The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What are you reading?
I was about 100 pages from the end of Pet Sematary but couldn't finish it in time for vacation, and as I didn't want to take a library book on a camping trip, I had to set it aside. While camping I read (and thoroughly enjoyed) Watership Down and I'm now in the middle of The Shadow of the Wind. Once I finish SotW I will go back to Pet Sematary before starting The Help.Whew! :)
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I saw the film many many years ago and only read the book this year. I enjoyed both!
I am having a hard time with THE SHADOW OF TEH WIND. I have heard such great things about it, but it is just a little boring. Does it get better?
Lori - I haven't seen the movie, but have heard great things about it. I'm definitely going to check it out soon. I thought the book was fantastic! One of those you can't believe you made it so long without reading.Ann - I'm finding The Shadow of the Wind a bit disappointing myself. I like the humor and the dynamic between the characters but it's not really living up to the hopes I had for it after all the rave reviews I heard. In parts it reads sort of cheesily and flows awkwardly, although I'm not sure if that has more to do with translation issues than anything else. I'm moving through it pretty quickly, though, and for the most part am enjoying it. How far are you?
I loved Shadow of the Wind, purely for the images that leaped off the page. I loved the images of an almost crumbling Barcelona. But I always had the feeling I was missing something in the translation.
I am reading "Persuasion" by Jane Austen, seems a little rushed, more than her others at least. But she was ill when she wrote it, so I shouldn't be too harsh.
Brenda wrote: "Grain de Beaute... Now I'm off to read Cornelia Funke's Inkheart. "
Are you enjoying Inkheart?
"
Hello Brenda,
So far I'm enjoying it. ;) It's quite a thick book and I still have almost 400 pages to go.
Are you enjoying Inkheart?
"
Hello Brenda,
So far I'm enjoying it. ;) It's quite a thick book and I still have almost 400 pages to go.
Izze wrote: "i'm reading "Confessions of an ugly step sister""Someone recommended that to me and actually let me "borrow" it. It has been sitting on my shelf for about a year. Let me know what you think so I can bump it up!
The Last Jews of Kerala. Its not written by anyone Jewish or from a Jewish point of view, but from what its like to be the final handful of people, all past child-bearing years - of a group that has a demonstrable history of at least 2,500 years on the subcontinent.
I have just finished reading The English American A Novel by Alison Larkin which I enjoyed. It was a bit too tidy at the end though. I am now reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It sucked me in straight away and I can't wait to see where it is going.
I am almost done with Outlander. I almost didn't finish it, it took till about 1/4th in until it picked up.. and now I can't put it down!I would have given up on it, if so many people hadn't told me to read it.
Michelle wrote: "I'm now reading The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. This will be my first Amy Tan book and I hope it's good!I need help deciding which book to read out of my "recentl..."
The Bonesetter's Daughter was the first Amy Tan I read and I loved it. I also enjoyed the Kitchen God's Wife and the Joy Luck Club is in my TBR.
(I so wanted to read this book so my Mum borrowed it from a friend. Then she foolishly left it on a low shelf and their 'Mad Mutt' nicely serrated all the edges. The friend kindly said there was no need to buy a replacement and luckily the naw marks and dog slobber have not rendered the pages illegible!)
Still reading The Fountainhead. I like the story but am probably too old for the writing to have the same effect as it would have if I'd read this in my teens or early 20s. I'm enjoying it but will be happy when I get through this one.
Michelle wrote: "I'm now reading The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. This will be my first Amy Tan book and I hope it's good!I need help deciding which book to read out of my "recentl..."
I really enjoy Amy Tan's books and I hope you do, too! I think The Kitchen God's Wife is my favorite, but The Bonesetter's Daughter is also very good.
Petra X wrote: "The Last Jews of Kerala. Its not written by anyone Jewish or from a Jewish point of view, but from what its like to be the final handful of people, all past child-bearing years - of a group that ha..."This sounds like a very interesting book. I've put it on my TBR list. Thanks!!
Katie wrote: "I'm just starting The House at Riverton by Kate Morton."Katie, I really liked House at Riverton and I hope you do too!
Diane wrote: "Mary wrote: "Linda wrote: "Just finished South of Broad by Pat Conroy and really, really liked it. This is coming from a person who read Prince of Tides and gave up on Pat Conroy there and then. ..."Diane, I'm about a third of the way in to South of Broad and really liking it so at this point I'd say buy it but I'll post again when I've finished it.
I am currently reading The Glass Castle A Memoir and am finding myself so angry with her parents I can hardly continue. Anyone else have this experience?
Ann from S.C. wrote: "I am having a hard time with THE SHADOW OF TEH WIND. I have heard such great things about it, but it is just a little boring. Does it get better?"I read this a couple of weeks ago and had the same problem at first. It does get better and things start to fall into place about 100 pages or more in. I had a hard time with the language. Maybe something lost in the translation?
Jennifer wrote: "I am currently reading The Glass Castle A Memoir and am finding myself so angry with her parents I can hardly continue. Anyone else have this experience?"
I did with Mary Karr's The Liars' Club A Memoir. I don't think I could read Glass Castle...
EDIT to add: also with Finding Fish A Memoir -- both were excellent, but tough going.
I did with Mary Karr's The Liars' Club A Memoir. I don't think I could read Glass Castle...
EDIT to add: also with Finding Fish A Memoir -- both were excellent, but tough going.
Lori wrote: "Yay for Watership Down. I saw the film many many years ago and only read the book this year. I enjoyed both!"
I loved Watership Down and plan on doing a re-read of it soon. I didn't know there was a movie but I do vaguely remember an animated version.
Glad you're enjoying it, Sophie...
I LOVED "The Tea Rose". I need to get into "The Winter Rose" soon.
Mary wrote: "Diane wrote: "Mary wrote: "Linda wrote: "Just finished South of Broad by Pat Conroy and really, really liked it. This is coming from a person who read Prince of Tides and gave up on Pat Conroy th..."Take it from the "Pat Conroy sceptic" it does not disappoint. You know how sometimes you go through a book and all of a sudden it just seems the author runs out of gas? This one never did.
Linda wrote: "...You know how sometimes you go through a book and all of a sudden it just seems the author runs out of gas? ..."
I've had too many of those recently... and a few that didn't start with any gas at all. :-(
I've had too many of those recently... and a few that didn't start with any gas at all. :-(
Katie wrote: "I'm just starting The House at Riverton by Kate Morton."Ooh, Katie, let us know what you think of it - I loved The Forgotten Garden
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Jeane wrote: "Shary wrote: "Just finished Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris. Good book. I will definitely continue with the rest of the series. Next up: The Graveyard Book. "That was my first and only book wri..."
I'll let you know how the others are.
Linda wrote: "Mary wrote: "Diane wrote: "Mary wrote: "Linda wrote: "Just finished South of Broad by Pat Conroy and really, really liked it. This is coming from a person who read Prince of Tides and gave up on ..."Thanks Linda and Mary for the positive feedback. I guess I know what my next "splurge" will be.
Jennifer wrote: "I am currently reading The Glass Castle A Memoir and am finding myself so angry with her parents I can hardly continue. Anyone else have this experience?"YES, absolutely! By the time I finished, I thought her mother was worse of the two. Many times I wanted to throw the book across the room I was so angry with them.
Diane wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I am currently reading The Glass Castle A Memoir and am finding myself so angry with her parents I can hardly continue. Anyone else have this experience?"YES, abs..."
So glad I'm not alone, Diane. I, too, feel that the mother is the more frustrating of the two! At least her dad, when he wasn't totally drunk, was interactive and seemed genuinely interested in her life and interested in wanting to make an impact. Her mom just seemed totally selfish.
I started "The Remedy", by Michelle Lovric.
I LOVED "The Tea Rose". I need to get into "The Winter Rose" soon.
*whispers* The author's having a live chat thingy in the Wild Things group...
Oh shoot, I missed it!
I totally gave up on "The Garden" after 100 pages. It was just too out there for me and imho verged on being sacraligious. I'm not the most religious person out there but it was just too much for me. I'm now reading "The Help".
Just finished The Time Traveler's Wife (which I am now in love with!) and about to start A Place Called Here.
So I changed my mind... instead of starting She's Come Undone I started M.J. Hyland's How The Light Gets In!
WOW okay Donna, I am almost done Tallgrass and can't wait to finish it.
Katie and all. I am really looking forward to reading House at Riverton thanks for helping me look forward to it.
Mary, Jennifer, BJ Rose, Diane and anyone else I missed. The Glass Castle bothered me on so many levels, I am surprised I finished the book. However looking back on it and using my small knowledge of mental illness and disease, it is clear to me that the mother was mentally ill (perhaps bipolar) and the father was an alcoholic. To me it was one of the those books where you knew it was going to get worse. We all are given challenges to overcome. Some are pretty significant - like the parents they had. I certainly acknowledge that neither parent was the best parent. Now having said all that = what I took from the book is the strength and courage that the children had. How they dragged themselves away (it would have been easier not to) and made a better life for themselves and each other. That was the redeeming feature and what made me stand up and cheer. They were able to understand their parent were not someone they could save and they did not need to emulate. I also think (at the risk of lynching) that the parents did instill some positive qualities and care and love with the children.
Carol - so what do you think about Edgar Sawtelle???
Amanda wrote: "Just finished The Time Traveler's Wife (which I am now in love with!) and about to start A Place Called Here. Let me know what you think of "A Place Called Here", Amanda. I listened to it not long ago.
I started reading Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson. I am enjoying it so far. It is neat reading a YA book from a male teenage perspective.
I just finished The Help (wonderful book!) - Now I'm reading What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman. I believe it's a re-release. It's pretty good so far...
Melissa wrote: "I just finished The Help (wonderful book!) - Now I'm reading What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman. I believe it's a re-release. It's pretty good so far...Glad to see you liked "The Help". I'm just starting it and really liking it so far.
I won't spoil it, but I loved the characters, and the story line was something I was very interested in. I learned a lot from this book:-)
I just finished Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and am starting The Lacquer Lady by F. Tennyson Jesse. She is the great niece of Tennyson, Lord Alfred. I am very excited to read this book and quite looking forward to it!
Jennifer wrote: "I am currently reading The Glass Castle A Memoir and am finding myself so angry with her parents I can hardly continue. Anyone else have this experience?"Yes, Jennifer, I had the exact same experience! (I just read it a few weeks ago.) I'm glad I finished it, but I had to put it aside several times for a little while just to stop fuming!
I read it, too, but don't remember how much I liked/disliked it...Now I wish I could!
Just finished How The Light Gets In by M.J. Hyland! Starting Bowery Girl by Kim Taylor!
Marti wrote: "Carol - so what do you think about Edgar Sawtelle???"
I'll pipe in: I loved the way it started (description of small farm life and Edgar's "handicap") and then it lost me in the middle when it started talking about the philosophy of dogs and training. I tried to skim through that and get to the story, but I realized that I didn't really want to know about Claude... what did you think?
I'll pipe in: I loved the way it started (description of small farm life and Edgar's "handicap") and then it lost me in the middle when it started talking about the philosophy of dogs and training. I tried to skim through that and get to the story, but I realized that I didn't really want to know about Claude... what did you think?
Paula wrote: "I totally gave up on "The Garden" after 100 pages. It was just too out there for me and imho verged on being sacraligious. I'm not the most religious person out there but it was just too much for ..."Paula: I read The Help recently and loved it. Everyone I have lent it to loved it and there is so much to discuss on this one with my friends. Enjoy.
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The Next Best Book Club
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Linda and Mary, so glad you liked/are enjoying this book. I've been wanting to buy it and have been very curious to see what someone whose read it thought of it.