The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What are you reading?
The version of The Canterbury Tales that I have is an interlinear one - the original every other line with a translation into modern verse. I like it (the translation - I love Chaucer).Currently reading Creating Colonial Williamsburg: The Restoration of Virginia's Eighteenth-Century Capital, Second Edition (just got back from there), and The Black Tower, by Louis Bayard, which is a historical mystery set in 1818 Paris.
ETA: Oh yes, and Aladdin's Lamp: How Greek Science Came to Europe Through the Islamic World.
Whoa. That's not distracting? I think I'd rather have the original on one page with the translation on the facing one.
That could work as well. Works well with Shakespeare and notes on Shakespeare on different sides of the page.
It's how Armitage's Gawain and the Green Knight and Heaney's Beowulf work. It's handy so you can remind yourself periodically that no, you totally can't understand that stuff.
I am Reading The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall . I am enjoying. His book The miracle Life of Edgar Mint is one of my favorites. I am listening to Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith. This Series are great to listen to. The accent of the characters really add to the telling.
Tara wrote: "A Storm of Swords and The Count of Monte Cristo"I finished A Storm of Swords recently and quite liked it. I am holding off on Book 4 for now. It seems as if Book 5 will never be done ...
I am currently reading The Winds of War and have been completely sucked in so far. If I like it all the way through, I'll move on to War and Remembrance.
I am currently reading Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls, Thomas Bokenkotter's A Concise History of the Catholic Church and re-reading Louise May Alcott's Little Women (read it many years ago but I think it was an abridged version or something) =)
Finished Anchee Min's Pearl of China: A Novel over the weekend and started reading Glorious by Bernice L. McFadden. We moved house over the weekend (and still) so it's been a slow start. Glorious has been great so far, but a little grittier than The Help or Wench - kinda like the Cosmo version as compared to the Ladies Home Journal version.
Oh I'm so going to pick up a modern prose version of Canterbury. I read it a year or so ago but in the original and I understood about a quarter of it I would guess. There were two stories I think I actually "got". hahI second the Monte Cristo love! One of my favorite classics.
I just started
The Crazy School by Cornelia Read. I'm about halfway through and just found out that it is the second book in the series...I hate that!!
Stephanie wrote: "I just started The Crazy School by Cornelia Read. I'm about halfway through and just found out that it is the second book in the series...I hate t..."The first one, A Field of Darkness, is much better, IMO.
Some interesting books, Li. How do you like Gogol? I haven't read him yet. And just out of curiosity, is A Concise History a specifically religious book? Or is it just about religious things? (If that distinction makes sense.)
Just strarted reading The Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik.
Alex wrote: "Some interesting books, Li. How do you like Gogol? I haven't read him yet. And just out of curiosity, is A Concise History a specifically religious book? Or is it just about religious things? ..."I'm about 100 pages into Gogol and it's a very interesting presentation of rural Russian society in the 19c. It's also pretty funny at times, especially when the main character comes across some very stubborn landowners xD
As for the Concise History book, it's presented as a history book on the Catholic Church---the development of its doctrines and institutions, its place in the context of European history, etc. (Btw, your distinction makes sense =))
Alex wrote: "Flora! Canterbury Tales, huh? I've been thinking a lot about that book. I took a whole class on it in college, which I'm using as an excuse to not read it again...but I have this nagging voice t..."I've got a newer version by Burton Raffel. Its seems to be really much easier to read than what I had to endure in college. I'm really enjoying it so far.
Im also reading Their Eyes Were Watching God and I'm really enjoying this one
I'm Reading Travels with Charley: In search of America By John Steinbeck , and The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.
I've just started Doomsday Book--hopefully it will inspire me to finish Death and Burial in Medieval England: 1066-1550.
OMG Travels with Charley! I used to love that book. (I liked anything that involved dogs.)Fiona - ah, so it's a modern translation but it's still in verse. That seems like it might be a good compromise, and Raffel's translation gets high marks (I just looked it up). Cool.
Mary - Huh, Doomsday Book looks interesting. If you dig it I might just try it. Death & Burial looks...morbid. I'm reading about that same period right now - The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, which I kinda don't like so far.
Alex wrote: "Death & Burial looks...morbid. "Sadly, it is not all that morbid, otherwise I might've finished it by now.
Alex wrote: "OMG Travels with Charley! I used to love that book. (I liked anything that involved dogs) Alex- Its sooooo good. I love Steinbeck , but I too, also like anything with dogs :) Can't believe I never read it before. Quickly becoming one of my favorites.
I just finished reading
and now I am starting
Edith I just read Shiver too! Def a nice easy read
I just finished THE SCARLET LION
and decided I needed to take a vacation from Englis Kings & Queens. I started PEACH BLOSSOM PAVILION by Mingmei Yip, which is about a house of prostitution in Shanghai in the early 1900's. Precious Orchid is the richest, most celebrated "MING JI" prestigious courtesan in all of China.
Adina wrote: "I'm Reading Travels with Charley: In search of America By John Steinbeck , and The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson."Steinbeck is my all-time favorite and Travels with Charlie is superb, but a bit different than his usual works. I just reread it recently and found it eerily relevant to current times.
Rosalie wrote: "I started PEACH BLOSSOM PAVILION by Mingmei Yip, which is about a house of prostitution in Shanghai in the early 1900's. Precious Orchid is the richest, most celebrated "MING JI" prestigious courtesan in all of China."Thanks so much for this title - the genre is one near and dear to my heart and I will be placing this on my TBR list immediately - PLUS, there is a Kindle edition! Let us know what you think of it.
Jodi wrote: "I just finished reading and now I am starting "I read Tallgrass recently and really enjoyed it. Wonderful characters.
Mary & Alex, Doomsday Book is one my all-time favorite books. It is an experience. You hit a certain point in the book and it becomes physically/emotionally impossible to stop reading. No joke. It's. Not. Possible. To. Stop.
Doomsday Book has been on my list forever! Maybe it's time to bump it up the list.
Doomsday Book looks intense! I'm going to add it to my list.
I've been wanting to read Doomsday Book and have been clicking for it to be published for Kindle.
I think Tallgrass is the only Sandra Dallas book I haven't read (Jodie, Donna). It looked like it was a departure from her usual... and I love her usual! Have either of you read her other books to say whether it is similar or quite different?
I'm reading a couple different things but have also just started Our Mutual Friend. It's time for a lil Dickens in my life.
I just started Murder Most Frothy yesterday. I need something light and fluffy right now since I don't have much time to devote to reading with a teething baby.
Just finished
and would give it a 4.2. Beginning to end, this novel pulled me in and kept my attention throughout. Some novels ebb and flow, but this one was true straight through. Am just about at the end of Widow's War by Sally Gunning and have been pleasantly surprised with it. Though I majored in history in college, this is not a time period I have given much attention to and am really learning quite a bit. It is really a solid read.
Ruby wrote: "I think Tallgrass is the only Sandra Dallas book I haven't read (Jodie, Donna). It looked like it was a departure from her usual... and I love her usual! Have either of you read her other books to ..."I read her first 5 novels several by her years ago, but had not read any of her newer books. I have to say I have really enjoyed all of her books. You really should read Tallgrass. You will fall in love with these characters. If you like Audio books you should go that route. Lorelei Kingis amazing.
Just finished The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, which was really great.Am now starting audio of What the Dead Know and so far it's got me intrigued.
♥Hαlєє♥ wrote: "I'm reading 
and it's pretty good. Has anyone else read it?"Halee, I've read My Sister's Keeper and really liked it. I'm going to read her new book which I've heard is excellent.
Right now I'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattooand really enjoying it.
El I agree, nothing better than a lil Dickens in your life! How is Our Mutual Friend?Right now I'm reading Netherland and finally finishing The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals if I don't get distracted again by my tbr pile...
♥Hαlєє♥ wrote: "I'm reading and it's pretty good. Has anyone else read it?"I read "My Sister's Keeper" a couple of years ago for book club. It was an interesting book.
Lori Ann, I'm only about 57 pages in to Our Mutual Friend, but so far so good. Only a gazillion pages to go! :)
I just finished The Villa of Mysteries by David Hewson. It was the 2nd book in his Nic Costa series and I must say it was much better than the first one. Currently I'm reading A Spectacle of Corruption: A Novel by David Liss. This is the 2nd book in his Benjamin Weaver series and so far it's pretty good. I also enjoyed the first novel in this series A Conspiracy of Paper quite a bit. The series takes place in England in the early 1800's
Matthew wrote: "I just finished The Villa of Mysteries by David Hewson. It was the 2nd book in his Nic Costa series and I must say it was much better than the first one. Currently..."
i really like David Liss's work. i've read the two you've mentioned, and The Whiskey Rebels which was really good. i haven't read The Coffee Trader yet, and he has a new one, The Devil's Company which is another Benjamin Weaver one. can't wait to read that one!
i finished lauren willig's Masque of the Black Tulip last night, and i enjoyed it. i'm going to try and track down the 3rd in the series, my library doesn't have that one, but it has the others. go figure.not sure what's up next, maybe i'll browse for something different at the library this evening.
♥Hαlєє♥ wrote: "I'm reading and it's pretty good. Has anyone else read it?"I read it last year and I really liked it. The ending surprised me!
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The Next Best Book Club
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Carol, you're digging Beowulf on the Beach? I use it as reference: whenever I'm reading a book Murnighan covers, I look it up (either before or after, depending on my concern for spoilers) just for the hell of it. It's a cute book, but his obsession with "dirty parts" is a little adolescent. And really, you can't suggest someone skip parts of The Sound and the Fury. That's just silly.
Not taking it seriously ,but I am enjoying his humor.