I am listening to Infected by Scott C. Sigler and reading The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

I just finished The Size of the World by Joan Silber, which I thought was a great book. Next up is The Island of Eternal Love by Daina Chaviano.

Still reading Maia and I think I'm still going to be reading it for quite a while, small print and over 1000 pages!!!!!!!

I'm reading The Shadow of the Wind. I love books about books! This is a mystery set in Barcelona, a bit gothic too. Very enjoyable so far.

>5,
The Shadow of the Wind is an amazing read. I loved it! I hope you do, too.

I'm still reading Testimony by Anita Shreve, and I need to finish it, since it was due back to the library last week...

I'm working my way through Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear. It hasn't grabbed me yet, unfortunately, and I don't think I'll make much progress with it this weekend. I'll probably look to my current nonfiction read, (The Unicorn by Nancy Hathaway), instead.

I'm reading Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, which I'm really enjoying. It's moving along quickly, so after that'll come either Enchantress of Florence or Outlander.

I'm reading To Darkness and to Death, the fourth book in the Clare Fergusson mystery series and I'm finding it tough going. I enjoyed the first three in the series--but not enough to buy them; these are library reads. So far in this one the only "mystery" I figured out almost immediately and it was revealed about halfway through the book. It is more like a crime novel--except that it isn't criminals who are committing the crimes--it's regular people who unintentionally cause the crime and then commit criminal acts to cover up. Notice--it's more than one! How many stupid people do we have to deal with. The first one made sense--you knew he was stupid to begin with. The second one--too much already! The main story line isn't that interesting either. But I will schlog to the end--I'm a completest and I plan to continue the series. I just hope the next one is better!

Still reading The Black Flower. I'm going to have to take it out of my car.{it is my emergency book}
Every time I get into it, I have to stop. I have never read a Civil War story based on the
Confederates side. I have really enjoyed what I have read. Also reading The Pirate of Exquiste Mind
for a group read.

I just finished up with Breaking Dawn, and now I am starting on Shakespeare's Secret.

I just finished The Turnaround by George Pelecanos. I am reading Heart Full of Lies by Ann Rule. I have also strted on one of my Christmas books for the season The Christmas Wish by Richard Siddoway.

I'm about a fifth of the way through The Final Confession of Mabel Stark, which I am enjoying. It's a (very) fictionalized account of one of the few female tiger trainers in U.S. circus history. Very much a story about a bygone era. Nice writing with a very nice flow to the narrative.

Message edited by its author, Nov 15, 2008, 4:06pm.

I finished The Chosen by Chaim Potok this morning, and loved it.

I finished Songs for the Missing by Stuart O'Nan -- Meh. I started Lost Nation by Jeffery Lent which is pretty good so far.

I just finished Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell and I'm about to start Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö.

#4 lindsacl - I loved Shadow of the Wind. I hope you enjoy it.

I'm shuffling a couple of books right now: The Devil's Eye by Jack McDevitt and Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card is up next.

Just finished Bad Monkeys, which was fun but could have been so much more. I've been re-reading Guy Kay's Fionavar Tapestry at bedtime just to take a break between new books. I've got a big pile from my library book sale waiting for me to pick one. I'm thinking maybe The House of Mirth.

I finished Fugitive Pieces and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. I'm still reading The Edwardians but keep getting sidetracked by fiction! I'm about one day into The Name of the Rose and loving it.

#13 AMQS, I loved The Chosen too and went on a Chaim Potok binge after I'd read it.

Still working on A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Seriously a very good read. I picked up about 10 books yesterday at the local used book shop. My TBR shelf just never seems to get smaller.

I'm not sure what is next.

I'm currently reading Alexander McKee's "Strike From The Sky", about the Battle of Britain, and am eagerly waiting for Adolf Galland's "The First And The Last" from my danish E-booktrader...*drums fingers impatiently on desk*

#18 cmt, I can understand that! I will definitely be looking for other Chaim Potok books -- this one was wonderful.

I finished Mosquito by Roma Tearne this afternoon - lovely and heartbreaking. Just started Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice. It sounds lighthearted, but now I'm not so sure!

5: shootingstarr7, and 16: GeorgiaDawn ... thanks for the thoughts on The Shadow of the Wind. I have been sneaking in a fair amount of reading time on and off today, because I find myself drawn to the book when I should be doing something else!

I'm reading My Just Desire at lunch. My at-home reading is The Whiskey Rebels and will probably finish it early next week.

I am reading After Dark by Haruki Murakami. It is the first time I have read his work and although I just started it, I can tell I am going to like it.

#19 beebowallace - I adore A Short History of Nearly Everything. I like Bryson's travel books, but his other books are absolutely wonderful - Shakespeare: The World as Stage and The Mother Tongue come to mind.

I'm progressing nicely on Independent People by Halldor Laxness. This is not a book to just skim or read for a few minutes at a time, so I have to have enough time to focus and concentrate. It's a beauty.

#9 cindysprocket ~ so you've never read Gone With the Wind? I'll grant you it's written from the civilian's POV, but it's definitely a Confederate view.

I finished The Things They Carried for book club and started A Town Like Alice for the November Global Group Read. I'm also 1/3 through Flyboys, a True Tale of Courage by James Bradley. I'm enjoying the book except when Bradley imposes himself or his own opinions into the book. I want to shout at him, "Thanks, but I'm capable of making my own decision on this. This is non-fiction. Just relate the events."

Also, just learned a lesson about this site. If you follow a link from one thread to another and then post a message, the site puts the message in the original thread. Oops.

I just finished Beth Kendrick's The Pre-Nup. Which was really good. And I have started re-reading Twilight in anticipation of the movie this week. And I also have The Hour I First Believed to tackle this week.

An assortment this week: The Uncommon Reader for ER -- a sweet little novella about the Queen of England becoming a bibliophile; and

my November loooong book, The Time Traveler's Wife, which for no good reason has stayed on my TBR shelves since it was pubbed in 2003; and

an audiobook of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, which I started on a road trip last week, about Jesus's early life and discovery of who he is ... I haven't read anything by Anne Rice till this, and I will definitely seek out the next in the series and see what her writing is really like (hard to guage on audio).

#5......how did you like Testimony by Anita Shreve? I love her writing. I want to get it, but don't know if I should walk to the bookstore, or run. :o) Tell me please!

I just heard that Greg Iles is coming out with a new book (The Devil's Punchbowl)in January.....can't wait!!

And I must get Wally Lamb's new one.....I've waited for so long for him to come out with a new book!!

So many delicious new books.......god help us. LOL

I just started The Lace Reader. I am also reading, The Romance Readers Book Club by Julia Canon

31 I just finished Lace Reader - see my review.

I am mostly done with Twice Shy and then plan on reading The Archangel Project.

13, 18, 21 - I don't recall Chaim Potok coming up these threads before last week. I really enjoyed the books of his that I read... like 9 years ago (I had to check my library).

I finally finished The Great Transformation - difficult to read, but nice intro into foundations of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Jainism and more.

Now I'm reading Mists of Avalon for an LT group read. At 800+ pages, again I'll be here for awhile. But, it's terrific so far.

I just finished reading Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous, an Algerian writer who lives in Rome, which is the Reading the World Book Club selection of the month for Words Without Borders, an online journal of international literature. It is a short novel set in a mutlicultural neighborhood in Rome, in which one of the tenants is murdered in an elevator in an apartment building, and mainly consists of monologues from several people in the neighborhood about the victim and the suspected murderer. I loved it!

I'm also reading Carpentaria by Alexis Wright for the Reading Globally November Theme Read, which has been fantastic so far. I plan to savor it over the next week or so, as it promises to be one of the most enjoyable books I've read so far this year.

Tomorrow I plan to read The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, as I received an ER copy today.

I just finished Turn of the Screw by Henry James which I really liked. My first time reading anything by him.

#127 whymaggiemay

I read Gone with the Wind so long ago I forgot all about it. Thanks for the reminder :-)

SO many good books mentioned already.

The Uncommon Reader & The Lace Reader are great stories, and The Shadow of the WInd deserves to be tagged as a classic (IMO).

But currently I am reading Tirra Lirra by the River; after 25 pages, I'm hoping it will get better. I'm also listening to Gail Jones' Dreams of Speaking in the car and Sing me Gentle Songs by Linda Olsson on mp3.

I just finished The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff last night (which I enjoyed quite a bit) and I'm in the middle of The Company by K.J. Parker, The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll and The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu.

>15: seitherin- What did you think of Faceless Killers? I've read it recently and thought it was excellent. I will definitely read the next in the series.
> 25: twoods9- Murakami is very addictive! I hope you enjoy him as much as I do!

I spent most of yesterday reading Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach, and this morning tearing through Sons of Empire, the ninth volume of Fables by Bill Willingham. I'll probably start The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly later today.

Audiobook-wise, I'm still listening to (and loving!) Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke, which I should finish up sometime this week.

shelter me today. It came to me from Harper Collins as an ARC...I expected a nice light read, but I was surprised to get so much more. I absolutely love this book. I like it as much as I liked Lace Reader. The only similarity between the two is that they are both about wonderful, strong women. I know I blathered on and on about Lace Reader (and still do when I get the chance!), and you will no doubt see similar blathering on about shelter me.

I see that two other LTers have it, and I hope that it makes its way up the TBR pile soon for them. I also hope that if you liked Lace Reader, or if you just like a good read, that you will have a look at this one. The blurbs on Amazon do not do it justice, seriously.

Have I mentioned that it made me laugh out loud? I cried, too. So so good!

( seriously, no one is paying me.. lol.. I just really loved it. )

I finished the text, but now I am trying out the recipes in The Amish Cook at Home, an excellent book from LT's Early Reviewer program.

I also am reading a BookCrossing bookring graphic novel, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. The subject matter and how it is handled and drawn (very graphic) by this graphic artist is jarring! Certainly very different from the comics I read as a child. This particular book is excellent, albeit the topics (lesbianism, homosexuality, love-hate father-daughter relationship) might be disturbing to some readers. I would *not* recommend this as a first graphic novel, but, if you're already interested in this genre, it is interesting to see how this talented author develops her memoir in the graphic novel form.

Message edited by its author, Nov 16, 2008, 10:26am.

I have just started The Secret River by Kate Grenville after finishing Continuums , a first novel by Robert Carr.
#34 I saw the author of Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio, Amara Lakhous at an authors' festival and also read his book. I really liked it.

Put aside Lolita after about 60 pages. Modesty aside, I consider myself to be a fairly 'hardcore' reader, and i appreciate what Nabokov has going on in terms of prose, but that didn't mean it was any fun to read. I'll go back to it; it's not like there's really any narrative I'll lose track of at this point...

Picked up Barchester Towers by Trollope. Yeah, I've made MUCH worse decisions. I slid through the first three chapters like sipping fine wine. Trollope is like putting on warm flannel pjs and fuzzy slippers and settling in before a nice fire with some hot chocolate. :)

Another break from The Pirate Book...this time for Spook Country by William Gibson. As usual, it started out very odd, disjointed, full of arcane argot..the pace picked up..the Plot started to kick in..and i was/am off....needless to say, i love Mr Gibson's work

...The Pirate Book is going to have to take a Time Out for a bit....pity, that.

;-p

Just started The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. The first couple of chapters were slow, but it's good now. Am up to page 70 approx.

Finished Twice Shy. The computer parts take me back!

Will now, read The Archangel Project, my Early reviewer novel.

I didn't seem to do much reading last week, so let's hope this week will be better.

Collected Stories and Other Writings by Katherine Anne Porter
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, for the groupread
The Trial by Franz Kafka, for the groupread
Boswell's London Journal by James Boswell
American Creation by Joseph J. Ellis
A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke

I've got Nam Le's The Boat and Pompeii by Robert Harris waiting in the wings. And I'm thinking I might either get started on the Landmark Herodotus or dip into Pliny's Natural History if time allows (which it probably will not).

Took a while to choose but I'll be starting Stone Cold by David Baldacci today.

Just started The Comedians by Graham Greene.

Have nearly finished The Rabbit Factory by Marshall Karp and will then make a start on The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.

#33- I'm also reading The Mists of Avalon for the LT reader's group. Right now I'm only able to devote a little time to it, since I'm also reading The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde and The Symposium by Plato for other reading groups, and I need to finish both by Wednesday!

Well, I've got Salem's Lot on audiobook and am about a third of the way through it. It's good, but I'm not sure if it's living up to my expectations. I feel like I've already seen the whole not-entirely idylic small town populated by flawed characters beset by ancient evil already handled in other of his works. (Although, admittedly, I've only seen the movies/miniseries for It, Needful Things and Storm of the Century.) Anyway, it has its moments.

I'm hoping to finally finish The Mysteries of Udolpho, of which I only have about 170 pages left to read. It's been interesting, if a bit slow at times.

I'm starting El Beso de la mujer araña (Kiss of the Spider Woman) today.

After finishing the Capte biography Truman Capote by George Plimpton, I have started to dip into The Complete Stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote. It will take me a while to finish.

I read Ascendancy of Blood by Eugie Foster. A short chapbook with a twisted retelling of the the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty with vampires and a modern twist. It was OK, but too short.

I read The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh. Supposed to be black comedy, not very funny, rather heavy handed, not well written, poor story, poor characters, Meh.

I just finished Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. Non-fiction about a regular person who takes action to help a poor hamlet in rural, mountainous Pakistan. His actions snowball into a very effective foundation to build schools for children (boys and girls) for non-extremist education.

Very moving, and telling about the real way to win the war on terror. Some issues with the writing, and the portrayal of Mortenson as able to walk on water. But still very good.

Although Mortenson is listed as the author the person who actually wrote it is David Oliver Relin.

Not sure what to read next, maybe Butcher Bird by Richard Kadrey ? Fowl Weather, White Tiger , Out of the Sun ??? ARRRGH I can't decide what I am in the mood for.

Finished House of the Spirits by Allende and The Spiderwick Chronicles: the Field Guide, and am now going to start the second book of the series.

I'm reading Bleeding Kansas for my book club.

I finished Graceling, which was a very enjoyable read, late last night. I started Dewey today, and am not quite sure yet what I think of it. It might just be my mood, we'll see.

Just starting Don Quixote.

Finished The Immortal Game by David Shenk and liked it. Just the right amounts of chess, history, and looking ahead.

Starting John D. Sinclair's prose translation of Dante's Inferno tonight. The facing page is in the original Italian and Sinclair provides a commentary @ the end of each canto. I'm also going to use A Modern Reader's Guide To Dante's the Divine Comedy by Joseph Gallagher. I've read Dante before but I just keep coming back to it every couple of years.

#50 sanddancer: I really liked the Comedians. Graham Greene is a fantastic writer.

#51 Teresa40: the Blind Assassin is an amazing book. Hope you enjoy it.

I am still reading the Pirate book for the group read: just finished the 2nd part, and I'm enjoying it much more than the 1st part. I'm following their adventures on a map, which makes it much easier to keep track of. I also am finally over my flu, so now I can concentrate more.

Finished Veronika decides to die which is about a girl who tries to kill herself, but does not succeed. She wakes up in a mental hospital, and is told her suicide attempt damaged her heart and she has one week to live. an interesting concept which was well-written, although I was put off by the author referring to himself in the 3rd person throughout the book.

I'm off to have a cup of tea & start the life of Pi.

Bell7: I just finished Dewey last week & loved it. It really touched me and is now a NY Times bestseller. How are you liking it now?

#18 and #21......try My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok.

Meryl Streep will reportedly star in the film version of Dewey.

# 63 -- thank you, hemlokgang. I've seen that one in many LT libraries. I appreciate the recommendation.

I'm reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

I just finished reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery and I absolutely LOVED the book. The writing style took me a few chapters to get used to, but when I did, I got stuck into this book. It was so different from what I expected ... I thought it would be a somewhat lighthearted book, but it turned out to be a very philosophical book about how some people try to hide their intelligence so as not to appear different from others, or hide their intelligence because they believe they are superior to others but because of their station in life, they choose to 'dumb' themselves down so as to fit into a particular stereotype.
It's certainly made me start to notice the people I sometimes fail to observe, such as waiters, my office cleaners and the landscaping crew.

Currently reading Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood and Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Finishing up Night Draws Near by Anthony Shadid.

>62 framboise, it's OK so far, but I'm having a little trouble following the author's meandering sort of narration (the chapter on Moneta really threw me), and am trying to adjust to the sort of anecdotal storytelling style. I haven't gotten very far, though, so I may find it easier as I go along.

Just finished A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Am now reading Seven Years in Tebet and No Touch Monkey and Freddy and Fredericka. I'm listening to two and reading one. Great books. Enjoying them all.

I am reading A Pirate of Exquisite Mind for the group read and Woodbrook on my own. I am enjoying them both although they are very different from each other.
--BJ

Finally sat down and finished The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by Howard Phillips Lovecraft... now I started The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

on the other side of reading, there's Philosophy of Truth, this week I'll have to read some chapters from
Approaches to Languages edited by Roy Harris
Basic Topics in the Philosophy of Language edited by Robert M. Harnish
Spreading the Word: Groundings in the Philosophy of Language by Simon Blackburn
Theories of Truth: A Critical Introduction by Richard L. Kirkham
Philosophy of Logics by Susan Haack

and hopefully, I'll manage to fit The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker somewhere...

I finished Infected by Scott Sigler and will start listening to The Trial by Franz Kafka for an LT group read. I continue with The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

The Trial for 'Group Reads - Literature'.
+ I'm planning to read Independent People (Norw. "Sin egen herre") soon.

I'm reading Victorian London by Liza Picard, on and off (a very readable N/F - highly recommended), in between Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts - one that's been on my TBR pile for a while now because it's a big fatty and I wasn't sure whether I cold be bothered. I'm so glad I did - it's turning out to be one of the best novels set in India that I've ever read (and I've read a LOT!)

I was fortunate enough to find Stephen King's Just After Dark on the New Books shelf of my library the day it was released. So I'm started that because I'd like to get it back for the next person.

I inadvertently started Jokes and the Unconscious: A Graphic Novel by Daphne Gottlieb and Diane DiMassa when I picked it up to glance at. It is my second graphic novel and it is VERY intense. It makes Fun Home by Allison Bechdel which was my first (SqueakyChu - I didn't read your advice in time!) look like an Archie and Veronica.

Finally, I'm still continuing Jesus by Marcus Borg for a few pages at bedtime...

I closed my eyes and pulled out a random Dickens novel from my shelves yesterday, and ended up with Oliver Twist. It's been pretty snowy and cloudy the past couple days, and I always tend to read Dickens when that happens for the first time each year. One of my favorite reading traditions!

--> 76

Okay. You've aroused my curiosity. Jokes and the Unconscious just wiggled its way onto my wishlist.

In the meantime, I'm listening to What is the What, my first novel about Sudan. The book has me fascinated, albeit horrified as well, in the same way that I was when I read A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali (about Rwanda). Both books are about genocide in Africa and are written as novels but, all too sadly, are based on real events.

I am reading the Farseer series by Robin Hobb I just finished the Assassin's Apprentice and started Royal Assassin and will finish the week with Assassin's Quest.

>42 SqueakyChu -- I'm curious why you think Fun Home is disturbing - is it the frank treatment of gay issues and sex? I loved the book and it was my first graphic novel. I think Alison Bechdel is brilliant.

I read Pobby and Dingan yesterday, a sweet little novel about imaginary friends who go missing. Now half way through The Graveyard Book. Both of these are very different genres for me. I'm enjoying the change!

#62 - I had tried for an Early Reviewer copy of Dewey but didn't get one, but it's on my wishlist and I have a daughter who is a cat fanatic and maybe I'll get it. I have two chances as my birthday is next week and then there's that day next month as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--> 80

I think my reaction to Fun Home was the same as I had when my daughter, then probably in middle school introduced me to anime. She had been reading Japanese comics with pictures of nude people in a hot tub. I guess it was (and I'm really trying to find the right word because both the illustrations in my daughter's anime and the illustrations in Fun Home brought out that reaction in me - I just used "jarring") because of the explicit pictures. I guess it's kind of like literature about sex in which some descriptions are more detailed than others. It's okay with me, but I'm not sure that everyone is prepared for it. My daughter just told me that it was me that was behind the times. Perhaps she was right! :)

I'll adjust. I'll be looking for more of Bechdel's work because she is an amazing artist and great storyteller. I'm sure her other works are probably just as good as Fun Home. I love graphic novels and really appreciate having had the chance to read this one.

Message edited by its author, Nov 17, 2008, 4:02pm.

Finished Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory. Quite disturbing and moving... I couldn't put it down.

Starting Airframe now, by the late Michael Chrichton.

>30,
Re: Testimony: I liked what I've read so far, but I had to take it back to the library today without finishing it, as it was on hold for other people. I'll put myself back on the list for it and hopefully it won't be too long until I can pick up where I left off (it's only able to be checked out for a week at my library). It's the first Shreve I've ever read. I don't know if her previous books go back and forth a lot- this one does, and I'm still not really sure where she's headed with it.

Message edited by its author, Nov 17, 2008, 4:40pm.

#27 whymaggiemay, I loved The Things They Carried,

#43 torontoc, Ditto for The Secret River and #51 Teresa40, ditto for The Blind Assassin.

#67 cameling Thanks for the recommendation of The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- it's been on my TBR pile for a while now.

#75 Booksloth, As I said in another group, I liked Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra much better than Shantaram, despite its flaws, because I found Shantaram quite self-indulgent.

While on vacation, I finished three books. I adored Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann -- such interesting characters, such a sense of place, and so amazing that Mann was only 25 when he wrote it. Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu by Lawrence Bergreen was lively and interesting, if a little repetitive. And the author interviews in The Paris Review Interviews III were fascinating, as always.

Now I'm reading Don't Look Now, a collection of stories by Daphne du Maurier. Compellingly creepy.

Well, I can highly recommend Don't Look Now, especially the title story. I'm loving Shantaram! Not sure exactly what you mean by 'self-indulgent'. I'd have thought that any book written in the first person was, by definition, self-indulgent. It's about a person (either real or fictional) saying 'Listen to me! This is MY story!' Not to worry - this would be a really boring site if we all loved the same books.

Booksloth, those are my feelings exactly (about different opinions).

As for Shantaram I guess my feelings were colored by the fact that the story is supposed to be very close to the author's life, and the protagonist seems so self-involved and so eager to include everything, more so, in my opinion, than many first-person narratives, which often have more perspective on the story told than this one seems to. It annoyed me, but I finished it, so I have to give credit to the author's story-telling abilities.

#44 mikeepatrick

I hope you love Barchester Towers. I love Trollope! I'm planning to pick one to read for my 999 classics category next year. It's been a while since I've read him--and you are the first person I've seen mention him on LT. Surely there are more--I must just be missing their posts.

Happy reading this week!

I think there's a Trollope group on LT

I just finished Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts and I am now starting on Pirates! by Celia Rees.

Message edited by its author, Nov 17, 2008, 7:25pm.

I just bought The Hour I First Believed and started it on the busride home. I didn't want to wait for it from the library...

I just finished Toni Morrison's absolutely wonderful A Mercy and now I'm back to The Gate House by Nelson DeMille. I'm about halfway through and finding it to be a little wordy but it may be suffering from sharing my time with Morrison.

>30, 84 I really liked Testimony -- it proceeds slowly until you discover that an underlying story has taken hold. The dozens of alternating viewpoints are different than other novels I've read by Shreve.

>92 extremely wordy, imo. Repetitive too. But I still liked The Gate House because I like DeMille so much. I'd recommend it with reservations, though there are far better choices for anyone new to DeMille.

#93 - And I was so looking forward to a continuation of The Gold Coast so this is a bit disappointing. I agree that this would not be a good choice for a first timer. My favorite DeMille's are the John Corey books. Glad to hear good things about Testimony as some of her books I love and some others, not so much...!

I've picked up a copy of Lincoln President-Elect by Harold Holzer. I'm hoping this might pull me out of my current book funk. For the past couple of weeks, I just keep picking up books, reading a few pages and setting them aside.

I've finished Tirra Lirra by the River and am not sure what will be next. I am torn between a reread of one of Ivan Southall's books from my childhood in tribute to his death this past weekend, and The Hand that Signed the Paper which has long intrigued me.

I'm re-reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Partly to enjoy it again, and partly to help my daughter edit her book report.

Saturday night I started Acedia and Me. Last night I had little time to read, so I reread a part of a chapter in Doubt: a History just in case I can get to the discussion about it at church on Wednesday; I'll finish the chapter tonight. Then, sadly, I think I will have to set the first book aside and pick up something on Russian totalitarianism for a book group discussion in about two weeks.

Robert

Unfortunately it looks like I forgot my copy of Stone Cold in class today. I picked up some new books and have started The Colour of Magic. I'm also thinking about re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone since I bought the paperbacks up to book 6.

I'm reading Enchanted Night by Steven Millhauser.

Just finished Malgudi Days by R.K.Narayan on the train in to work this morning and will begin Onitsha by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio on ride home this evening...a wonderfully international bracketing of my day!

Still reading Oliver Twist but I also started on The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford and I absolutely love it so far. It reads like a dream (figuratively).

I just finished Lost Nation by Jeffrey Lent. Quite good -- I don't know why this author doesn't get more recognition. I'll have to try and make it my mission to get more LT'ers to read him. Any of you who like Cormac McCarthy, Charles Frazier, Faulkner or who post in the historical fiction or Civil War groups should give him a try.

I think I will go ahead and start The Killer Angels next -- I have heard nothing but good things. I was a smidge underwhelmed by his son's Gods and Generals earlier this year.

I just finished The Archangel Project and have only one chapter and a conclusion on the First Jesuits. I have decided to go a sci-fi and read Kobayashi Maru, a Star Trek title.

Currently reading Jane Eyre and having trouble finding time to finish it.. I'm so close! I'm also about halfway through the e-book version of Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut.

Trying to get through Rocket Man by William Elliot Hazelgrove; it's an Early Reviewers title. I have to say I'm having trouble caring about the narrator/ main character. He is not a likeable guy(in my opinion...). This is a real let down after reading The Shadow of the Wind and Stardust both of which were perfect and wonderful!

I just started The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

I am also reading How to Succeed in an Ensemble by Abram Loft who was the second violinist of the Fine Arts Quartet for 25 years. I had the good fortune to study with this wonderful quartet as an undergrad, but I had no idea until reading this book how fragile the very existence of the Fine Arts was from time to time. Nevertheless, despite a grueling schedule teaching, recording and performing, the quartet members, together and individually gave generously of their time to their students. For anyone who loves classical music, particularly chamber music, this book is a must read. It provides an honest look at what it takes for an ensemble to thrive and survive.

Some years ago, recordings made by the Fine Arts during the 60's and 70's were reissued on CD. They are still available, but are becoming more difficult to find.

Decided to abandon Orpheus Lost as it was boring the hell out of me. Instead, I grabbed a copy of The Life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd which looks much more interesting so far.

I started Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore last night.

Robert

108> nzurisana, is How to Succeed in an Ensemble also representative of what it is to be in a chamber music group? As a music aficionado who is not a musician, I know that musicians speak about the communication between the members of, say, a quartet that is not to be found in a conducted band. Would this book be a good introduction to differences like that?

Thanks,

Robert

On a complete whim, this afternoon I started Rachel Kushner’s National Book Award finalist Telex From Cuba, and it’s hard to believe this is her first novel. Not only is it very well researched, but her writing has a very dreamy, lyrical quality told from several different perspectives on life in 1950s Cuba. If the rest of the book holds up like the first 150 pages it will definitely make my “best of” list for 2008.

Also, I recently finished a trifecta of Tobias Wolff - This Boy's Life, Old School, and Our Story Begins, a double shot of Harry Crews - Car and A Childhood: The Biography of a Place and finished off with Roger Angel's Let Me Finish, a collection of his pieces previously published in the New Yorker.

#109 A shame you couldn't get into Orpheus Lost. I quite enjoyed it.

I am about to start listening to The Unknown Terrorist after finishing Let me sing you gentle songs which was beautiful!

I am also reading Ash Road in honour of the death of Ivan Southall, a well known Australian author of young adult books.

I am reading The Secret River by Kate Grenville.

Finished Time and Again by Nora Roberts and am now reading Hello Darkness by Sandra Brown

86: Booksloth, I loved Shantaram and I've been to India a number of times and he brought the underbelly of the community to light.. the very people that mostly go beneath the consciousness of many, but who deserve much more attention and more help. I also thought the author wrote well ... the only thing I wished he had done was to complete the end of India journey with more details of how he ended up in the German prison. I thought that part of the book was a bit sketchy on details.

I'm about to start The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer for my book club.

Finished The Island of Eternal Love which I thought was a fantastic read and I am now reading Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, a CBC Massey Lecture nonfiction work by Margaret Atwood on the topic of debt.

#116 Now you've ruined the end! No, it's okay - you haven't really. I've been to the website, I know he ends up back in prison. I'm glad to hear someone with a good knowledge of India loved the book too. I'm still less than half way through (bit of a busy few days) and still loving it. I know a lot of the basic framework of the book is taken from Roberts's real life but everything I've been able to find by the author himself claims that most of what happens is only very loosely connected to the truth. I can understand how it probably reads if you are trying to read it as autobiog - the trick is to take it at face value as a wonderful novel.

ETA - I hope you're going to let us know what you think of the 'potato peel pie' book. I've eyed that one up on the shelves many times but haven't quite been tempted to buy yet.

Message edited by its author, Nov 19, 2008, 6:16am.

#109, heliophobe:

I really enjoyed Peter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas Moore. Thick and meaty read that I found hard to put down. The fact that Ackroyd puts Moore's life squarely in the context of his time and place is the fascinating aspect of that book.

#111 rdurick: After reading your questions earlier today, I looked online to see if there were other books that could also shed light on the inner workings of quartet life. What I found, and promptly ordered, was Indivisible by Four: A String Quartet in Pursuit of Harmony by Arnold Steinhardt,first violinist of the Guarneri Quartet. I look forward to comparing the two books and experiences of both quartets. I certainly think How to Succeed in an Ensembleis representative of what it is to be in a chamber group and would offer you some insights into the kind of differences you mention. Have you heard any recordings of the "original" Fine Arts Quartet?

120> nzurisana, if I have heard any of the recordings it has been by accident and unwittingly. Perhaps I should, but I am at the point, which I never thought I would get to, of having unlistened to CD's and am reluctant to take on any more unless they are by Daniele da Niese.

I have put How to Succeed in an Ensemble on my wish list. There's no telling when it will actually rise to purchase level and then to read level. But it attracts me.

When I have a few minutes more of leisure, I will look on line at Indivisible by Four.

Thank you for your attention to my questions.

Robert

Finished Lolita last night. Wow! Disturbing subject matter not withstanding, the book was brilliant. It makes me wish I could read Russian. If he can accomplish Lolita in English, his Russian books must be nothing short of miraculous.

Now for a dramatic change of pace, I'm going to pick up Wives Behaving Badly by Elizabeth Buchan.

I'm also listening to Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier. I don't normally do audio books, but I got it from bookmooch mistakenly thinking it was the print version and decided to go ahead and give it a try. I like it so far.

Message edited by its author, Nov 19, 2008, 4:21pm.

I'm nearly finished with Water Witches by Chris Bohjalian.

I finished The Golden Compass last night and now I'm continuing on with A Pirate of Exquisite Mind.

I'm now beginning The House of the Spirits.

Death of a Thousand Cuts by Barbara D`Amato was a good read with lots of info about autism and charlatans that supposedly treat those that suffer. Also, The Good Man of Nanking--from the diaries of John Rabe. He helped thousands of Chinese during the terrors of Nanking in the 30`s.

I just finished The Pearl by John Steinbeck and now have started A Death In Belmont by Sebastian Junger.

#126.....I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed Death of a Thousand Cuts....it's in my TBR pile and I have kept putting it off because I wasn't sure if it would be good or not. I will move it up closer to the top now ~ thank you!

I'm a little past 100 pages in to Airframe by Michael Crichton....it's very good, but too much technical stuff about the planes. I've been able to get through it but sometimes I find my eyes are glazing over.... The story line is great, however, and so far it's keeping my interest. The plot is getting juicy and the suspense is building....

ktlyed, I'm envious -- I wish I could read House of the Spirits for the first time again!

I'm about 1/2 way through Disgrace by JM Coetzee.

porchy

I mooched a copy if Airframe when someone here suggested it. I have read Crichton in the past and enjoyed his books, particularly Timeline.
House of Spirits...agree with tg, good!

eta

I finished The Fiddle Case last night ( underwhelmed) and will begin Windswept House I love Malachi Martin .

Message edited by its author, Nov 20, 2008, 6:03am.

I finished The Trial. Amazing! Why did I take so long to read Kafka? I am now listening to On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. He is the reader. Immediately engaging!

I'm over a hundred pages into Half of a Yellow Sun which came highly recommended. I'm afraid, though, it has yet to pick up for me; i'm tempted to put it aside for a while.

Reading too, coincidentally, another "yellow" book, The Yellow Wind, a collection of essays by David Grossman about the Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Difficult issues to reflect on.

#132 deebee1

I personally loved Half of a Yellow Sun and got completely caught up in the lives of the people. I admit that it started off slow but got considerably better as it went through. Its a heartbreaking read but one that I would recommend as well, so I'd say stick with it. Others may disagree though! After all, there will be people who dislike every book.

I'm beginning The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Half of a Yellow Sun has been on my TBR pile for far too long. Lunacat, you've just inspired me to move it up to 'read soon'!

I finished My Just Desire last night. I'll be starting Chretien de Troyes' Arthurian Romances today.

Half a Yellow Sun was one of my favorites for the year!

Okay! It's a bit nearer the top of the pile!

#I25: I just read House of the Spirits, I echo the opinion of several of the posters; and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! =)

I'm currently reading Eva Luna by Isabel Allende.

> 133 lunacat, thanks for the encouragement...i'm reading on.

I am reading..Gunter Grass's Tin Drum...
Hopefully..I'll be able to finish it before Thanksgiving break...

Everyone thanks for the high praise of House of the Spirits, I've still barely read any of it yet, but expect to really dig in over the weekend, looking forward to it.

I just finished reading Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time
by Valerie Bertinelli, which I enjoyed. She went through a lot of tough times with Eddie, but really never complained. She tells it like it is about her struggles with weight loss. I found that I too sometimes am a mindless eater. I am now doing a double read: Toni Morrison's A Mercy: A Novel and Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

I'm in the middle of Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro and am really enjoying it so far. Picked it up on a whim after falling love with the cover art!

#139 - Eva Luna is one of our book club's all-time favorites!

And one of mine! Well, let's face it, anything by Allende is.

There were two Allende's I didn't care for : Stories of Eva Luna (though Eva Luna was stellar) and The Infinite Plan. Everything else is amazing.

I finished listening to On Chesil Beach today (lots of driving in the car) and thought it was marvelous! I am about to start listening to The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman.

I finished March by Geraldine Brooks. I found it incredible, easily one of the best books I've read this year and that speaks volumes!
I just started Lush Life by Richard Price. He's one of my favorite novelists and only a few pages in, I already sense this one to be another stunner!
Also still sailin' along with the Pirate book for the group read.

127: beebowallace,

Despite the fact that I liked The Grapes of Wrath and a few other Steinbecks, the first time I was assigned to read The Pearl I busted out laughing @ the end. It was too over the top.

Message edited by its author, Nov 20, 2008, 11:10pm.

Hi SanctiSpiritus

How's the Quixote going?

Right now I'm reading Odd Girl Out by Ann Bannon. It's the Beebo Brinker Chronicles from the 1950's. Good stuff.

There's been such a dearth of interesting new fiction for the last few months, that when something truly wonderful finally pops up, it goes down like a tumbler of ice-water after a 5-mile hike. That's exactly how I felt after finishing Philip Hensher's spectacular new novel The Northern Clemency, an often hilarious 600-page odyssey through 20 years in the lives of 2 Sheffield families, and I don't think I've read a finer novel this year. It was Booker short-listed, only published in the US last month, and is sort of a more compelling and veddy British version of The Corrections, quite strikingly written as well, and not to be missed.

#149 msf59, Lush Life was one of my favorite books of the year, and my first by Richard Price.

>154: rebeccanyc- Thanks for the comment. Now you need to read Clockers! It's incredible!

Finished off Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night last night, still reading Fire by Sebastian Junger, listening to The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander in the car with my son and will be starting I Was a Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block sometime today.

Finished Spook Country by William Gibson...last night..this morning started Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore....;-D

all you Richard Price fans out there!!!count me in! and do read Clockers...

#152 - I love the Ann Bannon books. I'm fortunate enough to have found a couple of first editions in the late 80s. I should re-read those one day soon.

I just finished Stephen King's Just After Sunset which I loved and began Beginner's Greek by James Collins which some folks on LT loved. It's early pages, but I'm worried the characters might be too privleged for my taste. There may be enough knowing humor to make that okay. We shall see.

I’m flying right through Joshua Ferris’s 2007 National Book Award Finalist, Then We Came to the End, and I tell you, as one who has spent 25 years working in office hell, this is the book I wish I had the talent to write. It’s told in exceptional first person narrative with perfect pitch and tone with a cast of all too familiar characters. I can't count the number of times I've burst out laughing while reading in public, drawing looks from several people. I can’t wait to read what this promising young novelist comes up with next.

And regarding the Richard Price comments upthread, I read Clockers and Lush Life earlier this year and thought both were excellent. Can anyone recommend what else of his I should read?

Message edited by its author, Nov 21, 2008, 10:38am.

>159: SeanLong- I also loved Then We Came to the End. It was one of the best books I've read this year. My next choice for Richard Price would be Samaritan. Freedomland was also very good.

#159 I also loved Then We Came to an End and recommended it to several people at work who also loved it. It reminded us of some pretty odd things that have happened in the 10 years or so that we have all worked together and been layed off together at different companies.

I'm 400 or so pages into Nelson DeMille's The Gate House and it is finally starting to get interesting. Hopefully it'll stay that way for the final 300!

To all who mentioned it, I too loved Lush Life it was my first by him as well. Will look up Clockers to read as well, thanks for the recommendation!

I finished People of the Book last night and really enjoyed the stories within the story, illuminating the (fictional) history of the 500 year old Sarajevo Haggadah, and how major events left their own clues behind in the Haggadah for present day book conservationist, Hanna Heath, to find and decipher. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy as much the main story about Heath. But overall, it was time well spent.

Next I'm going to read Fudge-a-mania, which my 8yo's teacher is reading to her class. That shouldn't take very long. After that I'm not sure whether I want to read Nine Parts of Desire (also by Geraldine Brooks), The Stupidest Angel, or Ex Libris.

I finished up The Mysteries of Udolpho and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am listening to The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman and I am just about to start my Early Reviewer book, Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point by Elizabeth D. Samet.

#163 Go with Ex Libris! It'll only take you an evening and it'll be an evening you never forget.

I'm having a very odd moment with books. I got started with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and after the 1st chapter, it jumped straight into chapter 4. 3 whole chapters were missing?! I bought this from a bookstore, but didn't keep the receipt, so this is really annoying .. I brought it back to the store, and they checked their other copies and they were all fine, but since I didn't have a receipt, they couldn't replace the book for me since I had bought the book a few months ago, and there was no proof that I bought it from them. :-(

This makes it the 3rd book this year that I've read or started to read only to find pages missing. I must have annoyed the Book Fairy sometime at the beginning of the year in some way.

I'm going to check out some used bookstores this weekend to see if I can find a copy of this book there because I'd really rather not have to buy a whole new book again. Maybe next time I keep the receipt in the book itself until I finish reading it .. just incase something like this happens again.

just started reading The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. It was recommended by an LT member, and I've never read anything by her before.

posted a review, of sorts for Spook Country

>153 Louis...thank you for the Heads-Up on The Northern Clemency...i never made it through The Corrections....too much self-pity..i'm an Anglophile from way back..i will try your suggestion..

I like Debbie Macomber. I have read her "angel" books and they were fun. I have also read, out of order, the Blossom Street books.

Currently reading Murder on the Iditarod Trail by Sue Henry. I'm also in the middle of Reading Lolita in Tehran.

After that, next up will be Michael Strogoff.

#163, I agree with Booksloth re: Ex Libris. Ann Fadiman`s books are all winners.I didn`t expect Reading the O.E.D. to be so enjoyable. What a terrific read. Ammon Shea has a grand sense of humor. His book collection contains thousands of dictionaries, which he reads. LOL> I refound Masterpieces of Murder by Edmund Pearson on my shelf, which demanded some attention.

On my travels I picked up a book: The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham for an LT group read. Finished it, and was completely awed that this is a fifty-seven year old book. One of the central conceits, that the vast majority of Earthlings go blind from staring at a gorgeous and unexpected cosmic event, would never fly today because we'd know long in advance about the event. Still, the event itself would cause the behavior described no matter what, so maybe that's not a datedness issue.

The female lead's "shocking" sexual liberation has dated the most of anything in the book. For 1951, hawt stuuuuff, for today she seems like a typical conservative woman. Her characterization, apart from that minor cavil, is still refreshing in that she is the male lead's partner in their adventure, not a sideshow or a distraction. This is still an area where literature as a whole falls short...one gender or the other predominates in the story, and rarely are two opposite-gender leads given equal gravitas and effectiveness.

Silly straight people. Cain't get it right, can y'all.

But I digress. The book is an excellent read, and in this time of fears of genetically manipulated Frankenfoods, timely in a way something THAT old shouldn't be...oh wait...we're still human...so greed, corruption, and short-sightedness are endemic and even pandemic.

I just finished - after two weeks - a book called The First Jesuits. My husband and I had just attended a forum where a play that used the Jesuit suppression in the 18th century as the plot, was presented. The play was good and written by a Jesuit, who was also the moderator. Seeing this play got me to wondering about Jesuit history. My husband has had a copy of this book and I decided to give it a try. It does a good job of telling about the early years of the Society and their principles and what set them off from the other orders being formed at about the same time (the 16th century). I particularly liked the last chapter which gave a concise summary of the book.