The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What are you reading?
Shay wrote: "No, Patricia, he will not enjoy it. He will, however, read it if he wants computer time. I can't believe any child of mine can hate reading. I remember when he was just about 4 or 5, he told me, "W..."This reminds me of one of my brothers. Growing up he never liked reading so my Grandma in hopes of luring him into it promised to pay him $1 for every book he read one summer. My Mom would have to sign off on the list of what he read so he wouldn't lie. However, much to my Grandma's dismay, in order to be fair she had to include me, an avid reader, within this scheme as well. The bribery worked a little for him (he read more than usual) but I blew the competition out of the water. I earned some nice cash (for a kid) and never again did they attempt this form of bribery. Ha!
I just finished The Final Solution: A Story of Detection by Michael Chabon. It was fairly good. I'm looking forward to trying out some of his other books soon. Now I'm reading Miseducation: PRESCHOOLERS AT RISK which I'm pouring through.
I finished The Art of Devotion which was very good - four stars. Now for something completely different I am reading Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?.
Mary, the only thing about that book you're currently reading is that I wish there were a few more words in the title.
John wrote: "Joanie wrote "I have started Kavalier and Clay twice (both times while pregnant which is weird since I've only been pregnant twice!) but stalled out both times. I need to pick it up again if only s..."Are we to assume that you want to risk another pregnancy? Must be a good book!
Ha! No, can't say that was my intention! Just that maybe it's time to read the book while not being pregnant and overly emotional about everything!
I finished The Book Thief a few days ago and thought it was a great, solid, four-star book. I really didn't think it was five-star caliber, though. Now I'm reading Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane.
Mary wrote: "I finished The Art of Devotion which was very good - four stars. Now for something completely different I am reading [book:Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sororit..."Jen Lancaster is hysterical. Hope you like it!
Patricia wrote: "Shay wrote: "No, Patricia, he will not enjoy it. He will, however, read it if he wants computer time. I can't believe any child of mine can hate reading. I remember when he was just about 4 or 5, h..."Ha, Patricia, my parents did not believe in fairness. They tried to cajole my brother into reading, while trying to make me put down the books and go outside and do things.
Shay, if you're son reads manga, that's half of the battle won already! I was always a bit of a contrarian and always responded better to knowing I had the open option to doing _____, rather than being ordered/instructed into it.
Phew...been a while since I have been on here and I had to whip through 2000+ posts to make sure that I didn't miss any new books that I should be reading...got some good thoughts. Reminded me to move Midnight's Children and The House of the Spirits further up the list where they have been sadly buried for a while. Also made me remember that I really wanted to read The Third Policeman but I always forget the name of it when I am looking for books... I have added it to my Goodreads list so I won't forget again. Also added 2666 which sounds very intriguing. Have managed to clear some off my list as well:
The Angel's Game - Liked a lot, better than The Shadow of the Wind but that was probably because TSOTW had made me a little more familiar with his style and the plot tie ins between the two were intriguing to me.
Beatrice and Virgil I also liked this second book better than the first. It was shorter and more self-contained but also managed to be both charming and horrible at the same time.
I then moved on to some lighter fare:
Duma KeyBest SK I have read in a while.
Lost SoulsWorst DK I have read in a while (which is saying something) - this smacked of major publishing incentive to wring every last drop out of this series...
Then I picked up It Must've Been Something I Ate which, while the writing is just okay, contains some truly mouthwatering food descriptions. I am still working my way through this though because I got a little distracted by...
The Hunger Games and Catching Fire which I rampaged through in the space of a few days once I realized last week that they had finally become widely available as ebooks. Am now back to It Must have been Somthing I Ate until tomorrow when Mockingjay comes out.
I also read The Passage somewhere in there which I found very readable if very derivative of Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Michael Crichton all lumped together.
Sorry for the long post. I resolve not to spend so long away from this thread at one time again...
Alex wrote: "Mary, the only thing about that book you're currently reading is that I wish there were a few more words in the title."Yeah, I'm not sure there are enough. Another ten or twenty words should do the trick.
And Mary, I JUST got a copy of The Art of Devotion via UPS a few minutes ago. Glad it was good! I'll be reading it at the beginning of September, but I need to get through Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour first. I think I'm on page 30. I started I think 6 days ago.
It reads like a textbook.
Natalie wrote: "I'm reading "Understanding Linguistics" from Yhe Teaching company while I watch it on DVD. Did you realize that when we pronouce a compound word, we accent the second word, such as blackbird, accen..."this sounds really interesting...my senior year of college i had to take a 400 level language course to fulfill my linguistic requirement, and i took a History of English Language class. it was so freaking hard, but i loved it and everything i learned in it. hardest "B" i ever earned!
I just finished Beatrice & Virgil last night - and I think I'm going to turn around and read it again, in a couple of days. It was a very quick read, and it was very worth reading, but I sort of feel I need to start it again, knowing where it's going this time, to really get it. I RARELY re-read books at all, never mind right away (I can think of one other book I did this with), so this is something.
But in the meantime I'm going to pick up something else, The Center Cannot Hold. Not a happy book either, but at least it's straightforward memoir. (I assume, anyway).
Emily wrote: "Flora wrote: "I am just getting started on Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie SocietyI just finished Guernsey Literary .....and really enjoyed it! I hope you like it.!
I just finished the book,The Exodus Quest. Interesting thesis and plot. Not as clear as the first novel by him...The beginning was quite confusing...but it does wrap itself up well. Going to start The Red Thread. short time from the library.
Alex wrote: "Well, have you considered that the Illuminati may have planted the fetus of the Antichrist in your womb as part of a global conspiracy? It's surprising to me how many mothers completely discount t..."If he weren't like me in so many other ways, I would wonder. You brought up a good point and I asked him why he would read manga and not other make believe books. He replied that most fiction does not feature girls with big racks in tight clothes. Plus violence. I'm so glad I was not ever a 12 year old boy.
Ha...I was gonna say how I remember being a 12-year-old boy, but then I remembered that all men still are. Good for him, he's reading. And manga plots are very long, detailed ones that are often from a woman's point of view. (He's read those whether he likes it or not. Chicks love manga, and much of the best manga is chick-oriented.) Studies say that if a kid is reading, he or she is in good shape no matter what they're reading. I just had this huge conversation about Flowers in the Attic. It's a terrible book; all the readers I know read it when they were 12. Your son is on the right track, because he's reading.
I agree with Alex on this one. At least he is reading something. That's the one thing I will give authors like Stephenie Meyer. The Twilight books may not be amazing, mind-blowing literature or all that original, but at least the people who are reading them are picking up books and READING. That's the first step, and it's a vital one to make.The next step, however, is possibly the hardest, because the next step is finding something ELSE they'll like and getting them to continue reading beyond just Twilight or manga. While there's nothing wrong with reading those books, literacy isn't going to improve if that's all anybody ever reads.
Emily, I'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo now. I was warned ahead of time that it takes a while to get into, and that has sort of been the case, but I'm still pretty invested in it. I haven't finished it yet, but I know that I want to continue reading the trilogy. It definitely has its frustrating 'why am I reading this?' moments, but if you stick with it it gets interesting again.
Well said Caity! Yet more studies show that if books are in the household, kids do well. Like there's a magical book fairy, which apparently there is.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo does take a bit to get into but it's worth it. Alex-that's the fact I always use to justify my need for yet another book! I seriously hope it's true though. It's weird, I have always assumed that because I love to read and have tons of books at home and that because I read to my kids, take them to the library on a regular basis etc that they will be readers but I guess that's really no guarantee.
I feel your pain Shay. Have two boys and I feel like I'll be clueless about what they will want to read when they hit 12 or so. I feel like I'd know what to buy for a girl but I have no idea what's out there for boys when they get past Harry Potter. I guess I have some time to figure it out since they're 4 and almost 1. They'll probably want to read Manga too-oh well. It's better than nothing!
Claire wrote: "Emily wrote: "Flora wrote: "I am just getting started on Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie SocietyI just finished Guernsey Literary .....and really enjoyed it! I hope you like it.!"
I'm over half way thru it and so far I really like it.
Alex wrote: "Well said Caity! Yet more studies show that if books are in the household, kids do well. Like there's a magical book fairy, which apparently there is."I've been collecting books for my kids from before they were born. The funny thing is that my son is a great reader- he read the first Harry Potter when he was six, read at a tenth grade level at 9, now reads at a college level. All without really reading or liking to read. He will read non-fiction, especially non-fiction of the useful sort (technical manuals). I had to do a newsletter so I gave him the disk and manual for Publisher, and all of the content for the newsletter. Two days later, he handed me a USB drive with my proof of the newsletter.
Felina, you're right, Jen Lancaster is hysterical. I want her to be my friend! And yeah Alex, the title is a mouthful so I've taken to calling it Big Ass.Caity I hope that you enjoy Art of Devotion.
I just started Affinity by Sara Waters. I've had this on my TBR for a long time, so I'm glad to be finally starting it.
Claire, I hope you enjoy Affinity. I didn't like it as much as Tipping the Velvet, though I think her writing is great. I think the story just didn't appeal to me as much for some reason.
El wrote: "Claire, I hope you enjoy Affinity. I didn't like it as much as Tipping the Velvet, though I think her writing is great. I think the story just didn't appeal to me as much for some reason."Thanks, El, I hope I enjoy it - I haven't read Tipping the Velvet but heard that it is very good also. Have you read Fingersmith? Looks like its going to be the group read for Sept. - if you haven't read it, join in -you'll be in for a treat!
Great, I do plan on reading Fingersmith with the group and I'm looking forward to it. I've been trying to read it for a while but someone seems to be hogging the one library copy. :)
I read Fingersmith last year and I absolutely loved and adored it. It was one of my favorite books last year and one of my favorites ever. I haven't read anything else by Sarah Waters but I do have Tipping the Velvet on my TBR pile.
Alex wrote: "Oh, and F1 - sorry I missed your post earlier - yes, I'm enjoying House of Medici a great deal. I'm around 2/3 through, so that's far enough to have an opinion. Susanna also read an..."Cheers, Alex - just found the info...but no Kindle edition (yet)! :-(((
Caity wrote: "I agree with Alex on this one. At least he is reading something. That's the one thing I will give authors like Stephenie Meyer. The Twilight books may not be amazing, mind-blowing literature or all..."I've seen at least one edition of Wuthering Heights that's got "Bella and Edward's favorite book!" stamped on the cover. So I guess somebody's trying, at least.
Read The Glass Castle in a matter of a few days (fast for me) and then started Mudbound the debut by Hillary Jordan. It had been on my Kindle TBR list since Feb (thought it was a sample, but found it was the full book) - got into it right away!Seems like I'm reading several great debuts lately - maybe that should be a genre for a group read??
I like that idea.
Emily wrote: "I just picked up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Anyone read it?"Loved it and was completely absorbed by it!
Finished One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation "Wrath of God"which was really interesting and well written. Starting now on my brick India After Gandhiand already I love the prologue.
I really liked both Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
I just finished Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and absolutely loved it. Getting ready to start Inkheart
Flora, I hope you will like inkheart. I loved the movie, loved the book and am now so addicted to it that I am ready to read the third and alst one of the serie.
Susanna wrote: "I've seen at least one edition of Wuthering Heights that's got "Bella and Edward's favorite book!" stamped on the cover. So I guess somebody's trying, at least. "That's...well, yeah, actually. A for effort.
F1Wild wrote: "Cheers, Alex - just found the info...but no Kindle edition (yet)! :-((( "
I know! I have to read this weird thing with a whole bunch of pieces of paper stuck to each other. Totally annoying.
What, no scroll edition available?!?!
Haha, I guess I'm with you, Alex. A for effort. On the other hand it kind of makes me want to bang my head against a brick wall...Just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Year of Wonders. Now I'm staring blankly at the huge piles of library books that I want to read before I go back to school on Friday!
Starting Player Piano in a bit, my third Vonnegut novel. I also picked up The Remains of the Day from the library since I noticed it's one the the book reads for next month, so I'll start that next week or so.
I started this morning The Red Thread. It was interesting and a good start... then I went grocery shopping and realized that J D Robb has a new book out in PB Fantasy in Death. Of Course I bought it and have already started reading it into chapter three.... must stop reading and writing and go make dinner and do the dishes.
I'm okay with there being a single edition of Wuthering Heights with that stamped on it. If it draws attention from the crowd of Twilight-lovers who may not otherwise check into it, then I'm all for it. It's not like I'm being forced to buy it, so I don't let it bother me too much.And I am STILL trying to get through Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour. I read a whopping 8 pages last night and as of right now feel like I'll be reading it for the rest of my life. As interesting as the subject is, the writing is so dry it's reminding me of the numerous textbooks I fell asleep trying to read in high school and college.
Just for the hell of it I started reading Danse Macabre the other day. Say what you will about SK, his writing style is very informal and chatty and I like it!
I Capture the Castle is such an amazing book, big ol' fake sticker endorsement or not, although I rather prefer not. Anyway, I finished Darkness, Take My Hand and I liked it more than it's predecessor A Drink Before the War, though I did like that one quite a bit also. I needed a dark, gritty mystery. I think I'm going to start The Gunslinger now. I'm a tad bit apprehensive about it, though.
For what it's worth I really really liked the Dark Tower series, Alisha, until book 5 at least, then it went kinda downhill.
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The Next Best Book Club
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Shame that manga hasn't managed to cross him over to novels. "It's all make believe so what's the difference from one book to the next" - uh, that argument applies to manga too, wth? Tell him he can damn well read some nonfiction then. :) Ah well, I guess that proves that all kids are different. I bet he'll come around eventually.
You know what the awful part is? This statement: "Only old people and girls read books." I've read studies; he's actually kindof right. Women read an average of nine books a year; men read two.