Text blatantly plagiarized from several sources.

Oct 17
-Jupiter Hammon (1711; d.1806?), the first American black to publish poetry
-Georg Buchner (1813; d.1837), German dramatist who influenced naturalistic drama of the 1890s and later expressionism
-Elinor Glyn (1864; d.1943) British novelist
-Nathanael West (1903; d.1940) American novelist
-Arthur Miller (1915; d.2005),American playwright who wrote Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, among others
-Lerone Bennett, Jr. (1928) longtime Ebony editor and black history writer,

Oct 18
-Heinrich von Kleist (1777; d.1811) German Romantic dramatist and poet
-Thomas Love Peacock (1785), English author
-H. L. Davis (1894), Northwest cowboy, reporter, poet and novelist who wrote Honey in the Horn
-Ntozake Shange (1948), born Paulette Williams, poet, novelist, dramatist, and performer whose choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf opened on Broadway in 1976 In 1971 she changed her name to Ntozake Shange which means "she who comes with her own things" and "she who walks like a lion" in Xhosa, the Zulu language.
-Wendy Wasserstein (1950; d.2006) playwright, Pulitzer Prize winner for The Heidi Chronicles
-Terry McMillan (1951), novelist born in Michigan and author of Waiting to Exhale, among others
-Henri-Louis Bergson (1859 - 1941) French philosopher and author

Oct 19
-Sir Thomas Browne (1605; d.Oct 19, 1682), British physician and baroque-style writer
-Choderlos de Lacloc (1741; d. 1803) French writer whose novel Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782) inspired the popular movie Dangerous Liaisons
-Leigh Hunt (1784; d.1859), British poet and essayist who is remembered primarily as the champion of Keats, Shelley, and Tennyson
-Vincas Kreve-Mickievicius (1882; d.1954) Lithuanian poet and playwright
-Fannie Hurst (1889; d.1968) novelist and short story writer
-Miguel Angel Asturias (1899; d. 1974), Nobel Prize–winning Guatemalan poet and novelist who helped establish Latin American literature's contribution to mainstream Western culture, and at the same time drew attention to the importance of indigenous cultures, especially those of his native Guatemala.
-John Le Carré nee David John Moore Cornwell (1931) English spy novelist
-Philip Pullman (1946), best-selling author of His Dark Materials (a trilogy of fantasy novels).

Oct 20
-Thomas Hughes (1822), English author who wrote Tom Brown's School Days
-Daniel Owen (1836) Welsh novelist
-Arthur Rimbaud (1854), French poet
-Daniel Nathan (1905), one member of the Ellery Queen writing team
-Art Buchwald (1925; d.2007) newspaper columnist and author
-Robert Pinsky (1940) former U.S. Poet Laureate
-Elfriede Jelinek (1946 - ) Austrian playwright and novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004

Oct 21
-Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772; d.1834), English Romantic poet and critic famous for the poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) and Kubla Khan (1816)
-Alphonse Lamartine (1790; d.1869), French poet, statesman, and man of letters whose poetry strongly influenced the French Romantic movement
-Ursula LeGuin (1929) sci-fi and fantasy writer



Oct 22
-Ivan Bunin (1870) Russian poet, novelist and 1933 Nobel prize winner
-Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak (1887; d.1964) Russian writer, translator and children's poet
-Dámaso Alonso (1898; d.1990), Spanish philologist, critic and poet
-Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866 – 1946), major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers.
-Timothy Leary (1920 –1996) American writer, psychologist, futurist, advocate of psychedelic drug research, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space.
-Sidney Kingsley (1906) Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, screenwriter, and actor
-Doris Lessing (1919) U.K. novelist who won Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007



Oct 23
-Robert Bridges (1844; d.1930) English poet and physician
-Emily Kimbrough (1899), memoirist and Ladies' Home Journal editor, wrote Our Hearts Were Young and Gay with Cornelia Otis Skinner about their trip to Europe
-Michael Crichton (1942 - 2008) American author, producer, director, screenwriter, and medical school graduate, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres.
-Augusten Xon Burroughs (1965) American writer known for his memoir Running with Scissors (2002), which spawned a film of the same name.

Trivia: Which of these authors, at the age of 14, had a travel column published in the New York Times?

Message edited by its author, Oct 19, 2009, 11:47pm.

Trivia: Which of these authors, at the age of 14, had a travel column published in the New York Times?

Rimbaud?

I've just passed the halfway point of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I'm enjoying it very much.

Message edited by its author, Oct 17, 2009, 1:17am.

>2 Nope, not Rimbaud.

I'm taking a break from Life and Fate for another day and finishing The Snow Geese. Last night I finished The Housekeeper and the Professor, which is a beautiful gentle novel. I'm having a hard time writing a review, but highly recommend it.

Finished The Girl who Played with Fire Thursday night. My review,

http://www.librarything.com/work/1769540...

Or my 50 Book Challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/72408

Now I’m going to read something to give me some respite from all this fast paced, action packed, ultra modern books. My next read is Murder is Easy by one of my favorite authors Agatha Christie. I'm going to savor this one and it should calm down my nerves!

#1 I'm guessing Lessing (but mainly because it rhymes).

Reading In the Court of the Crimson Kings still. Probably won't get more than a couple chapters into it over the weekend. Might as well say I'll start it Monday.

I'm still reading The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters (in german) and going to start Das Narrenschiff today.

After reading many books of non-fiction, not all light and fun, I am this week just planning to read nice and easy fiction. I just started The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry, and later this week I'll read Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell, which I borrowed from a friend...

I finished Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. It was excellent and I can't recommend it enough. I started Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer and this already looks like a winner.

Has it really been so long since Arthur Miller died?! It only feels like a few months have gone by since then.

I'm still naughtily double-reading on my 'F' read for my Alphabet Challenge. I just couldn't choose and now I'm thoroughly enjoying Madame Bovary, with Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder on the side... If only they didn't use so many names in Fluke's little book I might be enjoying it more.

'These cookies are delicious, Lisa'
'Why thank you, Hannah.'
'You really are the most wonderful baker, Lisa.'
'What would you like me to do next, Hannah?'

I made that up, but you get the idea. Oh, and I'm still halfway through New Moon: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion, but I put it back in its Amazon packaging to keep it safe when I took it home from the shop and haven't actually retrieved it again yet...

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. is a great thriller, one of the best I have read this year. You'll get a geat kick out of the end.
Alan.

I am almost finished reading Edgar Wallace's The Four Just Men. Written in 1920. His first of 200 books, and his most popular. One of the great crime writers.

I read all of The Awakening last night in a rather futile attempt on my part to get through as many of the books i have with me at Uni so i can send them home and not have them tempting me away from my work. But no doubt as soon as i send them home, I'll ask for several more from my cupboard to swap them with or i'll end up buying some more from somewhere *sigh* Oh yea and The Awakening was very enjoyable and i'm mildly peeved that i have to wait until May 2010 for the third book dang that woman.

Finished Wings of a Dove last evening and am still digesting. In the end, despite its difficult style I enjoyed it. Having read other's reviews, I'm having trouble pulling my own sense out from that of others. So many disliked one or all of the characters. I didn't. Perhaps some of their actions were despicable but understandable.

Message edited by its author, Oct 17, 2009, 9:21am.

I've started The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart. It is fine so far, we'll see where it goes from here.

Just starting to read Queen of Fashion by Carline Weber. Interesting biography of Marie Antoinette life in France from a sartorial perspective.

Reading Next Summer and Tricks and The Trap this week possibly others

I finished a great picture book, Shadow The Curious Morgan Horse. Posted my review this a.m.
http://www.librarything.com/work/4566310...

I've started reading Shadow Government... hmm, my shadow seems to be following me around! :)

I finished Wicked last week. I enjoyed it. I may try one of Maguire's other books in the future.

I started The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown last night. If my husband's reaction to the book is any indicator it should be a fun read.

Reading Generosity: An Enhancement by Richard Powers this weekend. I'm only a third of the way into it. Generally, I love his books, but this one seems a little sketchy. I don't think he ever found a way to pull off what he was trying to do.

The story centers around a young woman, an Algerian refugee, for whom every day is a "peak experience." She's constantly elated, and seems to have no emotional scars from her past despite the physical scars. The trouble is that Powers never seems to make me feel or see her elation. Instead, the other characters stand around being amazed and confused by her exuberance. It just doesn't seem to work for me.

I also suddenly realized that it was October and time for my annual H. P. Lovecraft reading. Nyarlathotep is one of the eeriest short stories ever written. I wish someone like James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman would do a reading of it.

Currently, Shadow Family by Miyuki Miyabe but that'll be done soon. I think I'll move on to one of my TBRs then...

I am about halfway through Independent People. I am loving the read but am seriously questioning some of my responses to the main character. Appalled laughter has bubbled up more than once.

#5: Nope, not Lessing.

#19 Narilka: I recommend Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister for another Maguire. NOT Son of a Witch or the new one I've blocked out about the lion, which I didn't even finish, I thought it was so bad.

>19
I have to say Wicked is pretty much the ONLY one of Gregory Maguire's books that I have enjoyed. I thought Son of a Witch was so-so, A Lion Among Men awful. And I haven't enjoyed any of his non-OZ books (I read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror, Mirror).

Just finished The Last Lecture. Despite its subject matter, an easy, even enjoyable, read that provides a great deal to think about. Continuing on the "better life" theme, I've now started The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches us All by Azim Jamal.

I'm nearing the end of a book full of fictional short stories about life called Female Trouble by Antonya Nelson. This is not chick lit, the stories are all quite different and very good. I'd like to read a regular novel by this author.

I know, I know! Trivia question answer: Vincas Kreve-Mickievicius! We ARE talking about the internationally famous Vilnius Times, right?

I reviewed Hell and Earth over on my thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/73753 and on the book's reviews page. Short version: It's the last of four books, so read 'em in order like I didn't, but read 'em for fun!

I'm reading Something Wicked This Way Comes for continued Halloween spirit.

#22 I think you're supposed to have that reaction. I read Fish Can Sing and often had a similar reaction to things in that book.

I finishing The Woman in White and Frankenstein. First time reading both and enjoying them.

>27, er, no. Nice try though!

Shutter Island- Dennis Lehane. Finished The Symbol -Dan Brown. Did not like this one as much as his others. Found myself skimming a bit.

I am reading two non-fiction right now. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
and Intensive Care by Echo Heron

I finished The Poisonwood Bible last night and cannot even put into words how much I loved this book and how beautiful I found it. I am now reading the last installment of the Echo Falls mystery series that needs to go back to the library on Tuesday. It is a YA book and written in a very straightforward manner so it should be a fast read. After that, I have to read The Spirit of the Place which I won as an ER book eons ago but never actually received until a few months ago and had completely forgotten about. Hopefully, it will be enjoyable.

I am reading two very good books right now. Night Frost by R.D. Wingfield is the third in the series and although it can be rather graphic regarding autopsy, and violence inflicted, it also has me laughing out loud often.

Forcing Amaryllis by Louise Ure is also a book with a difficult plot involving rape and it's aftermath, but I am finding is well written and the story has absolutely drawn me in.

After finishing The House of the Vampire by George Sylvester Viereck, I picked up Carmilla by Sheridan LeFanu as precursors to Dracula. I'm still getting in a few pages in of Jane Eyre too, but I find that I'm not in the mood for it yet. I guess I have to get my fill of horror before I can read it without distraction...

Read "Dancing After Hours" by Andre Dubus for my Short Fiction class & will be re-reading first 9 chapters of "The Age Of Innnocence" for "Fiction" class discussion. will also be revisiting "Clan Of the Cave Bear" for the Historical Fiction class which begins this week.

Is it Wasserstein?? That is a total and complete guess.

Nope.

Reading F. Paul Wilson's The Keep for the Halloween mood. It's about a group of Nazis who hole up in an ancient castle in the Transylvanian Alps, but then something starts killing them one by one during the night. Pretty entertaining.

i'm guessing Michael Crichton, but guess means a guess.

I'm reading Lonely Planet's 2007 edition of Andalucia in preparation for a trip in Feb or March.

I started Black Swan Green by David Mitchell and it is compulsively readable; hard to put down.

rebeccanyc, you win the Guess Prize for the week!

I'm almost finished with Pretty in Plaid and then I'll start The Audacity of Hope which is my book club's pick for this month.

Reading Ann Cleeves' Red Bones, the third book in the Shetland Island Quartet, and enjoying it immensely.

I started Danube last night, and I have Life and Fate checked under the hood ready to be started. I think I have to read a few reviews of Danube to see just what it is I am reading; I got the book last year when Magris was a credible contender for the Nobel Prize in literature.

Robert

I finished Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow, and thought it was marvelous. I am now reading Kidnapped for my RL book club, coincidentally during the same week that we have a Scottish Exchange student with us for a brief stay. I am about to start listening to Eve's Ransom by George Gissing.

I got given a very early Christmas present yesterday!! My friend gave me Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson. I've only read three chapters but it's already an addictive and interesting read.

Quickly popping in to say that I am still reading Border Songs by Jim Lynch - work and family have been monopolizing my reading time lately.

Teelgee - In answer to your question in last week's thread, I am finding Border Songs a highly enjoyable read - full of fun, interesting characters, familiar landmarks and mild satire regarding politics that has me chuckling as I read.

#9 msf59 - Zeitoun has been receiving excellent comments here on LT. I am glad to see you recommend it. I plan to read it as the "Z" book for my Alphabet Challenge.

#23 & 24 - Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister was the one that had me interested. Thanks for the information.

Finished The Outlander by Gil Adamson last night and I have to say that I think it's a really, really great first novel. We can only hope for more good offerings to come.

Then I just happened to be in Borders yesterday to buy a gift and Still Life by Louise Penny called to me from the "Buy one get one at half price" table, so I am starting that today on the strength of many LT recommendations.

Just finished Byatt's The Children's Book, have begun James' Daisy Miller, and will soon begin Grossman's Life and Fate.

>49--Zeitoun is terrific. Enjoy.

I finished The Snow Geese last night - not as enamored of it as some of my friends, but an OK read. Now back to Parts 2 and 3 of Life and Fate, in earnest.

I just finished and reviewed The Cave of John the Baptist on my thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/73753 and the book's reviews page.

In summary: Case not proved. Book not needed. Writing not interesting. Next docket item, please.

#48 Welcome Fallella! I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas earlier this year and loved the insanity!

Still getting on with The Girl Who Played With Fire, I like it but I was starting to wonder when the story would begin, because for more than 100 pages it seemed like everybody was just having sex (nothing wrong with that, good for you, but seriously...)

Ah welcome Fallella!!

(edited to welcome Fallella)

Message edited by its author, Oct 18, 2009, 3:20pm.

The Hero and The Crown by Robin Mckinley.

Have begun A.S. Byatt's The Children's Book. Brilliant, perfect for a cold rainy October.

I am reading Creepers by David Morrell as a scary pick by the 75 in 2009 folks. It will probably be my only Creepy Halloween this year, but so far it is VERY creepy.

I loved Kidnapped! I am starting a collection of short stories by Rubem Fonseca, entitled The Taker. I am also starting Eve's Ransom byn George Gissing.

I finished Troll by Johanna Sinisalo. It was my last required read for the month (RL book group). It was disjointed and not all that interesting.

I am now starting Emissaries From the Dead by Adam-Troy Castro - SF.

I finished A World Away by Stewart O'Nan -- I love his books and can't imagine why I've waited so long to read this one. It's quite wonderful -- the story of a summer in the life of a family -- set during World War II. I recommend it.

Now I'm going to read Colm Toibin's Brooklyn.

Still reading Uncrowned King, not because it's boring but it's just packed with information and I'm trying to read it carefully to take it all in (for a change).
My light read is Making Money by Terry Pratchett. I love his books and they're some of the few that I can read and re-read over again. My husband doesn't like me reading them in bed though cos it wakes him up when I start laughing! Shame!

I finished Solo by Rana Dasgupta (4-1/2 stars) and Shoplifting from American Apparel by Tao Lin (1/2 star) on Saturday, and My Men by Malika Mokeddem (4 stars) on Sunday. Today I should finish The Education of a British-Protected Child, a series of essays by Chinua Achebe, and How the Two Ivans Quarrelled, a novella by Nikolai Gogol. I'm also reading The Time of the Hero by Mario Vargas Llosa.

Message edited by its author, Oct 19, 2009, 6:38am.

I finally finished my audiobook of Pride and Prejudice after 12 hours listening over four days. It was very enjoyable and had an excellent narrator who didn't do any daft voices to differentiate between the men and women. I now almost want to re-read the book itself but i think that would be going a little mental and i would get bored of reading the same words which i'd recently listened to.

Couldn't agree more with LadyViolet about readers. It is subjective, of course. When my kids were small and we were looking for an audio tape or two for the school holiday, one of them picked up The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe read by Michael Hordern. I found myself saying No, because I wanted to read that book to him myself as soon as I thought he was ready for it. Now Michael Hordern was a terrific English actor and was no doubt an excellent choice for the reading, but I knew, just knew, he wouldn't read that book as well as I would!

Back to business, though. I've just started Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin, who is also Diana Norman. I picked it because I've enjoyed several of Diana Norman's books, but so far this one isn't doing it for me. Haven't had time to decide why yet, and I'll stick with it for a while. Maybe this is why she used a different pen name.

Oh, that's interesting - Ariana Franklin didn't work with Touchstone.

By the way, LadyViolet, who was the reader of your P&P audiobook?

I finished Into the Dark last night and then started The Spirit of the Place which I received as an Early Reviewers book a long time ago. Actually, I should say which I won as an ER book a long time ago but only received a few months ago. So far, it seems pretty good so I am hopeful.

I'm reading Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson, very interesting. I started listening to People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks because of all the good comments on LT. I'm loving it. Thanks!

>67 Joanna the reader of my audiobook was an English lady called Lindsay Duncan, I believe she's the actress who played Lady Catherine in the BBC's Lost in Austen drama a couple of months ago. I picked that version out of a choice of several simply because it had the best rating although it was more expensive.

Finished the YA title, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, which was good and thought-provoking, and have started Burning Chrome by William Gibson, his book of short stories that I somehow managed to miss over the years.

I've started Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick. I think I may read Say You're One of Them concurrently, because it is due back at the library next week and I can't renew it.

Still pushing my way through Cryptonomicon which is slow going mostly because I keep getting distracted by other things. I'm about 300 pages in and I feel like the story is finally picking up.
At work I am just about finished Plato's Republic and should be able to pick up Walden by Henry David Thoreau by tomorrow.

Reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Also, I finally posted a review of Stonehenge by Rosemary Hill.

I finished Sarah's Key this morning. Now I'm reading The Woman in White for a good October read.

As I predicted last week, I finished The Elegant Universe before I went to Rhinebeck on Saturday. The catch is that I had a head cold this week (the second in three weeks), and didn't finish it until Friday. But today I started American Lion.

I am glad I read most of the messages to find out if the trivia question was answered. That was going to be my guess. Now on to what I am reading this week. I am still reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. It has been so hard to read lately. I am going to sit down tonight and read since I only have about one chapter left if even that. Then I think I will try to find out where I left off in The Outlander by Gil Adamson that I borrowed before from the library and finally went and borrowed again.

I started Life Sentences by Laura Lippman....I've never read this author before so I'm looking forward to this one. I have some of her books in my library, waiting to be read.....hope she's good!

Finished Slumdog Millionaire and Wildwood Dancing.
Rereading The Lovely Bones and almost done...it's SOOO fantastic!

I decided to say screw it to Pride and Prejudice, it's a book I dearly love, but can't always finish I'm afraid.

Next up is Peony in Love

#43, Wow! I really was just guessing (but mainly because I think Michael Crichton is just the kind of obnoxious guy who would do something like that!

I am not quite halfway through Danube by Claudio Magris. It is not without its pleasures, so I am quite sure I will finish it, but it seems to me mostly to be inaccessible. I don't get it. Here's an apparently erudite professor free associating up to a few pages at a time on locations along the river. Why is this a book rather than an indulgence of a worthy on a park bench?

Robert

Message edited by its author, Oct 19, 2009, 5:32pm.

Can someone fix or remove the pictures at the top ? They have become giant sized and have stretched the whole thread out past the edges of the screen.

Wow, sorry Ficus, they shouldn't have done that, I had them sized to 300px. Has that happened before?

Currently reading Trigger City by Sean Chercover.
Follow up to his Big City, Bad Blood
I got this book from the local library. It is so good that I ordered a signed first edition from the Mysterious Bookstore.

FicusFan and teelgee:

What pictures? Oh, wait . . . is this one of those 'let's fool the new members into thinking there are pictures at the top of the page' kind of jokes? You guys are such cards.

While I'm here, let me say how much I'm enjoying Colm Toibin's Brooklyn.

When I first read FicusFan's lament I had to go look. I remember at least Doris Lessing and someone I took to be Ursula LeGuin. Anyway, they didn't effect my screen as they did FicusFan's, so I hadn't realized that they were removed. It is our great loss.

Robert

I'll try something else and re-post them. mollygrace, yes, we're just here to trick you! :o)

teelgee, did you see how many books mollygrace has? I bet she changes that real quick.

Robert

Robert and Ficus: added back the photos, see if that works better for you.

It's working fine for me in Firefox. I am glad to have them.

I hope they work for other folks.

Robert

Thanks Teelgee. It hadn't happened before on this thread or previous ones. It was just this afternoon, the pictures took over most of the screen at the top. Not sure why, haven't changed my browser or settings.

I am at home now, on FF and they are fine. Will test again tomorrow at work (Safari). Thanks for your help.

They should be fine now, I resized them rather than controlling the size in the code. If they get bigger, there's something wrong with your computer!

Robert -- yes, aren't they just solid, wise looking women?!

They are, and Doris Lessing is one of my favorites.

I am looking at and writing this in Safari, now, and it is working fine except the browser is a PITA. It is running on Windows.

Yes, I see the pictures now. For a while there I had that Ingrid Bergmanesque feeling that I was being gaslighted. (The roles of Mr. Durick and teelgee were played by Charles Boyer and Angela Lansbury).

Pics look fine for me now (FF)

I finished Steve Berry's The Templar Legacy this morning, a nice quick read. I just started Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell

Last night i started reading The Girl with the Dragon tattoo and so far i'm really enjoying it. I'll have to be on the look-out for a decent second-hand copy of The Girl who played with fire for when i'm finished ;) not that i need an excuse to go book-hunting.

>85 Mollygrace, I loved Brooklyn. Glad you're enjoying it, too.

I'm reading The Girl Who Played with Fire. Having read the first one, I couldn't pass it up. I'm not too far into it but enjoying it. Also reading The Intelligence of Dogs, an interesting book.

I have been on an amazing journey with Joseph and His Brothers by Thomas Mann for the past 3 or 4 months, and I hardly know what to say about it. Yes, it is very long but (in the new John Woods translation at least), it is very readable. It took me so long because I have little reading time at home and it's too big to carry on the subway, but it was also good to have time to mull it over as I was reading. It is a remarkable book, completely worth all the time I put into it, and I would say one of the greatest books I've read (although I have a long list of those).

I haven't got around to Wings of a Dove yet, but have read a few of Henry James's novels recently (The Bostonians; Portrait of a Lady, etc.) and agree that his rather wordy style can take a little getting used to; but you really feel as if you know what makes his characters tick, and he's an excellent scene-setter. One of the most distinctive voices of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and (in my view) far more believeable than Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy.

Almost halfway through The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan. This is about as creepy a book as I'll read - in honor of Halloween. Gripping so far. McEwan's skill is evident - I feel absolutely as fatigued and disoriented as the characters in the book. Even though I know that nothing good can come of this, I can't stop myself from continuing.

Also finished reading Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl to my daughter. I realized with horror that this one had somehow escaped me in my childhood, so we read it together before the movie comes out. Foxy is fantastic indeed!

#101 If you think The Comfort of Strangers is creepy, you should try (if you haven't already done so) The Collector by John Fowles - probably the nastiest little book you will ever read and utterly brilliant!

Life has taken over my reading time temporarily, hence the late post this week.

I'm not far into the short novel, A Bell for Adano by John Hersey but I like it, with the exception of some Italian accented English he puts in the mouths of a couple of characters. The dialog jars with the rest of the page.

The printing history of this novel is pretty impressive.

Didn't Michael Crichton publish a work of autobiography entitled, Travels? I haven't read it but as I recall, it sounded more interesting than some of his fiction. I do like a couple of his novels though.

I've had visitors from Scotland, so I haven't gotten to read as much as I normally do this past week, but I'm currently reading Fire, the sequel to Graceling. So far its really excellent, and I'm loving the characters.

At the moment I'm reading :-
Best Stories of Walter de la Mare. Have read seven of them so far, none of which have set my set my pants on fire. Interminable and unsatisfying.

The Bodley Head Saki. Now here's a chap who could teach Mr de la Mare a thing or two. Concise, witty, heartless and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. Try The Secret Sin of Septimus Brope.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer. One of the best books I've read on the subject, and I've read a few. If you want to know how and why Adolf Hitler bewitched a nation, read this.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Atmospheric and engrossing; I would surely have raced through this book sooner, had I not had three others on the go. Full of the excitement and mystery of childhood.

Message edited by its author, Oct 20, 2009, 2:58pm.

I just finished a book of short stories by Karen Russell-
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves
Very surreal and often bizarre settings and the narrative is usually carried by children voices.

while in Cleveland and Pittsburgh I finished The Broker and Log Two - i took Log Three but read Simple Gifts instead and am half way through it - when I finally had time to read, I was too tired to read much!

I just finished reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I am currently reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Lightning Thief written by Rick Riordan.
It's actually more of a children's/teens book, but it was recommended on some site. And I must say, the story is very appealing so far!

Message edited by its author, Oct 20, 2009, 5:07pm.

#101: Thanks for the heads up on Comfort of Strangers. I've been wanting to get a scary book to celebrate Halloween, and this one is on the 1001 Books list as well.

Karen

Yesterday afternoon I finished my marathon reading of the Harry Potter series. It was enjoyable.

Still listening to Rebeca by Daphne du Maurier on audio download.Finally beginning to remember something about it and enjoying it, though it is a bit slow.

Sorry for not being around. Still unsatisfied with how Window-eyes and Fire Fox work together. I hope everyone is well.

Message edited by its author, Oct 20, 2009, 6:01pm.

>108 LadyWords How did you like Kafka on the Shore? It's one of my favorites.

I have My Sister's Keeper on hand at the moment... although a trip to the library tomorrow may change that... ;)

I finished The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and then I picked up The Outlander by Gil Adamson. I think I am going to have to start right from the beginning again with this book since it has been awhile since I had read some of the book. I am also going to try and read Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris at the same time.

Almost finished with All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. While quite a bit different from the other novels I've read by him, I'm nonetheless charmed and delighted by it.

Message edited by its author, Oct 20, 2009, 9:17pm.

I have started Until It's Over by Nicci French, and, because it's getting close to Halloween, I am also going to start Ghosts and Grisly Things by Ramsey Campbell later on this evening.

I finished Colm Toibin's Brooklyn which I loved. I always get caught up in stories about people on the borders -- people caught between two worlds, lives, cultures --immigrants, fugitives, displaced people, those who keep reinventing themselves, people who remarry or take up new careers -- and wind up wondering who they are and where they belong -- and, ultimately, where is home? And what happens if you try to go back there?

Which sent me back to Marilynne Robinson's Home. I know they are very different stories -- but I was struck by the parallels. Eilis and Jack, Eilis and Glory . . . so much to think about there.

Tomorrow I shall begin reading The Adventures and Recollections of General Walter P. Lane, A San Jacinto Veteran, Containing Sketches of the Texian, Mexican, and Late Wars, with Several Indian Fights Thrown In, which was first published in 1887.

I finished Azincourt this morning, and started my first Dutch book this year, In Alle Staten by Max Westerman, a book written by a Dutch news correspondent in the US, about the US. I loved his previous book (it was about New York), and I have no idea why this one sat on my shelve for almost 2 years.

Going back to Lady Violet's post (70), Lindsay Duncan has a lovely voice. Both cool and mellow. Wish my voice was like that. Juliet Stevenson also has an easy voice to listen to. I suppose it is part nature and part classical training as actors. In fact I think I'll start a thread about this...

Currently in my first ever read-through of LOTR Part 1! Everybody complains that it's slow or boring...I really like it so far.

#119, Have you met Tom Bombadil yet? That is the point that I and a lot of my friends quit the book (I did read it later on). Keep reading is my advice :D It is all worth it in the end!

I am reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. What an amazing book, I am getting near the end and wishing I had the sequel to hand.

Finished Columbine - wow! Took a deep breath, poured myself a large whisky, then moved on to Company of Liars.

I started and finished Shiver last night and WOW!! what an excellent book!! so beautiful i actually cried at the end :) definitely a favourite from now on.

>Booksloth - I started Company of Liars back in august and still haven't gotten around to finishing it *blushes* it's not because it was bad, i just got distracted by other newer and shinier books ;) Maybe once i'm finished with my current read i'll take it up again.

119/120: I really liked the Tom Bombadil chapters. It's probably what sparked my interest in the novels.

#123 That's the problem with new and shiny books! I'm really enjoying C of L so far but I also have a terrible habit of getting fed up with what I'm reading because something newer came along. I try desparately not to buy new books until I've read the old, but you can see how good I am at sticking to that by taking a peek at my 273-book TBR pile! Ah, the road to hell is paved with good intentions (or, in my case, with books).

Coincidentally, and speaking of the plague (we were, tangetially) I have just been dog-walking and, for no real reason, happened to stray through the local churchyard. There is a large, unmarked grassy area that remains empty of gravestones and I was told many years ago by the local vicar that it is a mass grave of the area's 14th C plague victims. Not many people know that. Take a look at your local graveyard if you live in the UK - yours may have something similar. I've often wondered whether it is a good or a bad thing that there is no memorial there to these people and today's visit has made me even keener to get ahead with C of L. Suddenly the characters are real people who could be buried at my local church!

#125 Time-wise, Booksloth, I'm right there with you - 1347 in England in World Without End by Ken Follett. The book spans the time period 1327 to 1361. Haven't quite gotten to the black death yet.

I started The Princess Bride by William Goldman(the abridged version) last night

#126 Know what? I thought I saw you there in 1348! Must have been deja vu.

127 - loved Princess Bride

I finished Simple Gifts by June Sprigg last night - last of my vacation books. Now I'll go enter the three that I read while gone (two of them were started before I left, by the way)

>123 *sigh* Yet another one for the TBR list.

>130 hehe I would say i'm sorry but i get too much enjoyment from suggesting to others that they read wonderful books in the hope that they'll love them as much as i did.

#109 - The Comfort of Strangers is not "scary" so much as it is ominous and foreboding. Without revealing more about the plot, I will tell you though that it is most certainly Halloween worthy.

#112 - Good luck putting My Sister's Keeper down once you've started it!

I loved, loved, loved The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie! I reviewed it on the book's reviews page.

The Christmas Oratorio, on the other hand, was a miserable gloomfest.

btw - Here is my review of The Comfort of Strangers.

I'll be moving on to something more cheerful now.

I just finished Amagansett by Mark Mills and started Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie.

I just read Monkey See by Walt Maguire and I loved it!

It is not just a novel, but an evaluation of human life, a social satire, a how-to guide for creating talking monkey children, an advice column for dealing with teenagers, an analysis of cultural values, and a collection of recipes all bound together. Whether your interests lie in learning the proper etiquette for a job interview with an ape overlord, or if you were really only searching for a user-friendly chart to help you find the perfect name for your newly created monkey mutant, “Monkey See” is a highly informative and a truly laugh-out-loud read.

I highly recommend it.

#120 I just got to Tom recently. A strange fellow that one... Still enjoying!

#133 I've had my eye on "The Sweetness..." for a while. Glad to hear youl liked it. I'll have to order it when I get some spare cash.

Just finished a remarkable book, Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence by Matthew Sanford - fascinating story and well written. My review is here. Now just starting Your Inner Fish. Am I avoiding getting back to Life and Fate? Maybe just a little....

I'm reading Olen Steinhauer's The Bridge of Sighs.

Just finished In Alle Staten and will start Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close later today.

Day off yesterday and sat and read New Moon. Stephenie Meyer's writing seems to pull me into her characters' world in a way that hasn't happened to me in a while (heaven knows why - it's many years since I was a teenager!). Planning Eclipse for the next uninterrupted day off - might be a couple of weeks though...can I wait that long?

Picked up Home for Christmas, the new Andrew Greeley at the library yesterday - I think I am the first to read this copy!

I finished reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I am now reading The Outlander by Gil Adamson. Hopefully I will be able to finish the book this time. This is the 3rd or 4th time I have borrowed this book from the library. I had to start over just because I couldn't figure out where I was last time I had read the book. It has been about a month since I borrowed the book from the library. I am also reading Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris.

>143: I hope you stick with The Outlander this time. I just finished it a week or so ago and really loved it, although at first I thought about dropping it too. I think I had to get used to the gloomy, desperate, and somewhat crazy POV. The widow gets more sane as the book goes on, so hang in there.

Still reading The heretics feast and started Lord of Misrule for reasons involving baby pigeons and newspapers. It's very readable.

#144: I was enjoying the book it was just that I had some personal problem going on in my life and just couldn't get into reading books. I was really getting back into reading and into The Outlander when I had used up all my renewals for it that I had to return it. I just now got back to the library to take it out again. I figure since it had been awhile since I had started the book I may as well start at the beginning and I will hopefully be able to skim or read quickly when I remember reading it before. I plan to hang in there and to finish it this time. Thanks :)

Monic'a

Just finished Sarah Langan's excellently creepy novel of the fate that befalls a small New England town in The Keeper. And sticking with the Halloween-appropriate theme of scary stories, I've moved on to Peter Straub's Ghost Story.

I'm just about to start The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. I am completely hooked on her Three Pines series, and already have the fourth from the library and the fifth on order.

I finished Creepers which was properly creepy and began The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood this morning.

I finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I enjoyed a lot. I've now started rereading one of the treasured novels of my youth, World Series, by John R. Tunis. This is the second book in the Roy Tucker series that begins with The Kid from Tomkinsville, which I read earlier this year. The books are about a fictional version of the Brooklyn Dodgers and their young star, Roy Tucker. They were written in the 40s, and I read them at around 10 years old, in the 60s, and now here it is more than 40 years later and I'm reading them again.

They are YA books, certainly, but very well written and enjoyable for adults. They do not sugar coat life at all, that's for sure.

The final book in the series, The Kid Comes Back, chronicles Tucker's time fighting in World War Two and his post-war return to baseball. I'll be reading that again sometime soon, as well.

Well, I finished Eve's Ransom by George Gissing and really enjoyed it. I continue reading The Taker by Rubem Fonseca, a stark, intense collection of short stories. I am about to start listening to Peony in Love by Lisa See.

#147 Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh! I just love Ghost Story! I find Straub's stuff very hit and miss in general but that is a real high point.

I finished In the Courts of the Crimson Kings. I really enjoyed it. It was a very interesting contrast to it's predecessor, The Sky People. Both books were great.

Tomorrow I plan to start Fleeing Hitler by Hanna Diamond.

Started and finished Home for Christmas by Andrew Greeley today.

I wish there were a way to find a book easier. Most of the time there's no problem but sometimes you read a book that has a title that also belongs, in part or whole, to several other books by different authors.

I wish there were a way to say connect title AND author or title AND Pub date or something to cull unnecessary other editions of the title you are looking for. Our county library system has such a thing where you can enter as much info as you know to find a title.

I just spent 20 minutes looking for Andrew Greeley's new book Home for Christmas. There were over 600 under the title alone and over 800 for Greeley!

155, Koalamom: I think you can connect title and author, you just add a couple spaces. If you're on the "Add books" Page, if you type:

Home for Christmas Andrew Greeley

with 2 spaces between the title and author, it's the only match.

The touchstones, however, aren't so easy. On touchstone, you click the "others" button and hit (if on a PC) CTRL+F and type the authors name, and that will find it most of the time.

Message edited by its author, Oct 22, 2009, 5:07pm.

I finished Danube by Claudio Magris last night, thank God. I'll let somebody else review it. I may quote him on Herta Müller by and by.

Robert

I've been out on vacation for a couple of days and finished reading People of the Book for the group read. I started reading John Banville The Sea and am having trouble getting into it. I am not sure why, but I guess I am not far enough into it to be able to figure out what the story is.

I noticed earlier in the thread that somebody is reading Glass Books of the Dream Eaters in German! I enjoyed that book - in English. I have also read the sequel and enjoyed both books. I am not sure why they weren't a huge success as there certainly was plenty of hype from the publisher. I would be interested in other opinions about those books.

I finished The Sparrow -well worth reading but disturbing.

I am now at the stage where I can ignore the hype and have started The Time Traveller's Wife (good so far)

I'm STILL working on Pendragon's Banner, I've been reading it all week, which is unusual for me, but this has been a slow reading week. I hope to rectify that with Saturday's Readathon, though. If I can squeeze in Say You're One of Them before then, I will.

>Carlos & Booksloth- I also loved Ghost Story! Easily one of my favorite horror books of all time and I never cared much for his other books either!

Oooh, Ghost Story! I remember that one from my younger days - definitely spooky.

#160 calm - The Sparrow keeps getting moved up in my tbr pile. I'm always glad to hear good things about it. I read The Time Traveller's Wife almost two years ago (also after its initial hype wound down). I really enjoyed it (but only after my accounting brain stopped trying to make sense of the time travel) and recommend it so I hope you like it too.

Just finished Helene Hanff's biography of life on Broadway in the forties and fifties Underfoot in Show Business when actors and playwrights made the daily rounds to get jobs. It reminded me of the 1955 novel Marjorie Morningstar which covers the same world but in a more serious vein.
Underfoot was hilarious.

I spent a delightful evening listening to Kathryn Davis read from a new novel she is in the process of writing. I purchased her books Labrador and The Thin Place and got them signed!

I want to thank all of you LT'ers for recommending this author. When I saw she was going to be here I decided I just couldn't miss her reading. I can honestly say this is an author who would have gotten under my radar had I not been hearing and seeing her name bandied about in here.

Tomorrow Kathryn Stockett will be here reading and signing her new book The Help. I won't be able to attend that signing so have a friend who has been kind enough to take my copy along with her and get it signed. I can't believe that there are two authors all in the same week in our little city. Oh I am so lucky! (In case you are wondering why I would miss Kathryn Stockett it is because I am going to try to wind my way through a corn maze tomorrow. It is the closest thing I could find to a medieval labyrinth. I got interested in those because of reading Ariana Franklin. The Serpent's Tale is set in a medieval labyrinth.) Sometimes I think books are very dangerous things. They make be too curious. Or perhaps I am curious and therefore I read? Umhh, I'll have to think about that. Tomorrow.

I finished Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer. This is another tough riveting story, by one of my favorite non-fiction authors. Highly recommended! I'm working on a review. I'm about to start The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I've heard good buzz on this one and I need something a bit lighter after the heavy subject matter of the last one.

Since my last post I've finished The Time of the Hero by Mario Vargas Llosa and two books by the French writer Annie Ernaux, Simple Passion and "I Remain in Darkness". I should finish The Education of a British-Protected Child, a collection of essays by Chinua Achebe, today. I'm also reading Creole Folktales by the Martiniquian author Patrick Chamoiseau, which I should finish today or tomorrow.

Message edited by its author, Oct 23, 2009, 8:19am.

Finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I loved Everything is Illuminated, and I loved this one. It was a very touching tale.

Now I am going to read The Historian again, one of my rereads for the 1010 challenge.

156 - I'll try that

I already know about the touchstones thing as I had to use it to make sure I got the right "Home for Christmas" here on the thread - it was when I wanted to put it in my library that I had a problem - I tried using the word "by" but I was told that "title" didn't exist - I'll see if using spaces helps

hey, just tried it and it does work! thanks for the tip

Message edited by its author, Oct 23, 2009, 8:30am.

There are a whole lot of tricks on LT I still don't understand how to do. These tips help.

Finished William Gibson's Burning Chrome and now reading The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami. It's all got me feeling somewhat otherworldly!

Read the whole of Sunshine yesterday and didn't really do much else all afternoon, Still need to finish The Girl with the Dragon tattoo but i don't see that happening tonight as my flatmates and my cousin and me are all going out.

> 159, benitastrnad
I read The Glass books of the Death Eaters in german (I come from Germany) and I'm really enjoying it, until now I have probably reached the half and it's just sucking me in. but I do not have the time to read I would like, maybe I can finish this weekend but I suppose not.

Reading A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Red Convertible, a collection of 36 stories by Louise Erdrich that span her 30-year career. Now I am finishing up Lush Life. I started it as an audio book to keep me company on a recent trip. I switched to the print version about midway through.

I have started, sort of, Life and Fate. Sixty or so pages into it I still don't have a feel for it, but nothing has persuaded me to stop. It remains to be seen whether it will hold my attention against non-fiction.

Robert

Donna- I enjoyed your review on The Red Convertible and I hope you are loving Lush Life as much as I did. It was my one of my favorites from last year.
I finished A Dangerous Man by Charlie Huston. Another terrific crime novel by a modern master!
Hear ye! Hear ye! We are having our People of the Book group read, in just over a week. It begins Nov. 1st and if you interested, please stop by: http://www.librarything.com/topic/73347
It should be fun & thought-provoking!

#139-mollygrace,

I read Bridge of Sighs a couple of weeks back and was, ultimately, disappointed. It was far superior, and less of a gimmick than Tears of Autumn, but when publishers push an author as the next Le Carre, I expect a certain level of quality that I don't even find in most of Le Carre's later novels.

Message edited by its author, Oct 23, 2009, 6:26pm.

I spent a gloomy, chilly Friday in the company of a very fine fantasy novel: The Map of Moments, about the magical and unseen New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. Loved it, and hope all of you will go read my review on the book's page to see why.

>28 Isn't it good?!

179 - Richard, I think The Map of Moments sounds really good. Do you have to read Mind the Gap first to understand it, or are they independent of each other?

PaperbackPirate, I asked something similar on Richard's thread. He hasn't read Mind the Gap yet.

So it sounds like The Map of Moments works as an independent book.

Message edited by its author, Oct 24, 2009, 5:18pm.

Thanks!