Constant Reader discussion
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Constant Reader
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What I'm Reading - June 2012
Marjorie wrote: "Thanks, Book Concierge, for your review of Washington Square. I have been meaning to read it; now I definitely will do so. One of my all-time favorite films is THE HEIRESS (1949) with Olivia de H..."I adored The Heiress when I was a teen. No idea then that it was Henry James, callow youngster that I was.
Ruth wrote: "Marjorie wrote: "Thanks, Book Concierge, for your review of Washington Square. I have been meaning to read it; now I definitely will do so. One of my all-time favorite films is THE HEIRESS (1949)..."Me, too. I've never read the book, although it's been on my radar for a long damn time.
Kat wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "
Washington Square – Henry James
4****
Honestly, I don’t know why I waited so long to read a Henry James novel. For some reason I thought he wou..."
As I get older I like James more and more. His insight into complicated emotions and difficult or subtle personal and social exchanges is unmatched. My own favorite is The Ambassadors. The gradual shift in Lambert Strether's outlook from a narrow convention to a more fulfilling one, and his quiet rebellion, are marvelous.
Just read The Housekeeper and the Professor which I loved and recommend. Also reading Someone Knows My Name and hope to be nearly finished for the discussion tomorrow. I am enjoying this book also. Very consistent voice.
Someone Knows My Name is a such a great book.
I've finished reading The Client by John Grisham last night and now I'm reading Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon.
Journey to the End of the Night by Celine: 5 stars. The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan: 3 stars.
About halfway through Desert Solitaire.
Hi Geoff - I have The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals on my TBR list, would be interested to hear whether you think it is worth a read...
Sara Grace ('00-'05) wrote: "Sadly the cd for Someone Knows My Name from the library was pretty messed up. Now we are headed out on vacation so it will probably have to wait. I am currently loading Elegy for April and Our Man ..."I get the audiobooks from the library, and load them on my iPod. The quality is always very good, and this is how I listened to Someone Knows My Name. I loved that book!
The Bridge of San Luis Rey – Thornton Wilder
3.5***
The novel begins at noon on July 20, 1714, when the “finest bridge in all Peru” suddenly collapses, sending five people plummeting to their deaths. A Franciscan missionary, Brother Juniper, witnesses the calamity and asks, “Why those five?” He feels this Act of God must have specifically targeted those people, and none of the other thousands of citizens who might have been on the bridge instead. So he investigates the lives of the five victims in an attempt to understand what happened.
This is a moral fable in which Wilder tries to answer the question, “Is there a direction and meaning in lives beyond the individual’s own will?” He explores the characters’ motivations in life, their triumphs and disappointments. Its universal appeal is that Wilder is writing about human nature – conflicted, noble, contradictory, loving, and exasperating. He holds a mirror up to the reader’s own soul, asking the reader to examine his or her own actions and reactions.
Then Prime Minister Tony Blair read the closing sentences of this work at the memorial service for British victims of the Sept 11 attack on the World Trade Center: “Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.”
Book Concierge wrote: "The Bridge of San Luis Rey – Thornton Wilder
3.5***
The novel begins at noon on July 20, 1714, when the “finest bridge in all Peru” suddenly collapses, sendi..."
It must be about 45 years since I read this, but I remember loving it.
Greer, yes, I would say that The Omnivore's Dilemma is worth it (he says with a half-skeptical squint), but if you've already thought much about modern food production and the ethics of meat-eating, this book won't raise any new ideas for you and won't especially challenge what you already think. I'm going to use it in my English III class next year, in my quarter on "Nature." For me, as adult reading, it's not quite challenging or exacting enough to justify its 400 pages.
The Big Bad Wolf – James Patterson
Book on CD performed by Peter Jay Fernandez and Denis O’Hare
2**
Alex Cross has left the Washington DC police department to join the FBI. He’s still in training, but his reputation precedes him and so he is tapped to lead a major investigation into a kidnapping ring. The criminal mastermind behind the kidnapping spree is a Russian Mafia kingpin called The Wolf. Brilliant, ruthless, cunning, and incredibly wealthy, he is always ahead of the FBI who bumble along making mistake after mistake. Only Alex Cross seems to have any brains among his new cohorts.
Speaking of which, Patterson’s plot is full of mistakes, holes, subplots that go nowhere, and an obvious set-up to continue the lucrative franchise. But I have to give the guy credit for being able to craft suspense. He has mastered the genre; short sentences, short paragraphs, short chapters that always end just before the reader is satisfied, all add up to a formula that keeps you turning pages.
Fernandez and O’Hare do a credible job of voicing the many characters. My main complaint about the audio book is the cheesy “suspense” music and deep studio-enhanced voice that announces each chapter as if one’s life depended on this information. Then there’s the even cheesier “soft” music alerting us to a tender scene with Cross and his children. Puh-leeze!
Im reading Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. Very inspirational especially if you are experiencing a period where you feel lost.
I’m embarrassed to admit I was goaded into reading Fifty Shades of Grey by some of my neighbors who have been reading the series & want to have a “book club” discussion of it. I’m a bit more than 1/3 of the way through and have quite a few impressions. I fear I’m going to come across as a prude when my friends get together to talk about it. I don’t mind sex scenes in novels that complement the plot of a novel. However, in this book, it seems the plot is just there to hold together the sex scenes even though the first one doesn’t occur until about 18% (Kindle) into the story. Initially, I found the writing to be almost boring. Routinely the main character internally expresses her emotion in the moment with the word “wow” and describes attributes of the man as “hot”. For some reason I keep thinking of a vapid Paris Hilton everytime I come across that wording. The description of sex is vivid but there is nothing lyrical in the wording.
Little things about the writing bother me as well. At one point she talks about making her famous lasagna and sitting down to eat 45 minutes later. (This is really nit-picky but I’ve made lasagna before and 45 minutes start to finish unless you pop a frozen one in the oven is impossible)
What bothers me most though is the notion in this day and age how a woman would knowingly enter into a dominant/ submissive scenario. Women often stay in abusive relationships where at first the man appears to be kind and loving and then once she is hooked he reveals his abusive controlling side. In this novel the main character seems drawn like a moth to a flame knowing despite being given a formal contract spelling out what will be expected.
Like I said, I’m only 1/3 through, but as of yet I’m not convinced this book is worthy of all the hype. In my opinion, if sex is what you want, save yourself some time and money and rent a third rate porn dvd.
I really like your comments, Janet. Seems to me you probably don't need to finish the book!
You're the second person whose opinion I value who's more or less said the same thing, Janet. Seems I was right in deciding not to waste my time on that book.
I third that assessment Janet. It doesn't seem worth the time.
Absolutely--me four. It's not even that I think the material is sub-par (although any dominance/submissive thing is uninteresting to me, for many reasons) but that given that it started as fanfic for Twilight, of all things, I can't imagine it's any good. Too many other books to read!
Book Concierge wrote: "
All the Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy
Book on CD performed by Alexander Adams
2.5**
nice review BC. I agree, if an audiobook is going to include a foreign language, than a least have a reader who can pronounce.I too grew up in Texas, in the big city of Houston.
I'm over half way through The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle which I'm really enjoying though occasionally mystified. Also just started A Fine Balance and picked up The Sisters Brothers at he library for the July reading list.Hopefully, I'll be ready for Family Matters come August.
I also just finished a Murakami - Sputnik Sweetheart. I really enjoyed it - I kind of like being mystified. And I just think he writes beautifully. Now I'm reading One Day - starts promising :)
Ana-Maria wrote: "I also just finished a Murakami - Sputnik Sweetheart. I really enjoyed it - I kind of like being mystified. And I just think he writes beautifully. Now I'm reading One Day - starts promising :)"I agree, Ana-Maria, Murakami, Murakami os write beautifully.
Janet wrote: "I’m embarrassed to admit I was goaded into reading Fifty Shades of Grey by some of my neighbors who have been reading the series & want to have a “book club” discussion of it. I’m a bit more than 1..."I agree. I don't think this book lives up to all the hype. I'm almost 100 pg into it and I'm hoping that it improves. I'm by no means a prude. I love a good erotica, the optimum word is "good." All I've heard from ppl I talk to is how good this book is but so far I'm just not seeing it but I shall persevere and see if I change my mind.
I've also started Nicholas which I like so far. I'm also reading Red Leaves and the Living Token thats also really good.
Since my last update:Finished:
Worth Dying For,
61 Hours and
Persuader, all by Lee Child. On a Reacher roll, always like Reacher, but I have to admit reading his later books all in a row brings his recurrent formula of "town in trouble" into stark relief. I'd probably like them a teensy bit better if I spaced them out and didn't notice that so much. Hasn't stopped me from starting another one, though-- in my "currently reading," below.
The Rose GardenI liked this more than I thought I would-- I was just on the point of thinking she was going to wind it up as a typical time-travel romance when she changed it up at the end in a couple ways I never saw coming. Good book!
Finished
The Ghost and the Dead Deb -- I just love the ghost. And I like how the author has sort of cleverly expanded his abilities. Be reading more of these. 
Absolutely, Positively which I was able to read without a pang now that I know the series isn't ending and the new one is out!Currently reading:
11/22/63 which is enthralling although I'm taking it slow and reading other things alongside,
One Shot -said I was on a Reacher trip... And
The Poet which I think I read about 14 years ago but have no memory of. I'm enjoying it but I think I might like Bosch better. We'll see.
I just finished A Hole in the Universe, and again appreciated how this author gives characters on the edge of society depth and makes them interesting. But overall I didn't like this one as much as others of hers. Reading The Mosquito Coast next.
I've finished reading Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon and now I'm a couple of chapters into Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James.
Finished The Plague which I loved for Camus' compassionate view of human struggles, and also for what an accurate job he did of capturing what an outbreak of plague and quarantine would be like. The reactions and emotions of the townspeople rang true - probably because of his experience in occupied France during WWII.Working my way through The Mosquito Coast right now.
Janet wrote: "I’m embarrassed to admit I was goaded into reading Fifty Shades of Grey by some of my neighbors who have been reading the series & want to have a “book club” discussion of it. I’m a bit more than 1..."Janet you stated my feelings about Fifty Shades perfectly. I was complaining over lunch to Jane about the lack of a plot mixed in with all the sex stuff. What amamzes me is tht this is book one of a trilogy!!
Travels With Charley – John Steinbeck
Book on CD performed by Gary Sinese
5*****
In 1960 John Steinbeck undertook to travel across America. He had lived in and traveled to various parts of the country, but longed “to hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light.” He bought and outfitted a truck, Rocinante, and with his French poodle, Charley, set out. His goal was not to visit typical tourist destinations but to get the feel of the country and its people. Along the way he met and conversed with many folks, including farmers, truckers, and waitresses. He traveled by interstate for part of the trip, but preferred the smaller roads, where he might come across a road-side stand selling local produce, fresh eggs, honey, or jams. He stopped in small towns and large cities; he visited with old friend, made new ones, and even encountered a bear in Yellowstone National Park. But mostly he enjoyed peace and quiet and a lot of time for thinking. His book is not just a travelogue but a series of essays on the American populace and on a way of life that was rapidly disappearing.
Gary Sinese has a facility with voices that really makes this work come alive. This is the second audio of a Steinbeck book that I’ve listened to with Sinese as narrator. I suspect he has a particular fondness for the author. He certainly performs the audios well.
I read TWC probably 40 years ago, and still remember it fondly. A forerunner of William Least Heat Moon's Blue Highways
Just finished To Let: The Forsyte Saga, the final book of the first trilogy. Unbelievably good ride.
Good to know. I am about 25% through it.
Sara wrote: "Just finished To Let: The Forsyte Saga, the final book of the first trilogy. Unbelievably good ride."I enjoyed it, too.
Book Concierge wrote: "[bookcover:Travels With Charley: In Search of America]Travels With Charley – John Steinbeck
Book on CD performed by Gary Sinese
5*****
In 1960 John Steinbeck undertook to travel across America. H..."
That's great to know, BC, about Gary Sinese narrating. Thanks!
I listened to this one recently, and second how impressed I was.
Jean wrote: "Janet wrote: "I’m embarrassed to admit I was goaded into reading Fifty Shades of Grey by some of my neighbors who have been reading the series & want to have a “book club” discussion of it. I’m a b..."I've been trying to get thru it but have stopped about half way. I don't understand why this is a best seller. If its because of the sex I can promise you there are better erotica out there.
Flora wrote: "Jean wrote: "Janet wrote: "I’m embarrassed to admit I was goaded into reading Fifty Shades of Grey by some of my neighbors who have been reading the series & want to have a “book club” discussion o..."I think the best point that has been made about these books was on the Books on the Nightstand podcast. People who are going to the book signings are saying that these are the first books they've read in years. I supposed if they bring people back to reading, they can't be all bad.
I liked The Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon so much I sought out another book of his. I'm well into his collection of short stories Love and Obstacles
I am enjoyingNine Stories .I am still reading The Forsyte Saga and Sky of Red Poppies. I don't usually read this many books at one time, but they are so different, so I am not having a hard time juggling them.
I re-read Steinbeck's Travels with Charley not long ago. Love his sense of humor. Followed him with a map on his travels across the United States. Loved his musings about what he sees and hears along the way. Interesting to see how this country has changed since the 1960s. If you ever get close to Salinas, CA (near Monterey), be sure to visit the Steinbeck Museum there. They have a little room devoted to each of his books, and in the TWCharley room is the truck, or maybe a duplicate, of the truck he drove on his travels. I always say Steinbeck fans will love this place, and those who haven't read him will rush to get one of his books!
Marge
Indian Killer – Sherman Alexie
3.5***
Alexie crafts a literary thriller that explores issues of racism, isolation, and mental illness.
A serial murderer known as “The Indian Killer” is terrorizing Seattle, hunting, killing and scalping white men. John Smith was taken from his Native American teen-age mother at birth and given to a white couple, who adopted him and raised him in a loving family. He has grown into a strong and handsome man, who lives quietly on the fringe of society. As the story progresses it becomes clear that John suffers from mental illness. The question is whether he is the Indian Killer.
Alexie peoples his Seattle neighborhoods with a variety of characters, though most are thinly drawn. We have angry students, arrogant college professors, puzzled middle-class parents, alcoholic homeless men, and young men who prefer to use their fists. There are plenty of people here who threaten (and commit) violence on each other. Could one of them be the killer instead of John? The main problem is that none of these characters is fully fleshed out. Alexie gives us lots of hints, but few facts, and leaves us wondering “who dunnit?”
I am usually pretty tolerant of ambiguous endings, but I was disappointed in the “non-ending” here. I can only assume that this is Alexie’s way of showing that there really is no end to the hatred that we humans feel towards one another. It’s a pretty bleak outlook. Still, the book moved quickly for me; I was drawn in and couldn’t read fast enough.
Just finished Nevada Barr's Hunting Season. Meh. Shorter, tighter, would have been better. The bad guys are fairly obvious, the only question being, which bad guy did which bad things.
Marjorie wrote: "I re-read Steinbeck's Travels with Charley not long ago. Love his sense of humor. Followed him with a map on his travels across the United States. Loved his musings about what he sees and hears ..."I love that Steinbeck Museum, Marjorie! Also of interest, is the exhibit on the invention of the refrigerated rail car contributing significantly to the rise of the California agriculture industry. This made me re-read East of Eden.
MAP wrote: "Marjorie wrote: "I re-read Steinbeck's Travels with Charley not long ago. Love his sense of humor. Followed him with a map on his travels across the United States. Loved his musings about what h..."Many years ago, right after he died we went to Salinas, Ca. and seen his house. It is now a museum
Finished the audio version of The Secret Scripture and enjoyed reading the discussion here. Beautiful prose but felt a little drawn out at times. The two main characters were sympathetic, but I became a bit impatient with their passivity.
I have for weeks been reading background for a new novel, which will be a major change in direction for me, historical fiction. However, I am taking a couple days off and hopefully will take a novel with me. Oh, yes, I've been reading some Shakespeare of late, mostly in preparation for going to performances. The old boy is quite the good writer.
I'm in a weird phase of multi-task reading where I'm reading several books at once. Who knows why. I just finished reading
last night, and I'm currently reading several different books on and off including:
and others.
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Constant Reader
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It would seem to be. So far it is proving to be humorous with a threat of profundity. One of the guests at a dinner party goes upstairs and locks himself in a room and won't come out. The hosts are feeding him on deli turkey -- the only thing that will fit under the door (he's a vegetarian). Fortunately the room is en suite. After ten days, the hostess calls a woman whose name she found in the unwanted guest's cell phone, which leads to a story about a 20-year-old forgotten love affair. Apparently the story is going to twig out from there, bringing in the other dinner party guests and their friends and relations. Incidentally, the reason they don't just beat the door down is that the hostess doesn't want to damage the very ancient wood apparently dating from Richard the Lionheart's captivity or something like that.