On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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General Bookishness
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Retired: What are you reading?
I'm just finishing up three books -- "The Green Road," by Anne Enright, "Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story," by Rick Bragg and "River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze." I'd give the first one five stars, the other two four.Enright's book is a good example of the difference between novel writing and writing for the movies. I thought the characterizations and descriptions in "The Green Road" were brilliant, and I enjoyed every page. But I think it would make a boring movie, because a lot of the action was interior and had to do with subtle relationships that would be hard to project on screen.
I have read The Children's Train: Escape on the Kindertransport. 5 stars . My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Loved the Green Road as well, but other reviewers had a different reaction to this book.
It's that subjective aspect that makes the world of creativity so interesting. If you want a book that moves right along, with action on every other page, this one isn't for you. It meanders. I didn't mind, though, because I was more entranced by the prose and the way the characters were drawn than the actual story. With another book less well written, I might not have been able to finish it.
Darrell wrote: "I'm just finishing up three books "Darrell, sometimes I think that although I consume a good number of books and watch nearly zero TV, maybe my brain is wired more toward action. I just finished my first Rick Bragg book, The Most They Ever Had, and was bored terribly. Anne Enright's The Gathering sickened me with too much Irish angst and extremely graphic sexual stuff. Tell me I'm not shallow, please!
What I totally love about our Southern Lit group is the diversity of insights and palates here! My goal is to read at least one of the three monthly choices and participate in the discussions, but honestly, I snag more great ideas for - well - good reads here in this "What Are You Reading?" section. Love to hear everyone's feedback and trying to deepen and enrich my reading. You peeps rock.
I am currently reading our group here's March selection (better late than never, yeah?), and loooooooving it! My Sunshine Away is one of the most satisfying books I've picked up this year - thanks to y'all!In fact, I not only wrote it in on the Best of 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards, https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward... but dug up MO Walsh on Facebook and told him so!
Here's the thing - we live in the suburbs of New Orleans and are former residents of the Garden District there. ANYTIME a book comes out set in New Orleans, Baton Rough, or Louisiana in general, my skeptical eyebrow goes up in expectation of trite commentary on cooking, Mardi Gras, racial harmony, and music. I can guarantee that there are probably three or four Louisiana books that most people adore and that are also on my 2 star list (or occasionally on the 3 star list so as not to offend).
M.O. Walsh has hit the authenticity ball out of the park. He is to Louisiana what Ron Rash is to the Carolinas. Yeah, he grew up local, lives and teaches in Nola, but capturing that is NOT easy. I'll tell you a bunch of locals who blew it.
Anyway, beyond that, I find Sunshine to keep me on the edge of my seat, groaning with "oh, no you didn't, kid" repeatedly, and near tears with his description of fathers all sprouting wings. My own dad flew the coop - as many have - and Walsh had me right there as a fangirl.
Yakkity, yak - sorry to blather! Recuperating from knee surgery and not feeling so hot, so savoring this gem? FAB. He is my Goodreads Choice Debut Author of choice!
Mod
Diane wrote: "Don't give up on Rick Bragg. Read "All Over But the Shoutin'". I can almost guarantee you'll love it. Maybe the essay thing just doesn't have enough substance for you,"We actually have had that one in the house for ages, but it seemed too Hee-Haw everytime I looked at the cover. Promise I will read it before the year is out - everybody and their brother loves him.
Sounds good, LeAnne, I am now putting it on my "tbr" list. I had a bad fall in June which caused my tibia to snap from my knee, & then split down to the ankle. I could not put weight on it until last month, & am working with PT to get range-of-motion back. Been housebound, mostly, & reading is keeping me sane, and this sounds like an outstanding read. I am currently about hip deep into Delta Wedding, and am recalling my love for Miss Eudora.
Kim wrote: "Sounds good, LeAnne, I am now putting it on my "tbr" list. I had a bad fall in June which caused my tibia to snap from my knee, & then split down to the ankle. OUCH! Kim, unless people have been riding that couch for months, it is difficult to explain the frustration level. I had rotator cuff surgery in May & rolled my stupid knee in July. Thank goodness you and I are readers! Too many reruns of The Bachelor would have us entirely mindless.
Happy to send you some SUNSHINE! XO
My first roommate @ the rehab facility was watching Jerry Springer when they brought me in, and it went downhill from there. We were supposed to share the tv, which had a limited selection anyway, but I pretty much surrendered it to her. My "viewing" time was pretty much turning it off when she was otherwise occupied & my husband and I could talk, or read, or just hold hands and enjoy the quiet. I think I read 8 books in one seven day period there, it was good when they cut back my pain meds from 5 to 2 kinds, I was able to stay awake. I met so many people who liked to read, had staff stopping by to see what I was reading everyday.
Thanks for the sunshine, LeAnne! And may things begin to go better for us, and may 2016 be a smoother year. I started 2015 with a mild heart attack, then the accident which required 3 surgeries in a week & prolonged rehab--really will never take walking for granted. Thank heavens for books!
Well, baby girl, you are now hot & bionic! Literally laughed out loud at Jerry Springer. Here's to ending 2015 on the upswannnnng!
Whoa Kim, you have certainly had more than your fair share, may all good books come to you.Finished Crimson Shore
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thank you all very much for the good wishes, book reviews & recommendations, excellent conversations & all around good company. As I now have $30K worth of titanium holding my leg together which looks like the Eiffel Tower on the X-Ray, I feel a little bionic, that's for sure.
Kim , best wishes for your continuing recovery !
Thank you, Angela. I feel very fortunate to have not broken my neck or landed head first on the concrete stoop. My potted geraniums cushioned my cranium...my recovery is slow to me, but my docs & physical therapists keep telling me I am doing very well, so I am practicing patience.
Mod
Hi, LeAnne:Our differences on Rick Bragg and Anne Enright are interesting, especially since we read different books. It reminds me of the comments you see on the Internet about restaurants. One reads: "A magical experience. The wait staff was delightful, the food delicious and well prepared. This is definitely now on my favorite's list." The next review says: "What a disapointment! Our waitress was surly, my steak was undercooked. it took forever to get served." And probably, they're both right -- they just went on different nights. (:
Yes, Darrel!! I just need to elevate my palate from onion rings and ketchup. Love your reviews!!
Sometimes it has as much to do with the attitude the person brings to the experiences of dining and reading. I know sometimes I am not in the right mental space for certain books, but later they will click with me. And I have seen people who simply cannot be pleased by anything, and yet we at a nearby table are pleased with everything.
Angela M wrote: "John , I'll look forward to what you think of The Sound of One Hand Clapping. I definitely want to get to it ."Hi Angela. re The Sound of One Hand Clapping
Heartbreakingly good. Mother walks out the door one snowy evening leaving her 3 yo alone for Daddy's return. Girl and father do their best. Dad's no knight. Lots of WWII baggage. life's tough. Title fits the story.
"...But who of us ever determines the one thing we believe most fundamental, the thing that is the the truest expression of their soul? Of course, it can be objected by those whose circumstances are fortunately propitious, and who therefore are able to explore the endless possibilities of character, reinventing themselves like some seventies rock star or nineties politician, that character is what makes and unmakes us, that character is destiny, and that we choose to live our life as a poem or as a tragedy, that we be whoever we wish."
That for me is One Hand Clapping.
Thanks , John . Sounds like I need to fit this in soon.
TomWhen we sit in the Dojo, before we begin (but there is no separation between beginning and always being) we sit seiza, calm ourselves, and in unison we clap two strokes. This awakens the deities and ourselves to attention. The sound of one hand is the sound of life, of what is, that Everything around us, the outside of us that joins to the Oneness we seek.
it seems to me
Many years ago when my son was 3ish he was working on a puzzle. I watched as he lifted his arm and made his one hand clapping. At that moment his was the seagull in his puzzle. It brought me tears..
thank you for reminding me
Mod
When we sit in the Dojo, before we begin (but there is no separation between beginning and always being) we sit seiza, calm ourselves, and in unison we clap two strokes. This awakens the deit..."
Thanks for explaining it.
I just finished Kindred by Octavia Butler. Normally Butler writes science fiction or post-apocalyptic novels but this is something different. It starts out set in 1976, when a woman living in Los Angeles is transported to antebellum Maryland. She is black, so of course in that time period in "southern" Maryland she could only be a slave. It is an amazing way to bring the reader into the truths of slavery. It was published in 1979 but so worth reading.
Mod
I've been thinking about reading this one for quite a while.
Like Trees, Walking
Written in the first person Ravi Howard wraps a fictional rendition around a 1981 lynching in Mobile Alabama. A horrific event. I was 30 yo and did not know of this happening. It was the 80's for Christ's sake. While the event is central the story takes us through wondering where does one fit in the world, where is my place, what does family mean to me, how can i carry on with this evil so close at hand?
An excellent read.
Angela, You might enjoy reading Julie Otsuka
When the Emperor Was Divine
experiences in a Japanese internment camp.The Buddha in the Attic
Japanese picture brides coming to early 20th century United States.
Tina - The Goldfinch is a huge favorite. And I built a scavenger hunt around it, too. Enjoy.
John , I have read both of those and loved them . Another one that is about the internment camps is Snow Falling on Cedars which is another amazing story . Thanks .
Tina , I'm with LeAnne on The Goldfinch. It's one of my favorites too . Hope it is for you too
Mod
Along the same lines is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. That gave an interesting view of the Japanese community and what happened to their property after the internment.
Tom , thanks . I read that one too . :)
Mod
Angela M wrote: "John , I have read both of those and loved them . Another one that is about the internment camps is Snow Falling on Cedars which is another amazing story . Thanks ."Oh, Angela, Snow Falling on Cedars is my absolute favorite of the three books I've read about the treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII. Such lush and eloquent writing! Heart breaking and gorgeous. Gutersen wowed me so much that I read three more of his works - all good, but "Snow" was his best I thought.
Tom wrote: " I'll admit it, these aren't exactly beach re..."For a fun and well written romp, have you read The Rosie Project yet? It's like a brand new pack of Juicy Fruit gum.
LeAnne , I feel the same about Snow Falling on Cedars. One of my favorites too .
LeAnne wrote: "Angela M wrote: "John , I have read both of those and loved them . Another one that is about the internment camps is Snow Falling on Cedars which is another amazing story . Thanks ."Oh, Angela, [..."
Snow Falling on Cedars - loved it
the Buddha in the Attic - was not too shabby either
Mod
What about The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama?
Here's one.
Minka: My Farmhouse in Japan
Quick, easy, so much fun.
Ya Tom, I enjoyed Samurai Garden also.
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On the Southern Literary Trail
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Ask them If a dog has buddha nature.