James Joyce
UlyssesI've been away this week, finished
Bob Woodward's
Plan of Attack and am now enjoying
The Mutiny by
Julian Rathbone a novel set in the context of the Indian Mutiny; so far seems well-researched and very readable.
Oops, sorry I got the date wrong in the title line and there's no way to change it.
Message edited by its author, Feb 9, 2008, 4:52am.
I'm a little over a hundred pages into
Foreigner by
C.J. Cherryh. It's interesting thus far, but it hasn't hooked me yet.
Still reading
Anna Karenina and expect to finish it this weekend.
ktleyed, you're in for a huge treat! One of my all time favs.
Finally finished
The Last Coyote by
Michael Connelly and
His Family by
Ernest Poole, which seemed to take forever--through no fault of the books--just that Life has this tendency to interfere with my reading. Most annoying.
I'm also still reading
To A God Unknown by
Steinbeck. It's unlike any other Steinbeck I've ever read. It's one of his early California novels, and it has the same lyrical prose--but from page one there has been this sense of foreboding, of brooding, that just increases, without any apparent cause. The prose is beautiful, and yet you KNOW something truly dreadful is going to happen. I'm 3/4 of the way through, only able to read a chapter a night because the book makes my skin crawl. We now know the cataclysmic event and I can guess at least the immediate consequences--Steinbeck has set us up for that--but have no idea how it's all going to be resolved.
So, for relief and light reading, I've started
War and Peace. Very straightforward, that. What's a little blood and death compared to some unimaginable horror about to strike from behind!
to teelgee:
no kidding! the copy on my nightstand is titled "Anna Karenin", and after losing my copy of
The Bostonians on the NJTransit to NYC Penn, I was about to grab it and start reading. But, looking for new print, I grabbed
Jess Walter's
Citizen Vince on the way out tonight. It promises to be a "page turner".
Message edited by its author, Feb 1, 2008, 6:42pm.
I'm reading The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps, edited by
Otto Penzler. Actually, I'm just starting it. I finished
Rebel Fay by the C.J. and Barb Hendree last night.
I just finished listening to Cranky Agnes and the Hitman. I'm reading
Bridge of Sighs. I haven't decided what other books to start at this point.
Message edited by its author, Feb 1, 2008, 8:54pm.
Irisheyz77 - sorry to hear you're having problems with
Sephardi Entrepreneurs - I thought it sounded fascinating!
I am reading
Teta, Mother And Me - a memoir by a Palestinian Christian woman of her own life, her mother's, and her grandmother's. Still on her own childhood at the moment - growing up in Jerusalem, Cairo and Beirut as a child of the Westernised elite. I'm really enjoying it.
Message edited by its author, Feb 1, 2008, 8:57pm.
I started
The Secret River on Tuesday, and am really enjoying it. I should be finished by now, but reading time has been scarce due to a new puppy in the house. He's sleeping now ... maybe I'll go off & read a bit!
Today I read The Mermaids Singing by
Lisa Carey, which I liked, and which strangely doesn't touchstone even though it's by Tim's wife ... hmm! I've been working on
Deadhouse Gates by
Steven Erikson for a while. I like it while I'm reading it, but it's so complex that it's hard to convince myself to go back to when I have schoolwork to do that requires just about the same amount of brain power. I'll probably also be reading
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan soon.
#13 laurahutch:
The Moor is, IMHO, a little different from the rest of the series; I was really intrigued by the history and especially by Sabine-Gould himself. Hope you're enjoying it.
4 books, as usual:
The Eskimo Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins: a Turkish translation, from the 1920's. Much easier than
Asteriks and Cleopatra in Turkish, which I finished yesterday.
Lazarillo De Tormes. I haven't been very diligent lately about reading it, which is a shame because it's a lot of fun.
Contact by Carl Sagan. I'm reading it for the Happy Heathens group. Nearing completion. It's interesting to see how the moviemakers added conflicts that weren't in the book.
Moby Dick – hoping to finish it this week and good riddance!
Further dazzling details can be found on my profile.
#3 CarlosMcRey: Ahoy there!
#4 keren7: Is this your first time reading
Jane Eyre? I was 8 years old the first time I read it – a perfect age for it, because I truly believed that there were people who talked that way. It wasn't until I read
Daddy Long-legs that it occurred to me that the manner of speaking might be far-fetched.
@16 wandering_star - I'm still in the very beginning of the
Sephardi Entrepreneurs...and just finished a book most excellent. I am sure that once I start reading and get farther into it, it will be a lot less of a struggle. =)
This week I'm reading "Beatrix Potter; A Life In Nature". She is the author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and other beloved classics form the early twentieth century. I find her to be a truly fascinating woman, even for one who has no interest in children's books.
I finished Libba Bray's
The Sweet Far Thing late last night; it was a good end to the trilogy, even if it didn't totally wow me.
I'll be starting Standard Hero Behavior by John David Anderson (no touchstones) today. I picked it up because the author is a friend of a friend, but judging by the cover it looks like it'll be fun.
Also, I am STILL listening
The Last Town on Earth - I need to make a major push and just finish it this week so that I can listen to something that I will hopefully be more into.
Still reading
The Short Forever by Stuart Woods. Just haven't been in much of a reading mood here lately. I have a lot of things on my mind which distracts my reading that I lose interest really easily. I need to get back on track again.
I am about halfway through with
The Cider House Rules by John Irving. I noticed it on the 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die and decided to tackle it.
>25 = The movie "Miss Potter" was a very fun look at Beatrix Potter's life - historical fiction, but well done with enough accurate details to learn a bit about her life.
At the moment, I am so totally engrossed in
Afterwards that I've put everything else aside.
Message edited by its author, Feb 2, 2008, 11:44am.
I just finished
The Longest Winter by Alex Kershaw. Excellent war history that gets very personal in following a specific platoon through its involvement in WWII. I'm now starting
River God by
Wilbur Smith . I hope it's as good as what I've heard about it ! ( so far , it is ... )
Reaper Man arrived at the library yesterday, and so I started it last night; I had to get it and read it after absolutely loving
Mort. I'm also about halfway through
The Shoemaker and the Tea Party - part biography of a poor shoemaker (obviously), part essay on when and why people started calling it the Boston Tea Party. Interesting stuff.
Between UConn college basketball games (men and women), I'm reading
Carol Gilligan's first novel, Kyra.
Really enjoying the Early Reviewer
Gardens of Water.
Reallyreally enjoying the children's (but touchstone-less) "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village."
I'm still working on
War and peace for the group read, although it's hard for me to pick it up except on the weekends. It feels like too big a project after work, and this weekend I'm sort of busy...well, it's not like I was going to finish it really fast anyway!
In between that, I've been reading
Fore! Wodehouse on golf, and I started
Pricksongs and descants, and I feel like I might be about to start something else...maybe Sway. Whenever I'm busy and stressed I need to be reading something I'm truly in the mood for, so right now I have very little self control.
#36 Thanks for the tip, Detail Muse ~ I just put Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village on hold at the library.
Am starting
The Fall of Troy by Ackroyd today as it is due back to the library next Wednesday. It looks like a fast read, though, so I should finish it in plenty of time. Next up after that? I'm thinking
Princes in the Tower, though that could change as I'm picking up an armful of reserved books from the library today that have come in.
Good Masters Sweet Ladies is the Newbery Award winner for this year, and from talking to my friends who are children's librarians (alas I am in adult services) I hear it was a surprising win, and many libraries and bookstores don't have copies.
Speaking of children's books, the American Library Association listed its best websites for children this week and several are book oriented. I took a look at bookwink.com and was pretty impressed.
justonemorebook.com is a podcast about books with interviews, reviews and that sort of thing.
surlalunefairytales.com is all about fairy tales and their history and various retellings
and readergirlz.com has reviews and "soundtracks" that could accompany various YA and chidren's reads.
I'm about 1/4 of the way through
Jemima J by Jane Green. It's ok so far. I'm hoping it will pick up a bit more now that it's getting more into the plot.
I just started
The Last Town on Earth. The author, Thomas Mullen is coming to my area to speak in March so a few friends of mine and I are chicking out this debut novel.
Still working on
Giordano Bruno and the Embassy Affair, but in about a dozen pages or so there's a point where I can conveniently duck out and call it "finished".
For my next book, I may read my latest purchase (
Team of Rivals). Then again, I may read something totally different. Either way, I'm also thinking about having an "at-home book" so I don't find myself without reading material at lunch (and to get into the habit of reading multiple books at once). This will probably Dava Sobel's translation of the letters of Suor Maria Celeste to her father, Galileo (published as
Letters to Father).
shortride, I heartily agree with everyone that
Citizen Vince was terrific, and if there ever was a 'sleeper', it's Toew's
A Complicated Kindness, which I loved dearly. What great books you've got!
I thought I was gonna love Helen DeWitt's
The Last Samurai, but wound up hating it. I was also thoroughly disappointed with Russell Banks' new novel The Reserve, an embarrassing joke of a book, a total mistake from one of the best American writers working. Right now I'm totally involved with Pat Barker's
Life Class and it's reminding me of
Atonement, a really good thing, but I love it so far and can hardly put it down.,
I'm reading
Reading Lolita in Tehran for my paperback and The Seduction of the Crimson Rose for my hardback. I'm also listening to The Count of Monte Cristo on tape. I'm really liking this one paperback, one hardback, and book on tape system I've had going lately.
owenre, I thoroughly enjoyed Vollmann's
Europe Central, but it's really not for everyone, and despite the fact that it won the NBA, I've usually hesitated to recommend it.
#21
Hangs head in shame. This is my first time reading Jane Eyre - and I am enjoying it so far. This is a book I always thougt I would read but thought I had time. Then I realized that I had to make a time to read it, or I never would.
#56 keren7: Congratulations, then, on reading
Jane Eyre now! There's a lot to be said for reading it later in life. At age 8 I had absolutely no idea what sex was, and therefore failed to understand a few things here and there. In fact, I really should re-read it sometime.
I am Reading "The Prince" by Nicollo Machiavelli and "Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral" by Kris Radish.
I am reading Aliens & Anorexia by
Chris Kraus. It piqued my interest because part of it is set in New Zealand, where I live. From the publisher - Semiotext(e) - I was expecting something fairly indigestible, but it's actually a very enjoyable read - both witty and sad. It's due back at Wellington Public Library tomorrow, but I'm going to pay the fee for a week's renewal and keep on reading.
I've just finished
In the Forest by
Edna O'Brien. I really admired the characters and the dialogue. The plot kept me engrossed and O'Brien is never trite. All of the people in this novel seemed utterly real to me. Recommended.
Now re-reading
My Place by
Sally Morgan which was a watershed book in Australia. This was the first memoir by an Aboriginal person which was a best-seller. Everyone was reading this story of a people who had been (and still are) largely ignored. Plain writing, good story, and very informative.
I just finished reading
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, which I really enjoyed. I'm now reading
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, so far I've only read about 50 pages, though.
I've just started
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett.
I'm currently reading Stephen King's latest,
Duma Key. It started off slow, but has certainly picked up now!
#33 HarrisonForge - I love Alex Kershaw's books. He really makes the stories come alive. Have you tried any of his others? I especially recommend
The Bedford Boys. It is heart breaking.
I`m `between books` at present. Lately it`s been hard to find time for reading, but last week we had a short holiday in Yorkshire and I made up for lost time by reading -
P G Wodehouse -
Bill The ConquerorJulian Symons -
The Gigantic ShadowDavid Pirie -
The Patient`s EyesAgatha Christie - Miss Marples`s Final Cases
The last one is misleadingly titled - it contains eight Christie short stories - six involving `Miss Marple` and two stories of the supernatural. Christie`s critics would find plenty of ammunition in this collection ( some of the stories are quite weak), but so would her admirers.
Not sure what to read next, or when I`ll find the time.
#57 The title
Taming Rafe gave me a chuckle--that's my cat's name, and no way will he EVER be tamed!
Started
Peter Ackroyd's
The Fall of Troy last night. It's not a retelling of the events in the
Iliad but rather it's a novel that is based on Schliemann's discovery of the lost city of Troy. The characters are a stout German named Obermann and his young Greek wife, Sophia, whom he has just married and brought to live with him at the site of his excavations of what he is certain is Troy in Turkey. It's my very first Ackroyd, and I am impressed ~ the story is so far interesting, the characters are compelling, and his writing is succinct. I'm about 1/3 of the way through.
Edited to correct a misspelling.
Message edited by its author, Feb 3, 2008, 1:05pm.
#62, Amanda - glad to see you enjoyed
In the Forrest. O'Brien is first rate, and I've read just about everything she's put to paper. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend her
In the Light of Evening.
@74 teelgee ~ Wow. It took me a lot longer than you to finish
Anna Karenina, but I loved it none the less. I did, however, find Part Eight (the last part) to be a bit dry and, frankly, unnecessary to really complete the book. Your thoughts???
I am reading Lady of Light And Shadows by C.L. Wilson. I'm on Chapter 3.
Message edited by its author, Feb 3, 2008, 4:37pm.
I just began
Baseball for British Youth by Eric E. Whitehead. The book is, as you'd think, a primer about playing and appreciating baseball aimed at British sports fans. It was published in 1939.
According the author, in the book's Preface, "At the time of this writing, over six hundred English teams are registered with the National Baseball Association, and baseball has been adopted by camps of the Royal Air Force as a major part of their athletic curriculum. Capacity crouwds of well over ten thousand fans have become commonplace in certain sections of the country, and what is perhaps most significant of all is the fact that baseball is being investigated by education authorities with the probability of installing it as a major sport in the nation's schools."
According to an online history of baseball in England I found, there have been several attempts to popularize baseball in England, in the 1880s and 90s, in the 1910s and in the late 1930s. The effort of the 1930s was brought to an abrupt halt by the onset of World War II, and that was that. If we are to believe Whitehead's accounts, things were going pretty well, indeed, for a while, there. To me it's sort of poignant to be reading this brief (about 150 pages) description of the game, written in a breezy style that seeks to both inform and entertain. Overall, the tone of the writing is hopeful, maybe even confident, of baseball's eventually adoption by the sports fans of England. The poignancy comes from our knowledge of the cruel way that those hopes would almost immediately be smashed.
I'm new to LT, and awed by its greatness! Right now I'm reading "A Little bit Married" (Touchstone not working) by
Debra Borden. I'm not liking it particularly, but it's a quick read. I'm hoping to finish it soon so that I can move on.
I just finished
Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. It was wonderful and I continue to think about it even now. I am going to begin
These is my words by Nancy Turner. Our book club selected this one to read for February...any comments?
Likely to finish Happy Family by Wendy Lee tonight. Then going to start
Their Eyes Were Watching God, as our library received an NEA grant for a Big Read.
I'm reading a fantasy which I'm pretty sure I picked up as a result of the author's comments here on LT some time ago,
Lady of the Lakes by
J.C. Hall.
I'm still reading
Word Freak this week because I left it at the office last week and therefore couldn't finish it over the weekend. I'm about to read
The Chateau de Resenlieu, which is very short, and then, probably,
The Night Manager, which I've had on the shelf for years now.
>77 sferrando -- I had the luxury of a few days this last week when pretty much all I did was read, so I was able to whip through Anna K a lot faster than I thought I would.
I was a bit put off by the last part, just a lot of Levin's navel gazing; it was interesting, but felt more like Tolstoy was examining his own beliefs in the novel rather than telling a story. It also made me wonder why
Anna Karenina was the title character.
All in all, though, a splendid read. Now I'm not so intimidated to jump into
War and Peace (coming up soon!).
kshaffar, #81 -- welcome to LT! Yes, it's a pretty awesome place. Enjoy enjoy!
I'm finally starting Twilight by Stephenie Meyer after months of my mom and sister pestering and pestering me.
Message edited by its author, Feb 3, 2008, 11:34pm.
I finished
Memoirs of a Geisha this morning. I couldn't put it down; it was so beautiful!
Now I'm reading
Everlost. Not sure if it was the right choice after such beautiful literature, but I'll see if I get into it more.
#82 cpenni -
These is my Words is a great book!! It depicts AZ right on..and it has a strong woman at the center of it!! Please let me know how you like it after you have finished. Just so you know, there are now 2 more books after it that continue the story!! ENJOY!
I'm still reading
War and Peace (up to Part 4). I'm reading other things in between though, at the moment a collection of short stories called The Loudest Sound and Nothing by Claire Wigfall. I don't normally read a lot of short stories, but these are really lodging in my brain!
kshaffar, welcome to LT! Glad you're enjoying it, it's a great site :-)
I'm finishing off
Kim at the moment, sort of semi-started on
War and Peace to join in a bit with the group read. I think I might have to do more reading of it when I'm not falling asleep at night - the French bits especially I seem to just end up reading the words and not taking in at all what they're saying, rather unhelpfully...
I am still reading my selections from last week
Foxfire 2 and
The Invisible Man because I really just didn't get the chance to read much last week. I am reading Foxfire in the car while I wait to pick up my girls from school and The Invisible Man at night. I think I should finish The Invisible Man either tonight or tomorrow. Foxfire will take me a bit longer. After finishing The Invisible Man, I will be reading
The Island of Dr. Moreau, also included in the book.
#57 investory (and anyone else who cares) - just finished
Reading Lolita in Tehran last night. It was really fantastic, and I've added a number of titles to my tbr list because of it. I think my favorite section might have been the one about The Great Gatsby since, when I looked at the section title I couldn't see how she would tie it in to her overall experiences, but she did so beatifully. First rate, I definitely recommend it.
I finished my new hard-cover book (
Small Steps by Louis Sachar - a great YA read) much more quickly than I'd anticipated, so I'm going to the library tomorrow to find myself a new one. My new paperback is
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, which has been sitting around my room since, I think, 10th grade. High time I actually read it!
Message edited by its author, Feb 4, 2008, 7:40am.
I've roughly 30 pages to go to finish Candide by
Voltaire so should find time at some point to get those read. Didn't get too far with
Sephardi Entrepreneurs on the commute home Driday evening. Its textbook shape doesn't make it the most conducive to traveling easily. I really need to make more time for it in the evenings.
Corelli's mandolin has also found its way into my bag. I wasn't sure if I'd finish Candide on the way in and
Corelli's Mandolin is much more manageable to read on a crowded subway than
Sephardi Entrepreneurs - which I save for the train.
I'm reading
Losing the Moon by Patti Callahan Henry, and still trying to get through
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (it's slow, so I'm having a hard time).
I had to take a break from
White teeth. Ive been reading it for over a week and am only half way through. So, I am going to read and finish
The alchemist and then finish
White teeth. I am enjoying white teeth, it is just taking a long time to read.
Finished
Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann. Easy reading. I kind of read it just to stuff myself with information, but I did't have much of a reaction to it.
Last night I picked up
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. Again, the reading is easy, but fascinating so far. I'm curious where it's going.
I just started reading
Zoology, the debut novel of
Ben Dolnick. The author is originally from my state of Maryland.
The novel is starting out slowly. I hope it picks up. It's the story of a college dropout who moves to New York and take a job at the Central Park Zoo. I'm sure I'll like the "zoo part" as I love reading about animals.
#86, nice to know I'm not the only one who has had
The Night Manager on TBR for years. Mine will probably be there for some time to come since I don't have it on my radar yet to read.
Finished
The French Lieutenant's Woman this morning and then started
The Water's Lovely this afternoon. Very glad I finally read the former even though I didn't make it through The Magus. Rendell doesn't disappoint, so this next one isn't as much of a crapshoot for me.
>106: dchaikin, ooooh, I just
loved Cry, the Beloved Country! It was one of the first books I read this year but immediately struck me as a candidate for my 2008 Top 10. I hope you enjoy it.
Double duty for
Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Talib and
Light by M. John Harrison
Message edited by its author, Feb 4, 2008, 7:32pm.
>106, 112 - I also really loved that book. Extremely powerful story, and really the mentality grasps you right from the first few pages. Definitely a must-read.
Bloody Bones by
Laurell K. Hamilton , it is pretty good so far but think I will take a break from Hamilton's books for a while after this one.
Message edited by its author, Feb 4, 2008, 8:40pm.
I typically read only one book at a time, but I think I'm going for a change. I'm still reading
1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz, but it is soooo slowing going. So, I've decided to mix it up a bit and try
In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike. I think I'll start that tomorrow morning.
Lindsacl & Philosojerk (#112 & 114) : Well, I'm stuck at work, and the book is stuck in my head... I really want time to read more of it.
I'm reading
Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh, which is interesting although somewhat disjointed in the beginning. But I've heard it's quicker going after about 60 pages and that's where I'm at.
Also reading
The BFG by Roald Dahl with my son, first time for both of us.
And listening to
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot which isn't all over LOL hilarious like I thought it would be, but light and funny and even sweet all the same.
>107 That is a great book, keep going with it!
I found out that I cannot renew My Grandfather's Son by
Clarence Thomas at the library (it is due today), so it has been moved to the top of the list. I am about halfway in, and it is very good, immensely readable, and eye opening for a Nothern white gal born in the '60s.
I'm still working on
Afterwards, which is wonderful, and I started a new audiobook for my commute and worksouts:
Special Topics in Calamity Physics. So far, I hate it. The overload of "creative" metaphors is extremely irritating--and most of them are so over the top that they don't work. Plus I hate the self-conscious way she keeps throwing in literary references. It got a lot of hype, but I doubt I'll finish it.
>125 Cariola - if you're already annoyed by
Special Topics in Calamity Physics, I'd drop it. It doesn't get any less annoying as it goes, and the actual "mystery" aspect is not interesting enough to merit all of the time spent comparing people's hair to ranch salad dressing.
Thanks, fyrefly. I think I'll take your word for it. This one is reminding me of
The Dante Club, another one I despised for its overhype and sophomoric pretentions. That one went in the trash as I couldn't bear to subject another human to it.
OLD ranch salad dressing on top of a Rollo at that.
I'm reading
Toast by Nigel Slater. His writing's delicious but I must admit I enjoyed
Appetite a lot more.
I just finished
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. She's an extremely gifted writer!
Also just finished
Three Women by
Marge Piercy . I enjoyed
The Longings of Women by Piercy thoroughly and was disappointed by this offering.
Message edited by its author, Feb 5, 2008, 10:10am.
I'm trying to finish
Black Ships, my January Early Reviewers book, this week, but DVDs keep getting in the way. Once done with
Black Ships, it's on to
War and Peace, which I'm really looking forward to reading.
> 120: Cry the Beloved Country is definitely a great and haunting book. I also highly recommend Paton's
Too Late The Phalarope.
I finished a lot of stuff last week and I have about thirty pages of a Graham Greene short story compilation to finish tonight. Then:
Remains of the Day, which I'm really looking forward to.
I'm still reading
The Assault on Reason by
Al Gore. It's slow going but good. I've read 4 or 5 books since starting it.
Right now my non-Al Gore book is
Perfume The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. It's quite good so far. The language is lyrical - a joy to read.
Next on the list for this week is
Water for Elephants by
Sara Gruen. It's for my bookclub's March meeting. April's book is
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
Hooray! So many books in process and so many to look forward to.
For some reason, the touchstones on Patrick Suskind and Neal Stephenson aren't working.
Message edited by its author, Feb 5, 2008, 1:34pm.
I just started
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. So far its grabbed me and I am loving it. I hope it continues. Its for my book club on Sun. and since I am the one book club straggler who hasn't read it, I better get going. So far all the other members have really liked it.
#134 momom248, I really enjoyed
Pope Joan, all the way through. Have fun finishing it!
I just finished
Middlesex, what an excellent book and story. So weird and original, yet heartwarming too. I enjoyed it very much!
#98 hemlokgang - Let me know what you think of
Zookeeper, I really enjoyed it. My copy is signed by the author who was at the National Book Festival in D.C. this year.
107 - SqueakyChu, You would enjoy
Zookeeper if you haven't read it yet. If I remember correctly you were at the National Book Festival in September and the author of that book was there. Very interesting read.
--> 107
I'll be looking out for
the Zookeeper's Wife. It's on my wishlist. I almost got a copy of it through BookCrossing, but I passed on it because I want to try to avoid having to mail hardbacks.
I didn't know the book or the author when I was at the book festival. If she comes back there again, I'll look for her the next time!
Just received an ARC of
Jennifer Haigh's new novel, The Condition. Looks like I will be reading that next. It will be published in the US in June.
Just finished
The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs. I thought I would never get through it! But I was determined to finish it tonight, no matter how much sleep I lost.
Even though I enjoyed the book, something about it just slowed me down and interrupted the rhythm I had developed with my other reading.
Today I start
Being Dead by Jim Crace.
omphaloskepsis, I'm reading
The Year of Living Biblically too (having finished
Contact), and enjoying it greatly. A friend gave it to me for Christmas, because she knew that I liked
The Know-it-all, which she gave me for Christmas 2006. AJ Jacobs makes it so easy to say "Just one more page!" that other books get slightly neglected.
Cariola, fyrefly98 > oh no, I loved
Special Topics in Calamity Physics! I think it's a book that polarises people though, you either love it or hate it! I'm not sure it's one that would lend itself to an audiobook format with all those metaphors though.
I'm reading the Glass Castle by Jeanette Waters
#145 Cariola etc:
Special Topics in Calamity Physics was one of the books which polarised LThingers in 2006 . People either loved it or hated it. I hated it. I read almost the entire book but was so fed up I didn't bother reading the whodunnit ending. I didn't care!
I just started
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner, and I love it so far. I found the first book in the series somewhat disappointing, but if this one keeps up it'll more than make up for it.
134, my book club read
Pope Joan a while ago and somehow one of our members found out that Donna Cross is willing to speak with book clubs. We were able to correspond and set up a mutually convenient time and set up the speaker phone at our hostess's living room.....She was wonderful and spoke to us for over an hour!
#136 legxleg-
Pope Joan is great--a real page turner. It's probably my best book so far in 2008.
#152 hemlokgang--that's great you got to talk to the author. I do love this book so far==very much a "can't put down" kind of book.
Message edited by its author, Feb 6, 2008, 10:58am.
In preparation for going to see the man himself talk about his new book His Illegal Self at the South Bank Centre tonight, I'm reading
Peter Carey's
Wrong About Japan.
It describes a journey the author made with his 12 year old son to Tokyo after they discovered a shared love of manga and animé.
#146 mrsradcliffe -
Mark Haddon's two novels are very different, they could almost have been written by different authors.
#148 I deleted
Special Topics in Calamity Physics from my iPod last night and uploaded Trollope's
The Warden instead. If I ever want to give it another try, I can reload it from audible.
Life is too short and time too precious for me to bother reading or lisstening to something I'm really not enjoying.
SqueakyChu - I have a copy of
The Zookeeper's Wife which I expect to read in the next two months. If it's still on your wishlist I'll pass it along to you.
#153 Grammath, I read
Wrong About Japan in 2004 and enjoyed it. I knew nothing about manga until that book, so it was educational as well.
I am reading Odd Thomas. Funny, I read the other two first before getting to the original.
LydiaHD, I actually liked
The Year of Living Biblically, but to be honest I can't tell you why it took me so long to get into a groove with it. I enjoyed Jacobs' writing every time I picked it up, but I do think that the very disjointed style of the book disrupted me and made it easier to stop and start. The secondary story of Nancy (the neighbor) was heartbreaking. I wonder what will become of her memoir.
How was
Contact?
I finally finished
Ada, and am about to spend my evening delving into the world of Philip Pullman for the first time in
The Golden Compass. After a month of Nabokov, I'm definitely in need of some easy, indulgent reading, and I'm hoping the
His Dark Materials trilogy will fit that bill :)
First timer: How do you get the title and author to appear in blue on a message? I also posted a message on the other thread about which books have you recently purchased. Thanks
--> 156
Oh, thank you, whymaggiemay!
No hurry, though, as I've got tons of other books to read in the meantime.
ljreader, welcome to LT! You need to put brackets around the titles, the square brackets, not the squiggly ones or the pointy ones. And double brackets around author names. They're called Touchstones. Look to the right when you post a message, there's a box that explains them and shows what it looks like.
Have fun here in the crazy house!!!
Message edited by its author, Feb 6, 2008, 8:13pm.
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Thanks so much Teelgee. So far I'm really diggin this website. Have a great night
All this talk about
Pope Joan inspired me to go out and buy it today. Even though it may be years before I get around to reading it.
I started
No Country for Old Men today and I am really enjoying it. The story just jumps right in, no messing around. I had hoped to finish it before it was due back at the library later this week, but I went and bought it anyway. Shameless.
Message edited by its author, Feb 6, 2008, 9:14pm.
#158 omphaloskepsis, I liked
Contact, although the explicitly fictional parts of it seemed gratuitous, and I don't share Carl Sagan's optimism about human nature. The explanations of scientific stuff were very enjoyable, however – and as a general rule I don't enjoy science. There are a couple of threads about the book in the Happy Heathens group (if you're feeling heathenish) – one with spoilers, one without.
There are a few books that seem to jump off the shelf at you and my latest is (The Google Story by David Vise).
I have only just started it but what I have read so far has been fascinating .
seanoc
Message edited by its author, Feb 7, 2008, 2:01am.
> 154 Whilst I agree that the two novels are different in viewpoint and buject matter, there is something about Haddon's style that I could recognise as his although it's nothing concrete that I can pinpoint.
I've been reading
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but read a couple of very favorable reviews on LT and kept going. I just finished Part I (first 100 pages or so) and am now immersed in the characters' lives. And seriously distressed that I won't be able to sit down and read until late tonight!
75:
I just finished
Coraline last night--what an odd little book! We have it in the Teen section at my library, but maybe it should be in J. What do you think?
Tonight I'll start Unwind by
Shusterman. My librarian friends have told me it's a good thing we didn't read this before my son turned 18 (he had just totaled the second of his dad's cars in three years!)
Message edited by its author, Feb 8, 2008, 11:28pm.
145:
Killeymoon--I agree about
Special Topics in Calamity Physics. I loved it, but since I wasn't listening I could easily skip over all those references to books or articles that may or may not exist! Finished it Sunday...
173--
The heart is a Lonely Hunter is near and dear to my heart. Back in 1978 I moved to San Diego from North Carolina--met this really cute guy who worked at the same bookstore as me. In normal getting-to-know-you small talk, he asked what I'd been reading. THIALH, I responded--he was amazed, because he was reading it, too! Do you think it was meant to be? Now we've been married 26 years! :-)
>171 seanoc To get the touchstones to work, you have to use the square brackets, not parentheses, and you have to do the title in one set, and the author in a separate, double set.
I deleted
Special Topics in Calamity Physics from my iPod yesterday--really hated it. The literary references themselves didn't bother me (I'm an English professor), just the way they were so pretentiously used, and I HATED those silly similes and metaphors.
I started listening to
My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru instead. Much more enjoyable for my commute and workout listening.
#172 mrsradcliffe, Yeah, the points of view are critical to the books, and result is a very different overall effect. For myself, I found the Curious Incident very powerful, and Spot only mildly amusing. (I don't mean to imply that anyone else would have those same impressions)
The subject matters are actually similar - both center on some type of major psychological breakdowns, and it's effects on regular people nearby. I read them too far apart to catch any subtle similarities in writing style.
Message edited by its author, Feb 7, 2008, 9:55am.
This week I've started two doorstops:
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, which is all down to the denizens of the Green Dragon, and
War and Peace. So I probably won't have any news for a while ;-)
>176: annatapl, what a sweet story!
>181 Be careful! You'll never touch
War and Peace, you'll be so engrossed in the GRRM. I picked up that series last winter, and didn't get any work done for a month - because I did nothing but read those books rofl. I'm still anxiously awaiting the next installment!
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I'm reading it both as an e-book and in print form so I'll have easy access to the text at all times. I'm almost finished now, and I've really enjoyed it. It's a very fun little book.
>180: Looking forward to hearing what you have to say about
Digging to America.
Message edited by its author, Feb 7, 2008, 12:04pm.
A spot of bother was really disappointing - I skipped the middle section in the end.
Can anyone recommend a good contemporary novel which is captivating and interesting without being too depressing? I've read a lot of pre-1900 stuff and think it's time to read some contemporary fiction but everything I read from the 1990s onwards just isn't that great (except PTerry and some comic fantasy.) Any suggestions??
Audio book for my commute is
John Adams by David McCullough. Finished
The Water's Lovely the other day, which was like Rendell Lite. Am now onto Rubicon by
Tom Holland which has been languishing on my TBR shelf for 2 years. In anticipation of reading the latest Colleen McCullough installment of the Masters of Rome series I decided that a bit more time spent in the period would refresh my memory.
I'm currently reading
The Translator by
Daoud Hari. It is an absolutely amazing story and i am very fortunate to have been chosen by the ER program to read it.
I'm reading
Holes by Louis Sachar but I'm going to have to put it aside for a bit. I stole
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls from a co-worker. She came over to ask my opinion about it as a friend had given it to her to read. I grabbed it right out of her hands! Hee hee. I'm 145 out of 200 requesters at the library for this book. No way was I going to pass up this opportunity though I have to have it back to her by Monday.
Message edited by its author, Feb 7, 2008, 1:57pm.
Thanks. The stupid thing is that have done it before !
But do you think I could remember this time? Must be age catching up.
seanoc
Just finished
The Golden Compass, and already eagerly starting
The Subtle Knife. These books were exactly what I was in the mood for, so I guess I picked well from my massive TBR pile :)
#129 torontoc - I love
Tahir Shah - my absolute favourite is Sorceror's Apprentice (I do not know why that touchstone isn't loading, since when I typed in "Tahir Shah" in single brackets by mistake, that was the book that came up. Hmm. Try this:
Tahir Shah.) Anyway, I own
The Caliph's House but I am saving it for a day that I need cheering up!
On
Mark Haddon's style, I think he uses deliberately very simple prose, but still manages to get across a lot of big ideas about human nature etc. - that's the distinctive thing, for me.
I just finished Mary, Mrs. A. Lincoln by Janis Newman Clarke. I loved this book. I never really knew a lot abotu Mary Todd Lincoln other than she was insane. Very quick read. I am now onto
Holy Fools by Joanne Harris.
philosojerk, you're stalking me! The trilogy will be arriving in the mail tomorrow and I thought it would be a nice spot of light reading, too. Although, I'll still be reading
Ada (just got to Part Two).
Great minds, I guess. :-}
:P I actually found a brand new, boxed set of the trilogy at HPB this past weekend for less than $10. And it seems to me, since you started
Ada after me, and since your copy of the trilogy hasn't even arrived... that
you're stalking
me!
=oP
Rarcar1 - I've seen
Mary in stores and have almost bought it a few times....glad to hear that it was a good read. This one might follow me home next time I am there.
Message edited by its author, Feb 7, 2008, 7:22pm.
I've just started
Felipe Alou . . . My Life and Baseball, an "as told to" with sportswriter Herm Weiskopf written back in 1967 when Alou was still in the midst of his playing career.
Message edited by its author, Feb 7, 2008, 7:42pm.
I'm just starting
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King, book 4 of The Dark Tower Series. I'm gradually making my way through the series. The first three books I recently re-read (I had read them when they first came out years ago) but this book is the first time for me, so it's all new from hereon out!
wondering_star- I agree with you about
Tahir Shah and
Mark Haddon.
mrsradcliffe- I did finish
A Spot of Bother but almost didn't- it did get better but I have read about more interesting disfunctional families.
#169 LydiaHD, thanks for the Happy Heathens thread tip. I'll check it out for sure.
ph/j
>197 rarcar1 - I just picked up
Holy Fools last week in one of my book binges. I love Harris' other books, so will be curious to hear what you think of it.
Just finished
The drowned world by J.G. Ballard and I'm glad I'm done! Didn't enjoy it much, but still wanted to know how it ended. Putting Ballard on my Don't-read-anything-from-this-author-again-list ^^
Also reading
Locus, which is very good and was a nice interruption from Ballard.
>205 Well... If you keep it up, I'll have to get a restraining order. You know, one of those judge-issued thingies that says you have to stay a minimum of 50 threads away from me ;)
I am reading
The Best Day the worst Day by
Donald Hall for the radio piece I am doing on married writers. Thanks to all my friends on LT who made suggestions for the show.
Anyway, this book is a real gem. I would not have found it other than I am doing this interview. I love it when that happens. Go pick it up - wonderful reading for Valentine's Day. Although much of it deals with grief and death, at the basis is love. And it is written by a poet - oh so beautiful.
#167 Alaskabookworm--hope you move
Pope Joan up in your TBR list. It really is a good book. Didn't think I would like it, but really enjoyingit.
I couldn't wait to start it, so I interrupted my current read to begin the Early Reviewer book
Gossip of the Starlings by Nina de Gramont. I'm thoroughly enjoying this book so far.
Finally finished
The Cider House Rules. It took me about a week at the end I found myself staying up really late just to read and finish it. A downside of seeing the movie first, and reading the book later (albeit years later) the scenes I remembered as setting up the film didn't come up in the book until the very end (which I thought odd because the book and the screenplay were both by John Irving).
I finished off this heavy read (thick and emotional subject matter) with a book of early Calvin and Hobbes comics.
P.S. Has anyone else noticed the author tags haven't been working lately? Or apparently my tag for Calvin and Hobbes too?
Message edited by its author, Feb 9, 2008, 2:22pm.
I`m still reading the two books of short(ish) stories I mentioned in #184, but today I fancied a change and have started reading the Case of the Cottage Crime by
Walter Tyrer. Hugely enjoyable - if this book was a drink it would be Courvoisier brandy !
Finished
The Canterbury Papers at 5 am after being awoken by my lovely neighbors...was kind of "meh" for me (the book, not the neighbors)...Hopped squarely back into the present day with
What the Dead Know, but only made it in a few pages because I mercifully fell back to sleep!
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