Books on the Nightstand discussion
What are you currently reading? June 2011
Just finished The Leopard, and loved it, not hard to see why it's considered one of the greatest novels of Twentieth Century Italian literature.Now, let's try another European classic: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Vanessa wrote: "I'm enjoying my stint as a literary polyamorist these days (really, we have to come up with a word for this and trademark it!)I'm still reading A Journey into Steinbeck's California..."
Hi Vanessa! What do you think of the Paris book? I'm going to France in a couple of weeks and saw wondering...
Lisa, I'm not that far in but if you want a different slant on Paris it's great. It's not a traditional travel guide--it's more like sitting down with someone who exchanges anecdotes. But he mentions specific streets and history and mentions at least one restaurant you aren't supposed to miss (Brasserie Lipp--Hemingway was a regular.) And it's short and small and thus an easy book to carry, if you are so inclined.
Vanessa wrote: "Lisa, I'm not that far in but if you want a different slant on Paris it's great. It's not a traditional travel guide--it's more like sitting down with someone who exchanges anecdotes. But he mentio..."Thanks! Sounds great. I will give it a try.
I finished Dreams of Joy today, and it was brilliant. I loved Shanghai Girls, and it stuck with me for a long time, but this was so much more powerful for me. Beautifully written.I'll probably go back to Wind-Up Girl for a bit. It's taking me so long, but I feel like I need to stick with it. In my opinion, it's not the most painful read I've had (I'm looking at you, Kraken), but I'm having a hard time staying motivated.
I'm also between audiobooks, and waiting to see if I can get Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind on ILL. Fingers crossed!
Lisa wrote: Thanks! Sounds great. I will give it a try. I hope it adds something memorable to your trip.
I'm reading The Pale King by David Foster Wallace.
This is my first exposure to Wallace and I wasn't sure how I'd like the stream of consciousness bits, especially considering it's an unfinished work. But so far it has managed to hold my attention pretty well.
I just finished "The Typewriter is Holy" by Bill Morgan this was a very good book. I am now reading "Ask The Dust" by John Fante
I'm almost finished with Divergent which I have loved. I will definitely have to re-read this one soon.
Vanessa wrote: "Jay wrote:On the graphic novel front I read Morning Glories Vol. 1: For A Better Futurewhich I'm not sure that I really liked but am fascinated to find out what happens next.BTW, I will check the..."
This one is probably a bit darker but I have only read the first volume of Runaways.
Runaways gets darker as it rolls along. I acutely miss that series.
I especially liked the Joss Whedon issues.
I read the first volume an liked it but didn't love it. My library has all of them so I plan on continuing at some point. I would say morning glories may be a bit more graphic then any mainstream Marvel book geared towards a younger audience would be allowed to be. If you dig teen type books you could checkout the first two Batgirl trades. I just finished the second oneBatgirl: The Flood and really enjoyed it.
I just finished Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, a wonderful fantasy that has all the elements of a good read: adventure, action, heroes, heroines, and romance. I enjoyed the fact that the female protagonist's role is equally as strong as Finnikin's. Highly recommended for all.
Finnikin of the Rock
I currently listening to Olive Kitteridge and loving it! Very honest and beautiful. I am reading City of Thieves, also very good.
Eric wrote:I especially liked the Joss Whedon issues.Squeee! Yes, the Dead End Kids story arc. With the Punisher and Kingpin cameos. Gay rights storyline suitable for Pride month. Loved. It.
Jay wrote: If you dig teen type books you could checkout the first two Batgirl trades. I just finished the second oneBatgirl: The Flood and really enjoyed it.I never thought about it. Maybe I do dig teen type comics. I do happen to love Batgirl. Especially the current Batgirl, Stephanie (which, what will become of her with the DC reboot? If Barbara Gordon is the new old Batgirl, what about Stephanie? If they are rebooting Birds of Prey too, who is Oracle now? I gnash my teeth and own that I'm totally going to be at my local store come reboot Wednesday.)
II just finished Sarah's Key and thought it was an outstanding and emotional read. My highest of recommendations!
We should branch this off into a "What Comics Are You Reading" thread.
Speaking of Joss Whedon, Vanessa, what did you think of the ending of Buffy: Season Eight? I thought it was an incomprehensible mess! And Giles had to die for that story? Yeesh!
Speaking of Joss Whedon, Vanessa, what did you think of the ending of Buffy: Season Eight? I thought it was an incomprehensible mess! And Giles had to die for that story? Yeesh!
Agreed. Michael would join us at least.
Eric wrote: Speaking of Joss Whedon, Vanessa, what did you think of the ending of Buffy: Season Eight?You know, as much as I loved the show I haven't gotten around to reading the Season 8 comic. I have this weird prejudice against licensed content comics. I have checked it out of the library a few times and always returned it unread.
Aw man. Giles dies? I dunno about this now. See? Licensed content is dicey.
Whedon himself write many of the issues, and was the "show runner" just like he was on the TV show., Also, there was an all-star cast of comics writers, like Brian K. Vaughn and Brad Meltzer, as well as writers from the TV show. A lot of it is very good indeed, but like I said, the final arc (written by Whedon) left me scratching my head. It really didn't feel like a "licensed" comic, but rather a continuation. Hence the title, Season Eight.
Eric wrote: "Whedon himself write many of the issues, and was the "show runner" just like he was on the TV show., Also, there was an all-star cast of comics writers, like Brian K. Vaughn and Brad Meltzer, as we..."
I absolutely adored the television show; but I really didn't care for "Season Eight" at all. I had the single shots lying around for the first 8 issues or so before they went into storage unread. I bought the first volume recently and was... bemused. I really didn't think the throughput or story arc was very solid and, in some frames, I really couldn't figure out what was going on. There seemed to be some missing frames or story jumps that left me confused. Also, the figures all looked out-of-proportion (and yes I knows Dawn into a giant; but that's not what I'm talking about.) I'm not steeped in comic-lore; but I know what I like and don't and I definitely didn't like THE LONG WAY HOME.
I absolutely adored the television show; but I really didn't care for "Season Eight" at all. I had the single shots lying around for the first 8 issues or so before they went into storage unread. I bought the first volume recently and was... bemused. I really didn't think the throughput or story arc was very solid and, in some frames, I really couldn't figure out what was going on. There seemed to be some missing frames or story jumps that left me confused. Also, the figures all looked out-of-proportion (and yes I knows Dawn into a giant; but that's not what I'm talking about.) I'm not steeped in comic-lore; but I know what I like and don't and I definitely didn't like THE LONG WAY HOME.
Sometimes the artist, Georges Jeanty, didn't do a very good job of differentiating the characters. I will say that the Faith/Giles arc (by Brian K. Vaughn) was very good, as was the Dracula/Xander stuff, the trip into the future by Joss, and the Harmony story written by Jane Espenson.
Moving into part three - "The Locked Room" - The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I had never even heard of Auster and I picked this book up two years ago while in New York. I'm only now getting to read it. It's a fairly interesting twist on detective fiction, sort of turns it inside out in an existential way.
Mod
I'm reading Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower. I was a little leery at the hipster hype machine that was full throttled for him but I LOVE this collection of short stories. Profane yet elegant. Depressing yet gut bustingly funny. I'm also reading a Hellboy graphic novel but now we have a comics thread to discuss such goodness.
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned was fantastic and totally hype worthy as it turns out. It's a collection of all previously published short stories by Wells Tower and was one of the big buzz books a few years ago. I just started Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life and I'm reading The Coroner's Lunch because, why not. I've never read anything about Laos. I got the idea from one of my Nancy Pearl Book Lust's.
I always have more than one book in progress at any given time and each has their place, on the nightstand I have The Master and Margarita and Robert Ryman: Used Paint by Suzanne P. Hudson. In the bathtub I'm reading, Desperate Characters by Paula Fox, I'm reading Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates on lunch break at work. The latest poetry book riding in my purse is The External Combustion Engine by Michael Ives.
I finished
and was pretty disappointed. I'm now re-reading
. I always love this one.
I got Galore on audio from the library, very excited to start this today. I've heard such good things. Unfortunately, my ILL of Name of the Wind did not go through, so I'm looking for another way to listen to it.On the "real book" side, I'm still making my way through Wind-Up Girl. At this point I have to finish it, but I'm looking forward to a few quick page-turners after this!
Mod
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World which I liked. I felt it was the cat version of
.Needed something short and available, waiting for an interlibrary loan and picked up
Diary of a Fairy Godmother. The story may be interesting but the narrator is too saccharin for me.
I'm reading "The Hangman's Daughter". I'm about 80% thru the book and it's awesome!!
I made a pact with my best friend from school to read classics this summer. #1 was Gone With the Windwhich she has finished and I need to finish by July 1st, the day before my birthday and the day we're going to watch the movie. Before I started GWTW, I made it about a third of the way through The Hobbit, and I will pick it back up at the start of next month. She's in the middle of The Age of Innocence. So far, both are great. I can't wait to make some serious progress with Scarlett and Rhett this weekend!
I finished Jane Eyre and loved it. One of the few books I've read, that now that I'm finished, I miss the characters (especially Jane). This was a wonderful book. I have started Tell No One and so far its good, a real page turner.
I just started reading "The Dry Grass of August" by Anna Jean Mayhew and love it. It's set in 1954 and the voice of the 13 year old narrator, Jubie, is reminiscent of Scout Finch. A family with four children makes a road trip from NC to FL and takes along their "girl", Mary -- a 48 year old Negro housekeeper. Jubie wonders why her beloved friend Mary is treated so differently, e.g. can't eat in the same restaurant, can't use the bathrooms at the filling station, can't swim on the beach. Overtones of "The Help."
I'm reading House Arrest: A Novel by Ellen Meeropol. I was reading it in the hopes of joining in with the discussion that happened on Weds, but it took place at 1:30am my time and unfortunately I fell asleep! Still, I'm really enjoying it. I know that it's received very mixed reviews so was intrigued to see what I would think, but so far so good.
Just finished The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine and gave it 3 stars. I have really enjoyed the Europa edition translations I have read. I am starting The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake for one of my book groups.
FINALLY finished Wind-Up Girl. Felt like it took me about 10 years.To cleanse the palate, I've started the latest book in the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone. I have mixed feelings... I want to gobble it up, because it's so good, but I also want to savor it, because I know there isn't another one (at least nothing published yet). I feel so conflicted!
I just finished
Unbroken and I thought it was an amazing read. I couldn't believe that I had never heard this story before and am glad that it is getting so much attention now. I'm about 200 pages into Cutting For Stone which I am really enjoying so far!
Kirsty wrote: "I'm reading House Arrest: A Novel by Ellen Meeropol. I was reading it in the hopes of joining in with the discussion that happened on Weds, but it took place at 1:30am my time and un..."Kirsty, the same thing happened to me! Im in Germany and I usually try to get up but I slept right through my alarm...hopefully soon I will be back in a more convenient time zone!!
After finishing House Arrest: A Novel and Pride of Baghdad This week it is The Tragedy of Arthur: A Novel and Gryphon: New and Selected Stories
I love that people include book covers with their comments but wish they would also write the title. Sometimes it is impossible to read the title on the cover. Perhaps publishers should take note of this!
Pam wrote: "I love that people include book covers with their comments but wish they would also write the title. Sometimes it is impossible to read the title on the cover. Perhaps publishers should take note..."
If you roll your cursor over the book cover, the title and author show up in a detail box
If you roll your cursor over the book cover, the title and author show up in a detail box
Thanks Tanya,I was thinking the same thing that Pam wrote...now I know.
As to June reading: I just finished Three Stages of Amazement and
am returning to Visit from the Goon Squad. I never read it and just think "I should." Meanwhile, I'd love a few suggestions for absolutely "can't put it down" novels. I guess that means I'm looking for a few thriller type beach reads. Thanks BOTNS, Nancy
Thanks Tanya. I did not know that but the problem is that I am usually reading on my iPad and this does not work without leaving the page.
I finished The Shield that Fell from Heaven and I didn't care for it. Its more for someone who enjoys political discussions. I'm moving on to A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther and also Tiger's Curse
Books on the Nightstand
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I totally agree! I really appreciate all you do! THANK YOU.