recall if I was supposed to read it in HS or not, but either way I did not. No idea why - so far it is quite enjoyable - entertaining, funny, sad, and all around a good book! Timeless for certain.
I finished "Oryx an Crake" by Margaret Atwood.
There is no middle class. Just a few rich corporatists who live in heavily guarded compounds, and the rest of us, who live in the crime and disease-ridden "pleeblands". Elections are meaningless, since each candidate supports the repressive corporate power structure. By the way, this isn't a mere description of the world that's on our doorstep. I'm talking about a novel of speculative fiction written in 2003.
Life has become even more cheap, degraded, and predatory in this near-future world. Genetic splicing is making a few people a lot of money, and has created monsters, which eventually escape into the world to breed freely. Brutal pornography abounds, as do internet reality shows that make entertainment out of human misery.
The book makes the point that all this may only be the natural result of the existence of humanity itself, a voracious, omnivorous species that's hard-wired to produce more offspring rather than less, in times of scarcity. Given free rein, humanity will gobble up all the resources on the planet before cannibalizing itself.
One character in this book realizes this, and like a similar character in Alan Moore's "Watchmen", thinks he/she has the resources and knowhow to do something about it.
It's hard to put this book down. Every day, we see the train wreck our world is becoming, and this book gives us, perhaps (and I hope not) an all too clear-eyed preview of what's to come. I immediately had to dive into "Year of the Flood", a parallel novel set in the same world, which Atwood wrote in 2009. There is to be a third book, the three comprising the "MaddAddam Trilogy".
There is no middle class. Just a few rich corporatists who live in heavily guarded compounds, and the rest of us, who live in the crime and disease-ridden "pleeblands". Elections are meaningless, since each candidate supports the repressive corporate power structure. By the way, this isn't a mere description of the world that's on our doorstep. I'm talking about a novel of speculative fiction written in 2003.
Life has become even more cheap, degraded, and predatory in this near-future world. Genetic splicing is making a few people a lot of money, and has created monsters, which eventually escape into the world to breed freely. Brutal pornography abounds, as do internet reality shows that make entertainment out of human misery.
The book makes the point that all this may only be the natural result of the existence of humanity itself, a voracious, omnivorous species that's hard-wired to produce more offspring rather than less, in times of scarcity. Given free rein, humanity will gobble up all the resources on the planet before cannibalizing itself.
One character in this book realizes this, and like a similar character in Alan Moore's "Watchmen", thinks he/she has the resources and knowhow to do something about it.
It's hard to put this book down. Every day, we see the train wreck our world is becoming, and this book gives us, perhaps (and I hope not) an all too clear-eyed preview of what's to come. I immediately had to dive into "Year of the Flood", a parallel novel set in the same world, which Atwood wrote in 2009. There is to be a third book, the three comprising the "MaddAddam Trilogy".
I just finished The Likeness and loved it but man is it an intense book. It definitely reminded me of The Secret History which is one of my all-time favorites. I'm going to be reading Faithful Place soon but I need a little break from that crunchy psychological drama that French trades in.
I was in the library and saw Trainspotting on the staff favorites display so I picked it up. I like the Scottish dialect although it does slow my reading down (I'll have to re-watch the movie now. I picked up maybe 75% of the dialogue on the first go-round.) I try to hear accents in my head as I read but Scottish and Irish inevitably morph into James Doohan's Star Trek accent.
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Nice review!
Vanessa wrote: "I just finished The Likeness and loved it but man is it an intense book. It definitely reminded me of The Secret History which is one of my all-time favorites. I'm goi..."
I loved Faithful Place. Hope you enjoy. It kept me reading.
Vanessa wrote: "I just finished The Likeness and loved it but man is it an intense book. It definitely reminded me of The Secret History which is one of my all-time favorites. I'm goi..."
The stron voice is one reason I like Tana French. I feel like I'm reading in a Scottish accent. But there's something about those Scots and Irish accents... I was at a reading by John Connolly yesterday and cannot get his Irish accent out of my head.
I'm reading Revolution by Jennifer Donnely right now and it is fantastic. An intertwined story about a modern girl trying to overcome a tragedy and her counterpart during the French Revolution. It's also making me want to study music appreciation (the main character is an awesome guitarist). I'm trying to savor this book, since I have this feeling I won't come across anything this good and engaging anytime soon.I'm also listening to Mockingjay and really enjoying the audio. I had already read the trilogy a few months back, and then re-read the first two and got this from the library on audio and now I wish I'd listened to all three. I think the narrator does a particularly good job on this book and I'm also appreciating the slower pace of the audiobook as compared to the absolute gulping I did the first time around.
Lastly, sipping from West with the Night by Beryl Markam. I'm only a few pages into this beautifully written memoir by a woman bush pilot in Africa in the 20's and 30's.
Shannon wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I just finished The Likeness and loved it but man is it an intense book. It definitely reminded me of The Secret History which is one of my all-time favo..."Your post came at the perfect time! I also loved The Secret History! (BTW, what has Donna Tartt been up to--it's been a while since The Little Friend....) I just got The Likeness (and a bunch of other great books) as gifts yesterday and have been wondering what to pick up next. Thanks for helping me make that decision!
Meredith wrote: Your post came at the perfect time! I also loved The Secret History!Oh how exciting! I hope you like it.
The Likeness vaguely references some events that happened in the first book (In the Woods) but you don't need to have read the first book. It does help you understand the narrator's frame of mind when this book starts.
Donna Tartt popped up late last year narrating the ebook of True Grit. I don't like to read my books that way but I'm very curious about it.
Lil wrote: "I'm reading Revolution by Jennifer Donnely right now and it is fantastic. An intertwined story about a modern girl trying to overcome a tragedy and her counterpart during the French..."I read "West with the Night" many years ago for a book group. Really terrific! Enjoy every "sip".
Vanessa wrote: "MDonna Tartt popped up late last year narrating the ebook of True Grit. I don't like to read my books that way but I'm very curious about it. ."
I recently posted my review of True Grit (by Charles Portis; narrated by Donna Tartt) here on goodreads and on my own blog. The audiobook was recorded in 2005; but didn't gain much of a profile until the release of the Coen Brothers' film adaptation last year. Donna Tartt's narration makes a good case as to why authors should not narrate their own books or anyone else's. I would recommend buying a print or ebook edition instead.
I recently posted my review of True Grit (by Charles Portis; narrated by Donna Tartt) here on goodreads and on my own blog. The audiobook was recorded in 2005; but didn't gain much of a profile until the release of the Coen Brothers' film adaptation last year. Donna Tartt's narration makes a good case as to why authors should not narrate their own books or anyone else's. I would recommend buying a print or ebook edition instead.
Tanya wrote: Donna Tartt's narration makes a good case as to why authors should not narrate their own books or anyone else's.Ouch! I remembered that you posted as having read it or were just starting. I must have blocked out the thumbs down.
It's interesting how authors are expected to do readings. Writing and verbal storytelling are such separate skill sets I would think. I did hear Andrea Levy on The Guardian podcast reading excerpts from Small Island and she was fantastic. I even forgave her for making fun of Americans who didn't get the book.
Finally finished Kraken Yay!! *happy dance* I'm so glad this one is finished. I must say that even though I didn't like it, I found there was a point after all to that book.Getting ready to start Incantation
I just finished Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's BoyI found the story of a young street girl disguising herself as a boy in order to join the British Navy very entertaining and will have to read more of this series. I have very little experience with YA fiction and so was surprised by some of the situations and the level of violence in the book. Then again I have forgotten how sophisticated a younger person can be. It's been so long since I was one.I am starting Satori. This book is a prequel of a book called Shibumi by Trevanian which I am not familiar with. Don Winslow has become one of my favorite authors over the last couple of years so I will read anything he writes that I can get my hands on.
Lynsay wrote: "I'm reading The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly in preparation for watching the film, and i'm really enjoying it!"I listened to the audiobook of this and thought it was really compelling. I finished it 4 days which is pretty fast for me.
Flora wrote: Finally finished Kraken Yay!! *happy dance*Congratulations! I remember you posted you were reading this like....New Years? :)
I really liked China Mieville's other book The City & The City but I heard it's his most accessible also.
LOL it seems like I started Kraken years ago and it was excruciating to finish. I think that I will just stay away from China Miéville for a while. I think I'm gonna start The Meaning of Night: A Confession
Jay wrote: "Lynsay wrote: "I'm reading The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly in preparation for watching the film, and i'm really enjoying it!"I listened to the audiobook of this and thought it was reall..."
I finished the book really quickly, I couldnt put it down! Lots of twists and turns, and it played out very cleverly! The film is also fantastic, I thought it was a great adaptation, definitely worth checking out! I'm on the hunt for more Michael Connelly now as well!
My plans changed for March... Out are Beginner's Greek and Nickel and Dimed, and in are Faithful Place by Tana French (done!), A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse, and Fade to White & Double Black both by Wendy Clinch. Also picking up Unexpectedly, Milo by Matthew Dicks by Friday from the Library. Probably won't finish all in March, but gotta read them all before they are due back to the library.Faithful Place
A Novel Bookstore
Fade to White
Double Black
Unexpectedly, Milo
Just started A Breath of Snow and Ashes, the next in the Outlander series for me. Still need to find something to listen to, my commute feels so much longer without someone reading to me!
Well, I've just finished my first draft of a doctoral dissertation in Christian leadership, so I'm thrilled to be able to add some novels and other books that don't require a highlighter and note cards to the queue.That said, I've read Fat, Forty, Fired: One Man's Frank, Funny, and Inspiring Account of Losing His Job and Finding His Life (meh, but free on Kindle); Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World's Holy Dead (wonderfully oddball tale of human religions' interaction with the relics of our heroes), and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which I loved.
Currently working on Sun Dancing: Life in a medieval Irish monastery and how Celtic spirituality influenced the world, The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture and Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom with a few more novels on the nightstand for April.
Books on the Nightstand
Books mentioned in this topic
The Year We Left Home (other topics)The Wise Man's Fear (other topics)
Hood (other topics)
Storm Front (other topics)
Storm Front (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kathleen Grissom (other topics)Gabrielle Hamilton (other topics)
China Miéville (other topics)
Maj Sjöwall (other topics)
Rachel Cohn (other topics)
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