Book Nook Cafe discussion
What did you read last month?
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What I read in June 2011
I read Fahrenheit 451 in the 1960's because there was a movie version. I loved the theme and Ray Bradbury's writing. Certainly 5 stars!A Handmaid's Tale was another great read. I must enjoy dystopian novels. It was so cleverly conceived. I particularly remember the heroine using butter to keep her skin smooth as face cream was not available to her. No matter how bad things get, a girl will always attend to her beauty routine!
Lynda wrote:The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Death in Venice and Other Tales
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I like Fitzgerald and should put this one on my TBR list. Thanks for reminding me.
Thank you for putting my reads in link mode. I have no idea how to do that. Sorry to get into the movie v book theme again but Fitzgerald short story has almost nothing in common with the movie (if you've seen it) apart from the ageing backwards. The story has none of the film's 'seriousness' and is a curiosity in itself. I found myself asking 'What point is Fitzgerald making'? It is like some extended joke.
Secret Daughter Intl Good quick read. But a sad tale. Interesting to learn a bit more about India and Indian family life though. 3 stars
Hi I'm new to the group and decided I should finally post something. This past month I didn't read as much as I wanted but here is what I did read.Curse of the Bane It is the second in the series of The Last Apprentence. For younger readers but still very enjoyable. Rate 3
Good Omens
A great book that is a satire on the Rapture. Not everyone's cup of tea but a great book nonetheless. Rate 4
I'm relatively new to the GoodReads threads and am loving this one! I'm always on the lookout for suggestions.June was a good book month:
Singing Boy by Dennis McFarland - I didn't love it. I really liked his Letter From Point Clear.
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell - What a great book to teach to an English class.
All the Time in the World by E. L. Doctorow is a short story collection. I don't generally care for short stories but I keep trying!
Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan moved a bit slowly for my taste but there was some gorgeous writing.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness wasn't what I'd expected.
Snow Angels by Stewart O'Nan was incredibly dark.
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan - I loved it, like most everyone else. I was expecting to be disappointed after all the hype so it was a pleasant surprise.
Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy was so very lovely.
Those were my June reads! Thanks for inviting me to play along.
I did an actual blog post about last month's books:
http://www.keetha.com/2011/07/june-bo...
I'm a middle school English teacher and read The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate as soon as school got out. Our school librarian suggested it. I really enjoyed it. Being an only child, I found it interesting to read about a girl growing up surrounded by a bunch of brothers. I also love historical fiction, so this fit the bill. It's set in Texas in 1899. If you like YA books, history, or have middle schoolers at home, this is a nice and wholesome read.
The Yellow House4 stars
On Borrowed Time
3 stars
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
read half and stopped......didn't like it or the main characters much.
Hey Keetha, what did you think of A Discovery of Witches? It was a read for one of my groups that I didn't manage to get to.
Julie, I love the topics Mary Roach chooses.Have you seen the BBC (short) series of Cranford? It was excellent. I got it from my library.
Keetha, last month I read Emily, Alone by Stuart O'Nan. It was so well-done, but, like Emily, I am kinda old. I did not like two of his other books that I read, and am glad I gave this one a chance. I have his book Speed Queen on reserve.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Julie, I love the topics Mary Roach chooses.Have you seen the BBC (short) series of Cranford? It was excellent. I got it from my library."
Yes, Mary Roach certainly covers things that are different!
(Oh, and no I haven't seen the BBC series of Cranford)
Mary Roach spoke at my school a few years ago. It was interesting to hear how her editors react to her book proposals and such, lol.
Maree wrote: "Mary Roach spoke at my school a few years ago. It was interesting to hear how her editors react to her book proposals and such, lol."I bet!
I read the entire first book of A Song of Fire and Ice, which was A Game of Thrones. I had started reading it last year, in 2010, but got distracted by how many characters there were to remember (there's like, 20 pages in the back of nothing but characters and how they are important in the book!!!) and locations (yes there's a map, but still!) that I was like, I don't have time to read this right now. Of course, a few months go by and I find out they are making a HBO series from it so /sigh I had to go pick it up again. And DAMN am I glad I did! Once I got past the fact that yes, once in a while I will have to flip to the back to look someone or some place up while reading, I realized that the author knew people might not like that and that at least 3-4 sentences later, he gives enough detail for the reader to not have to do just that. Also, the pace of the book, hell, the pace of each chapter was amazing, so intense. I'm very glad I gave it another try. AND I bought the whole series! On to Book 2! :D
Thanks to everyone who took the time to write. I always find something I want to read. I have moved - still digging out - and I don't have a complete list, but I'm using my Kindle as a kind of reminder. Forgive me if I mentioned one or two of these last month/Tabloid City by Pete Hamill Love Pete Hamill, but was a tiny bit disappointed in this one. It was a little 9/11-ish and not so deep as A Drinking LIfe, et al.
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens Not that great. Girl abducted, kept prisoner by crazy man, etc. I wouldn't bother.
Doc: A Novel by Mary Doria Russell I loved this take on the story of Doc Holliday and the Earps in Dodge. A most compassionate description of death by tuberculosis, and if you don't fall in love with Doc, you have no heart at all. Good, good historical fiction, and good writing, too.
A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block Just a so-so mystery. Too much about AA and not enough mystery. Skip it.
Tinkers by Paul Harding. Epilepsy. Ignorance. Family dysfunction. It has everything, and philosophy, too. Great descriptions of epileptic episodes and clever story line. Loved it.
Currently reading In the Garden of Beasts and The Glass House. Both about WWII and Hitler's era in Berlin (a true story of the US ambassador and his promiscuous daughter) and in the brand new Czechoslovakia (a wealthy Jewish man marries a Christian girl and they build a famous home in the modern style and then comes the second war)
Sorry for the shorthand. I'll do better next time. I hope my house will be in order by then!!
Michele
Jennifer, I've heard how awesome the series is. Have you seen the show too? I'm planning on getting into it, but wondering if I can cheat and just do one or the other. I heard the TV series follows the books pretty closely.
Lynda wrote: "Thank you for putting my reads in link mode. I have no idea how to do that. "-----------
You're welcome. It's easy.
When you are typing your post click on the Add book/author link right above the box. Then type in the name of the book. Add.
brwnid_grl wrote: "Secret Daughter Intl Good quick read. But a sad tale. Interesting to learn a bit more about India and Indian family life though. 3 stars"--------------
Welcome, Brwnid grl ! Thanks for sharing your June read with us.
A book about India that was very popular with the readers here at BNC is:
A Fine Balance~~Rohinton Mistry
Marissa wrote: "Hi I'm new to the group and decided I should finally post something. This past month I didn't read as much as I wanted but here is what I did read.Curse of the Bane It is the second in the series..."
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Glad to have you aboard, Marissa ! Check out our many Folders/threads and just jump on in.
Thanks for sharing your June reads with us. :)
A Painted House by John Grisham. 2 stars - diidn't like it,Review: I thought it would be a more captivating book and that Luke would have become more involved in all the happenings around him but he didnt. I kept reading it expecting for something exciting to happen and when I thought that moment was about to come the author would just move onto a different topic. Not very entertaining for my taste. Where did Grisham hide the plot??
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. 4 stars - really liked it
Review:Lisbeth Salander, what a legend. I wasn't so sure about this trilogy when I first read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but now I can't wait to read the third book. The great thing about this one is that its more focused on Salanders character. Shes the ultimate hero and the fact that she is a tiny, pierced and tattooed girl -aka not the "yes, this person is definitely going to save the day" kind of character, makes it even more interesting. Couldnt stop reading until I was finished.
The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland. 4 starts - what a fun read!
Review:I love books that make me laugh and The Gum Thief did not disappoint me. The three main characters are as dysfunctional as any of us but what I liked the most is how the author managed himself to come up with an entertaining book in which there is no face to face contact between any of the characters!
Keetha wrote: "I'm relatively new to the GoodReads threads and am loving this one! I'm always on the lookout for suggestions.June was a good book month:
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan - I loved it, like most everyone else. I was expecting to be disappointed after all the hype so it was a pleasant surprise.
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Welcome to BNC, Keetha ! I'm so happy you decided to join in the fun.
You sure had a nice reading month. I have A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan on my TBR list. I'm glad to hear it's as good as the hype.
Check out our many folders/theads and just jump right on in the conversation. :)
Shannon wrote: "I'm a middle school English teacher and read The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate as soon as school got out. Our school librarian suggested it. I really enjoyed it. Being an only child..."---------------------
Thanks for sharing, Shannon. Have a great summer vacation...with a lot of books !
I hope to see you around BNC. We have a lot of Folders/threads for most interests.
Linda wrote: "The Yellow House4 stars
On Borrowed Time
3 stars
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
read half and stopp..."
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Welcome, to BNC, Linda. Thanks for sharing your June reads with us.
Sorry you didn't care for the Larson book. We selected him for one of our future group reads.
The book is:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Please check out our many Folders/threads and join in the fun.
I like your picture. Is that your pool and grandchild? I could have used that today it was 90 and humid in NYC.
Jennifer wrote: "I read the entire first book of A Song of Fire and Ice, which was A Game of Thrones. I had started reading it last year, in 2010, but got distracted by how many characters there were to remember (..."--------------------
Glad that turned out well for you Jennifer. I don't know if I could have handled 20 pages of character introductions. Sometimes it pays to persevere. :)
Michele wrote:Currently reading In the Garden of Beasts and The Glass House. Both about WWII and Hitler's era in Berlin (a true story of the US ambassador and his promiscuous daughter) and in the brand new Czechoslovakia (a wealthy Jewish man marries a Christian girl and they build a famous home in the modern style and then comes the second war)-----------------
Thanks for sharing, Michele!
I hope the move went well. Moving can be a huge headache.
As I noted up-thread, we selected Eric Larson's other book,
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America for one of our future reads. I hope you can join us.
It's so nice to see so many great posts, everyone. I freely admit to being a literary voyeur. For what it's worth, here is a list of what I read in June. I'm sure I'm going to have to go back and fix the links because I used the book:, author: method and that isn't always successful.
South of Superior by Ellen Airgood No heroes or villains, exactly. Just people who'd done what they'd done, too late to change any of it, and in the end that wasn't the worst news in the world.
That quote pretty much sums up this book. This is a sweet novel, all about the characters, who remind me a little of Southern Lit, even though the South in this book is pretty far north. Although things happen, there isn't a lot of action. It's about a little, old-fashioned town bucking the changes that newcomers are bringing, old versus new, tradition versus progress. It's about lost souls figuring out where they belong, or even if they can belong. And it's about finding strength where it is not expected.
For me, the plot was a tad predictable and the story moved a little too slowly. Despite that, it is a sweet summer read (the descriptions of winter along Lake Superior will cool you off) for readers in the mood for a feel-good story filled with interesting people.
What It's Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes This one is my favorite book of the month. The author of the novel Matterhorn has turned his talents to writing a nonfiction book about his experiences in Vietnam, how present-day warriors are not trained to emotionally and spiritually deal with the jobs they physically must do, what we've done wrong, what we need to do better. He looks at the history of war and warriors in ancient cultures and mythology, and how the wars we fight are changing every day. He has advice for warriors, those who are serving now, those who are trying to deal with having served, and those seemingly fearless and impressionable young who want to serve. He looks at the psyches of those who kill, what emotions they are feeling. And like the training, that which makes the warriors strong and loyal can also work against them. I haven't underlined so many passages in a book since I was a student, trying to memorize facts. This is a very powerful book, an excellent one, in my opinion.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Caught between the Soviet and Nazi empires and forgotten by the world, the Baltic states simply disappeared from maps.
This sentence from the Author's Notes only begins to explain the horrors that many Baltic people endured, or died trying to endure, when they were forced from their homes and into labor camps and prisons by Soviet secret police. Caught between the Nazi and the Soviet forces, the history in this part of the world is less known than some of the WWII atrocities that most of us do know about. This YA novel will give kids a look at a history that should never have happened, and it will do so with heart and compassion. It does the same for many of us adults.
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (nonfiction) This one is a very compelling look at William Dodd, sent to Germany as U.S. Ambassador just as Hitler was coming to power as chancellor. It looks at attitudes in Germany and America that compounded the situation, strengthened Hitler's rise. Interesting, to me anyway, for both its look at history and at the people who were involved in it.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by {author:Mark Haddon] I loved this book, the choice for Book Nook Cafe's monthly group read. Lots of great discussion in that thread.
The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott A story of relationships in a family with too many flaws, there is not a great deal of plot. This isn't a book for those looking for great thrills or mysteries. It is for those who like to read about complex relationships in everyday life. People behave badly under trying circumstances, some try to behave better and some do not, there are successes and failures. While I felt great empathy for Henry, patriarch and observer, he did so many things wrong that it was hard to actually like him. I started disliking him on page 30 with the introduction of a Polaroid picture (no, not that kind of picture). The characters were all interesting, but sometimes I just wanted to shake them and yell, “you can do better than this!” The book was beautifully written, not too flowery, nicely structured, seemed to be just the right amount of description and the right length for the story it was telling. Perhaps it was just my mood when I read it, but for me, despite the bright and promising parts of the story, most of it felt hopeless. It is not the book to read when you want cheering up.
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks Bethia, a young daughter of a Martha's Vineyard preacher, and Caleb, a young member of the Wampanoag tribe, become clandestine friends as Bethia's father tries to convert the “savages” to Christianity in the mid-17th century. Caleb was historically the first Native American to graduate from Harvard, and this highly fictionalized story tells how that might have happened. As always, Geraldine Brooks tells an engaging tale. I loved her use of the language of the times and descriptions of everyday tasks. I was first a bit disconcerted when I saw “loose” where I expected “lose” but soon realized it was intentional, not an editing mistake. The language is lovely. For me, the story dragged a bit in places, and I would have liked more historical information. Lack of it was simply due to its not being available.
Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson This cozy mystery was too long for the story and too much like the others in this series by this author. I was disappointed in it.
Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister A lovely story about friendships and challenges, the women who bolster one another, a feel-good summer read.
Sanctus by Simon Toyne A monk, initiated into the highest level of his religious order, learns a terrible secret. He is cloistered in The Citadel, and will be forever, so how can he let the world know what is really happening inside the walls? This thriller lives up to the genre, never boring and full of twists and turns. The setting is contemporary, the religion is ancient. The juxtaposition of ancient world and new technology worked well. Full of great characters and puzzles and the occasionally weird, the story is consistently entertaining, surprising for a 484-page book that could easily have bogged down. The last 25 or so pages didn't ring true to me, but other readers will have to judge that for themselves. Readers who enjoyed Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code or Angels and Demons should enjoy this one.
Thirteen Shadows: Ghost Stories by Aaron Polson A collection of short stories that didn't quite live up to its potential.
Susan wrote:What It's Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes
This one is my favorite book of the month. The author of the novel Matterhorn has turned his talents to writing a nonfiction book about his experiences in Vietnam, how present-day warriors are not trained to emotionally and spiritually deal with the jobs they physically must do, what we've done wrong, what we need to do better. He looks at the history of war and warriors in ancient cultures and mythology, and how the wars we fight are changing every day. He has advice for warriors, those who are serving now, those who are trying to deal with having served, and those seemingly fearless and impressionable young who want to serve. He looks at the psyches of those who kill, what emotions they are feeling. And like the training, that which makes the warriors strong and loyal can also work against them. I haven't underlined so many passages in a book since I was a student, trying to memorize facts. This is a very powerful book, an excellent one, in my opinion.
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Excellent reading month, Susan. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed reading your reviews a lot.
The above book you mentioned made me think of something I heard on TV the other day. They said that currently more soldiers are committing suicide then are dying in battle.
Here is a link.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jan...
Suicide claims more US military lives than Afghan war
By James Cogan
6 January 2010
American military personnel are continuing to take their own lives in unprecedented numbers, as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq drag on. By late November, at least 334 members of the armed forces had committed suicide in 2009, more than the 319 who were killed in Afghanistan or the 150 who died in Iraq. While a final figure is not available, the toll of military suicides last year was the worst since records began to be kept in 1980.
See link for rest of article.
How sad. Until sometime in the last few days, the families of military personnel who committed suicide in war zones were not sent condolences letters. That has just changed. The families of those who are killed in training accidents but not in war zones are still not sent letters, and that doesn't seem right to me.The name of that book, at least in the edition I read, is What It is Like to Go to War but it is entered with It's instead of It Is in Goodreads.
Alias Reader wrote: "Linda wrote: "The Yellow House4 stars
On Borrowed Time
3 stars
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
read ..."
The pic is of me and my youngest granddaughter, Autumn, at my parent's house. I don't have a pool but I have access to one. Thank God, as it was 103 today and it was 106 on July 4! Sometimes I hate sunny California.
Alias Reader wrote: "The above book you mentioned made me think of something I heard on TV the other day. They said that currently more soldiers are committing suicide then are dying in battle...."That is so sad. I have always said that I can't understand how someone can go to war and stay sane.
It is interesting, Julie, and sad, and informative. When we are going to go to war, we need to know what we are committing to, what we are asking of our soldiers. Looking at war from the perspective of someone who fought in Vietnam, looking at war now, is really...I can't find the words I want, but it made a big impression on me.
I was posting when you were, Julie. My #84 was in response to your #81, not to the post I saw after I posted, your #83. I agree - how can anyone go to war and stay sane? This group...when we get going, it's as busy as an in-person discussion, and I think that is great.
Susan, I also just read South of Superior and found it quite good. Here is what I wrote about it:Good effort by a first-time novelist (who owns and runs a diner). Her character development was good and she was great at developing a sense of place - the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Lake Superior. The story was engaging and took place in a down-on-its-luck town. It started out a bit slow but once I got caught up in the lives of the very believable characters, I raced through it.
Only thing is, she did not divuge the story behind the main character's abandonment soon enough. I do not like when an author drops "crumbs of information" - it is as if s/he is not sure enough of her writing ability to keep the reader reading.
Well worth reading.
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Airgood has a blog that is pretty interesting:
http://ellenairgood.com/blog/
Nice blog! I think South of Superior was exceptionally good for a first-time novelist, and I'd like to read whatever she writes next.For me, a story doesn't have to have a huge, dramatic plot. I look for that in mysteries, thrillers, books of that ilk, but I love to read about well-developed characters.
Well-developed characters are hard to do, and Airgood did it well!
Hello everyone! Well in the month of June I started reading the Hunger Games series and I just finished it a couple of days ago. As a whole, I give it 4 stars. The first one I could not put down, but I feel the last one ended abruptly. I give Suzanne Collins a lot of credit for making you want to pick the next book every single time. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I've already bought my sister a copy and my step sister picked up a copy the same day.I'd definitely give it a go before the film gets released.
Linda wrote: as it was 103 today and it was 106 on July 4! Sometimes I hate sunny California. ------------
Holy cow ! I feel like a wimp for complaining about 90.
Kathy wrote: "Hello everyone! Well in the month of June I started reading the Hunger Games series and I just finished it a couple of days ago. As a whole, I give it 4 stars. The first one I could not put down, b..."--------------
Hello, Kathy. Thanks so much for sharing your June read with us.
The Hunger Games~~Suzanne Collins
I see you are currently reading The Help. You can find a discussion of that book in our Monthly Book Selection Folder. Feel free to jump right on in the conversation.
We actually selected The Help a year ago, but a few are reading it now and re-opened the thread.
My f2f book group selected it for this month. I'll probably start reading it towards the end of the month.
Quicker Than the Eye 3 stars. Nor his best work, but I'll read anything he writes.The Keep 4 stars. First read by this author. Really enjoyed the book.
Ice Station Zebra 4 stars. I love Alistair Maclean.
The Book Thief 5 stars. Thank you, Goodreads, for introducing me to this book.
A Morbid Taste for Bones 3 stars. Slow read, but an enjoyable book.
WOW! So many posts just since yesterday. AND, so many books i've added to my TBR as a result. I can't possibly comment on each one but i truly appreciate all the "newbies" who are sharing their June reading list. I am tickled to think of each of us reading our eyeballs to weariness each day, making the most of our time. THANKS!For a few specific thoughts, i'll start with the fact i added South of Superior to my list for the title alone. Great one. For some reason the fact the new novelist is also the owner of a diner pleases me, too.
Andrula mentioned The Gum Thief, the description of which tickles my fancy. And i'm a fan of epistolary novels, so i'm looking forward to it. I sometimes wonder what businesses like Staples feel when authors use their stores for a large part of their novels. Flattered? Free advertising? Most likely it depends on what's written about them.
Shannon, the setting & historical timing of the Calpurnia YA novel appeals to me. My grandmother was born that year in west Texas. Thanks for sharing something about it.
Again, thank you to all who've contributed. It's neat to read about new novels, as well as to see whose reading ones we enjoyed, such as Ice Station Zebra.
deborah
I loved the Hunger Games as well, Kathy! I'm cautiously optimistic about the movie.
I so enjoyed reading all the different write ups of the books people read. I, too, enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy.
Mike wrote: The Book Thief 5 stars. Thank you, Goodreads, for introducing me to this book.
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Thanks for sharing your June reads with us, Mike.
My f2f book club has The Book Thief on the TBR list of books for us to read. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
I also want to thank all who have taken the time to share their June reads with us. I hope you check out all our Folders/threads and join in the fun.
By the way, BNC has just topped 700 members !
Maree wrote: "Jennifer, I've heard how awesome the series is. Have you seen the show too? I'm planning on getting into it, but wondering if I can cheat and just do one or the other. I heard the TV series foll..."Actually, if you watch the HBO series, it does follow the book extremely well. In fact, at some points where I had read ahead, I annoyed my husband because I would say quotes in the show before the people on TV did since I knew it was coming, so at least 70% of it was word for word from the book. I recommend the show, highly, but the book too. In fact, in my opinion, it would be best to read the book, then watch it because if I watched past what I read, it got boring to read something I knew was going to happen. So if you plan on picking up the book, I'd say wait on the show. :) Let me know what you think of it!
Thank you Alias Reader for telling me how to put my books into link mode. I knew somebody would! As I have just started reading The Help, I should investigate the Monthly Book Selection Folder as well.
Alias Reader wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I read the entire first book of A Song of Fire and Ice, which was A Game of Thrones. I had started reading it last year, in 2010, but got distracted by how many characters there w..."I'd still recommend it, especially because the author does such an amazing job of reminding you of who everyone is in the next few sentences hehe. I'm almost halfway through the second book and I haven't used the appendix in the back since, oh, halfway through the first book. Definitely pick it up, Alias, if you like an amazing, fast paced read! :)
Lynda wrote: "Thank you Alias Reader for telling me how to put my books into link mode. I knew somebody would! As I have just started reading The Help, I should investigate the Monthly Book Selection Folder as ..."--------------------
You're welcome :)
We also have a FAQ Folder that may answer some questions you didn't even know you had !
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Juvenilia but worth reading because of his descriptive powers. 3 stars
Thomas Mann Death in Venice and other stories. Always interesting reading in translation. I haven't read the title story yet,just a couple of the others. If you want a non-feelgood read (and sometimes I do)then Mann's your man. 5 stars