The 2009 Reading thread is getting pretty long, so I'm continuing it here.
I'm reading a book called The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli. Won't be out until next year sometime (I'm reading it for a possible blurb), but it is terrific so far.
I'm reading
Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang by Joyce Carol Oates. It was published in 1994 and it is about a girl gang that forms in the 1950s. While it doesn't have the drive bys and turf wars one might expect from a book about gangs, it is interesting to read how and why the girls came together and how they stood by each other through thick and thin. I'm almost finished and I highly recommend it. Get ready for some very long run-on sentences.
Oops - spoke too soon about no drivebys!
Message edited by its author, Sep 3, 2009, 4:26pm.
Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason by Jessica Warner
A interesting social history of the"gin craze" of the early 1700's and the various "Gin Laws" passed by Parliment from 1729 till 1751. Sometime humrous, sometimes sad, sometimes the reading is a bit 'dry' (;D) but on the whole educational. (2 1/2 stars)
About halfway though
Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920's. I'm enjoying it alot. I see that Frederick Allen wrote another book about the 30's.
Since Yesterday: The 1930's in America, September 3, 1929 to September 3, 1939.Plan on looking into that one also.
Started "Harms Way" by James Basset. It's a re-ead that I read it many,many years ago. It's the basis for the John Ford movie of the same name staring John Wayne.
Have
The Englishman's Boy waiting in the wings, it sounds like it will be good.
Message edited by its author, Sep 5, 2009, 2:55am.
I just finished a re-read (after 38 years) of
Jonathan Schwartz's first book, a collection of short stories titled
Almost Home. It's amazing how age broadens one's perspective. I'm still working on my review.
Meanwhile, I've just started on a tome called
The Middle Way: Finding Happiness in a World of Extremes by
Lou Marinoff. I'm a pathetically slow reader, so I think this will keep me going until the end of the year. What I've read so far -- the dust jacket, the Acknowledgement, the Introduction and the first 12 pages, I'm very pleased so far.
*Edited to fix a typo I happened to find after almost 2 months.
I know, I know... get a life...
Message edited by its author, Oct 29, 2009, 12:21am.
Lots of vacation reading! China Mievielle The City & The City was my favorite read this summer. A strange merge of a detective story with a Kafka-like beurocracy and mood, and a fantastic superimposition of cultures that were forbidden from "seeing" each other. I liked it enough to read it twice.
Finished Marcia Muller's "The Ever-Running Man".
Started
"The Girl in the Green Glass Mirror" by Elizabeth McGregor...interesting so far...the story of a lesser known British painter, Richard Dadd, is featured within the primary story.
Message edited by its author, Sep 6, 2009, 5:19pm.
I finished
The Last Lecture via audio mode. It was pretty much what I expected...I enjoyed it. It didn't teach me anything that I wasn't aware of already, but the true nature of the story does give your life a positive nudge in prioritizing what's really important.
Stories in Stone was a lot of fun and if you are interested in geology, architecture, and history this is for you.
I was ready to start
Theodore Rex when a new book at the library caught my eye,
The Real Wizard of Oz: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum.
So far it has been incredible engaging (and I'm having a hard time putting it down). It describes more about life in America from 1850 to 1920. A topic I've been in to quite about this summer.
Funny you should mention the L. Frank Baum book, Steve. I was shopping for gifts at Borders yesterday, and saw that book, and almost picked it up for myself, but didn't. I guess I should have.
And I don't remember which one of you it was ("you know you're 50-something when you can't remember who recommended a book to you"), but someone here suggested
Winter's Tale by
Mark Helprin. I mentioned that I had met Helprin at a book-signing and found him dull, and you said that his writing was anything but. So I listened to the audio book. Wow. Thank you, whoever you are!
Sounds good. Onto the library reserves it goes!
So far, I like
The Art of Racing in the Rain. I'm about 1/3 of the way through. It's a dog's-eye view of life with his humans, the principal human being a young race car driver. (That's sports cars, not stock cars, thus they do really race in the rain.) I love how he can see aspects of racing as metaphors for life.
I'm about 100 pages into Sarah Waters'
The Night Watch and am really enjoying it.
Been in a reading rut for a while. Start reading a book and can't get interested in it. When this happens I usually revert to my old stand by's , Science Fiction or Naval books (fact or fiction).
So have added two more too my list ;
1. "In Harms Way" by James Bassett
This book about the early days of WW 2 right after Pear Harbor. This was made into an excellent movie in the early 60's. The book as usual was better with the characters more rounded out, more background etc.
If you only know it from the movie, do yourself a favor and read this. You won't be disappointed
Bassett also wrote another good book
Commander. Prince, USN: a novel of the Pacific War which is about the Asiatic fleet in the early days of the war.
2. "Submarine" by Edward L. Beach.
This was Beach's first book. In it he tells not only his experiences during his ten war patrols but in alternating chapters tells the story of other famous Submarines and crews. Anyone who has read anything about submarines in the Pacific will recognize the names of Wahoo, Tang, Trigger, Batfish, Archerfish etc. In it you see the development of the tactics that were used so successfully in WW 2.
You can also see where he gets all his the material for
Run Silent Run Deep, it's not just a novel but in many ways autobiographcal.
I think every script writer in Hollywood read this book. Because in it I can see every submarine movie that was made in the 50's
Read The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff. Quick! Go out and find this book! A soooooo GREAT BOOK. Can - not - put - it - down mystery. Hurry! Go buy this. Check it out of your local library. Steal it. Whatever. GO! NOW! Before it's too late.
#22 I agree! I really enjoyed
The Unseen, read it almost all in one sitting and then ordered
The Price by Sokoloff through Inter-Library Loan and seriously couldn't put that down, either.
Mr. Roberts by Thomas Heggens
I decided to re-read this book after reading a bio of Heggen on line.
Mr. Roberts exploits on AKA 601, the USS Reluctant ( or the Bucket) was based on Heggen's life aboard the U.S. Navy attack transport USS Virgo (AKA-20).
The best parts of the book are all based on fact, even the palm tree which Heggen threw overboard twice in real life.
The book is made more poignant by the fact that Heggen committed suicide when he was only 30 years old.
Heres the link if anyone is interested in reading the article
(http://www.uss-virgo.com/wacky.htm)
The next book up is The Strange Case of Hellish Nell. The Story of Helen Duncan and The Witch Trial of World War II, by Nina Shandler
Message edited by its author, Sep 20, 2009, 7:01pm.
That is a fascinating article. I believe I will put
Mr. Roberts on my list, as well as your next one, which just has a great title. Thanks!
lol@ imabookworm
Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer
With the T.V. show starting , I put everthing on hold to read this book to get a preview of it.
If you know what your future was in 22 years , could you change it? Could you use it? That's the basic theme of this book.
The book starts out fast an furious and goes down hill from there. The characters are predictable and the plot forced to a point where I couldn't suspend my disbelief and go along with the story.
The highlight of the book is when half the world starts to complain about a "flashforward" gap when the scientific world wants to try and reproduce the experiment.
I'm always on the lookout for new (to me ) sci fi writers. so on the plus side I'm going to try some of Sawyer's other books. He has won a Hugo and Nebula awards along with John W Campbell Memorial Award.
Message edited by its author, Sep 24, 2009, 5:19am.
#28...I'm looking forward to the "Flash Foward" series premiere which airs tonight, BTW.
I'm now about at the halfway point in
"Clan of the Cave Bear"...enjoying it very much.
Just beginning
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
#28--I've set my dvr for the Flash Forward premier.
Message edited by its author, Sep 24, 2009, 6:48pm.
I'm about a third of teh way through
The Man without a face an auto-biography of Markus Wolf, head of East German Foreign intelligence during the Cold War...it's very good although there's been little to dow ith espionage so far :( Mostly just politics
My DVR is recording FlashForward as we speak while we watch the comedies on NBC. I had heard that the book was less than wonderful but the NYT reviewed the tv show well.
I just finished
The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle and wow, what a great book. Heartbreakingly sad.
Message edited by its author, Sep 24, 2009, 10:03pm.
33: coppers
The show (flashforward) seems like it might be fairly decent.
#34 - Good to know -thanks!
#25 - I worked on a ship once with an obnoxious captain. I told him he better be nice or I would throw his palm tree over the side. I don't think he got it.
I think of this group every day.. but my life has been so hectic now that I am back to work..
The Last Will of Moira Leahy is my most recent read.. it is a vine book and it is a lovely, easy, entertaining read. Just right.
Not sure what I will read next.
" The Strange Case of Hellish Nell. The Story of Helen Duncan and The Witch Trial of World War II", by Nina Shandler
This book might be a good read for those looking for something to read for Halloween. (even if it's history)
Helen Duncan was a median and Spiritualist born in 1898. Who at a young age could see sprits, and see the future events.
What makes this book good is that the author does a good job of going back and forth though Helen's life, to keep your interest up. It seems that she had the "Gift" as they call it to deliver messages for the beyond.
She got it right on many occasions. Example;
1. She predicted in early 1940 that Germany would not invade England. (this was just after Dunkirk)
2. That England and Russia would be allies (after Germany and Russia signed the non-aggression treaty)
3. That the United States would enter the war (we were officially neutral at that time)
4. that the War would last 6 years and involve the world from the U.S. to Japan (this is before Pearl Harbor)
5 And would end with two large bangs (atomic bombs?)
But this is not what got her into trouble!.
She told of the loss of the HMS Hood on May 24, 1941, and the sinking of the HMS Barham this is when the war department was keeping these reports secret. They went to the extreme of sending fake holiday greeting to the families of the diseased Seamen from these ships so the general public would not know.
Then the plans for D-Day start and Helen's problems begin to grow. till in n 1944 Helen Duncan and her four co-defendants listened to the court clerk read the following charges;
(from the back cover)
"...You four conspired together, and with persons unknown, to pretend to exercise some kind of conjuration, though the agency of the said Helen Duncan, spirits of deceased persons should appear, and were communicating with living persons contrary to the Witchcraft Act of 1735"
There is a lot more to the story. I don't want to ruin it for any who wish to read it. I give it about 3/5 stars.
I've been reading alot of non-fiction recently, so it's time for some fiction.
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. I read somewhere on LT that this was
The Lost Symbol for the thinking person.
I'm not that much of a thinking type person, but it sounded interesting.
#38 Wow, that sounds fascinating! I never, ever, heard of that case or that book. I guess that goes on the Wishlist, too . . .
40: tymfos
What I found so interesting in the book was the interest the whole nation took in it, and it's not well known today.
It was such a big story at the time, that Winston Churchill sent a personal note to the Home Secretary asking why the "Withcraft Act of 1735" was being used in this case and what was it costing the goverment to try this case.
#38 Thanks a lot, Marty. My library doesn't have it, so I had to go and buy the book. Luckily, I found it cheap!
Almost finished
An echo in the bone by Diana Gabaldon. I'm enjoying it quite a bit; hopefully the story doesn't end with this book!
I recently finished reading The Secret by Kat Martin and just picked up Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michael and got from the library today The Illustrated Lark rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
>43 Another Gabaldon fan on a different thread assured me this morning that Diane is already working on the next book in the series. Can't wait!
Found some time to do some reading...priorities change with Sept...School starts (I'm a teacher and a full time Dad).
But I've completed
The Last Lecture...sad but inspiring,
The Secret...Very uplifting and inspirational in it's presentation and packaging, but this information is nothing new....the metaphysical assertions are what interest me though (see my review),
The Real Wizard of Oz: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum...very interesting and more about that wonderful time period (1870 to 1920)...it's interesting how much TR's life and Baum are similar...they both went out West and worked for progress change,
Now I'm having fun with
Weapons of Choice...time travel...it reminds me of the Movie The Final Countdown...it's the first book of a trilogy so I have the next on deck if this one pans out,
I'm thinking an HG Wells bio next...will see
#47..Sounds like you have been reading some interesting material.
>48 It has been fun...
Weapons of Choice is hard to put down. I just watched the TV premier of
Flash Forward (DVR)...extremely intriguing!...I haven't read the Sawyer book (I have it) yet, as I think I'll wait for the series to run it's course.
It's better to see the Movie (in this case TV show) first and then read the book for me.
I've been reading alot of non-fiction recently, so it's time for some fiction.
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco.
Also to give my mind a rest I've started
His Majesty's Ship by Alaric Bond
Message edited by its author, Oct 4, 2009, 3:34pm.
I'm about half way through
The Closers by Michael Connelly on my mp3 player. In the car I am listening to
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. In the bathroom, I am almost finished with
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. Today I finished
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. The last three books reflect the influence that LibraryThing has had on my reading--I had never heard of any of them until they showed up in one thread or another on LT. And in just this evening's reading, I've listed three more books to look for at the library! Fun!!
I just finished
Now Hear This! by Daniel Gallery. I picked up this recommendation from usnmm2 and just want to pass it on. It is quick; it is easy; it was always funny--sometimes just a smile funny, but often laugh out loud funny. As I read the last chapter at lunch I was getting some pretty funny looks since I could not stop myself.
I know a bit about boating, but certainly have no navy experience. It was still a really fun book.
And for those who wonder why I only gave it 3 1/2 stars if I think it is so wonderful--it is because it is a well written, humorous book, but not a great book.
Lisa, just read your review of Resistance. I have been wanting to get this from the library. It is will now be a priority.
54: LisaCurcio,
Glad you enjoyed
Now Hear This. It's alway a rush to recommend a book and someone reads and enjoys it. That's what LT is all about.
Read the first 100 pages of
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. It seems good but my mental biorhythm's must be on a triple low just cann't wrap my mind around it at this time. Will pick it up again in a few months.
Am about 50% done with
His Majesty's Ship by Alaric Bond Fairly good so far. He has a little different take on a well worn age of sail genre.
>55: cindysprocket,
Resistance: A Frenchwoman's Journal of the War is one of my favorite reads this year. I hope you enjoy it, too.
>56: usnmm2,
Thanks again for recommending Gallery. I plan to read more! As to
Umberto Eco--I like to think that I am not a total idiot, but I had a great deal of difficulty with both
Name of the Rose and
Foucault's Pendulum. I think it is in part something lacking in my education since I really did not understand what was going on some times. I always think I should try to reread those, but there are too many others waiting.
Still reading "The Age of Innocence"...looking forward to discussing it in the class that begins Oct. 15. Reading the first of six short stories for the "Short Fiction" class which also starts Oct. 15.
Started
Little Bee by Chris Cleave, this evening.So far so good.
About halfway through
South of Broad by Pat Conroy. There are flashes of the brilliant writing we saw in
The Prince of Tides and
The Great Santini but, overall, it is very uneven. I was so looking forward to this book and am disappointed, so far. Maybe things will get better? A reader can always hope!
His
Majesty's Ship by Alaric Bond
This is book #1 in Alaric Bond's "Fighting Sail Series". As an 'age of sail' story the action, tone and progression of the tale is on par with many other 'Age of Sail' books.
What makes this book different is the use of many characters and shifting point of views. You have the young boy that volunteers for service and is on a great adventure. The older men who were pressed into service and haven't been off the ship or see home in many years. Even some sailor's who belong to a clandestine group that is dedicated to the overthrow of England. A full gambit of officers from the older Midshipman who has almost no chance of making Lt.. To the Peer who has friends in high places, and one who has worked his way up from between decks.
With the many characters and shifting point views tends to make the ship and the sea going life the main characters in this story. This change in points of view is refreshing in a well worn age of sail genre.
After all there is only so many times you can follow Midshipman _________ to his rise to Admiral _______________. Don't get me wrong I've enjoyed every one of these series I've read (Hornblower, Bolitho, Ramage etc.). It's my feel good and safe genre. My comfort food of literature. But they can be a little repetitive. Anyway it's nice to see them handled in a little different and fresh way.
I have bought the 2nd book
Jackass Frigate, which has met with good reviews. I hope Bond can keep it up.
I just finished
Dexter by Design, the latest of the Dexter series. Good, fast read if your looking for something edgy. I am now starting
The Lost Symbol and I hope it's as exciting as his other books.
For my YA book, I am reading
Shiver which, unfortunately, has too many parallels to Twilight to be named. I keep trying to keep the other book series out of my mind but it keeps creeping in.
Message edited by its author, Oct 12, 2009, 11:41am.
63 mamzel,
If you like vampire books you might try
The Book of Common Dread/a Novel of the Infernal by Brent Monahan. It's a nice change to the standard vampire story.
What if there were only 5 or 6 vampires in the world and they could go into a church and be out in daylight and not burst into flames when coming in contact with a cross
This book and it's sequal
The Blood of the Covenant: A Novel of the Vampiric are the first oringinal vampire books since
Dracula was published.
Message edited by its author, Oct 12, 2009, 12:29pm.
#53 lbradf, I am also listening to
The Thirteenth Tale in the car! I thought it started slow, but it's really been picking up! I need a road trip!
#63 I'm on the library reserve list for
Dexter by Design, but I'm pretty far down the list. I'm looking forward to it--I stumbled onto those books by accident and I love them!
Reading
"The Birth of Venus" & enjoying it.
It is set in 15th century Florence Italy, during the time of the Medici family's influence on the art of the day, including Botticelli. I recently completed a series of art appreciation lectures w/slides about Botticelli, which adds to my enjoyment of "The Birth of Venus".
Just finished
The Face by Dean Koontz, which was very suspenseful.
My current fiction book is Easy by Phillip Depoy, which is an offbeat mystery set in Atlanta. It features an investigator who uses a combination of old-fashioned detective legwork and meditation to help solve his mysteries (the current case involving as strange a cast of characters, living and dead victims, as one could ever hope to find in one book).
Non-fiction, I'm reading
Report from Ground Zero. Wow. The first part of it (which I'm reading now) is mainly first-person accounts by police and fire personnel of their experiences on 9/11.
I just finished read
The Dewey Decimal System of Love by Josephine Carr. Not worth the time, but it was a short book and I was away from home, so no regrets. On my mp3 player, I am listening to
Body Movers by Stephanie Bond. (The first one, not the second one that comes up via the Touchstone.) I've had the book on the player for quite awhile. I decided this road trip was a good time to start it, having just finished
The Closers by Michael Connelly.
I'm basking in time to read while waiting for my agent's verdict on my new novel. In honor of Halloween, I'm reading
Dracula. I'm also really enjoying Brenda Rickman Vantrease's new historical novel, THE HERETIC'S WIFE, which will come out next spring.
I'm reading
Filthy Shakespeare - a somewhat scholarly treatment of Shakespeare's penchant for
really obscene puns and double-entendres.
It's funny and interesting, but I can only read it in small doses. Otherwise it's a bit mind-numbing.
Just started Wolf Hall! For once in my life, I'm reading a popular book while it's still popular!
Just finished
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish. (Didn't like it nearly as much as I hoped to based on the title.) I'm listening to
Words that Work by Frank Lutz. I decided it was time to take in a bit of non-fiction. My husband and I are reading
Crazy Love by Francis Chan (I read aloud as he drives me to work).
What a great idea, Lois! I never thought about doing something like that (of course, I generally don't ride with people who will let me read aloud). What didn't you like about
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral? I have it, and it's been on my TBR list for ages (also, based on the title). There are always so many book decisions to be made that I don't want to spend time on something I may not like! Any opportunity to move something to the side to make way for a better book....
>81: What didn't you like about
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral?
Too much description and too heavy handed in getting the life lessons across. I think the points could have been made more entertainly and more interestingly via dialogue and action.
Re your reading aloud comment--yes, having someone who lets you read to them does make it a more promising activity ; )
This message has been deleted by its author.
Just finished
Anne Frank: The Life, The Book, The Afterlife. I've read and reread the diary many times of course, and several other books about Anne and her times. But this one is unique, and is making me ponder many of my easy assumptions about Anne and her talent.
She was remarkable, and far more complex than she is usually credited with being. I am so glad I found this book.
Reading
God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America by Hanna Rosin--a book that caught my eye at the library while looking for something else. Quite intriguing.
Also reading
Resilient Leadership by George S. Everly, Jr. I got this as an Early Reviewer book and then kind of forgot about it. I appreciated the reminder from LT that I hadn't reviewed it yet. The book is very timely as our offices are going through layoffs like we've never seen before. As a regional HR manager, I have lots of opportunity to exercise resiliency and leadership.
"THE ROAD" BY Cormac McCarthy;
As a post-apocalyptic story this one is about par with a many others in this sub-genre of science fiction. What makes it good is the way McCarthy tells the story. Using a sparse economic writing style that is matter of fact, and has a cadence that draws you into this treck of this dark, bleak hopeless world. You can feel the cold and smell the ashes.
Overall I enjoyed this book, but like many others I could't tell you why.
As part of my idea to read more books of a literary nature, my next book to read is
Empire Falls by Richard Russo.
>As part of my idea to read more books of a literary nature, my next book to read is Empire Falls by Richard Russo.
This one is on my top 11 favorite contemporary books on my author website (http://megwaiteclayton.com/meg_books.shtml). 11 = weird number, I know, but which one to cut?
I've been brought kicking and screaming to Julia Child's memoir, My Life in France - and am really glad to have been. Surprisingly delightful!
Message edited by its author, Nov 24, 2009, 1:42pm.
If I could throw in an "advertisement".....
The Missouri Readers Group is trying to entice a few more members to join our discussions of MO books & authors. If any of you have a MO connection or a MO interest, please pop over and join us!
>93 Meg
I am about 100 pages into "EF" and enjoying it . I think it's destined to be way up on my favorite list also. I see you also have
Last Orders by Graham Swift on your favorite list. I just bought it and it's on my short TBR pile.
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
A great book!!
One of the best books I've read in many years. Full of characters good and bad and I cared for everyone of them. I can add nothing to the positive reviews that have already been written by many readers.
Under The Dome Stephen King
I haven't read a new Stephen King book in years. But this one caught my attention, so here it goes for 1071 pages. This should take me into 2010.
Just finished
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov--a trendy read on LT and 4 stars in my book. No review because many others have already said it better. Also an early reviewer book:
The Information Officer by Mark Mills which I really did not like. Review here--http://www.librarything.com/work/7648251/reviews/52804060
I've read about 1/2 of "The Poe Shadow" by Matthew Pearl...ok, but a bit of a slow read...the main character, & the narrator, annoys me sometimes.
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