William Gaddis Carpenter's Gothic J.R.

I've mostly been reading David Weinberger's Everything is Miscellaneous this week around the holiday visitors but also found time to complete Steven Pinker's The Stuff of Thought which is somewhere between a set of linked essays and a book - interesting but somehow disappointing; and I also finished Gerald Weinberg's More Secrets of Consulting a little book with more practical value than the other two put together.

Message edited by its author, Dec 30, 2007, 2:09am.

Reading Fault Lines by Anna Salter about a pedophile that gets out of prison on a technicality. Pretty good so far.

Finally finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil which, when not bemusing--after reading this book, I now consider myself conservative and strait-laced compared to Savannah society!--was absolutely hilarious. Let's hear it for the Lady Chablis and Minerva!

Next: my November ER book, which I just received before Christmas--The Writer Within You: A Step by Step guide to Writing and Publishing in Your Retirement Years (touchstones not working). Which, given my age, certainly I'm in the targeted audience. Just no one seems to realize that once you're "retired", you have LESS time than you did when you were working! When I lived in the states, the people who were the hardest to contact were "retired".

Heaven knows I've been flirting with the idea of a book for nearly 10 years. So we'll see.

I am about a third of the way through Atonement. It's finally picking up--I read it on faith for the first eighty or so pages.

I am currently reading Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell. I should finish that today and then I'm reading Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig and The Gunslinger Born (The Dark Tower Graphic Novel). I received The Gunslinger Born from my SantaThing Secret Santa!

I finished Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind - I'm really enjoying this series, and this one ended on a cliffhanger of sorts, so I'm eager to dive into the next in the series, Temple of the Winds.

Otherwise, still reading:
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
a collection of essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I'll be taking The Age of Reason with me today to the In-Laws Family Christmas (ugh).

Reading The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs and finding myself laughing out loud then glancing around to see if anyone noticed. Seriously, I was sure I was laughing so hard my partner and son were going to wake up last night--and they were in a different room.

Still reading:
Life Lines: Holding On and Letting Go by Forrest Church

Next Up:
My Early Reviewer Book: The Sex Club

I finished Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell for Early Reviewers, and now I am reading my next ER selection, Atomic Lobster by Tim Dorsey.

I'm re-reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett before I get into World Without End. I first read this book more than 10 years ago and I'm loving it just as much the second time around.

Haven't gotten too much reading done this week, what with the holidays and all ... but will probably finish Foucault's Pendulum on the train ride back to Boston tonight. That may well be the last book I finish in 2007.

Earlier this week I did read Lyra's Oxford, a Philip Pullman short story.

I'm on Chapter 5 of A Singular Lady by Megan Frampton

I'm almost half way through I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson and plan to start The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe and have both finished before the end of 2007! That will bring my total to 77 for the year.

Message edited by its author, Dec 29, 2007, 11:10am.

I'm also reading Atonement; but I'm marveling at McEwan's prose style.

working my way through Watership Down -- no, not working, more like meandering... not rushing so it can be first on my 2008 list. Also have bookmarks in Narnia's Silver Chair and Why Johnny Can't Tell Right From Wrong...

I'm still reading Into the Wild and enjoying it.

#7 I just picked up The year of Living Biblically from the library and am glad to hear I'll be laughing. Not much laughing in Into the Wild. I also have The God Delusion waiting. Hmm, I see a "religious" theme here.

I finished In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant -- not so good really.

Reading The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor which is just mesmerizing so far. Haunting. A good way to end the year.

Message edited by its author, Dec 29, 2007, 1:49pm.

Finished 1491 last night. It normally wouldn't have taken six weeks, but I had gifts to knit.

Just starting Queen Isabella, which my SantaThing sent.

absolutely worth it to keep going. It's the end that will get you and you'll never forget that book

I finished The Reluctant Fundamentalist this morning and moved right on to The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. Looks like a quiet read, which I'm happy for today.

#10 jbd1: Foucault's Pendulum is one of my favorite books--not an easy read, I found, but fascinating.

I hope those of you reading Atonement find it as beautiful as I did...I should reread it soon.

I am still reading The Alchemist which I'm finding quite lovely so far. I picked up four new books yesterday with a gift card I got for Christmas, so I am very excited. I think next I'll read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Thanks to the buzz I encountered here, I started (and am nearly done with) David Markson's Vanishing Point. It's like flipping through a high-brow Page-A-Day calendar or reading just the answers from a stack of post-grad Trivial Pursuit cards. Pretentious adjectives like "fugue-like" and "impressionistic" are easy to toss at it but the experience is difficult to characterize.

TeacherDad: Watership Down is one of my favorites. Lucky you!

I am rummaging through my library trying to decide what to read next. I want something funny so I'm headed to the Wodehouse/Waugh section of my shelves, I think.

...I guess that should be Waugh/Wodehouse. ;-)

#14, what a wonderful book Watership Down is. it must be twenty years since I read it.
I am currently reading Eric Clapton's autobiography,

Message edited by its author, Dec 29, 2007, 5:47pm.

I finished The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld yesterday (Friday). It was an interesting book that was fiction, but was based on the one time visit to America by Sigmund Freud (a murder mystery with his possible ties to the investigation). I am now reading Family Skeletons by Rett MacPherson that is an easy mystery read. At the same time, I am reading The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss Ultra-Metabolism by Mark Hyman (ok, so I'm getting one of my new years resolutions going!). I am going to start on The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman after I get done with the mystery too.

Message edited by its author, Dec 29, 2007, 6:12pm.

I finished Thursbitch and I am still trying to decide if I enjoyed this read or not. The dialect and chapters switch between 17th and 20-21st century dialect and the 17th centry dialect is hard to understand - but the twentieth centry dialect is good. I also finished Teresa Raquin which I enjoyed - it was very gripping and well translated.

I am now 1/3 way The human stain which I am immensely enjoying. I also plan to finish Adjunct: an undigest and then, if theres time, I will finish Love in the time of cholera.

So many books, so little time.

I finished The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope over the holiday and am almost done with Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. I started two other books, Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki and The Child in Time by Ian McEwan.

Just finished Love is a many trousered thing by Louise Rennison and have just begun Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

I am still reading Cataloochee which is pretty good so far. I optimistically brought it with me to my son's wrestling tournament today but didn't even pull it out. It is not really an environment condusive to reading. I hope to get much more reading done in the next few days - the last days before the kids go back to school.

Just finished the latest by J.D. Robb - Creation in Death. Will be starting Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex for Go Review That Book! here on LT.

Started Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer last night.

>31: bettyjo, I will be interested to hear what you think of Septembers of Shiraz; it's on my TBR pile.

I finished We Need to Talk about Kevin today. What a compelling book ... this one will haunt me for quite a while I think.

I need something lighter now, and may be able to finish one more book before the year is out. Just started a Virago edition of Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont and am finding it absolutely wonderful!

#32 lindsacl....also thought We Need to Talk About Kevin was a compelling read...should be read by all school administrators.

scaifea wrote: I'll be taking The Age of Reason with me today to the In-Laws Family Christmas (ugh).

Sounds like a fitting title to bring there :-P

I finished I Capture the Castle last night. Full review is up, but suffice it to say the wonderful promise of the first few chapters was not fulfilled.

This afternoon I read Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar. It was great; such superb characters. Not sure what I'm going to pick up next.

I started Extras by Scott Westerfeld late last night and expect to finish it this evening. I'm having a great time with it.

I'm currently about half way through Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn and trying to decide what's next on my list...Might go with The Golden Compass or The Book Theif or something completely different...

I stayed up late last night to finish Excellent Women by Barbara Pym; an LT recommendation and my first by Pym. I really enjoyed it and look forward to tracking down her other books. Meanwhile, I've started on Anthony Trollope's He Knew He Was Right.

I am 50 pages into Atonement by Ian McEwan. I have a feeling a major shift is about to occur.

#31 Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont made a lovely movie as well.

I just finished Jesus Land and now I'm on to Caramelo, and it's coming along slowly. I've been feeling a bit melancholy these past couple days, and its crazy, familial antics aren't hitting home like they should.

#34 wisewoman: HA! I hadn't thought of how appropriate the title was (or was is just wishful thinking?). At any rate, things were so hectic and crazy all day there that I didn't get a moment to read it, which is oddly appropriate as well, I suppose!

I'm currently reading The Waste Lands by Stephen King, the third in his Tower Series, and expect to finish it today or tomorrow, and then I'll begin The Kite Runner which should be my first book of 2008.

I just finished Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
and started First Love, Last Rites by Ian McEwan

I'm finally loving Atonement and finding the beautiful prose I expected from McEwan. The story is so gripping and the foreshadowing so powerful that I had to put the book down!

>33 bettyjo
As for We Need to Talk About Kevin, suffice it to say that school adminstrators have read the book. Imagine then, the dialog the school personnel might have with K's mother versus the dialog with K's father. And, it's usually the father's posture that presents. All in all, a powerful book.

I'm reading Let Me Finish by Roger Angell and Science and Music by James H. Jeans, and I'm about to start The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell for the Go Review That Book! group.

#37: I also stayed up a few nights ago to finish Excellent Women--totally worth it!

#45, carlym, As you may know, The Singapore Grip is the third of a thematically connected trilogy by J. G. Farrell. In my opinion, the first, Troubles, is far and away the best (one of my favorite books of 2007, in fact); the second, The Siege of Krishnapur, is very good, but The Singapore Grip is the weakest. Unless you need to read it first because of the group you're in, I would highly recommend starting with Troubles.

Message edited by its author, Dec 30, 2007, 10:19am.

I'm trying to finish I'm With The Band by Pamela Des Barres. In January I try to read only novels, so I'm clearing some non-fiction off the night stand.

Yesterday I read Anita Shreve's Body Surfing. It was a fine way to spend an afternoon, but her latest novels do not seem to have the depth of her earlier works.

If I finish something today or tomorrow, I will make 50! I guess I will formally join the challenge for 2008.

I just finished The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld as well and really enjoyed it...great time period - perfect for intrigue & crime with a really interesting twist!

Still reading the Mystery of the Italian Ruins by Derek Long.

Surprisingly, I only know of two books by this mystery writer of the `40s and `50s (this one and Lord Greyburn`s Son). I`m sure there would have been others.

Just started Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley, which so far (4 chapters in) is up to his usual high standards. I read the last but for this one (Cinnamon Kiss) over a year ago, and from the first sentence on of Blonde Faith, it was like coming home to dear friends and family! I think this year (2008), I'm going to try his Fearless series, which I'm told is even better than his Easy Rawlins series. If that's true, then I'm in for a treat!

Message edited by its author, Dec 30, 2007, 12:19pm.

I started Peeps by Scott Westerfeld late last night. I'm really enjoying it so far; it's an interesting biological take on vampirism.

Not had much time for reading over the holiday period, so I'm still reading The Truth About Fairy Tales by K T Casha and Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.

Peeps sounds really interesting, xi. (Yes, I've added another book to my wish list on Amazon...)

Just finished The Gift by Richard Paul Evans and also Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon. Both were easy reads. Looking at Kite Runner or a book by Alexander McCall Smith Between my husband and I we got about 24 new Christmas books so that should keep me for awhile.

#5 What did you think of Rhett Butler's people, I got that for
Christmas as well

Today.. I am reading Keeping Faith Jodi Picoult

Like all of her books, it is a good read...not a brain strainer, but always a good read.

Which book are you referring to?

It's been a slow reading month, so I'm still working on Ernest Hemingway's Green Hills of Africa, but I might move on to Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, as a friend loaned it to me some time ago and I feel compelled to return it soon.

I started The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano, highly recommended here on LT, and am as yet not quite sure what to make of it. Also reading The Paris Review Interviews II.

Hey Rebecca, Bolano's book is dynamite, just be patient, and you'll easily discover what so many have admired so much. The 2nd book of the Paris Reviews Interviews was not nearly as good as the 1st one (Harold Bloom, Eudora Welty and Faulkner's aside, of course.)

I finished Girl in a Red Tunic and I'm about to start Heart of Ice, both they Alys Clare.

I just finished Anna Karenina and am starting on The Six Wives of Henry VIII and The Children of Henry VIII so hopefully I'll finish at least one more book before New Years.

I'm reading Parke Godwin's Sherwood. Touchstone is wrong *sigh*. I didn't think I'd ever read this before but it's eerily familiar, more so than just the story of Robin Hood. I think I read it years ago and totally forgot that I had. I'm too YOUNG to be doing that! *weep*

I've finished Atonement and loved it. The last book of 2007 will be David Sedaris' Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim.

I'm reading Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day, but I admit I'm going slow. It took me five years to finally make it through Mason & Dixon, though, and I still enjoyed it. Pynchon's just a different kind of commitment for a reader.

Standing in the wings are Salman Rushdie's The Ground Beneath Her Feet (second attempt - and I'm not sure I'll get through it, just not liking it), and The Pursuit of Glory by Tim Blanning.

#7 nancyewhite: I have had the same reaction to The Year of Living Biblically which I am currently reading, too. I kept interrupting my husband's football game to tell him something hilarious I was reading (I don't know if he found it as funny as I did.

Also currently working on Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster, I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak and First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde. I am also diving into a some longer books that will take me several weeks to read: Cultural Amnesia by Clive James, The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America by George Nash and Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.

#59 rebeccanyc, #60 LouisBranning: I am especially interested in opinions of The Savage Detectives. The book received a rave review from the NY Times--which is not always prophetic for me---in an article discussing Latin American authors. I mostly enjoy LA authors but the description of the book made me hesitate--didn't sound like "my thing". So please let us know. And Louis, I'd be delighted to have a more detailed opinion from you.

I'm reading Shriek: an Afterword by Jeff Vandermeer. He has a dense writing style which makes his work slow going (for me, anyway), but it's great to read a fantasy novel, like his earlier City of Saints and Madmen (linked novellas) that is so far away from the standard fantasy templates.

senjmito, I loved Shriek: an Afterword and his Veniss Underground, but have not got around to reading City of Saints and Madmen. He is quite an imaginative writer.

#53 Kell_Smurthwaite, I love Far from the Madding Crowd. Jude the Obscure is my favorite Hardy novel, but this one is much less depressing.

I'm totally enthralled with A Child in Time at the moment. How did I pass this one by for so long? No one portrays the way the mind and heart work quite as well as Ian McEwan. It's a sad, but beautiful, novel.

#60 LewisBranning, Thanks for the encouragement about The Savage Detectives, and I do agree with you about The Paris Review Interviews II -- I really loved the first one and this one is just so-so. However, I have to have something to read on the subway that isn't as graphic as The Savage Detectives!

PS to Joycepa, #67, When it first came out, I looked at The Savage Detectives in a bookstore and it didn't look that interesting. But since then, so many people have recommended it here on LT that I felt I should give it a try. Then, when I bought it, the book store owner told me it was a really wonderful book, so I'm hoping I will discover what the fuss is all about as I continue reading it.

I'm still gently plodding through Journey to the West Volume 1, though it's getting less ploddy as it's turned into some quite comic folklore. I picked up On Chesil Beach at the supermarket the other day as it was out in paperback and started it, but I've now been sidetracked as someone on LT recommended Outlander and the friends we're staying with for new year have it, so I'm reading that now. Oooh, and we've been using our car journeys to listen to Neil Gaiman reading Stardust, which I've really enjoyed.

I started Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day which has been fun so far.

I finished Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn this morning, and now I'm curious to read the rest in the series. This afternoon I started Small Steps by Louis Sachar, but I'm not sure it's got me in the same way that Holes did.

#74 - Killey, I am about 2/3 of the way through Across the Nightingale Floor right now. I feel that it is beautifully written. I too am curious to get the rest of the series. (Yes, my SantaThing picked well for me. I ordered the rest of the other series from Amazon the other day, and I think I'm going to order the rest of these today.)

I have The Savage Detectives on my wishlist, after all I have heard about it on LT.

I finished reading Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell this morning, an Early Reviewers book. I was disappointed with it, especially since I'd read her book A Thread of Grace recently and loved it. This book was much more heavy-handed, with a lot of the historical information spouted by characters to enlighten our heroine. I disliked the narrative voice, and had a hard time getting past that to enjoy the story. I think perhaps it was the difficulty of using historical figures as fictional characters that was beyond her.

Today I plan on curling up with a lovely reread, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, which my book group will be discussing in a few weeks.

I don't want to start anything new right now, so I'm going to focus on finishing off a volume of Grimms' Fairy Tales I started ages ago. I've only got about fifty pages to go, so hopefully it'll just fly by.

For those loving Atonement - It is such a wonderful book. Thanks for making me think of it again.

I read The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold yesterday. I know many found this book horrifying, and I certainly didn't find it uplifting, but I thought it was really very, very good. It presented some very real issues to think about - what must it be like to be raised by depressive parents? To know that you father would rather sleep in a deserted house with cut-outs of people then be home with you? To take care of an aggorophobic mother for 50 years? To know that you can no longer care for her in the home she can't leave? Great thinking stuff, although sad.

I'm starting The Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill today. I've been waiting forever for this on CD from the library. I continue to plod along through Consumption by Kevin Patterson, determined to finish it--it's getting tedious.

Finished Discovery of France - the wrong book for me, I was disappointed (my review explains why)

Started Olive Kitteridge from November Early Reviewers books.

Message edited by its author, Dec 31, 2007, 2:37pm.

I'm settling in to Pillar of Salt by Tunisian author Albert Memmi. It's semi-autobiographical and begins with the protagonist's childhood which is played out in wonderfully descriptive prose that allows the reader to experience the sights, smells and sounds of this young boy's world.

Currently very much enjoying The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin. I suspect I may end up collecting all of them.

I am reading The Grass Crown by Colleen McCullough - the second in the 'Masters of Rome Series'. They are quite good so far - just very detailed and long. I am getting addicted to ancient Rome. My books for 2008 are going to have an Italy theme as I prepare for my trip in March!

I finished my ER book today, Atomic Lobster by Tim Dorsey, which was fun to read because it was set in my hometown. Next up is Amsterdam by Ian McEwan.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to the "What Are You Reading Now" gang! I have enjoyed this group very much, received a lot of great suggestions from you all and I am looking forward to reading our way through 2008 together!

Oh, well said, mrstreme! My feelings exactly.

Warmest wishes to everyone for a safe, happy, & prosperous 2008 filled with lots of great books to read and lots of time to read them!

I got the encyclopedia of serial killers for christmas and am to the H's so far. I am enjoying it, although I have spotted a couple of errors so far. Such as Ed Gein died of resp. failure, when he actually died of liver cancer. My hubby says it is just weird that I know that to start with!!

Message edited by its author, Dec 31, 2007, 7:40pm.

I was one of those who was extremely skeptical of Roberto Bolano's The Savage Detectives when it came out, mainly because it was praised so extravagantly, and in such complete lock-step by every major reviewing outlet in the country. I put my reservations aside however, read it in about 5 days, and was delighted that I did. Not only did it over-reach the hype, but it made me an instant Bolano fan. I've since read his excellent novel Amulet, and his collections By Night in Chile and Last Evenings on Earth. I've pre-ordered his new novel Nazi Literature in the Americas, which arrives in Feb., and even as we speak, his 1000-plus-page magnus opus 2666 is being translated by the esteemed Natasha Wimmer, who did the brilliant job on The Savage Detectives. Bolano's not a writer for everyone, and your reading mileage will certainly vary, but I thought TSD was the most genuinely exciting novel I read all year.

#82 jhowell, I loved all of the Man in Rome books, and developed such a crush on Julius Caesar! Just wait until you get to the later books! Lucky you going to Italy right when you're reading them - I'd love to go to Italy and follow in Caesar's footsteps! Next to Caesar, I found Sulla fascinating and also Caesar's mother, Aurelia.

#87 Ktleyed- Oh well, I already have a crush on Julius Caesar and Marc Antony from the HBO series Rome - that is what started my addiction!

I zipped through Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, loving every word of it. Now, it seems time for some bodice-ripping historical fiction, so I've just started The Boleyn Inheritance. Poor Anne of Cleves, she doesn't stand a chance ...

#89 The Boleyn Inheritance is my fave of all of Gregory's novels. I really enjoyed the multiple narrators.

#89 - lindsacl - I actually enjoyed The Boleyn Inheritance very much. Don't give up on poor Anne yet! =)

#88 jhowell I read all the books long before the HBO series, and I've only seen the first season, (have the discs to season 2, just haven't watched it yet, I'm too busy reading!) but their interpretation of Caesar is nothing like McCullough's! Hers is blonde and slim, in fact with a thinning hairline (LOL!), the charisma he exudes and intelligence is what is such a draw to him. (I sound like such a fangirl!) I just didn't get any of that from Ciaran Hinds. As much as I loved him as Captain Wentworth, he's no Julius Caesar in my book. Now, Mark Antony on the other hand - perfect!

I just finished my last book of 2007 - Heart of Ice by Alys Clare - and I'm about to start my first book of 2008 - Master of Souls by Peter Tremayne.

I just finished The Pillars of the Earth - totally loved it! - and I'm almost done with Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation. The next one up is either On God: An Uncommon Conversation by Norman Mailer or A.S. Byatt's The Little Black Book of Stories.

Happy New Year!!!

Message edited by its author, Jan 1, 2008, 2:28am.

#86 LouisBranning: Thanks for the additional critique on The Savage Detectives. I agree with the hype--I was surprised at the NY Times review. But for once looks like the extravagant praise, as you put it, was deserved. I'm indeed going to get it.

#92 ktleyed. I'm in total agreement with you on McCullough's interpretation of Caesar and would go further--she portrays him as a genius, a polymath who could do just about anything. She's a scholar of the era and where she does deviate from what is known, she gives her reasons. I think her glossary is just plain brilliant. I recently read the first volume that I have of Cicero's letters, and would have been unable to enjoy it as much as I did (even though I dislike Cicero) without having read McCullough. Not just Caesar--she makes the whole era come alive.

Storeetellr had a wonderful personal experience visiting Rome and Caesar's tomb, I believe it was, but I'll let her tell it! :-)

After McCullough's books, I thought the HBO series was one-dimensional and fairly dull. Yes, Mark Antony is lot sexier in the TV series, but if you look at McCullough's drawings of busts of Antony, unfortunately, he was more the bull type. Ciaran Hinds left me cold as Caesar; normally he's an actor I like very much. I did like whoever the boy was who played Octavian, but again, he is so much more in the books. The TV Octavian, at least in the first season which is all I saw, doesn't seem capable of outwitting two experienced and very nasty politicians/military men to become emperor of Rome. The books? You can very well believe it.

I hear from another LTer that McCullough's Antony and Cleopatra is very good--not as good as Masters of Rome (who can surpass Gnaius Julius?), but still very good.

Message edited by its author, Jan 1, 2008, 3:46am.

Joycepa, I agree with you, it's Caesar's genius that is so attractive! It's funny too, how I don't care for Cicero as well, and I'm sure it's due to these books! No, the TV Mark Antony does not resemble CM's, but he does have that sexiness and swagger about him I imagined in the books, though I don't care for Antony, Caesar had him sized up perfectly. I also can't stand the way they've portrayed Servilia and played up the part of Atia, I wish they had just followed McCullough's books, frankly, but oh well... I would have loved to see what they could do with the characters of a younger Sulla and Magnus Pompeius (sp?) and the young Caesar in battle and coming back and crucifying all those pirates! Btw, I do like the boy who plays the young Octavian too (he was in the movie version of Master and Commander) I think he does a good job as Octavian, I'll have to see in the next season how credible a job Simon Woods does as the adult Octavian. I'm curious to see how they continue the series, I've read I Claudius and saw the old Masterpiece Theatre series, so I know what happens in Octavian's later years of course, but not before he marries Livia.

I have the new book on my list of books to read, but I'm in no hurry now that Caesar is dead. He was the star of the series, and Cleopatra and Antony's romance doesn't interest me as much, but I will read it eventually. I'm glad to hear it's very good.

Good to discuss these books, I loved them so much and re-read them twice, and yes the glossary was great, and the little bookmark too! I eagerly read the books as they came out, waiting for the next!

#98 ktleyed: It's so much fun, meeting yet another fan of the Masters of Rome series! There are quite a few of us on this thread.

About Cicero: as far as I can tell with having read just one volume of his letters, Letters to Atticus, so far, McCullough's portrait of is pretty accurate. In the Letters, he comes across as a self-aggrandizing, pretentious, pompous character--who genuinely loved his daughter Tulia. And heavens, the whining when things went wrong! You want to slap him upside of the head with a 2 x 4 and snap "Get a grip, man!" He actually comes across worse in this respect in the letters than he does in McCullough's books.

If you loved the McCullough books, I would really recommend Caesar's Gallic Wars if you haven't already read it, and Cicero's Letters to Atticus. Caesar's works are brilliant, and Cicero's are informally written, full of gossip about characters you'll remember from Masters of Rome, and very easy to read.

Seems like every few months or so we go through this wonderful enthusiasm for ancient Rome! :-) Ready to check in scaifea?

On a totally different note: to start 2008, I've begun The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington, 1919 Pulitzer Prize winner. My goal this year is to have going one Pulitzer Prize winner, one Steinbeck work (Cannery Row right now), and one "other".

#98 & 99: Well, I've been holding my tongue so far, because I don't want to sound like the stick-in-the-mud Classicist. But (ahem), my humble advice is to read some Tacitus, Suetonius, some Cicero, and even some Caesar himself (and I know you have, Joycepa). I haven't yet brought myself to watch any of the Rome series, but I'd certainly rather they follow the ancient accounts more than McCullough's novels, however accurate she claims to be. But I can't help it, being a purist and all. I have heard from my colleague, who is an ancient Roman historian, that the Rome series is pretty good, though.

And (ahem #2), Joycepa, you make me sad. Cicero wasn't really all that whiny, I think, when you consider what period of time he was living in and that he was such an integral part of the historically-crucial events. I think he was just human. He agonized over whether to choose what he considered the morally right side or the side that he knew would win, and he chose the former. That may be more than I could do in a similar situation. And sure he can be petty and selfish, but aren't we all? I think that people dislike Cicero because of the letters, and because we sort of think that these ancient Greeks and Romans should be larger-than-life and heroic all the time, and we're a little disappointed when we find out that they were human just like us. I love that about Cicero - I love that he was just a man who accomplished some pretty amazing stuff, and that humanness makes him all the more impressive to me.

So there. That's my 2 cents.

Message edited by its author, Jan 1, 2008, 10:03am.

#86, LouisBranning, #96, Joycepa, One reason I took the NY Times review of The Savage Detectives seriously was because it was by Francine Prose, whose work I admire, including How to Read Like a Writer, but it wasn't enough to make me buy the book back then. However, I'm getting more into the swing of it, but am still not sure whether I like it or not.

Touchstones very strange this morning.

#100 scaifea: I HAVE considered the time period, and have compared him to others that suffered the same if not worse fate--his exile, as a matter of fact, was not too bad despite all his moaning and groaning.

Listen to this: "This I do say flatly, that no one ever suffered so crushing a blow or had greater cause to pray for death." Oh, give me a break! Like during the Proscriptions nothing happened--people weren't murdered in the street and their families as well! Even Atticus gets bored with it: "In the first {letter of four} you scold me and ask me to show more fortitude." And that isn't the only time.

I have no problem over the side he chose; certainly he did so at least in part for what he considered moral reasons, although I don't think he was sure which side would win--after all, there was Pompeius and the Establishment on the side he chose and "only" Caesar and his Gallic legions on the other. I'm no scholar, but nothing I have ever read has even suggested that Caesar's victory was a shoo-in.

But yes, the Letters don't show him at his personal best--but what else do we have? Yes, he was an accomplished orator, etc--but that means I have to like him personally? When times were good and he was riding high, the letters show him to be smug and self-satisfied. Yes, that's human, but it's not exactly the best of human behavior. And certainly it wasn't considered up to snuff since Romans were expected to show a certain amount of "Roman fortitude."

I'm not sure if my contribution adds up to 2 cents--maybe 1.3 cents? :-)

And scaifea--how anyone in the world could describe you as a stick-in-the-mud classicist is utterly beyond my comprehension! :-)

#102: I think what I was trying to say (and not doing it very well), was that if we had personal letters from Caesar or Augustus or Pompey or Cato (and the latter, I'm convinced, must have been nearly impossible to live with!), we might feel similarly about them. I mean, c'mon, when Caesar didn't get what he wanted, what did he do? He essentially threw a massive hissy-fit that started a civil war. Read the beginning of the Civil War commentaries and you'll see that he whines about Pompey 'stealing' some of his legions in at least 3 different spots in the text! And, again, I'm not saying that Cicero is utterly without the whining, but I just love his human side, particularly from someone who could come up with (oh yes, I'm gonna say it) the best oratorical prose ever written. Ever.

PS: Cicero was also known in his time as the funniest man alive. Surprised?

Alright. That's it. I'm probably totally boring everyone else on this thread!

Message edited by its author, Jan 1, 2008, 11:43am.

joycepa, scaifea, et.al.

I am nothing of a classicist but your remarks and enthusiasm have engaged me. What McCullough book do you recommend as an entry point? I'll definitely add it to my tbr list.

#104 CEP: Great! Well, being the person that I am, I would recommend starting at the first (of 6), The First Man in Rome. You'll get introduced to all of the major players of most of the books. The Grass Crown, the 2nd, is utterly fascinating because you get a fictionalized look at Sulla, who was one of the more interesting players in the game. And onwards from there.

#106 scaifea: a) No I'm not surprised at his reputation for being a comic--a saving grace b) Oh I most certainly agree about the fact that we have no letters from Caesar and the rest--for sure, c) so Caesar started a civil war--we're supposed to consider the times, right? He certainly was in a grand old tradition there and with a lot more justification than the half-dozen or so others who preceded him, including his first father-in-law. And at least he DID something--not sit around and bemoan his fate!

Besides, if Caesar hadn't thrown the fit--we wouldn't have his Commentaries on The Civil Wars, the reign of Tiberius, a Shakespearean play with the some of the most famous last words never said, a historically pretty accurate but ultimately boring TV series and a host of other wonders! :-)

I love this discussion! joycepa and scaifea, you are much more advanced than I am. No, I haven't read the letters of Cicero or Caesar's Commentaries and Gallic Wars but I'd like to someday. I'm not there yet. I'm no purist or classicist, so reading McCullough doesn't bother me a bit, though watching the beloved characters from her books in HBO Rome kills me! Someday I will get there.

Speaking of Cato - he was one of my favorites in the books! I would have loved to have seen what he was like, was he as McCullough portrayed or not? I loved how his daughter wound up with Brutus, and I still can't get the image out of my mind of being fed hot coals! Eep!

#107 ktleyed: Let's be extremely clear here--scaifea is the expert, believe me, and I am an enthusiastic amateur. I've read just enough to be dangerous, and I wouldn't even have read Cicero's Letters to have the wonderful discussion with scaifea if she hadn't recommended them to me. And God bless her, she's sent me books by other classical authors that I haven't had time to read yet--but I will!

But I wouldn't have gotten started, really, and had that enthusiasm if it hadn't been for McCullough's historically accurate and absolutely enthralling books.

Yes, I love that image of Tulia's fate as well! One of many great scenes from those books.

Wow - I didn't realize there were so many Ancient Rome fans -- I thought maybe no one would have even heard of The Grass Crown when I mentioned I was reading it.

A classicist I am not - I doubt I could read the actual letters; I can't even stomach non-fiction. That being said -- I can see how watching the HBO series after Reading 'Masters of Rome' would be a disappointment -definately oversimplified things. And I heard that the Attia character was fictional -- what a shame! But - I did like Ciaran Hinds's Caesar - he oozed power, yet was not perfect -- maybe I will change my tune as I get to the later books. I also think the adult Octavian on HBO was awesome -- ice cold, that man.

It is funny because I am at the part of the book with 'baby' Caesar, Cato, Cicero, Servilia -- It is probably very fictional, but it is interesting nonetheless to see them as children.

I just bought McCullough's Antony and Cleopatra thinking it was Book 7 of the series. I take it I am wrong?

Well, I seem to be late to this discussion, but I have loved reading every one of the posts on ancient Rome and the characters that peopled it. To begin, I am also no classicist; like Joycepa, I've read just enough to be dangerous. Having said that, let me add that I loved McCullough's Masters of Rome series and through them fell in love with Caesar. No, he was not perfect. He did start a civil war, but it was not simply to get his own selfish way, which is a modern concept. From what I understand from a number of things I've read (including his The Civil Wars and Caesar, life of a Colossus by Goldsworthy), he really had no choice if he wanted to survive with his dignity and honor intact (very important concepts to a Roman of that time). He was a womanizer, but I wonder how much of that was in aid of squelching the rumors that he had been King Nicomedes' boy-toy, rumors that hounded him throughout his life. And, as Joycepa pointed out, he wasn't the first to engage in a civil war during the tumultuous final years of the Republic.

Okay, I'm done defending Caesar.

Joycepa mentioned a story I told her about Caesar's tomb. I went to Rome a few years ago and spent a lot of time in the Forum. One of the ruins purported to be the tomb of Julius Caesar, so I went into the rubble, down some steps, and around a corner, in a room where his ashes were supposed to have been placed after his cremation, were dozens of bouquets of fresh flowers strewn around. It was amazing! I took pictures and, if I can find them, will put them in a post.

Last thing: I'm reading as my first book of 2008 a little nonfiction titled Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak. lol (It's fascinating!)

I haven't posted for a week or two.

I finished up the year with:

Silent Cry byJulie Bigg Veazy
Diana' s Boys by Christopher Andersen
With Murderous Intent by Robert Hemming

#109 jhowell: It's not part of that particular series (at least I don't think it is) but I have heard from another LTer that it's very good--not as good as Masters of Rome, but still very good. I've got it on order.

Message edited by its author, Jan 1, 2008, 4:18pm.

Driving with the Devil by Neal Thompson

Message edited by its author, Jan 1, 2008, 4:18pm.

So I am going to try to read 50 books this year. I am going to start the year off with The Right Stuff.

Wish me luck!

>46 rebeccanyc: Thanks for the information about the Farrell books. I knew he had written The Siege of Krishnapur and won the Booker Prize for it, but I didn't know about Troubles. I have started The Singapore Grip now, and I'm liking it, so I don't think I'll look for the other two until I've finished this one. Nice to know, though, that there are even better ones out there!

Mairelon the Magician Chapter 3

I finished Have you found her yesterday, which was my 50th book of '07, so I just barely made my goal! I think I'll be starting The Kite Runner next.

#112 joycepa - I had assumed that Antony and Cleopatra was a continuation of The October Horse which I considered part of the same Man in Rome Series - it isn't?

#117 heatherlynn85 - I just finished The Kite Runner and was bowled over by it, I think it's probably one of the best books I've ever read. I'm simply speechless over it, I devoured it and loved ever page! It was my first book of 2008 too!

Just finished Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex for Go Review That Book! here at LT.

Will be starting Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas for one of my many '08 reading challenges.

#110 et al.: Man, I just reread my last post and it sure does sound like Caesar needs defending! I didn't mean that - I love the guy too! The end of the republic is my favorite period of time to study because it's chock-o-bock full of amazing people accomplishing amazing things. And far be it for me to look down my nose at any thing (HBO series and books alike - and FYI: the McCullough series has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a couple of years just waiting for me) that gets people excited about ancient Rome. Otherwise, I'd be out of a job! Similar to my love of Cicero, my love of Caesar come in part from his selfishness, which made him pretty dangerous. And man, the PR that guy could spin - his commentaries are brilliant. The worst mistake the Romans ever made was killing him, however, since that just unleashed someone far smarter and more dangerous - Octavian!

#118: ktleyed. To tell you the truth, I really don't know! given the time period, it could very well be. It's just an impression I picked up. Since I haven't read the book, I honestly can't say.

OK, I just checked the Amazon Web site, and in their description, they're saying that it IS a continuation of the Masters of Rome series.

#120 scaifea: PR it might be but unlike the way we use the word today, based on reality. It wasn't just his commentaries that were brilliant--the campaigns on which they were based were awe-inspiring. And unequaled in speed in the ancient world and a good deal of the time until the 19th century and a bloke named Thomas Jonathan Jackson--and even then, Stonewall's troops never accomplished the equivalent of Caesar's. Never. Napoleon studied his campaigns and had one of his Marshalls draw up maps. I've seen reproductions of some of them, and I'd love to have a set. I know of quite a number of people--ex-military men, mostly though not entirely--who have made what is practically a pilgrimage to Alesia.

Although I thought almost instantly on reading, in the Commentaries, where he points out rather matter-of-factly that Pompeius stole his 3 legions, that what Caesar was really doing there was a bit of PR--"See, you took away 3 of my legions and I'm STILL better than you are! Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyaaaa--ah!" Thing is, though--he WAS better! It keeps coming back to that.

Message edited by its author, Jan 1, 2008, 10:45pm.

Hi again! I couldn't find the photo I took of Caesar's tomb strewn with fresh flowers, but here is one I got from Webshots, taken in 2005. There are lots more on that website; just click on the picture and you'll be taken there.



Edited to change to different sized picture.

Message edited by its author, Jan 1, 2008, 7:36pm.

Just finished Nightmare Alley by Gresham. Stan Carlisle has a gift, not the second sight he tells people has, but salesmanship. There's nothing he can't handle, as he goes from the Carny to Vaudeville, to being a Spiritual Minister. But then he runs up against Lilith Ritter, a consulting psychiatrist. In Rabbinic legend Lilith is Adam's first wife, is supplanted by Eve, and becomes an evil spirit. She is also a female demon. Stan does not stand a chance.

GREAT foto, Storeetllr!

#122 - Thanks for posting, I'm so glad to see that! I can't wait to someday go and see it for myself!

> 69: Imagination is Jeff Vandermeer's strong suit - there are some marvellous set-pieces in his work. I'm not quite so sure about his ability to structure a novel-length narrative, though. I haven't read Veniss Underground - does it hang together as a novel?

I started the New Year reading Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. A true masterpiece!

I am about halfway through 253 by Geoff Ryman. It's the story of 253 people on an Underground train (the number of seats on a train, plus the driver). The story of each person is 253 words long. It was originally published on the Internet, and even though it sounds gimicky, it's not. Each vignette is fascinating, and the descriptions of people are instantly recognisable (even more so if you've lived in London).

My first audiobook of 2008 is The Time Traveller's Wife.

About to start Trouble Is My Name by the marvellously-named Rex Dolphin .

Message edited by its author, Jan 3, 2008, 6:28am.

I am currently reading Before I Die which is a YA book about a girl dying of cancer and her list of things to accomplish before she dies - ok so far but not great.

I don't read many mysteries, but I've got a friend who reads nothing else, and she'd been staunchly recommending Bill Bryan's Keep It Real for the last month, saying that it wasn't only a scathing, and rather gratuitously profane satire on Hollywood and reality TV, but also the funniest book she'd read in years. I finished it last night and she was absolutely right on both counts. I can't remember when I laughed so hard or so long at anything, and Keep It Real's a total winner. Thanks, Deb.

I'm reading Sugar and other stories by A.S. Byatt and East Lynne by Mrs. Henry Wood.

Just finished The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry - a "junk food" read, and have now started The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I haven't read Huck Finn since college, so I'm looking forward to it.

I'm _still_ reading The Bourne Identity. Hopefully I'll finish it soon and I can move on.

I also started True Grits: Tall Tales and Recipes from the New South as my 'in bed' reading.

Edited to fix the touchstone.

Message edited by its author, Jan 2, 2008, 1:08pm.

I'm one chapter into Slaughter-house Five. I'm not real sure about this. I prefer a book with some semblance of a plot or story. We'll see.

I started a fabulous new audiobook, The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani. The reader is perfect: it's the Iranian actress Shoreh Ashdagloo, who was so wonderful in The House of Sand and Fog.

#129 - Gram, I loved The Time Traveler's Wife, although I read it, and haven't heard the audiobook. I've found that the person reading the audiobook can either make or break a story for me. (Wish I could think of examples, but my brain isn't playing nicely.)

>126 Veniss Underground is a short novel, maybe 250 pages (at least the edition I have). I thought it worked well as a novel, no complaints.

I finished The Alchemist. What a beautiful, amazing book. I've decided to move on to a poetry book I got for Christmas, The Trouble with Poetry by Billy Collins.

I finished Amsterdam yesterday and will be starting The House at Riverton by Kate Morton tonight.

I just started The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was a Christmas present.

Christmas/New Year/family kind of threw my reading off. Currently I'm about 50 pages into The Folio Society edition of A History of Rome by Theodor Mommsen. I don't know. Mommsen may be too much of a 19th century academic for my taste, despite his 1902 Nobel for literature. I'll give him 100 pages.

Finished Leonardo da Vinci by Sherwin Nuland from the Penguin Lives series. Not that good. Nuland, like nearly everyone, is in thrall to Leonardo and excuses any "warts" Leonardo has. Nuland's personal opinions bleed through on a number of pages, and that doesn't help.

Also finshed P.G. Wodehouse's Code of the Wooster's. Simple, predictable...uproriously funny. However it is as easy to overdose on Wodehouse as it is on five pounds of boxed chocolates. It is impossible to be downcast while reading Wodehouse though.

Message edited by its author, Jan 2, 2008, 10:13pm.

Finished last night my first 2008 book - Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. The first of his books to read. Went very fast and was fun, ,mofe of a relax with a cup of coffee and read book. Moving on to The poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. The first of her books to read, received the book as a Christmas gift.

I just finished The map of love and have started Tristram Shandy
So far, ok, but it's taking so long. I can image 18th century gents finding it hilarious, but it's hard to get yourself in that mindset sometimes!

Couldn't sleep last night so I started Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson. Enjoying it, as I do all his books. I started The Shipping News by Annie Proulx yesterday as well. I liked her Accordian Crimes so thought I'd try this one, and also because I knew a lot of Newfoundlanders at one time. I've seen the movie already, but am discounting that completely.
Am also still reading A Personal History by Katharine Graham and The Fight for English by David Crystal.

I just finished In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan.

Tonight I will start Willa Cather's The Professor's House, which was recently recommended as a backlist read in our paper by local author Jane Hamilton. Love any type of academic novel, and when it is Willa Cather, you can't go wrong!

Just stopping by to invite anyone interested in joining a new group, 75 Books Challenge for 2008. Many people on the 50 Book challenge expressed an interest in going for 100 books this year, but I thought this was a happy medium!

Cariola, I would be interested - I thought of aiming for "88 in '08". Catchy title? : )
What would this group "do"? Do we just chart our progress of reading?

I'm almost done with Parke Godwin's Sherwood. Not sure what to read next... I hope my BookMooched copy of the sequel, Robin and the King, comes soon!

This morning I finished my first 2008 book: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. Very enjoyable read. I'll start Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively today if my Early Review book hasn't arrived.

Also reading The Partly Cloudy Patriot, wonderful Sarah Vowell essays. I love her stuff!!!

Starting my 3rd book of the year: It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas. This isn't my usual reading material but is a book & series I'm using for several challenges so I'm reserving judgement until I finish all 4 books.

#145 - Just wanted to give props to the Tristram Shandy movie from a couple of years back. VERY good. How do you film an 'unfilmable novel'? Turns out you don't. It ends up one big, hilarious mess...

I love books based on true stories. Right now I am reading Freedom Writers Diary. But I didn't read the book first I saw the movie. But so far I like the book better.

#149 dihiba, I think I just about made it to 88 last year. I thought the group could function pretty much as last year's 50 Book Challenge did. The main purpose was to challenege people to read 50--in this case, 75--books over the year. People kept track of their books read--sometimes just posting titles, sometimes posting mini-reviews. And of course, it's interesting to read the lists of others who share your interests. Members can also comment on others' book lists, make recommendations, start new threads, etc. I just posted my first book of the year. Hope you join the group!

Finished Pillar of Salt last night and sneaking in The Silent Sin by Anja Sicking before I return to my African fiction. I culled the Sicking novel from the 2008 longlist of the Impac Dublin award. I go in and look at titles that get repeatedly nominated by libraries in areas of the world not my own. This novel is translated from the Dutch and set in mid-18th century Amsterdam; it's a sweet 160 pages.

I started Book of Lost Things by Connolly last night and, 1/4 of the way in, am liking it a lot.

Just finished The Magnificent Ambersons (excellent) by Booth Tarkington and have started All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren.

#158 Joycepa - I will be curious to hear your thoughts on All The King's Men - one of my planned reads in 2008 for the Pulitzer Project!

Yesterday I started Sundays with Vlad: From Pennsylvania to Transylvania, One Man's Quest to Live in the World of the Undead by Paul Bibeau. I figured why NOT start out the new year with a quest to to get to the root of the always fashionable undead lifestyle? Also? It's hysterically funny---in a "you have to check yourself on the subway because people start to look at you funny for chuckling/laughing" way.

137 & 138...I really liked The Blood of Flowers...I read it. I listened to the audio of The Time Travelers Wife and adored the reader...so many good ones! Currently reading Crawfish Mountain by Ken Wells for my book group.

Message edited by its author, Jan 3, 2008, 10:34pm.

I started reading Dead Witch Walking yesterday by Kim Harrison. I'm enjoying it so far.

#159 mrstreme: I'm only a little over 50 pages into it, and what I can say at the moment is that it's not what I expected. It's the style--lots of long, long sentences that repeat phrases--it's taking time to adjust. It IS making me wonder about the movies, though--I've not seen either one. Anyone see them?

Message edited by its author, Jan 4, 2008, 5:32am.

Just finished Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon and have started the YA book Out of Line Growing Up Soviet by Tina Grimberg
-touchstones are not working this morning

#164 I've seen them both and prefer the older one. Sean Penn was good, but Anthony Hopkins is succumbing to the Michael Caine syndrome: taking every role he's offered, whether it suits him or not.

Message edited by its author, Jan 4, 2008, 11:24am.

#165 Cariola: that's the opinion (in terms of quality) of the one review that I read.

I'm finishing up books this week mostly-ones that I had just a chapter left in...Letter perfect, Kitchen Literacy, and a few others.
I started The Lightning Thief and The Professor and the Madman.

Am just about done with Jerusalem by Cecilia Holland, first book of the new year. Am totally loving it - what a great writer and what a shame it took me so long to find her.

Take the time to finish Love in the Time of Cholera...excellent book, you'll be glad you finished it!

Alaskapat

Good for you digifish_book, Barbara Pym is great!

Oh yes, grkmwk...read Rebecca...and hope you enjoy it.