What Are You Reading the Week of 2 November 2013?
Talk What Are You Reading Now?
Join LibraryThing to post.
This topic is currently marked as "dormant"—the last message is more than 90 days old. You can revive it by posting a reply.
1richardderus
It's the Day of the Dead in the old sacred calendar, so what could be more appropriate than honoring:
Abraham aka Bram Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.
Stoker was born on 8 November 1847 on the north side of Dublin, Ireland. His parents were Abraham Stoker (1799–1876), from Dublin, and Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley (1818–1901), who was raised in County Sligo. Stoker was the third of seven children, the eldest of whom was Sir Thornley Stoker, 1st Bt. Abraham and Charlotte were members of the Church of Ireland Parish of Clontarf and attended the parish church with their children, who were baptized there.
Stoker was bedridden with an unknown illness until he started school at the age of seven, when he made a complete recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years." He was educated in a private school run by the Rev. William Woods.
After his recovery, he grew up without further major health issues, even excelling as an athlete (he was named University Athlete) at Trinity College, Dublin, which he attended from 1864 to 1870. He graduated with honours as a B.A. in Mathematics. He was auditor of the College Historical Society ('the Hist') and president of the University Philosophical Society, where his first paper was on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
Stoker became interested in the theatre while a student. He became the theatre critic for the Dublin Evening Mail, co-owned by the author of Gothic tales Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Theatre critics were held in low esteem, but he attracted notice by the quality of his reviews. In December 1876 he gave a favorable review of Henry Irving's Hamlet at the Theatre Royal in Dublin. Irving invited Stoker for dinner at the Shelbourne Hotel where he was staying. They became friends. Stoker also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock. In 1876, while a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879), which remained a standard work. Furthermore, he possessed an interest in art, and was a founder of the Dublin Sketching Club in 1874.
In 1878, Stoker married Florence Balcombe. She was a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. Stoker had known Wilde from his student days, having proposed him for membership of the university’s Philosophical Society while he was president. Wilde was upset at Florence's decision, but Stoker later resumed the acquaintanceship, and after Wilde's fall visited him on the Continent.
The Stokers moved to London, where Stoker became acting manager and then business manager of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, London, a post he held for 27 years. On 31 December 1879, Bram and Florence's only child was born, a son whom they christened Irving Noel Thornley Stoker. The collaboration with Irving was important for Stoker, and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (to whom he was distantly related). Working for Irving, the most famous actor of his time, and managing one of the most successful theatres in London made Stoker a notable if busy man. He was dedicated to Irving and his memoirs show he idolized him. In London Stoker also met Hall Caine, who became one of his closest friends - he dedicated Dracula to him.
In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker travelled the world, although he never visited Eastern Europe, a setting for his most famous novel. Stoker enjoyed the United States, where Irving was popular. With Irving he was invited twice to the White House, and knew William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Stoker set two of his novels there, using Americans as characters, the most notable being Quincey Morris. He also met one of his literary idols, Walt Whitman.
While manager for Irving and secretary and director of London's Lyceum Theatre, he began writing novels, beginning with The Snake's Pass in 1890 and Dracula in 1897. During this period, Stoker was part of the literary staff of the The Daily Telegraph in London, and wrote other fiction, including the horror novels The Lady of the Shroud (1909) and The Lair of the White Worm (1911). In 1906, after Irving's death, he published his life of Irving, which proved successful, and managed productions at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Before writing Dracula, Stoker met Ármin Vámbéry who was a Hungarian writer and traveler. Dracula likely emerged from Vámbéry's dark stories of the Carpathian mountains. Stoker then spent several years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires. Dracula is an epistolary novel, written as a collection of realistic, but completely fictional, diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship's logs, and newspaper clippings, all of which added a level of detailed realism to his story, a skill he developed as a newspaper writer. At the time of its publication, Dracula was considered a "straightforward horror novel" based on imaginary creations of supernatural life. "It gave form to a universal fantasy . . . and became a part of popular culture."
According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography, Stoker's stories are today included within the categories of "horror fiction," "romanticized Gothic" stories, and "melodrama." They are classified alongside other "works of popular fiction" such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein which, according to historian Jules Zanger, also used the "myth-making" and story-telling method of having "multiple narrators" telling the same tale from different perspectives. "'They can't all be lying,' thinks the reader."
The original 541-page manuscript of Dracula, believed to have been lost, was found in a barn in northwestern Pennsylvania during the early 1980s. It included the typed manuscript with many corrections, and handwritten on the title page was "THE UN-DEAD." The author's name was shown at the bottom as Bram Stoker. Author Robert Latham notes, "the most famous horror novel ever published, its title changed at the last minute." The manuscript was purchased by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Stoker's original research notes for the novel are kept by the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia, PA. A facsimile edition of the notes was created by Elizabeth Miller and Robert Eighteen-Bisang in 1998.
After suffering a number of strokes, Stoker died on 20 April 1912. Some biographers attribute the cause of death to tertiary syphilis, others to overwork. He was cremated, and his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders Green Crematorium. After Irving Noel Stoker's death in 1961, his ashes were added to that urn. The original plan had been to keep his parents' ashes together, but after Florence Stoker's death, her ashes were scattered at the Gardens of Rest. To visit his remains at Golders Green, visitors must be escorted to the room the urn is housed in, for fear of vandalism.
Novels
The Primrose Path (1875)
The Snake's Pass (1890)
The Watter's Mou' (1895)
The Shoulder of Shasta (1895)
Dracula (1897)
Miss Betty (1898)
The Mystery of the Sea (1902)
The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903)
The Man (aka: The Gates of Life) (1905)
Lady Athlyne (1908)
The Lady of the Shroud (1909)
The Lair of the White Worm (aka: The Garden of Evil) (1911)
Short story collections
Under the Sunset (1881), comprising eight fairy tales for children
Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party (1908)
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories (1914)
Non-fiction
The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland (1879)
A Glimpse of America (1886)
Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving (1906)
Famous Impostors (1910)
Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition (2008)
Abraham aka Bram Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.
Stoker was born on 8 November 1847 on the north side of Dublin, Ireland. His parents were Abraham Stoker (1799–1876), from Dublin, and Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley (1818–1901), who was raised in County Sligo. Stoker was the third of seven children, the eldest of whom was Sir Thornley Stoker, 1st Bt. Abraham and Charlotte were members of the Church of Ireland Parish of Clontarf and attended the parish church with their children, who were baptized there.
Stoker was bedridden with an unknown illness until he started school at the age of seven, when he made a complete recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years." He was educated in a private school run by the Rev. William Woods.
After his recovery, he grew up without further major health issues, even excelling as an athlete (he was named University Athlete) at Trinity College, Dublin, which he attended from 1864 to 1870. He graduated with honours as a B.A. in Mathematics. He was auditor of the College Historical Society ('the Hist') and president of the University Philosophical Society, where his first paper was on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
Stoker became interested in the theatre while a student. He became the theatre critic for the Dublin Evening Mail, co-owned by the author of Gothic tales Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Theatre critics were held in low esteem, but he attracted notice by the quality of his reviews. In December 1876 he gave a favorable review of Henry Irving's Hamlet at the Theatre Royal in Dublin. Irving invited Stoker for dinner at the Shelbourne Hotel where he was staying. They became friends. Stoker also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock. In 1876, while a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879), which remained a standard work. Furthermore, he possessed an interest in art, and was a founder of the Dublin Sketching Club in 1874.
In 1878, Stoker married Florence Balcombe. She was a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. Stoker had known Wilde from his student days, having proposed him for membership of the university’s Philosophical Society while he was president. Wilde was upset at Florence's decision, but Stoker later resumed the acquaintanceship, and after Wilde's fall visited him on the Continent.
The Stokers moved to London, where Stoker became acting manager and then business manager of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, London, a post he held for 27 years. On 31 December 1879, Bram and Florence's only child was born, a son whom they christened Irving Noel Thornley Stoker. The collaboration with Irving was important for Stoker, and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (to whom he was distantly related). Working for Irving, the most famous actor of his time, and managing one of the most successful theatres in London made Stoker a notable if busy man. He was dedicated to Irving and his memoirs show he idolized him. In London Stoker also met Hall Caine, who became one of his closest friends - he dedicated Dracula to him.
In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker travelled the world, although he never visited Eastern Europe, a setting for his most famous novel. Stoker enjoyed the United States, where Irving was popular. With Irving he was invited twice to the White House, and knew William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Stoker set two of his novels there, using Americans as characters, the most notable being Quincey Morris. He also met one of his literary idols, Walt Whitman.
While manager for Irving and secretary and director of London's Lyceum Theatre, he began writing novels, beginning with The Snake's Pass in 1890 and Dracula in 1897. During this period, Stoker was part of the literary staff of the The Daily Telegraph in London, and wrote other fiction, including the horror novels The Lady of the Shroud (1909) and The Lair of the White Worm (1911). In 1906, after Irving's death, he published his life of Irving, which proved successful, and managed productions at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Before writing Dracula, Stoker met Ármin Vámbéry who was a Hungarian writer and traveler. Dracula likely emerged from Vámbéry's dark stories of the Carpathian mountains. Stoker then spent several years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires. Dracula is an epistolary novel, written as a collection of realistic, but completely fictional, diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship's logs, and newspaper clippings, all of which added a level of detailed realism to his story, a skill he developed as a newspaper writer. At the time of its publication, Dracula was considered a "straightforward horror novel" based on imaginary creations of supernatural life. "It gave form to a universal fantasy . . . and became a part of popular culture."
According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography, Stoker's stories are today included within the categories of "horror fiction," "romanticized Gothic" stories, and "melodrama." They are classified alongside other "works of popular fiction" such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein which, according to historian Jules Zanger, also used the "myth-making" and story-telling method of having "multiple narrators" telling the same tale from different perspectives. "'They can't all be lying,' thinks the reader."
The original 541-page manuscript of Dracula, believed to have been lost, was found in a barn in northwestern Pennsylvania during the early 1980s. It included the typed manuscript with many corrections, and handwritten on the title page was "THE UN-DEAD." The author's name was shown at the bottom as Bram Stoker. Author Robert Latham notes, "the most famous horror novel ever published, its title changed at the last minute." The manuscript was purchased by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Stoker's original research notes for the novel are kept by the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia, PA. A facsimile edition of the notes was created by Elizabeth Miller and Robert Eighteen-Bisang in 1998.
After suffering a number of strokes, Stoker died on 20 April 1912. Some biographers attribute the cause of death to tertiary syphilis, others to overwork. He was cremated, and his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders Green Crematorium. After Irving Noel Stoker's death in 1961, his ashes were added to that urn. The original plan had been to keep his parents' ashes together, but after Florence Stoker's death, her ashes were scattered at the Gardens of Rest. To visit his remains at Golders Green, visitors must be escorted to the room the urn is housed in, for fear of vandalism.
Novels
The Primrose Path (1875)
The Snake's Pass (1890)
The Watter's Mou' (1895)
The Shoulder of Shasta (1895)
Dracula (1897)
Miss Betty (1898)
The Mystery of the Sea (1902)
The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903)
The Man (aka: The Gates of Life) (1905)
Lady Athlyne (1908)
The Lady of the Shroud (1909)
The Lair of the White Worm (aka: The Garden of Evil) (1911)
Short story collections
Under the Sunset (1881), comprising eight fairy tales for children
Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party (1908)
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories (1914)
Non-fiction
The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland (1879)
A Glimpse of America (1886)
Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving (1906)
Famous Impostors (1910)
Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition (2008)
2cdyankeefan
That was wonderful and completely appropriate-thanks!!!
3Citizenjoyce
I tried reading Dracula but had to stop due to what seemed to me its overwhelming antisemitism. Evidently, I'm in the minority in thinking this.
Recently I finished both Never Stuff Your Dog and Official Book Club Selection. Both the ultra nice Alan Alda and the queen of mean Kathy Griffin have in common their reliance on humor to get through life and their strong work ethic.
On iPad I've started the extremely bizarre Perdido Street Station which is a steampunk novel about humans who are combined with animals, bugs, plants and machinery as punishment. I think I'm really going to like this one.
On audiobook I'll be starting 1Q84 my first novel by Haruki Murakami
On paper I'm still reading My Beloved World an am surprised to find Sonia Sotomayor such a good writer. I don't know why I've put off reading this for so long, it's quite interesting.
On Nook I'm reading a much simpler YA dystopian novel Legend
Recently I finished both Never Stuff Your Dog and Official Book Club Selection. Both the ultra nice Alan Alda and the queen of mean Kathy Griffin have in common their reliance on humor to get through life and their strong work ethic.
On iPad I've started the extremely bizarre Perdido Street Station which is a steampunk novel about humans who are combined with animals, bugs, plants and machinery as punishment. I think I'm really going to like this one.
On audiobook I'll be starting 1Q84 my first novel by Haruki Murakami
On paper I'm still reading My Beloved World an am surprised to find Sonia Sotomayor such a good writer. I don't know why I've put off reading this for so long, it's quite interesting.
On Nook I'm reading a much simpler YA dystopian novel Legend
4benitastrnad
#3
I liked 1Q84 but it does get long with a really long section in it where the story doesn't seem to move much. I think Murakami's best novel is Kafka on the Shore and that is the one I recommend people start with. But just stay with the novel, it has lots to say. And do check out Murakami's Random House web site. It is amazing and comes complete with play lists for the novels. Enjoy.
I liked 1Q84 but it does get long with a really long section in it where the story doesn't seem to move much. I think Murakami's best novel is Kafka on the Shore and that is the one I recommend people start with. But just stay with the novel, it has lots to say. And do check out Murakami's Random House web site. It is amazing and comes complete with play lists for the novels. Enjoy.
6CarolynSchroeder
Thanks for the weekly kick-off, Sir Richard!
I am deeply engrossed in the new biography Johnny Cash: The Life by Robert Hilburn and loving it. A friend said I had to drop everything and read it and well, I was in between books, but dowloaded it Kindle and off I went. It is a really interesting chapter in American history, as well as a biography.
I am deeply engrossed in the new biography Johnny Cash: The Life by Robert Hilburn and loving it. A friend said I had to drop everything and read it and well, I was in between books, but dowloaded it Kindle and off I went. It is a really interesting chapter in American history, as well as a biography.
8bookwoman247
Thank you for another great start to the week, Richard! I knew that Bram Stoker wrote more than Dracula, and you've probably spurred me to look into his other works. I also loved Le Fanu's Uncle Silas: A Tale of Bartram-Hough, and I want to read more of him as well.
Right now I'm just starting Gramercy Park by Paula Cohen. I'm not even past the prologue yet, so there's not much to tell. I just wasn't able to stick with Henning Mankell's Faceless Killers, and I don't think I'll be trying him again, although you never know.
Right now I'm just starting Gramercy Park by Paula Cohen. I'm not even past the prologue yet, so there's not much to tell. I just wasn't able to stick with Henning Mankell's Faceless Killers, and I don't think I'll be trying him again, although you never know.
9richardderus
ONOZ! Someone recognizes the author! Must ratchet up the Obscurity Quotient...
I don't, to put it mildly, find Stoker's entire ouevre worth reading...Lair of the White Worm is nigh on unreadable for me...but he will always be known for Dracula anyway.
I do my best to overlook the unfortunate prejudices of the past, but the antisemitism of this book didn't make a huge impression on me. I don't know why.
I don't, to put it mildly, find Stoker's entire ouevre worth reading...Lair of the White Worm is nigh on unreadable for me...but he will always be known for Dracula anyway.
I do my best to overlook the unfortunate prejudices of the past, but the antisemitism of this book didn't make a huge impression on me. I don't know why.
10framboise
Almost done with What Do Women Want? by Daniel Bergner, a fascinating read backed by recent scientific research into female desire.
Just picked up Amy Falls Down, a novel recommended by David Sedaris when I last saw him in August.
Just picked up Amy Falls Down, a novel recommended by David Sedaris when I last saw him in August.
11NarratorLady
Just finished Jane Gardam's beautifully written "Crusoe's Daughter".
12richardderus
I've finally written a review for my doted-on delight of a book, The Teleportation Accident, in my thread...post #292.
Good, solid stuff, and a Booker Prize longlister from 2012.
Good, solid stuff, and a Booker Prize longlister from 2012.
13fredbacon
I've started The Sleepwalkers, How Europe Went to War in 1914, by Christopher Clark. I'm going to be at it for awhile. Not much time for reading these days. I normally read 45-55 books a year, but I'll be lucky to make 35 this year. :-(
14bookwormjules
I'm currently reading; The Crooked Maid, Under Budapest, Definitely Dead and The Female Quixote - which has been a struggle to get through.
15benitastrnad
#13
I am having the same problem. My total numbers read are down. ON-the-other hand, I have read some really lengthy books and some that I have had on my shelves for ages. The problem is they just aren't coming off my shelves fast enough.
I am within 200 page of finishing Devil's Brood and hope to get close to done with it today.
I am having the same problem. My total numbers read are down. ON-the-other hand, I have read some really lengthy books and some that I have had on my shelves for ages. The problem is they just aren't coming off my shelves fast enough.
I am within 200 page of finishing Devil's Brood and hope to get close to done with it today.
16snash
I read The Art of Fielding and thoroughly enjoyed it. Better late than never.
17rocketjk
#13 & 15> Yup, I'm right there with you. I guess I'm looking at 40, tops. I was hoping to pass last year's 46. Too many long books (but good, though!) and slightly diminished reading time.
I had to spend the better part of the week in Las Vegas helping my sister attend to my 90-year-old mom, who took a sudden turn for the worse in terms of mobility, especially. I got sick, too. Rough duty all around. Anyway, while there I found time to finish the sadly underwhelming The Red Tent. I can't even recall what possessed me to read it after all this time, and 'twas only stubbornness that got me through to the end. I felt like I was reading about a biblical, bizarro Lake Wobegone. You know, where all the women are spiritual and all the men are crass stinkers (except for those few who are strong, wonderful, wise and great in the sack). It kinda, sorta got better over the last third or so. Anyway, that's done.
So now I've started To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn. This is part of a detective series in which the stories are told through the eyes of the detective's dog, Chet. Now, normally I would never even consider reading something as cutesy as that. I know, bold words from somebody who just finished reading The Red Tent, right? Anyway, I'm reading this one because it was lent to me by my neighbor, Sandra. She and her husband, Bob, retired and in their 80s, are basically the sweetest people in the world (not counting my lovely wife, of course). I would walk across hot coals to please either one of them. So when after several excellent glasses of red wine several weeks ago, Sandra went to, um, fetch this book for me, handing it over and making me promise to give it a try, telling my how much I'd like it, I knew it was in my short-term future. Here's the thing, though. I gave it a start during the short flight back from Las Vegas to Oakland airport, and during the hour I was in the air pretty much sailed through the first 40 pages. It is, indeed, cleverly done. So whether that cleverness will remain entertaining or become cloying over the book's 300-page entirety, I don't know. But I am going to find out.
I had to spend the better part of the week in Las Vegas helping my sister attend to my 90-year-old mom, who took a sudden turn for the worse in terms of mobility, especially. I got sick, too. Rough duty all around. Anyway, while there I found time to finish the sadly underwhelming The Red Tent. I can't even recall what possessed me to read it after all this time, and 'twas only stubbornness that got me through to the end. I felt like I was reading about a biblical, bizarro Lake Wobegone. You know, where all the women are spiritual and all the men are crass stinkers (except for those few who are strong, wonderful, wise and great in the sack). It kinda, sorta got better over the last third or so. Anyway, that's done.
So now I've started To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn. This is part of a detective series in which the stories are told through the eyes of the detective's dog, Chet. Now, normally I would never even consider reading something as cutesy as that. I know, bold words from somebody who just finished reading The Red Tent, right? Anyway, I'm reading this one because it was lent to me by my neighbor, Sandra. She and her husband, Bob, retired and in their 80s, are basically the sweetest people in the world (not counting my lovely wife, of course). I would walk across hot coals to please either one of them. So when after several excellent glasses of red wine several weeks ago, Sandra went to, um, fetch this book for me, handing it over and making me promise to give it a try, telling my how much I'd like it, I knew it was in my short-term future. Here's the thing, though. I gave it a start during the short flight back from Las Vegas to Oakland airport, and during the hour I was in the air pretty much sailed through the first 40 pages. It is, indeed, cleverly done. So whether that cleverness will remain entertaining or become cloying over the book's 300-page entirety, I don't know. But I am going to find out.
18brenzi
I finished and REVIEWED Eleanor Catton's Booker winning novel, The Luminaries. Excellent!
Now I'm reading The Man Without a Face: the Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen. I took it out of the library when Putin stepped in to save us from bombing Syria and let it languish but now that Putin's been named by Forbes as the world's most powerful man I thought I might as well read it.
Now I'm reading The Man Without a Face: the Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen. I took it out of the library when Putin stepped in to save us from bombing Syria and let it languish but now that Putin's been named by Forbes as the world's most powerful man I thought I might as well read it.
19coloradogirl14
I'm currently drowning in a sea of early reviewer books, and yet I still read books from the library...I'm reading the utterly charming The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns, which received a rave review from Stephen King. I'm trying to focus on lighter mysteries this month, so next up will likely be One for the Money or something by either Diane Mott Davidson or Joanne Fluke. And hopefully one of those ER books I've gotten from NetGalley.
20rocketjk
I've also added A Treasury of Great Reporting: "Literature Under Pressure" from the Sixteenth Century to Our Own Time, edited by Louis L. Snyder and Richard Brandon Morris to my stack of "between books" (anthologies, collections and other books of short entries which I read one story/chapter at a time between the novels, histories, etc., that I read straight through).
21Iudita
I've started reading Night Film which is out of my comfort zone but which I have to admit is quite compelling. I am also finishing up the audio of The Orchardist which I am loving. Very slow but such a wonderful story. It will likely be one of my favourites this year.
22Copperskye
I finished Larry Watson's Let Him Go. A stunning, heartbreaking read that will be sticking with me for quite a while.
This week I had started Peter May's The Blackhouse, and although I love the setting and the flashback portions of the story, I put it down after about 50 pages because it was just too bleak for me right now. Anyone have an opinion on it? So I picked up a lighter book (I hope), Snapper by Brian Kimberling.
I'm also continuing with One for the Books and the audio of Still Foolin' 'Em.
This week I had started Peter May's The Blackhouse, and although I love the setting and the flashback portions of the story, I put it down after about 50 pages because it was just too bleak for me right now. Anyone have an opinion on it? So I picked up a lighter book (I hope), Snapper by Brian Kimberling.
I'm also continuing with One for the Books and the audio of Still Foolin' 'Em.
23mollygrace
I finished Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father by Richard Rodriguez, a book of essays that for some reason has languished in my tbr pile for 20 years. I loved the author's previous book, Hunger of Memory, and was eager to read this one, but for some reason put it off -- until now. The thought-provoking essays are very fine.
Now I'm reading another refugee from Mount TBR -- this one practically a newcomer (only a five year wait): The Outlander by Gil Adamson
Now I'm reading another refugee from Mount TBR -- this one practically a newcomer (only a five year wait): The Outlander by Gil Adamson
24hazeljune
I have sadly finished reading the wonderful short story collection A Long Time Dying by Olga Masters next up I will try another of her's Home Girls also a short story collection.
25fyrfly
Saturday (11/2) I finished Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver.
11/2-3 I read The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form by Cormac MacCarthy.
Sunday I started Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger.
Somewhere in there, I went back to E. O. Wilson, and finished A Primer of Population Biology by Edward O. Wilson and William H. Bossert today.
11/2-3 I read The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form by Cormac MacCarthy.
Sunday I started Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger.
Somewhere in there, I went back to E. O. Wilson, and finished A Primer of Population Biology by Edward O. Wilson and William H. Bossert today.
26CarolynSchroeder
I interruped my regularly-scheduled program of Johnny Cash: The Life to read Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman that I just got in the mail. I loved it, gave it 5 stars, and will recommend it widely and happily ... especially to anyone having a hard time in life (which is a different thing to every human walking the planet).
27PaperbackPirate
#26 CarolynSchroeder
I love Alice Hoffman! Good to know you liked her new one.
I'm reading The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips. I've been reading it off and on for over a year and my goal is to finish it this week.
I love Alice Hoffman! Good to know you liked her new one.
I'm reading The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips. I've been reading it off and on for over a year and my goal is to finish it this week.
28ashooles
About to start Street Magic by Tamora Pierce. I really enjoy her books, so I'm looking forward to getting back into them again after being so long not having read her.
29seitherin
Finished Cobweb Bride by Vera Nazarian. I generally liked the story and I'll eventually pick up the other books in the trilogy. Started The Loyal Servant by Eva Hudson.
30fuzzi
@benitastrnad, I love Sharon Kay Penman, although I have not yet read Devil's Brood.
If you like her works, try Thomas Costain's books, like The Conquerors (aka The Conquering Family).
If you like her works, try Thomas Costain's books, like The Conquerors (aka The Conquering Family).
31fuzzi
@rocketjk, I enjoyed the first three Chet books. I think the author handles the first person 'dog' very well.
Right now I'm trying to read A Dog About Town, and I'm just not enjoying it like I enjoyed To Fetch a Thief, Dog On It, and the other one, the title of which escapes me right now.
I'm also reading A Tale of Two Cities, a first-time read, and while it is slow-going, I am enjoying it.
Right now I'm trying to read A Dog About Town, and I'm just not enjoying it like I enjoyed To Fetch a Thief, Dog On It, and the other one, the title of which escapes me right now.
I'm also reading A Tale of Two Cities, a first-time read, and while it is slow-going, I am enjoying it.
32Vonini
Just finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and I enjoyed it. I didn't love love it, but it grew on me as the story progressed.
Also still reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. It's dense and hefty and it will take me a lot of reading hours to finish, but I am enjoying it, kind of.
Also still reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. It's dense and hefty and it will take me a lot of reading hours to finish, but I am enjoying it, kind of.
33ollie1976
I've started Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
34whymaggiemay
On the train this morning I began Fannie Flagg's newest novel The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion and immediately started laughing out loud. I did it so often that three people asked me what I was reading. I'm also reading Orphan Train, which is not funny, but good.
35bookwoman247
I'm just starting Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin, which seems off to a good start.
I've just finished Gramercy Park by Paula Cohen, which I loved. The protagonist could have been more flawed, the antagonist more sympathetic, and the plot less predictable, but I think that's what I loved about it. It was comforting to read something so predictable, so familiar, though certain details, of course, were different.
I've just finished Gramercy Park by Paula Cohen, which I loved. The protagonist could have been more flawed, the antagonist more sympathetic, and the plot less predictable, but I think that's what I loved about it. It was comforting to read something so predictable, so familiar, though certain details, of course, were different.
36richardderus
I've totally ignored all the Obligation Reading I must do so I can consume Jeeves and the Wedding Bells. I have to hand it to Faulks, he's done a creditable job of creating a new Jeeves-and-Wooster novel without lapsing into parody or slipping into anachronism.
37Vonini
As an alternating book with Crime and punishment I decided on something light and fluffy, so I picked up Just desserts by Sue Welfare. So far, it's pretty light and enjoyable reading.
38bookwoman247
>37 Vonini:: Vonini, I am also now reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I've just barely started. I'm not even past pg. 10, in fact, so it's far too early to know how it's going to go. I think you have to be in a particular mindset to read Russian literature.
39benitastrnad
I finished reading Devil's Brood last night. This one was better than the previous two in the series and it was a real tear jerker of a tome. At some point in the next month I will pick up Lionheart just to get the series up-to-date, but for right now I am joining some others from LT and will be reading Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. At 250 pages that will be a breeze. I am looking forward to this short spare book. I have heard only favorable things about this one.
40Vonini
@38 bookwoman
I think you're right there. I also suspect you need some determination. It has it's particular charm though, even though Raskolnikow is a fickle and sometimes just weird character.
I think you're right there. I also suspect you need some determination. It has it's particular charm though, even though Raskolnikow is a fickle and sometimes just weird character.
41fuzzi
@benitastrnad, I read The Sunne in Splendour, and it was a tear jerker, too, but that was due to what those people did to their enemies, even if the object of their wrath were actually the children of their supposed enemies.
42MCBarkley
Buffalo Wagons by Elmer Kellton. I just finished this book. 218 pages a good western. A quick read. I am sure I will read others novels by this author.
44brenzi
I finished and REVIEWED Masha Gessen's riveting bio The Man Without a Face: the Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin.
I'm now reading Book 11/12 in A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell, Temporary Kings. I can't believe I've only got one left to read. I've been reading one per month since last January and I'm going to really miss these people when I finish in December.
I'm now reading Book 11/12 in A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell, Temporary Kings. I can't believe I've only got one left to read. I've been reading one per month since last January and I'm going to really miss these people when I finish in December.
45moonshineandrosefire
Hello again. everyone! It's been a very good week in reading for me - for the most part anyway! :) So, on Friday, November 1st, I finished reading Cemetery Girl by David Bell. This is the second book that I've read by David Bell, although it was his debut novel. My goodness, what a story - thrilling, yet so poignant! :)
Up next was Falling Angels by Barbara Gowdy, which I started reading on Friday evening, November 1st! The book dealt with some seriously dark issues, yes, but there was a thread of humor throughout the story that I enjoyed. I finished reading this book on Monday, November 4th! :)
On Tuesday, November 5th, I started reading The Strange Ones by Warren Smith. It was an alright book - enjoyable and interesting - however, the book just wasn't as detailed in recounting these personal brushes with the unexplained as I would have preferred. I finished reading this book last night - Wednesday, November 6th! :)
I immediately started reading Miami, It's Murder by Edna Buchanan last night, and so far, it's really good! :)
Up next was Falling Angels by Barbara Gowdy, which I started reading on Friday evening, November 1st! The book dealt with some seriously dark issues, yes, but there was a thread of humor throughout the story that I enjoyed. I finished reading this book on Monday, November 4th! :)
On Tuesday, November 5th, I started reading The Strange Ones by Warren Smith. It was an alright book - enjoyable and interesting - however, the book just wasn't as detailed in recounting these personal brushes with the unexplained as I would have preferred. I finished reading this book last night - Wednesday, November 6th! :)
I immediately started reading Miami, It's Murder by Edna Buchanan last night, and so far, it's really good! :)
46Travis1259
After reading Galileo's Daughter a very good read, I turned to something more current, Bomb Shell by Catherine Coulter, an "FBI thriller". I guess it's what I need right now.
48varielle
I'm reading Nick Bantock's Urgent 2nd Class, which explains his technique for making his wonderful art. Makes me wish I had some artistic talent.
