Books on the Nightstand discussion
What do you want us to talk/write about?
Amy wrote: "Muffysbookclub© wrote: "Hi AnnThe Steam Punk genre might shake things up? Where it originated from, how popular it's become and why. Also which steam punk books are top 10 in the world. I would r..."
Hi Amy
I will go back and check and see if I still have any questions in mind.
Thank you for your comment. Have an awesome day! :)
Hey guys! Today I just received an invite to that new book recommending site called Riffle. I know that several of you (at least Becky and Eric) had commented that you hadn't received a response since you signed up in January. That was about the same time I requested an invite so you all might want to check your e-mails. Its a beautiful site and I need to do some more research into how it works, but I was wondering if anyone knew how to upload books from Goodreads into it so you don't have to start your library from scratch? Ann and Michael if you all are familiar with Riffle maybe you guys could tell us some tips and tricks. Looking forward to this new medium to explore recommendations:-)!
What are the thoughts about this article from MSN about Modern Classics?http://living.msn.com/life-inspired/i...
Hi Ann and Michael - I'm not quite sure how you would talk about this, but of course that's your job to figure out ;)I'm not one to read book reviews from start to finish because I like to read a book with a very vague idea of what it's about and most reviews give far too much detail. However, sometimes I find that a review is so well written and I enjoy reading it so much that I do read it in it's entirety. This piques my curiosity and I want to learn more about the reviewer and read their works. Some reviews make this easy (NY Times Book Review) because they list the reviewers recent works. Others are obvious because it's a famous author doing the review. But sometimes I've found an author that was completely unknown to me because I read their review of someone else's work and found it so wonderfully written that I end up reading through all of their work.
Mod
Myself, I find this happens more with editors. I follow some editors as they seem to pick books that resonate with me.
Carol wrote: "If anyone can figure out how to talk about this it will be Ann & Michael. What I think you are talking about is trust. You find a reviewer, like what they wrote, read the book and find their commen..."Carol - I agree...this would be a great topic. I do not know enough about editors, but would love to find some I trust...Katie Adams, introduced to us at Booktopia 2011, Manchester, is certainly one I follow...
Carol wrote: "If anyone can figure out how to talk about this it will be Ann & Michael. What I think you are talking about is trust. You find a reviewer, like what they wrote, read the book and find their commen..."I agree. I do the same thing with certain imprints. Based on my history with them, I am pretty much guaranteed to like anything that Amy Einhorn or Pamela Dorman publishes. I am sure there are others, but those are the two that spring immediately to mind. I'll have to start paying attention to whether there are any reviewers that seem to consistently gel with my reading tastes.
I want to start by saying I LOVE your podcast! It is so refreshing and you two really click together - a match made in literary heaven! I would like to hear either an interview or review of Joe Hill's NOS4A2. I just started it and it has been amazing so far. He's a chip off the old block for sure.
Looking forward to the next podcast!
Thanks.
Halle wrote: "Carol wrote: "If anyone can figure out how to talk about this it will be Ann & Michael. What I think you are talking about is trust. You find a reviewer, like what they wrote, read the book and fin..."
I will read almost anything Europa Editions publishes.
I will read almost anything Europa Editions publishes.
Mod
I'm an Other Press person... Other Person? :-)
Mod
Ditto - though I had to read that twice. Other Press publishes some great books.
Tanya/dog eared copy wrote: "I'm an Other Press person... Other Person? :-)"Me too!
I feel like I'm hi-jacking this thread but what are some of your "Other Press" favorites? I perused the website but only saw a couple of titles that I recognized although I admit to absolutely loving
I also loved Galore, The Quickening, and I still have to read The Reservoir.ETA: One of my favorite thing about Other Press is their book jackets, they're pretty much always gorgeous.
Mod
Mod
Atria books is on my radar too! Many good authors and books, but sometimes another publisher lures my favorites away.
Janet wrote: "I feel like I'm hi-jacking this thread but what are some of your "Other Press" favorites? ..."
I don't remember how it came to my attention, but my first exposure to Other Press was a very slim volume, The Patience Stone (by Atiq Rahimi; translated by Polly McLean.) It's the story of a woman "Somewhere in Afghanistan or elsewhere" who must take care of her husband who has been reduced to a coma-like state as a result of his military activities. As time goes on, she goes from dutifully taking care of him to talking to him to telling him all sorts of things! The story reads almost like a play in its Spartan prose, but it is very intense. It won Le Prix Goncourt in 2008. From there, I went on to read Atiq Rahimi's Earth and Ashes and A Thousand Rooms of Dream and Fear. I re-read the three books often and come away from them with something different every time!
Other Press also brought The Glass Room (by Simon Mawer) to the U.S. The Glass Room is actually a whole house based on the real-life Villa Tugendhat designed by Mies van der Rohe. The Glass Room serves as a backdrop for the people who come into possession of the avant-garde house. This was the 2009 Man Booker Prize winner. Katie Adams (nee Henderson) was the US editor of The Glass House and was also the editor for John Milliken Thompson's The Reservoir which was featured at the first BOTN Readers' Retreat. The Reservoir is the fictional re-telling of an actual event that happened in Richmond, VA in 1885: A woman was found drowned at the local reservoir. The author draws from research and creates an account of what may have happened.
As Carol mentioned, the actual book designs are gorgeous too! When you have an Other Press book in hand, you feel like you have something that's been crafted rather than "merely" published.
Pretty much, if I see the Other Press logo on the spine, I want it :-)
I don't remember how it came to my attention, but my first exposure to Other Press was a very slim volume, The Patience Stone (by Atiq Rahimi; translated by Polly McLean.) It's the story of a woman "Somewhere in Afghanistan or elsewhere" who must take care of her husband who has been reduced to a coma-like state as a result of his military activities. As time goes on, she goes from dutifully taking care of him to talking to him to telling him all sorts of things! The story reads almost like a play in its Spartan prose, but it is very intense. It won Le Prix Goncourt in 2008. From there, I went on to read Atiq Rahimi's Earth and Ashes and A Thousand Rooms of Dream and Fear. I re-read the three books often and come away from them with something different every time!
Other Press also brought The Glass Room (by Simon Mawer) to the U.S. The Glass Room is actually a whole house based on the real-life Villa Tugendhat designed by Mies van der Rohe. The Glass Room serves as a backdrop for the people who come into possession of the avant-garde house. This was the 2009 Man Booker Prize winner. Katie Adams (nee Henderson) was the US editor of The Glass House and was also the editor for John Milliken Thompson's The Reservoir which was featured at the first BOTN Readers' Retreat. The Reservoir is the fictional re-telling of an actual event that happened in Richmond, VA in 1885: A woman was found drowned at the local reservoir. The author draws from research and creates an account of what may have happened.
As Carol mentioned, the actual book designs are gorgeous too! When you have an Other Press book in hand, you feel like you have something that's been crafted rather than "merely" published.
Pretty much, if I see the Other Press logo on the spine, I want it :-)
Oh! This is an old thread, but we've just started looking for audio books to take on our summer travels and are hungry for suggestions - specifically for family friendly titles - we have two boys, 11 and 7 and audio books are a HUGE help on road trips. Maybe other parents would enjoy this info as well??? We've thoroughly enjoyed the Series of Unfortunate Events series read by Tim Curry and The Wayside School series read by Louis Sachar. Considering Bunicula this go round, thoughts? Thanks for considering, my want-to-read book shelf is full of great recommendations from your podcast!!!!
Cynthia wrote: "Oh! This is an old thread, but we've just started looking for audio books to take on our summer travels and are hungry for suggestions - specifically for family friendly titles - we have two boys, ..."Hi Cynthia! Have you tried the Harry Potter series on audio? One of my favorites...Jim Dale does the U.S. version and he's wonderful! He does all the voices for the different characters. Even if you've read the books and/or seen the movies, I think the audio books are a good listen. Happy travels!
Cynthia, there is an Audiobooks group on Goodreads. If I were you, I'd join it and ask for suggestions there. Those people know everything that's out there. They are really good resources. I listen to a lot of audiobooks but most of my listens are not suitable for children.
Cynthia wrote: "Oh! This is an old thread, but we've just started looking for audio books to take on our summer travels and are hungry for suggestions - specifically for family friendly titles - we have two boys, ..."Peter and the Starcatchers is a great series on audio (also narrated by Jim Dale).
I'd like to hear a show about how readers select which books they want to read. What criteria comes into play? Looks? Content? Whether they can relate to the topic? Etc.Just thought it sounds interesting and would make for a good debate btw you two.
Thanks! Happy reading!!
Halle wrote: "Cynthia wrote: "Oh! This is an old thread, but we've just started looking for audio books to take on our summer travels and are hungry for suggestions - specifically for family friendly titles - we..."Check out Alan Bradley's series starring Flavian DeLuce. They might enjoy that.
Chanda2426 wrote: "I'd like to hear a show about how readers select which books they want to read. What criteria comes into play? Looks? Content? Whether they can relate to the topic? Etc.Just thought it sounds inte..."
This I would find a very interesting topic.
Mod
I want to suggest the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. There are 22 books in the series, although I don't know if all 22 are available as audio books. Quite a few of the first ones are. They are stories about the anthropomorphic animals who live in the Redwall abbey and the pirates and thieves who try to take over the abbey.
Chanda2426 wrote: "I'd like to hear a show about how readers select which books they want to read. What criteria comes into play? Looks? Content? Whether they can relate to the topic? Etc.Just thought it sounds inte..."
This is a great idea! I always wonder how people decide what to read. A lot of friends ask me for recommendations since they know I read a lot, and I find my books from tons of resources (it's really resource overkill, as it makes my list TBR way too long). Good topic idea!!
So this would be a listener participation show or are you more interested in what the research says is how readers choose what to read? I recently read an article that basically said that after a potential reader sees a title advertised a certain number of times, it goes on the to be acquired list. I guess the actual reading of that title might have different criteria.
Mod
Janet- I think listener participation is a great idea!Personally, I try to pick a different genre with each book I read, so as not to get burned out on any one topic, etc. It also keeps my reading interesting and fresh. For instance, my last three books were "NOS4A2" by Joe Hill; "Flora" by Gail Godwin and "Reconstructing Ameila" by Kimberly McCreight. I like the idea of listeners sharing their last few books as well.
I am not nearly so focused. I own about 1500 books that I have not read and I continue to add more. I like having a lot of choice. I notice what my Goodreads friends are reading and when it's time for a new book, I go to the shelves and pull several books. I usually read a few pages of each and see what grabs me. The others go back on the shelf. That's for print books. I always have audio going in the car and that is dependent on what's available from the library. I start much more than I finish. My last few reads were Wonder, The Expats and The Woman Upstairs....I don't think I could have found 3 more different books if I had tried. But I too find the reading easier if I mix it up. Too many similar books drag me down and I'm a slow reader to start with. I'm also pretty cheap about acquiring books, Wonder was an audio from the library, The Expats I picked up at a thrift store for $2.99, and The Woman Upstairs was an ARC. I guess you might say my reading is mostly influenced by serendipity (whatever comes my way). I did buy a full priced copy of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena because of the podcast and I will buy a retail copy ofAnd the Mountains Echoedbecause I want to see Khaled Hosseini in person. But those are rare exceptions.I should also add I probably spend more time reading about books than I do actually reading so I have a heightened awareness of what's out there that I might be interested in.
Mod
We're twins! At least mentally.
Make that triples! I try to mix it up. Read Mister Pip, Old Filth and am now reading And The Mountains Echoed. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is my favorite so far this year!! I read and listen at the same time - I thought audio was wonderful.
Janet wrote: "I should also add I probably spend more time reading about books than I do actually reading so I have a heightened awareness of what's out there that I might be interested in."LOL - same here. I love reading about the premise of a book. It sparks the imagination and excitement to read it - if written well.
You all enabled my book addiction. I am guilty of reading more about books than actually reading. I do it to seek out more books because I think books are comforting & make for great conversation. I've tried grounding myself from buying more but it never takes. Being a slow reader I firmly believe there are not enough hours in the day to indulge.
At least I am not the only one listening to podcasts about books. I keep thinking I should be reading but NO, I'm listening and buying way more than I should.
Ditto Tina & Sally! I too am a book geek! I have a box of books next to my nightstand that I need to read, but I keep winning more goodreads giveaways and borrowing from the library the books I hear about on BOTNS podcast, NPR podcasts and bookpage. There's never enough time for reading! I could read all day and it still wouldn't be enough!!
My book shelf is ever growing too and I've also tried to ground myself from buying more till I've read some of the titles waiting but it doesn't work .... I love my books, inherited it from my mum ... So I think my book cases and little stacks of books will just keep growing as I listening to more about books and get lots of ideas to buy more :)
Chanda2426 wrote: "Ditto Tina & Sally! I too am a book geek! I have a box of books next to my nightstand that I need to read, but I keep winning more goodreads giveaways and borrowing from the library the books I hea..."I'm in the same boat. I just discovered BOTNS a couple of weeks ago and my list of books to read is growing much too fast. Everything sounds so good. (And I have gone back and started listening to BOTNS from Episode 1 onward -- so I'm in big trouble.)
Toni wrote: "Chanda2426 wrote: "Ditto Tina & Sally! I too am a book geek! I have a box of books next to my nightstand that I need to read, but I keep winning more goodreads giveaways and borrowing from the libr..."Toni, I hear you! Ever since I've started "back at the beginning," downloading the archived BOTNS podcast episodes and starting from #1, my To Read list has been completely out of control. I think I have something like 19 books currently checked out from the library. My only problem is that I often listen to the podcasts on my iPod while I am taking my dog out for a run, and I end up writing the names of new 'To Read' books on my hand, arms, etc....
Ha ha! I listen to the podcasts in bed. The next morning, I go to the show notes and get the titles and authors. Those are really handy.
Kate wrote: "Ever since I've started "back at the beginning," downloading the archived BOTNS podcast episodes and starting from #1, my To Read list has been completely out of control. ..."My TBR list has well over 800 books on it now. *Sigh*.
Ha! Good luck to you, Kate. I wish we could all retire and just read.
Toni wrote: "Ha! Good luck to you, Kate. I wish we could all retire and just read."*like!*
Ann and Michael, once you've recovered from Book Expo America, I wish you'd devote a section of one show to describing all that you saw and heard. BEA sounds like a carnival midway especially for bibliophiles. Is it as much fun--and as exhausting--as the rest of us imagine?
How do ebook sellers select titles for daily flash deals? The topic was recently in the news, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/bus..., but there is no mention of how the titles are chosen. Or who is doing the choosing.
Books on the Nightstand
Books mentioned in this topic
The Looking-Glass Sisters (other topics)Leviathan Wakes (other topics)
The Glass Room (other topics)
The Invisible Bridge (other topics)
Ancillary Justice (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Annie Dillard (other topics)Lia Purpura (other topics)
Joni Tevis (other topics)
Athol Dickson (other topics)
Mark Helprin (other topics)
More...
Hi Ann and Michael -
How about: Dystopian fiction - it's a huge genre/theme right now and there are so many novels. Why?
Another idea: Top 5 narrative non-fiction