On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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General Bookishness
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Retired: What are you reading?
Diane S ⛄ wrote: "That would be great, Diane.Finished Into Oblivion
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
Yes it would be a good choice ,Diane
I just finished another Murikami enigma and I can never just stop reading his novels. They compel me in so many levels, as not only are they exquisitely written but they also pose philosophical questions about existence, belief, science, politics and the meaning of human life.
Do y'all ever end up stumbling upon books that deter you from the ones you're planning to undertake? Signing up for e-books and being put on a wait-list means that when the book comes available, BAM.I've read a couple that didn't wow me - The Girl in the Spiderweb (the disappointing follow-up to Steig Larson's excellent trio) and Between the World and Me (very powerful, but I tired of the intensity - wasn't a good time to read it).
The best thing I stumbled on was while stuck in the car, waiting on my kid for about 30 minutes. I downloaded a Lorrie Moore book from Hoopla - hadn't ever heard of it but totally adored her A Gate at the Stairs and Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?. Upon clicking PLAY, I discovered that this was a book of short stories. I dislike short stories.
Ha! But this is excellent! Dark, ironic humor, and Lorri acutally narrates it herself. Totally in love with Bark: Stories :)
LeAnne wrote: "Josh, he loved it and is egging me on to finish my other books & start it. He is out of town right now and may be reading The Orchard Keeper via our Kindle account. Will ask him to rank the books. ..."So, Josh. Joey said that he'd put The Orchard Keeper in with the rest of the Cormac works as far as likeability (from his perspective). If he had to rank them, Suttree would be his favorite.
Just finished A Very Private Gentleman
Nicely done story. Moderately paced. One doesn't know the arc of crisis until the final third of the book. Reads like a travelogue of small town Italy coupled with an insightful look into gunsmithing and the assassination trade. The climax is not rushed or panicked. On par with leCarre. Highly recommended.
The Pecan Man
Enjoyable thought provoking story of finding justice privately. Of holding secrets and the tolls they may take. Develops a strong sense of extended community where people know each other for lifetimes.
Easy one night read. Focuses on the theme of 'Can one be good again', sub theme of responsibility through religious teachings. Fortunately this does not harp on Christian ethics, but there is a strong current right at the surface. I wondered if she was telling the story to clear a path to Heaven or because it was the right thing to do. Well, coming from that heritage you can't have one without the other. After all is said and done does it even matter? The truth is in the doing.
Mod
My review is here.
My new novel, DARK MONEY, just received a great review from Red City. Check it out here: http://redcityreview.com/reviews/dark... Sorry that it's another "go read my review" but it's a really good one.
Larry Thompson
Well, I finally got to chew on a 5 star read this calendar year! Short stories are not my thing, but in scanning what free e-audio books were available on my phone apps, I saw a collection by Lorrie Moore. Her book A Gate at the Stairs wowed me, and I also liked Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? because of the dialogue between characters and her wry, dark humor.If you like observational humor and witty wordplay, with a good hunk of darkness tossed in, Lorrie's your girl. She inserts then-current events into the framework of the stories' shared timeline and a good bit of liberal politics, some blatant and others smooth. I absolutely loved her description of one character who was suffering from a sinus infection. His partner describes him as waterboarding himself in the bathroom with a Neti pot. She knocks on the door and asks if he will confess yet.
Five stars and on my favorites shelf! My review has a couple other little excerpts. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Mod
Hey All ~ I am about to start Intruder in the Dust ! I have not read this Faulkner and I have also just received a coped of Faulkner's Short Stories Collection ! So I will be adding it too! I love Faulkner ! Tonight I will be going to Square Books Thacker Mountain Radio Show to meet author Ed Tarkington , the author of ONLY LOVE WILL BREAK YOUR HEART !!!! I will try my best to get my picture with him . I hope he remembers I friended him on Goodreads ! We will see ! It is always so crowded ! I will try ~ Dawn
Sounds wonderful. Dawn. Hope you get your wish. Finished The Penguin Lessons
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ooo, Laura - Bark is right up Josh's alley! She muses on the random things that I would - when a character is in France ordering a meal, she wonders if her words for "lamb couscous" are correct. In English, one orders pork, not a pig. Will the waiter be tempted to show up with a live sheep?
Finished Where My Heart Used to Beat. 3.5 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Girl in the Spider's Web
Off to a rip roaring start. steeped in current autism theory and savant behavior. As one would expect Murder, Mayhem, and Hacking,
The Girl on the Train
I think it's going to be a bumpy ride on this one. Off to a steady start. The protagonist has a tortured personality and difficult to empathize with, but I like that. So far everyone is flawed. Lots to pay attention to. Moves right along.
Mod
I think it's going to be a bumpy ride on this one. Off to a steady start. The protagonist has a tortured personality ..."
This book is one of those that people seem to love or hate. I enjoyed it although the protagonist really made me want to slap her on occasion. I also got really tired of her saying 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.'
Really the Blues ,that I read about in NYBR
I'm re-reading Captain Corelli's Mandolin because I love the little pine marten and the doctor and I wanted something to make me feel all the emotions that make me human. I absolutely adore his writing style and characterization; each person is developed and realistic and genuine.
Career of EvilReading book 3 of the Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) thrillers. Three evil men that could be the killer. Nut jobs on the loose and body parts arriving by mail. Add this series to your list if you enjoy a good thriller. Books 2 and 3 really show Rowling's wicked and dark imagination.
I've just read We've Already Gone This Far: Stories. 4 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I started Life on the Mississipi a few days back. My library in town doesn't have a lot of English books, but it had this one for some reason. I've always wanted to read more Twain. I feel like this one doesn't really have my attention yet, but I'm enjoying picking it up between this and that to read a few pages.
This is surreal. I had a boyfriend that I met while home from college one summer. When I went back to school in the fall, we continued to date. Because he worked for a company that fixed up brand new jets and sold them, fancied up, he used to fly right past my college on his way back from the Kansas plane factory. Crazy, but we were 20 some years old and dated by jet. But OMG - I just found out the planes were loaded with hundreds of thousands of dollars belonging to the Columbian cartel! Im reading "The Big Sting," a nonfiction account of how Doug went on to work with the cartel to help them set up drug smuggling routes, although he only delivered planes, not drugs, and then turned informant. $250 million in cocaine was seized, and darlin Doug is abroad somewhere with probable plastic surgery. How crazy that Im reading a book about him!
Mod
Laura, its crazy that Id hop in and fly home to my mom's every other weekend while sitting atop drug money. Apparently, he discovered the money in a loose panel a few years after we fizzled out, and having been duped for so long, demanded a piece of the pie. I sure hope he is still alive!
LeAnne wrote: "This is surreal. I had a boyfriend that I met while home from college one summer. When I went back to school in the fall, we continued to date. Because he worked for a company that fixed up brand n..."THAT is a book you should write! :)
Mod
I'd like to read that. All I've read so far of his are the usual suspects (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) along with several of his essays which are priceless.
Mod
How did you make the connection that the author was your Doug?
LeAnne wrote: "This is surreal. I had a boyfriend that I met while home from college one summer. When I went back to school in the fall, we continued to date. Because he worked for a company that fixed up brand n..."Whaaaaaat? Darling Doug was Smuggling Doug! Sounds like fiction, but is not. I'm with Tom, how did you make the connection that this was your Doug? Did you need oxygen when you figured it out. I would!
Nutty, huh? I have a girlfriend that has a company plane she uses. It is really luxurious inside, and on a whim asked her if perhaps Doug Jaworski's firm is where they got it. Nope, but we googled his name plus the words jet and plane, just to see if he still did that. He had been supplying souped up airplanes to Saudi princes, etc (ha! So i thought!), and I was curious how somebody's jet business would be affected with all of the terrorism going on. Guess I'm only 3 degrees of separation from Pablo Escabar! o_O
Google had the book pop up. Once I read the description of him and that he owned a company in Fort Lauderdale and was my age, I flipped! The book is good, too!
Tom wrote: "Mance wrote: "I started Life on the Mississipi a few days back. My library in town doesn't have a lot of English books, but it had this one for some reason. I've always wanted to re..."This is one of my all time favorites of his
The Girl in the Spider's Web
Fast Fun. A guilty pleasure. Requires a significant suspension of disbelief
LeAnne - wow ! They do say truth is stranger than fiction !
Leanne, I think I am speechless.Finished All Things Cease to Appear
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League
.Here's my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Connie wrote: "I just finished Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League.Here's my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"
Connie, I read this book last year when I was asked to review it for Atlanta's Paste Magazine. Jonathan Odell is a wonderful writer, but my view of the book is a little different from yours. Here is my article from Paste. I'd love to have your thoughts, along with those of anyone else who might care to comment.
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles...
Finished Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from My Italian Mother-in-Law. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm in the middle of reading "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," by Stieg Larsson, and found it a good example of how it's sometimes necessary to be a little patient with a book. I didn't read "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," or see the movie, so I was somewhat taken aback when the author hurled a blizzard of Swedish names at me in the first few chapters. This novel is definitely plot-driven, rather than character-driven, with rapid scene switches. I almost stopped reading it, but once I figured out the cast of players, I settled in and began to enjoy it. As a long-time newspaper guy, I felt Larsson nailed that part of the setting. Lisbeth Salander is certainly an unforgettable character, and now I've become curious as to what happens next. Anybody else read this?
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On the Southern Literary Trail
Books mentioned in this topic
Happy Land (other topics)Take My Hand (other topics)
Happy Land (other topics)
Happy Land (other topics)
Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman's March and the Story of America's Largest Emancipation (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Bennett Parten (other topics)Wes Browne (other topics)
Hubert Skidmore (other topics)
Mark Twain (other topics)
Delia Owens (other topics)
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Finished Into Oblivion
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...