The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What are you reading?
Katie, you are not alone. I always worry about animals in books. I think its because they are kinda subject to humanity's whims. (Unless of course they are in the wild and get into it with a bear or something!)Anyway, people have the means of protecting themselves, but animals are much more limited and therefore in my mind, are to be worried about more than humans. LOL
Alisha wrote: "I finished Tick Tock by Dean Koontz and thought it was great. The supporting characters are hilarious and the "horror" aspect of the novel kept me intrigued. I'm glad I own 9 other Koontz books t..."Alisha, how is it going with Jonathan Strange/ I finished it yesterday and absolutely loved it. My love for a character switched during the story!
Elizabeth wrote: "I'm reading Flower Net by Lisa See. I so loved Snowflower and the Secret Fan that I wanted to read anoth..."I loved snowflower! will check out the other one you mentioned.
Lori wrote: "I'm reading jonathan strange & mr. norrell but i'm afraid i'm not getting very far in it, i'm not totally into it right now but i'm only 70 pages in and nothing has really happend yet. I'm also r..."
Lori, try to go on with it, maybe you will like it more. I finished it yesterday and completely enjoyed it. There does happen a lot in the book eventually.
JG wrote: "Jeane wrote: "JG was there something you didn't like in Oscar Wao? "I'll give it 4 stars once I get around to my review. I enjoyed it, but parts of it were kind of hard to read, mostly when he w..."
And the writing style?
Vanessa wrote: "Jeane wrote: "Lori wrote: "I read Alices Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass today. I found a great Lost link in the second book. Those who are addicted to the show like I am may..."When I picked them up I thought it would be a fast read. Not that those two stories are long, aren't they? But really, I think I needed less time to read Jonathan Strtange which is 1006 pages!!!! And I jsut finsihed it because I practically never stop before the end of a book....
Liz wrote: "It sounds as though I should read the Plum series...At any rate, I finished The Taming of the Shrew Tuesday Night. I'll start The Tempest next, as well as rereading Frankenstein."
Liz, the Plum serie is fast, light reading. So if you want something not too serious and heavy in between it is a good choice to try out for that.
LOL Becky, that's totally it! Animals have no way to speak up for themselves so I guess it makes me more protective. Also, one of my first literary experiences was Old Yeller...I don't think I ever recovered.Elizabeth - "ICTC" is I Capture the Castle, a novel that's been getting a lot of recommendations in this group. *points at Fiona* But apparently it's really awesome, so it's for a good reason.
Becky wrote: "I started a little bit early for the Spring Challenge with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but I doubt that I will be even close to half-way done by March 1. The writing is so dense, and there are s..."Becky. lots of things happen in the rest of the book. ABout the footnotes, I didn't see them like that but read them as part of the normal text. It did help a lot that way.
Jeane wrote: "Ann from S.C. wrote: "I jsut finished THE HANDMAIDS TALE and now am starting SCARPETTA by Patricia Cornwell."Ann I am curious about that one! I have it also to read! You know there is a Scarpet..."
Jeane, SCARPETTA is the 16th in the series. IMO, the first 7 or 8 are the best, and then they get very confusing to me. This one is no different. I am on page 300 or so and I am still so confused what is going on. I remember when her novels were about exciting murder, who-done-it, mysterys. But I am going to finish it.
I, too, had a hard time recovering from Old Yeller, Becky. I cried a river of tears from it. I, for some reason, don't cry much at books, but I sure did with that one.
Jeane- glad to hear you say I'll get more into it! Now I'm looking forward to tackling more of it
Ann from S.C. wrote: "Jeane wrote: "Ann from S.C. wrote: "I jsut finished THE HANDMAIDS TALE and now am starting SCARPETTA by Patricia Cornwell."Ann I am curious about that one! I have it also to read! You know ther..."
They did change style and when the author in an interview told about the changes in her life she also explained that it made her change her writing but I still really like them.
Lori wrote: "Jeane- glad to hear you say I'll get more into it! Now I'm looking forward to tackling more of it"I hope I am right!:-)
Jeane wrote: "And the writing style?"That's what I loved. The narrator is a fast-talking, wise-cracking smartass. He can be serious when he needs to be though. There was a little Spanglish thrown in there, but I understood enough to know that I wasn't really missing anything with what I didn't understand.
Kellie, I read God Save the Sweet Potato Queens because I couldn't find the other one in my library. I loved it! She's hilarious.
Jeane, so far I'm liking Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but I do have to admit that I am a bit anxious for something to happen. That being said the subject of magic (and it's history/origins) is something that has always interested me, so I'm not complaining much.
I really enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but as you can see over at its discussion thread here at TNBBC, opinion on it was very much divided! Some people had a hard time with the footnotes in particular, I think, though I didn't. (You go to grad school in history, you're gonna get used to reading footnotes, that much is for sure. Snort.)
Rebbie wrote: "I just got my order from Amazon for OUT OF AFRICA. I watched the movie--AGAIN-- last weekend and was totally taken away by it as I was the other ka-zillion times. Anyone read the book?"I love that movie. The book is also excellent. I think you will really enjoy reading it.
Ohhh I went to the library today on my lunch break and checked out One for the Money... I'm gonna start reading it on Sunday for the Spring Challenge!! Yay I'm so excited.
I starting "The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society" tonight.
To Kill A Mocking Bird for school.And for free reading, Santa Claus in Baghdad: Stories About Teens in the Arab World
by Elsa Marston
Jeane, I wasn't complaining about the footnotes! I have been reading them as part of the text as well, but it just seems to me that they could have been incorporated rather than being footnotes. (Although, that may have a purpose later on... it's beginning to seem as though someone is telling the story rather than the story telling the story, if that makes sense. It probably doesn't. LOL)Anyway, about not complaining about the footnotes: I'm not complaining because they are interesting and funny little side-stories of their own, but they substantially increase the already really high word-count because the font is so miniscule! The font starts out really small in my copy, but the footnote size is electron microscope worthy.
I'm currently reading Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery. I love it so far, Anne's just a beautiful character and the humor is definately subtle. I guess I really like the book because it makes me think of a time when the world wasn't so fast-paced.
I just finished Portrait in Sepia and I thought it was just okay. Jackie, was it you who said you loved Allende's work? Is there something else you think I would like better? Or is this a pretty good representation of her?Now I'm dying to get back to some fantasy, so I'm going to start Daughter of the Blood.
The problem that I have with the JS&MN footnotes is that sometimes they're so long and if you're reading them at nighttime (as I am) and you're already kind of tired (as I almost always nearly am) then you tend to get caught up in the footnotes and forget what exactly was happening in the story prior to them.
Yeah, I know what you mean Alisha. I'm getting a cold and I am too exhausted to read right now. I think that I am going to skip JS&MN tonight and just have some ice-cream and watch a movie. Maybe. I hate getting sick. I hope Zicam really works.
Zicam really works, even if you end up with the cold. I've had it both completely avert a cold and shorten one. Sleep well, rest counts, too!
I hope so Elizabeth! I can feel like that tingly yucky feeling in my sinuses that always signals a cold for me, and I'm hoping to head it off this time around. I'll cross my fingers and send the boyfriend to the store for some OJ and crawl into bed. Luckily I have the next two days off, so that's good at least - I won't have to miss work and can just lay in bed and do nothing!
JG - Daughter of the Blood is SO GOOD! I completely fell in love with that entire series. I love getting into a really good fantasy world. I hope you enjoy it :)
Linda wrote: "Ohhh I went to the library today on my lunch break and checked out One for the Money... I'm gonna start reading it on Sunday for the Spring Challenge!! Yay I'm so excited."Linda, I read this recently and found it very entertaining. As I understand from avid fans of Evanovich that you need to do it "by the numbers" I just picked up Two for the Dough. When I finish the other three books I am reading, that one is at the top of my list.
Yeah, I'm really excited to read it as I've heard the Plum series is hilarious!
JG, yup that was me :-)If you like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude then you will most likely like The House of the Spirits. I believe it was her debut novel and contains magic realism. I also like Zorro...it's the story behind the mask.
I'm reading the Critical Race Feminism reader edited by Adrien Wing. As a white woman law student, I find the CRF perspective important to explore, and so far the essays have been educational and enlightening. I recommend it!
I just started Ahab's Wife Or, The Star-gazer A Novel last night, and I already adore her style of writing. It's beautiful. That first line has got to be in the top 10.
Kandice wrote: "I just started Ahab's Wife Or, The Star-gazer A Novel last ..."Kandice, it was that line that got my attention. Several years ago a Seattle librarian put out a top 10 list of great first lines.
"Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last." How can you not want to find out what this woman is about?
Can someone tell me how to get these posts in order? I would like to read from where I left off (the last post I read) and its just confusing for some reason (duh!) LOL.......I would like to read, I guess the earliest to the latest post but it never seems to come out that way when I try to click on the "Newest" tab. Thanks for any help ----
Jackie, I added those two to my list. Thanks for the recs!
Fiona, I'm checking in on I Capture the Castle. I am loving it so far! Good recommendation! It reminds me of a sort of Pride and Prejudice gone awry or something! LOL!
I always want a "comfort read" when I'm sick - one I know I'll enjoy and that I won't have to work at.I loved Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but I doubt I'd want to read it when I wasn't feeling well.
I have just started Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One. I am an econ nerd, so I love books like this. It takes a look at important issues from both the political and economic viewpoints. It also helps to spell out some of the long-term "unforeseen consequences" of policy that could be foreseen if anyone bothered to look past the next election. Very interesting so far.
Oh, and I am reading Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear, which is the sequel to Maisie Dobbs.I was up with it til 3 AM (that's what it was when I looked up and went ARGH!) last night. You could say that I'm enjoying it.
Wendy wrote: "I starting "The Guernsey Literacy and Potato Peel Pie Society" tonight."Be careful -- you won't be able to stop. I've read a lot of books where I felt like I was right there, and that I knew the characters as well as real people -- but this one caught me by surprise. I didn't realize how emotionally involved I'd gotten with the story until about 3/4 of the way through -- something I suspected was going to happen actually did occur, but it somehow caught me by surprise. I was sitting in my kitchen, reading the book over lunch, with all my kids there eating their lunches, and I gasped and got tears in my eyes. I finished it two days ago, and I still can't find something to follow it up with, because every book I've started isn't catching at my heart like this one did. I can't get the characters out of my mind. You're going to LOVE this book!
You will love "Book Thief". It has gone right to the top of my favorites list. The writing is lyrical and the subject matter breathtaking. It is categorized as a young adult book, but it held my attention right to the very last word. Could hardly hold back the tears....matter of fact I didn't.
Lori wrote: "I am reading The Book Thief for the Bookaholics thread. I dont usually read YA books, but Ive seen so many great reviews on it that I had to give it a shot. Currently about 180 pages into (its ..."
Aimee wrote: "I made a trip to the library today and came home with too many books.
The Poisonwood Bible-Barbara Kingsolver
The Yiddish Policeman's Union-Michael Chabon
The Castle in the Forest-Norman Mailer
..."
Fiona wrote: "Claire, perhaps click on date at the top of the page? I think it'll sort it so the newest will be at the top or something.Where are you up to in ICTC? "
Thanks, Fiona, I'll try that. I just started Section II, "The Shilling Book" so I'm not too far in yet, but so far I'm just really enjoying it. Dodie Smith must have had such a dry wit about her.!
I just finished Shadow of the Wind. It took me forever to read because life kept getting in the way. It was a beautiful book with a powerful ending.
I'm now starting Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert. I saw her last weekend at a lecture and she was so warm and engaging.
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The Next Best Book Club
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Fiona - Well add my mother to the growing list of ICTC lovers! Haha, she's about half-way through and she's loving it! But now instead of being mad because I gave her a bad book she's berating me for letting her read it now when I should have saved it for when we go on vacation *eyeroll* She wanted me to tell you that she's very glad you recommended it :) Now I can't wait to read it!