Around the World in 80 Books discussion
Getting to Know You
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What Are You Reading Now?
On a mission with Brigadier Etienne Gerard, incomparable hero, finest swordsman in the Light Cavalry, as he blunders his way across Europe in his beloved Emperors Hussars.
The Illustrated & Complete Brigadier Gerard: All 18 Stories with the Original Strand Magazine Illustrations by Wollen and Paget by Arthur Conan Doyle
I am reading "The Believing Brain--How We Contstruct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths" by Michael Shermer. I guess the short answer to this is, "Because I saw it on the Internet."
A little bit technical, but not too hard to understand.
Hattie wrote: "I want to read Unbroken. Thanks for the reminder. Also, have my eye on English Passengers."Wow!! You seem to be a real reading machine. I have read or hope to read lots of the books you mentioned. Unfortunately, for other book ideas, I can't see the specifics or the books you've read or read any of your reviews as your profile is set to private.
Donna R wrote:...:-)
I'm reading One Hundred Years of Vicissitude now & am enjoying it so far. Did you look at the author's page? I thought he had an interesting section on how the book came together:
http://onehundredyearsofvicissitude.w...
Not exactly in the same vein (as far as book style), but you might enjoy A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. (Loved it!) It touches on some of the topics you mentioned....
Hattie wrote: "I will try and remember to change the private setting."Not to worry. It's personal preference and you should do what you're comfortable with. I'm a pretty private person myself. Except for what I read and review you won't find much out about me be by reviewing my profile.
I only mentioned it because sometimes people aren't aware that many GR readers can't see what they read or review. You seem to have a lot to offer the GR world at large, so I just wanted you to be aware you were currently only sharing with friends.
Stacia wrote: "Donna R wrote:...:-)
I'm reading One Hundred Years of Vicissitude now & am enjoying it so far. Did you look at the author's page? I thought he had an interesting section on how t..."
Great find Stacia, how he pulled the story together is interesting and its added to my enjoyment of the book. I love recommendations so thanks for that too.
Misadventure by Nicholas Grinder for the Rumpus Book Club.
I'm starting Yeats' Ireland: An Enchanted Vison; the book was published on the 50th anniversary of Yeats' death in 1939. It is a short work of 185 pages, authorized by Yeats' Estate and edited by a friend of the family, Benedict Kiely.
, second book in Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French. Next on audio gonna start
Sofia wrote: "I'm reading 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. One of my favorite genres is magical realism because it's not too much fantasy or too much reality."Sofia, I will be interested to know how you rate this book. It is on my TBR for 2014.
Right now I am reading I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban for a book discussion. It is worthwhile, and I am happy to have people to discuss the book and related issues with.I am also reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which is slow paced and I am reading it at a slow pace. Enjoyable and quirky.
Sofia wrote: "Janet wrote: "Sofia wrote: "I'm reading 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. One of my favorite genres is magical realism because it's not too much fantasy or too much reality."Sofia,..."
Make no apology, Sofia. Sometimes life gets in the way. I asked, because I really flip-flopped when trying to decide on 2014.
Janet wrote: "Sofia wrote: "I'm reading 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. One of my favorite genres is magical realism because it's not too much fantasy or too much reality."Sofia, I will be int..."
I loved
. It was my first 5* read of the year, my other one is
.Oops wrong response so...
is the most beautiful writing in a book I have read, but boy was it a lot of work - not an easy read.
I'm currently reading
and loving it! I'm about 50% in.
Sarah wrote: "Janet wrote: "Sofia wrote: "I'm reading 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. One of my favorite genres is magical realism because it's not too much fantasy or too much reality."Sofia,..."
Sarah, thanks for your comments on both The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which I am currently reading .....and.....
Love in the Time of Cholera. I own the second, but might let it sit there until I am looking for a challenging book.
Robinson Crusoe: Sebuah Novel by
Daniel DefoeNarrated by John Lee (who sounds like Sean Connery...a great voice)
Just finished The Thirteenth Tale that was really good. I loved it. Its a great story and the writing was absolutely enjoyable.Now tarting True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey.
I am currently read A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny. It's set in a small fictional village called Three Pines outside of Montreal
I just finished The Orenda by Joseph Boyden finally!! Haven't written a review yet as I'm not really sure how I feel about it and how to rate it. I also finished I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron, a book club choice. Rather fluffy to my liking, not as funny as I would have liked and there also wasn't much in it that I could relate too. I did write a Goodreads' review if you want to know more.
I am currently reading another book club choice The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, a Canadian author. It's the first book in a mystery series whose principal character is a very precocious young lady named Flavia de Luce, who's sort of a creative, mad scientist with attitude. It's set in the British countryside and seems very much like a British who done it. It's a fun read.
I started Cockroach by Rawi Hage but put it aside for a bit. I found it rather dark and since I'd just finished The Orenda which I found to be fairly heavy, I decided to switch to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie for some levity. Will be reading Cockroach soon as it's a March Choice for CBC reads and the Canada Reads competition starts shortly.
Vanice wrote: "I am currently read A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny. It's set in a small fictional village called Three Pines outside of Montreal"I've only read the first 4 books it the Three Pines / Inspector Gamache series. I quite like them and plan to read them all. Hope you're enjoying Book 7!!
I have started a book called
- it is set in Estonia and I have a translated coffee. I am looking forward to this one.
Hattie wrote: "Had forgotten about Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Would love to read it. Have to put it back on my list. Is it a series?"It is. I think there are 4 of them.
I'm 26% done with A Pledge of Silence by Flora Solomon. So far is being really interesting. It is a historical fiction about the American nurses serving in the Philippines during WWII.
Sandra wrote: "Hattie wrote: "Had forgotten about Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Would love to read it. Have to put it back on my list. Is it a series?"It is. I think there are 4 of them."
After a break of 2 years, there was another written in 2013 and one in 2014 so there are now 6 in the series.
Just finished A Pledge of SilenceThis was a reading I enjoyed a lot. Flora J. Solomon did a great job recreating the situation in the Philippines during the war. Though I've enjoyed many historical fiction novels set during WWII I haven't really read any set outside of Europe. I wasn't familiar with the facts happened in the Pacific and I loved to know more about them.
The story follows the life of Margie Bauer, who studied to be nurse (a career she's not interested in, but her father thinks is her best option) and is assigned to serve in Sternberg Hospital in Manila. She falls in love with the safe and beautiful Pearl of Orient until face the reality of war when in December 1941 Philippines is taken by Japaneses. She serves in the fields, is captured by the enemy and interned in a war camp during 31 months. Being released does not solve her problems since coming back home is a new painful challenge.
Solomon touches in this novel topics like being a women in the middle of a war, starvation, humiliation, abuse, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it was handled at the time. The outcome is a great novel that was difficult to put down. I absolutely recommend the book to everyone who is interested in experience the war from the perspective of a woman serving in the fields.
Today I'll be starting The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot for my book club.
Finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley who is a Canadian author now living in Malta. It was a fun read. Wouldn't say it was fabulous but good enough to try Book 2 in the series. I also read Benediction by Kent Haruf which I would call a pensive, poignant read. It takes place in a fictional small town in Colorada but it could be any person's story, anywhere as its theme is universal and the small things that make up a lifetime. I am currently about 40% into Straight No Chaser by Jack Batten, another Canadian author who used to be a reporter. It's book #2 in The Crang mysteries series. I like this series for a change of pace because there's humour and lots of wisecracking. Sometimes I need a break and lighter is what I need. Just listened to Day one of the Canada Reads debate. Enjoyable and surprising. Happy Reading!!
Forgot to mention I also read Heart of the Matter my first read by Emily Giffin. It was a book club choice. For me it was ok. We had lots of fun discussion about it and lots of laughs - surprising given its theme of marital infidelity.
Got some great books at Goodwill yesterday for 22 dollars - Olive Kitteridge, The Shipping News - both Pulitzer winners, Cat's Eye, The Satanic Verses in hardback, and The Devil in the White City Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America which I believe Leonardo Dicaprio bought the movie rights to.
Reading
- the apocalypse never has been funnier.
Julia wrote: "We're reading Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie for our library book club selection in April. I'll be starting that as soon as I finish Hollow City, t..."Midnight's Children is a crazy book, but so glad that I read it!
Just finished The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.I liked this book, though I didn't love it. By the moment the letter was opened I already knew what was written in it. This didn't really bother me (I read many reviews complaining about the book being predictable) since I don't think this is a mystery. Mystery is just one of many condiments. So that was fine with me.
I liked the fact that I stopped many times to think what I would have done in the characters situation (this is one of the things that defines a good book to me), though I would never have solved things in the way characters did.
I'm still not sure what I think about the epilogue... Sometimes I think it was unnecessary. Sometimes I think it was a good addition.
It could have been a 4 stars (maybe, I don't know for sure) if I didn't have so many issues about the way she presented the catholic community where the story takes place...
But her writing was funny, fresh and enjoyable enough to want to try another novel by this author. Perhaps today I'm too positive(?)
Now I'm resuming The Visionist by Rachel Urquhart that for some reason is being slow for me...
Sophie's world for the second time. Got so many life questions relentlessly roaming my head
Next of Sin
Set in Warwickshire UK, Japan and Niarobi.
Next Of Sin is a fast paced, well written page turner. Beautifully structured in as much as you start off witnessing a murder from the point of view of the murderer, without knowing which character's head you are inside. This is slowly revealed along with the trail of destruction this character has left behind him. And is done in such a way that the book is full of the type of surprises that make perfect sense as soon as they are revealed, even though you didn't see them coming.
The author cleverly weaves the different aspects of the story together, throwing in lots of twists and turns and plenty of nail biting conflict. The main female characters are feisty and likable, though as someone recently said to me about 'Game of Thrones', don't get too attached to any of the characters. You really don't know who will still be alive on the last page.
A great read and one I'd recommend to anyone who likes crime fiction, thrillers or just well-written, edge-of-your-seat drama.
Around the World in 80 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
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If You Could See the Sun (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Elif Shafak (other topics)Elif Shafak (other topics)
Derek B. Miller (other topics)
Edwin A. Abbott (other topics)
Robert Weintraub (other topics)
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How a..."
I have you to thank Stacia for making to effort to start the book again. I'd read a couple of chapters and was struggling to make sense of things, started again and then - bingo - it all came together. ★★★★★ from me and I'll be making an effort to find more books covering Japan/WW2/recovery/occupation... from a Japanese perspective.