What Are You Reading The Week of 31 January 2015?
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1MDGentleReader
This is taken from Wikipedia in its entirety:
"
James Albert Michener (/ˈmɪtʃnər/; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American author of more than 40 books, the majority of which were fictional, lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. Michener was known for the popularity of his works; he had numerous bestsellers and works selected for Book-of-the-Month club. He was also known for his meticulous research behind the books.
Michener's fiction novels include Tales of the South Pacific for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948, Hawaii, The Drifters, Centennial, The Source, The Fires of Spring, Chesapeake, Caribbean, Caravans, Alaska, Texas and Poland. His non-fiction works include Iberia, about his travels in Spain and Portugal; his memoir titled The World Is My Home, and Sports in America. Return to Paradise combines fictional short stories with Michener's factual descriptions of the Pacific areas where they take place.
His first book was adapted as the popular Broadway musical South Pacific by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and later as a film by the same name, adding to his financial success. Several other works were adapted for feature films or TV films. Having grown up poor, Michener worked hard and lived modestly. He became a major philanthropist, donating more than 100 million dollars to educational, writing and related cultural institutions, including 37 million to the University of Texas.
Biography Michener wrote that he did not know who his biological parents were or exactly when or where he was born. He said he was raised a Quaker by an adoptive mother, Mabel Michener, in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Michener graduated from Doylestown High School in 1925. He attended Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, where he played basketball and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. After graduating summa cum laude in 1929 with degrees in English and psychology, he traveled and studied in Europe for two years.
Michener took a job as a high school English teacher at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. From 1933 to 1936 he taught English at George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania. He attended University of Northern Colorado (then called Colorado State Teachers College) in Greeley, Colorado), where he earned a master's degree. After graduation, he taught there for several years. The library at the University of Northern Colorado was later named after him.
In 1935, Michener married Patti Koon. He went to Harvard and taught from 1939 to 1940, but left to join Macmillan Publishers as their social studies education editor.
Michener was called to active duty during World War II in the United States Navy. He traveled throughout the South Pacific Ocean on various assignments which he gained because his base commanders mistakenly thought his father was Admiral Marc Mitscher. His experiences during these travels inspired his stories published in his breakout work Tales of the South Pacific.
In 1960, Michener was chairman of the Bucks County committee to elect John F. Kennedy. In 1962, he unsuccessfully ran as a Democratic candidate for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, a decision he later considered a misstep. "My mistake was to run in 1962 as a Democratic candidate for Congress. (My wife) kept saying, 'Don't do it, don't do it.' I lost and went back to writing books."
In 1968, Michener served as the campaign manager for twice-elected US senator Joseph S. Clark's third-term run. Michener was later Secretary for the 1967–68 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.
Writing career
Michener's typewriter at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PennsylvaniaMichener's writing career began during World War II as a lieutenant in the Navy, when he was assigned to the South Pacific as a naval historian. He later turned his notes and impressions into Tales of the South Pacific, his first book, published in 1947, when he was 40. It was adapted as the Broadway musical South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein.Tales of the South Pacific won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1948. The musical was also adapted as a film by the same name.
Michener tried television writing but was unsuccessful. American television producer Bob Mann wanted Michener to co-create a weekly anthology series from Tales of the South Pacific, and serve as narrator. Rodgers and Hammerstein, however, had bought all dramatic rights to the novel and did not give up their ownership. Michener did lend his name to a different television series, Adventures in Paradise, in 1959. In the late 1950s, Michener began working as a roving editor for Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. He gave up that work in 1970.
Michener was a popular writer during his lifetime; his novels sold an estimated 75 million copies worldwide. His novel Hawaii (published in 1959) was based on extensive research. He used this approach for nearly all of his subsequent novels, which were based on detailed historical, cultural, and even geological research. Centennial, which documented several generations of families in the West, was adapted as a popular twelve-part television miniseries of the same name and aired on NBC from October 1978 through February 1979.
In 1996, State House Press published James A. Michener: A Bibliography, compiled by David A. Groseclose. Its more than 2,500 entries from 1923 to 1995 include magazine articles, forewords, and other works.
Michener's prodigious output made for lengthy novels, several of which run more than 1,000 pages. The author states in My Lost Mexico that at times he would spend 12 to 15 hours per day at his typewriter for weeks on end, and that he used so much paper, his filing system had trouble keeping up.
Marriages Michener was married three times. In 1935, he married Patti Koon. In 1948, he divorced Koon. That same year, he married his second wife, Vange Nord.
Michener met his third wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, at a luncheon in Chicago. An American, she and her Japanese parents had suffered internment in camps the US set up during World War II to hold ethnic Japanese from West Coast communities. Michener divorced Nord in 1955 and married Sabusawa the same year. She died in 1994.
Michener's novel Sayonara is quasi-autobiographical.
Philanthropist Michener became a major philanthropist, donating more than US$100 million to educational and writing institutions, including his alma mater, Swarthmore College, the Iowa Writers Workshop, and more than US$37 million to University of Texas at Austin. By 1992 his gifts made him UTA's largest single donor to that time. Over the years, Mari Michener played a major role in helping direct his donations.
In 1989, Michener donated the royalty earnings from the Canadian edition of his novel, Journey (published in Canada by McClelland & Stewart), to create the Journey Prize, an annual Canadian literary prize worth $10,000 (Cdn) that is awarded for the year's best short story published by an emerging Canadian writer.
Final years and death In his final years, the Micheners lived in Austin, Texas. He and his wife endowed the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. It provides Michener Fellowship scholarships to students accepted to the university's MFA in Writing graduate writing program.
Suffering from terminal kidney disease, in October 1997, Michener ended the daily dialysis treatment that had kept him alive for four years. He said he had accomplished what he wanted and did not want further physical complications. On October 16, 1997, James A. Michener died of kidney failure at the age of 90.
He was cremated and his ashes were placed next to those of his wife at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery in Austin, Texas. He is honored by a memorial headstone at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
Michener left most of his estate and the copyrights of his books to Swarthmore College. He had donated his papers to Northern Colorado University, where he earned his master's degree."
What are you reading this week?
"
James Albert Michener (/ˈmɪtʃnər/; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American author of more than 40 books, the majority of which were fictional, lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. Michener was known for the popularity of his works; he had numerous bestsellers and works selected for Book-of-the-Month club. He was also known for his meticulous research behind the books.Michener's fiction novels include Tales of the South Pacific for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948, Hawaii, The Drifters, Centennial, The Source, The Fires of Spring, Chesapeake, Caribbean, Caravans, Alaska, Texas and Poland. His non-fiction works include Iberia, about his travels in Spain and Portugal; his memoir titled The World Is My Home, and Sports in America. Return to Paradise combines fictional short stories with Michener's factual descriptions of the Pacific areas where they take place.
His first book was adapted as the popular Broadway musical South Pacific by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and later as a film by the same name, adding to his financial success. Several other works were adapted for feature films or TV films. Having grown up poor, Michener worked hard and lived modestly. He became a major philanthropist, donating more than 100 million dollars to educational, writing and related cultural institutions, including 37 million to the University of Texas.
Biography Michener wrote that he did not know who his biological parents were or exactly when or where he was born. He said he was raised a Quaker by an adoptive mother, Mabel Michener, in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Michener graduated from Doylestown High School in 1925. He attended Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, where he played basketball and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. After graduating summa cum laude in 1929 with degrees in English and psychology, he traveled and studied in Europe for two years.
Michener took a job as a high school English teacher at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. From 1933 to 1936 he taught English at George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania. He attended University of Northern Colorado (then called Colorado State Teachers College) in Greeley, Colorado), where he earned a master's degree. After graduation, he taught there for several years. The library at the University of Northern Colorado was later named after him.
In 1935, Michener married Patti Koon. He went to Harvard and taught from 1939 to 1940, but left to join Macmillan Publishers as their social studies education editor.
Michener was called to active duty during World War II in the United States Navy. He traveled throughout the South Pacific Ocean on various assignments which he gained because his base commanders mistakenly thought his father was Admiral Marc Mitscher. His experiences during these travels inspired his stories published in his breakout work Tales of the South Pacific.
In 1960, Michener was chairman of the Bucks County committee to elect John F. Kennedy. In 1962, he unsuccessfully ran as a Democratic candidate for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, a decision he later considered a misstep. "My mistake was to run in 1962 as a Democratic candidate for Congress. (My wife) kept saying, 'Don't do it, don't do it.' I lost and went back to writing books."
In 1968, Michener served as the campaign manager for twice-elected US senator Joseph S. Clark's third-term run. Michener was later Secretary for the 1967–68 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.
Writing career
Michener's typewriter at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PennsylvaniaMichener's writing career began during World War II as a lieutenant in the Navy, when he was assigned to the South Pacific as a naval historian. He later turned his notes and impressions into Tales of the South Pacific, his first book, published in 1947, when he was 40. It was adapted as the Broadway musical South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein.Tales of the South Pacific won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1948. The musical was also adapted as a film by the same name.
Michener tried television writing but was unsuccessful. American television producer Bob Mann wanted Michener to co-create a weekly anthology series from Tales of the South Pacific, and serve as narrator. Rodgers and Hammerstein, however, had bought all dramatic rights to the novel and did not give up their ownership. Michener did lend his name to a different television series, Adventures in Paradise, in 1959. In the late 1950s, Michener began working as a roving editor for Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. He gave up that work in 1970.
Michener was a popular writer during his lifetime; his novels sold an estimated 75 million copies worldwide. His novel Hawaii (published in 1959) was based on extensive research. He used this approach for nearly all of his subsequent novels, which were based on detailed historical, cultural, and even geological research. Centennial, which documented several generations of families in the West, was adapted as a popular twelve-part television miniseries of the same name and aired on NBC from October 1978 through February 1979.
In 1996, State House Press published James A. Michener: A Bibliography, compiled by David A. Groseclose. Its more than 2,500 entries from 1923 to 1995 include magazine articles, forewords, and other works.
Michener's prodigious output made for lengthy novels, several of which run more than 1,000 pages. The author states in My Lost Mexico that at times he would spend 12 to 15 hours per day at his typewriter for weeks on end, and that he used so much paper, his filing system had trouble keeping up.
Marriages Michener was married three times. In 1935, he married Patti Koon. In 1948, he divorced Koon. That same year, he married his second wife, Vange Nord.
Michener met his third wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, at a luncheon in Chicago. An American, she and her Japanese parents had suffered internment in camps the US set up during World War II to hold ethnic Japanese from West Coast communities. Michener divorced Nord in 1955 and married Sabusawa the same year. She died in 1994.
Michener's novel Sayonara is quasi-autobiographical.
Philanthropist Michener became a major philanthropist, donating more than US$100 million to educational and writing institutions, including his alma mater, Swarthmore College, the Iowa Writers Workshop, and more than US$37 million to University of Texas at Austin. By 1992 his gifts made him UTA's largest single donor to that time. Over the years, Mari Michener played a major role in helping direct his donations.
In 1989, Michener donated the royalty earnings from the Canadian edition of his novel, Journey (published in Canada by McClelland & Stewart), to create the Journey Prize, an annual Canadian literary prize worth $10,000 (Cdn) that is awarded for the year's best short story published by an emerging Canadian writer.
Final years and death In his final years, the Micheners lived in Austin, Texas. He and his wife endowed the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. It provides Michener Fellowship scholarships to students accepted to the university's MFA in Writing graduate writing program.
Suffering from terminal kidney disease, in October 1997, Michener ended the daily dialysis treatment that had kept him alive for four years. He said he had accomplished what he wanted and did not want further physical complications. On October 16, 1997, James A. Michener died of kidney failure at the age of 90.
He was cremated and his ashes were placed next to those of his wife at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery in Austin, Texas. He is honored by a memorial headstone at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
Michener left most of his estate and the copyrights of his books to Swarthmore College. He had donated his papers to Northern Colorado University, where he earned his master's degree."
What are you reading this week?
2rocketjk
I know a lot of people love Michener, and I still sell his books in my used bookstore from time to time. Unfortunately for me, my first exposure to his work was through reading The Drifters, Michener's absurd novel about hippies, at a time when I was pretty much obsessed with all things counter-culture. So for years I held a grudge against him. Now I just have hundreds of other books I'd rather read first, so my likelihood of reading any more Michener at this point is pretty much nil. I remember both my parents, whose literary taste I always respected, reading and loving The Source. So I am willing to accept my own prejudice as being unfortunate and mis-informed.
As for me, I am now past the halfway point of the 690-page behemoth, We, the Drowned. There are some slow spots, but mostly I'm loving it.
As for me, I am now past the halfway point of the 690-page behemoth, We, the Drowned. There are some slow spots, but mostly I'm loving it.
3poingu
Patriotic Gore by Edmund Wilson. Great title, for one. In 1962, when the book was published, one of the greatest literary critics of the era wrote a thick book about Civil War literature that doesn't include a single reference to writing by African American authors. Not only no Solomon Northup, but also no Frederick Douglass...an unthinkable lack of vision about "Civil War literature" that makes this interesting reading on a whole other level.
David Blight wrote an interesting article about this book in Slate, titled "Edmund Wilson's Patriotic Gore is Not Really Much Like Any Other Book By Anyone," link here:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/history/2012/03/edmund_wilson_s_patriotic_gor...
David Blight wrote an interesting article about this book in Slate, titled "Edmund Wilson's Patriotic Gore is Not Really Much Like Any Other Book By Anyone," link here:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/history/2012/03/edmund_wilson_s_patriotic_gor...
4Bjace
The only book by Michener I ever wanted to read was The Source I thought it was very good.
Reading Dangerous games by Joan Aiken, A testament of friendship by Vera Brittain and The perfect summer by Juliet Nicolson.
Reading Dangerous games by Joan Aiken, A testament of friendship by Vera Brittain and The perfect summer by Juliet Nicolson.
5hemlokgang
I am reading Indiana by George Sand. The prefaces for the three early editions which are included are utterly fascinating in and of themselves.
I am listening to Moll Flanders by Daniel DeFoe. Hard to imagine any one woman having so many trials and tribulations....chuckle.
I am listening to Moll Flanders by Daniel DeFoe. Hard to imagine any one woman having so many trials and tribulations....chuckle.
6Peace2
Interesting bio, not someone I particularly knew although the name did sound a little familiar.
I've literally just finished listening to The Food of Love by Anthony Capella which means until I can get to the library and pick up something else, my listening focus will be Rough Crossings by Simon Schama.
In paperback form, I'm making my way through Beyond the Burning Lands by John Christopher, the second in the Prince in Waiting trilogy and also I've started The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen which I think is a re-read from about 10 years ago and slowly making my way through The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood - I want to like this more than I do so far, it's just not quite grabbing me.
I've literally just finished listening to The Food of Love by Anthony Capella which means until I can get to the library and pick up something else, my listening focus will be Rough Crossings by Simon Schama.
In paperback form, I'm making my way through Beyond the Burning Lands by John Christopher, the second in the Prince in Waiting trilogy and also I've started The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen which I think is a re-read from about 10 years ago and slowly making my way through The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood - I want to like this more than I do so far, it's just not quite grabbing me.
7TooBusyReading
I used to love reading Michener's books, but got bogged down in one, didn't finish, and didn't read anymore by him. Not because of the one, but because my tastes changed a little. I don't remember which one I abandoned. I should probably give him another try.
I just finished a short, odd book, In the Beginning was the Sea, and I haven't quite decided what I think of it.
Last night I started listening to Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. It didn't start out as I expected - a goth teen caught up in the foster system - but I think it is now turning in the direction I expected.
I just finished a short, odd book, In the Beginning was the Sea, and I haven't quite decided what I think of it.
Last night I started listening to Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. It didn't start out as I expected - a goth teen caught up in the foster system - but I think it is now turning in the direction I expected.
8framboise
Almost done with an amazing memoir, Separated @ Birth, about identical twin sisters separated at birth only to find each other through social media a couple of years ago. Adopted out of Korea to two different families, one is American, the other French. Chapters are written in alternate voices. I devoured this one as I started it yesterday.
Next up, another memoir: Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking about her life with Stephen Hawking. Excited about this one. This was what the excellent movie "The Theory of Everything" is based on.
Next up, another memoir: Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking about her life with Stephen Hawking. Excited about this one. This was what the excellent movie "The Theory of Everything" is based on.
10NarratorLady
Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald was a wonderful read about life at the BBC as WWII loomed, a novel taken from the author' life experience. Fortunately I've got several more of hers to read.
But now I'm on to another Penelope: Lively and Moon Tiger.
But now I'm on to another Penelope: Lively and Moon Tiger.
11Iudita
I've read and enjoyed a handful of Michener's books. You really have to be in the right frame of mind. So much detail. The one I really loved was Hawaii. I thought the progression was fascinating. Anyway, this weekend I am finishing up The Scarlet Letter and will start Three Souls.
12nhlsecord
Many years ago, I picked Michener's Centennial out of a stack of books by my mother's chair after she'd gone to bed, and before I knew it, it was 4 a.m. and I was half way through it. I was amazed at how far back in time Michener started the story and how it all tied in. It was a nice experience reading Centennial while sitting in a comfy, warm arm chair in a little house in the frozen far north of Manitoba.
13ahef1963
>1 MDGentleReader: Thank you for the biography! I have read only one book by James Michener, Tales of the South Pacific, which I enjoyed very much, although I remember very little about it. I was on a Pulitzer-Prize reading kick at the time.
>8 framboise: I will be curious to see what you think of Jane Hawking's memoir. I've not read it, but it intrigues me.
I have just finished reading The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, and it was brilliant. It was original, thoughtful, intelligent, engrossing, and utterly fascinating. I would give it five stars were it not for the rather too-frequent descriptions of torture, which I cannot abide, so it will get 4.5 stars.
I'm not sure what to read next. I have narrowed it down to two books: Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry, and The Secret River by Kate Grenville. We'll see tomorrow what sort of reading mood I'm in.
>8 framboise: I will be curious to see what you think of Jane Hawking's memoir. I've not read it, but it intrigues me.
I have just finished reading The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, and it was brilliant. It was original, thoughtful, intelligent, engrossing, and utterly fascinating. I would give it five stars were it not for the rather too-frequent descriptions of torture, which I cannot abide, so it will get 4.5 stars.
I'm not sure what to read next. I have narrowed it down to two books: Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry, and The Secret River by Kate Grenville. We'll see tomorrow what sort of reading mood I'm in.
15Copperskye
>1 MDGentleReader: Thanks for the interesting bio! I've only read a few of Michener's books - Hawaii, Centennial, and Chesapeake. I loved all three. I was half way through Alaska when I got bored and never read another. I do plan on rereading Hawaii sometime and Tales of the South Pacific.
My current reads are How It All Began, which I love but I'm not finding particularly riveting, and The Girl on the Train, which I am finding pretty darn riveting in an unsettling way.
My current audio book is (still) The Men Who United the States.
My current reads are How It All Began, which I love but I'm not finding particularly riveting, and The Girl on the Train, which I am finding pretty darn riveting in an unsettling way.
My current audio book is (still) The Men Who United the States.
16mollygrace
I finished reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Russell's prose can be lovely, her storytelling imaginative, compelling -- but this book moved much too slowly, was at least one hundred pages too long. And I was put off by the way the story was told -- the constant reminder of some horror to come. That is a complete turnoff to me, so annoying. I know from long experience that being told I'm going to be shocked means I'm unlikely to be. By the end, I was glad to say goodbye to the main character -- I wish him well but I have no desire to follow him into the sequel.
Next up: Stewart O'Nan's new book, West of Sunset.
Next up: Stewart O'Nan's new book, West of Sunset.
17Thrin
I am reading H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald. Intense. Very intense.
18alphaorder
Oh, I can't wait for H is for Hawk to be released in the US.
19fyrfly
I finished listening to How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival by David Kaiser.
20qebo
Reviewed The Bird Market of Paris. Have not yet reviewed Alan Turing: The Enigma. About 2/5 through Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, was quite enjoying it initially but it’s become a slog, I hope only temporarily. I started two other books: Food, Inc on this year’s theme of GM food, and The Hare with Amber Eyes which has been sitting on the shelf for some time.
21seitherin
Still reading The King's Blood and The Raven in the Foregate. I've also started In Good Faith by Scott Pratt
22hemlokgang
I read most of Michener's books in my late teens and loved them then.
23fredbacon
I'm reading The Ciano Diaries: 1939-1943, the diaries of Mussolini's son-in-law and Foreign Minister, Galeazzo Ciano. I'm less familiar with the Italian side of WWII, so it's a little tough going. I have to keep stopping to look up people and incidents. I'll probably get a book on Fascist Italy so that I can get some background reading to the diary, because I know that I'm missing a lot of what's going on.
24TooBusyReading
Last night I read the first few pages of Three Many Cooks (no touchstone that I could find), and am enjoying it so far.
25rocketjk
#23> Fred, you just blew my mind! I have that exact same book on my bedside table, waiting to be read next should I ever actually finish We, the Drowned. (I'm 400 pages into it; 290 pages to go!)
What are the freakin' odds?
What are the freakin' odds?
26princessgarnet
Rereading The Shadow Queen by Sandra Gulland
27CarolynSchroeder
I finished Ghettoside, loved it and put up a review. Now reading Brown Girl Dreaming per recommendation here and although early in, already love it.
28fredbacon
25> rocketjk If you haven't read The Goebbels Diaries yet, then I highly recommend it. The guy was crazy and despicable, but its an incredible document of the war from the perspective the Nazi side. His descriptions of the effects of the Allied bombing campaign are harrowing.
The Ciano Diaries were a little tough going for the first six months or so of 1939 because I know so little of Fascist Italy. It picks up after that. Ciano manages to turn nice phrase periodically, and there is a very moving section in June-July of 1939 when his father dies.
I picked both of them up in a used book store a couple of years ago. It seems that the library of someone fascinated by WWII was liquidated at that time because I bought a huge collection of older books on the subject at that time.
In a few months, I'll be getting to Victor Klemperer's diary, I Will Bear Witness. Klemperer was a Polish-German Jew who managed to avoid deportation for most the war due to being married to a German woman. Because he expected to be deported and sent to the extermination camps he fled Dresden just before the bombing in 1945.
By the way, if you haven't read Laurent Binet's novel HHhH about the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, then you should find a copy.
The Ciano Diaries were a little tough going for the first six months or so of 1939 because I know so little of Fascist Italy. It picks up after that. Ciano manages to turn nice phrase periodically, and there is a very moving section in June-July of 1939 when his father dies.
I picked both of them up in a used book store a couple of years ago. It seems that the library of someone fascinated by WWII was liquidated at that time because I bought a huge collection of older books on the subject at that time.
In a few months, I'll be getting to Victor Klemperer's diary, I Will Bear Witness. Klemperer was a Polish-German Jew who managed to avoid deportation for most the war due to being married to a German woman. Because he expected to be deported and sent to the extermination camps he fled Dresden just before the bombing in 1945.
By the way, if you haven't read Laurent Binet's novel HHhH about the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, then you should find a copy.
29Zumbanista
Thanks for the bio. I read many of Michener's books in my early 20's and enjoyed them a lot then. Hawaii and The Source were favs. Eventually I got tired of the geology and formulaic writing, but I've put Centennial on my Wishlist since I'm kind of on a Western jag recently.
Now halfway through my daytime hardcover Elizabeth 1: A Novel with 320 pages left.
Later today I'll start Honor and Polygamy my new nighttime Kindle choice.
Now halfway through my daytime hardcover Elizabeth 1: A Novel with 320 pages left.
Later today I'll start Honor and Polygamy my new nighttime Kindle choice.
30rocketjk
#28> Fred, No, I haven't read the Goebbel Diaries yet, although there's a copy of it sitting on the shelves of my used bookstore. I don't recall where I got my copy of the Ciano Diaries, but there is a pencil marked price of $1 on the inside front binding.
I haven't read the Heydrich book you mention, either, although I have a non-fiction account of that assassination, again on the shelves of my store, not in my home library. An interesting (I hope) aside is that my wife and I have been down in the church basement in Prague that was the final hiding place of the two assassins before they were betrayed. As I remember it, the room above the cellar has been made into a small museum of the event, complete with photos of the German soldiers in the streets above, but the cellar itself has been left almost wholly unchanged from that day.
I haven't read the Heydrich book you mention, either, although I have a non-fiction account of that assassination, again on the shelves of my store, not in my home library. An interesting (I hope) aside is that my wife and I have been down in the church basement in Prague that was the final hiding place of the two assassins before they were betrayed. As I remember it, the room above the cellar has been made into a small museum of the event, complete with photos of the German soldiers in the streets above, but the cellar itself has been left almost wholly unchanged from that day.
31whymaggiemay
Michner may be able to write, but I found him far too much like Melville -- way too much detail, and much less of a reason for it. Michner seemed to want to show me how much he'd learned and impart it to me. Believe me, if I had any interest in how a tree gets its nutrition from the roots to the upper leaves I would take a botany course. Otherwise, tell me it's an elm or an oak and whether it has leaves on it and what color they are so I know what time of the year it is, and I've got all the information I need. *Okay, rant over.*
Starting The Martian and continuing with The Romanov Sisters, the Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra and The Death of Vishnu, which I've had to set aside in order to finish book club books.
Starting The Martian and continuing with The Romanov Sisters, the Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra and The Death of Vishnu, which I've had to set aside in order to finish book club books.
32Tara1Reads
I am dying to read Caravans. I also want to read Alaska and Hawaii.
I am kind of in between books, but I started What Would Audrey Do?
I am kind of in between books, but I started What Would Audrey Do?
33fyrfly
Finished East of the Mountains by David Guterson. Will read some Ed Abbey before picking up the next book(s). I started listening to Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northop.
34Meredy
We took a stab last night at a new read-aloud, Graveyard of Memories, by Barry Eisler. Besides quantities of exposition, the first few chapters consisted almost entirely of physical fights, depicted blow by blow, by twist and feint and whallop and clout, by eyeball thrust and groin smash, drop by bloody drop. Can't do it, thanks, not for me.
36fredbacon
>30 rocketjk: rocketjk, I think you would really enjoy HHhH. It's not for everyone. People who are too literal have trouble with it, judging from some of the reviews here. It's kind of a post-modern, meta-novel about the author's obsession with the Heydrich assassination and his attempt to write a novel about it. Which is, of course, the novel that you're reading. It might help to read The Killing of SS Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich first for the historical background.
37brenzi
I finished and enjoyed The Girl on the Train although I didn't think it was unputdownable until the last quarter of the book. Now I'm reading The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown and loving it.
38snash
I finished All the Light We Cannot See today. It was an excellent book about choices, about the lure of curiosity and learning to provide meaning, about the repercussions of horror as well as being a suspenseful story. The prose seemed a little sparse to me and it was bit less psychological than it could have been. The last observations, however, may have been colored by having read Lila just before it.
39framboise
#13 ahef1963: I'm about 40 pgs into Travelling to Infinity, Jane Hawking's memoir about her life with Stephen Hawking. It's not what I would call quick reading by any means, but insightful thus far.
41PaperbackPirate
I am reading Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain by Michael Paterniti for my book club. Wondering which direction the conversation will go...
42benitastrnad
I read several of Michener's books. The Source, Centennial, Chesapeake, Covenant, but my favorite was Hawaii. I never thought that they were repetitive. They did follow a formula, but I did not think that they were the same novel set in different places. I learned something from every one of them.
I am reading Night Watch by Sarah Waters. Several comments about this novel have me curious, so I can't wait to get started on it.
I am reading Night Watch by Sarah Waters. Several comments about this novel have me curious, so I can't wait to get started on it.
43Citizenjoyce
I read both Hawaii and Centennial and loved them both but was amused that he had such a hard time with the question, "Hmm, where do I start?"
I just finished and reviewed the completely narcissistic The Art of Asking. I guess you either are or are not an Amanda Palmer fan. I also just finished The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion which seemed in the same vein but not as despicable. Also this morning finished one I liked, 2 A.M. At The Cat's Pajamas. I have difficulties with novels about music since I know so little about it, but the characterization in this one is very engaging.
I'm almost half way through a re read of Middlemarch which is stupendous and completely relevant 150 years later. What a perceptive and elucidative mind the woman had.
I've just started How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World so my mind is being blasted open both philosophically and technologically.
I've also just started an audiobook in the car A Long Time Gone. Yech, Southern fiction. I'm trying to give it a chance anyway because it's about three generations of women. We'll see if I can keep up with it.
On paper just about to start The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption hoping very little will be said about the details of the dogs' lives with Vick and that most of the book will concentrate on their rehabilitation.
I just finished and reviewed the completely narcissistic The Art of Asking. I guess you either are or are not an Amanda Palmer fan. I also just finished The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion which seemed in the same vein but not as despicable. Also this morning finished one I liked, 2 A.M. At The Cat's Pajamas. I have difficulties with novels about music since I know so little about it, but the characterization in this one is very engaging.
I'm almost half way through a re read of Middlemarch which is stupendous and completely relevant 150 years later. What a perceptive and elucidative mind the woman had.
I've just started How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World so my mind is being blasted open both philosophically and technologically.
I've also just started an audiobook in the car A Long Time Gone. Yech, Southern fiction. I'm trying to give it a chance anyway because it's about three generations of women. We'll see if I can keep up with it.
On paper just about to start The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption hoping very little will be said about the details of the dogs' lives with Vick and that most of the book will concentrate on their rehabilitation.
44seitherin
Finished The Raven in the Foregate and started The Rose Rent.
45Travis1259
Finished The Girl on the Train. Although most of the characters were not likeable, the book picks up speed like the Acela. And, comes to a stop with a jolt.
46CarolynSchroeder
I finished Brown Girl Dreaming and really loved it. Although it was non fiction/poetic memoir (? - not sure what it call it as it is in a class of its own), it seems to have renewed my (sadly limp) spark for fiction. I think it was her conviction about being a writer at an early age and her discoveries about that. So I picked up a couple at the library today (snow day!) and will see if either of them strike me: Treat Us Like Dogs And We Will Become Wolves by Carolyn Chute (haven't read anything by her in over a decade); and The Farming of the Bones by Edwidge Danticat (a friend is reading for a college course is is raving about it).
47ahef1963
I'm almost halfway through Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog. Very enjoyable! Nice to read science fiction that has such a sense of humour.
48Bjace
#47, ahef1963, Connie Willis bobs up in this thread periodically. I loved To Say nothing of the dog. If you haven't read The Doomsday book as well you might give it a try. It's not as light, but it's quite interesting once you get into it.
49MDGentleReader
Just wanted to let you know that @richardderus, the usual, gracious host for What Are You Reading this week threads is in his new home. There are logistics to be worked out for Internet access, but at least a low data rate plan looks promising in the future. More info here: Richardderus thread 29 Bridge to 2015, when he will return to the 75'ers group!.
Read The Mystery at the Chalet School and Robin Heeds the Call, Everything On a Waffle and Changes for the Chalet School.
Read The Mystery at the Chalet School and Robin Heeds the Call, Everything On a Waffle and Changes for the Chalet School.
50momom248
MDGentlereader that is awesome news. So happy for Richard. Thanks for keeping us all up to date on his status.
51Meredy
I've let go of MacIntyre's The Napoleon of Crime at 25% and moved on to Powers' Orfeo.
52seitherin
Finished The King's Blood and started The Tyrant's Law by Daniel Abraham.
53cdyankeefan
MDGentleReader-kat hank you for the update on Richard!
54sebago
Reading First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen... I always love the "feel" of her books..... a bit mystic.. southern warm..
55carebear10712
I just started Transatlantic. I absolutely love Colum McCann's style of writing.
I'm listening to And the Dark Sacred Night. I like it so far.
I'm listening to And the Dark Sacred Night. I like it so far.
56kaulsu
I've read a few Michener's absolutely loved a few! The Source is on my top 100 books. I read Hawaii twice and Chesapeake twice, too.
Right now I am reading Fields of Blood by Karen Armstrong: the other day I was thinking she reminded me of Michener. She also begins her books at the amoeba level. At my bedside, and will probably remain there for the year, is Wendy Doniger's the Hindus: An Alternative History. A fabulous book--Doniger studied under Mircea Eliade--and I love her sense of humor!!
Right now I am reading Fields of Blood by Karen Armstrong: the other day I was thinking she reminded me of Michener. She also begins her books at the amoeba level. At my bedside, and will probably remain there for the year, is Wendy Doniger's the Hindus: An Alternative History. A fabulous book--Doniger studied under Mircea Eliade--and I love her sense of humor!!
57corgiiman
Who is looking forward to reading the new Harper Lee book, a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. Can't wait, may have to reread Mockingbird.
58PaperbackPirate
43 Citizenjoyce
Don't worry. Vick's part is very small compared to the amount of pages dedicated to the heroes of the story.
Don't worry. Vick's part is very small compared to the amount of pages dedicated to the heroes of the story.
59Citizenjoyce
>57 corgiiman: Since I always worry more than I should, I'm worried that she's publishing the book exactly as it was written more than 50 years ago. There' s nothing she would want to change after half a century?
>58 PaperbackPirate: Thanks. I did have to skip over the description of the dogs' lives with him, but except for a few disgusting bits, it was easy to see which pages I should skip since they were in italics from the dog's point of view.
>58 PaperbackPirate: Thanks. I did have to skip over the description of the dogs' lives with him, but except for a few disgusting bits, it was easy to see which pages I should skip since they were in italics from the dog's point of view.
60mollygrace
I finished Stewart O'Nan's novel about the last years of F. Scott Fitzgerald's life, West of Sunset. It's a terrific book, recreating the Hollywood of the 1930s with such precision and complexity, and, through Scott's visits back East to see his daughter and his institutionalized wife, Zelda, a reminder of how far one of the golden couples of the 1920s had fallen. I especially appreciate the way O'Nan shows us Fitzgerald, the working writer.
Next up: Subtle Bodies by Norman Rush
Next up: Subtle Bodies by Norman Rush
61benitastrnad
I am listening to Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed and just read the part where she wrote about James Michener and his place in her life. Strange coincidence. I am starting to like Wild better than I did and find it a little more tolerable than Eat Pray Love.
62framboise
Finished the third in Lois Lowry's The Giver series, Messenger. Interesting, fast read.
Am also continuing with Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking about her life with Stephen Hawking. It is very detailed and I can only read small chunks at a time.
Am also continuing with Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking about her life with Stephen Hawking. It is very detailed and I can only read small chunks at a time.
63Iudita
#61 benitastrnad - I also tried to listen to Wild but I disliked it so much that I put it down about a third of the way in. I think I made a mistake by doing that as I've been told it becomes more and more redeeming the further on you get. Hope you continue to enjoy it.
64ahef1963
>48 Bjace: I loved The Doomsday Book! However, I tried her novel Bellwether last year, and simply couldn't get into it.
I'm still reading To Say Nothing of the Dog. I've barely had time to read this week. We're leaving on vacation on Friday, and I've been packing, organizing, shopping, running errands, and battling pneumonia! If I'm not finished the book by Friday morning, it will go in my carry-on bag, along with Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. There are two more books in my suitcase.
I'm still reading To Say Nothing of the Dog. I've barely had time to read this week. We're leaving on vacation on Friday, and I've been packing, organizing, shopping, running errands, and battling pneumonia! If I'm not finished the book by Friday morning, it will go in my carry-on bag, along with Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. There are two more books in my suitcase.
65Claire5555
I have just started reading the book, The Gods of Mars (John Carter of Mars), let everybody know what it is like
66CarolynSchroeder
I am about half-way through Farming of the Bones and really am enjoying it.
67nrmay
I like Michener's books and read Hawaii, Centennial, Chesapeake, Caravans and The Drifters years ago. I bogged down in the prehistory of Alaska and never finished it. I'd like to read more, maybe Poland and The Source.
Currently reading
The Hollow Land by Jane Gardam and
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Currently reading
The Hollow Land by Jane Gardam and
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
68mollygrace
I finished Subtle Bodies by Norman Rush. I rather enjoyed it -- a quirky story with a delightful married couple at the heart of it. There's lots of fun with words and wordplay, too.
Next up: The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig
Next up: The Post-Office Girl by Stefan Zweig
69MsMaryAnn
I have not read any of Michener's books but I do enjoy reading authors bios.
I read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I am not a fan of dystopian books but I was thoroughly engrossed in this novel. The writing is excellent and the author does a brilliant job of tying the characters and circumstances of past to the post-apocalyptic world she created.
I am halfway through Faithful Place by Tana French. For some reason I am not enjoying this book as much as the first two in the series. Oh, well...
I read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I am not a fan of dystopian books but I was thoroughly engrossed in this novel. The writing is excellent and the author does a brilliant job of tying the characters and circumstances of past to the post-apocalyptic world she created.
I am halfway through Faithful Place by Tana French. For some reason I am not enjoying this book as much as the first two in the series. Oh, well...
70fyrfly
Finished reading The Sixth Extinction: Journeys Among the Lost and Left Behind by Terry Glavin and listening to Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrop.
I started American Rust by Philipp Meyer.
I started American Rust by Philipp Meyer.
71alphaorder
>70 fyrfly: What did you think about The Sixth Extinction? It is on my mount TBR.
73Travis1259
Me! Can't wait!
74fyrfly
>71 alphaorder: Could your book be by Elizabeth Kolbert - The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History?
I ask this because I've recently read 3 books entitled The Sixth Extinction.
The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin (1995)
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (2014)
The Sixth Extinction: Journeys Among the Lost and Left Behind by Terry Glavin (2006)
Anyway, the one I posted about in #70, by Terry Glavin, (first published in Canada with a different title) is very well-written. A few points: Glavin reminds us of the 'living dead', burdened with extinction debt. A notable distinction of this book is the inclusion of the concurrent loss of domestic animal breeds and plants, human cultures and languages. The great sameness. Glavin writes of grim reality, then details instances against the relentless loss, for example, the return of Scarlet Macaws to part of Costa Rica.
He holds out hope, for those who would dare to fight.
The Kolbert (2014) book is also very well done. I had to read it faster than planned and hope to take it out again. I felt some small irritation, but have forgotten it. The section on white nose syndrome stands out to me, probably because I've been closely following WNS. She pinpoints the discovery of bats with WNS by the NY DEC. She accompanies some researchers and experiences a place of awful carnage. Oh, and when I recently searched for Geomyces destructans, the fungus that causes WNS, I found it has been reclassified, with a different genus, Psuedosomething, since this book was published.
In the first section, Kolbert writes of some great extinctions in past ages and notes the proposal that we are now living in the Anthropocene. I think (although I may be drawing from Leakey's book, where I'm certain he wrote about this and more) she discusses the elements of catastrophe and chance and their relevancy. Darwin is all well and good, but there is no way any species can evolve survival strategies for some contingencies, and they have wrought their effects as much as or moreso than natural and sexual selection.
Kolbert reminds the reader that massive extinction is happening not just in far away places to publicized species, but nearby, obvious to anyone who is aware and willing to look.
I like all three of these books very much.
And although I was only going to write a wee bit, because a) I lack the books in front of me & my recall is lacking & b) the probability of the two books being being different, I've already droned on so much that I will add something from the end of Glavin's book. There's no good reason, but I'm exhausted and it brings tears to my eyes, I know not why.
"There have always been ways of saying this, in every language and culture on earth. You certainly don't need to rely solely on the lexicon of evironmentalism to justify that ancient desire that persisits in all of us to be in a living breathing world, rich in the diversity and abundance of life. It is our right, and we should claim it, and humanity actually is capable of determining its own destiny. We certainly should not test that proposition by waiting to see if the ship sinks.
We should take the helm. (...)
The last thing I learned is a way to answer that question, "What, then, do we do?" It is this: You do what you can.
If it's some great insight you're after, all I can say is that the great insights lie only in the rich variety of humanity's stories, the specific and the particular stories, and the great multiplicity and diversity of our ideas. Our best hopes lie in strengthening the conditions that allow the flourishing of a diversity of living things, a diversity of ideas, and a diversity of choices.
Extinction is the thing that destroys those very conditions, so you join the epic battle with the demons that are devouring the world, and you do what you can. It's all anyone can expect of you. You do everything you can."
I ask this because I've recently read 3 books entitled The Sixth Extinction.
The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin (1995)
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (2014)
The Sixth Extinction: Journeys Among the Lost and Left Behind by Terry Glavin (2006)
Anyway, the one I posted about in #70, by Terry Glavin, (first published in Canada with a different title) is very well-written. A few points: Glavin reminds us of the 'living dead', burdened with extinction debt. A notable distinction of this book is the inclusion of the concurrent loss of domestic animal breeds and plants, human cultures and languages. The great sameness. Glavin writes of grim reality, then details instances against the relentless loss, for example, the return of Scarlet Macaws to part of Costa Rica.
He holds out hope, for those who would dare to fight.
The Kolbert (2014) book is also very well done. I had to read it faster than planned and hope to take it out again. I felt some small irritation, but have forgotten it. The section on white nose syndrome stands out to me, probably because I've been closely following WNS. She pinpoints the discovery of bats with WNS by the NY DEC. She accompanies some researchers and experiences a place of awful carnage. Oh, and when I recently searched for Geomyces destructans, the fungus that causes WNS, I found it has been reclassified, with a different genus, Psuedosomething, since this book was published.
In the first section, Kolbert writes of some great extinctions in past ages and notes the proposal that we are now living in the Anthropocene. I think (although I may be drawing from Leakey's book, where I'm certain he wrote about this and more) she discusses the elements of catastrophe and chance and their relevancy. Darwin is all well and good, but there is no way any species can evolve survival strategies for some contingencies, and they have wrought their effects as much as or moreso than natural and sexual selection.
Kolbert reminds the reader that massive extinction is happening not just in far away places to publicized species, but nearby, obvious to anyone who is aware and willing to look.
I like all three of these books very much.
And although I was only going to write a wee bit, because a) I lack the books in front of me & my recall is lacking & b) the probability of the two books being being different, I've already droned on so much that I will add something from the end of Glavin's book. There's no good reason, but I'm exhausted and it brings tears to my eyes, I know not why.
"There have always been ways of saying this, in every language and culture on earth. You certainly don't need to rely solely on the lexicon of evironmentalism to justify that ancient desire that persisits in all of us to be in a living breathing world, rich in the diversity and abundance of life. It is our right, and we should claim it, and humanity actually is capable of determining its own destiny. We certainly should not test that proposition by waiting to see if the ship sinks.
We should take the helm. (...)
The last thing I learned is a way to answer that question, "What, then, do we do?" It is this: You do what you can.
If it's some great insight you're after, all I can say is that the great insights lie only in the rich variety of humanity's stories, the specific and the particular stories, and the great multiplicity and diversity of our ideas. Our best hopes lie in strengthening the conditions that allow the flourishing of a diversity of living things, a diversity of ideas, and a diversity of choices.
Extinction is the thing that destroys those very conditions, so you join the epic battle with the demons that are devouring the world, and you do what you can. It's all anyone can expect of you. You do everything you can."
75Iudita
#69 mmedeiros - I totally agree with your opinion on Station Eleven. I feel the market has been bogged down by post-apocalyptic story lines but this book got a lot of attention on all the 2014 "Best books of the Year" lists so I decided to try it. I really liked it. She had a fresh approach to the whole thing. It was character driven as opposed to event driven. I would recommend it.
76nrmay
>69 MsMaryAnn:
>75 Iudita:
Ditto your views on Station Eleven
I also just finished the classic On the Beach by Nevil Shute.
Try this, if you haven't read it, for a whole different feel and view, but equally riveting story.
>75 Iudita:
Ditto your views on Station Eleven
I also just finished the classic On the Beach by Nevil Shute.
Try this, if you haven't read it, for a whole different feel and view, but equally riveting story.
77kaulsu
>7 TooBusyReading:
I hope you tell us later what you thought of Orphan Train. I also listened to it, and I enjoyed it very much. I've been recommending it left and right...it is so nice to have a fiction book to recommend!
So, now I'll continue catching up reading this thread...maybe you'll have more to say?
Sue
I hope you tell us later what you thought of Orphan Train. I also listened to it, and I enjoyed it very much. I've been recommending it left and right...it is so nice to have a fiction book to recommend!
So, now I'll continue catching up reading this thread...maybe you'll have more to say?
Sue
78moonshineandrosefire
I'm just catching myself up with charting my reading for the past several weeks. I hope to catch up in a few days. Anyway, I wrapped up the month of January by finishing my reading of Kramer Versus Kramer by Avery Corman. I started the book on Friday, January 30th and finished the book one day later on Saturday, January 31st! The movie was absolutely great - definitely a classic, in my opinion! - but if possible, the book was even better. ;)
Up next for me, and my first book read in February, was Neighborhood Watch: A Novel by Cammie McGovern. I started reading this book on Monday, February 2nd and finished it two days later on Wednesday, February 4th! I really enjoyed the book very much and will definitely be on the lookout for more books to read by this author.
I picked up 666 by Jay Anson on Thursday, February 5th. This was a reread for me from about twenty years ago.
Up next for me, and my first book read in February, was Neighborhood Watch: A Novel by Cammie McGovern. I started reading this book on Monday, February 2nd and finished it two days later on Wednesday, February 4th! I really enjoyed the book very much and will definitely be on the lookout for more books to read by this author.
I picked up 666 by Jay Anson on Thursday, February 5th. This was a reread for me from about twenty years ago.
