Finished John Macken's Dirty Little Lies, OK but not rushing out to search for his next title. Continuing a crime week, Dean Koontz - The Darkest Evening of the Year; Michael Connelly, The Overlook; and John Grisham, The Appeal. The Conelly was the best read, Grisham the most disturbing - but because of the politics not the crime.

In the middle of Jack Absolute by C. C. Humphreys right now, plus Jazz 101 in audio book for the commute. I keep glancing at A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King and Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder in the TBR pile, so one of them will probably be next.

I spent the past week reading short, mostly light fare by Barbara Pym and on Friday I started another short book, The Girl at the Lion d'Or by Sebastian Faulks. I chose it because it had been on my LT "tbr" list the longest! I'm about halfway through it now and it's just OK. The plot is kind of dragging. I really enjoyed two of Faulks' other books (Birdsong and Charlotte Gray), and this one is coming up short.

However, I should finish it soon and then it's time to read something in honor of Banned Books Week, which starts today.

I should finish The Road Home today by Rose Tremain. Then, I will read The Light In The Attic by Shel Silverstein in honor of Banned Books Week. That should be a quick read but not sure what I will pick up next.

I am about to begin The Longest Trip Home , and after that will be The Handmaids Tale in honor of banned books.

Still caught up in the sibling wars of A Perfectly Good Family by Lionel Shriver. I don't really find any of the characters particularly likable but I find the squabble over the inheritance addicting. I'm also reading out of Home Life in Colonial Days by Alice Morse Earle (written in the 1898) and several other 17th century-related books.

I'm starting Terry Pratchett's Thief of Time, and hopefully Bonk by Mary Roach if the library can find it - it's marked as returned, but hasn't been shelved, so I hope it hasn't been stolen!

I hope to finish Music and Silence by Rose Tremain this weekend. She's made it to my favorite authors list. Next up: maybe Brave New World for banned books week - I've never read it!

I loved Music and Silence, teelgee. Isn't Rose Tremain wonderful?

I'm jumping back and forth between books right now. I'm still enjoying Kristin Lavransdatter; I am also reading Annie Dillard's The Maytrees and started The Land of Spices by Kate O'Brien for Banned Books Week.

Still reading Thief of Souls and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Should be finished both this weekend.

Next up is Stealing Athena. I am still trying to decide on a book in honor of Banned Books Week. I want to pick a book I haven't already read so I think I will take a look through the ALA lists and then make a choice.

I finished Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland this morning and got into the first few pages of Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. I'm also working my way through volume one of the manga By The Sword by Sanami Matoh.

I finished Kristin Lavransdatter today, and thoroughly enjoyed the read! I am just about to start The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It has had such rave reviews on LT that I am psyched to read it! I am almost finished listening to Duma Key, which is excellent as well.

Message edited by its author, Sep 27, 2008, 2:09pm.

Time for reading has been hard to come by, as my wife and I are in the midst (and have been all month!) of packing for our big move from San Francisco to Boonville, CA . . . after 53 years as a city boy, it's off to a small country town in the beautiful Anderson Valley, Mendocino County.

Anyway, I'm about 50 pages from the end of Blue Heaven by Joe Keenan. After that I'll be reading Philip Roth's latest, Indignation. The reviews I've seen haven't been all that adoring, and Roth's last few were a bit of a disappointment to me, but Roth is one of my true literary heroes, and I always read his novels as they come out.

#13 rocketjk, hope the move goes well and sounds like a lovely destination! **blush** I have yet to read any Philip Roth...

I finished the Poisonwood Bible yesterday and am starting on Kristin Lavransdatter. I'm also reading Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg - saw the movie when it came out, and am loving the book so far. I need a fast read after the PB.

Did any of you really love the Jane Austen book club? I picked it up yesterday and just couldn't get into it! The narrator sounded so grumpy.

I am now reading Perfume by Patrick Suskind. It is a RL book group read that I missed last month, so I am trying to catch up.

I am about 70 pages in and it is starting to get more interesting, now that the perfume part is being explored. The first part seemed slow and old-fashioned and a bit boring. It is a translation though, so I don't know if thats the reason or if they are trying to write like the time period (18th C).

Message edited by its author, Sep 27, 2008, 4:23pm.

Still working on The Fabric of the Cosmos. Last week's massive head cold kept me more or less out of it for a few days and I made only a little progress on it.

Still reading Kristin Lavransdatter - I, too, am also really enjoying it - I'm on the third and last volume.

#8 - I just read Brave New World for the first time as well. Really didn't live up to the hype, IMO.

#14 - I didn't like The Jane Austen Book Club, either. It was almost an insult for us hardcore Jane Austen fans. The books were just a plot device.

#14 & 18

re Jane Austen Book Club -- thank heavens--I thought there was something wrong with me! I had heard so many raves about it and I couldn't even make it the first 50 pages. The author is certainly no "Jane Austen!" Is she even a fan?

Finished How to Hepburn by Karen Karbo and
Not a Drop to Drink: America's Water Crisis by Ken Midkiff

Started The End of America: Letter to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolf

Oops, I just posted this on last week's thread by mistake. Sorry for the duplication if you've seen it on the other thread:

Almost finished with Obsidian Butterfly, which may be the best Anita Blake I've read so far. (I'm reading them in order.) Also started a first novel called "Broad Street" by Christine Weiser, which came to me as an early review book sent by the publisher. I'm both excited and slightly anxious ~ it's the first book whose review was solicited from me by the publisher, and it's chicklit, which is not my favorite genre. But, I've finished the first chapter and loved it, so I'm feeling a bit more hopeful now.

Also listening to Crime Beat by Michael Connelly, which I am enjoying but not as much as his mysteries. Um, also in the middle of Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist and The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes, both of which I put down to read Mr. White's Confession for LTER.

Whew! That's more books than I thought I had going. I better get reading!

>14, 18, 19
I didn't care for The Jane Austen Book Club either. It could have been such a great novel, and it was a let down. I watched the movie before I read the book (blasphemy, I know), and I actually preferred the movie. I thought the characters were a little more developed. I had to completely remove Austen from the equation in both, though, and just consider it in terms of a basic book club. And it was still lacking.

I finished off The Last Colony and I'm about to start Zoe's Tale, both by John Scalzi. I spent five hours today sitting in an IHOP to finish The Last Colony. I just couldn't not read it.

5 hours in IHOP! Now that is dedication. What did you like about the book that you were able to make that sacrifice/!

Our local IHOP is one of my favorite places to read. Nothing beats a cup (or 4) of coffee and a good book on a lazy Saturday.

I've read all three of the Old Man's War books by Scalzi and I've liked all of them. I like the characters. I like the pacing of the books. I like the humor. They are well crafted books and you get a very good feel for the politics of the time. They're just plain good old entertainment.

were there pancakes?

Nope. Country omelette with biscuits and gravy, a large orange juice, and lots of coffee. Lots of coffee.

ahhh... thats okay too. Especially biscuit and gravy. I am however a huge fan of the pancake.

Not the kind with choco chips or things embedded.. justa plain beautiful pancake with a dab of butter and some maple syrup.

yummy!

Maple syrup on French toast but boysenberry syrup on pancakes. Gosh, I'm getting hungry again.

#27 seitherin

Hmmm--Biscuits & gravy--must be from the South.

If they keep you supplied with coffee I can see why you stay there. The IHOP we go to really grouses if we ask for a 3rd pot and that wouldn't last me four hours.

I've just started By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah, recommended to me more than a year ago by avaland. I had the opportunity to really get into it on a long subway ride today, and I am completely hooked.

I am currently reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is a great book! I am also reading The Poisonwood Bible. I am way behind the group and need to catch up.

MsGemini, those are two fantastic books you're reading. I loved them both.

So, I just finished The Girl at the Lion d'Or and dashed off a brief review ... it was really quite disappointing. I'm glad to be done with it and looking forward to my next book. In honor of Banned Books Week, I'll be reading The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall ... will likely start it tomorrow.

Im finishing up we bought a zoo and fixing to start Dawn's Light

Currently in the middle of reading Bully for Brontosaurus by Stephen Jay Gould and Conrad's fate by Diana Wynne Jones.

Next up!: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Reading To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara.
Started reading this about a week ago but got side tracked by Elimle Zola's La curée or ("The Kill" or "The Contest for the Spoils") also an excellent book.

Just started The Army of the Republic: A Novel, my first Early Reviewers book. So far so good!

I finished reading Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson aloud to the kids. What a wonderful book! An all-time favorite. I am really enjoying O Pioneers! by Willa Cather.

I'm about 70 pages in to End of Story by Peter Abrahams. It's a super smooth, light read that just flies along and is very good so far, which doesn't surprise me. I love this guy.

And I would love to have a short stack of pancakes right now...... should I wake up hubby and see if he wants to go to IHOP?? (it's after midnight here) I guess I could make some here at home, but it wouldn't be the same.

I finally finished Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter. Just not my cup of tea unfortunately, even though the language was beautiful. Somehow it just seemed stilted, and I struggled to pick it up once I'd put it down.

Today I read The One Minute Manager (somewhat cheekily) in Borders over coffee. At a scant 100 pages, it seemed a shame to spend $22 on it. I may look out for a second-hand copy, but Borders get enough of my money that I'm sure they can stand the occasional in-store read!

I'm still reading The Interpreter of Maladies, but I'm not reading any more than one story a day, otherwise I tend to forget the stories (that's just me and short stories, not a comment on the quality of the writing).

Hello! Roth is a great choice. My husband has read all the books Roth has written, but he has to wait a while before reading "Indignation", because we're Italians and translations took a very long time. Here in Italy, finally the translation of "Exit Ghost" will be available just next Tuesday 30 September. Good reading!

I finished Roth's Indignation last week and really enjoyed it, then picked up the Library of America's 5th volume of his work Philip Roth: Novels and Other Narratives, 1986-1991, and read his autobiography The Facts: A Novelist's Autobiography from 1987, following it with Deception from 1990.

Message edited by its author, Sep 28, 2008, 6:54am.

#42 - LouisBranning - glad to hear Indignation is good. I recently read Exit Ghost and was totally enthralled by Roth's writing. I have only read a few of his books but am impressed every time.

All finished with The Road Home - I will be starting A Light in the Attic for Banned Book Week, which should be a quick read, and the I'm off to Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. I haven't read a horror story in years - perhaps it will get me in the mood for Halloween. =)

#32 - I just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyable, and I learned a bit of history too! I am about to start Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb.

I finished The Longest Trip Home and am about to begin Enslaved by Ducks. It looks hilarious!

hemlock, I had added Potato Peel Society to my wish list due to raves here, but then found it was a series of letters. I find that sort of thing annoying :(
so I took it off.

I am halfway through Jar City by Arnaldur Indriasson. It's a solid police procedural set in Iceland that doesn't waste words but surely gives you a sense of the characters. (An LT recommendation, thank you avaland.)

McKait. I loved Enslaved by Ducks. The second book was one I lost on Bookcloseouts.com. I will have to find it used.

I'm reading "Asleep" by Banana Yoshimoto. =)

#31: By the Sea is also in my TBR stacks, thanks to avaland's recommendation. I'm looking forward to reading it, however many months away that may be...

Still in volume 2 of Proust, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower. I picked up some commentary & bio-type stuff to accompany my reading. I have some strange personal bias against reading biographies (can't really explain why, but they usually bore me to tears), so I'm sneaking my way past that at the moment by reading Monsieur Proust by Celeste Albaret, the memoirs of Proust's housekeeper/personal everything. There are some obvious blind spots, but it's a charming work, and it's keeping my interest.

I was also quite pleased to find remainder copies of Beckett's Proust and Proust in Love by William C. Carter. Hooray for Book Culture!

Almost finished with The Wicked: A Vampire Huntress Legend by L. A. Banks. Just started New Moon by Stephanie Meyer.

--> 43

I also recently read Exit Ghost by Philip Roth and was surprised by the quality of the writing. I was prepared to not like it. Guess I'll need to start reading some more Roth books. Perhaps by starting with some of those about Nathan Zuckerman's younger days. :)

I'm now totally entranced by The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan's book, which gives a surprising report about the industrial organic food (an intentional oxymoron) industry. I never realized the extent of the deceit that this industry gives proponents of organic foods. I should have guessed, though.

Message edited by its author, Sep 28, 2008, 10:59am.

Just a sidebar to SqueakyChu and others who enjoyed The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Have you noticed the tv ads promoting high fructose corn syrup? "Made from corn, same nutritional value as sugar, fine in moderation...."
Harrrumph!!!

CEP, I saw that last night for the first time! Disgusting.

Just started Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton. It's really good so far.

#45 Hi, McKait ~ I feel the very same way about epistolary novels as you, but somehow in The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society it works. I hope you will put it back on your TBR list and at least try it for a few pages.

Wow! Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb was a fast, fantastic read. What a clever writer! It was sort of Zen meets theater of the absurd. Now I am on to Nervous conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga, and really looking forward to it.

#55 maybe I will ... it gets such good reviews here

ficus.. I got it used but paid way more than I usually do for it..I had to have it!

--> 56

Amélie Nothomb is fantastic. Glad you discovered her. Too bad all of her short novels are not yet translated into English. Be sure not to miss those that are. My favorite is The Stranger Next Door - possibly the oddest book I've ever read!

#58 -Thanks for the tip, SqueakyChu! I will head directly to BookMooch!

I finished up The Omnivore's Dilemma and, like SqueakyChu, I was impressed by the analysis of big industrial organic foods. The book has inspired me to sign up for a csa (community supported agriculture) to get locally grown organic food all next summer.

I'm now working my way through The Handmaid's Tale, which is proving worthy of all the good reviews I had read of it.

--> 59

I actually have one of her books travelling as a BookCrossing bookray but am hesitant to offer it to others because the person who has it doesn't seem to be moving it on. You can, however, read what others have to say about The Book of Proper Names on that link.

Message edited by its author, Sep 28, 2008, 1:01pm.

>14, 18, 19, 22 - I too thought The Jane Austen Book Club was underwhelming as a book, although I really liked the movie.

I'm currently reading Immortal by Traci L. Slatton. I'm a little more than halfway through, and while it's moving pretty quickly, I'm having a hard time staying focused for more than 40-50 pages at a time.

I'm also still listening to Moonheart by Charles de Lint.

#51, SqueakyChu, As I've said many times, I'm a big Philip Roth fan, although I haven't read his two most recent books yet. In my opinion, American Pastoral is his masterpiece, if you want someplace to start.

And I too was fascinated by The Omnivore's Dilemm; I must say it gave me a whole new and not so pleasant perspective on corn and meat.

Kristin Lavransdatter - what is this about? I see it a lot in various threads.

I am currently reading Brisingr and High Tide at Gettysburg.

Working on Dragonhaven, Cybele's Secret (I loved Wildwood Dancing, and so far the sequel about another of the sisters has been just as good), and The Professor and the Madman. I'm working more hours than usual this week, so it'll probably be the same three titles until next weekend.

Just finished The poisonwood bible. I will go on with Saturday by Ian McEwan which I already started. Might start in Groener gras by Annelies Verbeke as well, as stories seem to be good in busy times.

I checked out a bunch from the library today - The Light Fantastic and The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett, Lighthousekeeping and The World and Other Places by Jeanette Winterson, beethoven was one-sixteenth black (sorry, no touchstone) by Nadine Gordim, Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl and On the Road by Jack Kerouac. However, I'm making myself finish my homework before I start reading, but it's really, really hard!

I'm nearly finished The Da vinci Code, and am quite enjoying it. Knights, monks, conspiracy theories, all make for a good read. On the down side, some of the descriptions of characters are enough to make me groan and roll my eyes. The plot is fast paced enough to keep me going though, but I don't think it's going to make it onto the favourites list.

I'm about to go on 2 1/2 weeks holiday tomorrow and I think Watership Down will be my next book. The only thing I know about it is that it is about rabbits!

I'm not sure if I'll have internet access on my travels, so happy reading to all.

>64 koalamom
I am reading Kristin Lavransdatter too, it is the current book in the Group reads - Literature group.
This is the first book I read with that group.

I'm reading Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. There are three other short stories included. I am happy to say Capote (in my opinion) lives up to the hype.

Purely by coincidence, I've read three short story books in a row. (The other two being The Withdrawal Method by Pasha Malla and Runaway by Alice Munro. Both excellent.) I really need to pick up a novel next!!

I'm in a bit of a rut. I'm reading an ARC that I simply must get finished and off my plate - The Watercooler Effect by Nicholar Difonzo. It's not holding my interest very much - it seems sort of pseudo-psychological with lots of specific rumors that don't particularly interest me.

After that I'm going to reward myself with The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature by Daniel J. Levitin.

I finished God's Own Country by Ross Raisin on Saturday, which is on the longlist for The Guardian First Book Award. The main character is a somewhat wayward and disturbed teenage boy who works on his family farm in the Yorkshire Moors, who befriends a rebellious teenage girl whose family has moved from London to a farm next door. The novel had several themes that were well explored, including teenage angst, love, class differences, and the erosion of the life of working rural communities. The main theme, however, was the moral and psychological descent of the protagonist, which I thought was very well done.

I started reading The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco on the train ride from NYC this afternoon, and I started When Doctors Become Patients by Robert Klitzman yesterday. Mr Eco will be giving the Ellmann Lectures at Emory University in Atlanta next weekend (Oct 5-7), and I plan to attend all four lectures, which are free to the public.

Message edited by its author, Sep 28, 2008, 6:45pm.

>46, CEP. Glad you are enjoying Jar City! Be sure to look for the movie. It's in Icelandic with subtitles and the characters look exactly as they are described in the book (no Hollywood types, hurrah!)

I finished Perfume by Patrick Suskind. It was supposed to be a psychological mystery and/or horror. I just found it boring. Strange unloved little man, who has no scent of his own, possess the most amazing nose for scents. He lives and sees the world through his nose. Because he has no human connections,and has had none since birth, he is unconstrained by manners, rules, laws or compassion. Controlled mayhem ensues.

Not only didn't I care about the main character, I wasn't interested in him. The only interesting part was when he first learned about making perfume.

The horror part was definitely low key, as were the murders. The best thing I can say is that it was short.

The story was set in the 18thC and emphasized the general and continuing stink of everything. I always find the contradiction interesting. If everything stank so badly, how did anyone notice either good or bad smells ? I would think their noses would be dulled or burned out?

Couldn't decide what to start next. Looked at several books and decided on Mahu Surfer, though I probably would appreciate it more in deep winter.

#40 Killeymoon The last book I read was Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter and I too enjoyed parts of it, brilliant fun writing, but overall struggled to keep myself involved. My suspended credibility was not rewarded with enough insight.

Am almost done with The Master and Margarita, a book I enjoyed more but am not sure I always understood all it was trying to say. My copy of the book has some notes and discussion at the end. Maybe I'll understand more once I've read that.

#71 Karenmarie My next book I'm going for something quite different, non-fiction. This is Your Brain on Music. I think the The World in Six Songs is his second book. Let me know how you like it.

#64 - koalamom, I just finished Kristin Lavransdatter as part of the group read. It is hefty, 1100+ pages, but in my opinion, well worth the read.

>75 snash, I agree with you re: M&M. It was enjoyable and yet I didn't always "get it." I found a website at the time which helped a great deal. Hope your end notes are good.

Just finished The Household Guide to Dying which I loved and am about to start The Last Days of Dogtown.

#67 zanknits - what a great selection of library books!

My school's library (NYU) is AMAZING. It is literally heaven on earth.

Ana's Story and Finding God in Unexpected Places both are very interesting reads. By the way Jenna Bush was at the National Book Festival over the weekend for anyone who has ever been there. I also waited in a long line to get Alexander McCall Smiths signature. There was over 70 authors and it turned out to be a fun weekend. We just made it home tonight at 5:00. My husband and I have went for the last four years now.

Have been flying through Die A Little by Megan Abbott.....had forgotten what a master-of-suspense Ms Abbott is...what a deadly thrill ride this book be!!!

Finished reading Mansfield Park, and as I'm craving something easy and engrossing I'm now reading Eragon.

Nearly finished with Enslaved by Ducks. I am enjoying every page. The author has a very entertaining way of writing. I am finding it funny, sometimes sad but utterly compelling.

I will have to put Kristin Lavransdatter on my TBR. When I see so many reading it, I get curious and have to find out what's going on. Of course, by the time I get to it, no one else will be reading it!

The thing you have to know about Roth going in, given that his writing is sooooo autobiographical, is that he's never had an 'adult' relationship in his life; he loves women, but he doesn't like them. Quite honestly, I'm not sure how women can read him with anything less than mild disgust.

Having said that, he's brilliant. You just have to consider the source and the subject matter...

I am about to start an arc of Sonata for Miriam by Linda Olsson who wrote Astrid and Veronika. It will be published in the US in March.

I'm halfway through Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and am finding it interesting, if mildly crazy. I'm moving on to Land of a Hundred Wonders after this one!

There's a new thread for the group called The Gathering Place, open for discussion of whatever you want to talk about - so we can focus this thread on What Are You Reading this week. Come on over!

I am about halfway through Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan, and I am absolutely loving it! I just looked through the LT reviews for the book, though, and was startled to see that not everyone has the same positive impression of the book that I have!

I just picked up One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.

I just completed One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson. This is another winner by a terrific writer. It plays like a screwball black comedy,fast-paced, and populated with rich, indelible characters. Fun and unpredictable! I love the hapless Martin Canning !
Next up: The Known World by Edward P. Jones. It's a Pulitzer winner from 2004. I also plan to squeeze in After the Quake by Haruki Murakami, it's a slim short story collection. My Murakami quest continues!

I picked up The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss. my earlier, failed attempt to read the book must have been a mood-fit problem, because this time through I thought it was wonderful!

Just finished Legs by William Kennedy, the first in the Albany cycle. Good book, too bad the touchstone leads to Skinny Legs and All.

Really need to finish Rainbow on the Road by Esther Forbes. Great book to read slowly, but I've been on it for weeks.

Will start The Dangerous Joy of Dr. Sex and Other True Stories by Pagan Kennedy, an Early Reviewer book. We'll see.

I just started reading The Saffron Kitchen.

I am happily immersed in The Outlander a Novel by Gil Adamson. This seems like a good week to get lost in a great book!

#94 I thought The Saffron Kitchen was a neglected gem - enjoy!

#91 msf59 - Glad you liked One Good Turn - wasn't that a treat!

A minute ago, I just finished reading the book Twilight by Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

.

Finished my 2 weekend mysteries, Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming and Seduction in Death by J.D. Robb to make a break after Poisonwood Bible which I finished on Friday. My Kristin Lavransdatter hasn't arrived yet so I picked up a book my son lent me, The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott -- fairly interesting so far. I anticipate a quick read.

#84 Koalamom--I haven't even started reading KL--so I'll probably be posting when you pick it up. And the threads will be available for quite a while.

# 85 mikeepatrick

Thanks for removing my guilt about Philip Roth. "Mild disgust" pretty much sums up what I felt about the first 2 I read, but I have been feeling maybe I missed something with all the raves I've been reading on LT. Rave on! I no longer feel compelled to try him again!

Woefully small amount of reading this past week due to hectic schedule and minor illness. Did, however, complete the lovely Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino and am just now beginning Kristin Lavransdatter, so I will be joining MusicMom41 and Koalamom on the group read thread about the same time.

Concur with #85 mikeepatrick re: Roth, but did enjoy The Plot Against America

this is my paen to Philip Roth-

given the fact- the first books i read were Portnoy's Complaint and When She Was Good....touchstones are crapping out here() look on the Philip Roth search page okay...

...those two books were...crappy IMHO

fastforward...looming on the horizon...American Pastoral...took my breath away..i come from an immigrant German Family and i grew up (???) in the 1960s...this wondrous book..captures that era..holds it close and, ultimately, lets it go

sorry for rambling on so long..but i had to do so
i am a biblio-junkie..no apologies here
JUDE

An arsonist's guide to writers' homes in new england by Brock Clarke

and enjoying it a lot!

just finished BIG STONE GAP (Adriana Trigiani) yesterday and started AT RISK( Patricia Cornwell). I enjoyed BIG STONE GAP and appriciated the easy ,comfy feeling I felt when reading it. I always enjoy reading Patricia Cornwell's books. Cheryl

#91 & #96.........OH! I'm so glad to hear that One Good Turn is a double thumb's up!! It's in my TBR stack. I will really look forward to reading it now, thank you!!

I'm about halfway through End of Story by Peter Abrahams. It's a super quick read with lots of dialogue, and could easily be read in a day....unfortunately I have been so busy I have hardly had a chance to just sit and get through more than a chapter or so at a time. It's very good so far though...intriguing and well written.

Last night I finally started a long put off read from the very bottom of my tbr pile. In honor of banned books week I started Handmaids Tale and so far it seems quite good. Wonder why I waited so long?

Finsidhed listening to Duma Key. I'm glad I listened to this one, because the reader had a lovely tone of voice and handled the phrasing so well. I am beginning to listen to The Seasons of Beento Blackbird by Akosua Busia.

Just finished The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell and really I enjoyed it. I put on my TBR Troubles anlways by Farrell and
the Ray Quartet quadrilogy by Paul Scott but at the moment I want something a little different. So I started Don’t Let’s Go to
the Dogs Tonight - An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller who was born in England but was
reared in Rhodesia , early sixty’s

masgar

I'm dumping A Perfectly Good Family, not sure I can stand the family anymore, although I may skip to the end and see how the inheritance squabble turned out.

Finished The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry - I liked it very much. Now reading Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh. (Both books are on the Booker shortlist.)

Finished my reread of Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope late last night and started The Truth by Al Franken this morning. Have snorted with laughter twice so far!

I finished and didn't particularly like The Watercooler Effect and have started The World in Six Songs.

#75 snash - I'm enjoying it so far but just started. I'll let you know how I liked it.

I finished the wonderful Music and Silence by Rose Tremain last night. Next I'll be reading Three Cups of Tea for my book group and will probably also be reading Theft by Peter Carey.

ET get touchstones to kick in.

Message edited by its author, Sep 30, 2008, 10:12am.

I've nearly finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (which I mostly only read last night) and have started on Devil's Brood, which I would LOVE to have finished by the weekend, since it is being released next Tuesday.

I'm in the middle of a Banned Books Week re-read of Fahrenheit 451, and even though I read it every year or two, I'm totally blown away by how prophetic and insightful Bradbury was. If I have time this week, I'd like to do a re-read of The Bluest Eye but will most likely have to move on to Greasy Rider for LTERs.

I'm reading Inkheart, The Man Who Made Lists, The Hellenistic Age on the bus to work, Ad Infinitum, Philip and the Others, and Kristin Lavransdatter for the groupread.

And, the occasional story from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Message edited by its author, Sep 30, 2008, 11:58am.

Like bnbooklady, I'm in the middle of a Banned Books Week read. I'm reading The Well of Loneliness. Published in 1928, it centers on a woman who was "not like other girls," meaning that she was a lesbian. This book was amazingly frank on the subject, for its time. I am finding it incredibly melancholy, because it shows how little was known about homosexuality in those days, how "hush hush" it was, and the tremendous impact that had on gays and lesbians having to cope with such societal pressures. This book is very well-written, too, and I'm finding it difficult to put down.

Just finished Brisinger by that young writer C. Paolini.
It has been a pleasure to watch him grow in maturity and complexity of thought through his three books of fantasy and fiction. As he has grown so has his characters. Great narrative and complex and vivid descriptions and depictions of his world. A most read for all those interested in fantasy. Looking forward to the fourth book in his saga. Actius

>116 - lindsaci

Have you ever read or seen The Children's Hour? It deals with quite a few similarly touchy topics with amazing elegance. It's a wonderful play.

Just finished An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken, which is a memoir about a woman losing her unborn child, it really is amazing. Here is my review

This week I've read

House of Cards by Michael Dobbs;
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley & William Danko;
The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach; and
A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch.

I really enjoyed A Beautiful Blue Death, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd read it before. Maybe there's a short story about an amateur detective with a friend next door??? Anybody recall such a story?

#117

I am about half way through Brisingr and enjoying it. I had hoped it was the end, but will be looking forward to the next (and last) book now.

It reads very well and I am often surprised at how far I have gone after a while. I have to finish it by next Tuesday as my son, who is coming to visit this weekend, will want to take it back with him. Knowing me, unless something interrupts my reading, I shall be able to give it to him when he gets here and knowing him, he may have it read by the time he leaves.

Heck, I had the last Harry Potter read in 24 hours (I had to get it read as there were four of us and the fourth had to take it with her to read as she had no time while here. I think the three of us had it done in five days or less), but I digress.

Brisingr is a good book.

>118: ZanKnits, no I haven't but thanks for the recommendation!

Last night I started:-

The Last Good Man by Patience Swift
Life's Little Ironies by Thomas Hardy

Enjoying both.

I'm reading Blindness by Jose Saramago. Trailers for the movie got me to move it off the shelf and into my hands! I'm not much of a moviegoer but the little clips threatened to dampen my interest. If I can find A Separate Peace (it's here somewhere and yet to be read....) that will finish up Banned Book Week for me.

This morning I finished And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander which I totally adored. I need to go look for more of her books I think, if they are all going to be as entertaining as this one.

Will start on Possession by A.S. Byatt I think later this evening, and perhaps Eleven on Top for some light-hearted reading on the side during tv commercials.

Current audio book out in the car is Interworld by Neil Gaiman which is more sci-fi than I usually read or expected, but it is good nevertheless.

Also reading Spindle's End by Robin McKinley, a Scholastic biography about Genghis Khan and Princess, Princess Volume 1. The anime was so cute I couldn't resist taking the manga out from the library.

I just finished God in a Cup and now appreciate my coffee even more. I will be starting Shut Up, I'm Talking: And other Diplomacy lessons I learned in the Israeli Government. It's supposed to be funny despite the serious topic.

I finished reading Vasily Grossman's A Writer at War. His front line reporting was remarkable for its literary quality.

I picked up a copy of Dean Koontz's Watchers at the store after returning from the park to scatter my dog's ashes. Something about the picture of the dog on the cover and the description on the back urged me to buy it, even though I had never read anything by Koontz. I have a really mixed opinion of the book. I liked the story even though it required me to accept some pretty ridiculous plot points. The writing was uneven. But it kind of helped me to deal with the loss of my dog. Still, I don't think that I'm likely to read another book by him.

Now I've started Vassili Zaitsev's Notes of a Sniper, the memoir of one of the Red Army's best snipers at Stalingrad. It's a striking contrast to Grossman's book. I don't know if it was written with adolescents in mind as the target audience, but it certainly reads that way.

Was about to start on Possession but then Pride and Prescience on my pile caught my eye and, being in a more light-hearted mood, I decided to put the former aside for another day.

And I'm glad I did. The first few chapters of Pride and Prescience had me chuckling. Exactly what I needed tonight after a very very long and tedious day at work.

Reviewed The Whiskey Rebels. Below, in case you don't want to go looking for it.

Liss in true Liss form! I adored A Conspiracy of Paper and A Spectacle of Corruption and enjoyed greatly The Coffee Trader. Mr. Liss is a writer with several gifts, and seemingly displays them to their best advantage in works of historical fiction. (I was no fan of The Ethical Assassin since it felt undeveloped and unfinished to me.)

Most unusually, Mr. Liss can take any business conflict and make it into a story. He tells us the story of the business panic that in part led to the Whiskey Rebellion in this novel (I grossly oversimplify the twists and turns, but that’s the penalty of wanting to keep this under 5000 words!) from the points of view held by two victims of honor. Ethan Saunders and Joan Maycott have wildly diverging aims in this novel; their conflict is completely believable; they are characters representing very real conflicts in American society at that time, and they do so without feeling like invented mouthpieces for a particular cause or view. This is Mr. Liss’s extraordinary gift to historical fiction, that his characters breathe enough life to seem as though their actions are inevitable outgrowths of their described and/or demonstrated interests. This talent above all others should win Mr. Liss a place on the bestseller lists, since he competes against authors of creative facility and character-building imbecility (eg, James Patterson, John Grisham) for male readership.

Another of the gifts Mr. Liss brings to the table is his deftness of plotting. It takes a writer of skill to make a complex issue like a bank failure (and how timely is that choice of plot point!) into something exciting to the reader and highly personal to the characters. I was riveted to the descriptions of one character’s machinations to achieve a particular result to the failure of the Million Bank and the reasons for that character’s venomous hatreds and callously indifferent behaviors was both cause and effect in the spiraling, stomach-churning race that forms the last thrilling 40 pages of this novel.

Really highly recommended for anyone looking to find a fine writer with a gift for storytelling coupled to a sense of timing that cannot be beat.

edited/touchstones

Message edited by its author, Sep 30, 2008, 10:24pm.

#124 - I thought Blindness was amazing!

Message edited by its author, Sep 30, 2008, 10:32pm.

I think I'll probably finish Enemy Women this week - it's been getting steadily better and now I can't wait to find out what happens. I'm worried about the heroine. The other book I'm currently reading is The Assault on Reason which I need to put down for the night because it's making me all worked up.

Then Ulysses, which I'm going to read all by itself because I'll need to focus.

#127 sydamy - I'd never heard of God in a Cup until you mentioned it and now I have to read it. Thanks!

I finished Twilight yesterday. It's almost embarrassing how much I liked it. I've now started Bel Canto by Ann Patchett as a request from my mother-in-law, who's already dropped huge hints about the ending (GRRRRRRRRRR!). I'm also working on Your Money or Your Life and flipping through Feng Shui Your Life by Jayme Barrett.

I am about halfway through Up in the Old Hotel. I'm loving those stories, but I've only been reading them one or two at a time in between other books.

K. gave me Infinite Jest today. I'm very excited about digging into this one.

I finished Mahu Surfer the other day.

It was a very good book, and I zoomed through it. Even though it was the 2nd book and I missed the first book (OOP), I wasn't lost in the story arc of the series. The main character is Kimo Kanapa'aka, a gay police detective in Hawaii.

Because he was publicly outed and wrongly suspended, his new boss uses that status to have him go undercover on the North Shore to find out who is killing surfers. The story has three threads woven together. Kimo as undercover detective, Kimo trying to establish his personal life as an openly gay man, and the issues of the past that the younger Kimo couldn't deal with. They are well balanced so you have the sense of a believable person, and that creates an interesting, meaty story.

The mystery was good and had twists and introduced Kimo's friends, family, and adversaries. There was a bit of a no-no with a minor character suddenly becoming a major part of the mystery solution, but thats a minor quibble.

The setting is well done too, and seems accurate to me, though I am only a visitor to Hawaii.

I have ordered the next book in the series, Mahu Fire and will get the first book when it is re-published in March.

I am now reading The Lion of Saint Mark by G.A. Henty. An older work of historical fiction. It is set in the 14th century around the time of two major battles in Venice's struggles with outside powers.

I am going to finish Kristin Lavransdatter today -- It really grew on me and I'm sad it is ending despite ~1100 pages. Very good medieval historical fiction.

I think I'll start The March by Doctorow after that.

#132 jfetting - good luck with that (Ulyssess) - I found it painfully tedious and pretentious.

Kristin Lavransdatter has really got me curious. I'm going to have to find a copy.

I found a copy of The March at a used bookstore last Saturday. It seems everyone in the current Civil War thread has read that and recommends it highly. I read one other Doctorow and enjoyed that (Ragtime).

As for the Joyce, I had trouble with Austin and Falkner, so I am sure I am not ready for Joyce.

>131 hemlokgang

I'm enjoying Blindness but it seems I can only read it in small doses. There's something I anticipate as the plot unfolds that pushes me back for air, so to speak, every now and then.

#106, masgar, I am sure you will not be disappointed by Troubles, one of the books I enjoyed most last year -- however, unlike The Siege of Krishnapur and The Raj Quartet, it takes place in Ireland, not India.

#128, fredbacon, Have you read Vasily Grossman's masterpiece, Life and Fate? It is an amazing novel, and you will see Grossman' repertorial talent in its writing.

#137, koalamom, I loved The March. I hadn't read any Doctorow in years when I read it and I found it fascinating and insightful.

I just finished, thanks to avaland's recommendation here, By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah -- beautifully written, moving, and surprising. And I've started Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, the author of the wonderful Wizard of the Crow.

I finished by Banned Books Week re-read of Fahrenheit 451 last night and am excited to post about it later this week. I'm now into Greasy Rider for Early Reviewers.

I finished O Pioneers! which I loved. Next up will be The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh for my book club (and inspired by LT). We're also reading Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink aloud.

>133: jhedlund, oooh.. I really enjoyed Bel Canto. I think that's one of her best books. You should tell your mother-in-law to just hush and let you come to the little surprises in your own time.

I got started on Eleven on Top and Hotel Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones .. the latter is an interesting read into what goes on behind the gleam and sparkle of the hotel industry. I'm about a third through and already I've put together a list of do-nots and watch-fors which I'll take with me the next time I'm traveling and need to stay in a hotel.

#141. AMQS, You bring back very pleasant memories with your mention of Caddie Woodlawn -- I haven't thought about it in more than 40 years and I'm delighted it's still around.

>133 I, too, really loved Bel Canto. And even if you might know something of the ending, the journey is oh-so wonderful.

(I personally did NOT like the ending, yet this is still one of my favorite books. I'll be interested to hear what you think when you're done.)

I'm still reading Kristin Lavransdatter. I got a bit tired of Kristin (the character) for awhile, but the story has picked up dramatically since Erlend (her husband) has become involved in a great conspiracy. All sorts of things are going on now. After a brief break last night to watch my Twins lose to the Chicago White Sox in a single-game playoff, I'll be back with Kristin tonight.

A few days ago when I was in the mood for some non-Kristin literature, I started The Year of Living Biblically. I'm about halfway through and quite enjoying it.

Finished Alchemist by Peter James - sci-fi/horror novel about genetic engineering and satanism (groan), and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon which i found interesting and have started Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark...

I am just getting into The Known World. Very interesting so far. It deals with slavery in the years before the Civil War, with an incredible twist. It features ex-slaves as slaveowners, a fact I was not aware of.
# 130: richard- I liked your comments on David Liss. He's an author I have not read but I'm much interested in and I hope to get to The Conspiracy of Paper very soon.
135: FicusFan- Mahu Surfer sounds real good. What's the 1st book called?

#137 & #139: I liked March a lot. I am a major fan of Doctorow.
#141: Hang in there with Blindness.

hemlokgang - I discovered Doctorow when I helped out the local library in Anniston with their inventory. I was using a scanner on all their books to see what they had (or didn't have) to match that up to the computer lists. I discovered a lot of authors that looked good there, including Doctorow. Being a Broadway fan as well his Ragtime caught my eye and went home with me very soon after. I have meant to try another of his so I bought two recently as mentioned above.

With two different threads recommending this book, I'll have to put it to the top of my stack.

My Kristin Lavransdatter finally arrived, so I started that today. I

I'm continuing readin The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott--

and I'm reading two poetry books--Sun Under Wood by Robert Haas and one I bought today The Leaf and The Cloud by Mary Oliver.

No nonfiction book at the moment, but I have one waiting in the wings!

Koalamom

I noticed you said you were interested in Kristin Lavransdatter and might get it.

I recommend you buy the new Tina Nunnally edition. I strarted with an older translation and it is like night and day--and I'm used to reading "old" literature. Actually this new one is supposed to be much closer to the tone of Sigrid Undset and puts back in many pages that the older ones left out. If you are willing to get the one volume edition it is just over $17 at Amazon--and worth it!

Wanna guess how far I am on The Poisonwood Bible?



I finished the book!

Just finished Cultural Amnesia by Clive James after a month and a half and over 800 pages!. I am now reading Margaret Atwood's new book Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth. I have also started The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway.

# 152 vintage_books

Love the graphic! :-D

Message edited by its author, Oct 1, 2008, 10:16pm.

Working on Going Down South tonight. It's a great read so far- the author paints vivid pictures and imagery without miring herself in "purple prose."

I'm making decent progress on Devil's Brood, on page 170 out of almost 700. I think I actually read slower on such big long books or, rather, I read much faster in books of about 350 pages or less (and in the middle on the 400-500 range). I'm not sure why, exactly, perhaps because there's no point in trying to absorb the whole thing at once when it is very long? That I can't read it in one sitting like a shorter book?

No idea.

Reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which I do not love, but do not hate either...just okay. Also reading Hamlet for school.

Just finished Indian Killer and will move on to another Sherman Alexie novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. I love his prose!

Message edited by its author, Oct 1, 2008, 11:39pm.

#142 -Rather than telling her to hush, I'm simply not going to talk to her again until I finish the book (Bel Canto). She won't be able to help herself. She can't stand surprises. She'll tell what she got you for Christmas while you're in the process of opening the gift. She reads the beginning, then the end and then the middle of books. It drives me crazy!

#144 - will definitely let you all know what I think once I finish it. I'm liking it so far.

msf59, I hope A Conspiracy of Paper whisks you off to a largely unexplored corner of 18th-Century London the way it did me!

Currently reading Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stroud.

# 147: msf59

The first book is called Mahu, and is out of print, though you probably can find it used. Amazon says it is being republished in March 2009 in trade paperback.

If I see the words Kristin Lavransdatter one more time I might rip out my eyes.

#163 Would you like me to stab your eyes out for you? With a fork? Tell me your address and I'll be right over.

mckait and amandameale--you are pushing for a re-write of Sophocles and Oedipus Rex. Hmmm---an updated version with a new setting and a few twists? We've got our three main characters!

>163 No reading your own post, then.

I'm currently slowly plodding my way through Brisingr.

MusicMom - we keep meeting in all the right places - thanks for the tip, I'll add it to my TBR

>160 richardderus - Yet another one of your recommendations has been added to my wishlist - A Conspiracy of Paper.

fwiw, my wife recently read A Conspiracy of Paper and loved it.

>168 Talbin, I envy you the pleasure of meeting the Lion of Judah for the first time. I think Mr. Liss is unique among authors for seeing, and expressing, the STORY behind the business dealings of the past that led to the place we are today.

After all, what is every business transaction if not two or more people who want something trying to get that something? The reasons aren't always instantly obvious to bystanders, and sometimes the obvious reasons aren't the ones that drive the parties to behave in certain ways. Even knowing this, intellectually, I remain very impressed at Mr. Liss's ability to take that knowledge and turn it into a riveting piece of fiction, to put the feelings into the facts. Wonderful, in the original sense of the word.

richardderus, I truly enjoyed A conspiracy of Paper, and have recently ordered liss's book on the coffee trade. (Title is eluding me.) Have you read that one?

I'm currently reading Joe College by Tom Perrotta. I'm not very far along and finding myself not much in the mood for reading these past few days (WHAT?!). Hopefully I can get out of this book funk so I can get through it and move on to the books I've been planning to read for the Halloween season.

I also began an e-book version of The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks yesterday.

That is my son's favorite book. Let me know how you liked it.

>171 hemlok, The Coffee Trader contains one of the most amusing misunderstandings between lovers that I've ever read. The affair itself wasn't amusing per se, but what the woman does to entice the man is funny as all get-out.

Aaargh it is so hard to avoid spoilers!

#163 mckait-I'm w/ you on Kristin Lavransdatter. I had the book in my hand at Borders yesterday but put it back cause I wasn't sure it was the one w/ the correct translation that has been recommended. And besides the title is too long to type.

#174 richard I have 3 of Liss' books--how w/ all your praise, I must move them up in the TBR. I see he has a fair new one out as well. Uh oh I feel more books coming into my home soon :)

I am reading The Best Short stories of Bret Harte.
I read one to Mrs. Tortoise yesterday evening. What an excellent writer Bret Harte is. The story I read was “Brown of Calveras”. It was intellectually stimulating as Bret Harte has a rich vocabulary. The characters were fascinating and the story was satisfying. If they are all this good, I am in for a treat!

-TT

Oops! Forgot touchstone.

Message edited by its author, Oct 2, 2008, 2:42pm.

#156 DevourerOfBooks - I know how you feel. I'm currently reading Time and Chance (the book before Devil's Brood) and I really enjoy it, but I'm not racing through it like I usually do. I think it's also because you have to think about it and the politics and complexities of the plotline and the detail of the medieval period as well. I just like to savor it, plus I love reading about Henry II (I can't help but think of him as he looked with Peter O'Toole in the movie, Becket!)

Message edited by its author, Oct 2, 2008, 2:48pm.

Well, I'm currently reading 20 años con Inodoro Pereyra which is a collection of an Argentine comic strip about a gaucho. Very funny, with lots of clever wordplay, though I have to admit some of the references go over my head.

I'm also listening to The Weather Makers on audiobook. It's really good, but somewhat depressing. I really hope whoever gets elected president takes a real leadership position on decreasing our CO2 production.

And I'm about to start The Mysteries of Udolpho. This will be an LT group read, so anyone interested should come check it out here.

What I was

by

Meg Rosoff

#172: heatherlynn85- I was a huge fan of World War Z by Max Brooks but I have not read his first novel. Let me know how it is!

thank you musicmom! Much appreciated..

just a warning.. richardear has a dark side..

I stll love him but goddess knows why..

I'm just saying.

I am about to begin Walking Through Walls a memoir by Philip Smith
from Amazon Vine..

Finished The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin (thanks to several mentions here) and I liked it even more than Mistress of the Art of Death.

Now, I'm on to The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen after having skipped The Mephisto Club because of such sour reviews. I'm enjoying this one, though, as I have most of Gerritsen's stuff.

>181 mckait...whatever might you mean?

KristinLavrandatterKristinLavrandatterKristinLavrandatterKristinLavrandatter

*patches bleeding eyes*

still smiling at evilrichard

#1 you know.. I really like Dean Koontz..

He doesn't kill the dogs.

Did I start something when I said I was thinking about that "K L" book! I always get to them after they are popular. Maybe then I'll find one cheap at the October Friends Booksale!

*considers screaming* ( or at least weeping)

I'm sorry!

pouts sadly

Message edited by its author, Oct 2, 2008, 6:09pm.

#176 - Sometimes the serendipity connected to my reading amazes me. On Saturday, in preparation for our classics book club meeting I was thinking about books we might read in 2009. Suddenly I really wanted to read some westerns. Immediately Bret Harte came to mind. The following day one of my book-reading friends offered me a small collection of his short stories (without us even discussing it). Then today you're talking about reading his work. I haven't heard his name or read him for over 20 years and in the space of 4 days I have three connections to him. Definitely reading serendipity.

This week I'm reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I didn't like Maragret Lea in the first part but once she started listening to Miss Winter's story I was hooked!

kiwiflowa, The Thirteenth Tale was one of my top reads last year! Enjoy!!

#109 and 191 - I'm so glad to hear some good reports about The Thirteenth Tale! I bought it because it looked interesting but then I started hearing some not so good things so it kept getting pushed down in my TBR pile.

I weigh in on the positive side of the debate over The Thirteenth Tale...though I agree with kiwiflowa that Margaret is a widge on the irritating side for about 40-50pp.

Overall, I think this book is a very worthwhile read and ranks at the upper reach of my 2008 reads.

I have about 30 pages to go in The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace. The beginning was great, the middle was so-so, but I've been flying through the last 100 pages or so because it's gotten very interesting. Can't wait for the train ride home to finish it!

I am also about half-way through the graphic novel version of The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. On the "What Books Came Into Your Home Today?" thread I go on and on about how beautiful the artwork is, but I won't do that here. Instead I will just say that the story itself is bizarre but entertaining, and I like it a lot.

Next up will be Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, due to a very enthusiastic recommendation from richardderus (thanks!).

Surfing here and there I came across a cover that appealed me , it was Rioutus Assembly by Tom
Sharpe so I drop by to the bookstore near my office and I got it. Here is a link about the author that
might be useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Sharpe

p.s can't understand why my touchstones doesn't work any more

I too give Thirteenth Tale a thumbs up!

Just began good ol' KL for the group read and finished Baron in the Trees for which I give a shout out to Richard for encouraging me to move up on my TBR pile. You were right; it was lovely and I will add more Calvino to my diet. Now also reading The Lace Reader.

>195 elee, Lolita...oh wow...you're in for one of American literature's great fun-rides. Not all of it will leave you unscathed.

Side note: My big Buick is named "Humbert Humbert" after dear ol' Hum.

>198 theaeliz, now that you've got that taste in your mouth, try Italian Folktales. So you are reading Kristin Lavransdatter with us? Which translation? And on page 14, when Lavrans...
...say, anyone seen mckait lately?

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2008, 9:18am.

#194 & 197 - Thanks for the encouragement - The Thirteenth Tale just got moved up!

#195 Lolita is, in my mind, the greatest book ever written. You are in for a treat, elee

richard, I love that you named your car after Humbert

coppers - I'm also going to chime in on The Thirteenth Tale. I thought it was a lot of fun.

oooh, I loved The Thirteenth Tale and highly recommend it. Plus, a good gothic novel is perfect for a beautiful autumn weekend. Cold weather, warm coffee, and a good book--what could be better?

I'm still plugging through Greasy Rider, which I haven't had much time for this week but like what I've read so far and want to finish for LTERs before the publication date on Tuesday.

Then it's on to something for fun, I think.

I work in audiobooks, but don't listen to them much. I'm trying to remedy that. I have 1st to Die going in my car right now. My patrons love James Patterson and I haven't found myself reading any of his books yet.
Going in print I have, The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker. I picked it up after a good review I read.. can't remember the source other than it was one of the Powell's Book Review of the Day a few weeks ago.
Also finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society this week. I thought it was a pretty good book, but there were parts I wanted to see fit together better that didn't.

I am currently reading The Poisonwood Bible and The Liar's Diary .

Just got from the library, where I had been on hold for it - Hot Mahogany by Stuart Woods. I had been expecting Hounded to Death by Rita Mae Brown first, but I guess those ahead of me are really keeping it for the full two weeks! But I have to finish Brisingr first and I am less than 80 pages from the end. The kid gets here this evening and I want the book to go to him ASAP.

And I'll finish that Gettysburg non-fiction eventually too - less than 100 pages left on that.

And now I have to go add The Thirteenth Tale to my list as well as The Lace Reader

I loved The Thirteenth Tale as well ... it was one of my favorite reads last year.

I'm just coming out of a very very tedious and stressful work week and could only manage extremely light reading so as not to overtax my already abused brain. Just finished Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich .... and Stephanie Plum just makes me chuckle. Life with her would never be boring, that's for sure. Reading this cheered me up in the evenings and at least put a smile on my face before going to bed.

I'm ready for something else now though, and while I'm finishing up Pride and Prescience, I'm also going to start Pope Joan over the weekend.

>206 cameling, Pope Joan is a book I must break my self-imposed positive comments rule to warn you about...awkward writing, clumsy plotting, crummy characterization, and anachronisms in abundance. I wouldn't even give it away. I threw this one in the garbage, and I never throw books away unless they've fallen into pieces.

Decide for yourself, of course, but be forewarned.

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2008, 3:08pm.

cameling--

Let me know how you like Pope Joan. A friend lent it to me quite a while ago and I keep putting it off. I'd like to know if I should read it or just skim it enough to talk a little about it with her. She's in no hurry to get it back, but I don't want to keep it forever!

ETA Oh, dear! I guess richard isn't recommending it! I was kind of expecting that, which is why I've been putting it off--she really wanted me to read it and I couldn't say no.

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2008, 3:13pm.

#206 and #208 - I loved Pope Joan. Cameling - I am curious what you think...

My Mom liked it and someone else I know who I lent it to loved it and wanted to loan it out to a number of his friends.

My entire book club loved Pope Joan. We actually had a tele-conference with the author during one of our meetings. it was fascinating to hear about her research process. I agree with richardderus about the writing, however, the story was totally engaging.

Yay!!! Finally finished Brisingr. I t was good, but sooooooooooooooooo long, but read it if you like the series.

Seriously richardear. Is that absolutely necessary? Is it?

Walking Through Walls is my current read

yuck

#139 rebeccanyc - Yes, I read it a few months ago. One of the best novels that I've read in the last several years. Life and Fate is what set me off on this long excursion into the history of the Russian front during WWII (or should I say the Great Patriotic War). I've purchased some 20+ books on the subject in the past two to three months and I'm working my way through them at about a book a week.

I finished Notes of a Sniper last night. It's a good, and important memoir on the life of soldiers in Stalingrad, but you can tell that it was heavily edited by publishers to strengthen the mythology of the GPW. If nothing else, Zaitsev's book has taught me to swear in Russian.

Now I've started An Infantryman in Stalingrad by Adelbert Holl. This is a memoir of Stalingrad from the German trenches. I'm not far into it so I can't comment on the quality of the writing. I will say that the translators and editors have done a superb job of supplying documentation to back up the narrative, including a large number of ground level and aerial photographs annotated with troop deployments within Stalingrad. It's difficult to get a handle on the geography of the battle strictly from the text. The photographs are crucial to helping you understand the chaotic battle.

#s 206, 207, 208: I am only luke-warm about Pope Joan. My book club read it after another book club told us it led to their best discussion ever. I certainly think it's an interesting story -- I just wished it had been a better book.

All finished with Heart-Shaped Box and will be starting No Country for Old Men soon.

richard, tell us what you really think of Pope Joan!! I actually liked it very much as did my book club.

Hi - I read another book by Fannie Flagg and loved it - Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

I finished Zoe's Tale and I've started The Sagan Diary, both by John Scalzi.

My book club found Pope Joan to be rather poor, in a bland sort of way. Sometimes the worst books generate the best discussions, but PJ failed in that endeavor also.

I have now started Water for Elephants. It is due for my fiction book group, and I am not making headway in The Lion of St. Mark (of course it would help if I picked it up once and a while). The prolog in Elephants was certainly interesting.

I of course want to devour Every Last Drop and Mahu Surfer, but they will have to wait.

#128 ~ fredbacon....my condolences on the loss of your beloved dog. I know how difficult losing a pet can be.

Also, I know what you mean about Dean Koontz. I read The Good Guy and it was okay, but really not my cup of tea. Like you, I'm not sure I will read him again.

I just finished a rather disappointing End of Story by Peter Abrahams. It was not as good as the other novels I have read by him. I just posted a short review.

I have started an audio version of James Patterson's Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery about Tourette Syndrome. So far it's quite interesting. This subject matter is a little off the beaten path for Patterson, from my understanding. My husband reads Patterson alot, but I have only read one book by him so far The Quickie, which I enjoyed very much. I thought this one sounded good, so we'll see. I haven't done an audio book in awhile, but they are free for download from our library system here, so I figured, why not??

Also, I am going to attempt to dive in to a huge novel by Charles Chadwick called It's All Right Now. It has been waiting patiently in my TBR pile and now I have decided to give it a go.....it's got 679 pages......gulp! It does look like a good one, oh I hope so!!

Finished reading Eragon, and started Kristin Lavransdatter for a school related project.

Now that you've finished Eragon, you'll have to get Eldest and Brisingr. See my review of the last one here on LT.

Wonderful story but long books.

And since I have finished Brisingr, I have gone onto Hot Mahogany and am trying to finish High Tide at Gettysburg.

I have "K L" on my TBR list but some people here are getting tired of hearing about that book. I guess it's very popular among others, though, so I'll get to it eventually myself.

Message edited by its author, Oct 4, 2008, 11:05am.

Ah, two in a row!

My supplier came last night and this afternoon we unloaded his car. He brought me a whole bunch of the latest Star Treks and a couple of Star Wars, Paul of Dune, a Sherlock Holmes anthology, Empire by Orson Card and a few oldies that I somehow missed when they first came out - maybe I was just too young when they did to notice!

And the Friends book sale is next Saturday.

I had to create space for what Scott brought; where am I ever going to put next week's supply!!!!! :o

#222 koalamom

I just bought Brisingr for my son for his birthday today. He also owns the others--also gifts from me in the past. It will be intered into my library because he lives in the same small town we live in so we consider our two libraries actually one--we do have some duplicates, especially because it took him about 10 years to follow us west across the continent--but it's foolish to have duplicates now. Sorry--I do ramble!

My question--should I consider reading this series? I like fantasy that is really well written but I only read a small number each year. Right now I'm reading The Alchemyst: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott and finding it enjoyable--it has substance and relationship to myths that keep me interested. I also love Harry Potter--this give you an idea of what YA fantasy I've read. I've heard mixed review about the Eragon series and my son won't comit himself on this one--he got me started on the Michael Scott series. I'd like your opinion since you have read them.

Just finished an arc of Sonata for Miriam, the soon to be published novel by Astrid and Veronika author Linda Olsson' It had many of the wonderful elements that I loved in A&V, although the story line is very different. I highly recommend it. I will give a more complete review on my challenge thread after I have let the book settle with me a bit.

I finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The story of a bereft young man who ends us joining the circus. The book is his story told from when it happened and in another thread as a 90 to 93 year old man looking back. It was set during the depression, and had depictions of life then, circus life, and the treatment and circumstances of the animals.

The writing flows quickly. Its a bit superficial in terms of the story telling, and things get thrown in for padding, with very little explanation or build up. I couldn't tell you the names of many of the characters, nor could I keep them straight when reading. Many were standard cliches. It devolves into a romance with a woman-in-jeopardy movie of the week theme.

In fact the publisher put a key event at the end of the book into a prolog to hook the reader at the start. It worked, but also backfired, at least for me. Later towards the end, the exact same passage, word for word is also in the book. I felt it was a rip off to use the same passage. Even if it was necessary to be in the story for continuity, the author should have come up with different words or viewpoint in the text.

Not sure what I will read next. My next required book isn't due until 21st, so I can read something just for me, but I have so much to choose from.

> 227 ficusFan

I completly agree with most of what you said. It is like Gruen was writing a movie not a novel and it was superficial.

With regards to the passage that was repeated I don't feel ripped off that it was the same word for word. I was relieved that I had finally got to that point. If it hadn't had been at the start would I have even finished the book?

This book was given to me by a friend but I didn't want to pass it on to anyone else afterwards so I gave it back to the friend and just said that I didn't have anyone else to give it to.

Gosh it's been over a month since I read that book and it still irritates me to think about it! lol

Message edited by its author, Oct 4, 2008, 11:50pm.

New thread over here puppchens! Come and join us!

MusicMom - see my review of Brisingr. I like the series but books 2 and 3 and, I presume, 4 are long. It's good fantasy, though. I found the Harry Potter books to be faster reads and it's a different kind of fantasy. I think you'll enjoy them.

Thanks, koalamom. I guess I'll just have to try them--probably next year because this year is already booked up! :-)

Maybe if I read slowly enough the 4th one will be out at about the time I finish the 3rd one! Than I wouldn't have to tax my memory. With Harrry Potter my younger (adult) son and I re-read the first six book the month before the 7th book came out so it would be fresh in our minds. I don't think he plans to do that with the Eragon series. Both my children are grown but we still all read YA literature as well as adult literature.

Mine, too. My daughter has a series that seems to be like comfort food to her. I don't know if she has re-read them recently as she has so much to read for her comps for her doctorate (in Portuguese) that casual reading is pretty much out of the question right now, but I know they were read over and over back in her teen years.

My son is writing his own and has finally let me read one of them. Up till now they have been for his own pleasure. I don't think he plans on publishing and getting into that world is a tough go - I have a nephew who has done so and is still trying to get known - David Sakmyster.