On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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Retired: What are you reading?
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Diane, "Miss Scarlett"
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Mar 03, 2016 02:03PM
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Just finished Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale. Really enjoyed it, quirky characters & distinctive writing voice. It is in the Elmore Leonard wheelhouse of writing, which I love, and of which we will have no more. Good to have another "go-to guy" for that kind of outrageous dark humor. Looking forward to watching the first episode of the Sundance series this weekend. Ordered the next one in the series, Mucho Mojo to have for when this mood next strikes.
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Fourth of July Creek is also on sale for $1.99. I thought it was outstanding and very gritty, based on a father and social worker trying to save a boy while at the same time wondering if he has lost his own daughter.
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I have just finished reading "American Hunger", the second part of Richard Wright's autobiography "Black Boy". Harper and Brothers, the publishers of 'Black Boy' thought these last six chapters should not be included as part of 'Black Boy'. After reading 'American Hunger', I agree with Harper and Brrothers. You will find my review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
I have completed Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsession by Eric Maisel. I gave it two stars. I won't post where to find my reveiw, it's not worth going to read.
Kim wrote: "Reading Joe R. Lansdale's first Hap & Leonard novel, Savage Season. East Texas noir--really like the characters, the voices. If Trudy were in a Sam Spade novel, she would be the dame bringing troub..."I have got to get my act together and read (then watch!) Hap and Leonard. The series was shot about an hour or so from my house. Wish I'd volunteered to drive that far to do some background work...but....I didn't know this was good stuff.
This week, I've got a couple audio books from the library keeping me company on Bayou Castine - if you can't round up a buddy to kayak with, an audio book on the water is wonderful! Just finished up Night Film, a creepy thriller that I really enjoyed (4 stars) and am now halfway through Pretty Baby which is a good psychological mystery (apparently, it will turn into a "thriller" in the last half). I am enjoying it and because of its main character's parallels to another female protag in another book - which I loved - I felt compelled to go back and write a review of the older book, written by a couple of Danes, Lene Kaaberbol en Agnete Friis.Their book is a psychological thriller set in Denmark and is wrapped around a nurse named Nina, a woman intent to save the world. She works tirelessly at a refugee camp but also secretly assists doctors and other health care providers with illegal aliens who can not go to hospitals. She bumps into people who have sneaked into Denmark to escape their homelands, but are easily victimized in their new country because really, who are they going to file a report with?
Long story short, the character of Nina is a caring soul who can be trusted with a secret. The secret, however, unravels slowly and dangerously. Want a good psychological thriller and can handle some clunky-to-pronounce Scandinavian names? Check out The Boy in the Suitcase
And....here I am again, yammering about old reads. One of them is something I've nominated a couple times, but we've yet to get to it here. It is Rivers. I'm about to read it a second time as my book club is set to do an author chat with him on March 24th, and - because the character runs around from site to site in the book - I'm building a scavenger hunt to go along with the book discussion. FUN!Second and last, I swear: did you know that this Sunday was the kickoff of the Iditarod race in Alaska?
Years ago, I read an autobiography of some hilarious nut-job who decided - hey. I like dogs. I like snow. I'm gonna do the Iditarod!!! It is a non-fiction account of his decision, inept training, farcical failures, his PATIENT wife, and the actual race itself. I laughed and laughed while reading Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod many years ago, and since the race just kicked off, I gave it to our 13 year old to read. But lawdy - I am such an ignoramous!
Upon writing up a review of the book in Goodreads, I discovered that he is a famous children's author - the guy who wrote Hatchet!! Yeah. No wonder the goofball who chronicled his adventure was pretty darn good at writing. Gary Paulsen, where ever you are, forgive me!
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I picked up a paperback of the first Hap & Leonard book "The Savage Season" at lunch one day and read a few chapters. It was great, so when I finish my current book, I'll go back to it. Very funny, I bet it would be great on audio. I'm taping the TV show to watch after I finish the book.
Diane wrote: "That's a funny story, Leanne. I just found out a short while ago that the author of the children's book "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is none other than Ian Fleming, of James Bond fame!I picked up a p..."
Who knew ? I never would have guessed that !
Don't you love these little discoveries?? Ill start Hap & Leonard after the 24th. Need to set the DVR too.
One that I've read very recently, wrote the review (but sorry, I haven't yet put the review on...), I gave it 6 out of 5 stars. Yes, that's on a 5 star maximum. It didn't make me cry throughout as I worried, it didn't make me think of an entitled rich guy dying too young"..It's called "When Breath Becomes Air". I think the World lost quite a mind far too early. He might have able to save a thousand lives.
You will have a difficult job reading his widow's Epilogue though. She doesn't play tou you emotions, neither of them do. It's a strong book.
Highly recommended!
Powerful book, Meran. Definitely worth reading.
Just finished Daniel Silva's Prince of Fire and I am wondering why I had it on my shelf for years and never read it. Really enjoyed it. Lots of background story based on true events. A good read for spy novel lovers. Prince of Fire
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This morning I finished Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories, a brilliant collection of short stories by Flannery O’Connor. My review for that one is here.
Finished Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human Rights in Iran
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Y'all are reading some good ones - my To Be Read stack is full as a tick, but I'm grabbing your titles.I'm re-reading a dark, juicy favorite - Rivers, and the second time through is even better. Larry Brownish, but sweeter...Ron Rash-like with some Woodrell and Crews tossed in.
“A story so powerful, I thought it was going to ignite every time I picked the damn thing up. Rivers will be compared to some of the greatest stories ever written by writers of generations past and present, but what can’t be compared is the power and skill that lie within its pages. The words will shear your eyes and brand your mind, and you’ll be scarred by what you’ve read for days, weeks, even months after. This is an important book. Pick it up—I bet you won’t be able to put it down.”-Frank Bill, author of Crimes in Southern Indiana and Donnybrook
Alright, I've been resisting trying to not do more apocalyptic, but now you've gone and frosted the cake with all those great authors I love! I'm in
Kirk, I'm currently reading Rivers. I am 107 pages in and it is awesome. Probably helps that we have had incessant rain here for days, but I can completely imagine the Mississippi Gulf area reduced to this state. You've got to read this one!
Finished Work Like Any Other: A Novel. 4 stars . My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Girl Waits with Gun
Very enjoyable!My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just started two Southern books--Winter's Bone
and A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories
.
I have Girl Waits with a Gun on my tbr list, really love Daniel Woodrell's voice, and could not put Winter's Bone down once I started it. I taught Flannery O'Connor's short stories, they are all time favorites.
I am only three chapters in but already I can say this is one of the most exciting novels I have read in a while Few writers turn a phrase or show their mastery in the mot juste as Shelby Foote does, it is pure heaven to read and what a shame it won t win the poll ;) wink
Connie wrote: "I finished Girl Waits with Gun Very enjoyable!My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just st..."
Connie, Winter's Bone is one of my favorites!
LeAnne and Kim, I keep rereading some of Daniel Woodrell's beautiful expressions. The man certainly knows how to write.
I'm reading Jam on the Vine by LaShonda Katrice Barnett, and finding it failing to grip me. The situation is extremely interesting: the story involves a descendant of Muslims brought to the US by the army to tend camels (true!) who apparently married into Black America, whose descendants live, in this novel, in east Texas in late Victorian times, in a community that includes people born into slavery.
The writing, however... Well, it exhibits characteristics I usually find in the work of beginning writers, which is unfortunate. I'm hoping the plot will pick up; it's billed as a coming-of-age story, but so far the story has been mainly about the mother of the girl in question, and we're hit over the head with the injustices, and the facts of the people's lives, as if the purpose of the book were to instruct us. As a guy I know puts it, her research looks big in this. Unfortunate.
mef wrote: "I'm reading Jam on the Vine by LaShonda Katrice Barnett, and finding it failing to grip me. The situation is extremely interesting: the story involves a descendant of Muslims brought to the US by..."I agree this book didn t fully work for me either and found it heavy going
Jane wrote: " I am only three chapters in but already I can say this is one of the most exciting novels I have read in a while..."I'm glad to see this -- I've always meant to read Shelby Foote. I loved so much hearing him in the big TV film on the civil war; it was just novel to hear intelligent, scholarly speech on television from someone with my accent. (TV seems to believe we're all hillbillies and hicks.) Must put this on the TBR.
mef wrote: "Jane wrote: " I am only three chapters in but already I can say this is one of the most exciting novels I have read in a while..."I'm glad to see this -- I'..."
I can t put this down , very enthusiastic about it
Connie, Daniel Woodrell is so distinctive, he really can turn a phrase and his narrative voice resonates with me. One of my favorite discoveries in recent years, & my son loves him, as well. He raids my "tbr" pile & I have to get them back from the dark void otherwise known as his bedroom. Jane, I read Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy, my family was always deeply interested in the history of it. Family on my dad's side fought on both sides, the woman in the case--some number of "greats" to go with grandmother--came from a farm in Southern Ohio, & her brothers fought for the South. The man, a great+grandfather and his 5 brothers all fought for the Union, and so it was all very Hatfield & McCoy with a bit of Romeo & Juliet--"2 houses, both alike in enmity, in fair Ohio where we set our story"--except a bit happier as they married & had descendants. This sounds like something my husband would like as well.
My husband is finishing Savage Season, so we can start watching the series tonight. I noticed one of the episodes is entitled "The Bottoms", and the geography sounded familiar as I read about it.
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All three of the main actors are from series I enjoyed. Michael Kenneth Williams' portrayal of Omar Little in The Wire was one of my favorites on that show. He's pretty similar in his portrayal of Leonard.
I am a few pages in Pat Conroy s The Water is Wide -so far beautifully honest
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