September Book of the Month
Talk Book of the month club
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1oldstick
I guess there are too many groups giving reviews of books they are reading. Only two of us last month!
Never mind, I shall persevere.
The lost Art of keeping Secrets by Eva Rice. A strange story about a teenage girl in the 1950's - laden with period detail but quite unbelievable. Who drank that much champagne in those days? Read it for fun if you fancy retro delight.
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna. A beutifully written story of love and loss in Africa. For a while one is transported to the unfamiliar world of a foreign hospital, with two men trying to come to terms with the hands fate has dealt them. Wistful, brave, tender and worth reading.
Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier.Part of my search for books that reach a little deeper. The quest of an academic for the realities of the man behind a book that changes his life completely. I don't think a single reading will do justice to this story. This was a translation from the German but the language seemed natural. I may try reading it again as it had some philosophical passages that indicated the nature of the author.
Midnight Cactus by Bella Pollen. A complete contrast - I came to this book expecting to be disappointed but I really enjoyed reading it.Wife takes temporary leave of her husband to live with her children near the Mexican border.The desert setting made the difficulties of Alice's situation interesting and romantic. Her strong voice was captured skilfully and although her destination seemed obvious the reader is left guessing to the end.
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.A ghost story that really stretched one's imagination. I didn't like the changes in viewpoint, the characters or the plot. I read to the end without much enthusiasm.
Sister by Rosamund Lupton. A mystery with a medical twist. Unfortunately if you guess who the murderer is near the start of the book it has little impact.
It is impossible to pick a book this month as they were all so different. Night Train to Lisbon and Midnight Cactus would win because , together, they gave me an idea for a new novel but I doubt if many people would rate them equal.
So many books! I must have had too much time on my hands. Just wait for next month - I have a very different tale on the go at present!
Never mind, I shall persevere.
The lost Art of keeping Secrets by Eva Rice. A strange story about a teenage girl in the 1950's - laden with period detail but quite unbelievable. Who drank that much champagne in those days? Read it for fun if you fancy retro delight.
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna. A beutifully written story of love and loss in Africa. For a while one is transported to the unfamiliar world of a foreign hospital, with two men trying to come to terms with the hands fate has dealt them. Wistful, brave, tender and worth reading.
Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier.Part of my search for books that reach a little deeper. The quest of an academic for the realities of the man behind a book that changes his life completely. I don't think a single reading will do justice to this story. This was a translation from the German but the language seemed natural. I may try reading it again as it had some philosophical passages that indicated the nature of the author.
Midnight Cactus by Bella Pollen. A complete contrast - I came to this book expecting to be disappointed but I really enjoyed reading it.Wife takes temporary leave of her husband to live with her children near the Mexican border.The desert setting made the difficulties of Alice's situation interesting and romantic. Her strong voice was captured skilfully and although her destination seemed obvious the reader is left guessing to the end.
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.A ghost story that really stretched one's imagination. I didn't like the changes in viewpoint, the characters or the plot. I read to the end without much enthusiasm.
Sister by Rosamund Lupton. A mystery with a medical twist. Unfortunately if you guess who the murderer is near the start of the book it has little impact.
It is impossible to pick a book this month as they were all so different. Night Train to Lisbon and Midnight Cactus would win because , together, they gave me an idea for a new novel but I doubt if many people would rate them equal.
So many books! I must have had too much time on my hands. Just wait for next month - I have a very different tale on the go at present!
2Booksloth
I need to get back to this group - I'm so touched to see the struggle to keep it going! I've been pretty busy lately but that's no excuse.
Trouble is, I even forgot to keep track of my reading in September - a few I remember are:
Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter
Turlough, Brian Keenan
The Vanishing Act, Mette Jakobsen
Mary Boleyn; the Great and Infamous Whore, Alison Weir
I know there were more but they obviously didn't make much of an impression.
Without doubt (though it was a generally good haul) my book of the month out of those would have to be Turlough. This is a fictionalised account of the life of Turlough O'Carolan the blind harper of the 17-18th centuries. It was lent to me by another 'harping' friend and our shared interest in it stemmed from our shared interest in our Celtic harps. However, even without that, it turned out to be a wonderful read. Not the kind of book you can whizz through in a couple of evenings, it required a quiet, unhurried appraoch but it was so worth it in the end. I just loved this book.
#1 Oldstick, you've mentioned a couple above that have been on my Mount TBR for too long now - Night Train to Lisbon and The Memory of Love. Still can't swear I'll get round to them any tinme soon but they're definitely both being bumped up the pile!
Trouble is, I even forgot to keep track of my reading in September - a few I remember are:
Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter
Turlough, Brian Keenan
The Vanishing Act, Mette Jakobsen
Mary Boleyn; the Great and Infamous Whore, Alison Weir
I know there were more but they obviously didn't make much of an impression.
Without doubt (though it was a generally good haul) my book of the month out of those would have to be Turlough. This is a fictionalised account of the life of Turlough O'Carolan the blind harper of the 17-18th centuries. It was lent to me by another 'harping' friend and our shared interest in it stemmed from our shared interest in our Celtic harps. However, even without that, it turned out to be a wonderful read. Not the kind of book you can whizz through in a couple of evenings, it required a quiet, unhurried appraoch but it was so worth it in the end. I just loved this book.
#1 Oldstick, you've mentioned a couple above that have been on my Mount TBR for too long now - Night Train to Lisbon and The Memory of Love. Still can't swear I'll get round to them any tinme soon but they're definitely both being bumped up the pile!
3tjsjohanna
So, I'm here - just a couple of days late! Oldstick - thanks for being diligent in getting a thread going each month!! And Booksloth - it's good to see you back! Thanks for sharing what you've been reading :)
Fiction
The Winter Ghosts - listened to this - it was pretty good
Prime Cut - I always enjoy Diane Mott Davidson's mysteries
The Jane Austen Marriage Manual - a funny contemporary novel with lots of nods to Jane Austen novels
Defending Jacob - another audiobook, definitely kept me wondering to the end
Forgotten - I liked the premise of this book and found it entertaining
Elantris - this was a nice return to fantasy fiction
The Ringworld Engineers - I listened to Ringworld last month and was curious enough to want to go back to the world. Can't decide if I'll continue the series, though, since reviews on LibraryThing for subsequent novels aren't very positive.
The Misanthrope and Other Plays - I was challenged to "Go Review That Book!" and spent some days re-reading a few of Moliere's plays. They are funnier than I remembered - but then I read them as a young college student who hadn't done much reading of classics to that point.
YA Fiction
The Moon by Night - I love Madeline L'Engle and this was no exception
Rules - my daughter was reading this, so I joined in. It was a thoughtful look at the challenges that come when one of the children in a family has a disability.
Non-Fiction
We Bought a Zoo - I enjoyed the memoir quite a bit (haven't seen the movie). It seems like such a whimsical thing to do.
Hidden America - such an interesting look at the professions we don't think much about that make such a difference in our lives.
How I Killed Pluto and Why it Had it Coming - You'd think searching for new planets would be dry work and dry reading, but not so! The universe is an interesting place.
Best book this month? The one I had the most fun reading was probably Elantris.
Fiction
The Winter Ghosts - listened to this - it was pretty good
Prime Cut - I always enjoy Diane Mott Davidson's mysteries
The Jane Austen Marriage Manual - a funny contemporary novel with lots of nods to Jane Austen novels
Defending Jacob - another audiobook, definitely kept me wondering to the end
Forgotten - I liked the premise of this book and found it entertaining
Elantris - this was a nice return to fantasy fiction
The Ringworld Engineers - I listened to Ringworld last month and was curious enough to want to go back to the world. Can't decide if I'll continue the series, though, since reviews on LibraryThing for subsequent novels aren't very positive.
The Misanthrope and Other Plays - I was challenged to "Go Review That Book!" and spent some days re-reading a few of Moliere's plays. They are funnier than I remembered - but then I read them as a young college student who hadn't done much reading of classics to that point.
YA Fiction
The Moon by Night - I love Madeline L'Engle and this was no exception
Rules - my daughter was reading this, so I joined in. It was a thoughtful look at the challenges that come when one of the children in a family has a disability.
Non-Fiction
We Bought a Zoo - I enjoyed the memoir quite a bit (haven't seen the movie). It seems like such a whimsical thing to do.
Hidden America - such an interesting look at the professions we don't think much about that make such a difference in our lives.
How I Killed Pluto and Why it Had it Coming - You'd think searching for new planets would be dry work and dry reading, but not so! The universe is an interesting place.
Best book this month? The one I had the most fun reading was probably Elantris.
4Booksloth
tjs - You might (or might not) be interested to know that the 'zoo' in question (in We Bought a Zoo is just a few miles up the road from me. Although the current owner is an occasional customer in my husband's shop I've never been to the zoo but I understand they have worked wonders there. Under the former owners the place was the subject of a vast number of complaints and protests because of the way the animals were kept and my own experience of going there was so awful that I vowed never to return. Now the kids have grown up I don't do much in that line these days but I'm sometimes tempted to call in and see the way things have improved because I hear great things.
5tjsjohanna
booksloth - that is interesting! Reading the owner's memoir, it sounded as thought they made some very needed improvements. The author was very careful not to make other parties involved look bad, which I thought was really "gentlemanly" of him. The other thing I thought amazing is that his wife died during the whole "trying to get the zoo ready to open" stage. I can't even imagine being able to muddle through, though maybe the work was a welcome distraction after her death. It's worth a read, and might induce you to take a visit! :)
