Mark's Reading Place #7: A Dialogue of Books

A spring watercolor!

Currently Reading:



Audiobook:



Graphic:


Books Read So Far...

January:

1) Habibi by Craig Thompson 3.8 stars (GN)
2) The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux 4 stars (audio)
3) House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer's Journey Home by Mark Richard 4.7 stars
4) The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey 3.5 stars (audio)
5) Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff 4 stars (audio)
6) The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer 4.2 stars (OTS)
7) The Shotgun Rule by Charlie Huston 3.8 stars (OTS)
8) The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 4.7 stars (audio)
9) Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill 4.2 stars (audio)
10) The Secret River by Kate Grenville 4.5 stars (OTS)
11) Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert 3.8 stars (audio)

February:

12) Grave Peril by Jim Butcher 3.5 stars (audio)
13) The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen 3.7 stars (OTS)
14) Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick 4.8 stars (audio)
15) The Empty Family by Colm Tóibín 3.7 stars (audio)
16) The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck 4.7 stars (GR)
17) Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis 3.5 stars (OTS)
18) Blood Red Road by Moira Young 4 stars (OTS)
19) Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman 4.5 stars (OTS)
20) Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie 3.8 stars (audio)
21) Stay Awake: Stories by Dan Chaon 4.6 stars (OTS)
22) Feynman by Jim Ottaviani 4.2 stars (GN)

March:

23) Raylan by Elmore Leonard 3.6 (audio)
24) What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes 4.7 stars (audio)
25) The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach 4.4 stars (OTS)
26) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King 4.5 stars (audio)
27) The Betrayal: A Novel by Helen Dunmore 3.5 stars
28) The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck 3.8 stars (Group Read)
29) The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson 4.7 stars (audio)
30) Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 5 stars
31) Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell 4.5 stars (OTS)
32) Below Stairs by Margaret Powell 3.8 stars
33) The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss 3.7 stars (audio)
34) In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin 4.5 stars

Cream of the Crop '12:

1) Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick 4.8 stars (audio)
2) The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 4.7 stars (audio)
3) Stay Awake: Stories by Dan Chaon 4.6 stars
4) What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes 4.7 stars
5) Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 5 stars

Group Reads 2012: (I am shamelessly stealing this from Ilana. She loves me, so it doesn't matter)

March: Mystery March- The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
April: David Copperfield (75ers), The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
May: Murder & Mayhem, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (12/12), A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor (Virago Modern Classics)
June: River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh (75ers) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (12/12, tutored read), Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
July: East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon), Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks (12/12), Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (Virago Modern Classics)
August: The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon), Middlemarch by George Eliot (12/12)
September: In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon), Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams (12/12)
October: Blindness by José Saramago (12/12), Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
November: Travels With Charley and The Pearl by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
December: Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)

Wow that's some watercolor! ETA Oh ok better size Mark. I'm first! Yippee! Oh no I bet I'm not supposed to be here am I? Sorry Mark.

It is 80 here today too!!!

(I'm re-posting this from the old thread)
Yep, should have worn the shorts, several others did. Oh whatever, it was a nice day to be walking around.
On BOTNS, Ann mentioned a terrific sounding memoir called Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Has anyone heard about this one? And Michael raved about the Expats, which also sounds promising. I love that show!

Bonnie- You are Number One in my book! No one turns me on to more terrific titles than you! It was my fault, I should have reserved Post 2 for myself while I was farting around with sizing.

Tammy- Wasn't it great? And what a lovely evening too!

Why hello there, got aaaaaall the way to the end of the last thread and lookie here, there's a new one!

Was going to comment on the Androscoggin River (what a name!) had to google it and see what its all about. Looks a nice place to walk next to, for Cee.

I have been to the midwest before Mark, for 5 hours, on stopover from London (UK) to Mexico City. Pre 9/11 of course as was just stamped in and cruised about the city for a couple of hours before flying on. But cant make it to your meetup sorry, even if LT were paying.......its a bit far.....my carbon footprint would be gargantuan.

26) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King 4.5 stars

I am not sure how this one got by me and I’ve been a fan, since the mid-70s. Maybe it was released during a period that I was taking a break from Mr. King. There were some weak stretches in his bibliography, along with the amazing ones. Whatever the reason, I am glad I finally picked it up. It’s quite a joy to read.
The first half of the book is a memoir, taking the reader through his hard-scrabble childhood, raised by his tough hard-working mother. We look at his college years and his many attempts to publish his short stories and then there is his early marriage, struggling to support a growing family on a teacher’s salary and then the eventual sale of a little book called Carrie. All perfectly told in his smart, amusing, no nonsense style.

The 2nd half is about the craft of writing and it’s equally as fascinating. He keeps his advice pretty simple:
"I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs and I will shout it from the rooftops."
or
"... there is a huge difference between story and plot. Story is honorable and trustworthy; plot is shifty and best kept under house arrest."
Even if you are not a King fan, I know there are a few of you out there, give it a try. I have a feeling you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Hi Mark!
You were in our news tonight - they said Chicago was 81 degrees! Keep it there!
And... I noticed the cherry blossoms are out in WDC!
This year's for you!

Hello there!

A friend has recommended The Orphan Master's Son several times, so today I finally joined the waiting list at the library. I can't wait to see your thoughts.

Megan- Glad you found your way over here. I didn't think you could make the Meet-Up but it never hurts to ask. LOL. It would probably be more likely that we would visit Australia and NZ, although that would be far in the future.

Claudia- Hey, we made the news! Crazy, huh? At least it wasn't for a major snowstorm.

Luxx- I'm reading/listening to the final 1/3 of Orphan Master and it's been excellent. The narrative threads jump around a bit, that gets some getting used to, but Johnson is really an author to watch.

Present and accounted for!

I'm slowly working my way through King's bibliography, and I've heard so many great things about On Writing that I can't wait to get to it!

Dropping a star, of course! 81 F!! Wow, Mark! We've had cooler temps here - more like ? 45 F. It's been a long winter!

27) The Betrayal: A Novel by Helen Dunmore 3.5 stars

The last time we saw Anna and Andrei, they had both survived the torturous siege of Leningrad. This follow-up finds the couple, in 1952, under the iron-fisted rule of Stalin. Andrei is a respected doctor and Anna is a nursery teacher.
One fateful day, Andrei is summoned by a Senior Secret Police official, to examine his ailing son. Andrei quickly realizes the prognosis is bleak for the child and the doctor finds himself in a precarious situation, as he attempts to treat the boy.
The story is rife with fear and paranoia, setting a perfect tone for Stalinist Russia, as the married couple struggle with trust and survival.
I did not find the narrative as taunt and compelling as Dunmore’s work in the Siege, but it was wonderful to re-connect with these characters and the author’s writing is still awe-inspiring.

*And thanks to Deb, for finally getting me to read this one!

Hey! Thumbs up from me re The Betrayal . I gave it 4 stars, but hey, we are all different! Much nicer cover than I had on my hardcover!

Morning everyone! It looks like it's going to be another beautiful day. Hey, for you DA fans, I picked up my library copy of Below Stairs. This looks like a reprint, with a DA blurb on the cover. Riding that wave, I guess. I have 2 other books to knock out first, but I will get to it and it's a shorty too! Yah!

Kim- Nice to see you! Always brightens my day.

Amber- I'm sure you will love On Writing. Plus there is some great tidbits about his books, which I devoured.

Deb- You are experiencing our normal temps. I'm sure things will start to warm up in the Northwest. Glad you liked the review. I tried to make it balanced enough.

Mark congrats on Thread 7 - great going mate! On Writing is one I have had my eye for a while - if only to fathom how Stephen King is quite so prolific.

Beautiful watercolor, Marky-Mark. And great review of The Betrayal. That's going on my obese wish list

Mark! You must read The Wise Man's Fear. I just finished it while walking back to the office after lunch. I was so engrossed, I left my ATM card at the restaurant and had to go back. I hope he does not take to long writing the third book.

On Writing is one a want to get to in this lifetime, but has yet to make it to any of my lists.....possibly the same scenario applies with The Betrayal!

Im reading Sea of Poppies right now just to be ready for your GR of its sequel. Dedicated huh?

Brown-noser!! LOL

I finished the Winter of Our Discontent. It's a good read but far from Steinbeck's best. I started Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Despite the squalid subject matter, the writing is exquisite. I know I am only a few pages in but this book will make my Best of the Year List. There, I said it!

Paul- King does not get into why he is so prolific, but writing is his life and his discipline is quite impressive. The amazing part is the amount of rewrites he does, especially with the vast size of some of his books.

Caro- I definitely recommend The Betrayal if you are a fan of the Siege, just to be able to hook back up with these characters.

Jennifer- That's great news! You know what, I already have it ready on my iPod ,maybe I'll start it next.

Megan- That's great. I hope SOP grabs you like it did me. I loved it from beginning to end. And yes, you are dedicated. Never mind the peanut gallery.

Oh hi Kimmers!!

I am so glad that you finally discovered On Writing.....though it isn't perfect..it's a damned good read.

Sorry, i can't comment on everything else , here

;-}

Hiya Mark! I'm in for May 5th (especially if Joe ends up doing a hat dance). Mexican Theme sounds great, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you, Sue, Bailey, Linda, and Joe again, and whomever else can make it! Yahoo!!!!!

Did you know your girlfriend Rachel Weisz was on The Daily Show yesterday? I thought of you, and I would've called, but I figured you were either a) asleep or b) already knew. Are you going to see her new movie?

Hi Mark, I did see Katherine Boo on Colbert. I'm not crazy about his interviews - his persona gets in the way. I did see the latest Walking Dead. They've really tightened things up with the plotting - wow. The acting is still a little so-so though. Looking forward to Sunday's episode! I know you're a Breaking Bad fan. We just finished watching Season 1-3 and are anxiously waiting for Season 4 to become available.

Hi Mark, isn't this summer we're having wonderful? We've got crocuses up and our forsythia will be in full bloom by this weekend. The King memoir looks very good. I was a pretty big fan back in the 80s but not much since. His early stuff was really good especially The Dead Zone, The Stand, The Shining, Carrie , Misery, And Pet Semetary, which I just read is the book King considers to be his scariest.

Oh, what the hell I'm putting the shorts on. It supposed to stay in the mid-70s through the weekend. Is that great or what? For everyone else experiencing this early Spring: ENJOY!

Jude- Good to see you! I'm glad you were also a fan of On Writing. It was quite the treat.

Laura- Funny, I was just going to post a comment about Rachel Weisz being on the Daily Show, (I just saw it last night). She's as lovely as ever and I love that big husky laugh of hers.
I'm so glad you can make the Meet-up! Should be a great time. If you know anyone else in the area that would be interested, spread the word.

Joanne- We definitely are culture soulmates! LOL. I've also enjoyed the past few Walking Deads and I'm glad "you know who" is finally gone. I'm so glad you caught up on Breaking Bad. It's my favorite current show. You are going to LOVE season 4!
Hey, I've been really enjoying this season of Justified too!

Bonnie- "isn't this summer we're having wonderful?" LOL. Well, it sure feels like summer and I do love it. Thanks for the King comments. I think you should give some of his later work, like Lisey's Story & Duma Key a try. I loved both. And I agree, Pet Sematary is one of his best, although it still gives me the willies thinking about it.

Wow, trees and new threads abound around LT land. Another decent day is forecast for today so it should be the start of a good weekend.
Will you be watching the river turn green? oh yes! and beer, plenty of it. Too much will surely make Mark turn green but have a great St. Patrick's day all the same.

Stopping by to say hi! Just finished a review of my latest Midnight at the Dragon Cafe. I've got Behind the Beautiful Forevers waiting in my TBR pile. I'm looking forward to it!

Lovely spring watercolor, Mark. I still want to read The Siege and appreciate your comments about the sequel (sequel?).
I was a complete Stephen King addict in his early writing years. I still think Salem's Lot and The Stand are two of my favorites.

Another beautiful day! I can't believe I am working on my tan (farmer's variety), in March. The amazing thing is this will continue at least into the middle of next week. Yahoo!
And the icing on the cake is, both my books have been fantastic. I'll finish the Orphan Master's Son tomorrow, (this might also rank as one of my favorite audiobooks) and I am LOVING Behind the Beautiful Forevers. I predict both of these going to my Cream of the Crop List!

Lynda- I work tomorrow, so no plans to go downtown, for the "green river". I have seen it a few times, (in my younger wilder days) and it is pretty cool.
We are going to a St. Paddy's Day Party Saturday night though and that should be fun.

Deb- I will go and check out your review and you move Behind the Beautiful Forevers up a few notches. It's incredible.

Ellen- I highly recommend The Siege. It's terrific. Did you just fall off with Stephen King? I agree there was a long rocky middle period in his career but there are still some gems mixed in, The Green Mile and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon are examples and like I mentioned to Bonnie, a couple of his last titles were very good too.

Mark, my very own Lone Ranger, you have not visited my thread in quite some time!!! Sad.......and I've started a new one! As per your instructions I have moved Behind the Beautiful Forevers up a few notches. It was never behind -but my next read is going to be something fun and escapist, I think. I've read quite a few " sad " books - I need a boost.

Stopping by to say "Hello!"

Mark - enjoy a lovely and warm weekend mate!

I enjoy your book comments as always, Mark. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Hi Mark: Enjoy this string of unbelievably warm days. Sounds like it'll go through at least Thursday and, even then, maybe in the low 60s.

Happy St. Paddy's Day! Working today, party tonight. Friends, beer & corned beef. Can't beat it.

Hi Deb- I'm sure you saw my visits. Tonto sometimes gets under-appreciated but I will not forget my faithful sidekick. Enjoy your weekend.

Terri- Good to see you! Hope all is well.

Paul- I hope you have a good weekend too and get some relaxing in.

Ann- Great to see you! I hope you are enjoying this unbelievable weather there too!

Linda- I definitely got some sun yesterday. And they just said another record-breaker set for today. Have a nice weekend.

Just stopping by to say hello!

Have fun at your party tonight :)

Happy St. Patty's Day Mark!!! We're getting ready to watch New Dublin's ( New London) parade. Most everyone here claims to be Irish, even if they're not.

Me too! Work (housework) then party tonight!
Great day for both :)

Hope you're enjoying this beautiful day here, Mark (I'm sure you are!)

I liked that review of The Betrayal, too. Thumb from me. I'm hooked on Anna and Andrei, too, so this one is in my future.

Another plum of a day! Hit 80 again and without any humidity, that is just peachy. I finished the excellent The Orphan Master's Son. Expect plenty of raving on this one. It's a big bold read, with incredible ambition.
I just started, on audio, The Wise Man's Fear. It's a mammoth-sized fantasy tale, the 2nd in a series.

Kath- Good to see you! We leave in an hour. It gave me a little time to relax beforehand.

Tammy- Back at you! Actually, my maternal grandmother was born in Ireland, so I have a nice chunk of Irish in me. Enjoy your weekend.

Claudia- Hey, have a nice time at your party. We'll compare notes in the morning. LOL.

Joe-You will enjoy the Betrayal, probably more than I did. I'm curious if Dunmore will finish out the trilogy, like she proposed. I really want to read more of her work.

Oy, Happy Saint Paddy's...you old sod

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BsiF-x1ttk

;-)

Jude- That was awesome! Thank you! The Pogues are such a great band. Yes, I was whirling around the room. I should bring one of my Pogue cds with me tonight.

"If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me"

no doctor can relieve him - indeed

St Paddys day no good for anything around here unless you're a beer guzzling, Irish Pub visiting, just turned 18 year old. If you ask me. What is one supposed to do on St Patricks Day other than drink?

Hi Mark, I loved On Writing when I had read it and had actually made notes. Maybe someday...

Happy Sunday! We had a real nice time at the party last night. Liquor & food were flowing freely and the bonus was, we could sit outside, in shorts & shirt-sleeves, it was that mild. A pal of mine had made a couple bottles of Irish Creme, which was quite tasty and of course we had to do a shot of Jamesons. You have to.
We have a family get-together today, to celebrate a few birthdays. It is supposed to be 80 again. Sweet.

Megan- We normally don't do much for St. Patrick's Day, especially if it falls during the week, but having it on Saturday was perfect.

Gautam- Good to see you. Hope your books are treating you well. And yes, On Writing was such a nice surprise.

Glad you had such a wonderful ST. Patrick's Day, Mark! I understand that you've broken out your shorts in the warm weather. I can't say it's that warm here , but it's warm enough that I was able to wear a short sleeved short out on my walk yesterday -and see the sun too!:)

29) The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson 4.7 stars

“The most glorious nation in the world.”

Jun Do was born and raised in a North Korean orphan work camp, where his father was in command. We then follow this young man through a serpentine path, spiked with fear and danger. He is trained in the military, becomes a guard in the prison mines, then a government kidnapper. He learns English, so is placed on a fishing vessel, to listen to foreign radio transmissions and this leads to being an official translator.
And this is just the beginning of this tough, brilliantly plotted novel. It‘s a book about identity and false-fronts, where nothing is as it seems, where a government controls your every thought.
“The darkness inside your head is something your imagination fills with stories that have nothing to do with the real darkness around you.”
In preparation to reading this, I read Nothing to Envy a couple months ago. An excellent nonfiction account and a perfect companion. Seek out both.

Hi Mark. Adam Johnson's fiction debut was a collection of short stories, Emporium, that seems to have been well-rated by LT members. It sounds rather dark, so it might be worth exploring.

Greetings Mark, glad the party last night left you unscathed! Of course, I see your fingers are working but I don't know how your head is feeling but you do sound coherent :0)
Enjoy the birthday's. It should be another great day here too, and I'm just about to go out for a morning walk.

I wanted to mention, if you want to read a couple "real" reviews of The Orphan Master's Son, please check out Linda92007 and Bonnie (Brenzi) excellent ones.

Deb- The nice weather continues. Plenty of sun and blue sky. Hopefully we can sit outside today too.

Linda- Thanks, I'll have to check out Emporium. This is an author to watch. It looks like a lot of readers were bothered by the torture and suffering in the book but since most of it happens offstage, it didn't disturb me as much.

Lynda- Just a little fuzzy but not bad. Just had a big breakfast, which helped. Enjoy your day.

I'd say that was a real review as well, Mark, and a good one!

Hi Mark -
Survived last night's festivities and only have a headache this morning. But I do everyday anyway... :P

"What is one supposed to do on St Patricks Day..."
Well, Megan, we had a pizza party! If St Paddy is really a saint, he'll ignore the Italian overtones. If he is *not* a saint, then he won't care as long as we have fun! LOL

There are so many birthday parties around there - I'm starting to wonder if it's just an excuse to have a cake party ???
Have fun in the sun!

Nice review.. and I agree with Cee.. cake excuse :)

Tee hee - my St Paddy's day celebration was watching England beat Ireland in the final match of the 6 nations. Muahahahahaha!

Anne- Thanks! It is a terrific read, unless a reader is very sensitive, I would recommend it to everyone.

Claudia- Hey, it's all about having fun, whatever the excuse. I'm glad you had a good time last night. We did too!
March is a big birthday month for us as well. My daughter is the 8th, Matt is the 20th and 2 or 3 other family members are mixed in there too!
Our cake today was pretty impressive! It was banana cake, with strawberry filling and a nice tasting frosting. I need to walk an extra mile or 2 tomorrow.

Kath- Big wave! Hope your day went well.

BekkaJo- Nice to see you! Always enjoy your visits.

HI Mark
I love the bright yellows in your opening print.

Stopping by to wave hello!

Sounds like a fun party Saturday night, Mark! Nothing better than spending time with pals and good drinks in this great weather.

Nice review of The Orphan Master's Son. I'm going to try to find a time to read that and Nothing to Envy, although it may take a while.

The Orphan Master's Son and Nothing to Envy are both on my wish list, also. Glad you had a good weekend, Mark! The weather was gorgeous here, too. We spent a lot of time on the deck which is one of our very favorite places to be.

I have to go out and struggle through another 80 degree day. This is starting to wear me down, compadres.
I'll be finishing up Behind the Beautiful Forevers. It's really an amazing book. And then I'm going to FINALLY squeeze a crime book in for Mystery March. Yah!

Linda- Great to see you! Big wave back!

Joe- I highly recommend you try both North Korean books. You know, I wouldn't steer you wrong.

Mamie- Yes, let's keep enjoying this outstanding weather. It's so nice to have windows open and to be able to sit outside, even through the evening.

Actually, it was muggy out for awhile this afternoon, after a brief shower but now it's back to being very comfortable. No complaints, from this (slightly sunburned) mailman.

I finished the incredible Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Please read Joe's excellent review. I will do one but I am a bit intimidated. Next up, is Beat the Reaper and I'll finally be joining the Mystery folks.

I've had Behind the Beautiful Forevers since I read Joe's review... I'm sure your review will only make me get a copy sooner rather than later, Marky-Mark.

I thought I'd make a bigger dent in my mystery stack this month, what with the theme and all, but somehow I've been distracted by other non-mystery books. Oh well .. maybe I'll catch up with a little Fred Vargas and Jo Nesbo before the month is up.

Hi mark. Maybe I'll give The Green Mile and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon a try. I "quit" on Stephen King when I was reading It and I couldn't sleep because I was so freaked out, and a friend asked me why I was reading something that interfered with my sleep (please recall that I am a lifelong insomniac, already!)..... so, I set the book aside and never returned. Prior to that, I believe I had read every single Stephen King pretty much as soon as I could get them......

Well, the Walking Dead is over...for now. It was a good finale. Zombies Galore in this one! Serious munching going on. The 2nd half of the season was an improvement over the 1st. IMHO.

I've been listening to the very hefty the Wise Man's Fear and it's been light & fun so far...with a LONG way to go.

Caro- You will love Behind the Beautiful Forevers. The writing is superb. Thanks again for reminding me about Vargas & Nesbo. I NEED to get to both.
Have a safe trip!

Ellen- Thanks for the explanation on King and why you stopped reading him. Maybe you can ease back in. There are many books of his well worth reading.

Enquiring minds want to know, Mark......Have you caved and put on your shorts? Enjoy your stroll today looks like a beauty

I know.. 80's in March are insane .
Good luck out there and here is to wishing for real spring weather to come back?
Although from the news, I am fearing that this is the new normal.

Hi there Mark! I know all about book review intimidation!!! I'm two books behind in comments and reviews. I think I've got " review block". One I have created some quick comments on, the other, I feel I have to create a proper review on. Boy, it's holding up my progress on LT, but not my reading!:) We had two cool but sunny days - but today is supposed to be rain , rain rain!Sigh!

Glad you loved Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Mark! It's amazing, as you say. Don't be "intimidated" by nobody. Jeez, if that was the way of things we'd all just be reading Richard's reviews. I always enjoy your point of view - everyone has different reactions. How many books have you turned me on to? I lost count a good while ago.

Another wonderful weather day - enjoy! I'll be sneaking out at lunchtime for sure.

Mark - nice to see you still enjoying it in the tropics of an Illinois March! Watch the sunburn mate and enjoy it while it lasts.

Good morning, Mark. As I headed over here, I looked again at the watercolor at the top of this thread. I know I already said I like it, but I really like it!!

Mark: Glad Wise Man is going well for you so far. You are right in saying that it is light and fun.

I'm back! I managed to come back with no new books this trip. Isn't that wonderful. Weather out there was lovely. Nothing like seeing the horizon covered in flames on a quiet spring night. It is so primal. It is a little worrisome that each year pasture burning moves up a week, and burning pastures in March is really really early.

Did I see that you got a copy of Zoo Station? I really liked those books and have the new one already waiting for me to read. Got to get to it before the ARC Gods stop sending me those books to review. I also have Beat the Reaper and The Wise Man's Fear in my pile of books, but my next one will be A Murderous Procession and In other Rooms, Other Wonders.

It's amazing how everything is blooming like crazy out there, (my allergies are flaring up a little) but it shore looks purty!

I finally started my Mystery March book, Beat the Reaper and just that fast I found myself another top-notch crime writer and the guy is tough as razor blades but funny as hell. This is how it opens:
"So I'm on my way to work and I stop to watch a pigeon fight a rat in the snow, and some f*ckhead tries to mug me! Naturally there's a gun."
I love that stuff!

Lynda- I put on my shorts on Friday and they might stay on the rest of this week. It is supposed to cool off. 80 yesterday, 80 today and 80 tomorrow. Unbelievable.

Kath- It is a little freaky but I'm really not complaining. I'm sure some cool weather will be coming back.

Deb- I was talking about the intimidation in regards to following up Joe on reviewing Behind the Beautiful Forevers and I was mostly joking, although his review is awesome. we could use some of the rain. It's been sunny and dry.

Oh I knew you'd like that one Mark. And yes, this weather is unbelievable. I actually have some sunburn from sitting on my deck and reading (what else would you do on a deck?).

Joe- My comment about being "intimidated" was mostly tongue in cheek, although you nailed it in your review. I'll still put something together for mine. Anything to turn more people on to the Boo book.
Definitely getting plenty of sun. I've been wearing a hat the last part of my route, just to keep the sun off my head and face.

Paul- I actually should be applying sunscreen. I keep forgetting to bring it out with me. hope your week is going well so far.

Ellen- Glad you liked the watercolor. It's fairly simple but something caught my eye on that one.

Jennifer- I will give you complete credit for getting me to start Wise Man's Fear. I did have the audio all ready set-up but sometimes you just need the right nudge.

Benita- I thought you might have abandoned us, I had forgot you had gone out of town for Spring break. Welcome back!
Do they burn all fields or just after growing certain crops?
Zoo Station is lined up for M & M. I think you were the 1st to get me excited about that one. I didn't want to much time to pass after reading Name of the wind, although it's already been over a year, I believe. Rothfuss is good at keeping the narrative light & bouncy, which helps in such a big book.

Bonnie- Were you referring to the Boo book? If so, I loved it and thanks to you, I got to it as quick as I did. This might be my favorite read of the year.

Spring 2012 :op~~~~
What happened to the 50s, 60s and low70s????
Thank the goddess I'm on Maine coast w/seabreezes :-)

Richard cover your eyes! I started the...RD you are peeking, stop it! Thank you. I started the Group Read Thread for David Copperfield. This will kick off April 1st but please jump in at anytime. Just keep in mind it's a massive read. Start spreading the word, the more the merrier.
Here's the link:
Group Read

Mark, I hope to get to the Boo Book sooner rather than later. I'm contemplating my Amazon order for my upcoming Thingaversary books...and it might just be on it. First I'll check the reserve list at the library which I suspect will be lengthy.

If the sun is shining too brightly in ChicagoLand, I'll be happy to send some of our rain your way. I wish there was a way to save some rain for the month of August.

It has been ages since I read DC. Tempting!

Sounds good, Mark. I look forward to your reactions to Wise man's Fear. The Group Read is starred and it should be a fun one!

Claudia- "What happened to the 50s, 60s and low70s????" Good question. None of those were around today either. It supposed to dip down over the weekend. Now, we could use a little rain.

Donna- I think you will love the Book book. Even with the amount of sadness and despair in the book, Boo keeps propelling it forward, with the strength and tenacity of these people.
Funny, we are not getting any of your rain. We are dry. We are supposed to get some tomorrow. We'll see.
I hope you can join us on the DC.

Joe- I just passed 1/3 way mark in Wise Man's Fear. It's been enjoyable but with a LONG way to go. I'm so glad you are joining us on the Group Read. Is this a 1st read for you?

Hi Mark, I have starred the David Copperfield thread, looking forward to that. Of course, I have added both Nothing to Envy and The Orphan Master's Son to the wishlist, and now it looks like you got me again with Beat the Reaper, I guess it isn't surprising that my wishlist is getting out of control!

Sigh. Now I'm going to have to read The Orphan Master's Son. Along with some 300 or 400 other TBR mountain books, that is!!!

87 degrees today. Unbelievable!!!

In the prairie states, of which Illinois is one, there is an eternal war going on. It is the war between the grasses and the trees. Right now the trees are winning the fight, probably because of global warming, but also because of invasive species. The grass needs help. Of course the grass is much more productive than are trees, in that it produces fodder for livestock. For that reason the grass pastures need to be burned at least every four years to stop the trees from growing and to kill the young ones. This burning is usually done in the spring, right around Easter, before the grass greens up (green grass doesn't burn well) but it has been moving up a day or two for the last twenty years. Because of all the really warm weather, (it was up into the lower 80's for most of the week) and low humidity it was ideal burning conditions. Pastures are usually burned in the evenings because as the air cools the winds die down, and it needs to be low wind speeds in order to control the area that is being burned and keep the fire from spreading. It is really something to see fires at different points along the horizon.

The area where I live we have small pastures so only burn 160 acres of land at the most. However, in the Flint Hills they will burn miles of grassland and it makes it really easy to imagine what a prairie fire would have been like in the past. Terrifying.

Zoo Station is probably the roughest of the series by Downing. I think it is that way because it is the first and because the characters have to develop. In my opinion this isn't going to be a can't-stop-reading book, but taken as a part of a whole series it is very good. I think somebody pointed that out about the Louise Penny books on one of the other threads, and I think to a certain degree the reader has to give the author some time and a chance to get going. I have the newest David Downing book in my collection but will read that one in May.

Okay, okay, I've reserved Behind the Beautiful Forevers at the library. (I'm third in the queue, with two copies both already out. Shouldn't be too long a wait.)

While it's turning into summer already over there, we've hit winter. (Whatever happened to spring/autumn??) Still the occasional warm day, but the humidity has dropped and today was a definite long sleeves and jeans sort of day. I'm not a fan of Sydney summers however, so I have no objections. :)

Thanks for the David Copperfield thread, I shall go and read that right now...

Judy- Yes, it's hard to avoid adding books with such good stuff being read by everybody. So far, Beat the Reaper is the most pleasant surprise. I LOVE finding a new crime writer that fits me like a T and he's only on his 2nd book.

Suz- I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Orphan Master's. This guy is a heck of a writer.

Linda- Cooler temps and rain are on their way. We could use both.

Benita- Thanks for the pasture burning info. Fascinating stuff. I'm always interested in the farming world. And thanks for the heads-up on Zoo Station and I agree that series fiction "should" get richer as it goes along, same with TV series.

Tania- Good to see you! We've had 80 or near 80 temps for about a week, smashing record after record. You will the Boo book. It might be my favorite book of the year, slightly nudging out nothing to envy.
See you on the DC Thread.

Mark, just sent you a message on Facebook...a thing called "The Beer Challenge"...check it out!

Yes, Mark, first time for reading David Copperfield for me. I know the story other ways, but am looking forward to reading it.

I started listening to Girl in Translation on the way back from Kansas and am just about to finish it. However, listening to this book has raised some questions for me. So far it is about a high school girl, written by an adult who is writing about a high school girl. I think it is a good book, but wonder why this book was not classed as YA instead of adult. I am a YA and children's librarian and will purchase this book for my collection but would not have done so if I hadn't had personal experience with the book that told me this is a YA book. All reviews of it indicate it is an adult book and it was reviewed as such. Because of the way it was marketed and sold this is a book that won't make it into the hands of people who would like to read it. Granted there are some parts of the book that could be considered controversial, but that is true of many other YA books.

For the last couple of days I have been pondering what makes a book YA and what makes it adult? Should there be this classification or maybe it is superfluous? Does assigning a book the classification of YA make it unattractive to adults and visa versa? Does the classification of any book affect the the choices that any of you guys make regarding selecting a book to read? I ask this question because everybody here is a reader and has a great deal of experience with books so your opinion is valuable to me and to publishers.

>77 msf59: you lost me with the words "massive read" Im afraid.....but in my denfense I have A Tale of Two Cities on my radar for this year.
Oh for more reading time! My tbr pile hates me right now :)

"We still draw the Reaper with a scythe. We should draw him driving a John Deere for Archer Daniels Midland."
-Beat the Reaper

RD- Thanks for the Beer Challenge. I got 39. There were a couple more I could have added. Many heavy dark beers on there, the type I normally don't drink.

Joe- Most of us so far are 1st-timers for DC. Should be fun. I'm nearly halfway with wise Man's Fear. It is a fun read but very little "fantasy", just good storytelling.
I picked up, from the library, the last 2 books in the Y-The Last Man series.

Benita- I have an ARC of Girl in Translation waiting in the stacks. I think a couple lukewarm reviews pushed it back for me. I'll wait for your final verdict.
YA tag has got slippery and like you said it could turn off potential readers, which is to bad.

Megan- Sorry, I spooked you with my "massive" comment. I just have to let people know what they are getting into. I hope you reconsider.
Bad TBR pile! Do a timeout!

Just stepping up to say HellO! It's all I've got in me right now..
Long couple of days.. It looks like all is well here... carry on~

Mark, I'm sorry to say I had to don my blue-filtering glasses tonight... I have about 5 books knocking each other over right now trying to get to me first! Can't consider any others right now.
However - you'll be glad to know I am really enjoying River of Doubt and beginning to know TR much better. I'm liking him for the first time. Good book :)

Sea of Poppies is going very slowly since it's my upstairs book and I've been too tired to do it much justice. Must remedy that!

I know that a "YA" label puts off some adult readers, I get that comment over in my bookgroup every now and then. I like YA literature, the good stuff really hits some good points about the universality of growing up, which we all do, so why wouldn't we be interested in reading about it??

But then again, other members of my bookgroup keep on voting "dysfunctional family" literature onto our reading schedule and then ENJOYING it, so they obviously have completely different tastes from me. :)

I don't mind them dissing YA dystopia stuff, or YA vampire stuff, it can be pretty flawed; but I find it annoying that they just dismiss the whole genre outright. (Not all the readers, mind.)

One of the local bookshops here had a separate branch for children's books (they've since merged back into the one shop). It always threw me that they had a section that included Charles Dickens, and other big meaty 19th century classics. But I can see why they do it, and one shouldn't assume that all kids are happy reading dystopia (although I certainly was a fan of the trashier end of the YA spectrum as a YA myself :). And I loved some of the 19th century classics I read back then (and others I got nowhere with).

I think fiction has to have some immediate relevance to teenagers to be a "YA book": whether that is just because it has teenagers in it, or because it's talking about issues that affect us all as teenagers.

But that's not to say that you can't sneak in a 19th century classic. Or that only teenagers are (or should be) interested in this genre.

Am I sitting on a fence again? :)

I'll admit that a YA tag is a turn off for me. I guess I want to read adult books while I'm able. I understand YA titles work well for the elderly when they have a hard time remembering and confuse characters and plot lines so maybe I'll be more inclined to read them when I get to that stage. But at this point, I'll stay away from them. That doesn't mean that I would ignore a recommendation for a YA title from someone whose opinion I respect and who knows my tastes. A compelling argument can get me to read just about anything except Twilight.

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm enjoying a long weekend. It falls that way every 5 weeks. Yah! It looks like it rained all night and is still drizzling out there. That's good. We needed it. I'm still loving Beat the Reaper and should wrap it up tomorrow. And I'm about at the halfway point in wise Man's Fear. It's a Big Boy, but it's been fun, perfect for walking the route.

Kath- Hope a well-deserved break comes your way. God knows you could use it.

Claudia- With everything you have going on, it's totally understandable. You are reading 2 terrific titles, I hope you have a chance to savor them.
BTW- If you ever have a chance pick up the Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. It is an outstanding bio of a fascinating American.

Tania & Bonnie- I appreciate the YA comments. I think YA has earned a bit more respect these past few years, readers aren't as reluctant to pick one up, due to it's "light " nature.
I treat YA like everything else; if it's exceptional, I'll give it a try. I've been impressed many times.

I admit that I do not exactly pursue YA reads, but I won't avoid a book that sounds
good just because it's YA. Now, I do admit that "coming of age story" in the description
will more often than not send me fleeing.

Mark. Thanks.. and I agree ! :P

Happy Friday, Mark! I must say I feel a bit guilty -- you were one of the first to visit my new thread, and here I am just getting to yours ninety-some messages in! And the first book here is one of my favorites -- I read On Writing the year it was released, and it is close at hand even as I type now. I really should re-read that one . . .

97 I do admit that "coming of age story" in the description will more often than not send me fleeing.
LOL! Me too!

I need to post a GN update, something I've been lax on. I have been reading them, just more slowly. Safe Area Gorazde was outstanding, (thank you RD). I failed to do a review. Bad Mark.
I just finished the Sixth Gun, a big shout-out to Mary & Jim for this one. It's a supernatural western, done very well.
On my way home yesterday, I picked up the final 2 books in Y: The Last Man series. These are a lot of fun. I also picked up the 4th book in the Locke & Key series. These are also top-notch.
If anyone else has a GN suggestion, wing 'em my way!

Hey, Mark. Hope you're staying relatively dry today. It's better than snow, right?

Wise Man's Fear is good storytelling, as you say. I'm glad the length is matching up well with your route. Who does the audio, did you tell us? Have you gotten to Ademre and the blade tree part yet? That was a standout for me.

Ah, glad you're finishing up Y The Last Man. Can't wait to hear your reaction to the ending; it's been controversial.

30) Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 5 stars

Slum Dog Scavengers

“Midnight was closing in, the one-legged woman was grievously burned, and the Mumbai police were coming for Abdul and his father.” And this kicks off this sad and beautiful true-life story of a Mumbai ghetto and it’s tough, resilient inhabitants.
The author spent three years interviewing and studying these people, as they strive and struggle on the absolute fringe of society, a garbage heap in the shadow of Mumbai’s International Airport.
Yes, this tale is dark and heart-breaking at times, but Boo brings out the pride and tenacity of these individuals, to the point that you will be cheering each one of them on. I can not recommend this book higher and the writing is exquisite.
“ Now it poured again, a stinging rain. On the high grounds of the liquid city, rich people spoke of the romance of the monsoon: the languorous sex, retail therapy, and hot jalebis that eased July into August.”
The wonderful title derives from an advertisement for Italian tile, printed on a wall separating the slum from the airport.

*A big thank you to Bonnie, for giving me the opportunity to read this as soon as I did!

Yay! It's a great book, isn't it, Mark? "the writing is exquisite" - couldn't agree more.

Kath- "but I won't avoid a book that sounds good just because it's YA." I'm with you on that one, 100 %!

Terri- Never feel guilty, keeping up on LT is not EASY, I'm just glad you dropped by. And yes, on Writing was terrific, wasn't it?

Joe- I am off today and tomorrow, so the weather can do whatever it wants. I have not got to the "Ademre and the blade tree part " yet. Look forward to it.
And yes, the Boo book is my top read of the year...so far.

Sigh, this thread is sooooooo dangerous!

I enjoyed the brief YA discussion. I admit to being one of the avoiders, but I've read a couple of things in the past year or so (can you say "LT"?) that I would never have otherwise read and very much enjoyed them. The notion of saving some of the easier reading for one's dotage is very interesting..... and Bonnie, I'm with you: I'll have to be locked up and desperate before I will read the Twilight books. I might rather die of boredom.

I have been surprised by all of the YA books that are making it in the mainstream. Hunger Games, Divergent, Revolution, Leviathan, Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland, The Underneath, and of course all the Harry Potter and Twilight books, all of these are frequently mentioned in various LT threads, and it frequently surprises me how many people on this thread read YA books. IN my job I have a hard time telling adults that there are some really good titles that they might enjoy reading, but if they find out they are YA it's a no-go. And then I wonder why any of the books by Libba Bray and J. K. Rowling are classed as YA.

I think that publishers should just do away with the YA tag because it is confusing. Salvage the Bones just won the National Book Award for fiction and the main character in it is 14 and pregnant. I don't care what the point of view is, or who wrote it for what purpose, the main character is 14, that is a story about a young adult and therefore the book should be marketed to young adults as well as adults. Years ago I told author Aiden Chambers, the author of This Is All: the Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn that his book was not classed correctly. The heroine of the book is 19 and has just given birth, what is young adult about that subject. He said it was a coming of age story. Sid Hite said that in Europe his book It's Nothing to a Mountain was marketed and sold as an adult book while in the U. S. it was YA.

At one time I thought that the reason why there as the distinction made between YA and adult was the length and depth of astory. However, I find that explanation doesn't work. Granted there are some YA books that don't have a deep plot or beautiful prose, but there are plenty of adult books that match them in mediocrity. Lately, I have been wondering where all the editors have gone as so many of the adult books I have read should have been trimmed and slimmed to about half of the size at which they were published. To-top-off that argument, how many million children read a 700 page Harry Potter book. (If they really read it, which I often doubt. I think that series was an adult series masquerading as a children's series.) If children really read those books then length of the manuscript isn't a reason to make a book a YA book. I think that the whole classification is meaningless and I am not sure that even after working in this profession for 25 years I can figure out why there is this distinction.

Bottom line for me is that a good story is a good story no matter the audience for which it is published and read. But, because of marketing practices, there are a whole lot of books that don't get noticed by an audience who could make good use of the book. Girl in Translation might be valuable for students in the same or similar situations, and so far there is nothing in it to indicate that it is not suitable for a YA audience, and plenty to make me think it isn't working in the adult market. With this title the publisher goofed. If a book should be classed one way or another, this one should have been YA.

So enough of the rant. Thanks for the responses. The weekend is upon me and it is time to go home and get reading. Left Hand of Darkness awaits.

Benita

p.s. I have never read any of the Twilight books or Harry Potter, for the simple reason that the subject matter just didn't appeal to me. I am not a vampire fan (never read any of the Lestat novels either) and Harry Potter was just was a non-interest. Perhaps someday I will read them, but I rather doubt it.

"Operating rooms, I should say, along with construction sites, are the last safe havens for sexists, racists, or anyone else with a Tourette's-like condition. The idea is that harassing people teaches them to stay calm under pressure. The reality is that sociologists could study ORs to learn what workplaces were like in the 1950s."

-Beat the Reaper (this book is a howl!!)

Ellen & Benita- I appreciate the YA comments. I have not read the Twilight books either and most likely never will, but my wife, daughter and other female acquaintances have read and loved them and that's fine with me.
Funny, I was the only one in my family who had read ALL the Harry Potter books. I enjoyed them and I agree with Benita that "I think that series was an adult series masquerading as a children's series." Perfectly put!

Personally, I like the YA classification. To me it means that the author is targeting young adults, and is not an indicator of the protagonist's age.

Hi Mark, I've hardly been on LT this week, being busy with RL and very fatigued otherwise, but have done my best to catch up to your wonderful thread. I'm not surprised you loved The Orphan Master's son, it sounds like a winner and I look forward to picking it up too.

I never really concerned myself with classifying books until I joined LT. The only thing that mattered to me was wether the book was good or not, whatever category it happened to be with. I can't say I made a point of seeking out YA before, but then, I also read the first three Harry Potter books before I knew that term existed. I made up my mind a while ago that I won't be giving Twilight the time of day, and the way I see it, that just means I'll be able to make room for other titles.

We finally watched the American version of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It's a good solid 3 star film. I did prefer the Swedish version though, better pacing. Craig and Rooney were fine. I still give the Swedish actress the edge.

Mamie- Thanks for your YA comments. I try not to criticize any particular series to much, we shouldn't be that snobbish. Hey, if it involves reading that's all that matters. I don't read James Patterson but I could care less if anyone else does.

Ilana- Great to see you! Sorry to hear that RL & fatigue has got you down. I hope both of these begin to improve. The Orphan Master's son was terrific and the audio was excellent. Give that format a try.

Hi Mark, I'm pretending to catch up...

Glad you got to the Boo book - amazing wasn't it?

Pretty good season ending to Walking Dead! Next up, Mad Men - yay!

Hot out here - mid 70s to almost 80 and sunny. I'm not ready for shorts and my feet and toes aren't ready for public viewing either!

I know we had a lot of fun discussing Downton Abbey and while we wait for that one to return, I think we should start gearing up for season 2 of A Game of Thrones, which begins April 1st, on HBO. I know not everyone subscribes, but maybe there are other outlets to watch it on. I loved the way they handled season 1 and there should be no reason why this one is not just as good. Anyone else planning on watching it?

And speaking of DA, I hope to crack open Below Stairs today and it's a short read, double bonus!

Joanne- It was a good finale of The Walking Dead, especially how weak the season started. How about the creepy shot with Andrea and the person in the cloak? What's that about?
Yes, I'm geared up about the return of Mad Men, it's been a LONG wait. I hope it comes back strong.

Just checking in to say that I will be very happy to join the group reading River of Smoke this summer!
And I'll come back later to actually read your thread. What a lot of good stuff you're reading!

Hi Mark,
I have been hit a few times by bbs for Behind the Beautiful Forevers. It looks like I will have to succomb to the beautiful pressure...

Re YA books - Thankfully I am not prejudiced against them as I have read many in the category that have been nothing short of amazing to me. There are times I have wondered if I like many YA books because I am still growing up myself. But I have concluded that regardless, there are some fab YA books out there. I am firmly in Benita's camp re this... and I have read and enjoyed all the Harry Potter books - but not interested in Twilight at all. Also, my grandchildren, now 10 and 12, have both read completely all the Harry Potter books as they came out, and finished before I did (no surprise for me).

Have a great weekend!

Mark - Looking forward to Dragon Tattoo movie - saw One For The Money based on the Janet Evanovich today in an attempt to pacify my still irate ladyboss - remembered that the book couldn't decide whether it was a thriller, a comedy or chick lit and probably failed in all three categories. Had its moments but was entertaining pap really. Also enjoyed your recent reviews (as always) - noticed that you are having a great run this year - 30 books and not a one less that 3.5 stars, either that or your an even bigger softie than I credited!
The YA debate is not one I'm well qualified to comment on still being very juvenile in my outlook! Would side with the anti-Twilight crowd though - good vampires - I mean come on who really wants to read that bull?
Have a great weekend mate.

Ouch - I removed the comment for Pete's sake. My point was that I tend to read what I like whether it is classified as YA or not. A good story is a good story. And I think that kids who love to read - at least my own kids - are not intimidated by the size of the book.

Lizzie- I'm glad you'll be joining us for the G.R. of River of smoke. I need to start hunting around for my copy, I want to own that one. Please come again!

Claudia- I'm glad I was the one to push you over the edge with the Boo book. Yah! It's a great read and you know I haven't steered you wrong yet...or have I?

Paul- Yes, it's common knowledge, I'm a softie but one thing is for sure I won't give a crappy book a good rating. Thankfully, I mostly avoid the crap, although one still tries to sneak in on occasion. Gotta sniff 'em out!

Mamie- I wish you would have left your YA comments. What bugged you? The Twilight comments? If I did it, I'm sorry. Like I said before, if people read books, any books, it's alright with me. My wife and daughter loved the series.

Only once, Mark.... trying to forget.

Mamie - you might be just a little "crazy" (LOL) - for removing your thoughtful comments.
Your opinions are worth as much as anyone else's.
I read your comments and agreed with them - what I can remember anyway :)
Wish you had left them. Next time - be brave!

Back on the YA hobbyhorse: I don't want to read about teenagers any more. I am sick to death of teenagers. I find reading about adolescence unpleasant. YA fiction almost always has waaay too many teenagers in it.

I think that's the thing that classifies YA.....teenage protagonist. LOL! I never would have read YA fiction if it wasn't for recommendations here on LT. I have found some great reads that I've really enjoyed and the genre has come a long way from when I was a young adult.

I thought Bella was a big ol bore, so I never read past Twilight. Plus, Lestat is the only vampire that I'll ever love :)

But, all in all...I love a good coming of age tale and I've been pretty happy with what YA novels I've read. Incantation by Alice Hoffman is at the top of the list.

Well, I went and bought our tickets, in advance, for the Hunger Games. We are going Sunday afternoon. My son and his girlfriend went last night and loved it! The reviews, so far anyway have been very positive.

Claudia- "Only once, Mark.... trying to forget." Ooops, I forgot about the "Book That Shall Not Be Named!"
Thanks for sending Mamie a little encouragement! And have a great time tonight!

RD- Thanks for chiming in on the YA conversation. You were reading quite a few recently. Was The song of Achilles YA? I know you were gonzo over that one!

Kitten (Is that what I should call you?)- "I never would have read YA fiction if it wasn't for recommendations here on LT." I had read some YA, including the Potter books, but LT definitely opened the door, for more exploration and most of it is very good.
I have never read alice Hoffman. Is that bad?
Thank you so much for the visit!

Mamie- Are you coming back? Hellooooooooo!

LOL! No...it's not bad. To each their own and all that. I'm a fan of magical touches to books and she does a good job with that.

I saw The Hunger Games last night and I think anyone that enjoyed the books should enjoy the movie. The casting was really good. It wasn't perfection...lacked the emotional intensity of the novel, but all in all..it wasn't bad. I'll check back in to see what you thought.

Oh...and my name is Ellen. LOL! Nice to meet cha ;)

I removed the comments because I felt like they were distracting people from the point that I was trying to make. Benita stated above that: "I think that publishers should just do away with the YA tag because it is confusing." This is a valid point, BUT, as a parent, I find the YA classification useful because it identifies for me WHO the target audience is. The book was written for young adults - the age of the protagonist should have nothing to do with it. As my child moves from children's literature to something more adult, it is nice to have the choices narrowed down a bit. While she may be ready for Divergent, she is not ready for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. All of us here on LT are big readers, and so if we were in doubt about whether or not a certain book was appropriate for our child's age, we would probably just read it ourselves or read through reviews of the book, but not every child has that advantage. Also, with no YA section in libraries or bookstores, kids move from the children's section to the entire rest of the library or store - that's an overwhelming selection. YA sort of highlights the books that are most likely going to appeal to them. That's my first point.

My second point, and here's where I went wrong the first time around with mentioning the Twilight series and the Harry Potter series, is that for me, personally, the YA label does not deter me from picking up the book and reading it myself. I want a good story, and so the book is going to stand on it's own for me regardless of it's classification. I think that children feel the same way - they want a good story. So when I say that my entire family enjoyed the Harry Potter books, my point is that two adults and four children of different ages read and enjoyed these books. At the time my children were all in elementary school and they each read the books on their own. I think that a lot of children love to read and are not intimidated by the size of the book.

In closing, I just want to say that I agree with Benita that the YA label turns a lot of adults off and that because of this a lot of really good books don't get a fair chance. However, I would hate to see the YA classification done away with, as I believe that it does serve a useful purpose.

* good vampires - I mean come on who really wants to read that bull? FYI I do, and I loved every minute of it!

Enjoy the movie tomorrow, Mark (The Hunger Games)!!

#118 richardderus - you made me laugh. Pithy comments are always welcome. Wasn't it you who had just finished reading Miss Peregrine's Home For peculiar Children? That is classed as a YA book. Doesn't it have teenagers in it?

#122 I liked your comments.

I finished Girl in Translation and really this is a YA book. End of story. The publisher marketed it as an adult book, and therefore sacrificed it to an audience who won't appreciate it as much, and forfeited readers who would. In doing so they missed getting a fairly good book out to the right audience.

I read lots of YA stuff - partly because it is my job - and partly because I like most of what I read, so read more. I have never understood why books by Jennifer Donnelly and Libba Bray are classed as YA, when they clearly have cross generational appeal. Revolution is a big example of that kind of crossover. I don't think that readers care about the classification, but I have noticed that parents do. I was appalled that Hunger Games is a YA book. What parent would let a 12 year old read that? Now, before you start shouting at me, let me explain. The book is about violence, mayhem, murder, and killing to survive. Is that appropriate reading for a 12 year old? Maybe, if the story is told in the right way. (I won't tell you my opinion of that particular book here because those of you who have been around for some time already know that I hated it and thought it totally inappropriate for children.)

The particular book that prompted my questioning of the classification was not full of violence, sex, or drugs. It was full of what fills most teens lives, which is all of the aforementioned. It is basically a book about teenage angst. Even if it was told from the point-of-view of an adult it was a book that more teenagers are going to find appealing and perhaps useful. It is also a book that parents would like to have their child read because it hits all of the right points in a very positive way. I think this title was not managed well by the publisher, and I see lots of that in the book world. It causes me no end of angst, as part of my mission in life is to bring order to a chaotic world! And to get the right books to the right readers.

I wasn't appalled that The Hunger Games was marketed to the YA audience. I was shocked at the heartbreaking brutality.

In my experience with YA...I'm often shocked at the mature subjects. But, I think it's great that books aren't "rated" so to speak. I think the genre has come along way. That being said....I did enjoy The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland....and that's kind of what I expect YA books to be like.

I'm just glad the market seems to be focusing on the YA audience and I can only hope it's creating readers for life.

I'm also glad that it is acceptable for adults to enjoy these books as well.

Ellen (kitten)- Now I have 2 Ellens, (and in the same postings) so I'll have to keep track. I'm glad you liked the movie. It sounds like Jennifer Lawrence was perfectly cast. I first saw her in winter's Bone and it's an excellent performance, but I wasn't sure how she would do as Katniss. It looks like quite a transformation.

Mamie's Back! Mamie's back! Once again, thanks for the YA comments and the importance of the YA designation. Labels on anything can be a tricky thing. A good parent can help with that, but not always.

Ellen 1- Thanks! Have you read the book?

Benita- Why certain books are tagged YA, I have no idea. I also felt that way about Revolution, which I loved. It might have been appropriate for older teens, but I'm not so sure about the younger ones. I think the Book Thief was considered YA too. I don't get that one either.

You can call me kitten if you want to :) LOL!

>124 benitastrnad: I think that we are probably at different ends of the spectrum - I have read The Hunger Games, and I liked it. I let my then twelve year old read it. I think it depends on the twelve year old. Not every book is for every person, and sometimes discussions where there are big differences of opinion are the most interesting kinds of discussions. The point is that it starts a dialogue. I think that books like The Hunger Games are not trying to glorify killing and war; I think they are trying to do just the opposite. They also offer great teaching moments. Katniss is placed in an untenable position - what different choices could she have made, and what would have been the outcome? What would have happened if all the people in each district had banded together? Sound like questions that could also be asked when talking about events from WWII? I think that fictional literature offers just as much teaching material as non-fiction. Put the two together and you have struck gold. This is why To Kill a Mockingbird pairs nicely with learning about the Civil Rights Movement.

Whether or not it should be classified as YA depends, I think, on who the intended audience for the book is. Earlier I said that the YA classification narrows the field for books that would be appropriate for or interesting to the young adult age. Narrows - there is a big difference between 12 and 20. Once the field has been narrowed, the parent still has a job to do because not every book in YA will be appropriate for every child within that age range. I gave the above book to my 12 year old (who is very mature for her age) because I was using it as part of the unit we were doing on WWII.

Mark - Would you like your thread back?

Hi, Mark. I'm envious that you're going to The Hunger Games tomorrow. Can't wait to hear what you think. We're on overload this weekend, so I think we'll go next weekend. It does sound like great casting, starting with Jennifer Lawrence.

Mark, I hope you and your wife have fun at the movies. Oh, how I wish I was going to The Hunger Games, this is the first movie I have really, really wanted to see in a long time. I think I will have have to see if my sister is up for it, I just don't think it will be DH's cup of tea.

I saved up the last three episodes of The Walking Dead and watched them last night. After a lacklustre start to the season, I think they finished strongly. I was glad to see some of the characters go, paving the way for some new ones. I do believe that Andrea has met up with one of my favorite characters, I recognized the cape and the sword!

Mark...How difficult it is to keep up with your thread and how wonderful it is when I can have the time to read all the posts and learn about your excellent reads.

Chiming in on the discussion above regarding YA books. Ah, if only readers were willing to give this genre a toe in the water try.

Some of my best reads in this genre are incredible. For example
Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Elijah of Buxton by the same author
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boys by Gary Schmidt
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

just to name a few!!!

We have friends coming over to play cards. Some Texas Hold 'Em. So I'll be back later to respond...wish me luck!

Good Luck!

Mark, The Song of Achilles was not classified as YA, I think because the boys get it on, and keep on gettin' it on, from ~16 until death parts them. They sleep in the same bed for more than 20 years. When Achilles is confronted about the ick-ptui nature of the relationship, he says, "yeah, so?"

NOT messages mumsie and dudsie want their boys to receive.

Benita, I did read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and liked it less and less and less as I wore on into it. It's ended up 3.5* instead of a solid 5* because, despite all indications to the contrary, adolescent angst took pride of place more, not less, often as I read along.

ETA I do not know what LT's objection to "boring" is, but it would not let me post it as a single line.

Christ-on-a Crutch...i can't keep up

>101 msf59: Another wonderful, understated review, my friend..and a (belated) Thumb

On the question Of YA Lit...i looked back at my own reading and a lot has been classified as YA......which I like...YA Lit seems to be better, as opposed to Adult Lit, because YA Lit doesn't presuppose Adult preconceptions and/or prejudices ("hangups")...assuming that Young Adults still have "open minds" and aren't bound by Best Seller Lists

Or maybe i'm still 13 years old and need to read something beyond the Faulkner and Dostoyevsky..that i never understood, at the time...YA Lit is so much better now, for smart, geeky kids

;-}

Hi Mark! I've just been trying to catch up and now I need a nap!! geesh!
Hope you enjoy The Hunger Games movie! I'm so jealous that all my friends back home will be going together to see it. I'm trying to talk Nate into going with me, wish me luck!

Hi Mark, hope you're having a good weekend. I'm anxious to hear how you like he Hunger Games. We broke down and bought the two other books in the series. I do love YA lit, and children's lit as well.

ETA: thanks for the link to the David Copperfield thread -- I hope to join this one.

I have never understood why books by Jennifer Donnelly and Libba Bray are classed as YA, when they clearly have cross generational appeal.

imo

People these days want things to be rated and sorted for them. Unlike # 128 above, they don't
want to spend time thinking for themselves. It makes me cringe when people ask strangers what
is appropriate for an 8, 12 or 15 year old. The answer, imo is it depends.

Some people won't read a book considered YA. Some will not allow their kids to read
books targeted at adults. phooey to it all.

Kudos to you Crazymamie :)

I never stopped my kids when it came to books. I paid attention, mad sure that there were plenty of
books in the house, and access to the library. I watched and waited for questions.. and then answered
any that came.. or started a discussion myself.

When someone in a school district wants to make a decision about what it appropriate for
all students, it infuriates me.

ahem.

sorry.

Carry on.. :P

We had a good time with cards. It was a fun group, lots of laughs. It didn't wrap up until after midnight and for this OF (old fart), that's late.

I did start Below Stairs. It's a breezy memoir and it actually does take place in the same time frame of DA.

Big Wave to Kitten up above!

Mamie- I'm glad you returned to the YA topic with such vigor and a nice defense of The Hunger Games. My kids are older now, (and both read the book) but I was never bothered by the violence. I thought it was kept in context.

Joe- My wife is going to be babysitting her nieces & nephews next weekend, so we have to squeeze the movie in today. I like what the reviewer in the Trib said, that Stanley Tucci's smile was the scariest thing in the film. That's an actor who always surprises.

Judy- I hope you find someone to go with to the Hunger Games. See if we lived closer, we could all go!
I only read the 1st few Walking Dead books, so I have no idea who the caped figure is, but that is an amazing & creepy introduction.

Linda- Good to see you! It's nice to have a YA authority check in. Thanks for the titles, I remember you recommending a couple of those before. I have not read any of them. I better get cracking.

RD- LOL. It sounds like I was mistaken about The Song of Achilles. If that would have been classified YA, with that much male bonking going on, the Right would have had a collective stroke...hey not a bad thing, right?
I've heard just to many mixed signals on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, even though it sounds like a book I would love.

Jude- "Christ-on-a Crutch". I thought he got over that injury? Good to see you, my friend. Thanks for chiming in on the YA talk and I appreciate the Thumb! Seek the Boo book out, she's a helluva writer.

Chelle- So Nate has no interest in seeing the Hunger Games? If not, bribe him with something. A meal, a treat?

Ann- Are you planning on taking the girls to see the movie, or are they to young? It does look like it could get a little intense.
I hope you can join us on the DC Group Read. It should be a lot of fun.

Morning Kath- Thanks for contributing to the YA chatter and I agree with you. My mother never worried about that stuff much. I remember she gave me the Exorcist to read and I was in my early teens. I loved it (although I'm sure it scared the shit out of me) and as far as I know, there was only minimal psychological damage.

Mark, I don't think the boys did bondage sex in The Song of Achilles...oh wait...bonding! Oh yeah. Well, male bonding doesn't cause the fantods that male fucking does among the right-leaning and the homophobic.

31) Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell 4.5 stars

Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at a Manhattan hospital. He is a good doctor but the brutal assembly-line of sick and wounded, is starting to grind him down, turning him into an addled pill-popping mess.
One day, while making his rounds, a patient seems to recognize him as a terrifying Mafia hitman, known as the Bearclaw. Is Dr. Brown really, Pietro Brwna, tucked away in the Federal Witness Protection program? Or is this another rattled patient? I’m not telling, but I implore you to jump in and find out for yourself.
This is wickedly funny, smart as hell and sharp as a razor. Do not attempt to eat or drink, while reading, unless you are up for cleaning up afterwards.
It’s a dazzling debut and I cannot wait to see where this author takes me next.

Okay, you talked me into it.

RD- You crack me up, like no other! I said "bonking" not bonding, which fits much closer to what you were thinking. Giggles.

Mamie- I hope I didn't have to twist your arm to bad! Hee hee.

I live to amuse....

Beat the Reaper sounds like a fun one, Mark.

Stanley Tucci is great. You always know he's going to turn in a good performance. The casting of Woody Harrelson as Haymitch seems like a good choice, too. My son and his girlfriend say the girl playing Rue is terrific.

Oh, I have Beat the Reaper waiting for me on my shelves - I may have to bump it up the To Read list...

We are getting ready to head out and see Katniss & company! It's actually a very nice day here, partly sunny high 60s.

Anyone else hear about The Expats? I just finished loading the audio. It sounds like a fun new thriller and has been getting some pretty good buzz. As soon as I finish my BIG fantasy novel, i might start it.

RD- U so funny!

Joe- This is a new crime writer to keep an eye on. He reminds me a little of Charlie Huston, but wittier and he's also a big fan of Mr. Bruen. Good credentials!

Amber- Yes, move it up. It might make you squirm at times but it's a very fun ride.

Hi Mark, Beat the Reaper sounds pretty much irresistible. I've never heard of The Expats though.

Those are good credentials, Mark. When I started reading your review, it made me think of Charlie Huston!

Beat the Reaper sounds wonderful - as 149 said, "pretty much irresistible." I'll have to see how many are in the queue at the library!

We used to have a group of friends with whom we regularly played texas Hold 'em and I really miss that. Our dealer, the husband of one of the players, actually made part of his living competing in Hold 'em tournaments at casinos. He also refinished furniture, but still. :-)

Hi kitten/Ellen!

We loved the Hunger Games. A very impressive effort. Well-paced and nicely acted, but Jennifer Lawrence carried the film squarely on those slender shoulders. She was the perfect choice. I also think they handled the violence, (I know this is a very touchy subject) in the best way that they could without copping out on it. The young girl that played Rue did a terrific job too! Bottom line: SEE IT!

Bonnie- Beat the Reaper might be out of your comfort zone, but you might like it. The author, an MD himself, really nails the medical stuff, with scary accuracy.

Joe- I am sure you read my mini-Hunger Games review and I hope it whets your appetite. Mr. Huston is supposed to have another book coming out soon. I am all caught up with him, so yes, I am waiting.

Ellen- I think you would like beat the Reaper. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you don't mind tense funny and wicked, try it.

Isn't kitten/Ellen adorable?

Hi there Mark! I pitifully behind! Labour disputes at my husbands workplace, and a dreadful case of reviewer's block has kept me away from LT this past while. I finally created a review for Island of Wings and now I am on the move once again.

Glad that you loved The Hunger Games. I don't think it's for me, but I did see a trailer or too, and I feel like the only person on the planet who has not read The Hunger Games.

Glad the film was good - having just finished the books I'm 50/50 on whether I want to watch it. Good to know they did it well.

Back to weather reality after an incredible long stretch, just high 40s today, which is believe it or not, Normal. And back to long pants. Oh well. It returns to the 60s tomorrow.

I wanted to start a short story collection by the end of the month, particularly In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, (an LT favorite) so I will read that along with below Stairs, which I only have 80 pages left.

Deb- Good to see you! Sorry to hear RL has been keeping you distracted. It happens. I hope everything is okay with your husband's job.

BekkaJo- Why the hesitancy on seeing the film? Just curious.

I'm not really that much of a film person - and I always feel really hesitant when it's a book I like. I don't get to the cinema much - hubby and I generally don't get out together much so prefer to go and have a meal or something. He is all about films and will prob go and see it soon.

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders looks like a good one, Mark. I had not heard of it before, so thanks for mentioning it!

Glad to hear that you liked the movie..

Yeah.. I am a huge worry wort when it comes to my kids, even today..
But I never worried about what they read. Yay for your mom.. !

I have set out In Other Rooms just so I could read it at the same time you did, but Left Hand of Darkness is taking so long to read that I won't get to it before time to start David Copperfield. My next book up after David Copperfield will be Warmth of Other Suns. I believe that was one you read last year and liked. My book discussion group is going to talk about it in May. Two giant books - Copperfield and Warmth - in the same month. I bet one of them won't get read, but I will give it my best shot.

Mark - you know that Josh Bazell has a new book out. It is titled Wild Thing. I didn't look to see what it was about, but it will be interesting to see if the second one can live up to the first.

Back to long pants, hat, gloves & my hood. There was a chilly breeze but it got nicer in the afternoon and sunnier.
I did read the 1st 2 stories in In Other Rooms, Other Wonders and can tell it's going to be a winner and they are linked stories as well, a format I love.

BekkaJo- You should join your husband and go see it! It would be worth your time.

Linda- In Other Rooms starts off very well. Several LTers raved about this one a couple years ago and I finally said, Enough! and tracked down a copy. It was also one of the 1st titles I thought of, during our Short Story discussion a few weeks ago. We need that nudge sometimes.

Kath- One of my business customers asked me today, if he could take his 10 year old to see the Hunger Games and I said that might be a bit to young, it is intense and there is violence. I sure hate to tell someone yes and traumatize the kid! i wouldn't get a Christmas tip for sure!

Benita- I think you will really enjoy In Other Rooms, Other Wonders. Each story is about 20-35 pages, perfect for reading in between, which is what I'm doing. Plus the book is only about 245 pages. Another fine writer.
Good look with the Big Guns! I am going to try reading & listening to DC and see how it goes.
Yes, I did know Bazell had a new one out and that's one of the nudges that got me to finally pick up the first. I think the 2nd follows the same main character...I just checked to make sure and the Doc is back! He's a great character.

Oh Mark, I hope you like In Other Rooms, Other Wonders as much as I did. I really like linked short stories. Next ss collection I will be reading is Binocular Vision: New & Selected Stories by Edith Pearlman which just won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Mark - looks like you have unearthed another one in Beat the Reaper - on the hitlist it goes and I'll move into track-dog mode.

I think of you every time I see our mail carrier in his hiking boots, woolen socks, long underwear shirt, short-sleeved uniform shirt, wooly cap, and shorts! I think to myself "would Mark wear that?" :-)

This is the first conversation I've happened along regarding In Other Rooms, Other Wonders but it sounds interesting. As usual.

Huzzah for a strong Hunger Games film review! I get to see it on Wednesday, and I can't wait.

Cold, cold here...Freeze Warning tonight..i feel bad for people who planted flowers

I have to chime in with Kath (#138)....my parents never cared what I read..as long as i stayed out of their hair...and didn't get in the way of their psycho-dramas...i read Faulkner and Dostoyevsky...way too young. Faulkner i read in 6th grade (12)..and 10 years later...10 years later.....I was stunned by the force and beauty of his language..i still am....give kids some credit.

;-}

Any Mad Men fans? I finished up the season premiere! It was pretty good. It really is a terrific cast and it always looks great. I also liked the make-up sex at the end.

Bonnie- I can easily imagine you being a fan of In Other Rooms. I forgot about Binocular Vision, after hearing about it winning the award. Sounds great, I'll be watching for your thoughts...AS USUAL!

Paul- I think you did the right thing fast-tracking Beat the Reaper. It's a ton of fun and in the closing comments he mentioned Mr. Bruen as being one of his top crime-writers. Come on, you can't beat that.

Ellen- LOL! That is quite an outfit! He's stylin' for sure. I am much more restrained. Yes, expect the raving to continue on In Other Rooms and I was feeling like I was way behind reading this one.

Luxx- Good to see you! You should love the movie. Enjoy!

Jude's Here! Jude's Here! Well, I hope it gets as warm there as it will be here tomorrow. High 60s! I agree it was chilly today.
Faulkner in 6th grade, huh? Wow. I was still on the Hardy Boys!

Mark..in 6th grade, i'd read my brother's Hardy Boys (which i still love, by the way)..but, i had an Adult library card in 4th grade....so, had a lot to choose...Absalom, Absalom...sounded good...The language......left me stupefied...still does

Mad Men??? I watched a few episodes of the first season ( i think...my girlfriend Debbie was watching)...can't comment...i lived through the early 60s...but i loved the Style of that era

Freeze Warnings here, tonight.....low 60s tomorrow....March has returned

;-}

Oh, I loved the Hardy Boys! And Nancy Drew. And the Three Investigators. Good memories.

In year 6, I was tackling Lord of the Rings. I failed at that age, but did read it fully a few years later.

I remember Mum recommending Fear of Flying to me when I was a teenager. Failed on that one, too, but good on you, Mum!

Richard, somewhere waaaay up there you did say that The Song of Achilles couldn't (or wouldn't) be classified as YA because of the gay sex, and because of Mumsies and Dadsies not liking such stuff. Frankly, this Mumsie doesn't give a damn. In case my children do grow up gay, I certainly don't want to make them think that homosexuality is wrong. Damn it, even if they grow up straight, I don't want them thinking that homosexuality is wrong either!

But we do live just down the road from the gayest bit of Sydney, so I think they're rather used to men kissing men and women kissing women already. All part of a normal Sunday afternoon stroll to the bookshop, really.

ETA: And, yeah, I won't be recommending The Song of Achilles to either of them just yet, since they're both still in primary school. :) But it is on my wishlist. And Beat the Reaper is available at the library, huzzah!

On the latest NYT Book Podcast, they mentioned a memoir called Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?. It sounds quite good and it's dark & disturbing. And Jeanette Winterson is an author I'm unfamiliar with but her long list of books look appealing.
Anyone a fan of her?

Jude- Faulkner is tough enough for most reading adults, but for a 10 year old? Impressive. You sure started out with a bang.

Tania- I remember paging through my Mom's copy of the Fear of flying, probably trying to find the nasty bits but it never interested me. Now, the Happy Hooker was a different story.
LOTR sounds pretty tough for being 6. Beat the Reaper may be brutal in spots but it's a very fun ride.

>169 msf59:
Actually, I was 12 when I first met Faulkner...at 10 I was reading the Hardy Boys..Faulkner is still tough, but still my favorite author

Jeanette Winterson is very good, by the way...and I want to read the memoir, too

Good to see you! Yes, Mark! I am FINALLY caught up on what I have read on my thread! Ha! When I was about ?? 6 or 7, I saw the pocketbook Fear of Flying and since my dad was an airline pilot, I considered purchasing it for him as a present. I had no idea what is was about, other than flying. Fancy how shocked my dad would have been had I presented him with Fear of Flying in my girl hood!LOL!

Cough cough err Mark, I read Jeanette Winterson's Oranges are the Only Fruit and I hate to tell you, but I did not care for it. I wish you a better read than I had.... :)

Brrrrr, Better put on your warm gotchies this morning, Mark.

Unlike Jude, I do not feel sorry for the fools who bought and/or planted the gorgeous flowers that the stores were so eager to display as soon as the weather warmed up. It's March in NE Ohio people! Duh!

Sorry, rant over.

My parents never censored the books I read and I certainly would not prohibit any books from my son. I'd be happy to see him with a book at all, any book!

Reading was never restricted around here, either, and I plan on the same liberal policy for my own boys. They're welcome to tackle any book on my shelf, or any other book they can find, and I'll be here to talk about tough subjects should they feel the need to.

>169 msf59:: I haven't read Winterson yet, Mark, but I recently listened to a CBC Writers & Company podcast interview and was quite intrigued. BBC World Book Club will also have her on an upcoming podcast, talking about Oranges are Not the Only Fruit.

Lurking and borrowing a quote from Joe(jnwelch)on another thread someplace:

Just parachute in, say whatever you want, and take the next jet-pack back out again. referring to my complete inability to keep up with your thread!!

I enjoyed Oranges are not but haven't read any of hers since. But I did hear an abridged broadcast of her memoir on the radio a few months back - the bits I heard were interesting.

It is always interesting to me how books are classified in the category of "Young Adult". It seems that if the story is written from the perspective of a young person or the story contains "young adults", then bam...it is given the label of "YA".

So many of the books I read in this category are of an adult nature.

So often people overlook this genre.

My sister told me that her daughter read American Gods when she was fifteen. Several years later she read it - and was shocked. Her kid read this!!!!!! Then she calmed down and thought about it, and figured that if her daughter had read the book and found it unremarkable enough to NOT comment on it that perhaps it had not permanently damaged the child. As a librarian, I thought that was pretty good reasoning. Many of the parents I work with are what we call "helicopter" parents. They hover over their children way too much. Many of the students I work with are what we call "helipads." Kids who want, and can't function without helicopter parents, so they welcome all input with lights, beacons, and radar beams, to the extent that they even have their parents enroll them in classes. Anyway, all three of us, me, my sister, and my niece - who is now 17, really liked American Gods and have had some great discussions about it and the companion book Anansi Boys. I am sure that if my niece reads this same book again in a few years that she will see so many different things in it than she does now. I can't wait for that discussion.

I have never run across any child who was permanently scarred by a book.
In my opinion, a kid would abandon a book that was too much for them. Kids
that are readers are smart enough to make their own choices, imo. If they sometimes
make a bad choice, then they get over it.. just imo of course..

I agree that a reread of a book when young will yield different perspectives and
and experiences.

I've really enjoyed the discussion on the YA novel. Books that bridge this older YA / adult divide are called 'crossover' novels.
YA is a marketing decision by publishers, most writers just write without a particular audience in mind.
Adult books are constantly being republished for the YA market with attractive book covers including classics such as Jane Eyre, Dracula and Wuthering Heights, scifi/fantasy like Ender's Game and Pawn of Prophecy. I would tend to think that most keen teen readers would be just like us and read across most genres, I know I did.

Walklover just read Jeanette Winterson's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and liked it a lot. She plans on reading more of her work.

Mark, I wasn't six when I tried Lord of the Rings, I was in year 6! About 11 years old or so.

Much as I love the idea of being that precocious, nope. :)

I'm also a fan of Jeanette Winterson, although I haven't read any of her books for some time now (bad me). I particularly loved Oranges are not the Only Fruit (a present from Mum, I sat down one afternoon and did not get up again until I finished it), and The Passion. I'm very curious about her autobiography, must pick it up one day soonish.

Jude- I should have guessed you would have known Winterson. DUH! Beside, Oranges are the Only Fruit, which seems to be her most popular and autobiographical, what are a couple of your other favorites?
There must have been a time when you were simply a Reading Machine!!

Deb- I love your Fear of Flying story. Hey, your heart was in the right place. LOL. Sorry to hear you didn't care for Oranges are the Only Fruit. I'll most likely give it a try and see for myself.

Lynda- It was chilly 2/3rds of the day but the sun finally came out and it got nice in the later afternoon.
I never restricted my kids, in the reading department, that's for sure. If I saw them pick up ANY book, I cranked up the encouragement.

Luxx- I love your approach and I did exactly the same with my kids. Of course, as young adults now, I wish they would read more.

Laura- Maybe you can shoot me a reminder when you see that World Book Club podcast come up. She mentioned Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit in the NYT podcast and her family's reaction to it, especially her domineering mother.

Tina- You just parachute in anytime you want, my friend. There will always be a comfortable place for you to land.

Genny- Thanks for your Winterson input. I need to find a copy of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. I think it would make a great pairing with her memoir.

Linda- "So often people overlook this genre." Amen, sister! Thanks to LT for showing me the light on YA! I don't hesitate at all anymore.

Benita- Thanks for your comments on American Gods & helicopter parents. Hey, that could be a book title. I NEED to get to Anansi Boys. I've had it on the shelf forever.
BTW- In Other Rooms has been wonderful.

Kath- "I have never run across any child who was permanently scarred by a book." Me neither, but we have some LTers who have been scarred, look at poor Richard!

Kerry- Good to see you! I love the idea with the YA crossover idea with the classics! I wonder how successful it has been.

Joe- Thanks! You'll have to mention it to the wife about Winterson's memoir, although she's probably aware of it.

Tania- LOL. I thought you were another child prodigy like Jude, who read War and Peace at 4 or 5. I'm so glad you had read and liked Winterson too! It's funny how high I regard an LT opinion over just about anything else.
We have a special thing going on at this place.

Tania, I think your kids are very lucky to grow up so near to the center of gay Sydney. Talk about growin' up bicultural!

Mark, Sexing the Cherry will very likely appeal to you as well as Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Winterson's work is almost always fasincating, if not always hugely successful.

War and Peace at 5?? Wow, that's not me. From memory, I was reading Chatterer the Squirrel on high rotation that year, but nothing that challenging. :)

I remember Mum getting very cross that I refused to read anything else. It's funny, because now I'm having the same tantrums with Miss Boo who wants the same books over and over again. As does Mr Bear. Oh well, what goes around comes around...

I did try W&P at about 15 years old, but didn't finish it. The first war bit was just too dull. (Mum said to skip the war bits and just concentrate on the peace bits which were her favourites, but I'm not a person who can skip over pages!) Will have to try it again, one day. No hurry though.

Richard, it's also down the road from Goth central. Lots of black clad and pierced people around. My MIL occasionally asks tongue-in-cheek questions and gets a real answer: when she asked about body art, I said "only ear piercings and only when they're 16, anything else will be after they're 18 when I have no say in the matter".

(FYI, I wear too much black and have a pierced nose and several rings in one ear. Fairly minimal, I don't even think to take them out for business meetings any more, although I used to. Don has the tattoo of the family, but it's beyond silly: he opted for one of Hobbes the tiger (from Calvin and Hobbes as a plush toy, because of course it turns into a real tiger when no one else is looking.)

Of course, the kids will probably rebel and become chartered accountants or something... So long as they're happy, I'll be happy. (I hope.)

Of course, as young adults now, I wish they would read more.

Even as young as mine are it seems like one will be more of a reader than the other. I hope they both (well, all three) crave knowledge the way my partner and I do (and we both credit reading as the inspiration and the solution).

RD- Good to hear from another Winterson fan. I just requested the memoir from the library and have put a couple of hers on my WL.

Tania- I may have been exaggerating on the War and Peace. I'll have to check with Jude but I do know she started some heavy stuff at a tender age.
Sadly, I have never read War and Peace. It's on the to do list. Anna Karenina would be first though, since I haven't read that either. Scurries away in shame....

You need to post a photo of Don's tattoo!

Luxx- We had a good reading environment for our kids and I loved discussing books with them but as they got older, other pastimes took precedence . Actually, my daughter does like to read but she's so busy that she never has the chance or so she says.

Trying to catch up. *pant pant* Whew!

I was definitely never scarred by a book I read as a youngster, but I do remember (I feel like I've told this story before) my dad getting upset with me when I was about 11 years old. I was reading Harlequin Romances (*shudder*) and he gave me a copy of Lady Chatterlys' Lover and said "if you're going to read smut, at least read good smut!"

I wish I had followed his advice much sooner in my life. I hate to think of the hours I wasted reading material that did nothing to enhance my experience. But, to give myself a break, there was a lot of crap going on in our family at that time and I think that was all I could emotionally handle. It had to be easy.

I guess I can just remind myself of how lucky I was that I did grow up in a household that valued reading.

Ellen -I LOVE that story!! My Mom's sisters, one widowed and one never married, used to share an apartment when I was little and when we went over there to visit I was always in awe of this huge bookcase with sliding glass doors -I had never seen so many books in one house before. It was like a shrine to reading. And guess what was inside? Harlequin Romances from top to bottom, organized by the number on the spine!! I was not allowed to touch-just look! I was always fascinated by them because they called the couch a davenport and drew their eyebrows on every morning when they "put their faces on". They are both gone now, but I have a lot of funny stories thanks to them.

Mark, I only read Anna Karenina for the first (and so far, only) time a few years ago. It's still the only Russian book I've read. It's a good story, I did enjoy it, and there's lots to it. I remember hissing at Vronsky (the cad!). Good stuff.

I got halfway through Lady Chatterley's Lover and decided to leave it there. Connie and Connors (oh dear, have I got the names right? that seems somehow wrong) were happy, and I decided I wanted to leave them in that state. It was going to end tragically, you could just tell, but I didn't want to witness that. One day I'll go back and read the whole thing. :)

And haven't we all read trash as teenagers? I think that's half the point of teenage reading, just sampling everything and working it all out for yourself. I personally read so much tragically awful swords and sorcery epics that I have to take a deep breath before picking up fantasy novels nowadays. (I still pick them up because the good ones are so much fun.)

#191> Too funny!

>183 msf59:: Maybe you can shoot me a reminder when you see that World Book Club podcast
Sure can, Mark! Meanwhile, here's the CBC Writers & Company episode with Winterson.

Okay, finished up Below Stairs. This was a good solid memoir, surprisingly fresh in tone, for the late 60s. DA fans should really enjoy it.
A friend from work lent me Priceless, NF about an FBI undercover agent. I've had the book for over a month, time to knock it out.
And of course, In Other Rooms continues to dazzle.

Ellen- Fortunately you are in good shape, so you should have no problem keeping up. I'm sure we all wasted time in our youth reading crap but at least we were reading.
Do you remember what you thought of Lady Chatterley's Lover?

Mamie- Wow, that's a great image of your Aunts and their bookcase! LOL. They sound very colorful.

Tania- I will get to my Russians! That's a promise. That's another great thing about LT, there are constant reminders & nudges.
I think the bulk of my early teen reading was westerns. Louis L'amour And the like.

Laura- Thank you very much. I will check it out.

I think that there are a lot of Jeanette Winterson's fans, so don't let me put you off, Mark. Just not my cuppa! I read Lady Chatterley's Lover and Sons and Lovers either in my later teens or maybe my early twenties. To be honest, I don't remember much about them. I think reading some Harlequin romances is a rite of passage for female teens. I know I had a lot of fun reading them with friends in my early teens. We'd enjoy them and also get a chuckle over them.

I seem to remember that reading the same book over and over is part of one of the childhood developmental stages, - but since I am into a very different developmental stage, I can't remember which one.

Harlequin Romances are essentially formula books, and reading formula books is also part of a reading developmental stage. As are series. That's why there are so many series for kids. There is nothing wrong reading that kind of book, and in fact shows that kids are on the right track with reading.

The research shows that readers stop reading about age 10-12 because they get distracted by other entertainments. However, those who have reading parents tend to come back to reading as adults.

All that makes me think that there IS a new generation of readers out there.

Ahem...going back to #184....i was a Reading Machine, because i had no TV...i worked in a bar, so didn't hang out in one after hours...and I had a library card (this was back in the 1980s/1990s...wayyy before i joined LT)...so, yes...i read a lot......

War and Peace was 18...not 4.....you silly ...and i never did finish the damned thing

The library was my refuge, when i was a kid...one safe place to go when Mom & Dad were fighting, or doing the "silent treatment" thing. Now that I can afford it, i've made my own "in house" library...and feel blessed

;-}

I love all these comments about reading as kids, what we did, how we used it as a refuge (amen to that!), and thank you all for the normalizing comments about my HR reading in pre- adolescence. I feel much better.

191 -- What a wonderful story about your two aunts and their bookcases! Hilarious!

Uh oh, Mark, I haven't actually read Lady Chatterley's Lover yet...... I was not only young, I was a bit oppositional, too...... I guess now that my dad (whom I love with all my heart) has been dead for almost 20 years, I could get around to doing what he suggested.....

I was listening to BOTNS,(it's Wed, duh!) and Ann mentioned a title(s) that might interest you historical fiction fans, especially the Irish ones. The 1st novel was called The Law of Dreams and it follows an Irish family fleeing Ireland in the mid-1800s and settling in America. The latest book is called The O' Briens and it continues the saga. Both sound very good. anyone else hear of them?
Sorry for the blue text but I can't help myself...it's my nature.

Deb- I'm glad you enjoyed those racy books in your formative years. See how good you came out?

Benita- thanks for your comments. No book updates? Did you start In Other Rooms? I'm several stories in, well over half way. It's been terrific. I do love linked stories.

Jude- Yes, I was kidding about War and Peace but I did know you had started reading some pretty heavy stuff at an early age. Never finished W & P, huh? I'm surprised. Any particular reason, other than it's mammoth size?
Finding refuge in reading seems to be quite common. Imagine how tough it would have been without it?

Ellen- Maybe we'll read Lady Chatterley's Lover together at some point, just to get 'er done, plus we can swap juicy bits.

I had an uncle who had a den off the living room that was chock full from top to bottom with books. I was amazed and very interested in exploring them but as I got a little older (maybe 10) I saw that all the books were paperback copies of of Perry Mason and Mickey Spillane mysteries. I was disappointed.

I had a friend who was a voracious reader even more so than I was and I would get frustrated trying to keep up with her. We would walk home from school and immediately head over to the library.

>199 msf59: LT says that I own Law of Dreams. I had no idea. Thanks for mentioning it, Mark. Now I will have to go search for it, because Bonnie hasn't been by to organize and alphabetize my books yet!

I FINALLY finished Left Hand of Darkness and have to admit that the last part of it was really good. To bad about the first 3/4 of the book. I started reading Warmth of Other Suns because I had it with me while I sat and waited for the new window for my car. I don't live next to Wriglely Field so have to worry about the High School ball park outside my front door. From time to time one of those foul balls gets my car. So while getting a new one I finished one book and started the next. Warmth is one of my book discussion books and since it is so long I figure I better get it read. Will also be starting David Copperfield.

Oh, I have no doubt that repeating books over and over again is an important part of learning to read for children. But it's bloody annoying for the parents! Miss Boo is currently reading (on high rotation) a cute early reader adaptation of "The Princess and the Pea", but has currently hit a (minor?) ballet fixation. I suggested she ask her school librarian for a copy of "The Nutcracker" and a story book of "Swan Lake", but no luck (I'll check the local library catalogue online). She did get a Darcy Bussell chapter book though, which she started last night by herself.

Now I await the request for ballet lessons. (She's already doing gymnastics, soccer, and has just finished a short AFL - Australian Football League - course. I have no idea if we can fit ballet into the schedule...)

Mr Bear has gone back to one of his anatomy books, with drawings of the human body all cut open. He's asked me several times why "science makes things gross", but he does keep on returning to his anatomy books. (He's not a story book reader so much. But gets a lot out of factual books.)

As I stand on the very verge of completing Troubles and find myself interested in Irish history (even though I am, in fact, of English and Scottish descent), just at that moment, Mark, YOU put blue ink on your thread in the form of The Law of Dreams. I must go investigate. Maybe it won't appeal to me.

Bonnie- Thanks for adding your eccentric relative story! Unfortunately I can't think of a relative that was a rabid reader. Sad, huh? I wish I would have had a kooky uncle that could have turned me onto some serious literature. I was on my own, all the way!
I remember reading some Spillane, mainly for the titillating covers.

Linda- Let me know if you find it. Do you ever listen to BOTNS?

Benita- Thanks for the update, sorry about the car window. Bummer. I'll be following your thoughts on Warmth.
BTW- I'm on the homestretch on The Wise Man's Fear. A couple more days. It's a BIG BOY, but it's been fun.

Tania- Sounds like your kids have varied interests. That's great and it keeps 'em out of trouble or at least I hope it does.

Ellen- I know me and my blue ink! What are you gonna do with me? I hope the final verdict of Troubles is a good one.

Special Hi to you, Mark!
I have been looking for my blue-filtering glasses everywhere! Finally found them so I could drop in here :)
Good stories and entertainment!

Hi Mark. Whew! Just caught up on 90+ messages. Such interesting conversations here.

I loved reading as a child, but apparently one librarian called my mother when I was around 9 or 10 because she was worried that I was picking up too many illustrated books and not enough "plain" fiction. I remember at the time that I saw all those text pages as just grey and dull, which I guess foreshadowed my career as a graphic designer and art director, for whom "plain text" is also seen as boring grey stuff.

That being said, I picked up Anna Karenina at 12 and absolutely loved it. I think I did that after seeing a TV adaptation (by the BBC maybe?). I also read Lady Chatterley's Lover at 13 and really liked it. Then I regressed and started reading Harlequin romances around 14, for similar reasons as Ellen I think. I liked that there was a formula I could count on and not a lot of surprises or intellectual challenges. I was rebelling against my mom at the time, who is most definitely an intellectual, and honestly, the Harlequin romances barely registered on the rebellion scale, considering all the drugs, booze and sex I was involved in too at the time...

A long period in my life went by when I hardly did any reading at all, or very little of it, relatively speaking, though somehow I often got labeled as "an intellectual". When I was a student in art school, I worked nights in a bar to support myself and was so busy that there was not much time for anything extracurricular. Then my career took over and coming home, I barely had the energy to lift a fork to my mouth, let alone anything else. I also took heavily to blogging and various online activities... hmmm... I see a pattern forming.

The past few years, now that I have all my time to myself have definitely been my biggest reading years and I feel like I've finally found my comfort zone. The only caveat to that being that I also want to be making art, and the two activities are kind of fighting each other out. I'm hoping to find a happy compromise.

Nobody seemed to pick up on your Game of Thrones comment Mark... I can't wait for season 2 to start! In fact, I'm counting on you to let me know when I should turn the TV on! :-)

I'm not sure where I came across Beat the Reaper before, but it rings a bell. Maybe Audible? Adding it to the wishlist in any case.

The Law of Dreams also sounds familiar. Maybe I saw it on a sales pile in a bookstore or something, because I think I may have considered buying it. So many books, can't keep them all straight.

Sorry for the long screed, but I've been away from the threads lately as you may have noticed, so figure I may as well make my visits count! :-)

Unfortunately I can't think of a relative that was a rabid reader. Sad, huh? I wish I would have had a kooky uncle that could have turned me onto some serious literature.

A kooky uncle/aunt would have been a lot of fun. :) I had my Mum as a role model for reading, she still works her way through a large stack of books all the time. And some fairly serious stuff too, she's a big one for Victorian literature and classics. She bequeathed a love of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters to both my sister and myself.

When we moved to Sydney, we had problems with the local library - failing to return things on time (our fault) and books not being processed properly (their fault). Mum gave up and just started buying books instead. Now there's not a room in their (large) house that doesn't have books, and there are any number of floor-to-ceiling shelves in the house.

And I wonder where I get my book buying habit from... NOT!

Funnily enough, Dad was the sort of man who had conniptions if we spent a penny unnecessarily, but he didn't bat an eyelid to any of the stacks of books coming into the house. He's a reader now he's retired, but he likes the $1 basket at the front of the second hand bookshop, and is forever buying duplicate copies of Grisham, etc. (And then he passes them on to charity or to me for bookcrossing.) I try and push him to the "better" second hand books, but he's not a person who believes in spending money. And, hey, he likes Grisham.

With everything blooming like mad out there, my allergies have kicked into high gear. The joys of Spring. I can handle the sneezing and runny nose but the tired & itchy eyes is a particular pain, since it can effect my reading....Nooooooooo!

Ilana- Good to see you and your wonderful comments. It sounds like you were into GNs, very early on. You trend-setter! And reading Anna Karenina at 12. Impressive. I am 52 and haven't read it. Bad Mark.
I agree, no bites on my Game of Thrones comment. 'Sup with that? Well, I plan on mentioning it a lot more, once the season starts. Sticks out tongue. I'm glad you'll be joining me on it.

Tania- My Mom was a big influence on my reading but she wasn't kooky and she wasn't as well versed in the "classics". Mostly pop fiction & horror. She did love Taylor Caldwell & Victoria Holt, which I read a smattering of. If she wouldn't have passed at such an early age, I would have kept trying to turn her onto more literary fiction.
I love your comments about your Dad & his Grisham.

>205 msf59: No, I'm not familiar with BOTNS. I'll have to look into it.

Hi Mark! I chuckled at your comment that you just can't keep up! You are one of the most prolific readers on LT - that said, there are a lot of prolific readers! I just chug along and hope to get my 75 books in! As for The Woman in Black - it turned out to be kind of creepy in the end, and well written, but not very scary along the way. It's only 188 pages or so , so you would find it a very quick read.

I started on Warmth of Other Suns and was immediately grabbed by it. I will also say that I am only 40 pages in but am also immediately skeptical of the point-of-view of some of the people. So far this is in essence a memoir. That means that documentation doesn't have to be as tight as it would be in most non-fiction. I also was disappointed when I looked at the endnotes. They are skimpy and there is no way to track them in the text. That means that the author can say pretty much what she wants to say and get away with it. However, I like reading it and suspect that even as huge of a book as it is that reading it will take little time.

I am also going to rant about another pet peeve. Why is it that so many female characters spend so much time trying to convince the reading that they are a tomboy and then first thing go out and become Scarlet O'Hara? If they are such a tomboy why do they have so many boyfriends, and spend so much time describing the dresses in which they got married? Give me a break. At least Scarlet O'Hara never denied what she was - a Prima Dona. Gotta love that woman.

Oh and Mark - I got my audio copy of Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. This is a book of short stories that I hope to listen to at some point. I decided that since I like Murakami and probably am not reading enough short stories I should invest in this. I found a cheap old library copy on Alibris and purchased it and After the Quake. Maybe will listen to it later in the summer. I still haven't started reading In Other Rooms but promise to do so soon.

>203 wookiebender: Angelina Ballerina is popular with a lot of ballet-loving kids, Tania. Cute mouse character. There are several, I'm pretty sure.

Looking forward to hearing your take on Wise Man's Fear, Mark. What gn are you reading now?

Sorry about the allergies, Mark. I know how frustrating tired, itchy eyes can be when you want to read.
Have you ever seen an allergy specialist? Did I ask you this last year? sorry if I am forgetting.

You have me a little nervous about the "Chaos Walking" Trilogy. I thought it looked pretty good... but you seemed sceptical that it is a good choice for me? Just wondering.

My middle daughter LOVED Angelina Ballerina! We read them over and over again, and even though she is now 16, she still has every book safely tucked away. Cause they're keepers, she says!

Cass loves ballet - and Angelina. But also an atlas. She's an oddity!

Hi Mark, just dropping by to add my two cents re Oranges are not the only fruit -read it a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Keep meaning to read more Winterson.

laughing my way through as I catch up. Jude was 4 when she read War and Peace...oh no, make that 18. You were close Mark :)

My reading was never censored as a kid, although how my parents would have known what I was reading I dont know. Our school library had a copy of Clan of the Cave Bear that just happened to fall open at the racy bits! People used to gather round and giggle and snort. Funny.

Hi Mark, I am very appreciative that you did mention Game of Thrones, and, Ilana, HBO Canada is launching Year Two on Sunday, April 1st. I missed recording the first year, but my son-in-law put it on a CD for me. I am looking forward to Year Two!

I have 2 stories left in In Other Rooms. The next one is 50 pages. I'll read that one tomorrow. It's been terrific so far. I'm also enjoying Priceless. There is so very interesting info about the Art World in this, that I find fascinating. I'm jotting stuff down so I can look at the classic art online.

Linda- BOTNS is Books on the Nightstand. If LT had a weekly podcast, (wouldn't that be great?) it would be very close to this. They are die-hard book-lovers. My favorite kind of people.

Deb- Actually I wasn't kidding about "not keeping up". For every book I read, 2 or 3 pop up and get added to the WL or the TBR, like wild book dandelions. Thankfully, I enjoy my audiobooks, otherwise I would be in even sorrier shape.
I'll try to find a copy of Woman in Black. May: M & M is coming up soon, maybe then.

Benita- I hope you enjoy The Warmth. There is some repetitions and Wilkerson has a hard time letting these people go but it is filled with incredible information.
I have Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman waiting in the stacks, until you mentioned it I didn't realize it was a story collection.
BTW- I heard the author line-up for Oxford. Pretty impressive.

I'm geared up for a Downton Abbey-a-thon this weekend, Mark. I picked up the DVD of season 1 at the library this morning.

Joe- Sorry sir, missed you up there. Will be finishing Wise Man's Fear tomorrow. It is a long book but I do enjoy following our young hero on his various adventures.
I'm on the 9th Y: the Last Man book. Good stuff.

Claudia- I've never seen an allergy specialist, because my type can usually be treated with meds and it's only for (yuck!) 3 months. I have tried different eye-drops but nothing really helps, when things get bad.
Did not mean to frighten you away with the Chaos Walking books. I really liked them. They are told in a more quirky style that may not work for everyone. That's all.

Mamie- Big Wave!

BekkaJo- Thanks for chiming in on Winterson. I requested her memoir and added a couple of her titles, including "Oranges" to my WL.

Megan- Jude did start at a very young age. I wasn't sure if it was W & P or not but it sounded good at time. She was reading Faulkner in her early teens. That's jaw-dropping.

Judy- Hey, my Canadian pals will be joining me on Game of thrones. Yah! I was reading an article about the show and I heard they are splitting Storm of Swords into 2 seasons. Good move.
I am looking forward to Sunday night! Can't wait to get back to those characters.

How about talking about Spartacus? The UA paper had a fine review of that Starz series. They said it was rough in the beginning - lots of gore and graphic sex, but that it had improved over the seasons. Apparently it is getting ready for a new season.

I don't get to watch these things because I don't have those extra cable channels. I don't even have a DVD player. I have my radio and my books and mostly I am content with that. If I get bored I knit and watch whatever is on PBS. On Tuesday I watched a fine documentary on the Shirtwaist Triangle Factory Fire. It was very well done. I haven't read Triangle yet, but put it on my personal wish list. I saw the author talk on BookTV when the book came out and tagged it then. I just need to get cracking on the book.

After the Quake is also a series of short stories. I have that one coming too. Blind Willow is a series of interconnected stories, and I will be listening to them.

I never finished War and Peace either...
I have no plan to retry...

(That is as far as I got in the catch up.. sorry )

Oh, my son and my husband suffer like you with the allergy season! My husband less so now that he is " older" , but our youngest finally had to resort to steroid inhaler for the allergy season. He would get so tired and itchy and sneezy and he tried every antihistamine going, but finally the doctor prescribed an inhaler for the spring/ summer season and he finds that much better for him. He does not need over the winter.

Linda- I'm sure you will love DA! You'll be hooked like the rest of us. I'll be watching for your thoughts.

Benita- Actually I did watch the 1st season of Spartacus: Blood & Sand. It was very good. Plenty of sex and violence but fairly strong story-telling. I also watched the prequel season, which was okay too!
The 2nd season is currently on, but I've only seen the 1st episode.
I liked After the quake.

Kath- War and Peace is on my Chunkster Radar, maybe next year.

Deb- Yes, allergies do suck! Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with weekly shots or inhalers. I hope mine start to minimize as I get older. Fingers crossed.

War & Peace *snore*

Oh, Angelina Ballerina is adorable. My niece was heavily into the whole Angelina thing as a youngster (she's now in High School, where does the time fly??). Not so fond of the Angelina Ballerina TV show since they went for 3D animation. A bit glossy and without soul now.

Went shopping with Mum at lunch today to get some books for Miss Boo's upcoming 7th birthday, and we found a Tales from Ballet book (hope I got the right touchstone!), with nice illustrations and retellings of both "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" amongst others. Let's hope she's still interested when her birthday actually rolls around in early May. ;)

Sympathies on the allergies, Mark. No fun. The optometrist tried me out on contact lens this morning, so I've had some recent experience with itchy and watering eyes. Most unpleasant, I'm sticking with my glasses (don't wear them that much, so it's no real bother).

I saw some of "Spartacus", Don enjoyed it. I thought it was a bit silly (especially the sex scenes), but that just means I had more time to read while he watched TV. I think it probably did get better as it went on, I found it harder to ignore as the season progressed.

Glad you're liking Other Wonders!

Oooooh *jumping up and down on her seat - which is getting weird looks at work...*

I keep forgetting GoT starts on the 1st - then I remember and get a big happy on :)

Happy Friday, gang! I should be wrapping up Wise Man's Fear. Audios normally don't take me a full 2 weeks to listen to, but this was a Big Boy and I'm enjoying it.

Wake up RD! RD...

Tania- Picking out books for Miss Boo's birthday! Sounds fun. Spartacus is not for everyone, that's for sure. Even respected TV critics are divided on that one. I think it's a pleasing diversion, with lots of boobs, not all bad.

BekkaJo- The Game of Thrones people are starting to trickle in. Hooray! It probably won't get the type of attention DA did over here but we can try!

HI Mark! Thanks for those blue words, I've added a couple more books to the wishlist! The Law of Dreams and The O'Briens sounds pretty great, thanks for mentioning them.

Sorry about your allergies. Is there any pills that work for you?
I usually get them worse in fall and I find my allergy pills are pretty hit or miss some days

Hi, Mark! Just skimming through your thread. Quite a discussion of YA. It's a subject that still confuses me -- and I work at the library and help decide what is shelved as YA. It's not just the divide between YA and adult, but also the line between YA and "juvenile" which confounds me. I see a lot of books tagged as YA that I read as children's literature when I was young -- and which have long resided in the juvenile fiction section of our library.

Have a great weekend! Hope your allergies lighten up!

I need to stay away from these book podcasts, they are a bad influence and then I pass them on here, so there is a dangerous domino effect. I heard about 2 recent NYC crime books, the 1st is fiction the Gods of Gotham, (Terri loved it). It sounds terrific and the 2nd one is NF, Island of Vice, about Teddy Roosevelt's attempt to clean up NY. TR is one of my American heroes. These sound like great companion pieces.

Chelle- Good to see you! Sorry you were snagged by the dreaded blue words. This is an occupational hazard on LT.
I take over-the counter stuff for my allergies. It keeps it somewhat under control.

Terri- Gave you a shout-out above for the Gods of Gotham. It looks like one I will love.

Took the kids to the shops this morning to get stuff for the Easter hat parade at school this week, and they (of course) got distracted at the DVD shop, wanting all sorts of movies, and I was being Tough Mum and said "no, no, no, no, no" to everything. Then as we were leaving, I had to repeat "no, no, no, no, no" as we walked past "The Walking Dead", "Downtown Abbey", and "Game of Thrones".

Damn, if I'd been generous to them, I could have been generous to myself as well! One can't say no to them, and then splurge on oneself. Oh well. Next time.

Ah, weekend still (mostly) stretching ahead of me. Hurrah, Saturday's a wonderful day. :)

Happy Saturday, everyone! One more story left in In Other Rooms. I FINALLY finished the audio of The wise Man's Fear, big but good and next up is the Expats, which should be fun.

Tania- Your restraint is admirable. I salute you. I'm getting fired up about Game of Thrones starting Sunday night. Yah!
Enjoy your weekend!

For me, podcasts have the same effect that audio books do.
I turn them on, try to listen and then forget to listen and my mind wanders....

Ha! Me, too. I like to listen to audiobooks in the car, though - for some reason I pay attention if I am in transit. We have a dog that loves audiobooks. She is afraid of storms, and so whenever we get a big storm, she whines and shakes like crazy. Once my son decided to see if she would do better in the bathroom because it just has one glass block window, but she could still hear the storm, so he put an audiobook on for her - she settled right down! Now every time that the weather gets bad, she heads into the bathroom and waits patiently for someone to put on her audiobook. She prefers Eragon or Harry Potter!

Mark - Hope you are having a good weekend so far. Did you get any of that hail yesterday? We had quarter-size hail during our big storm- guess where the dog was?!

Happy Saturday to you too, Mark!
Are you planning to watch Titanic? I think the Fellowes guy from DA is involved in it somehow. I'll be watching, if I remember to check the time and day.

>233 wookiebender: I hadn't thought about it, Tania, but that's probably a subconscious reason I've always been generous with getting my kids books. My parents were that way with me (albeit more modestly). I like to encourage the kids' reading, but it also means I don't have to walk by ones like The Walking Dead and Downton Abbey!

Look forward to your thoughts on The Wise Man's Fear, Mark! How'd you like that blade tree scene?

Your thread moves quickly, Mark. All caught up now just in time for you to start a new one. I love the range of discussions you get started. Podcasts, allergies, TV series...and best of all, BOOKS!

I love the idea of an LT podcast. You would make the perfect host!

Hear, hear (and listen, listen) on your hosting the LT podcast, Mark!

Well, I'm done for the week. Pant, pant. I am working my day off Monday so another 6-dayer coming up, so I better enjoy what's left of my weekend.
Strange weather day today, started out cold & windy and then finally the sun creeped out and it got a little better. Warm day tomorrow, might do some outside yard work.

Kath- I usually listen to the podcasts while I'm "casing" my mail in the office, before I hit the street. They are relatively short, anywhere from 15 min-to an hour. As you can tell, I love me some book talk.

Mamie- That's a great story about your dog & audiobooks! LOL. I should try that with our Chocolate Lab. She also freaks out with thunder and hard rain.
I had to work today, so my weekend just started. We had a little rain yesterday morning but then it stopped and no hail.

Lynda- Are they showing a version of Titanic on TV? I know the 3D version is at the show. I think the actor who plays Lord Grantham, was the captain on the ship.

Joe- I really enjoyed Wise Man's Fear, but he's another author who really takes his time. He has A LOT to wrap up in the final book and I've barely heard a king mentioned.
And yes, I did like the sword tree scene.

Donna- Glad you got caught up. I always enjoy your visits. Are you joining us on the DC Group Read?

Donna & Joe- Of course I love the idea of an LT Podcast but as far as hosting, I would be a poor choice. I have a crappy monotone voice and I'm not as quick and articulate as I would need to be. Joe has a better voice.
I wonder if RD or Paul would be available?

I have a good start on Warmth of Other Suns - about 100 pages in - and while I have some small gripes about the book, overall I like it. I will be starting DAvid Copperfield next week.

It is a beautiful day here. I even worked outside with my plants for a little. Now I am headed inside to knit and watch the basketball games. Even though I am not an alumni I have to admit that I am hoping KU pulls it of this time around.

Hi Mark: We had a Downton Abbey-a-thon at the Panzo household today. Absolutely loved it.

Do you know when season 2 will be available on DVD? It'd be nice to watch it and then watch next season, live.

#218 Thanks Judy, you can be sure I'll be glued to the tube on Sunday night. Yay!

Mark, as you may or may not have seen, I got The Gods of Gotham this week from Audible. I hadn't heard about it before, but they presented it along with a few other new releases and the synopsis really appealed to me. I guess I'll be listening to that real soon. I'm getting David Copperfield on audio too and wondering if I should start with that one... I'm getting the version narrated by Martin Jarvis—I've been wanting to listen to him for a long while now. Is there a DC thread set up already? Not that anyone should count on me to be much active on it...

Hope you've been having a great day!

Mark, enjoy your one day off this week!

I know this will be hard to believe, but I finally started Twilight and just couldn't put it down. I'm not so sure why I resisted so long. And Edward is such a...dreamboat! I NEED to get back to it quick!

Benita- I'll be looking forward to more of your thoughts on Warmth. I finished and loved In Other Rooms. This one will stay with me awhile. I'll probably crack DC by the end of the week.

Linda- A new DA convert! Yah! I'll have to check the release date on Season 2. Not sure.

Ilana- The Gods of Gotham sounds very appealing to me too! Crime, dark, gritty, 1800s NYC...I'm there.
I'm going to try reading/listening to DC and see how that goes. I'll have to check and see who narrates the version I have.

Ellen- Thanks! I have to a lot of relaxing to get in today! Hey, I'll be fine. Enjoy your day too!

BTW- APRIL FOOLS!!
(I know, pretty lame)

Woke up to some serious rolling thunder this morning and then it poured for awhile. My lab is huddled in the downstairs bathroom. She's not pleased. I'll try to coax her out in a little while. Quiet out there now and it supposed to get very warm later on.

I started the ExPats on audio and this looks to be a lot of fun! A breezy spy thriller. I also finished the most excellent In Other Rooms.

Game of Thrones tonight! Be there or be square!

I honestly believe that listening to Gods of Gotham would make my ears bleed...
no fooling.

Aww, you got me. But the part about the dreamboat made me think you were a little off your rocker. :-) I decided to to join in and read David Copperfield. Hope I can keep up!!

Hi Mark. I'm glad to hear you liked In Other Rooms, Other Wonders and I am going to look for it. AnnieMod has organized a Club Read short story challenge for April, which made me think of you. I am going to do my best to participate, although I have multiple long books in progress that I need to finish up this month. You may want to join or follow along. I expect there will be many excellent recommendations to come out of the discussion. Here's the thread: www.librarything.com/topic/135063.

wow, I had to read that twice!! I actually believed you until you said Edward is such a...dreamboat then I started to think that someone had broken into your account!

Hi Kath- Why would it make your ears bleed? The dark & gritty? It's really getting some great reviews.

Tammy- Yes, the Twilight bit was silly but what the heck. I'm glad you'll be joining us on the DC read. We should have a nice group going.

Linda- Thanks for the short story challenge link. Sounds great but since the David Copperfield group read will be taking up a big chunk of my time, I'm not sure how much I can get to. Maybe one or 2. I starred it.