What Are You Reading the Week of 18 October 2014?
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1MDGentleReader
From Wikipedia:
"Art Buchwald
Arthur "Art" Buchwald (October 20, 1925 – January 17,2007) was an American humorist best known for his long-running column in The Washington Post, which in turn was carried as a syndicated column in many other newspapers. His column focused on political satire and commentary. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Outstanding Commentary in 1982 and in 1986 was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
Art Buchwald was born to an Austrian-Hungarian Jewish immigrant family. He was the son of Joseph Buchwald, a curtain manufacturer, and Helen Klineberger, who later spent 35 years in a mental hospital. He was the youngest of four, with three older sisters—Alice, Edith, and Doris. Buchwald's father put him in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in New York when the family business failed during the Great Depression. Buchwald was moved about between several foster homes, including a Queens boarding house for sick children (he had rickets) operated by Seventh-day Adventists. He stayed in the foster home until he was 5. Buchwald, his father and sisters were eventually reunited and lived in Hollis, a residential community in Queens. Buchwald did not graduate from Forest Hills High School, and ran away from home at age 17.
He wanted to join the United States Marine Corps during World War II but was too young to join without parental or legal guardian consent, so he bribed a drunk with half a pint of whiskey to sign as his legal guardian. From October 1942 to October 1945, he served with the Marines as part of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. He spent two years in the Pacific Theater and was discharged from the service as a Sergeant.
Career
Journalism
On his return, Buchwald enrolled at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on the G.I. Bill, despite not having his high school diploma. At USC he was managing editor of the campus magazine Wampus; he also wrote a column for the college newspaper, the Daily Trojan. The university permitted him to continue his studies after learning he had not graduated high school, but deemed him ineligible for a degree; he received an honorary doctorate from the school in 1993.
In 1949 he left USC and bought a one-way ticket to Paris. Eventually, he got a job as a correspondent for Variety in Paris. In January 1950, he took a sample column to the offices of the European edition of The New York Herald Tribune. Titled "Paris After Dark", it was filled with scraps of offbeat information about Parisian nightlife. Buchwald was hired and joined the editorial staff. His column caught on quickly, and Buchwald followed it in 1951 with another column, "Mostly About People". They were fused into one under the title "Europe’s Lighter Side". Buchwald’s columns soon began to recruit readers on both sides of the Atlantic.
In November 1952, Buchwald wrote a column in which he attempted to explain the Thanksgiving holiday to the French, using garbled French translations such as "Kilometres Deboutish" for Miles Standish; Buchwald considered it his favorite column, and it was later re-run every Thanksgiving during Buchwald's lifetime.
Buchwald also enjoyed the notoriety he received when U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower's press secretary, Jim Hagerty, took seriously a spoof press conference report claiming that reporters asked questions about the president's breakfast habits. After Hagerty called his own conference to denounce the article as "unadulterated rot," Buchwald famously retorted, "Hagerty is wrong. I write adulterated rot." On August 24, 1959, TIME magazine, in reviewing the history of the European edition of The Herald Tribune, reported that Buchwald's column had achieved an "institutional quality."
While in Paris, Buchwald became the only correspondent to substantively interview Elvis Presley, both at the Prince de Galles Hotel, where the soon-to-be Sgt. Presley was staying during a week-end off from his Army stint in Germany. Presley's impromptu performances at the Le Lido piano, as well as his singing for the showgirls after most of the customers had left the nightclub, became legendary following its inclusion in Buchwald's bestselling book, I'll Always Have Paris.
Buchwald returned to the United States in 1962 and was syndicated by Tribune Media Services. His column appeared in more than 550 newspapers at its height, and he published more than 30 books in his lifetime. He also contributed fumetti to Marvel Comics' Crazy Magazine which tore apart statistics regarding 1970s campus life.
In 1982, Buchwald's syndicated newspaper column won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Critics, however, called the column hackneyed, tiresome and not humorous; when the Dallas Times Herald canceled it in 1989, the editors did not receive a single letter of protest.5
Film
Besides some literary cameos in renowned movies (an example of which is Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief, at the start of which an issue of Paris Herald-Tribune is shown in close-up to highlight a column bylined by Buchwald about jewel thefts on the French Riviera setting up the plot)6 Buchwald also participated to the English dialogues of Jacques Tati's Play Time. Buchwald also had a cameo role in an 1972 episode of TV's Mannix, "Moving Target".
Personal lifeEdit
Buchwald and his wife Ann, whom he met in Paris, adopted three children and lived in Washington, D.C.. He spent most summers in his house in Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard.
Coming to America lawsuit
Buchwald was also known for the Buchwald v. Paramount lawsuit, which he and partner Alain Bernheim filed against Paramount Pictures in 1988 in a controversy over the Eddie Murphy film Coming to America; Buchwald claimed Paramount had stolen his script treatment. He won, was awarded damages, and then accepted a settlement from Paramount. The case was the subject of a 1992 book, Fatal Subtraction: The Inside Story of Buchwald v. Paramount by Pierce O'Donnell and Dennis McDougal.
Illness and death
In 2000, at age 74, Buchwald suffered a stroke that left him hospitalized for more than two months.
On February 16, 2006, the Associated Press reported that Buchwald had had a leg amputated below the knee and was staying at Washington Home and Hospice. The amputation was reportedly necessary because of poor circulation in the leg.
Buchwald invited radio talk show presenter Diane Rehm to interview him. During the show, which aired on February 24, 2006, he revealed his decision to discontinue hemodialysis, which had previously been initiated to treat renal failure secondary to diabetes mellitus. He described his decision as his "last hurrah," stating that, "If you have to go, the way you go is a big deal." He reported that he was "very happy with his choices" and was eating at McDonald's on a regular basis.
Buchwald was later interviewed with Miles O'Brien of CNN in a segment aired on March 31, 2006. Buchwald discussed his living will, which documents his wishes for his doctors not to revive him if he fell into a coma. As of the date of that interview, Buchwald was still writing a periodic column. In the interview, he described a dream in which he was waiting to take his "final plane ride."
Buchwald was interviewed by Fox News' Chris Wallace for a segment on May 14, 2006's edition of Fox News Sunday.
In June 2006, Buchwald was again interviewed by Diane Rehm after leaving the hospice. He reported that his kidney was working and that he "blesses him every morning. Some people bless their hearts, I bless my kidney." He reported that he was looking forward to getting a new leg and visiting Martha's Vineyard.
In July 2006, Buchwald returned to his summer home in Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard. While there, he completed a book titled Too Soon to Say Goodbye, about the five months he spent in the hospice. Eulogies that were prepared by his friends, colleagues, and family members that were never delivered (or not delivered until later) are included in the book.
On November 3, 2006, television news reporter Kyra Phillips interviewed Buchwald for CNN.9 Phillips had known Buchwald since 1989, when she had first interviewed him. On November 22, 2006 Buchwald again appeared on Rehm's show, describing himself as a "poster boy for hospices - because I lived."
Buchwald died of kidney failure on January 17, 2007, at his son Joel's home in Washington, D.C.10 The next day the website of The New York Times posted a video obituary in which Buchwald himself declared: "Hi. I'm Art Buchwald, and I just died."
Paris After Dark (Imprimerie du Centre 1950. Also Published by Herald Tribune, European Ed., S. A., 1953)
Art Buchwald's Paris (Lion Library 1956)
I Chose Caviar (Victor Gollancz 1957)
The Brave Coward (Harper, 1957)
More Caviar (Victor Gollancz, 1958)
A Gift From the Boys (Harper 1958)
Don't Forget to Write (World Pub. Co., 1960)
Come with Me Home: Complete Novel Also by Gladys Hasty Carroll and Jerrard Tickell (Nelson Doubleday, Inc, 1960)
Son of the Great Society (Putnam 1961)
How Much is that in Dollars? (World Pub. Co., 1961)
Is it Safe to Drink the Water? (PBK Crest Books 1963)
I Chose Capitol Punishment (World Pub. Co., 1963)
... and Then I Told the President: The Secret Papers of Art Buchwald (Weidenfeld & Nicholson 1965)
Son of the Great Society (Putnam, 1966)
Have I Ever Lied To You? (Fawcett, 1968)
The Establishment is Alive and Well in Washington (Putnam, 1969)
Counting Sheep; The Log and the Complete Play: Sheep on the Runway. (Putnam Pub Group 1970)
Oh, to be a Swinger (Vintage, 1970)
Getting High in Government Circles (Putnam 1971)
I Never Danced at the White House (Putnam, 1973)
I Am Not a Crook"(Putnam, 1974)
The Bollo Caper: A Fable for Children of All Ages (Doubleday, 1974)
Irvings Delight: At Last! a Cat Story for the Whole Family! (DAVID MCKAY COMPANY, INC. 1975)
Washington Is Leaking (Putnam Adult 1976)
Irving's Delight (Avon Books, 1976)
Down the Seine and Up the Potomac (Fawcett Crest 1977)
Best cartoons of the world Miller Collection (Brown University)(Atlas World Press Review, 1978)
' 'Art Buchwald by Leonard Probst Transcript of an interview conducted by Leonard Probst, March 31, and April 1, 1978.(American Jewish Committee, Oral History Library, 1978)
The Buchwald Stops Here (Putnam 1979)
Laid Back In Washington With Art Buchwald (Putnam 1981)
Seems Like Yesterday (Berkley Pub Group, 1981)
While Reagan Slept (Fawcett 1983)
You Ask, Buchwald Answers (Listen & Learn U.S.A.!, 1983)
The Official Bank-Haters' Handbook Also By Joel D. Joseph (Natl Pr Books, 1984)
You Can Fool All of the People All the Time (Ballantine Books, 1986)
I Think I Don’t Remember (Perigee Trade; 1st Perigee Ed edition 1988)(Putnam, 1987)
Whose Rose Garden Is It Anyway? (Putnam 1989)
Lighten Up, George (Putnam, 1991)
Leaving Home: A Memoir (Putnam, 1994)
I'll Always Have Paris: A Memoir (Putnam, 1995)
Stella in Heaven: Almost a Novel (Putnam, 2000)
We'll Laugh Again (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2002)
Beating Around the Bush (Seven Stories, 2005)
Autobiography
Too Soon to Say Goodbye (Bantam Books 2006) ISBN 1-58836-574-3, ISBN 978-1-58836-574-3"
Sorry about the format, did this on an iPad.
I grew up reading Art Buchwald in the Washington Post. I'd be interested to hear if his columns resonated much outside the Beltway, or if you've even heard of him.
Have to admit that his end of life decisions interest me the most at this time. Just went through this with someone very dear to me who died a week ago today.
What are you reading this week?
"Art Buchwald
Arthur "Art" Buchwald (October 20, 1925 – January 17,2007) was an American humorist best known for his long-running column in The Washington Post, which in turn was carried as a syndicated column in many other newspapers. His column focused on political satire and commentary. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Outstanding Commentary in 1982 and in 1986 was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
Art Buchwald was born to an Austrian-Hungarian Jewish immigrant family. He was the son of Joseph Buchwald, a curtain manufacturer, and Helen Klineberger, who later spent 35 years in a mental hospital. He was the youngest of four, with three older sisters—Alice, Edith, and Doris. Buchwald's father put him in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in New York when the family business failed during the Great Depression. Buchwald was moved about between several foster homes, including a Queens boarding house for sick children (he had rickets) operated by Seventh-day Adventists. He stayed in the foster home until he was 5. Buchwald, his father and sisters were eventually reunited and lived in Hollis, a residential community in Queens. Buchwald did not graduate from Forest Hills High School, and ran away from home at age 17.
He wanted to join the United States Marine Corps during World War II but was too young to join without parental or legal guardian consent, so he bribed a drunk with half a pint of whiskey to sign as his legal guardian. From October 1942 to October 1945, he served with the Marines as part of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. He spent two years in the Pacific Theater and was discharged from the service as a Sergeant.
Career
Journalism
On his return, Buchwald enrolled at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on the G.I. Bill, despite not having his high school diploma. At USC he was managing editor of the campus magazine Wampus; he also wrote a column for the college newspaper, the Daily Trojan. The university permitted him to continue his studies after learning he had not graduated high school, but deemed him ineligible for a degree; he received an honorary doctorate from the school in 1993.
In 1949 he left USC and bought a one-way ticket to Paris. Eventually, he got a job as a correspondent for Variety in Paris. In January 1950, he took a sample column to the offices of the European edition of The New York Herald Tribune. Titled "Paris After Dark", it was filled with scraps of offbeat information about Parisian nightlife. Buchwald was hired and joined the editorial staff. His column caught on quickly, and Buchwald followed it in 1951 with another column, "Mostly About People". They were fused into one under the title "Europe’s Lighter Side". Buchwald’s columns soon began to recruit readers on both sides of the Atlantic.
In November 1952, Buchwald wrote a column in which he attempted to explain the Thanksgiving holiday to the French, using garbled French translations such as "Kilometres Deboutish" for Miles Standish; Buchwald considered it his favorite column, and it was later re-run every Thanksgiving during Buchwald's lifetime.
Buchwald also enjoyed the notoriety he received when U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower's press secretary, Jim Hagerty, took seriously a spoof press conference report claiming that reporters asked questions about the president's breakfast habits. After Hagerty called his own conference to denounce the article as "unadulterated rot," Buchwald famously retorted, "Hagerty is wrong. I write adulterated rot." On August 24, 1959, TIME magazine, in reviewing the history of the European edition of The Herald Tribune, reported that Buchwald's column had achieved an "institutional quality."
While in Paris, Buchwald became the only correspondent to substantively interview Elvis Presley, both at the Prince de Galles Hotel, where the soon-to-be Sgt. Presley was staying during a week-end off from his Army stint in Germany. Presley's impromptu performances at the Le Lido piano, as well as his singing for the showgirls after most of the customers had left the nightclub, became legendary following its inclusion in Buchwald's bestselling book, I'll Always Have Paris.
Buchwald returned to the United States in 1962 and was syndicated by Tribune Media Services. His column appeared in more than 550 newspapers at its height, and he published more than 30 books in his lifetime. He also contributed fumetti to Marvel Comics' Crazy Magazine which tore apart statistics regarding 1970s campus life.
In 1982, Buchwald's syndicated newspaper column won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Critics, however, called the column hackneyed, tiresome and not humorous; when the Dallas Times Herald canceled it in 1989, the editors did not receive a single letter of protest.5
Film
Besides some literary cameos in renowned movies (an example of which is Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief, at the start of which an issue of Paris Herald-Tribune is shown in close-up to highlight a column bylined by Buchwald about jewel thefts on the French Riviera setting up the plot)6 Buchwald also participated to the English dialogues of Jacques Tati's Play Time. Buchwald also had a cameo role in an 1972 episode of TV's Mannix, "Moving Target".
Personal lifeEdit
Buchwald and his wife Ann, whom he met in Paris, adopted three children and lived in Washington, D.C.. He spent most summers in his house in Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard.
Coming to America lawsuit
Buchwald was also known for the Buchwald v. Paramount lawsuit, which he and partner Alain Bernheim filed against Paramount Pictures in 1988 in a controversy over the Eddie Murphy film Coming to America; Buchwald claimed Paramount had stolen his script treatment. He won, was awarded damages, and then accepted a settlement from Paramount. The case was the subject of a 1992 book, Fatal Subtraction: The Inside Story of Buchwald v. Paramount by Pierce O'Donnell and Dennis McDougal.
Illness and death
In 2000, at age 74, Buchwald suffered a stroke that left him hospitalized for more than two months.
On February 16, 2006, the Associated Press reported that Buchwald had had a leg amputated below the knee and was staying at Washington Home and Hospice. The amputation was reportedly necessary because of poor circulation in the leg.
Buchwald invited radio talk show presenter Diane Rehm to interview him. During the show, which aired on February 24, 2006, he revealed his decision to discontinue hemodialysis, which had previously been initiated to treat renal failure secondary to diabetes mellitus. He described his decision as his "last hurrah," stating that, "If you have to go, the way you go is a big deal." He reported that he was "very happy with his choices" and was eating at McDonald's on a regular basis.
Buchwald was later interviewed with Miles O'Brien of CNN in a segment aired on March 31, 2006. Buchwald discussed his living will, which documents his wishes for his doctors not to revive him if he fell into a coma. As of the date of that interview, Buchwald was still writing a periodic column. In the interview, he described a dream in which he was waiting to take his "final plane ride."
Buchwald was interviewed by Fox News' Chris Wallace for a segment on May 14, 2006's edition of Fox News Sunday.
In June 2006, Buchwald was again interviewed by Diane Rehm after leaving the hospice. He reported that his kidney was working and that he "blesses him every morning. Some people bless their hearts, I bless my kidney." He reported that he was looking forward to getting a new leg and visiting Martha's Vineyard.
In July 2006, Buchwald returned to his summer home in Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard. While there, he completed a book titled Too Soon to Say Goodbye, about the five months he spent in the hospice. Eulogies that were prepared by his friends, colleagues, and family members that were never delivered (or not delivered until later) are included in the book.
On November 3, 2006, television news reporter Kyra Phillips interviewed Buchwald for CNN.9 Phillips had known Buchwald since 1989, when she had first interviewed him. On November 22, 2006 Buchwald again appeared on Rehm's show, describing himself as a "poster boy for hospices - because I lived."
Buchwald died of kidney failure on January 17, 2007, at his son Joel's home in Washington, D.C.10 The next day the website of The New York Times posted a video obituary in which Buchwald himself declared: "Hi. I'm Art Buchwald, and I just died."
Paris After Dark (Imprimerie du Centre 1950. Also Published by Herald Tribune, European Ed., S. A., 1953)
Art Buchwald's Paris (Lion Library 1956)
I Chose Caviar (Victor Gollancz 1957)
The Brave Coward (Harper, 1957)
More Caviar (Victor Gollancz, 1958)
A Gift From the Boys (Harper 1958)
Don't Forget to Write (World Pub. Co., 1960)
Come with Me Home: Complete Novel Also by Gladys Hasty Carroll and Jerrard Tickell (Nelson Doubleday, Inc, 1960)
Son of the Great Society (Putnam 1961)
How Much is that in Dollars? (World Pub. Co., 1961)
Is it Safe to Drink the Water? (PBK Crest Books 1963)
I Chose Capitol Punishment (World Pub. Co., 1963)
... and Then I Told the President: The Secret Papers of Art Buchwald (Weidenfeld & Nicholson 1965)
Son of the Great Society (Putnam, 1966)
Have I Ever Lied To You? (Fawcett, 1968)
The Establishment is Alive and Well in Washington (Putnam, 1969)
Counting Sheep; The Log and the Complete Play: Sheep on the Runway. (Putnam Pub Group 1970)
Oh, to be a Swinger (Vintage, 1970)
Getting High in Government Circles (Putnam 1971)
I Never Danced at the White House (Putnam, 1973)
I Am Not a Crook"(Putnam, 1974)
The Bollo Caper: A Fable for Children of All Ages (Doubleday, 1974)
Irvings Delight: At Last! a Cat Story for the Whole Family! (DAVID MCKAY COMPANY, INC. 1975)
Washington Is Leaking (Putnam Adult 1976)
Irving's Delight (Avon Books, 1976)
Down the Seine and Up the Potomac (Fawcett Crest 1977)
Best cartoons of the world Miller Collection (Brown University)(Atlas World Press Review, 1978)
' 'Art Buchwald by Leonard Probst Transcript of an interview conducted by Leonard Probst, March 31, and April 1, 1978.(American Jewish Committee, Oral History Library, 1978)
The Buchwald Stops Here (Putnam 1979)
Laid Back In Washington With Art Buchwald (Putnam 1981)
Seems Like Yesterday (Berkley Pub Group, 1981)
While Reagan Slept (Fawcett 1983)
You Ask, Buchwald Answers (Listen & Learn U.S.A.!, 1983)
The Official Bank-Haters' Handbook Also By Joel D. Joseph (Natl Pr Books, 1984)
You Can Fool All of the People All the Time (Ballantine Books, 1986)
I Think I Don’t Remember (Perigee Trade; 1st Perigee Ed edition 1988)(Putnam, 1987)
Whose Rose Garden Is It Anyway? (Putnam 1989)
Lighten Up, George (Putnam, 1991)
Leaving Home: A Memoir (Putnam, 1994)
I'll Always Have Paris: A Memoir (Putnam, 1995)
Stella in Heaven: Almost a Novel (Putnam, 2000)
We'll Laugh Again (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2002)
Beating Around the Bush (Seven Stories, 2005)
Autobiography
Too Soon to Say Goodbye (Bantam Books 2006) ISBN 1-58836-574-3, ISBN 978-1-58836-574-3"
Sorry about the format, did this on an iPad.
I grew up reading Art Buchwald in the Washington Post. I'd be interested to hear if his columns resonated much outside the Beltway, or if you've even heard of him.
Have to admit that his end of life decisions interest me the most at this time. Just went through this with someone very dear to me who died a week ago today.
What are you reading this week?
2rocketjk
Wow! I very much remember when Buchwald was a household name and his columns were very much enjoyed. I have a bunch of his books in my used bookstore, but they are from a past era, and I don't think I've ever sold one in the 3 1/2 years I've owned the store. Great idea to use his bio for this thread. Thanks!
I'm about halfway through The Elegance of the Hedgehog and enjoying it very much, indeed.
I'm about halfway through The Elegance of the Hedgehog and enjoying it very much, indeed.
3Meredy
For our weekly read-aloud date, we've traded in The Lobster Kings at the one-third mark and begun Jo Walton's My Real Children. The latter is not nearly such a struggle.
Meanwhile, after finishing (and reviewing) Lock In, I've fallen back on Sarah Caudwell's third Hilary Tamar, knowing there's only one left. Next up is probably Life After Life.
Meanwhile, after finishing (and reviewing) Lock In, I've fallen back on Sarah Caudwell's third Hilary Tamar, knowing there's only one left. Next up is probably Life After Life.
4jnwelch
I remember Art Buchwald, too, MDGR. Thanks for getting us off to a good start in Mr. Derus's absence.
I gave The Shock of the Fall four and a half stars, and reviewed it here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/181688#4884812 I also finished Washington Square, and suspect I'll give it a similar rating. I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
I gave The Shock of the Fall four and a half stars, and reviewed it here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/181688#4884812 I also finished Washington Square, and suspect I'll give it a similar rating. I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
5seitherin
I finished Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna. I hate books that have no ending, that leave things unresolved. Started Armageddon by Leon Uris.
6Meredy
>5 seitherin: I hate them too. When my husband reads a book ahead of me, I always ask, "Does it end right?" (Not necessarily happily--just right.) As a creative writing major, he has a much greater tolerance for ambiguous endings than I do. The French Lieutenant's Woman is our classic example of contrary views on endings.
7cdyankeefan
Hi rocketjk-I loved hedgehog -I'm glad you're enjoying it
8enaid
My parents loved Art Buchwald and always had his latest book. I ended up reading them too and his regular column, as well. I still keep his "Goodbye My Friends" column in my journal to remind myself about the importance of enjoying life and eating eclairs.
I'm about 27% of the way through Catherine the Great. It still reads like fiction to me so I'm really loving it(this my pet peeve about the kindle: some of the books lack page numbers and you view progress in a percentage. As silly as it might seem I really like to know what page I'm on whether it's an ebook or a book book. End of rant. :))
I'm still moseying along through the Iliad. It really is a great read. I'm enjoying it all the more for taking my time and knowing I won't have to dissect it for a class. I've only read the Lattimore translation, so I'm no expert, but the Fagles translation I'm reading is wonderful.
Thank you MDGentleReader for starting us off and with such a lovely man/ writer!
Virtual hugs to richardderus!!
I'm about 27% of the way through Catherine the Great. It still reads like fiction to me so I'm really loving it(this my pet peeve about the kindle: some of the books lack page numbers and you view progress in a percentage. As silly as it might seem I really like to know what page I'm on whether it's an ebook or a book book. End of rant. :))
I'm still moseying along through the Iliad. It really is a great read. I'm enjoying it all the more for taking my time and knowing I won't have to dissect it for a class. I've only read the Lattimore translation, so I'm no expert, but the Fagles translation I'm reading is wonderful.
Thank you MDGentleReader for starting us off and with such a lovely man/ writer!
Virtual hugs to richardderus!!
9MDGentleReader
There is a new thread for Richard and some good news.
11CarolynSchroeder
I received and started my ER book Furious Cool, the Richard Pryor biography (of sorts) and it's awesome. I cannot put it down. I knew very little about him and also, the comedy/performance scene he came into, but wow, fascinating, sad ... a huge piece of American history we don't hear much about. So far, highly recommended (but of course, reader has to be okay with epic crudeness, swearing, sex talk and the like - that WAS him, after all, but now I know a lot more about why that was so).
12seitherin
>6 Meredy: I vaguely remember liking The French Lieutenant's Woman when I read it back in the day when dinosaurs roamed the earth. And an ambiguous ending done well can be a treat because it lets the vested reader continue the story. Unfortunately, I wasn't very vested in Falling Sky so the abrupt ending was unsatisfactory. I wasn't inspired to finish the story for myself.
Finished The Ink Readers of Doi Saket by Thomas Olde Heuvelt and started Equoid by Charles Stross.
Finished The Ink Readers of Doi Saket by Thomas Olde Heuvelt and started Equoid by Charles Stross.
13Bjace
Never read much Buchwald--as a Midwesterner I was more of a Mike Royko person. Still working on My Antonia
14mollygrace
I'm reading Ian McEwan's The Children Act.
15whymaggiemay
>2 rocketjk: rocketjk - maybe in your bookstore you should have a shelf to highlight things like this under a "Remember When" heading or "Reviewing the Past." Nostalgia for those of us who've been there, done that, and history for those who haven't. You could also link together older historical novels (i.e., the Raj Quartet or Howard Fast's Evergreen series) in order to get people reading out of the newer books into those which weren't classed as part of that "genre" then since it didn't exist at the time. All of this might move some of the older stuff off your shelves.
16NarratorLady
Looking forward to hearing about the latest McEwan. A little disappointed in his last.
17booklovers2
Just finished The Yellow Birds for my October Book Club, It was quite moving. Listening to the Outlander series Book#5 The Firey Cross on Audio, and cracking the spine on The Kommandant's Girl ; read The Ambassador's Daughter and really enjoyed that one - met Pam Jenoff at a Happy Hour with the Author, so I scooped up a few more of her books, and its about time to start with the 1st ( The Ambassador's Daughter was actually a prequel for her series).
18Meredy
I usually have more than one book in progress, but I think this is the first time I've ever had two by the same author going at once. The author is Jo Walton. I chose her My Real Children for reading aloud because I'd enjoyed the first two books in her "Small Change" series, and then I picked up the third from the library. I'm reading it now: Half a Crown.
>12 seitherin: I read it back then, too, and I don't remember much of it now, but I remember being disgusted by the alternate endings, which meant that neither one of them was "true."
>12 seitherin: I read it back then, too, and I don't remember much of it now, but I remember being disgusted by the alternate endings, which meant that neither one of them was "true."
19JackieCarroll
I just finished A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin and it was terrific. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I'm thinking of reading a couple of stories from The Saki Megapack tonight while I decide which novel to pick up next. I bought a few novels about Ancient Egypt by Wilbur Smith that I'm anxious to read. I've never read anything by him before but I love the topic and he gets great reviews. I'm also considering some of Ruth Rendell's older novels. I'm also open to suggestions.
20rocketjk
#15> Thanks for the suggestion. But, really, I don't have that much trouble moving older stuff off of my shelves in general, despite my "past era" comment. It's just that in the rural, largely working class California town I'm in, very few people "remember when" Art Buchwald was a household name among political satirists. Basically, I keep his books in the Humor section to amuse myself.
21Vonini
Started Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward. After a couple of disappointing paranormal romances, I'm going back to my favorite series that never disappoints.
22CarolynSchroeder
I am almost finished with Furious Cool and really, really enjoyed it. I will put up a review when I am done. It was one of those ER books I put my name in for because it was so different than what I normally read. I'm glad I took the chance.
I am also back to The Best American Essays 2014 (to see if I like the essay genre - figure it would be a good place to start) and so far, this one is an incredible let down. It is getting good reviews, but boy, it just seems terrible. Or I am just so not interested in memoirs anymore, I think. It seems to mirror reality TV and really, the folks who are writing many of these - their lives are not all that interesting or memoir-worthy. But I will finish it out. Maybe there will be some in there other than "all about me." I can hope! Maybe I am misunderstanding and the essay is actually a short memoir piece. But it is stuff like (paraphrasing), " I walked down this NYC Street. I saw a man sitting on a corner asking for money. How sad, but I gave him a dollar. I went home. I phoned my boyfriend and we had a three-some with this woman after we went to a bar. It was a good time. I was a better lover than my boyfriend was. I broke up with the boyfriend. I had a piece of chocolate cake. I wonder if I am able to love."
The next one I will try is the Science and Nature writing ... that seems more up my alley.
I am also back to The Best American Essays 2014 (to see if I like the essay genre - figure it would be a good place to start) and so far, this one is an incredible let down. It is getting good reviews, but boy, it just seems terrible. Or I am just so not interested in memoirs anymore, I think. It seems to mirror reality TV and really, the folks who are writing many of these - their lives are not all that interesting or memoir-worthy. But I will finish it out. Maybe there will be some in there other than "all about me." I can hope! Maybe I am misunderstanding and the essay is actually a short memoir piece. But it is stuff like (paraphrasing), " I walked down this NYC Street. I saw a man sitting on a corner asking for money. How sad, but I gave him a dollar. I went home. I phoned my boyfriend and we had a three-some with this woman after we went to a bar. It was a good time. I was a better lover than my boyfriend was. I broke up with the boyfriend. I had a piece of chocolate cake. I wonder if I am able to love."
The next one I will try is the Science and Nature writing ... that seems more up my alley.
23framboise
Just finished my latest ER read The Future for Curious People which was a fun, fantastic read by first-time author Gregory Sherl. Its central premise is that people are able to look into their romantic future by means of a machine and pills administered in a dr's office, and the paths of the two main characters. A funny and quick read, I think readers who loved The Rosie Project, as I did, will love this one.
BTW, just saw on amazon that the sequel to The Rosie Project, The Rosie Effect is coming out in December! What a treat!
BTW, just saw on amazon that the sequel to The Rosie Project, The Rosie Effect is coming out in December! What a treat!
24alphaorder
Started off the weekend reading Mary Oliver's new collection of poetry Blue Horses. Then reread the whole thing yesterday. I love it. I work at a nature center and the the first poem was a description of a scene witnessed by a co-worker at one of our ponds. I have always loved her poetry, but even more so now that I am at the nature center. She is teaching me to appreciate it all the more. Highly recommend.
Back to Being Mortal.
Back to Being Mortal.
25Iudita
Finished All My Puny Sorrows which was quite good and I am going to start An Officer and a Spy.
26enaid
>19 JackieCarroll: JackieCarroll - Isn't a Kiss Before Dying a real page turner?? A couple of scenes had me practically hyperventilating. And this is the same guy who wrote Rosemary's Baby and Boys From Brazil! Both are solid but not like a Kiss Before Dying, I think.
I need to add another book to this week's reading: Devil's Candy about the making of the movie Bonfire of the Vanities. I'm just loving all the gossipy insider stuff. I really enjoyed the book Bonfire of the Vanities and thought the movie was so bad, it was sort of fabulously bad. Devil's Candy really helps emotionally balance my two current books: Catherine the Great and the Iliad.
I need to add another book to this week's reading: Devil's Candy about the making of the movie Bonfire of the Vanities. I'm just loving all the gossipy insider stuff. I really enjoyed the book Bonfire of the Vanities and thought the movie was so bad, it was sort of fabulously bad. Devil's Candy really helps emotionally balance my two current books: Catherine the Great and the Iliad.
27princessgarnet
Finished The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin (library copy)
28rolandperkins
The Bonfire of the Vanities
(26)
For me, this reverses the old clicheʻ "No, but I saw the movie".
I did read the book and did not see the movie - - only glanced at some (I think unfavorable) reviews of it.
The book was i m o, a failure, but a worthy failure.
Itʻs the kind of theme - - urban dysfunction -- that you wish had been taken on by a better writer.
Iʻm usually not interested in movies-ABOUT-movies or books about movie-making, but Iʻm making an exception
for Devils Candy and putting it on my Wish List, along with some of Wolfeʻs later efforts.
(26)
For me, this reverses the old clicheʻ "No, but I saw the movie".
I did read the book and did not see the movie - - only glanced at some (I think unfavorable) reviews of it.
The book was i m o, a failure, but a worthy failure.
Itʻs the kind of theme - - urban dysfunction -- that you wish had been taken on by a better writer.
Iʻm usually not interested in movies-ABOUT-movies or books about movie-making, but Iʻm making an exception
for Devils Candy and putting it on my Wish List, along with some of Wolfeʻs later efforts.
29Coffeehag
I finished reading Cornelia Funke's Tintenblut after putting it down for well over a year. I enjoyed it now much better than when I was reading it as bedtime reading during graduate school. I had no patience for the way she skipped back and forth from one part of the story to another. It didn't annoy me nearly so much when I had a weekend just to sit back and finish the whole thing. In the spirit of returning to unfinished business, I might even decide to finish Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
30browner56
I've just started reading Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières, which is next up for my book club.
31Jim53
Just started The Scribe, a memoir by sportswriter/caster Bob Ryan.
32mollygrace
I finished Ian McEwan's The Children Act. It is a very compelling story, with interesting, well-drawn characters. I read it very quickly and enjoyed it, and I must say it has left me with much to ponder.
Next up: Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
Next up: Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
33rolandperkins
Next up for our Book Club*
is A Confederacy of Dunces,
an acclaimed Lousianan novel
which has been in my TBR
pile for decades.
*# Waiʻanae Public Library,
Oʻahu
is A Confederacy of Dunces,
an acclaimed Lousianan novel
which has been in my TBR
pile for decades.
*# Waiʻanae Public Library,
Oʻahu
34Jim53
>33 rolandperkins: Roland, that's one of my all-time favorites. Hope your group enjoys it!
35jnwelch
I'm a fan of A Confederacy of Dunces, too, although I've learned it's not everyone's cuppa.
I started Bird Sense, and so far Tim Birkhead is doing a good job of explaining scientific concepts in plain English.
I started Bird Sense, and so far Tim Birkhead is doing a good job of explaining scientific concepts in plain English.
36enaid
>28 rolandperkins: rolandperkins I haven't seen the movie since it was released on "VHS" at the "video store", my impressions were that the novel had been watered down and cast in ways that undercut the premise of the novel. At the time, I thought it was similar to the movie Wall Street but much better. Now, of course, I'll be watching it again because of all my insider information!! I'm kind of nauseated by the amounts of money that go into making a studio blockbuster. Devil's Candy also highlights all the hardworking people who get virtually no credit but do a ton of donkey work.
I hope you enjoy Confederacy of Dunces more than I did. I'm afraid I went into it expecting a rollicking comedy that would have me in tears of laughter. As jnwelch put it so well, "it's not everyone's cuppa".
I'm halfway through Catherine the Great and learning just how hard it is to be empress and, especially, empress of Russia. I've noticed that the Russians, at that time anyway, don't seem wedded to the idea of having a male ruler. Interesting!
I hope you enjoy Confederacy of Dunces more than I did. I'm afraid I went into it expecting a rollicking comedy that would have me in tears of laughter. As jnwelch put it so well, "it's not everyone's cuppa".
I'm halfway through Catherine the Great and learning just how hard it is to be empress and, especially, empress of Russia. I've noticed that the Russians, at that time anyway, don't seem wedded to the idea of having a male ruler. Interesting!
37sebago
Almost at the end of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Not sure what will be next - possibly The Rosie Project- many of you have recommended it so highly. :)
38PaperbackPirate
I finished Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout yesterday and started Joyland by Stephen King.
39Coffeehag
I picked up Robert Frost's complete works off the shelf earlier today because someone reminded me of a poem. Now, I keep picking it back up to read from it. Poetry can be addictive. I still haven't found the poem I was looking for though.
40JackieCarroll
I've been reading bits and pieces out of the Saki Megapack and listening to the audiobook Bad Manors by Lisa Armstrong and trying to decide what to read next. I've decided on The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell. I also want to read The Silkworm but I'm spending a lot of time at the doctor's office these days and don't want to tote around a big, hardcover book.
41TestMonkey
Continuing This Book is Full of Spiders by David Wong and One Nation: What We Can All do To Save America's Future by Ben Carson, MD.
John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of Spiders are both great horror novels and I'd recommend them both for Halloween reading.
John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of Spiders are both great horror novels and I'd recommend them both for Halloween reading.
42rocketjk
I finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog, which, mostly, I loved. (I've included a short review on my 50-Book Challenge Thread.
I've now started The Prison Life of Harris Filmore by Jack Richardson. The book is a fun (first 50 pages, anyway) social satire on published in 1962. Richardson was most known as a playwright who had two successful off-Broadway plays and two Broadway failures. He later gained success as writing articles and essays for a wide range of publications.
I've now started The Prison Life of Harris Filmore by Jack Richardson. The book is a fun (first 50 pages, anyway) social satire on published in 1962. Richardson was most known as a playwright who had two successful off-Broadway plays and two Broadway failures. He later gained success as writing articles and essays for a wide range of publications.
43hazeljune
Still sooo enjoying On The Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin.
44CarolynSchroeder
Alpha Order/24 - Thank you for recommending Blue Horses. I went out and got it kind of as a treat after a long, difficult anatomy seminar/workshop. I just love, love it. I had gotten away from poetry recently (after my poetry writing class ended) and I'm sorry for that. I've missed it. What a wonderful volume to re-kindle with. Thank you again. I would not have known of it had you not posted it.
45grkmwk
Finished Case Histories and Anson County: Poems, neither of which I was particularly taken with. Now reading Station Eleven (captivating!) and This Miraculous Turning.
Also still slowly reading An Altar in the World, Women in Clothes, and Best Food Writing 2013.
Also still slowly reading An Altar in the World, Women in Clothes, and Best Food Writing 2013.
46cdyankeefan
I finished Beijing Bastards last night(not overly thrilled with it) and will continue with Mr Bones by Paul Theroux, The Homecoming Of Samuel Lake and Shopaholic to The Stars
47sebago
Started ER book The Remedy for Love this morning. It is taking me a bit to get into the "flow" of the writing but I think I will like this novel by Bill Roorbach (a Maine writer!) :)
48mollygrace
I finished Amy Bloom's Lucky Us which I enjoyed -- what a delightful and poignant book!
49hemlokgang
Just finished The Breast by Philip Roth, a Kafkaesque tale of a man who turns into a 155 pound breast. Well done.
About to start my RL book club selection for November, The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinaar, a Turkish author.
About to start my RL book club selection for November, The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinaar, a Turkish author.
50nancyewhite
>38 PaperbackPirate:. I rated both of those very highly. Enjoy.
I'm (still) reading Talking to the Dead by Barbara Weisberg about the Fox sisters and the beginning of Spiritualism.
I'm (still) reading Talking to the Dead by Barbara Weisberg about the Fox sisters and the beginning of Spiritualism.
51jnwelch
Besides Bird Sense, I picked up the second one in The Last Policeman series, Countdown City.
52mynovelthoughts
I'm reading The Crimson Petal and the White. I like it so far (about 1/4 way through).
53benitastrnad
I am listening to the recorded version of the second in the YA series Matched. This one is titled Crossed and I find it better than the first one in the series. I am also reading Place of Greater Safety and am only about 80 pages into this book. So far so good. Just need to settle into more time for reading with it. I finished reading the National Book Award nominee Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin and really enjoyed it. I first heard of the Port Chicago disaster while reading Studs Terkel's book The Good War, so the more detailed YA version of the whole story was very interesting. It is a well done book and I hope it wins the award as YA non-fiction often gets shortchanged when it comes to literary awards. This one was worthy of the nomination.
54alphaorder
>44 CarolynSchroeder:. Carolyn -
Your comment made my day! I felt like I was once again a bookseller and someone just came back to tell me they loved a book they bought on my recommendation. Blue Horses is really is the kind of book to have out on your table to pick up at anytime. I just love it and am glad you do too. Highly recommend you read more of her work. Now when do we get to read some of your poetry?
Your comment made my day! I felt like I was once again a bookseller and someone just came back to tell me they loved a book they bought on my recommendation. Blue Horses is really is the kind of book to have out on your table to pick up at anytime. I just love it and am glad you do too. Highly recommend you read more of her work. Now when do we get to read some of your poetry?
55mollygrace
I'm reading Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan.
56Copperskye
>48 mollygrace: I loved Lucky Us and I'm glad to hear you liked it too!
>54 alphaorder: Another sale of Blue Horses - thanks! :) I've been enjoying Dog Songs, picking it up and rereading some favorites, for several weeks. I hadn't heard of Blue Horses until you mentioned it and I see my library has it.
My current read is Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri.
>54 alphaorder: Another sale of Blue Horses - thanks! :) I've been enjoying Dog Songs, picking it up and rereading some favorites, for several weeks. I hadn't heard of Blue Horses until you mentioned it and I see my library has it.
My current read is Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri.
57Zumbanista
I finished Catching Fire, middle book of the Hunger Games Trilogy and rated it just a smidge under the first book at 4 stars. Now starting Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott, a British crime novel set in my Grandmother's hometown of Manchester.
(Thanks >59 seitherin:, touchstone fixed!)
(Thanks >59 seitherin:, touchstone fixed!)
58CarolynSchroeder
AlphaOrder ~ I will definitely check out more of Mary Oliver! Three of my poems have won awards (albeit local ones) and have been published (again, in a local academic-type journal thing), and when lawyering and yoga school relax some (hopefully in a couple of weeks here), I really need to see about final edits, marketing and submitting, etc. I had a phenomenal professor and he is always there to help, which is awesome. But as to "when" - soon, I hope! Thank you again.
59seitherin
>57 Zumbanista: To change an attribution for a book, click the (others) link in the Touchstones list. This brings up a list of books with the same or similar titles. When you find the correct one, click on the titles of that book and the attribution under Touchstones changes to the correct one.
60jnwelch
Found the second Last Policeman book, Countdown City, at the library, and I'm already halfway through it. He's got a knack.
61rocketjk
I finished The Prison Life of Harris Filmore, an interesting and humorous social satire written in the early 1960s by playwright/novelist/essayist Jack Richardson. My review is to be found on the book's work page and on my 50-Book Challenge thread.
62framboise
Halfway through The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley. I hadn't heard of this one before, but saw the author's blurb for The Future for Curious People which I last read and loved. This is a strange and quirky read. First half was quick reading; it is slowing down somewhat now.
63Peace2
Just finished Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, hoping to finish Captivate by Carrie Jones later today or tomorrow and am listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling. Agent 6 and Brilliance of the Moon have barely been touched since last week.
64snash
I finished the LTER book, The End of Greatness. It was a good essay stretched out to make a less than good book. It's one thing to use more examples than necessary to make a point but another to use them over and over. That said, it does present a good, although not particularly surprising, point, that we expect too much of our presidents given their limited power in a complex world.
65sebago
Finally I can dig into Gray Mountain by John Grisham. Have been so looking forward to this book. :)
66TaraHannon
I am currently awaiting to read the Mystic Series by B.C. Burgess. I have just finished reading the Grimm Diaries series by Cameron Jace.
67Coffeehag
I finished Life of Pi by Yann Martel yesterday. I loved it! I could have done without the gory bits in the middle, but other than that this was a fantastic book. It reminded me of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, especially with regard to the religious elements of both works. (Only I didn't much like Robinson Crusoe.)
I started Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad last night and I'm already enjoying it thoroughly.
I started Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad last night and I'm already enjoying it thoroughly.
69Meredy
Has anyone else had trouble staying with Life After Life? A hundred pages in, I keep feeling as if I were riding a carousel: we go around and around, but we don't get anywhere.
70mollygrace
>69 Meredy: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson? I ask because there was another book by the same title published about the same time. If we're talking Atkinson, I had that feeling, too, and though I was impressed with the intricacy and prose, I lost my feeling for the main character in the process of all those rides around the carousel. At one point I'd been quite emotionally involved, but then we switched suddenly to another horse and I was left feeling kind of stupid for caring so much. It came to feel like a writing class assignment. Clever, but with no heart. Maybe I missed the point -- I'm kind of famous for doing that. And I remember loving The French Lieutenant's Woman though that was several decades ago.
If we're talking about that other book, please just ignore my ramblings.
If we're talking about that other book, please just ignore my ramblings.
71hemlokgang
Ditto Mollygrace!
72jnwelch
I picked up the new Longmire, Wait for Signs, a short story collection, and Three in Death, three Eve Dallas mysteries.
73DMO
I'm currently reading The Quiet Game by Greg Iles.
74thesmellofbooks
Reading and loving Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Wowzers!
75ahef1963
>74 thesmellofbooks: Let me know if it continues to be a good book, please. I tread the Bronte sisters very carefully, adoring some of their works and despising others. Haven't tried that one yet!
I finished Julia Glass's Three Junes this week - it was a beautifully-written book, a family saga, which I never wanted to end. So glad I picked it up.
I am now in bed suffering through the flu, and am reading, in between headaches and naps, Colin Dexter's The Riddle of the Third Mile. It has taken me six hours to read 40 pages, what with falling asleep every half hour. I do love Morse and Dexter for their pedantic natures.
I finished Julia Glass's Three Junes this week - it was a beautifully-written book, a family saga, which I never wanted to end. So glad I picked it up.
I am now in bed suffering through the flu, and am reading, in between headaches and naps, Colin Dexter's The Riddle of the Third Mile. It has taken me six hours to read 40 pages, what with falling asleep every half hour. I do love Morse and Dexter for their pedantic natures.
77Coffeehag
>75 ahef1963: I feel the same way about the Bronte's; some of them are fantastic, then there are others... The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, however, is one of my favorites. I can highly recommend it.
78Meredy
>70 mollygrace: Yes. I should have said so, but I thought the touchstone would suffice.
My sense at this point (after about 150 pages) is that it's a virtuoso performance, but cold. I may have to let it go.
My sense at this point (after about 150 pages) is that it's a virtuoso performance, but cold. I may have to let it go.
79mollygrace
>75 ahef1963: - I admired Three Junes, too. I liked the three-part approach to getting to know this family. I believe the McLeods turn up in other Glass books as well.
81moonshineandrosefire
So, I'm just gathering together the last couple of books that I've been reading this week. I had started reading The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance by Joan Ryan on Thursday evening, October 16th. This was a book written by acclaimed author and sports columnist, Joan Ryan, and is about her 16-year-old son's recuperation from his Traumatic Brain Injury.
The story focuses on Joan and her son's relationship, before and after his injury, and how the teenager's skateboarding accident completely changed his entire family. I finished the book on Saturday, October 18th! :)
After spending a couple of days choosing which book to read next, I decided on Now You Know by Kitty Dukakis and Jane Scovell. I love reading autobiographies and biographies, but I don't think that I've ever read three in a row before. :) I finally settled on Kitty Dukakis and Jane Scovell's book, and started it on Monday, October 20th!
The story focuses on Kitty Dukakis' 20-year-long addiction to diet pills and alcohol. It was an incredibly honest account, and was actually a reread for me from February of 2012. I finished reading the book on Thursday evening, October 23rd! :)
I'm currently reading At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks, which I started reading yesterday morning, October 24th! So far, it seems to be pretty good, although it took me a little time to get into the story.
The story focuses on Joan and her son's relationship, before and after his injury, and how the teenager's skateboarding accident completely changed his entire family. I finished the book on Saturday, October 18th! :)
After spending a couple of days choosing which book to read next, I decided on Now You Know by Kitty Dukakis and Jane Scovell. I love reading autobiographies and biographies, but I don't think that I've ever read three in a row before. :) I finally settled on Kitty Dukakis and Jane Scovell's book, and started it on Monday, October 20th!
The story focuses on Kitty Dukakis' 20-year-long addiction to diet pills and alcohol. It was an incredibly honest account, and was actually a reread for me from February of 2012. I finished reading the book on Thursday evening, October 23rd! :)
I'm currently reading At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks, which I started reading yesterday morning, October 24th! So far, it seems to be pretty good, although it took me a little time to get into the story.
82grkmwk
>78 Meredy: I ultimately found Atkinson's Life After Life to be captivating, but it does require some stick-to-it-iveness that turns others off. I encourage you to hang in there a bit longer before you give up (and since I'm late to this thread, I fully recognize my endorsement for it may be too late...)
83Meredy
>82 grkmwk: I'm afraid so. I returned it to the library yesterday. Thanks, though.
I can handle a tough read, but when I have to muster stick-to-it-iveness to drag against resistance, I don't call it captivating. I say time for another book.
I can handle a tough read, but when I have to muster stick-to-it-iveness to drag against resistance, I don't call it captivating. I say time for another book.
