What are you reading March 2012?

[Nancy]

Lisa wrote: "I'm reading Larry's Party by Carol Shields. In 2012, I've challenged myself to read all of the Orange Prize winners."

I also like to pick books from the Orange Prize nominees and read Larry's Party a few months ago. I thought it was excellent.

[Nancy]

Valerie wrote: "Great reading week-end. Finished Divergent which was just a great page turner. Also Children of the Street which I thought was just so-so. Did anyone read his first on..."

I haven't read Children of the Street but have read Eon; right now I'm listening to the audio version of the sequel, Eona. Lots of interesting new plot threads have come up. I'm about halfway through and wondering what twists and turns lie ahead.

[Nancy]

I'm about halfway through "A Game of Thrones," the first in George Martin's ongoing fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire." I was aware of the series before HBO aired its adaptation of the first book last year but had never gotten around to reading any of them. After getting hooked by the series, I knew I'd read them fairly soon and finally succumbed recently, motivated to get through the first volume before the second season of the show begins in a few weeks. I'm also rewatching the HBO shows online and trying to keep my reading and viewing roughly parallel. I thought about going ahead with the second book right away, but after 800 pages I think that will be enough for now! I'll read the next one after the second season of the show, which will probably last about 10 weeks, so in the meantime I'll have plenty of time for other things.

I've been pleasantly surprised to see how closely the film follows the book. Perhaps with 10 hours, rather than just a two-hour movie, the scriptwriters didn't have to omit and condense as much as they otherwise might have. Also, Martin himself is involved with the production, so I imagine he has a fair amount of influence on the adaptation.

[Elizabeth]

Continuing on my Turkey-themed reads:
Finished Gardens of Water: A Novel and really liked it. Started listening to The Oracle of Stamboul and enjoying it so far.

I tend to listen to audio books while driving or traveling, and in the past have had a hard time listening while doing chores, etc. Maybe I'm in the right frame of mind, or maybe the stories are simply catching me - but am having no problems listening while doing dishes or going for a walk.

[Valerie]

Nancy wrote: "Valerie wrote: "Great reading week-end. Finished Divergent which was just a great page turner. Also Children of the Street which I thought was just so-so. Did anyone r..."

I finished Eon last night and loved it. I was surprised that on Amazon the reviews of this book are all over the place - anywhere from 1 to 5 stars. I've ordered Eona from the library. Can't wait.

[Beth]

Nancy wrote: "I'm about halfway through "A Game of Thrones," the first in George Martin's ongoing fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire." I was aware of the series before HBO aired its adaptation of the first b..."

I just started reading Game of Thrones a few days ago. I haven't seen the TV series yet but I added it to my Netflix DVD queue. I kept hearing so many good things about both the book and the show so I decided to give it a try. I'm surprised by how much I like it. When I brought the book home from the library my 11 year-old son said it didn't look like a book I'd like, lol.

[Janet]

Lisa wrote: "I'm reading Larry's Party by Carol Shields. In 2012, I've challenged myself to read all of the Orange Prize winners."

I see that this year's longlist was just announced. I've read 2 from the list but it certainly gave me more suggestions for my TBR.

[Lisa]

I am pretty much in the same boat. The Grief of Others is on my TBR for sure.

[Kathy]

I am currently reading by . It is really good. Reminds me of Wilkie Collins works!

[Callie]

I started on audio yesterday, and it's fun and light. I'm slightly too young for some of the references, but I appreciate where the author is coming from in a general sense. Plus, extra points for the Boston-area references (esp. in terms of radio stations), which I definitely understand.

[Elizabeth☮]

Callie wrote: "I started on audio yesterday, and it's fun and light. I'm slightly too young for som..."

i read this book and i felt like the chapters were titles from my own memoirs of being a teen in the eighties! i LOVED it. but i think that's my age :)

[Robin]

Eric wrote: "

This book reads like a dystopian science fiction novel. Think "1984", "The Handmaid's Tale", or even "The Hunger Games". The difference is that it take..."

What he said! Thank you Eric for "dystopian science fiction novel". These were exactly the words my brain was searching for but could not find. Ann is right, your reviews are great - even when I disagree about the book I learn something new or see a different point of view. Thank you.

[Leanne]

I can't wait to read the orphan masters son!! I'm hoping the kindle price on amazon will go down soon because i cant afford it.

I just finished reading Into the Darkest Corner, which was spectacular! I think I got a little bit of ocd myself over the two days it took me to read it. I really really enjoyed it though. I've got a thirst for psychological thrillers now so i've got Before I Go to Sleep to read now.

[[deleted user]]

I had some trepidation about reading this book. Y'see, I'm a bit of a cynic. I'm not a sports fan. And I'm not patriotic in the G.W. Bush my-country-right-or-wrong-magnetic-flag-on-my-car sense. Also, I'm an atheist. Based on reading a few reviews, I knew it was about an athlete who served his country in WWII, was captured by the Japanese and was enslaved, starved, beaten, and generally treated poorly. And then after the war he found Jesus and forgave his captors. If you're not like me, if you're a flag-waving gung-ho Christian, I will gladly hand you this book with a guarantee that you'll love it. It's the feel-good hit of the new century.

But even if you're a cynic like me, you're still going to love it. Laura Hillenbrand is a good writer. She does a fantastic job taking you back to a more unambiguous age, when good guys were good and bad guys were bad. Yes, I know about the Japanese-American internment camps. I know there are many good humanitarian reasons to second guess the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But when you read this book, it's clear that "our side" has much to be proud of for the way we conducted ourselves in that war. The Japanese, for certain cultural reasons, were worse than the Nazis in how they treated prisoners of war. A POW was deemed to have surrendered, whereas a true warrior should have chosen death. Therefore, POW's were viewed by the Japanese as being dishonored; the lowest of the low. Couple that with the Japanese idea that they were a superior race, and the fact that prison guards were often those that didn't have the right psychological makeup to be proper soldiers. The result is that your average Japanese POW camp was a hotbed of inhuman abuse.

Louie Zamperini, the main character, was brutalized by a vicious sadist named Mutsuhiro Watanabe (called "The Bird" by the POWs). After the war, his self esteem broken, Louie falls into alcoholism, his mind filled with the fervent desire to track down and murder The Bird with his bare hands. He feels his ruined life can only be redeemed in this way. I was rapt as a reader, to find out how he came to a state of forgiveness. I think we'd all like that, wouldn't we? To forgive means releasing the hold the wrongdoer has over one. Very few of us, I'm sure, have experienced the suffering of a Louie Zamperini. But people do hurt other people, physically, through dishonesty, you name it. And people sometimes apologize for these hurts, unsatisfyingly, self-servingly, out of the sides of their mouths. The hollowness of such apologies is apparent, and the resentment remains. So I paid very close attention to the manner in which Zamperini achieved that forgiveness, expecting some explicable psychological process, some method (I mean, in addition to the Christianity explanation). But no, there wasn't one there. Zamperini, after having accepted Jesus at a Billy Graham rally, traveled to Japan. While looking at his former captors on trial, being sentenced, Hillenbrand tells us, "he felt forgiveness". That's it, huh? At some point you just feel it? Ah, well.

I don't want to sell the other elements of the book short. Louie's childhood pranks. (What a piece of work that kid was). His brief but spectacular Olympic career (the 1936 Olympics, held in Hitler's Germany), the 40-plus days spent surviving on a raft in the Pacific after his plane went down. There are a lot of reasons to read this book. A lot of stories to find oneself in. I'm now raring to read Hillenbrand's other, even more lauded book, "Seabiscuit".

[Linda]

Eric wrote: "

I had some trepidation about reading this book. Y'see, I'm a bit of a cynic. I'm not a sports fan. And I'..."

Eric, I don't know why I read - not being a horse race fan, but I did. That was enough for me. I will read anything that Laura Hillenbrand reads from now on.

My take on Louie Zamperini's story is that of a hero when many of us need a reminder of what is truly heroic - and a reminder of the horrors of war.

[nancy]

Eric wrote: "

This book reads like a dystopian science fiction novel. Think "1984", "The Handmaid's Tale", or even "The Hunger Games". The difference is that it take..."
Eric, I agree with Ann...I'm always intrigued with your postings. As to the Orphan Master's Son. I liked the first third and the last third a lot but was confused in the middle. The mixed narrators didn't work for me and the pacing felt off. Now that I'm nearing the end..I can appreciate the book for its inventiveness and use of a truly Foreign location.

[Flora]

Just starting Gone Girl

[Lyn]

My reads for March are - Quiet the power of Introverts, First Grave on the Right, Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Expats & Adaptations from short story to Big Screen.
So far I've finished Quiet which I found fascinating beyond words and First Grave on the Right.

[Sasha]

I picked up The Art of Hearing Heartbeats after hearing about it in your podcast...I just finished it, and it was well worth the read! Thanks for the suggestion!

[Don]

I'm reading a Kindle single Renegade: Henry Miller and the Making of "Tropic of Cancer" . It's interesting to look at Miller from a different decade. I was attracted to his enthusiasm for life when I was in my 20s but now I think what I liked was his "the world owes me a living because I'm an artist" entitlement. It doesn't hold up...
I'm listening to The Lies of Locke Lamora

[Megan]

I was listening to the podcast at the end of 2011 and heard Michael saying he was disappointed he had read only 50 books in 2010 and that's why he started the 11 in 11 challenge. I started thinking that 50 books (or 61 for that matter) is a lot of books! I started keeping track of how many books I'm reading in 2012. I've never kept track before but I bet I read around 15 a year so I decided to aim for 30 this year. I am currently averaging two a month so I'm doing pretty well!

Currently I am reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking and Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West at the same time. I loved the musical and always wanted to try the book. It is pretty good so far. I am loving Quiet. I didn't realize until recently that I am an introvert (basically because I was incorrect about the definition) and have been completely fascinated by this book.

I also have a whole list of other books from the podcast I want to read. I am so excited to get to the next one!

[Elizabeth☮]

Eric wrote: "

I had some trepidation about reading this book. Y'see, I'm a bit of a cynic. I'm not a sports fan. And I'..."

i think hillenbrand is a gifted writer. and i think you'll really enjoy her descriptions of the horse racing in Seabiscuit: An American Legend. when i read it, i knew i would read anything by this woman from that point on.

[Kevin]

Eric...love the scene in the raft when the chocolate "disappears."

I read Seabiscuit a few years ago and loved it!

[[deleted user]]

Some keen observations of human traits and behaviors here. Particularly of people with depression and bipolar disorder, which affect the two main characters.

Jack Bolling is a thirty year old commodities trader in New Orleans who has found a niche to occupy, but has no real ambitions other than to go to movies and dally with a succession of secretaries. But underneath all that, he feels he's on a search for meaning that can't be answered by the brand of patrician conservatism espoused by his Aunt Emily. One constant in his life is his cousin, Kate Cutrer, a bright, witty woman who is subject to debilitating mood swings.

Question, how come when cousins marry in the poor classes, we laugh and cue the banjo music, but when rich people do it, it's all proper and preserves the bloodline, old chaps?

I liked it though. It reminded me of in many ways. Not that Percy is as terse as Hemingway, just that he gives the same sense to the daily living of life. But whereas with TSAR, Jake find a calm escape from the struggles of life on a fishing trip, Jack "Binx" Bolling finds one in an unintentional visit with family at a bayou fishing cabin. Even though the fishing element is common to both interludes, it is family, not nature (as in Hemingway) which provides the solace.

Our friend Vanessa said she and her friends tried to parse the Catholic message and didn't have much luck. I didn't either. Although one clue might be in , wherein a do-gooder atheist and a do-gooder Catholic meet and find a lot in common. I know Percy read and was influenced by the existentialists, including Camus. Maybe a further delving into his later novels will show better how his religion and his philosophy interact.

[[deleted user]]

I finished Wingshooters yesterday. This is a must-read for everyone.

[Deidre]

I'm about halfway through The Hunger Games...

[Becky]

Just started

[[deleted user]]

Becky wrote: "Just started "

I'll spoil it for you. The last line is "Help! Help! I don't have any arms!"

[Robin]

Finished The Greater Journey: Americans in Parisby by David McCullough on audio. I did not want this book to end. Story of American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects,inventors, and others who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900. Delicious history.

[Cory Day]

Last night I finished War and Peace!!! It took a month and a half (during which I read 14 much shorter, mainly lighter books), but I can cross it off the list!

Next up is Oliver Twist, but I might need a light YA book or something in between as a palate cleanser. I'll see how it goes :)

Also am finishing The City: A Global History. As an architect, I'm finding it very basic, but that means I'll be done quickly and onto something else. And since I got The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales to read 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue', I figure I'll finish the volume. And finally, also as palate cleanser, Fables, Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons. Whew.

[Janet]

I went to the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend and now I have so many books added to my TBR it isn't even funny. The weather was outstanding and the author sessions were great....but I didn't feel it was very well organized. On Saturday, people were turned away when sessions got too full....they need a better method and I'm not sure the carnival like atmosphere is what book lover's really want...it almost seemed like two festivals. I forget who on here said they were going but if you see this, let's talk about it in email.
Reading Trail of the Spellmans , The House At Riverton, and The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World

[Valerie]

Robin wrote: "Finished The Greater Journey: Americans in Parisby by David McCullough on audio. I did not want this book to end. Story of American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architect..."

I just started this so glad to hear that it's worth the effort.

[Valerie]

Picked up A Bee in a Cathedral: And 99 Other Scientific Analogies at the library on Sunday. It uses unusual analogies to explain science like why is a chemical reaction like a ham sandwich? Lots of illustrations and color.

[Vera]

Just finished listening to "Enemies of the People" by Kati Marton. It's a fascinating story of her parents' struggles as AP and UP correspondents in Hungary after WWII and leading up to the Hungarian Revolution. Both of her parents were imprisoned by the secret police and eventually emigrated with Kati and her sister to the US. A very moving story and amazing what the human spirit can endure. The author shared her experiences gathering research for the book and I can only imagine how painful it must have been for her. I recommend this book for history buffs or anyone interested in the era of the Iron Curtain being lowered.

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

i just started May the Road Rise Up to Meet You: A Novel and am really enjoying it so far

[Linda]

Starting

[Becky]

reading

[Elizabeth]

Finished The Oracle of Stamboul which I liked. Re-read Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals, an old fave to read before trips, and currently listening to The Bastard of Istanbul

[Callie]

Finished on audio yesterday. Fun and funny, 3.5 stars. One downside (that didn't affect my review) is that the audio kept breaking up and skipping, with several chapters ending prematurely. I borrowed this from my library online as an mp3. Anyone else ever have this problem? I'm not even totally sure who to contact.

Next up on audio is .

[Joanne-in-Canada]

Eric wrote: "The last line is "Help! Help! I don't have any arms!""

GROAN!!

[Dawn]

Pamela wrote: "I am new to Miami, so I am currently reading "Stiltsville" by Susanna Daniel for a new book group I joined, and also plan to read "Shutter Island" for another book group I'm considering at the loca..."

Hi Pamela - Joan Didion's "Miami" is a great read and will give you an entirely different perspective on the city. I lived in the area for nearly a decade before I read it and found that it, well, explained a lot!

[Becky]

Starting

[Retha]

This week I began Left Neglectd by Lisa Genova. Great book; I'm already halfway done.

[Teresa]

Currently reading

[[deleted user]]

Vera wrote: "Just finished listening to "Enemies of the People" by Kati Marton. It's a fascinating story of her parents' struggles as AP and UP correspondents in Hungary after WWII and leading up to the Hung..."

Thanks for the reminder, Vera. It's going on my to-read list right now. If you liked her writing I'd recommend The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World.

[Elizabeth☮]

i finished which just has left me speechless.

i am starting .

[nancy]

Looking for some recommendations for fiction about the world of art or an artist..Thanks

[The Pirate Ghost]

I just finished and I'm almost done with . I'm not sure what to take up next, but, it'll come to me.

[Denise]

Working on The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb; Running the Rift; Excellent Women and The Shipping News.

Completed The Year of the Flood, audioversion. I have to say that I may have enjoyed the book rather than the audio. The character Adam One, often delivers sermons which are supposed to draw the story together and offer insights. In the audioversion his talks are followed by "singing". At this point the story is woven with music and song, literally. I found this not only annoying but distracting. this is one book I would not recommend as audioversion. Thse story and plot were great, the harmony was flat.

[Denise]

nancy wrote: "Looking for some recommendations for fiction about the world of art or an artist..Thanks"

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.