On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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Retired: What are you reading?
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Angela M
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Apr 28, 2016 07:31PM
Finished Zero K. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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At the moment I'm reading "Driving with the Devil", about bootlegging's role on the birth of NASCAR. Though not a follower of racing, I'm enjoying it as a popular history enormously. The author has a tendency to repeat himself, and some of the contextual allusions he makes are sloppy.
I would find NASCAR more interesting if I were watching it for its original purpose. As it is, I think many people these days watch it waiting for the wrecks, consciously or subconsciously, and in these days of climate change, spewing more pollutants into the air for this seems foolish. If they adopt new technology, they can drive to nowhere in particular without doing more damage, but I do not see that happening anytime soon.
Atticus by Ron Hansen – 4**** While there is certainly a mystery at its core, the novel is more about the father-son relationship, and the failure of both of them to openly communicate and understand one another. In many ways this story echoes the parable of the Prodigal Son from the bible. The plot has several twists and turns that kept me intrigued and turning pages, but the star of the novel, to me, was the writing and the exploration of these characters and their motivations.
Full Review HERE
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick – 4**** Talk about your gothic mystery! Betrayal, an abandoned mansion, a long-lost son, and the isolation of a Wisconsin winter are just the beginning. The characters employ duplicity, obfuscation, coercion, prevarication, and downright lies. I was completely caught up in the story and surprised by more than one twist.
Full Review HERE
Mod
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick – 4**** Talk about your gothic mystery! Betrayal, an abandoned mansion, a long-lost son, and the isolation of a Wisconsin win..."
I loved A Reliable Wife. I was always shocked that it was kind of rated low on GR. Have you read anything else of his? I have not, but I have one here at the house.
Mod
Atticus by Ron Hansen – 4**** While there is certainly a mystery at its core, the novel is more about the father-son relationship, and the failure of both of them to op..."
I loved this book! I had the good fortune to have dinner with Ron as part of a book club sponsored by our local newspaper. You can be sure that I brought my copy of Atticus.
I'm currently reading Travelers Rest by Keith Lee Morris, a horror novel written by a Southern author. It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode or Hotel California by the Eagles. It involves a family that checks into an antiquated hotel, are separated, and lost in time and place.
Mod
Sounds like fun!
Laura wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: " A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick – 4**** Talk about your gothic mystery! Betrayal, an abandoned mansion, a long-lost son, and the isola..."
Read a loved
, need to read more by this author.
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Kim wrote: "I would find NASCAR more interesting if I were watching it for its original purpose. As it is, I think many people these days watch it waiting for the wrecks, consciously or subconsciously, and in ..."Oddly enough, there's at least driver who counts herself an environmental activist. While she (Leilani Munter) acknowledges the fact that she's burning 40+ gallons of gas every race, she only accepts sponsorship from environmentally-friendly companies and in her private life, powers her home exclusively through solar and drives a Tesla.
But yes, watching dirt-road bootlegging would be far more entertaining than watching cars zoom around in circles!
Interview with Munter:
http://www.startalkradio.net/show/rac...
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom – 3*** A young Irish orphan is indentured to pay her parents’ debt, living and working alongside the slaves in the kitchen house of a Virginia plantation. I can certainly see why this has become so popular with book clubs. It has an interesting basic story line, some tension-filled scenes, and complex relationships between characters. However, it’s not the best-written book. Still, it held my attention and was a fairly quick read. Orlagh Cassidy (voicing Lavinia’s chapters) and Bahni Turpin (performing Belle’s) do a fine job on the audio book.
Full Review HERE
Stephen wrote: "At the moment I'm reading "Driving with the Devil", about bootlegging's role on the birth of NASCAR. Though not a follower of racing, I'm enjoying it as a popular history enormously. The author has..."Stephen, I learn something new every day! I had no idea that bootlegging was even remotely the provenance for NASCAR, but it certainly makes sense. When I was growing up, the Dukes of Hazzard TV show was popular, and although I didn't watch it, I'm guessing it may somehow tie to all this too. Would the book make a good Father's Day gift?
Tina wrote: "Finished The Kind Worth KillingRecommend this twisted tale of deception for those of you that enjoy a good thriller. Quick and easy read, but hard to put down."
Yes! Easy and twisty. Enjoyed it.
Well, here I am - still in the 1800s! While enjoying our group read Fallen Land these past few days, I've also been concurrently reading The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, set in 1823. Yes, this is the book on which the Leonardo DiCaprio movie was based, but I didn't let that stop me from listening to the audiobook.And it is really enjoyable! Hugh Glass was the real life fellow who as a child, loved to read. His parents thought this tendency might lead to a scholarly future, but instead, it made him crave the exploration of new places. He became a sailor.
Here in New Orleans, we know all about Jean Lafitte the pirate (or Baratarian, which is the polite form of labeling him), and it turns out that his crew overtook the ship that Glass was serving on. Young Glass faked his ability to understand French and was taken on as a hand by Lafitte's crew instead of being thrown overboard like most of his fellow sailors. From there, he ended up ashore in Campeche (now known as Galveston), embroiled in a skirmish and with no supplies. A jouncing wagon, running from the fight, ended up being the salvation of Hugh and his comrade - a box of expensive rifles toppled off.
Glass's perspective? This beautifully made rifle is his defense. It feeds him. It provides him a living. It is a reminder, decades later, of all that he has been through.
After surviving Pawnee capture and attacks made by the Arikara, when that rifle is stolen from him and he is left for dead, Hugh Glass will not take it lying down.
This historical fiction was well researched, as best can be for frontier history 200 years old. One thing I loved was the appearance of Toussaint Charbonneau, the widower of Sacagawea. The author took real occurrences and added them in - Toussaint saw himself as solely an interpreter and refused to take turns keeping overnight watch for attack. He thought himself above it - this is documented in the writings of Lewis and Clark.
There are other little tidbits for history lovers, and the factual pieces make this a fun read - if you're okay with an occasional scalping, the eating of dog, and a few maggots in one's wounds.
Anyway, I'm enjoying this so much that I've ordered a hard copy for my husband and teenaged son, the latter a huge history buff. If you need a gift idea for Father's Day, I highly recommend The Revenant!
PS. The movie is bogus (as in a faked plot, not bad acting)
LeAnne wrote: "Well, here I am - still in the 1800s! While enjoying our group read Fallen Land these past few days, I've also been concurrently reading The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, set in 182..."This is a great review, LeAnne. It is unlikely I would have picked this book up without it, and you've completely changed my opinion.
Carol wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "Well, here I am - still in the 1800s! While enjoying our group read Fallen Land these past few days, I've also been concurrently reading [book:The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge|228369..."Thanks, Carol! I haven't gotten to the ending yet, so it could still go belly-up, but this really surprised me. Had the library not had an audio version pop up, I wouldn't have gone for it either.
Mod
LeAnne
Josh liked the movie very much. You think he would enjoy the audio book after seeing the movie?
Laura wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "Well, here I am - still in the 1800s! While enjoying our group read Fallen Land these past few days, I've also been concurrently reading [book:The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge|228369..."The book might be a rehash for him, so it is hard to say, especially since I have not seen the movie - I just saw reviews which commented on all the "new" things added in it. SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO READ THE BOOK>>>STOP HERE
The screenwriters apparently didn't think contemporary audiences would buy this frontiersman's drive to confront the guys who ditched him and stole his beloved rifle. They added a half-Pawnee son who gets murdered, and that is supposed to be the driver for Hugh Glass's revenge. They also added him breaking up a rape - maybe so he would be more heroic? In real life, Sacagawea's husband did have five "wives" at one point and had a predilection for teenaged girls. He was stabbed by an older native American woman for raping her teenaged daughter. I'm guessing that this is what inspired the screen writers to add it.
Lastly, the guy who stole the rifle actually found out that Glass was coming for him, so he joined the army, knowing it would be legally impossible for Glass to get away with killing him (although had he not enlisted, frontier justice would have been accepted). In the movie, Glass spares him but the guy gets killed by Arikara anyway.
Soooo, maybe??
Mod
The book is fairly short so I may go ahead and grab it for him to listen to while he's driving to work.
Laura wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "Laura wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "Well, here I am - still in the 1800s! While enjoying our group read Fallen Land these past few days, I've also been concurrently reading [book:The Revena..."Oh, yes! Absolutely - I thought you meant buy him a copy. The audio is very well done.
Finished The Veins of the Ocean: A Novel. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....Beautifully written , story of how people's pasts shape who they are and impact the ability to move forward . Themes of immigrants , family , freedom .
I finished City of Secrets. 4 stars . My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... This haunting story of a holocaust survivor in Palestine tells of a period of time and a place that I knew nothing about . Great writing.
Mod
I am currently reading "Ordinary Grace" which is not southern, but has a small town feel to it, and thus is the type of novel I enjoy. Reminds me a bit of "Bottle Rocket."
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers – 5***** This is a true story of what happened to one family in Post-Katrina New Orleans. I was shocked, stunned, angry, heartbroken, dismayed and completely riveted by the tale. Eggers does a great job putting the reader into the setting – the peace and quiet of no electronics, the heat and humidity, the stench of rotting vegetation, and the unsettling sight of armed men patrolling (?) your once-peaceful neighborhood. Firdous Bamji does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. He has good pacing and his performance enhances the reader’s impressions of Zeitoun and Kathy.
Full Review HERE
Dear Book Concierge - Ive forgotten your name, forgive me! And because I am on my iPhone, I cannot hit a reply to your comment about Zeiton. The Zeiton cousins were my house painters in uptown New Orleans, and while this published story might be mostly true, I should also tell you that Fuad Zeiton (cousin & business partner to the gentleman who is described in the book) not only was convicted of multiple cases of fraud but the new Orleanians Better Business Bureau had more complaints lodged against him and his partner than any other single business in the history of their record keeping.
I have personal stories of what went on with the Zeitons and their workers that they swindled out of paychecks (they dallied & then never paid the African American crew not the Guatemalan gentleman they brought in to replace the four black men... But they happily paid the three Syrian-Americans). We knew other homeowners whose money they took and never showed up again. I had to call the police because Zeiton beat up a man on my back deck, punching him so hard that it knocked him off of the deck, out of my gate, and onto the city sidewalk. I will spare you the rest.
The book is very well written, but knowing what I do, I highly doubt that it is "true" other than what can be verified by police records. I consider it a good work of fiction but only recommend it as a library book. Royalties, you know..
Having just joined this group I looked through group reads for this year and got The Pecan Man to read this weekend. Hope it is good especially based on discussions here. Also getting Albert for next week. So thank y'all.
I'm woefully behind, but am going to start Carrying Albert Home in the next couple of days.
Mod
Excellent!
Mod
I finished Lab Girl, and thought it was a terrific book. This is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished At the Edge of Summer. 4 stars .My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... A beautifully written story of friendship, love , war , art .
Reading Night at the Fiesta: Stories by Kirstin Valdez Quade for an A-Z author challenge. I'm not usually a fan of short stories but these are surprisingly good and count as south- take place in New Mexico.
Mod
Are you using her for the 'V' or the 'Q'? I love New Mexico stories. Rudolfo Anaya is one of my favorites!
I'm using for Q. I need a V if you have suggestions. Then I'll have 16/26 done. Or if you have any Q suggestions I can use for V, I honestly didn't even think of that.
Mod
Jules Verne
Gore Vidal
Cathrynne M. Valente
Barbara Vine
Kurt Vonnegut
If you need a W, be sure to make it P.G. Wodehouse.
I haven't heard of Valente or Vine. I'm going to look them up. Thanks Tom.
It would be neat to have an A-Z challenge of just southern writers, if possible. Maybe next year if I'm more organized.
Vendela Vida wrote an excellent, somewhat unusual book called The Divers Clothes Lie Empty. Id tag it but am on this ridiculous iPhone app.
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On the Southern Literary Trail
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