What Are You Reading May 2012

[Janet]

I am really looking forward to Duncan's sequel called Talullah Rising....comes out the end of June.

[nancy]

Callie wrote: "I finished World Without End on audio and I loved it. For some reason (I'm pretty sure that reason is named John Lee) I really have enjoyed Ken Follett's books on audio.

Now, I am in desperate nee..."

I loved Defending Jacob and Rules of Civility on tape.

[nancy]

I just finished Heft ad it was great. Still listening to Newlyweds and really enjoying it. About to start a Booktopia Santa Cruz choice.. Any recommendations?

[Dawn]

Just starting - finding it fascinating. I'm old enough to have a vague sense of some of this history, but young enough(relatively speaking) that I was never aware of the details.

[[deleted user]]

I found myself talking back to Malcolm X a lot in this book.

Malcolm X achieved fame as a Minister in the Nation of Islam, which is not to be confused with the orthodox or mainstream version of that religion. Rather, it was a Black separatist religion that included a mythology called "Yacub's History", in which an evil black scientist named Yacub was supposed to have created the white man "the Devil" as sort of a lab experiment. After serving a few years in prison in the early fifties and converting to the NoI while incarcerated, Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X, as he later came to be known, became a minister in the faith and preached this hateful doctrine for about ten years.

Malcolm made his first journey to the Middle East in 1959 and saw how orthodox Islam was practiced and by whom (all races, including whites). In Spike Lee's film, it was presented that it was this first trip that converted Malcolm away from his hateful views, toward a message of tolerance. I was disappointed to read in this book that that wasn't strictly true. It wasn't until his third trip to the Middle East, in 1964, that Malcolm dropped the hate rhetoric.

He was eventually shunned by the NoI and marked for death, as many heretics of that faith were. In Malcolm's case, he earned an especial vehemence of hatred from the NoI because he exposed the adultery of its leader, Elijah Mohammed. He was killed by NoI members, perhaps with the aid of federal and local authorities, depending on who you believe. Current NoI offshoot leader Louis Farrakhan, originally a friend and protege of Malcolm's was one of the voices calling for his death.

I guess I feel more respect than admiration for the man. To my mind, he preached hate for far too long, and didn't turn it around into positive action until much too late. I understand that the time of his dying was not of his own choosing, but there were so many wasted years there.

Loved the book though. It presented me with a character with whom I disagreed, and with whom I carried on hours of spirited debate in my mind before I closed the covers.

[Tasha]

Janet wrote: "I am really looking forward to Duncan's sequel called Talullah Rising....comes out the end of June."

I'm surprising myself by loving The Last Werewolf and I went ahead and put Talulla Rising on hold at the library. I'm not yet half way through but I'm so looking forward to tonight to get back to the story!

[Janet]

Isn't it great when you love a book that you didn't expect to? May we all have many great surprises in our reading lives!

[Kelly]

I'm reading Malarky by Anakana Schofield right now. I got an ARC from a First Reads giveaway. The title and cover threw me off a little, but I'm so glad I picked it up. Schofield has a unique writing style and the book has one of the best uses of non-linear narratives I've read in a while. I can't wait to finish it.

[nancy]

Just started The Bakers Wife for Santa Cruz.. It's very good

[Tasha]

Janet wrote: "Isn't it great when you love a book that you didn't expect to? May we all have many great surprises in our reading lives!"

YES to both comments! :)

[Elizabeth☮]

i started Thumped last night.

[Rhonda]

Just started my 10th book for "12 books off my bookshelves" goal. This one was actually not even on my shelves anymore - it was stored while I had a room re-done & hadn't brought all my books back in. I really liked this author many years ago, and so far I like this book as well!

[Kate]

Finished Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and am so jealous of y'all who get to meet Tom Franklin in Oxford. I really enjoyed it so much. Not sure where to go next: The Sparrow or Half-Blood Blues: A Novel or should I finally finishThe Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest? I'll have to see where my mood takes me, but I am open to suggestion.

[Linda]

Finished - interesting, just don't like such explicit sex in my books, my bedroom is fine, but...not just with the book. (An aside, my friend that I'm traveling to Oxford with wants an audio book to listen to on the trip - I told her I blushed enough reading this alone - I wouldn't be able to be in the car with her if we listened to this.)

Starting

[Travis]

Amy wrote: "Just started Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind [bookcover:Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood]. I have seen the movie numerous times, but n..."

I would encourage you to read Rhett Butler's People at some point after you finish GWTW. I didn't read them close together, but found it to be fun way to revisit the characters without having to get caught up in whether or not I found the ongoing story in the later sequels to be believable or not.

[Valerie]

I read The Language of Flowers a few weeks ago and enjoyed it very much. I'm becoming a foster parent so it was interesting to hear Victoria's perspective. I found Elizabeth to be very inspiring.

Just finished last night Wanted Women: Faith, Lies, and the War on Terror: The Lives of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Aafia Siddiqui Scroggins is an amazing writer. This is a real page turner despite its heavy subject matter. Scroggins identifies two polar opposites in the war on terror - Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Aafia Saddiqui - and contrasts them through alternating chapters. It's really a dual biography. Haven't seen that done since Crazy Horse and Custer which is also excellent.

Currently reading The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL as I prepare to leave on a volunteering trip.

[Elizabeth]

Thanks for the reco on Wanted Women Valerie. Have added to my TBR pile.

[Amy]

Travis wrote: "I would encourage you to read Rhett Butler's People at some point after you finish GWTW

Will do, thanks for the suggestion.

[Slpeirce]

Absolution

Finished Absolution by Patrick Flanery, and still mulling it over. About a writer who returns to South Africa to write a biography of Clare Wald, a South African novelist. Multiple viewpoints leave you trying to sort out what is truth and how do you seek and receive forgiveness.

[Tasha]

@Valerie, The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL has been on my radar for so long. Would love to hear your comments when you are done.

[Tasha]

I finished and loved it. I can't wait for the next in the series. I'm currently reading and thinking this may end being a 5 star read for me!

[Tiffani]

I'm reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain and am loving it so far.

[Nancy]

I've just begun a book called "Lark and Termite" by Jayne Ann Phillips. This book was on my "check out again" list, meaning I had gotten it from the library at least once but never gotten to it. I'm only a short ways into it but eager to continue. Before this, I zipped through a kids/YA book called "Land of the Silver Apples" by Nancy Farmer. I've read or listened to several of her books, including the sequel to this one, and have always felt she's a good storyteller. This particular one struck me as a bit too simple for my tastes in terms of the reading level (the jacket says ages 10-14), which I didn't feel with the others. Still, since this is a trilogy, I'll go ahead and read the final one in the series.

I've also started "War and Peace" after deciding to participate in a summer read-along. The recommended reading schedule is about 100 pages a week, and the book has about 1200 pages. I don't want to devote the entire summer to just this, so I've decided to read it at my own pace along with whatever else I want to read. It is very slow going, at least at this early stage. Every other paragraph seems to have a note at the bottom of the page translating passages that were written in French and a number linked to an extensive section of explanatory notes at the end of the book clarifying references to people, places, and historical events unfamiliar to most contemporary readers. Following up on all of those notes interferes with the flow of the text, but if I don't read them I won't have a clue what's going on! I can't promise I'll stick with it, but I intend to give it a good shot.

On audio, I'm about 3/4 through a long book called "The Lonely Polygamist" by Brady Udall. The title character has worked himself into a potentially dangerous situation that could affect not just him but his four wives and 20+ children and has finally admitted to himself that he has no idea how to effectively resolve the mess he's made of everything. I'm dying to know what will happen to him and the various other characters who have sizable roles. With all those wives and kids, the author understandably focuses in detail only on a few of them to portray the dynamics of this tribe.

I'm not sure what I'll listen to next. I just got a copy of the latest in the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and also have the audio version of book that I've heard a lot about, Alice LaPLante's Turn of Mind. Both are calling my name, and as a practical matter I want to make sure I get to them within the library's checkout period because they probably can't be renewed.

[Melissa Wiebe]

Just started for my book club meeting on Saturday. I am hoping to get it done in time (I am the one presenting the book).

[Lil]

I am behind the times. Just listened to podcast #179 and was already set to post about Fifty Shades of Grey. I got it on e-loan from the library and it was perfect holiday beach reading.

I didn't love it. I really enjoyed the first half or so, but then the characters got kind of maudlin towards the end and I was ready to be done. I am actually sad that I didn't love it as I am all for steamy romance. I am not planning on reading the other two unless anyone feels they get better as it goes on??? It was absolutely worthwhile reading since every other person you run into has read them. Fun for water cooler discussions!

What does really make me wonder is why this happened to be such a phenomenon. I honestly think it's really the romance that people connect with, more than the kinky sex and there are so many wonderful romance novels out there. It seems like the fact the book is popular gives people permission to read a genre they would routinely enjoy. I am happy that this is getting people to read and giving lots of people enjoyment. I love good romance novels.

Speaking of romance novels...how about a show topic? They seem to get ignored by folks like ourselves (avid, broad readers) or closeted by same. Call in show?

[Elizabeth]

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
This is quite a delightful book that gently explores themes of family, loss, love, racism, and how the world changes in unexpected ways. I listened to the audio version of the book, and loved the narrator. I am not sure I would have finished the book if I had been sitting down to read it, but found myself engrossed in the story, and talking back to the characters on my walks and while doing dishes.

Three Weeks in December
I decided to browse the new books shelves at my library the other day. I sometimes miss the wonderful act of browsing and selecting books that look good to me. No reading reviews to see what others thought about my selections. And this is one of the gems I picked up. I had not heard of this book or author before, and I love Europa editions, so made a tall glass of iced tea (Passionfriut) and settled in for what turned out to be a wonderful read. There are two stories set about a hundred years apart. One in Kenya (my homeland), and the other in Rwanda. A lovely romp of a tale. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

[Elizabeth☮]

i started .

[Dawn]

Reading .

[Jena]

Currently reading The Weird Sisters and greatly enjoying it. Impressed by the voice, which uses all three sisters to tell the tale, but not singularly. The use of "we" threw me off at first, but once I figured it out, it's pretty impressive. Would've been very hard to write, I think.

On the TBR pile: , , and whatever other books I have waiting for me at the library. Next time I experience a lull in library holds, I'd like to read .

[[deleted user]]

The next person to post, remember to start the June thread.