On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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General Bookishness
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Retired: What are you reading?
Kirk wrote: "I'm on page 242 of 368 of Welcome to Braggsville: This is both hippy-dippy and astute. Reminds me of some early Pynchon, but with a big heart. Yep, I'm diggin it"So, give us the soundtrack to go with it! Any songs come to mind?
Tom wrote: "Angela M wrote: "Tom , I'm sad too about Haruf . I loved Our Souls at Night as well as a number of his other books . I think there's only one I haven't read and I'm saving that for when i need it !..."I've only read Plainsong - it was very good.
LeAnne , I think you'll like the others if you enjoyed Plainsong .
Angela M wrote: "LeAnne , I think you'll like the others if you enjoyed Plainsong ."Pick one for me, por favor?
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Just added a couple...will see if I can snag audio copies. Thanks!
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His books make for good listening.
LeAnne wrote: "Kirk wrote: "I'm on page 242 of 368 of Welcome to Braggsville: This is both hippy-dippy and astute. Reminds me of some early Pynchon, but with a big heart. Yep, I'm diggin it"So, give us the soun..." LeAnne you offer a really challenging question. My wife's the music guru, I'm the artist and designer in the family. All the same I'll give it a try :) The Mothers of Invention 'It Can's Happen Here', The Doors 'People Are Strange', and Led Zeppelin 'Dazed and Confused'.
LeAnne , I would suggest Eventide which follows Plainsong in the series.
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Laura , what a wonderful keepsake. I was moved by all of the books I read by Haruf.
I'm reading Bound for the Promised Land by Richard Marius and I'm enjoying it. The main character is a very young man from Tennessee who joins a motley group of people on their way to California in the mid 1800s. It's entertaining and interesting. At one point they need to lift a wagon to repair a wheel and they make a jack out of branches.
Angela M wrote: "LeAnne , I would suggest Eventide which follows Plainsong in the series."Do you recommend reading the Plainsong series in order? It appears that they are set in same setting, but not necessarily a continuation of the storyline.
Tim , I read them in order of how they were published so that would be my recommendation but it may not matter .
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Here's Ron's wonderful tribute to Kent:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Sisters of Versailles. 2.5 rounded to 3 stars . My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Above the Waterfall
Ron RashIt just didn't do it for me. Uninspired story, blah characters That dippy park ranger irritated the hell out of me with her oozing sentimentality and trite poetry. Why can't the obvious guy be the villain for a change? Am off to Braggsville or Bull Mountain.
It was a suggested read, kindly given, and appreciated. A Rash book is always worth a try. I have enjoyed many of his.
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Tom wrote: "Ron Charles (Washington Post) mentions five books set in Holt. It appears he is including The Tie That Binds, which predates Plainsong.[bookcover:The Tie That Binds|1268..."
Tom, thanks for reminding me about Kent Haruf. I have only read Plainsong but am adding his other books to my 'to read' list.
Tom wrote: "I'm giving my brain a rest and will start listening to The Deep Blue Good-By tomorrow. This is the first book in John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series.[bookcover:T..." Great idea. About to give mine a rest also.
Angela M wrote: "Tim , I read them in order of how they were published so that would be my recommendation but it may not matter ."Thanks Angela. I usually make it a point to read books in publication order, but my library only has Benediction and I really want to read some Haruf. I think I'll do some shopping and start with Plainsong.
I just finished Kate Atkinson's Life After Life. The book works off of the premise that Ursula, its heroine, dies and is reborn countless times within the novel's timespan (1920ish to 1960ish). The book is cleverly crafted and the prose is beautiful. It concerns itself with weighty matters: historical, philosophical and literary, but still manages to entertain. I think it's a humble masterpiece. Also, it's unbearably sad at times.
I finished reading "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates late last week and I have been researching what the critics are saying about it before compiling my review. I know before starting that I will give it 5+ stars without reservation. The story is one written by the author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, to his young son telling him about the world where he will grow up; a world that is dangerous, treacherous and contradictory. Coates turned 40 years old two days ago but he is wise beyond his years, a national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine where he wrote a highly praised essay on reparations in 2014. Coates lays out his version of the white world he lives in where he will always walk into a room where the people who think they are white will know that he is different and not to be trusted. Named on the long list for the National Book Award of 2015, he has, I believe, the upper hand on winning that award.
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I saw him on the Daily Show but the interview didn't give me much of an idea of what the book was about. Your description makes it sound a lot more interesting!
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Finished The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories. 5 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My reading for pleasure is suffering due to the fact that I am currently taking a Spanish Class at one of the local colleges. I am enjoying the class but it has been YEARS since I have had a foreign language and I do have to spend a bit of time studying. I will probably not be able to read the OTSLT books for this month but I hope to squeeze in a couple of haunting reads for Halloween. One I hope to read and I have had on my list forever is The Turn of the Screw.
Beverly wrote: "My reading for pleasure is suffering due to the fact that I am currently taking a Spanish Class at one of the local colleges. I am enjoying the class but it has been YEARS since I have had a foreig..."That's sounds like fun. Enjoy your class!
I just finished the Glasgow trilogy by Malcolm Mackay. Mike recommended the first ,
here in the last month or so. I enjoyed all three. The protagonist is a freelance hit man for an organized crime syndicate. The murders and their aftermath are seen through the eyes of various characters on both sides of the law.
got done wit the
have any one else read this book like it or not like it. how do i post a link to review ?
have any one else read this book like it or not like it. how do i post a link to review ?
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have any one else read this book like it or not like it. how do i post a link to review ?"I read it a long time ago. All I can remember is that it was pretty short.
If you click on the book, your review should be the first one below it. If you click on the words 'My Review' it should open up. Then copy the URL from your browser and paste it into your comment.
Joy wrote: "Beverly wrote: "My reading for pleasure is suffering due to the fact that I am currently taking a Spanish Class at one of the local colleges. I am enjoying the class but it has been YEARS since I h..."Thanks so much
Angela M wrote: "Finished God's Kingdom. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."Angela, God's Kingdom just cleared for me at the library. Looking forward to it. I'm holding off reading your review, but see 4 stars as a good sign. :0)
Tina , hope you enjoy it too . It's just a really good story!
Ron wrote: "I finished reading "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates late last week and I have been researching what the critics are saying about it before compiling my review. I know before starting ..."I have this book on my table and I'm excited about reading it. Thanks for the review, Ron.
Diane S.✨ wrote: "Finished The Investigationhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Thanks Diane! I'm adding this to my 'to-read" list.
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Tom, I read Landfall recently and thought it was a terrific book . How neat that you met Ellen Urbani . She made some very gracious comments on my review which I really appreciated. I am hoping to get to her other book My Name is Elena so. I'll be interested in what you think of Landfall.
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I think this would be a great choice for either the Post-1980 or a Moderators Choice selection. Ellen would be very interested in participating in a discussion.
That would great . Even though I've read it and reviewed it already , I would participate in the discussion.
Tom, I read Landfall and loved it. I nominated it, but it did not win. It would be discussion worthy.
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On the Southern Literary Trail
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Hubert Skidmore (other topics)
Mark Twain (other topics)
Delia Owens (other topics)
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Looking forward to getting some good reads started over the weekend. Why aren't my favorites free on audio from the library? Sigh...happy reading, all!