What are you reading the week of February 17, 2018?
Talk What Are You Reading Now?
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1fredbacon
I'm still picking my way through The Philip K. Dick Reader and fighting a sinus infection. The stories in the collection are a mixed bag.
2cdyankeefan
<1- feel better!
3richardderus
>1 fredbacon: Thanks again for doing the heavy lifting, Fred. May those sinuses learn the error of their ways for being so hospitable to invaders.
I am ear-reading Gray Tide in the East about an alternate World War I. Book's okay but I **hate** listening to books. I get sleepy and having to try to find the last point where I was fully conscious is not as simple as flipping pages. The entire experience is a "no thanks" for me.
I am ear-reading Gray Tide in the East about an alternate World War I. Book's okay but I **hate** listening to books. I get sleepy and having to try to find the last point where I was fully conscious is not as simple as flipping pages. The entire experience is a "no thanks" for me.
4NarratorLady
I was lucky to get the Newbery Award winner from the library. The awards were announced this week and their pick, Hello, Universe by Erin Estrada Kelly, is absolutely wonderful, completely deserving of the honor.
5PaperbackPirate
I'm reading a little bit of The Fran Lebowitz Reader by Fran Lebowitz at a time.
This morning I started Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela for Black History Month.
This morning I started Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela for Black History Month.
6rocketjk
I am about a fifth of the way through Wilderness Trek by Zane Grey. This adventure takes place not in the American west but in the Australian outback! The heroes are a pair of transplanted American cowpokes, though.
7Trae.Marks
I'm currently on book #10 in the Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn, it's called "Protect and Defend".
8richardderus
I gave up on ear-reading for today, maybe for good I don't know yet, and am reading Allen Say's beautiful little books Drawing from Memory and The Inker's Shadow.
9seitherin
Finished A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny. Liked it muchly.
Next into the mix is Prince of Darkness by Sharon Kay Penman.
Still reading Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin and T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton.
Next into the mix is Prince of Darkness by Sharon Kay Penman.
Still reading Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin and T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton.
10BookConcierge
Autobiography of a Face – Lucy Grealy
4****
Lucy Grealy was nine years old when she was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer, in her right jaw. The surgery and chemo helped save her life but left her with disfiguring scars.
What is more important to your sense of self that to recognize yourself in the mirror? What if the face you saw in the mirror was one you could not bear to look at? A face that could not possibly reflect the you inside?
Grealy became a renowned poet, and her way with words shows here. She writes so eloquently and honestly about what she went through and how she felt growing up “ugly.” She writes about being the “special” kid in a family of four, getting more of her parents’ attention, skipping school, good friends, how she dealt with bullies, and how she became addicted to the pain killers she was prescribed following major surgery. Her life was not all tragic, however; she also remembers moments of joy and humorous escapades.
The memoir was first published in 1994. The edition I had included an afterword written after Grealy’s death in 2002, by her friend and fellow Iowa Writers Workshop student, Ann Patchett.
4****
Lucy Grealy was nine years old when she was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer, in her right jaw. The surgery and chemo helped save her life but left her with disfiguring scars.
What is more important to your sense of self that to recognize yourself in the mirror? What if the face you saw in the mirror was one you could not bear to look at? A face that could not possibly reflect the you inside?
Grealy became a renowned poet, and her way with words shows here. She writes so eloquently and honestly about what she went through and how she felt growing up “ugly.” She writes about being the “special” kid in a family of four, getting more of her parents’ attention, skipping school, good friends, how she dealt with bullies, and how she became addicted to the pain killers she was prescribed following major surgery. Her life was not all tragic, however; she also remembers moments of joy and humorous escapades.
The memoir was first published in 1994. The edition I had included an afterword written after Grealy’s death in 2002, by her friend and fellow Iowa Writers Workshop student, Ann Patchett.
11BookConcierge
You Remind Me of Me– Dan Chaon
Digital audio performed by Jim Soriero.
3.5***
Chaon was already known as a talented writer of short stories when this debut novel was published. His background with that shorter form shows in this book. The first four chapters of the book introduce us to four different characters and time frames: 1977 and six-year-old Jonah is mauled by the family pet; 1978 and ten-year-old Troy is hanging out with teenagers smoking pot; 1966 and teenaged Nora is about to give birth at a home for unwed mothers; 1997 and six-year-old Loomis disappears from his grandmother’s backyard. Eventually the connections between them will be clear to the reader.
What I really like about Chaon’s writing is how he explores issues of identity, how characters are shaped by their environment, by chance and opportunity, and by the choices they make. There is much to dislike about these damaged people, and yet I am drawn to these characters and their stories. I am distressed by the loneliness they endure and the wrong paths they take, and yet still find some hope for the future.
The changing time frames and points of view do, however, make for a somewhat confusing experience. This is especially true for those who choose the audio version.
Jim Soriero does an excellent job performing the audio. He is a skilled voice artist, with good pacing. Still, given the nonlinear plot, I’m glad I had a text version available, so I could go back and reference earlier chapters easily.
Digital audio performed by Jim Soriero.
3.5***
Chaon was already known as a talented writer of short stories when this debut novel was published. His background with that shorter form shows in this book. The first four chapters of the book introduce us to four different characters and time frames: 1977 and six-year-old Jonah is mauled by the family pet; 1978 and ten-year-old Troy is hanging out with teenagers smoking pot; 1966 and teenaged Nora is about to give birth at a home for unwed mothers; 1997 and six-year-old Loomis disappears from his grandmother’s backyard. Eventually the connections between them will be clear to the reader.
What I really like about Chaon’s writing is how he explores issues of identity, how characters are shaped by their environment, by chance and opportunity, and by the choices they make. There is much to dislike about these damaged people, and yet I am drawn to these characters and their stories. I am distressed by the loneliness they endure and the wrong paths they take, and yet still find some hope for the future.
The changing time frames and points of view do, however, make for a somewhat confusing experience. This is especially true for those who choose the audio version.
Jim Soriero does an excellent job performing the audio. He is a skilled voice artist, with good pacing. Still, given the nonlinear plot, I’m glad I had a text version available, so I could go back and reference earlier chapters easily.
12NarratorLady
>10 BookConcierge: Patchett wrote about her friendship with Greely in Truth and Beauty: A Friendship. I read the two back to back for book group which generated an interesting discussion.
13seitherin
Finished T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton. Enjoyed it.
Next into my reading mix is Beren and Lúthien by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Next into my reading mix is Beren and Lúthien by J. R. R. Tolkien.
14cappybear
I gave up on Middlemarch after about 170 pages. The plot, such as there was, moved at a snail's pace; and I didn't care for any of the characters, which is fatal.
Have just finished Clinton Heylin's All the Madmen, an interesting, if glum account of the creation of classic rock albums and the demons that haunted their creators, eg David Bowie, Pete Townshend and Ray Davies. The sound of rock stars taking themselves too seriously is inescapable, but the albums are great.
Am chipping away at Ring of Steel. Alexander Watson's account of World War One as seen from Germany and Austria-Hungary's point of view is absorbing, but the book weighs a ton, and I have to sit it on my lap to read it. I should have waited for the paperback edition.
Re-reading, and generally enjoying Metamorphosis and Other Stories after visiting the Franz Kafka Museum in Prague this month.
Have just finished Clinton Heylin's All the Madmen, an interesting, if glum account of the creation of classic rock albums and the demons that haunted their creators, eg David Bowie, Pete Townshend and Ray Davies. The sound of rock stars taking themselves too seriously is inescapable, but the albums are great.
Am chipping away at Ring of Steel. Alexander Watson's account of World War One as seen from Germany and Austria-Hungary's point of view is absorbing, but the book weighs a ton, and I have to sit it on my lap to read it. I should have waited for the paperback edition.
Re-reading, and generally enjoying Metamorphosis and Other Stories after visiting the Franz Kafka Museum in Prague this month.
15perennialreader
Reading Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen. This book was originally 1500+ pages and published in 3 volumes but the author didn't like that so he revised it by cutting about 500 pages and putting it back to one book of 912 pages. Glad it's on Kindle!
Amazon's bio of the author says "Peter Matthiessen (May 22, 1927 - April 5, 2014) was an American novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer and CIA agent."
Sounds like an interesting guy...
Amazon's bio of the author says "Peter Matthiessen (May 22, 1927 - April 5, 2014) was an American novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer and CIA agent."
Sounds like an interesting guy...
16Travis1259
Enjoying The Man in the Crooked Hat a mystery by Harry Dolan, whose writing style fits me like a glove.
17aussieh
Not far into Tethered by Amy MacKinnon so far seems promising.
18JulieLill
Chasing the Last Laugh: How Mark Twain Escaped Debt and Disgrace with a Round-the-World Comedy Tour
by Richard Zacks
4/5 stars
Not knowing a lot about Mark Twain, I found this book at the bookstore which looked very intriguing. This is not a full biography of Twain but encompasses his later years when he is facing bankruptcy after investing in the Paige typesetter. To get out of debt he agrees to a round-the-world speaking tour beginning in 1896 and traveling through Australia, New Zealand, India, North and South America with his wife and two of his daughters. This book describes his experiences in those countries, the people he meets and retells some of the programs and stories he gives during his speaking programs. The tour is fairly successful but he has bouts of illness and a tragedy happens towards the end of the tour. Interesting!
by Richard Zacks
4/5 stars
Not knowing a lot about Mark Twain, I found this book at the bookstore which looked very intriguing. This is not a full biography of Twain but encompasses his later years when he is facing bankruptcy after investing in the Paige typesetter. To get out of debt he agrees to a round-the-world speaking tour beginning in 1896 and traveling through Australia, New Zealand, India, North and South America with his wife and two of his daughters. This book describes his experiences in those countries, the people he meets and retells some of the programs and stories he gives during his speaking programs. The tour is fairly successful but he has bouts of illness and a tragedy happens towards the end of the tour. Interesting!
19Copperskye
I finished two wonderful books last week, a George Saunders short, Fox 8, and American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee.
This week I’m reading Mrs Miniver by Jan Struthers and Bad Stories by Steve Almond.
This week I’m reading Mrs Miniver by Jan Struthers and Bad Stories by Steve Almond.
20seitherin
Finished Beren and Lúthien by J. R. R. Tolkien and added Justice Lost by Scott Pratt to my reading rotation.
21hemlokgang
Just finished the absolutely lovely The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner. Next up for listening is Beartown by Fredrik Backman.
22Copperskye
>21 hemlokgang: I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Stegner. There is a follow up to The Spectator Bird - All the Little Live Things. I haven’t read it yet but it’s on my shortlist.
23BookConcierge
The First Deadly Sin – Lawrence Sanders
4****
I first read this back in about 1975 and was completely gripped by the writing and the suspenseful story.
The book introduces New York City cop Edward X Delaney, who is on the trail of a serial killer, while also trying to care for his wife, who is dying of some unnamed illness.
Daniel Blank is a successful executive at a publishing firm, with a high-rise apartment on New York City’s east side. But he’s a damaged person, and quickly becomes dangerous once he’s influenced by the strange, aloof woman he meets at a friend’s brunch. Once he gets away with the first killing, he becomes unable to stop, addicted to the thrill of the hunt.
Delaney is a cop’s cop. Methodical, tenacious, and with a second sense about the perpetrator he’s after. Embroiled by a political tug-of-war within the city’s police department, he takes a “leave of absence” to care for his critically ill wife, while actually conducting a private investigation. But he has allies and amateur assistants/experts to help him.
I love how Sanders writes these two major characters, filling in the details of their lives – from Blank’s methodical grooming routines, to Delaney’s eating habits. He also includes a varied cast of supporting characters from a quiet housewife to an alcoholic paraplegic. Sanders moves the action back and forth between the killer's perspective and that of Police Chief Delaney, so the reader knows more than the detective, but that doesn't lessen the suspense.
I did think that the subplot about Delaney’s wife was somewhat unnecessary and a distraction from the main plot. It helped to define the Chief, but Sanders might have found another way to doing that without using so many pages.
4****
I first read this back in about 1975 and was completely gripped by the writing and the suspenseful story.
The book introduces New York City cop Edward X Delaney, who is on the trail of a serial killer, while also trying to care for his wife, who is dying of some unnamed illness.
Daniel Blank is a successful executive at a publishing firm, with a high-rise apartment on New York City’s east side. But he’s a damaged person, and quickly becomes dangerous once he’s influenced by the strange, aloof woman he meets at a friend’s brunch. Once he gets away with the first killing, he becomes unable to stop, addicted to the thrill of the hunt.
Delaney is a cop’s cop. Methodical, tenacious, and with a second sense about the perpetrator he’s after. Embroiled by a political tug-of-war within the city’s police department, he takes a “leave of absence” to care for his critically ill wife, while actually conducting a private investigation. But he has allies and amateur assistants/experts to help him.
I love how Sanders writes these two major characters, filling in the details of their lives – from Blank’s methodical grooming routines, to Delaney’s eating habits. He also includes a varied cast of supporting characters from a quiet housewife to an alcoholic paraplegic. Sanders moves the action back and forth between the killer's perspective and that of Police Chief Delaney, so the reader knows more than the detective, but that doesn't lessen the suspense.
I did think that the subplot about Delaney’s wife was somewhat unnecessary and a distraction from the main plot. It helped to define the Chief, but Sanders might have found another way to doing that without using so many pages.
24BookConcierge
>12 NarratorLady:
Yes, I have Patchett's book on my tbr. I understand that Grealy's sister, however, was very unhappy about the book - charging that Patchett and her publisher "stole the family's right to grieve privately."
Yes, I have Patchett's book on my tbr. I understand that Grealy's sister, however, was very unhappy about the book - charging that Patchett and her publisher "stole the family's right to grieve privately."
25NarratorLady
>24 BookConcierge: I read that too, after I finished the book. But they were good friends who had their ups and downs, so I felt that Patchett certainly had a right to her own story. And it certainly didn’t seem that Lucy would have objected since she did enjoy attention!
26BookConcierge
Isn’t It Romantic – Brett Fletcher Lauer & Aimee Kelley
2**
Subtitle: 100 Love Poems By Younger American Poets
I like poetry, and I definitely do not need a neat rhyme or rhythm to enjoy the form. However, many of these poems did absolutely nothing for me. I did not recognize love or passion or longing in them and I got the impression that these young poets were just trying too hard to be clever.
Definitely not a “romantic” collection, in my humble opinion.
2**
Subtitle: 100 Love Poems By Younger American Poets
I like poetry, and I definitely do not need a neat rhyme or rhythm to enjoy the form. However, many of these poems did absolutely nothing for me. I did not recognize love or passion or longing in them and I got the impression that these young poets were just trying too hard to be clever.
Definitely not a “romantic” collection, in my humble opinion.
27snash
I finished Negroland: A Memoir which was an excellent examination of the conflicts, confusions, and mine fields wrought by attitudes about race, gender, and class in America, told via memoir. The author was born upper class black in the late 40's.
28hemlokgang
On a road trip with a friend and her pre-teens. We listened to The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis in its brilliant, magical entirety today. Just such a pleasure!
29ahef1963
Am reading The Stone Cutter by Camilla Lackberg; it is very engrossing.
30zenslave
I'm currently involved in I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells. Pretty good so far. Love the concept. The book I should have written. :)
31mollygrace
I finished The Friend, an amazing new book by Sigrid Nunez. It is difficult to describe -- there are so many gifts and surprises awaiting the reader, and it hardly feels like a novel, and yet, it is. Dwight Garner in The New York Times says, "This novel’s tone . . . is mournful and resonant. It sheds rosin, like the bow of a cello." Yes. It is about love and loss and recovery. Such a unique book -- I think I'll keep it by my side for awhile -- so much to think about and revisit.
Next up: Heart Berries, a memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
Next up: Heart Berries, a memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
32ahef1963
Camilla Lackberg's The Stone Cutter was so engrossing that I stayed up most of Tuesday night reading it. I am finished it, and it was terrific. To my great pleasure, the next book in the series arrived in the mail this morning, but I have put it aside to read later. I have begun The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund, a Swedish crime novel (again), and a tremendously heavy book - I'm talking in terms of weight. I don't think I've ever read a novel with so much poundage. It's early days yet, but I think it's going to be very good.
33seitherin
Finished Justice Lost by Scott Pratt. Enjoyed it but not in a comfortable sort of way.
Next into the reading mix is The Walls by Hollie Overton.
Next into the reading mix is The Walls by Hollie Overton.
34JulieLill
Womens Comedic Monologues That Are Actually Funny (Applause Acting Series)
by Alisha Gaddis
2.5/5 stars
This is a compilation of comediennes’ monologues. I did not find most of these very amusing but there were a few that were laugh out loud funny. But in defense of these comediennes’, I feel that reading these monologues lack the same impact as seeing them or hearing them on stage that is not captured when just written down.
by Alisha Gaddis
2.5/5 stars
This is a compilation of comediennes’ monologues. I did not find most of these very amusing but there were a few that were laugh out loud funny. But in defense of these comediennes’, I feel that reading these monologues lack the same impact as seeing them or hearing them on stage that is not captured when just written down.
35aussieh
Still enjoying At Weddings and Wakes by Alice McDermott
36hemlokgang
Finished reading the dense, thought-provoking Judas by Amos Oz.
Just started reading the 4th and final book in The Sea of Fertility series, The Decay of The Angel by Yukio Mishima.
Just started reading the 4th and final book in The Sea of Fertility series, The Decay of The Angel by Yukio Mishima.
37hemlokgang
Thanks for the heads up, coppers!
