What You're Reading the Week of 29 September 2007

Place holder - not to be opened before the date on the label!

I thought I'd bring this thread up to the top of the list. It's 29 September somewhere ...

I'm currently held spellbound by Steinbeck's East of Eden.

I'm reading Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede and I also found my hard copy of The Sagan Diary by John Scalzi (I only listened to the audio version before) and I'm learning the difference between listening and reading. You can get the flow and feel of the text when listening to it, but specific meaning isn't always as apparent - I completely missed who a certain unnamed but important character in one of the chapters was until I was reading the words on the page.

I'm reading SLEEPING WITH SCHUBERT by Bonnie Marson and enjoying every page of it. I was up until two last night with it and will certainly finish this weekend. It's a very unusual story about a woman who finds herself inhabited by the spirit of Franz Schubert. It's both funny and moving, and the story is beautifully told.

Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck, Found II, ReadyMade, and Harvey Pekar's Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story. It's a "book with lots of pictures" kind of week.

#3, bluesalamanders: I love the Dealing with Dragons series! They're not in my library because I read them long ago, and they're currently sitting with half of my books in my parents' basement, awaiting the end of my seemingly perpetual moving. Now I want to go back and read them again!

#4, purpleyes: That book sounds fascinating. I would be interested to hear your final thoughts when you finish it. I may pass the title along to my mom as well, since she loves books like that.

As for me, this week I'll be continuing with The Kite Runner for me and starting Howard's End for school.

Edit: Just reached the halfway point in Kite Runner and couldn't put it down. So scratch that from the list of things I'll be reading this week. Instead, I think I'll do A Wrinkle in Time, which I've never read but just picked up at Goodwill today.

It's September 29 in NZ! I'm still reading stardust by Neil Gaiman.

6 erelsi

They're such fun books, aren't they? I reread them occasionally because they're so light and quick and a nice sort of palette-cleanser between other heavier books.

I just started Culture of Fear by Barry Glassner.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. Also, on audio: 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith. I don't often do fiction on audio but I'm quite enjoying this.

I am reading Twenty Years at Hull-House by Jane Addams and am genuinely inspired by her process of growth. I am also reading, or actually trying to get into, Susan Sontag's The Volcano Lover... Does anyone out there strongly recommend it, or otherwise? I like Sontag's essays, but her fiction is new to me.

I did a lot of reading during this past week. I finally finished War and peace which I loved and adored. I wish Tolstoy was alive today so I could talk to him for just one hour. The book was just profound and well written. I also fnished Fingersmith which was a decent read. I also finished War of the worlds, The invisible man, The island of dr. moreau and The time machine. I really loved the time machine. I also read The dubliners and ethan frome. I really enjoyed Ethan frome, if you can enjoy that book. I also finished My Antonia which was a good read.

This week, I will finish Around the world in 80 days. I will also read The awakening and Their eyes were watching God.

8 bluesalamanders

Definitely. Next time I'm at my parents' house, I'm going to have to dig them out. Thanks for reminding me about them!

As of 0000H GMT of Sept 29, I have so far completed 11% of the book The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford by Ron Hansen . And i will pause reading it and resume reading it next week .

For the meantime, I will start reading today December Boys by Michael Noonan and finish it because it will be shown as a movie here in Manila on Oct 3.

Just started The Saddlebag by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani and I also intend to finish off The Famished Road by Ben Okri this weekend. After that, I'm not sure.

#14 Erick Tubil: I'm suprised to find out that there's a book December Boys. I knew about the movie, and am quite curious about Radcliff's performance in it but had no idea the movie was based on a book. Please do keep us updated. Unfortunately, I don't think the movie will make it here to Panama.

Have about 1/8 of an inch of pages to go in Seven Types of Ambiguity, which I've been motoring through for about a month now which is really a bad show considering how good it actually is. I will finish it in September though.

Am aobut 1/2 way through listening to Heart-shaped Box by Joe Hill which is mildly unsatisfying in some way I can't really identify. Too precipitous, I think. Things just sort of took off and I didn't get a chance to settle into the character's lives, so the train ride we're on seems less unusual that way. But it is an interesting tale with a right bastard for a protagonist.

Started The Sleeping Doll yesterday and I can just tell this will be first and last Kathryn Dance focused novel by Deaver. If I had only read the last Lincoln Rhyme before buying this one, I would have avoided it. She was annoying in that novel, and she's annoying in this one. I just hope Deaver creates a good enough bad guy and story to keep me along for the ride.

~~#4 -- I'm reminded of Joplin's Ghost by Tananarive Due, where the main character finds herself not inhabited by, exactly, more like "attached" to, well, Scott Joplin.

I'm still reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco and listening to The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I do not know how some of you are able to read several books a week! I feel practically embarrassed!

I will be reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini this weekend. Given all of the wonderful reviews, I am optimistic that I will love this book!

I am reading Red Rover by Deirdre McNamer, a fascinating, beautiful, and haunting book.

Touchstones not loading.

I am still reading Wish I Could Be There by Allen Shawn. Unfortunately, it has gotten a little bit on the technical side for me and I am not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. I am hoping that it picks up soon.

(touchstones will not load)

I am re-reading Dan Simmons' Hyperion books. I am almost half-way through The Fall of Hyperion at the moment. Anyone else here think Dan Simmons is a genious?

Sorry, can't get the touchstones to work.

I've just started Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik, and I can't wait to really dig in. I've been looking forward to this book for months!

I finally finished Eldest and have now moved on to Specials by Scott Westerfeld.

#2 (lindsaci) -- My favorite book in the whole wide world is East of Eden. I hope you love it too.

Currently reading Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. He is the son of Stephen King. I haven't read any of Stepehn King's work but I definitely will read more from Joe Hill.

** it appears to be a tough day for the touchstones **

Still reading Justinian's Flea and planning to start listening to Devil in the White City on audiobook.

I seem to be in an unusual nonfiction mode these days.

**touchstones seem to be on strike**

I've just finished reading today A Patchwork Planet by Ann Tyler which I thought was wondefully observant with the occasional spike of humour. Never read any of her work before but will look out for more. Now I am at that "what shall I read next stage" having started two that cannot settle into so I think will try something entirely different and go with - China Road. A Journey into the future of a rising power by Rob Gifford which is a journey across China from the very north near Kazkhstan to Shanghai.

I'm continuing with The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition by Stephen King.

#27: Cloud9 - I'd recommend Tyler's Digging to America, the story of 2 very different families brought together by their adoption of 2 little girls from China. And I just finished her Amateur Marriage, about a couple who probably shouldn't have been married for 30 years because most of the time they didn't actually like each other. I find she's really good at describing people's lives - everything from the people themselves to the sights, smells, sounds, and atmosphere of the situation.

I just started Rain Village by Carolyn Turgeon - it features a literally enchanting female librarian, woo! :)

And I'm continuing with Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand.

I'm still reading Donald Kagan's The Peloponnesian War. I'm only about 200 pages in because I keep going back to The Landmark Thucydides by Robert B. Strassler. Kagan's book is excellent.

I have been snacking on At Large & At Small by Anne Fadiman. Wonderful and heartfelt. Like good chocolates, I have to keep myself down to one essay a day or I would devour the entire book at a sitting.

I will start Richmond Lattimore's translation of the Iliad sometime early this week for a class.

Touchstones are being obstinate.

I think this week I will read The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford by Ron Hansen.

I just started My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse which is a re-read for me but that's okay. The upcoming week will be a busy one so I thought I'd read something familiar and funny.

Just finished Bless your heart, Tramp by Celia Rivenbark started Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, also picked up the following On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan, The Invisibles a Tale of the Eunuchs of India by Zia Jaffrey, Fresh by Mark McNay, and Religion Gone Bad-the Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right by Rev. Mel White. I am really wanting to go ahead and start Religion Gone Bad but wanted something a little more light before I started reading something that would make me upset over the Christian Right and how they want to dissolve the seperation of church and state.

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie (yes, Dr. House).

It's one of the funniest, cleverest books I've read in ages. I love it. And it honestly has nothing to do with my love for the author - although I will admit I keep hearing it in my head as his voice. Because I'm crazy.

Finished Stiff today, which was pretty good. Didn't love it though. More interesting than anything else.

I am reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I have say that since my introduction to him a few months ago after reading The Red Pony and Of Mice and Men I haven't looked back. I love his writing.

#12 keren7: How can you have read all that in one week? Your head must be spinning.

Reading Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov, which I'm supposed to finish by Monday. Then, maybe, Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder.

#34 ellevee The Gun Seller is one of my all-time favourites!! And you're not crazy, I tend to hear Thomas Lang's dialogue in Hugh Laurie's voice. :) I wish they'd make a movie of it starring him!

(Edited because it's 12:30 in the morning and apparently I can't write a coherent sentence!)

#36 They are very short books and very very entertaining. it took me a month to read war and peace and I only read a few pages a week. The same with fingersmith - it took me about 2 weeks to read that book. I use www.dailylit.com and they send you a page at a time to your email. Its free but they only do older books that arent copyrighted.

I just finished The waves which I read in book form. I loved this book. It was much easier to read than Mrs. Dalloway and to me much more moving.

>35 read_lola_read:: read_lola_read, I came across Grapes of Wrath in a similar way, having read The Red Pony and Of Mice and Men years ago in school. Grapes of Wrath was the first book I read this year and I really loved it. As noted at the top of this thread, I'm now reading East of Eden and am similarly enthralled.

I devoured A Thousand Splendid Suns - it was such an amazing story.

Now, I am starting The Human Stain by Philip Roth.

I just finished The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen, a memoir of an Amerasian young man from Vietnam. It was a good read. Next will be The History of Love by Nicole Kraus.

#27 Cloud9: All of Anne Tyler's books are good -she is a talented writer.

finishing up The Best Laid Plans by Sidney Sheldon and starting on Animal Farm by George Orwell

I finished both The Saddlebag by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani and Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley today. The former was wonderful - and I highly recommend it. Similar in structure to The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd, each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character who are all, for various reasons, on the pilgrim route to Mecca and who are all, in different ways, affected by the saddlebag of the title.

As for the latter, I didn't find it anywhere near as funny as the ecstatic reviews on the back would have me believe. I had been motivated, in part, to read it because it occurs in the Peter Boxall book and also because I knew it was an early work and may have precursors to the ideas in Brave New World which I also have yet to read. It was a little disappointing, though, I felt.

Not quite sure what to read next. This weekend was supposed to have been devoted to The Famished Road by Ben Okri but I seem to have been avoiding it. Which doesn't make a great deal of sense as I've enjoyed what little I've read of it. Ah, well. It'll happen sometime, I suppose.

I'm reading Round Rock by Michelle Huneven. I bought this on a trip to LA earlier in the year, on recommendation from someone at the Skylight Bookshop.

I love it so far. Californian stories of sex, drugs and alcohol haven't been my thing before, but this has gripped me. I've found the characters compelling and am looking forward to devoting more time to it on a long train trip tomorrow.

I'm starting a re-read, Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey for a book group I belong to. It's years since I read it first. I wonder if my thoughts about it will differ.

I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns this weekend. My feelings about it are a bit mixed--but I think it's one of those books that does that to everyone. Beautifully written, and I never hit a slump while reading it; it really grabbed my attention. The structure--moving from one woman's story to the other's--worked really well. But of course, the novel made me furious, too. I felt somewhat manipulated, and many of those particular plot points were somewhat predictable. But then again, we all know that things like this did happen under the Taliban. Overall, I think it's an even better book than The Kite Runner.

I started Scandal of the Season by Sophie Gee. It's about the society and specific incident that sparked Alexander Pope' s The Rape of the Lock. So far I'm enjoying it. She does a great job of depicting aristocratic society of the period.

What? No touchstone for The Kite Runner? (Tried both three words and two.)

I think it is absolutely horrible but I don't think I read any books last week, lack of time... very depressing.

I suspect touchstones are just not working 100% properly today so I give up.

September 30

Lost on Everest : the search for Mallory and Irvine
Straight to the Top and Beyond
Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat: Business Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks

I'm reading Cloud Atlas. I'm now in the second story. It is strange how the first one ended, but I guess that is part of the cleverness of the book. I'm interested to see how all the stories are weaved together.

I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Just OK for me; expected more based on the reviews. I am now reading The Widow of the South which is fairly good so far.

Put aside Justinian's Flea for Devil in the White City, which is astonishingly good.

I just started Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong'o.

I've been reading The Companions by Sheri S Tepper the last couple of weeks and finished last night. Now I'm reading Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov.

I finished House of Sand and Fog and loved it. Now I'm almost through The Nanny Diaries which is really good too. Looking forward to seeing the movies of both of these books now.

The Tender Bar by JR Moehringer and The Giving Tree by Silverstein for my son. Both are great, but I never can finish The Giving Tree without wanting to cry!

Mostly finished with Helen Castor's Blood and Roses. In theory, I'm close enough that I should be able to finish it this week, but I don't think it will happen: there's been more than the usual competition for my time. I finally figured out how to spin and am now applying the how-to-get-to-Carnegie-Hall method to the problem of how to spin well. This, fortunately, can be done reasonably well in combination with watching the current Ken Burns documentary. And then I've got the fair isle cardigan that I'm working on which Mom's gonna be pissed if I don't get finished (and soon, even though it isn't for her).

That said, I've started Marina Warner's Joan of Arc: The Image of Female Heroism as at-home reading. The darn thing has been "next" on the tbr pile for months now.

>28 Kell_Smurthwaite: I haven't thought of that book in ages. I read it in high school, and unfortunately I was actually reading it in school... as in, in History class. The evil nun who taught it took it away!! I remember being so upset because I had to wait for my next paycheck from Burger King to get myself a new copy (grrr).

I've been plodding very slowly through War and Remembrance for the better part of a month. I'm not sure why it's so slow going; I managed to swallow up The Winds of War in two days. I have been tivo-ing the Ken Burns program, and it will be interesting to watch it after I've finished the book.

On the non-fiction end, I'm reading far too many things at the moment, but A. John Simmons' Moral Principles and Political Obligations and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's On the Social Contract have been getting the bulk of my attention.

I finished reading Blue of Noon which was an interesting read. I am now reading The story of Lucy Gault and will finish Around the world in 80 days.

Just finished Jude Deveaux Someone to Love and and finishing Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. Need to keep up on the YA stuff for class.

I started Amsterdam. It's my first McEwan, and I'm enjoying it so far.

This week I'm reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens.

rebeccanyc: How's Wizard of the Crow going? I recently read a good review of that ...

I've just started Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope.

Should finish Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl this morning, then it's onto Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird for book club.

KromesTomes, #62, I've only read about 10 pages, so I'll report more later!

I'm reading Accelerando by Charles Stross. I'm liking it so far.

>49 strandbooks: Strandbooks

I recently finished Cloud Atlas and found the Adam Ewing stories the least engaging. However I found parts of the second Timothy Cavendish stories laugh-out-loud funny.

I'm now 20% through The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende... it's readable, but perhaps just not my cup of tea. On the other hand it might make a good "Secret Santa" choice.

> #38, It took you a month to read War and Peace? You're my hero right now. It took me a year.

I just finished Around the World in Eighty Days. Still reading Under the Tuscan Sun.

I think next will be one of the many Agatha Christie books I have on my tbr bookshelf.

Nearly finished with Blame It on the Dog: A Modern History of the Fart. A funny, funny book (ok, it's kind of juvenile, but funny). Also working my way through The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science and Sacred Cow, Mad Cow: A History of Food Fears. Just light fall reading...

I'm determined to finish my GRTB! group book The Seduction by Marilyn Wallace this week so I'm working on that along with the anthology Demon's Delight. So far I've just read the first story by MaryJanice Davidson which I enjoyed much more than anything else I've read by her so far.

I'm still working my way through The Kite Runner (touchstone not working) by Khaled Hosseini. So far, it's really living up to the hype (I'm about half way through).

Just started Susan Vreeland's The Forest Lover-a story about Emily Carr.

Just finished Freedom's Apprentice and was very annoyed to find that it ended on a cliffhanger. I knew it was #2 of a trilogy but still, yeesh. Shall have to find a copy of the third one soon.

I didn't start a new book this morning because I plan to go out at lunchtime and buy Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close which is this month's selection for my book club. I have very little time to read lately so I figure I had better get started on it asap. We shall see whether a copy of Freedom's Sisters happens to "fall" into my hands on that lunchtime excursion as well ;)

#71, torontoc: is that a full-fledged bio or a story involving Emily Carr? I LOVE her work!

Just finished Half of a Yellow Sun and Holes.

Now I'm on to Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Next up is The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum, then The Rift by Walter Jon Williams.

Finishing up Animal Farm by George Orwell and starting She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. Been anxious to read this one for a while. Glad to finally get to it.

Thoroughly enjoying The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch at the moment. It's a coming of age novel about a lad called Miles O'Malley who has a tremendous knowledge about sea-life and whose life begins to take a different course when he discovers a giant squid in the bay close to his house. Fabulous stuff. Not sure what I'll be reading next. The Famished Road keeps looking at me reproachfully, but for some reason I keep responding to the call of other books instead!

AllieW, Highest Tide was great fun for me because I grew up in the neighborhood he's writing about. It also gave me a great appreciation for Rachel Carson. Enjoy!

I started The second summoning by Tanya Huff I really enjoyed the first book, so I thought I'd follow through with the sequel.

Finished Amsterdam, and started The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood

Just finished Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill this morning. Absolutely loved it. I recommend it to anyone who wants page-turning, seat of your pants suspense with a side bit of horror. Too bad this man doesn't have a back list, this is his 1st book, or I'd be reading everything on it.

Just starting February Flowers by Fan Wu

#80 woodbear - I thought Heart-Shaped Box was great! I couldn't put it down. I'm anxiously waiting for another book by Joe Hill.

I'm currently reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card for about the fifth time. I know..I know.., but I LOVE this book! I have no idea what to start next. My to-be-read stack is overflowing!

Look no further, Hill lovers - http://www.librarything.com/work/47345

Finished listening to Devil in the White City yesterday and started The Sun Also Rises on audio. Also reading Dragon Lovers, an anthology of fantasy short stories involving dragons. Still reading Justinian's Flea, somewhat slower than before, as the subject matter has gotten a bit dense.

#22> Yes, Dan Simmons is a genius! The Hyperion Cantos is a wonderful book. But Simmons seem to have the ability to write any kind of book. Everything he writes is good.

I just finished Pirates: Predators of the Sea which was a fun read. I am reading The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan, A Mencken Chrestomathy, great if you like irony and sarcasm (I do) and Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose. All interesting books I am enjoying.

I just finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I enjoyed the book muchly. I'm still reading, albeit sporadically, The Summer Queen by Joan D. Vinge. I think next up will be Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs.

#73 Joycepa,
The author's notes describe the book as a work of fiction on the life of Emily Carr. I'll let you know after I finish reading- I know that the authors uses a combination of real and imagined characters.

I just started Diana Gabaldon's Lord John and the Private Matter for my bedtime reading.

Am halfway through Tokyo cancelled by Rana Dasgupta. It's a modern Canterbury Tales - 13 travellers stuck at an airport. However all the stories are weird, wonderful, and subversive!

AH! Since someone here turned me on to DailyLit.com I have just started The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes for morning reading, Sense and Sensibility for my lunchtime reading at work, and The Awakening for my return home email reading. Also last night started The Ghost Road by Pat Barker, which I'm enjoying immensely. I'm still reading The Name of the Rose and listening to The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

I've been reading a ton of scrapbooking, lettering and collage books.

Hi All
I am reading the new Chris Ryan "Strike Back" which seems very good

Finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Sunday; still listening to 44 Scotland Street; and last night started On Chesil Beach.

I'm currently reading Marshmallows for Breakfast by Dorothy Koomson. i love My Best Friends Girl by her so am hoping for good things with this one.

I finished Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi yesterday which was great apart from the fact that ending didn't feel like an ending.

I'm now reading The Messenger by Andrew E Shipley:

Is U.S. Senator Peters a prophet, a fraud, neither, both? Senator Peters vaults to worldwide fame and political prominence after his first speech from the Senate floor. According to Senator Peters, he delivered his speech in English, but according to amazed listeners from around the world, he could be understood by all who heard it, no matter what their language. When the 'tongues' phenomenon recurs, several parties, ranging from a political power broker to a Catholic Archbishop, seek to appropriate the apparent miracles for their own purposes. As Peters exploits his newfound fame to propel his career to heights beyond those he had ever dreamed possible, two men following different trains of thought reach an identical conclusion: the Senator must die. Meanwhile, a centuries old society known as the Order of Mani keeps watch. The Order believes that it alone holds the secret to the Messenger's true purpose, and it is determined to stop it.

Finally got round to starting Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee and I can't believe I took so long. I don't believe I've ever read such a novelistic autobiography. I'm only 30 pages in, but I'm loving it so far. The man had the soul of a poet. It is exquisite. I only hope it keeps up like this.

I'm still slogging my way through Lisey's Story by Stephen King. Unfortunately for me life doesn't alot enough time to be the reader that I once was, but considering I've been at this book for 2 months now... this is ridiculous. =/

#16 Joycepa

Actually , sometimes we only become aware of the existence of certain unpopular but excellent books when they are adapted into movies. So I'm thankful to those movie makers who do adapt movies from books. Anyway, I usually post on a monthly basis on the other group called "Made into a movie" about books that are being adapted and released as movies in the U.S.

About the book the December Boys, based on what I read and understood, I think Daniel Radcliff was the wrong choice for the role because in my opinion , he is too old or maybe too big for the role. December Boys story reminded me of the movie "Stand by me" about the adventures and friendship of 5 teenage boys. I would have prefered it if the movie makers chose among the teenage boys from the movie Harry Potter, including Daniel Radcliff, and it would have been appropriate if that movie were shot when the cast of Harry Potter were a few years younger, say, their age during the shooting of Harry Potter 2 or 3. Anyway, I'm on my way to the theater now to watch the movie version of December Boys. The book is excellent .. by the way.

#97. Erick Tubil: I agree with your comment about movies from "unpopular" books. I wonder how many people got their first introduction to Jane Austen through the excellent movies that have been made from her books? It's like Mozart--I can't even remember the name of the movie, it's been so long--but without question, thanks to the (very romaticized) excellent movie that came out about 30 years ago, enormous number of people got "turned on" to Mozart's music who otherwise shied away from classsical music in general.

I don't know December Boys, so can't say. But sometimes a movie adaptation can make that work (in terms of age difference). If you don't mind posting in two different places, would you please let us know what you think of the movie?

Last night I finished The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. This was a fascinating picture of a time and place in my own country that I was not nearly as aware of as I should be.

Today I'll start An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer, which I first heard about on the Anglophiles message board.

Still reading The Famished Road by Ben Okri but have gotten seriously distracted by the arrival of The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates 1973-1982 (sorry, no touchstone apparently).

#97 Just read a review of December Boys in Book Forum. The director said he decided to make the boys older so that he could focus more on their sexual awakening. I haven't read the book, but from the plot description, it does sound like it made more sense to have boys that are 11-13 playing the roles.

#98 Joyce, you mean Amadeus, which was a stage play (and therefore a book) before it was made into a movie. I'm going to see it in performance later this month.

#102, Cariola: Thanks! It was driving me crazy--I could see the scenes--it was as if the movie was playing in front of my eyes--I could even see the poster for the thing--even the Academy Awards (which should have been joint for both F. Murray Abrams AND Tom Hulse) but remember the name of the movie? Not if my life depended on it! And I saw it 5 times!! Aaagh. :-)

Joycepa: When I read your message about the movie, I had the song "Amadeus" by Falco stuck in my head in an instant. And it hasn't left my head yet! Aaaaargh... ;-)

#104, Thalia: How funny! Hmm, then again, maybe not. The Requiem is lurking restlessly in the background of my mind, threatening to intrude, but fortunately I've been holding it at bay. Good luck! :-)

Note to self: Do not check this thread again until people are talking about something else! I managed to get it out of my head on the way home from work (thanks to my iPod) and now that I read this, it's back...

Well, to get back to the topic, this week I'm reading Amerika by Franz Kafka and my lighter book for the train rides is Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward.

I am reading
"The Hanging of Angelique" The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal. Very interesting read. I am still in the beginning of the book where the author is going over the history of the African slave and gold trade. The woman who is accused of burning half this city seems very strong willed. The story itself is haunting. But I like to read different stories from that time and of every culture. Not just my own. I feel like a lot of us Black americans hold on to stories about this time period because we don't know our true origins.

#104 Thalia: Me too!! (oh oh oh Amadeus) - oops, sorry, I've just brought it back again haven't I? I think I'll run back over to the old party thread and stick it on the turntable - maybe it will get easier to endure after a few more mimosas...

D*** you scaifea! Nah, it's all good. I plugged my iPod into the stereo and I'm blasting rock so even you should be able to hear it ;-)

>34 ellevee:: ellevee
I just finished Stiff as well. I agree it wasn't enthralling, but it was fascinating. I couldn't say that I really liked it, but I learned so much.

I also finished Lonesome Dove and am in the last few pages of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I fell hard for 'Brooklyn.' It's definitely one of my new favorite books.
It's so simple, but at the same time I just fell in love with the characters. I can't believe I've never read it before.
Just starting Bel Canto.

Next up is Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold, which a very kind friend has loaned to me:

Charles Carter, dubbed Carter the Great by Houdini himself, was born into privilege but became a magician out of need: only when dazzling an audience can he defeat his fear of loneliness. But in 1920s America, the stakes are growing higher, as technology and the cinema challenge the allure of magic and Carter's stunts become increasingly audacious. Until the night, President Harding takes part in Carter's act only to die two hours later, and Carter finds himself pursued not only by the Secret Service but by a host of others desperate to discover the terrible secret they believe Harding confided in him. Seamlessly blending reality and fiction, Gold lays before us a glittering and romantic panorama of our modern world at a point of irrevocable change.

Also listening to an audio book of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, which I downloaded from www.Librivox.org
Shipwrecked and cast adrift, Lemuel Gulliver wakes to find himself on Lilliput, an island inhabited by little people, whose height makes their quarrels over fashion and fame seem ridiculous. His subsequent encounters - with the crude giants of Brobdingnag, the philosophical Houyhnhnms and brutish Yahoos - give Gulliver new, bitter insights into human behaviour. Swift's savage satire views mankind in a distorted hall of mirrors as a diminished, magnified and finally bestial species, presenting us with an uncompromising reflection of ourselves.

Re-reading Potter series, currently on Half-Blood Prince.

Finished Across the Sea of Suns by Gregory Benford early this morning.

Started on Great Sky River by gregory Benford

I was rearranging some of my books and rediscovered Benson's Galactic Center series and since I haven't read it for at least ten years, decided to read the series again.

I'm about a hundred pages into Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey, and I really like it so far. It's much better than the first book in the series.

I'm reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and The Man Who Cast Two Shadows by Carol O'Connell.

#112, fibercrone: reminds me that it's about time to start another reread of the Potter series. I've only read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows twice so far. It's such fun to follow the kids through seven years.

Just finished Ratking and The Black Echo. Think I'm going to start Shipping News while finishing up some other books.

#111 Kell_Smurthwaite--Carter Beats the Devil was a very good book. I hope you enjoy it.

I'm reading The world is flat by Thomas Friedman/

81 Georgie Dawn~I love Ender's Game. I've only read it once, but when I did I think I started and finished in a day. I was totally enthralled. How are the others in the series?

83 Storeetllr~What did you think of Devil in the White City?

And now for me...just finished The Kite Runner. I really liked this book, and I thought it lived up to all the good things I'd heard about it. Parts of it were predictable, which was annoying, but others really surprised me. Overall a great read. Now I think I'm going to start Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery. I've been re-reading this trilogy throughout the year, and I think it's time to finish it up.

#118, dashi: How do you like The World is Flat so far? I used to read Friedman rather regularly in his job as NY Times columnist. Thought he had some axes to grind, but in the main, was impressed by his outlook on the global economy. I'm wondering if the book is as dogmatic as he sometimes sounds--I've hesitated to buy it for that reason.

>119 reptiliancandy:: reptiliancandy
You weren't asking me, but I'm going to jump in anyway. I loved Ender's Game too and have also read Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets and Shadow of the Giant and Speaker for the Dead. I loved them all, but especially the Shadow books. After Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow (which runs parallel) the books break off into two separate trilogies. They're great.
I also read The Devil in the White City recently and thought it was really interesting. Packed with information and history, but still really entertaining.

In honour of Sputnik... space books!

October 4

National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Constellations of the Northern Skies (National Audubon Society Pocket Guides)

Tried to read The Witch of Portobello. Couldn't get into the spiritualism of it, so I set it aside.

Instead I picked up Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. I am about half-way through it and getting more and more involved with the flawed and so very human characters in this novel. I loved his previous book, Empire Falls and this is no less wonderful.

I think I might reread Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil since I am planning a trip to Savannah. Since this is a road trip, I will have to choose what to read while the miles pass beneath my feet. Maybe Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Perhaps Little Women by Louisa May Alcott which I have never read!

Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson - hilarious farce!

#119 (and 121) What did I think of Devil in the White City? Well, I started reading it on a Saturday morning and couldn't put it down until finally at 4 a.m. I couldn't stay awake any longer. Then I woke up again at 9 a.m. Sunday morning and went right back to the book & read until I finished. I haven't done something like that for a long time, and never with non-fiction, but it was that good! Enthralling is a good word to describe it, imho. (Disclaimer: I was born and raised in Chicago, so I had a little bit of affinity for some of the places described in the book, but it was way more than that.)

I just got Ender's Game to read for the first time and am really looking forward to it. Glad to hear it's so good!

>123 rubberstamper:: rubberstamper
I'm so glad to hear Bridge of Sighs is good. I loved Empire Falls. Also Richard Russo has a few more books you can try if you like his style.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is great. I'd definitely recommend it, esp. before visiting Savannah.
(touchstones are wonky)

I am still reading the book on Emily Carr by Susan Vreeland -The Forest Lover. I think that Vreeland has presented a vivid portrait of the artist and her times.
I read Miriam Katin's graphic novel We are On Our Own last night and found it very powerful.

Hmm -touchstones aren't working this morning.

I just went back to Jane Yolen's Grey Heroes this afternoon, for my lunch and breaktime reading.

#100: avaland

Have you started The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates? It certainly looks interesting!

Finished Looking For Alaska. Very, very good book! I didn't expect that "twist" at all!

Also finished The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum.
What a disturbing, sad book. I had to put it down a few times and step away from it.

I'm almost half-way through The Rift. It took awhile to get going, but I'm enjoying it now.

(Touchstones aren't working)

I just finished Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter and just started Gossip Girls by Cecily von Ziegasar today.

Finished The Sorrows of the Young Werther today - I wasn't all that impressed, but maybe it was the translation...

>132 scaifea:: I hated that book when we had to read it in high school, and I read it in the original German. I tried again when I was older, but still had the same aversion to the narrator... and was bored the whole time, so I put it away again.

132>> So it didn't make you weeep in sympathy as did Frankenstien's creature? ;)

I am back to reading Imposture by Bernard Markovits, which I put aside about a month ago. Also listening to Scandal of the Season by Sophie Gee. It's about the society and situation that inspired Alexander Pope to write The Rape of the Lock.

#s 132 and 133: Ah, you have no idea how satisfying it is to read your evaluations of The Sorrows of Young Werther. I can tell you that it makes a lousy opera, also, by Massenet. The tenor (or baritone depending on the version) is an idiot, even more than usual in opera, and takes forever to die--singing beautifully, of course. Turrned me off of reading the original. I see I was right. Thanks! :-)

>135 Joycepa:: There's an opera?!? I can't even imagine that story sung...
But what you write is exactly what turned me off the story. He whines and whines and whines for the whole book... I was sitting there just thinking, "kill yourself already!" And I normally can't understand people who commit suicide at all. There were a few (three or so) good thoughts in the book that I copied into my book journal, but that was it.

#136: thalia--yes, there's an opera, and Werther does exactly what you've described for almost 2 hours as I recall.

You might be interested in this bit of information: just before performances, Seattle Opera (and I can't imagine they are the only ones) used to hold seminars to give you background on the opera. As for Werther, what they said is that German culture has a different view of death than does English (therefore Canadian, American, etc.) culture. For English culture, thanks to Shakespeare, death is viewed as defeat, but thanks to (I believe) Goethe and others in the German romantic period, German culture views death as transcendence. We were told that after Werther was published, it was quite fashionable for middle class and aristocratic youth to kill themselves "for love".

I don't know the truth of all this--just passing on what we were told. Certainly you see that in Wagner's operas and not just The Ring cycle.

Hmm, you could be right. I know there were a lot of suicides after the book was published. We discussed the book at length in German class, but I'm afraid I was so bored that I didn't really pay attention (I was 16 or 17 when we had to read it). Or I forgot everything. But I finished every single book we had to read, no matter how much I hated it or how much it bored me. Today, I can't pull this off anymore.

October 5

Steve Irwin: Wildlife Warrior: An Unauthorized Biography
Steve Irwin: The Incredible Life of the Crocodile Hunter

about halfway through Naked Lunch by william s. Burroughs

Innocent in death by JD Robb
Good read - hard to put down

Thalia & Joycepa: I'm so relieved to hear that I'm not being chastised for not liking Werther! I read it because it's in 100 Banned Books, which I'm trying to make my way through, and that book says it's history of being banned is mostly because of all the suicides it, uh, inspired among the German youth at the time. But I felt the same way as you both do about Werther - whiny and tedious. Fortunately he inspires me in no way whatsoever.