On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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Retired: What are you reading?
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Jane
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Oct 31, 2016 11:06PM
LeAnne I will check out that book as I live an hour away from cinque terra love everything Italian , except my ex husband lol
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Cinque terre is beautiful as is the whole of Italy and a thought and prayers for the earthquake victims just so dreadful
Jane wrote: "LeAnne I will check out that book as I live an hour away from cinque terra love everything Italian , except my ex husband lol"Ha! You are a scream. Yeah, Beautiful Ruins is by one of my favorite authors ever. Insider info? I was corresponding with M.O. Walsh a few months ago about our book club, and when I told him we'd interviewed the author Jess Walter, he said he was jealous.
When I further told Walsh that Jess Walter had also sent my book club peeps out on their first clue for the scavenger hunt (he made them go to a strip club on Bourbon Street called Rick's Cabaret - true story), he about fainted. He admitted to a serious man-crush - Walter is one of his fave writers ever.
Any way, it's a great read! XO
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Diane wrote: "I just finished reading "Geography of Bliss" about the happiest places in the world. One of the biggest contributors to happiness is the absence of envy. Jane is making that difficult for me."Me too. I wanna take a Mediterranean cruise too...waaa. Diane - I'm looking for an upbeat, relatively short read for December book club for our neighborhood. We're going to do it as a progressive dinner. Would this be a good choice? Is there something else you'd recommend?
Last year, I did my other club and had them read A Man Called Ove - it was perfect, but our neighborhood club read it this year too. Tips?
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That actually might work. I also have a collection of Southern Christmas stories that feature Donna Tartt and Willie Morris... I was looking for a fun novel originally, but stories may be the thing. Two stories at House A for appetizers & champagne. Two stories at House B for soup & salad....etc.
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Leanne I would go with Capote. The X-Mas story is in the same collection as Breakfast at Tiffany's and all the stories have his prose that draw you in.
I reread the Capote stories in the past year, and they are excellent. But your other option, the Christmas short story collection, may meet your needs better as you need more than 2 stories to cover your evening. Is there an anthology that has Capote plus other holiday stories?
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LeAnne wrote: "I love y'all and so appreciate your help here and the support. I felt a little freaked out. Today turned my state of mild distress around. It being Halloween, we had 14 ladies from the neighborho..."
What a great idea. I bet a fun time was had by all.
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This might work, it has Capote's Christmas Memory in it, as well as a lot of other Christmas stories by well know authors.
.Also, Laura's MOD choice from last year would be a good one.
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There was a Christmas book/story written by a musical person that Tina has read. I'll see what I can find. She may remember what I am talking about.
Here it is: O Little Town
Block whoever complains. Not worth your time. I would say delete the review but that is giving into whoever dislikes your review.
I am currently reading Hush, Swing, Hush by Laurie Parker, a very well-written and engaging novel.Just finished:
Belgravia by Julian Fellows (Those who loved Downton Abbey will love this!)
The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro. I really enjoyed this novel which delved into the world of art forgery.
Just don't respond, as you know I loved that book, didn't agree with your review. However, you do have the right to your own opinion on whatever you read. That is undeniable, just stop responding, they can't play of you don't play along. Ignore.
Diane S ☔ wrote: "Just don't respond, as you know I loved that book, didn't agree with your review. However, you do have the right to your own opinion on whatever you read. That is undeniable, just stop responding, ..."Disagreeing on books is part of our diversity - makes the world an interesting place. My notifications are set extremely low but are still lighting up. This is rather ruining my Goodreads experience.
It is part of our diversify and I generally love that, but Leanne you can't control people's reaction as to how they react to your review, but you can control your own. You know how you felt about the book, wrote that down and now it seems to have ignited a firestorm. If you don't let it get to you, you will win. If you keep responding it will continue. Don't let it ruin your good reads experience, you know you have many friends, myself included, that feel differently than that woman giving you a hard time. But she can only get to you if you let her.
Just started Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis hope I finish quick it is nominated for the Good Reads 2016 - I've read two others in the category and this would be a 3rd.
Leanne, has Goodreads responded to you in regards to this issue? I'm guessing if it takes any longer, you might not get a response at all. If that's the case delete your review. Goodreads is supposed to be fun. You should not have to log in and dwell on whether or not someone bashed your review. We are behind you here.
LeAnne wrote: "Omg. Im being personally ripped to shreds by some woman on that Ivan Isaenko review. Somebody. Please tell me how to make this stop. Trying hard to put this behind me & because of this author askin..."You could turn off the notification when someone comments on your review. I find it's far more peaceful than engaging with a user who likely is a sock puppet for the displeased, insecure author.
Wondering if "Catherine" exists or if the author created her account to put you down anonymously? Just a thought.
NOTE - I'm sorry for asking you guys for help. It is distracting from the thread's intent. Let's take it offline and if you would like to respond, just send a message. Thank you, and please accept my knee jerk request for help.
Just block the irate lady. This happens to me all the time on Twitter where I talk about politics & other hot button issues. Some truly awful people there who are like attack dogs. I am surprised when it happens on here, I expect book people to be civilized. I am reading Legacy of Mask, a Mary Crow mystery. I like it because it is set in the mountains of NC, far away from current events. But then, out of the blue, the murderer is described as "Pisgah County's answer to Donald Trump". Sigh.
I just finished Doctorow: Collected Stories. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Arrowood by Laura McHugh. I thought it was just ok. My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished Die of Shame written and read by Mark Billingham. My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I think you guys would like the new Donald Ray Pollock book. It has some violence in it, but if it is possible to include it as tongue in cheek, somehow Pollock pulls it off. If you liked The Sisters Brothers, then The Heavenly Table may be one whose blurb you want to check out. The chapters are teeny tiny, and the character number is very high...yet somehow he weaves most, if not all, of these stray cats into one big braid toward the end. Initially, the reader does not know the paths will converge, but when you start to anticipate that it will, it is a good ride.
As a side note, I appreciate books that introduce a gay character with dignity (one of my uncles was gay and came out in the 60s...very proud of him for standing tall).
If you decide to read it, I will confess that Chapter Five - where we learn how the title came about - frustrated me, as the meaning of the title was reiterated, I dunno, maybe six times? Other friends who read the book before me encouraged me to plug along. SO GLAD I did!
Happy reading.
I finished Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto. 5 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
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Tom and Angela those books sound poignant. I haven't been reading much of anything. After going to the Cubs rally and parade and stopping by the ball park before my trip home today, I can finally finally after a month get back to a normal reading routine. My to read list is crazy between groups' reads and personal choices, but tomorrow I am going to curl up with a good book and I am very excited about it.
Brina , enjoy curling up with that book . I've had a busy weekend so I'm hoping to do the same .
It might be books and thanks Angela. I intend to savor my time.
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Are you watching 13th on Netflix? I've tagged it to watch but haven't started yet.
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Are you watching 13th on Netflix? I've tagged it to watch but haven't started yet."
I tagged it too but haven't watched it yet. With the World Series, our DVR is pretty full.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... I just finished reading IDAHO by Emily Ruskovich. My review is here
Don't know if someone here recommended to me or someone else but starting Fried Green Tomatoes over the weekend. Also reading ahead Cat on Hot Tin Roof.
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Diane I am not a big movie person. I have a long list of movies based on books I've read this year that I haven't watched yet. Maybe now that baseball season is over but I doubt it. In the time I could watch a 2 hour movie I couldn't also be reading a book. Anyway I read Streetcar earlier this year and Tennessee Williams is amazing so I am enjoying this as well. I will have to reading Glass Menagerie to complete this classic trilogy.
I will say that in the case of Cat on the Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, or The Glass Menagerie, seeing the movies ( or a live production of them) is really how they are meant to be enjoyed. I had a double major in college--Speech and Drama & Literature & Writing--and plays are so much more than words on a page. I think they are worth the 2 hours taken away from reading, especially with performances by the actors and actresses that performed in the works of Tennessee Williams. I also enjoyed the book of Fried Green Tomatoes, but adored the film. I will watch it whenever it pops up. I knit or embroider while I watch, so that always means I get more out of my watching time. ;-)
Very tempting but at this point all I know how to do is make pot holders on a loom. I'm still behind- still haven't watched Breakfast at Tiffany's, In the Heat of the Night, Gone With the Wind. Maybe it's time to start classic movie night at my house.
I started that on Friday evenings with my kids. We watched Some Like It Hot, North by Northwest, The African Queen, Arsenic and Old Lace, and many others. We got started on it because they were missing references of things that my husband and I took for granted. My middle child and I did a film festival of John Hughes films when she was in JR High & to this day she loves Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, Anthony Michael Hall, Eric Stoltz, Jon Cryer, Matthew Broderick, & the many other members of his Brat Pack. It is always time well spent for us.
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On the Southern Literary Trail
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