What Are You Reading The Week of May 30, 2015?
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1hemlokgang
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov (/ˈʃɔːləˌkɔːf, -ˌkɒf/;1 Russian: Михаи́л Алекса́ндрович Шо́лохов) (May 24 O.S. May 11 1905 – February 21, 1984) was a Soviet/Russian novelist and winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is known for writing about life and fate of Don Cossacks during Russian revolution, Civil War and collectivization, primarily the famous And Quiet Flows the Don.
Sholokhov was born in Russia, in the "land of the Cossacks" – the Kruzhilin hamlet, part of stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, in the former Administrative Region of the Don Cossack Army.
His father, Aleksander Mikhailovich (1865–1925), was a member of the lower middle class, at times a farmer, cattle trader, and miller. Sholokhov's mother, Anastasia Danilovna Chernikova (1871–1942), the widow of a Cossack, came from Ukrainian peasant stock (her father was a peasant in the Chernihiv oblast). She did not become literate until a point in her life when she wanted to correspond with her son.
Sholokhov attended schools in Kargindisambiguation needed, Moscow, Boguchar, and Veshenskaya until 1918, when he joined the Bolshevik side in the Russian civil war at the age of 13. He spent the next few years fighting in the civil war.
Sholokhov began writing at 17. He completed his first literary work, the short story, The Birthmark, at 19.
In 1922 Sholokhov moved to Moscow to become a journalist, but he had to support himself through manual labour. He was a stevedore, stonemason, and accountant from 1922 to 1924, but he also intermittently participated in writers' "seminars". His first published work was a satirical article, The Test (Oct. 19, 1923).2
Mikhail Sholokhov and his wife, 1924
New memorial to Mikhail Sholokhov in Moscow, Gogol boulevard
In 1924 Sholokhov returned to Veshenskaya and devoted himself entirely to writing. In the same year he married Maria Petrovna Gromoslavskaia (1901-1992), the daughter of Pyotr Gromoslavsky, the ataman of the Bukanovskaya stanitsa; they had two daughters and two sons.
His first book Tales from the Don, a volume of stories about his native region during World War I and the Russian Civil War, largely based on his personal experiences, was published in 1926. The story "Nakhalyonok", partially based on his own childhood, was later made into a popular film.
In the same year Sholokhov began writing And Quiet Flows the Don which earned the Stalin Prize and took him fourteen years to complete (1926–1940). It became the most-read work of Soviet fiction and was heralded as a powerful example of socialist realism, and it earned him the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature. It deals with the experiences of the Cossacks before and during World War I and the Russian Civil War.
Virgin Soil Upturned, which earned the Lenin Prize, took 28 years to complete. It was composed of two parts: Seeds of Tomorrow (1932) and Harvest on the Don (1960), and reflects life during collectivization in the Don area.
The short story The Fate of a Man (1957) was made into a popular Russian film.
His unfinished novel, They Fought for Their Country is about World War II fighting in the USSR (in Russia the Soviet-German war during World War II is commonly referred to as the Great Patriotic War).
Monument to Mikhail Sholokhov in Rostov-on-Don
In the 1930s he wrote several letters to Joseph Stalin about the appalling conditions in the kolkhozes and sovkhozes along the Don, requesting assistance for the farmers.3
During World War II Sholokhov wrote about the Soviet war efforts for various journals. He also covered the devastation caused by Nazi troops along the Don. His mother was killed when Veshenskaya was bombed in 1942.
Sholokhov's collected works were published in eight volumes between 1956 and 1960.
Sholokhov was accused of plagiarizing And Quiet Flows the Don, which made his international reputation. Sholokhov's critics claimed that it was written by Fyodor Kryukov, a Cossack and Anti-Bolshevik, who died in 1920.45
Because of the accusations started in 1928 Sholokhov asked Pravda newspaper to prove his authorship. He submitted his manuscripts of the first three volumes of And Quiet Flows the Don and the plan of the fourth one. A special commission in 1929 was formed that accepted Sholokhov's authorship. In the conclusion signed by four experts the commission stated that there was no evidence of plagiarism on the one hand and on the other hand the manuscripts style was close to the previous Sholokhov's book The tales of the Don.6
The allegations resurfaced in the 1960s with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as a notable proponent, possibly in retaliation for Sholokhov's scathing opinion of Solzhenitsyn's novella One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.7
In 1984 Norwegian Slavicist and mathematician Geir Kjetsaa together with three other colleagues in a monograph provided statistical analyses proving that Mikhail Sholokhov was likely the true author of And Quiet Flows the Don.8 And in 1987, several thousand pages of notes and drafts of the work were discovered and authenticated, including chapters excluded from the final draft.7
During the Second World War, Sholokhov's archive was destroyed in a bomb raid, and only the fourth volume survived. Sholokhov had his friend Vassily Kudashov, who was killed in the war, look after it. Following Kudashov's death, his widow took possession of the manuscript, but she never disclosed her ownership.
The manuscript was finally found by the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1999 with assistance from the Russian Government. The writing paper dates back to the 1920s: 605 pages are in Sholokhov's own hand, and 285 are transcribed by his wife Maria and sisters.9
In 1999 the Russian Academy of Science carried out an analysis of the manuscript and came to the conclusion that And Quiet Flows the Don had been written by Sholokhov himself.10
However, there are still defenders of theory of Sholokhov's plagiarism. The Swiss Slavicist Felix Philipp Ingold stated in 2006 in a Swiss newspaper that it is "almost certain" that the novel is a "stolen compilation". He added that Sholokhov, in spite of his public glorification as a "proletarian Tolstoy", was a literarily inexperienced author, far from being well-read, who was recruited at a young age by the GPU and was prepared for the role of a major writer and party belletrist. Consequently, according to Ingold, the name Sholokhov does not represent a real author, but a "sorry effort of anonymous ghostwriters", in addition to plagiarizing Kryukov and in some passages also Mikhail Bulgakov and Andrei Platonov.11
Communist party and Soviet state activitiesedit
Sholokhov joined the CPSU in 1932, and in 1937 he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. In 1959 he accompanied Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on a trip to Europe and the United States. He became a member of the CPSU Central Committee in 1961, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1939, and was a member of the USSR Supreme Soviet. He was twice awarded Hero of Socialist Labor, and later became vice president of the Union of Soviet Writers.
Sholokhov joined the CPSU in 1932, and in 1937 he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. In 1959 he accompanied Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on a trip to Europe and the United States. He became a member of the CPSU Central Committee in 1961, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1939, and was a member of the USSR Supreme Soviet. He was twice awarded Hero of Socialist Labor, and later became vice president of the Union of Soviet Writers.
An asteroid in main-belt is named after him, 2448 Sholokhov
Sholokhov was born in Russia, in the "land of the Cossacks" – the Kruzhilin hamlet, part of stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, in the former Administrative Region of the Don Cossack Army.
His father, Aleksander Mikhailovich (1865–1925), was a member of the lower middle class, at times a farmer, cattle trader, and miller. Sholokhov's mother, Anastasia Danilovna Chernikova (1871–1942), the widow of a Cossack, came from Ukrainian peasant stock (her father was a peasant in the Chernihiv oblast). She did not become literate until a point in her life when she wanted to correspond with her son.
Sholokhov attended schools in Kargindisambiguation needed, Moscow, Boguchar, and Veshenskaya until 1918, when he joined the Bolshevik side in the Russian civil war at the age of 13. He spent the next few years fighting in the civil war.
Sholokhov began writing at 17. He completed his first literary work, the short story, The Birthmark, at 19.
In 1922 Sholokhov moved to Moscow to become a journalist, but he had to support himself through manual labour. He was a stevedore, stonemason, and accountant from 1922 to 1924, but he also intermittently participated in writers' "seminars". His first published work was a satirical article, The Test (Oct. 19, 1923).2
Mikhail Sholokhov and his wife, 1924
New memorial to Mikhail Sholokhov in Moscow, Gogol boulevard
In 1924 Sholokhov returned to Veshenskaya and devoted himself entirely to writing. In the same year he married Maria Petrovna Gromoslavskaia (1901-1992), the daughter of Pyotr Gromoslavsky, the ataman of the Bukanovskaya stanitsa; they had two daughters and two sons.
His first book Tales from the Don, a volume of stories about his native region during World War I and the Russian Civil War, largely based on his personal experiences, was published in 1926. The story "Nakhalyonok", partially based on his own childhood, was later made into a popular film.
In the same year Sholokhov began writing And Quiet Flows the Don which earned the Stalin Prize and took him fourteen years to complete (1926–1940). It became the most-read work of Soviet fiction and was heralded as a powerful example of socialist realism, and it earned him the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature. It deals with the experiences of the Cossacks before and during World War I and the Russian Civil War.
Virgin Soil Upturned, which earned the Lenin Prize, took 28 years to complete. It was composed of two parts: Seeds of Tomorrow (1932) and Harvest on the Don (1960), and reflects life during collectivization in the Don area.
The short story The Fate of a Man (1957) was made into a popular Russian film.
His unfinished novel, They Fought for Their Country is about World War II fighting in the USSR (in Russia the Soviet-German war during World War II is commonly referred to as the Great Patriotic War).
Monument to Mikhail Sholokhov in Rostov-on-Don
In the 1930s he wrote several letters to Joseph Stalin about the appalling conditions in the kolkhozes and sovkhozes along the Don, requesting assistance for the farmers.3
During World War II Sholokhov wrote about the Soviet war efforts for various journals. He also covered the devastation caused by Nazi troops along the Don. His mother was killed when Veshenskaya was bombed in 1942.
Sholokhov's collected works were published in eight volumes between 1956 and 1960.
Sholokhov was accused of plagiarizing And Quiet Flows the Don, which made his international reputation. Sholokhov's critics claimed that it was written by Fyodor Kryukov, a Cossack and Anti-Bolshevik, who died in 1920.45
Because of the accusations started in 1928 Sholokhov asked Pravda newspaper to prove his authorship. He submitted his manuscripts of the first three volumes of And Quiet Flows the Don and the plan of the fourth one. A special commission in 1929 was formed that accepted Sholokhov's authorship. In the conclusion signed by four experts the commission stated that there was no evidence of plagiarism on the one hand and on the other hand the manuscripts style was close to the previous Sholokhov's book The tales of the Don.6
The allegations resurfaced in the 1960s with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as a notable proponent, possibly in retaliation for Sholokhov's scathing opinion of Solzhenitsyn's novella One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.7
In 1984 Norwegian Slavicist and mathematician Geir Kjetsaa together with three other colleagues in a monograph provided statistical analyses proving that Mikhail Sholokhov was likely the true author of And Quiet Flows the Don.8 And in 1987, several thousand pages of notes and drafts of the work were discovered and authenticated, including chapters excluded from the final draft.7
During the Second World War, Sholokhov's archive was destroyed in a bomb raid, and only the fourth volume survived. Sholokhov had his friend Vassily Kudashov, who was killed in the war, look after it. Following Kudashov's death, his widow took possession of the manuscript, but she never disclosed her ownership.
The manuscript was finally found by the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1999 with assistance from the Russian Government. The writing paper dates back to the 1920s: 605 pages are in Sholokhov's own hand, and 285 are transcribed by his wife Maria and sisters.9
In 1999 the Russian Academy of Science carried out an analysis of the manuscript and came to the conclusion that And Quiet Flows the Don had been written by Sholokhov himself.10
However, there are still defenders of theory of Sholokhov's plagiarism. The Swiss Slavicist Felix Philipp Ingold stated in 2006 in a Swiss newspaper that it is "almost certain" that the novel is a "stolen compilation". He added that Sholokhov, in spite of his public glorification as a "proletarian Tolstoy", was a literarily inexperienced author, far from being well-read, who was recruited at a young age by the GPU and was prepared for the role of a major writer and party belletrist. Consequently, according to Ingold, the name Sholokhov does not represent a real author, but a "sorry effort of anonymous ghostwriters", in addition to plagiarizing Kryukov and in some passages also Mikhail Bulgakov and Andrei Platonov.11
Communist party and Soviet state activitiesedit
Sholokhov joined the CPSU in 1932, and in 1937 he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. In 1959 he accompanied Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on a trip to Europe and the United States. He became a member of the CPSU Central Committee in 1961, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1939, and was a member of the USSR Supreme Soviet. He was twice awarded Hero of Socialist Labor, and later became vice president of the Union of Soviet Writers.
Sholokhov joined the CPSU in 1932, and in 1937 he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. In 1959 he accompanied Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on a trip to Europe and the United States. He became a member of the CPSU Central Committee in 1961, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1939, and was a member of the USSR Supreme Soviet. He was twice awarded Hero of Socialist Labor, and later became vice president of the Union of Soviet Writers.
An asteroid in main-belt is named after him, 2448 Sholokhov
2ahef1963
First!!
I'm reading Pat Conroy's memoir of teaching Gullah children on Daufuskie Island, off the coast of South Carolina; the book is called The Water is Wide. I've loved Conroy for years, and this book is no exception; I can feel myself falling into it; I can taste brine and hear the tides of the Carolina coast roaring in my ears.
I'm reading Pat Conroy's memoir of teaching Gullah children on Daufuskie Island, off the coast of South Carolina; the book is called The Water is Wide. I've loved Conroy for years, and this book is no exception; I can feel myself falling into it; I can taste brine and hear the tides of the Carolina coast roaring in my ears.
3Kammbia1
I'm 3/4 of the way through The Sportswriter. Ford writes really well and I have found Frank Bascombe to be an interesting character even though he's a cad. I will probably read Independence Day and The Lay of the Land to finish the trilogy.
4benitastrnad
I finished reading Troy by Adele Geras. I kept this book at work and only read it when I forgot my main book at home. It took me about a year to read for that reason.
Troy is a young adult novel/retelling of the Iliad by Homer. The author puts some modern spins to the basic story, but other than that it is a retelling of the story of the Trojan War told from the point-of-view of three servant girls. Marpessa, Xanthe, and Polyxena, are servants in the palace and each tells part of the story of the Trojan War. The emphasis here is on the women in the story and that too is a fresh spin on the Iliad. The writing is good, but overall the retelling was not strong enough to make me want to read the sequel. However, this book is a good way to introduce the stories of the Trojan War to young adults and could be used successfully in the classroom.
The dust jacket for this book is simply beautiful. It is embossed gold on a black background. To bad the inside doesn't live up to the beautiful cover.
Troy is a young adult novel/retelling of the Iliad by Homer. The author puts some modern spins to the basic story, but other than that it is a retelling of the story of the Trojan War told from the point-of-view of three servant girls. Marpessa, Xanthe, and Polyxena, are servants in the palace and each tells part of the story of the Trojan War. The emphasis here is on the women in the story and that too is a fresh spin on the Iliad. The writing is good, but overall the retelling was not strong enough to make me want to read the sequel. However, this book is a good way to introduce the stories of the Trojan War to young adults and could be used successfully in the classroom.
The dust jacket for this book is simply beautiful. It is embossed gold on a black background. To bad the inside doesn't live up to the beautiful cover.
5seitherin
Sill working on Dragon Keeper and Monster Hunter International. Haven't done a lot of reading this week because of allergies messing with the ol' peepers so I've been watching crime dramas on Netflix.
6fredbacon
I'm about halfway through The Diary of Samuel Pepys: 1666. It's been a long week with not much time to read. Plus, I'm at the office goofing off writing this when I'm supposed to be working. But heck, I'm salaried, I don't get overtime, so what the hell.
7CarolynSchroeder
I am about quarter way into the second book in Jane Smiley's trilogy Early Warning. Boy, the woman can write. This family, oy, I want to shake some of them. But heavens, they are real. There is some weird kind of addictive nature to this series. I still don't think it is for everyone, but those who like it, will probably love it. It reminds me a bit of how Franzen wrote in Freedom.
8Peace2
Most of my concentration is on The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis and in audio The Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters. Strange to be reading two historical fictions at the same time. Next up in audio is likely to be Speaking from among the Bones by Alan Bradley (the next in the Flavia De Luce series) and I probably need to go and look at what I predicted for my next 5 reads to see where my focus ought to go...
9ahef1963
I stayed up late to finish Pat Conroy's The Water is Wide last night; I loved it.
Now I'm reading Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. It's interesting, the way she's writing it.
Now I'm reading Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. It's interesting, the way she's writing it.
10brenzi
I finished Louise Penny's The Long Way Home and, just as I expected, another satisfying mystery. Now I'm ready for her new one that will be released in August, The Nature of the Beast.
Trying to decide what to read next and I've narrowed it down to My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, Du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel, and The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan. Hmmmm.........
Trying to decide what to read next and I've narrowed it down to My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, Du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel, and The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan. Hmmmm.........
12benitastrnad
I finished listening to the recorded version of News From Paraguay by Lily Tuck. The narration was done by the same woman who reads the Number One Ladies Detective Agency books. She did a great job with a fair book.
Then last night I finished reading Gone Girl for the May Mystery, Murder and Mayhem month long read and immediately started another Longmire book Kindness Goes Unpunished. This one is the June read for our Western mystery group read.
Then last night I finished reading Gone Girl for the May Mystery, Murder and Mayhem month long read and immediately started another Longmire book Kindness Goes Unpunished. This one is the June read for our Western mystery group read.
13ahef1963
I spent all evening reading Elizabeth is Missing. It was excellent.
Next up is The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. I've been wanting to read this one for quite a while.
Next up is The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. I've been wanting to read this one for quite a while.
15rocketjk
I am still reading In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs: a Memoir of Iran by Christopher de Bellaigue. It is one of those books that is puzzling in its relative obscurity. What I mean by that is that the book is so fascinating and informative that I can't figure out why it is not a much, much better known book. Anyway, I just have not had much reading time, but today, Sunday, I hope to get through a major portion, at least, of the 70 pages I have left to go. I will write at a bit great length about the book when I've finished it.
16enaid
I'm really enjoying The Sympathizer. I downloaded a sample on my kindle and, as soon as we landed in Baltimore, I got on the airport wi-fi(confusing!) and bought the book. For me, if a book can keep me from being aware of all the noisiness and hassle of travel then it's a winner!
I've also got the gore-filled Irene by Pierre Lemaitre on the go. There is something about this guy's writing that keeps me turning the pages. Unfortunately, the second book in this trilogy Alex came out first so I know some of what happens already. It's a tribute to Lemaitre's skill that I don't care; I'm sickened but fascinated!
Glad to be home.
I've also got the gore-filled Irene by Pierre Lemaitre on the go. There is something about this guy's writing that keeps me turning the pages. Unfortunately, the second book in this trilogy Alex came out first so I know some of what happens already. It's a tribute to Lemaitre's skill that I don't care; I'm sickened but fascinated!
Glad to be home.
17ahef1963
I was going to start The Reluctant Fundamentalist today, but last night, sleepless as usual, I pulled Nights of Awe by Harri Nykanen off the shelf - my new Finnish crime book. I'm excited to be reading a crime novel from Finland!
18brenzi
>11 Meredy: And My Cousin Rachel it is:-)
19whymaggiemay
>15 rocketjk: I have that book on Mt. TBR and it's been whispering at me for years, especially when I was reading Reading Lolita in Tehran. Some day (hopefully soon) I'll get to it.
20fyrfly
Finished Sula by Toni Morrison, Satan Says by Sharon Olds, and Carting with Your Dog: Positive Draft Training for Fun and Competition by Laura Waldbaum.
Started At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen.
Listening to Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach. I might abandon this if it continues to skip.
Started At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen.
Listening to Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach. I might abandon this if it continues to skip.
21PrimosParadise
Am about 2/3 of the way through All That Followed by Gabriel Urza, an ARC I received from LT and enjoying it. It's due to be published in August and I think it will do well. It's story revolving around the death of a councilman candidate in the basque region of Spain and told from the point of view of his wife, an aging American english teacher and the "radical" student involved in the killing. I'll post a full review when done, but this one is well-written and insightful.
22NarratorLady
Finished All the Light We Cannot See which was very good but I could predict some resolutions based on other books of the same type. Still, he's a very good writer and his evocations of time and place are stellar.
23framboise
Last week finished an ER read I Take You, a silly, chick-lit that was a fast read, but a waste of time. Unlikeable characters all around.
Working on another ER book, Running From the Mirror, which is interesting but a slow read.
Also downloaded The Bookseller last night. Got almost 5 star reviews on Amazon. We'll see.
Working on another ER book, Running From the Mirror, which is interesting but a slow read.
Also downloaded The Bookseller last night. Got almost 5 star reviews on Amazon. We'll see.
24browner56
I'm reading my most recent LTER "win," William Blake's Illustrations of Dante's Divine Comedy by Eric Pyle. The book appears to be a repackaging of the author's Ph.D. dissertation comparing his view of Blake's artistic intentions to that of another scholar who wrote a similar dissertation a half century earlier. So far, the book is just about as interesting as it sounds.
25Copperskye
>18 brenzi: I loved My Cousin Rachel. Excellent choice! :)
I'm having a great time reading the latest Ruth Galloway mystery, The Ghost Fields. This is another series that gets better and better.
And on audio, I'm enjoying a Walt Longmire mystery, Junkyard Dogs.
I'm having a great time reading the latest Ruth Galloway mystery, The Ghost Fields. This is another series that gets better and better.
And on audio, I'm enjoying a Walt Longmire mystery, Junkyard Dogs.
26Meredy
I raced through the last fifty pages of In the Wet, dying to know what had happened between "then" and "now" to bring about the outcome we were witnessing. The answer was . . . nothing like what I was expecting. Now I have to rethink a lot of what I've read in order to make sense of it. Unfortunately the book was due back at the library, so I couldn't linger over a revisiting of some of the subtle details. I may have to come back to this one a second time.
27mollygrace
I finished Michael Byers' novel Long for this World, a story of a family facing a year of change and challenge. I liked it very much. Now I'm reading Kent Haruf's final novel, Our Souls at Night.
28mollygrace
I finished Kent Haruf's incredibly beautiful Our Souls at Night.
Next up: The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst
Next up: The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst
29sebago
I started Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde this morning. I have heard so much about this book/movie - so far I am liking it very much!
30PrimosParadise
Finished All That Followed by Gabriel Urza an ER. Well written debut novel surrounding the death of a political figure in a small Spanish town and the secrets and lies of a number of townspeople that imply complicity. It is narrated by three different characters; the councilman's wife, an aging American English teacher and a young "radical". It is set for an August release and should be fairly well reviewed. About halfway through Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis and this book is phenomenal.
31seitherin
Finished Dragon Haven and started City of Dragons by Robin Hobb. Have enjoyed both of the first two books.
32benitastrnad
Finished Kindness Goes Unpunished and like all the Longmire books this one was very well done. These books make a person want to visit Wyoming. Even the flat windy parts.
I started Iron King by Julie Kagawa. This is the first in her Iron Fey series and so far it is very good. It seems to throw in every miscellaneous item of fairy lore into the pages, but the first 100 pages have been quite good. Nevernever is a long way from Wyoming, but it is good to read a great variety of stories.
I started Iron King by Julie Kagawa. This is the first in her Iron Fey series and so far it is very good. It seems to throw in every miscellaneous item of fairy lore into the pages, but the first 100 pages have been quite good. Nevernever is a long way from Wyoming, but it is good to read a great variety of stories.
33jnwelch
Reading A Spy Among Friends, centering around Kim Philby, and The Bitter Kingdom, the third in the Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy.
34Meredy
>33 jnwelch: I thought A Spy Among Friends was just fascinating. I gave it four and a half stars (review). It's lingered with me ever since.
35jnwelch
>34 Meredy: Thanks, Meredy. Encouraging. So far I'm finding it fascinating, too. I'll check out the review once I'm done.
36ahef1963
I'm reading One Summer, America, 1927 by Bill Bryson, and finding it fascinating, and am also reading The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham, which is pretty good.
37kittycatpurr
Finished The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Now reading The Song is You by Megan Abbott. If you like pulp, that's an author to read.
38mollygrace
I finished The Magic Barrel: Stories by Bernard Malamud -- wonderful stories. I'm now reading Alan Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child.
39FionaWh
Hi everyone, I have decided to come back to LibraryThing after nearly two years. My life is settling down and it's nice to be back discussing books with you all, and nice to see all those familiar names still here.
Working full-time now so not reading as much as I would like, but I'm on my 17th book for the year (that includes four audio books).
Currently reading, and really enjoying, Longbourn by Jo Baker - Pride and Prejudice: The Servants' Story
Working full-time now so not reading as much as I would like, but I'm on my 17th book for the year (that includes four audio books).
Currently reading, and really enjoying, Longbourn by Jo Baker - Pride and Prejudice: The Servants' Story
40FionaWh
ooh Early Warning is on my TBR list, I have heard she is a great writer.
41framboise
Welcome back, FionaWH. Thought I recognized your name. Let us know how Longbourn is going; I've heard a lot about it.
42PrimosParadise
Just finished Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis and all I can say is wow! Fifteen dogs in a veterinary clinic are given human intelligence by the gods who bet that any animal given such intelligence would be as unhappy as humans. A book of big ideas, but more importantly a really well-told story that captivates from beginning to finish. You will never look at dogs or their owners in the same way. Now whenever my dog looks at me I keep asking What? What? Oh.. and Thackeray plus dog poetry! Now working my way into The Rocks by Peter Nichols...so far so good.
43benitastrnad
I have run across another YA fantasy series that has grabbed me. The series is the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. I am about 30 pages from the end of book 1 Iron King and fascinated by it so just checked out the second book from the library.
This series is published by Harlequin Teen. That alone put me off from reading it because I thought it would be a teen romance novel. It's not. It is a sort of mashup containing elements of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and American Gods along with a healthy dose of steampunk and romance.
I am listening to Orphan Master's Son in the car and I really like this novel. It was another one that I had doubts about, but it is working for me as a recorded book.
This series is published by Harlequin Teen. That alone put me off from reading it because I thought it would be a teen romance novel. It's not. It is a sort of mashup containing elements of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and American Gods along with a healthy dose of steampunk and romance.
I am listening to Orphan Master's Son in the car and I really like this novel. It was another one that I had doubts about, but it is working for me as a recorded book.
44princessgarnet
The Danube: A Journey Upriver from the Black Sea to the Black Forest by Nick Thorpe
If you have or will be traveling in eastern Europe, this travelogue book will complement your trip!
If you have or will be traveling in eastern Europe, this travelogue book will complement your trip!
45rocketjk
I finally finished In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs: a Memoir of Iran by Christopher de Bellaigue. This is a fascinating book, part memoir, part political/cultural history, part reporting (lots of interviews with participants in and victims of the Iranian Revolution that toppled the Shah and brought the fundamentalist Muslims to power). As a British journalist who speaks Persian, is married to an Iranian woman and had been living in the country for several years when the book was written, de Bellaigue was able to provide a unique and effective perspective on it all. Highly recommended. You'll find my more in-depth review both on the book's work page and on my own 50-Book Challenge thread.
I seem to be on a non-fiction run these days. I've just started Our Times: The United States 1900-1925 - Part IV, The War Begins 1909-1914 by Mark Sullivan (touchstones not working for this book). Sullivan was a journalist and, evidently, hob-nobber with presidents and other big wigs. In 1930, he began publishing a 6-volume series on the social/political history of the U.S. from, as the title suggests, 1900 through 1925. Somewhere along the line I picked up the fourth volume of this set. Given the title, I guess I assumed it was a history of World War One. This volume begins on June 28, 1914, the day Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated. Sullivan describes the normal day in America, with Americans completely oblivious to the fact that this assassination in such a far away and alien land would lead to events that would irrevocably change life in American, and across Europe (at the very least). The book has lots of artwork, photos and political cartoons. The whole thing looks like an interesting portrait of America, one full century ago, now.
I seem to be on a non-fiction run these days. I've just started Our Times: The United States 1900-1925 - Part IV, The War Begins 1909-1914 by Mark Sullivan (touchstones not working for this book). Sullivan was a journalist and, evidently, hob-nobber with presidents and other big wigs. In 1930, he began publishing a 6-volume series on the social/political history of the U.S. from, as the title suggests, 1900 through 1925. Somewhere along the line I picked up the fourth volume of this set. Given the title, I guess I assumed it was a history of World War One. This volume begins on June 28, 1914, the day Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated. Sullivan describes the normal day in America, with Americans completely oblivious to the fact that this assassination in such a far away and alien land would lead to events that would irrevocably change life in American, and across Europe (at the very least). The book has lots of artwork, photos and political cartoons. The whole thing looks like an interesting portrait of America, one full century ago, now.
46brenzi
Thanks to the folks who encouraged me to read My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier. I was able to have some uninterrupted reading time today and read the last 120 pages. My heart is still pounding. I knew Du Maurier was brilliant but I am gob smacked by how utterly fascinating the characters in this book are and how ambiguity can lead to all sorts of wrong headed ideas. Or does it? She keeps you guessing until the last page and beyond. Wonderful read!
Now for another psychological thriller that I can't imagine can live up to Du Maurier but it came in at the library so I have to read it now: Disclaimer by Renee Knight.
Now for another psychological thriller that I can't imagine can live up to Du Maurier but it came in at the library so I have to read it now: Disclaimer by Renee Knight.
47Meredy
>46 brenzi: Hurray! I felt exactly the same way.
48snash
I finished Mrs Hemingway which I found to be a well written, insightful, and (I imagine) historically accurate history of Hemingway's four marriages told from the viewpoint of the wives.
49Kammbia1
I just finished reading The Sportswriter by Richard Ford. It was well written even though I did not like main character, Frank Bascombe.
Here's my full review:
http://marion-hill.com/book-review-65-the-sportswriter-by-richard-ford/
Here's my full review:
http://marion-hill.com/book-review-65-the-sportswriter-by-richard-ford/
50FionaWh
>41 framboise: framboise: thanks! I am nearly finished Longbourn and although it was a slow start it built up nicely, but it's so long since I read Pride and Prejudice I am now struggling to remember just what the servants were doing, so how much is based on Jane Austen's story, and how much is Jo Baker's imagination. Either way I don't mind, it's a lovely book.
51Zumbanista
Took a break from In The Blood which I'm finding a slow-moving mystery, and read Dana Perino's And The Good News Is which was enjoyable.
52jnwelch
I finished The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy with The Bitter Kingdom, and I'm close to the end of A Spy Among Friends. I've got Thrush Green teed up on the Kindle, an old-timey recommendation that I'm very curious about.
53fyrfly
Finished At Play in the Fields of the Lord and Oomingmak: The Expedition to the Musk Ox Island in the Bering Sea, very different books in many ways, both by Peter Matthiessen. Also finished listening to Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach.
Listening to Master of the Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves by Henry Wiencek. This will soon be finished. I think I'd like to check out his book on Washington.
Reading Oh Behave! Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker by Jean Donaldson.
Listening to Master of the Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves by Henry Wiencek. This will soon be finished. I think I'd like to check out his book on Washington.
Reading Oh Behave! Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker by Jean Donaldson.
54NarratorLady
>50 FionaWh: The beauty of Longbourn is that reading Pride and Prejudice doesn't give much information about the servants, though Hill is mentioned once or twice. The book stands alone and a reading of P&P is helpful only to remind you of what the Bennetts were doing in the course of the story. They are fittingly in the background, as were the servants in P&P. I thought it was brilliant.
56framboise
Now reading A List of Things That Didn't Kill Me, a memoir by Jason Schmidt, who tells the often harrowing tale of growing up in near-poverty with a petty criminal of a dad. It is billed as YA fiction, but I wouldn't have known by reading it. That's often the case with YA fiction nowadays.
57fredbacon
53> fyrfly, I'm interested to know what you think of Master of the Mountain. Edmund Bacon, Jefferson's overseer at Monticello, is my Great-great-great grandfather. I'm interested in a realistic portrait of life at the plantation. Most biographers of Jefferson seem to distance themselves from the daily mechanics of slavery. This book sounds as though it does not.
58FionaWh
>54 NarratorLady: >55 jnwelch: It was brilliant. Longbourne What a lovely book, and I appreciated the authors comment at the end regarding the appearance of the servants in Pride and Prejudice, that answered all my questions.
So, woo hoo that was the last in the latest pile and it was back to the library this afternoon for the next lot. My absolute favourite activity every couple of months, losing myself in the library with my list - the excitement of getting home with my next pile - and then the major decision - what to read first. It was easy this week, I spotted Gone Girl finally! on the "returned today" shelves. So.....it's an early night for me!! It is the beginning of winter and it's cold tonight, it will be a frost I think, what better time to wrap up with a book!!!!
So, woo hoo that was the last in the latest pile and it was back to the library this afternoon for the next lot. My absolute favourite activity every couple of months, losing myself in the library with my list - the excitement of getting home with my next pile - and then the major decision - what to read first. It was easy this week, I spotted Gone Girl finally! on the "returned today" shelves. So.....it's an early night for me!! It is the beginning of winter and it's cold tonight, it will be a frost I think, what better time to wrap up with a book!!!!
