Retired: What are you reading? Showing 4,351-4,400 of 5,490

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Doris Kearns Godwin. "Same Time Next Year". You're right, John, it's excellent.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Sorry. "Wait Till Next Year"

[Faith]

John wrote: "Kerns wrote a splendid memoir of her growing up years and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Sorry, I can't think of her name nor the title. Not much good am I.
Dang it."

Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Thanks, Faith.

[John]

That's it. I also enjoyed Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

[Brina]

I've been watching baseball all day. Those are two of my favorite books. The other is Shoeless Joe. I wanted to be Doris Kearns Goodwin when I grew up and read excerpts from Wait Til Next Year every year. The baseball book I am interested in reading for the first time this year is Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof. I hope this has been helpful.

[Faith]

My review of Cane by Jean Toomer:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Vicki]

This morning I read an op-Ed in The New York Times by David Joy. I was so impressed with his writing that I immediately ordered a copy of his first book, Where All Light Tends to Go. This young author is amazing and he is only 34! I next checked the Trail's bookshelf and found this book was included in the group's previous reads. So, I will look forward to reading the discussion on this book after I have it completed.

[Faith]

My review of The Fighter by Michael Farris Smith:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Faith]

My review of Swimming Between Worlds byElaine Neil Orr:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Book Concierge]

NOT Southern lit ... but a very important book.



Missoula – Jon Krakauer – 4****
Subtitle: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town. Krakauer explores the issue of acquaintance rape, and particularly, the ways in which universities dismiss victim complaints in favor of all-star athletes. Disturbing and distressing, but important enough to read. Most rapists are NOT strangers in ski masks hiding in dark alleys; rather, they are the boys next door or men in the office.
LINK to my review

[LA]

For fans of Michael Farris Smith’s works, you’ll find themes in The Fighter that will remind you of the familial love, regret, and hints at sprituality in his earlier works. Being from the same neck of the woods, my husband said the novel was precisely like being in the delta, right down to the chicken on a stick served at the gas station.

Yes, the very title tells us that the protag is going back into the ring - actually a chain link cage - but it’s why that is important. Is it necessary to honor someone so kidnapped by dementia that they won’t appreciate it or is it the honor inside us that is what is important. You have to look deep at motivations here. I loved it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Book Concierge]

With Hemingway – Arnold Samuelson – 4****
Subtitle: A Year in Key West and Cuba. This is Samuelson’s memoir of a year spent with Ernest Hemingway, learning from the master about writing and living. I can definitely see the influence of Hemingway’s style, and yet Samuelson’s writing is all his own.
LINK to my review

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/okra

I found a few that I'm looking forward to....Silas House, Frazier, Chris Offutt to name a few.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

There are a lot of great sounding books on that list. Thanks for posting that, even though I'll have a hard time getting to all of them. But I'll make a valiant effort.

[Book Concierge]

NOT southern ... but a darn good read


The Radium Girls – Kate Moore – 5*****
Moore brings to life the stories of the brave women who painted luminous watch dials in the early 20th century, using radium-infused paint, which ultimately became their death sentence. The reader is in turns incensed and outraged, surprised by the ignorance and cavalier attitudes, and heartbroken by the pain and suffering these women endured.
LINK to my review

[Paul]

Laura wrote: "http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/okra

I found a few that I'm looking forward to....Silas House, Frazier, Chris Offutt to name a few."

Thanks for this list Diane. Always good to find authors one has not heard of before.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Laura posted the list, but I am reading "Varina" by Charles Frazier right now. Fantastic, and packed full of beautiful language and tons of little known facts about the Civil War, before and after. If you loved "Cold Mountain", you'll love this one too. Not a quick read, though. I am filling the book with little stickers marking passages. It's a library book, so have to keep it pristine.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I'm looking forward to meeting Charles Frazier and getting a signed copy of Varina on Thursday. I hope that the group will choose to read it soon.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Jealous Tom but very excited for you. Tell us all the details!!!

[Paul]

I'm currently reading Streets Of Laredo, sequel to Lonesome Dove.
Had i realised, prior to reading LD that although it was the first book published of the Lonesome Dove Saga, chronologically it is the third book in the quartet, i think i would have preferred to read them in chronological order rather than their published order.
In order of publication:

- Lonesome Dove (1985)
- Streets of Laredo (1993)
- Dead Man's Walk (1995)
- Comanche Moon (1997)

In order of internal chronology
- Dead Man's Walk – set in the early 1840s
- Comanche Moon – set in the 1850–60s
- Lonesome Dove – set in mid-to-late 1870s
- Return to Lonesome Dove - set in mid-to-late 1880s
- Streets of Laredo – set in the early 1890s

But having already read LD, i elected to continue with SoL, and read the other two at some later stage. Great, epic story of the American West.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Paul have you tried The Son? A few of us have read it and really enjoyed it.

[Book Concierge]

The Nest – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney – 3.5***
This is a wonderful debut novel, a character-driven tale that explores sibling relations, family dynamics, and a host of other issues that require open communication … something the Plumb siblings have never learned to do. I got drawn into their dynamic fairly quickly, but I think Sweeney was a bit too ambitious, covering many more issues and including many different points of view. I’ll be interested to see what Sweeney’s next novel is about.
LINK to my review

[B. R.]

Laura wrote: "Paul have you tried The Son? A few of us have read it and really enjoyed it."

I agree with you regarding The Son, an excellent book.

[Book Concierge]

Murder At the Bad Girl’s Bar and Grill – N.M.Kelby – 3***
Reminds me of Carl Hiassen, but not quite so well written. Still it’s a fun, ridiculous romp of a tale that kept me entertained and engaged despite its total outlandishness. Frankly, none of these characters made sense to me, and the plot was completely unbelievable. But I did laugh out loud a few times and it was a fast read.
LINK to my review

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Last Thursday I had the great pleasure of meeting Charles Frazier and hearing him read from and discuss his newest book, Varina. This historical novel tells the story of Varina Howell Davis, the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. I'm not familiar with the woman but from all I heard Thursday she sounds like a fascinating character and very unlike what anyone would expect from the so-called first lady of the Confederacy. I am seriously considering picking this as my next moderator's choice selection.

BTW: Frazier has a wonderful voice that reminded me very much of Shelby Foote's, only with a touch less Mississippi in it.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

It would be a great MOD choice, Tom. I just finished it, and she was indeed a fascinating woman, not what you would think of a southern belle from Mississippi. I was not familiar with her history either, but this novel made me admire her a lot. The same cannot be said for Jefferson Davis, as he does not come across as much of a husband, or a leader, for that matter. A discussion of this book would be very interesting.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Diane wrote: "The same cannot be said for Jefferson Davis, as he does not come across as much of a husband, or a leader, for that matter. ."

Frazier had no respect for Jeff and said so in so many words.

[Paul]

Laura wrote: "Paul have you tried The Son? A few of us have read it and really enjoyed it."

Is that 'The Son' by Jo Nesbo?

[Faith]

Paul wrote: "Laura wrote: "Paul have you tried The Son? A few of us have read it and really enjoyed it."

Is that 'The Son' by Jo Nesbo?"

No. The Son

[Paul]

Faith wrote: "Paul wrote: "Laura wrote: "Paul have you tried The Son? A few of us have read it and really enjoyed it."

Is that 'The Son' by Jo Nesbo?"

No. The Son"

Ah. No, i have American Rust, but i've not read it as yet.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Yesssss....American Rust is good too. I get excited when someone says they have that book. His two books are both very good but totally different from each other.

[Darrell]

It's always fun to discover a new writer with whom you really connect, and that happened to me over the weekend. If you like Jodi Picoult, check out Sharon Guskin's "The Forgetting Time." The two writers have very similar styes.

[Book Concierge]

Trains and Lovers – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
In this novel – not part of any series – four strangers meet on a train bound for London from Edinburgh. As they get acquainted their stories come out. I love Alexander McCall Smith. I love the way he puts together an ensemble of characters and slowly reveals their everyday lives and the little (and big) dramas hidden in plain sight.
LINK to my review

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I love Smith too. I haven't read this one, I've read almost all of the Ladies Detective Agency books. His books are all about the characters, and what motivates them. They are such gentle reads that they make you feel peaceful and content after finishing.

[Brina]

I'm starting Wade in the Water: Poems, a new collection by US Poet Laueate, Tracy K Smith. After a month and a half of being unable to read due to real life business I am using this collection to ease back into reading. My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

For readers fortunate enough to have Hoopla, Chris Offutts new book Country Dark is available. My hard copy just arrived yesterday. Looks good.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Laura wrote: "For readers fortunate enough to have Hoopla, Chris Offutts new book Country Dark is available. My hard copy just arrived yesterday. Looks good."

What's it about?

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

The blurb pretty much gives a good explanation. I didn’t realize that this is his first Work of fiction in nearly 20 years. Hubby has read his short stories and I am currently listening to his memoir. My hubby says to expect some grit.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished Black Wings Has My Angel by Elliott Chaze. Terrific Hemmingway-esque prose, great characters, interesting heist, might be the perfect noir crime novel. I gave it 5 stars.

[Vicki]

I just finished Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy. This was a group selection May 2015 and I totally agree with group's consensus that this was a great read. I look forward to reading more work by this author.

[LA]

Randy! So glad you loved Black Wings. Just when we think we’ve seen it all, they show up in New Orleans and the plot thickens!

[Paul]

I'm about a third of the way through Dead Man's Walk. I've read and enjoyed Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo, so decided i better tidy things up by reading at least Dead Man's Walk.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

LeAnne wrote: "Randy! So glad you loved Black Wings. Just when we think we’ve seen it all, they show up in New Orleans and the plot thickens!"

It was terrific from start to finish.

[Faith]

My review of Country Dark by Chris Offutt:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Book Concierge]

This is not a Southern Lit book, but it has that kind of feel to it.


So Brave, Young and Handsome – Leif Enger – 3***
I was caught up in the road trip. The story takes place in 1915, when automobiles were scarce, and more people lived in the rural area of America. As Monte and Glendon head West and South, the landscape virtually becomes a character in the novel.
LINK to my review

[Connie]

The Fighter by Michael Farris Smith

Author Michael Farris Smith is a master at writing about desperate people who have been battered by life and scarred by poverty. He's written a memorable book set in the Mississippi Delta. Here's my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jenny]

I am reading two books at the moment which couldn't be less similar, neither of them Southern Lit .
The first is The Luminaries which won the Man Booker in 2013. I am not sure what to make of it. It feels a little like a very well executed technical exercise in novel structure, without the actual heart of a novel to go with it. I am on page 250 of roughly 1000 pages, and I am starting to fear that this will turn into one of the few books that I won't finish.

The other one I am already deeply in love with: A Goat's Song by Dermot Healy. It's the story of playwright in Northern Ireland, his struggle with alcoholism, his love, and his life in a country that is deeply divided by the Southern/Northern Irish conflict. The language felt odd at first, but there's something deeply raw and poetic about it, it bypasses my brain almost entirely and goes straight for the gut.

[Paul]

Finished Comanche Moon over the weekend, concluding the Lonesome Dove Saga.
Re-read The Man With The Getaway Face, which was as awesome as i remember it, mainly because i didn't remember it.
And read my first book by Ron Rash, One Foot in Eden, which was also excellent.

[LA]

Connie wrote: "The Fighter by Michael Farris Smith

Author Michael Farris Smith is a master at writing about desperate people who have been battere..."

His characters feel so real, don't they? The deep emotion that the main character feels for his foster mother is incredibly profound - it's an odd title for a book that I feel is a beautiful mother's day novel, but there it is. I loved it too.