What are you reading the week of April 7, 2018?
Talk What Are You Reading Now?
Join LibraryThing to post.
This topic is currently marked as "dormant"—the last message is more than 90 days old. You can revive it by posting a reply.
1fredbacon
I finished up Letters from a Stoic by Seneca. I was reading the Penguin Classics edition. The past few weeks have been consumed by learning about building Embedded Linux Systems with the Yocto Project after I was tasked to take over a project at work that was in complete chaos. I'm about to start Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece by Michael Benson. I can still remember going to see it at the movie theatre with my brother Carl and by best friend Terry when I was eight. I was so very, very confused. Terry ate a pickle from the concession stand and got sick. But HAL singing "Daisy" still freaks me out.
2rocketjk
Greetings, all! I am just past the halfway point of Murder in Bloom, the 5th entry in the "Libby Sarjeant" English murder mystery series by Lesley Cookman. Cosy mysteries are not generally my style, but this series is well written enough enjoy, more or less.
3seitherin
Still reading whatever it was I was reading last week. My mother passed away yesterday (April 8). I've been here at home with family since Thursday and I just haven't felt much inclined to read.
6BookConcierge
The Radium Girls – Kate Moore
Book on CD narrated by Angela Brazil.
5*****
Subtitle: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
In the early 20th century, young women were hired to paint luminous paint on watch dials and, with advent of WWI, on instrument panels. The element that caused the luminosity was radium. The method they used was “lip, dip, paint” – pointing the fine paintbrushes they used by twirling the bristle ends in their mouths. But they didn’t know that they were being poisoned. And when they began to experience strange symptoms (loose teeth, brittle jawbones, etc) and tried to get some compensation for medical bills from the company, their claims were dismissed as “female hysteria.” That didn’t stop them. These brave women fought against the corporations, against doctors, against the government until they prevailed.
Moore is an Englishwoman who was hired to direct a play about the Radium Girls, These Shining Lives. As she did her background research she realized that no one had ever told the full story of the Radium Girls from the perspective of the women who were poisoned by their job duties. She was troubled that these brave women’s stories had been all but forgotten, and so she set out to right that wrong.
She did a marvelous job. Using diaries, letters, court records and other documentation, as well as interviews with the surviving descendants of the women who worked in the various companies that produced the luminous dials, she brings the story to life. The reader is in turns incensed and outraged, surprised by the ignorance and cavalier attitudes, and heartbroken by the pain and suffering these women endured.
Angela Brazil does a fine job of narrating the audio book. However, it took me a couple of discs to get used to her delivery. She seems to pause …. after every … few words. Eventually I got used to her pace, but I did read at least a third of the book in text format, because that was so much faster.
Book on CD narrated by Angela Brazil.
5*****
Subtitle: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
In the early 20th century, young women were hired to paint luminous paint on watch dials and, with advent of WWI, on instrument panels. The element that caused the luminosity was radium. The method they used was “lip, dip, paint” – pointing the fine paintbrushes they used by twirling the bristle ends in their mouths. But they didn’t know that they were being poisoned. And when they began to experience strange symptoms (loose teeth, brittle jawbones, etc) and tried to get some compensation for medical bills from the company, their claims were dismissed as “female hysteria.” That didn’t stop them. These brave women fought against the corporations, against doctors, against the government until they prevailed.
Moore is an Englishwoman who was hired to direct a play about the Radium Girls, These Shining Lives. As she did her background research she realized that no one had ever told the full story of the Radium Girls from the perspective of the women who were poisoned by their job duties. She was troubled that these brave women’s stories had been all but forgotten, and so she set out to right that wrong.
She did a marvelous job. Using diaries, letters, court records and other documentation, as well as interviews with the surviving descendants of the women who worked in the various companies that produced the luminous dials, she brings the story to life. The reader is in turns incensed and outraged, surprised by the ignorance and cavalier attitudes, and heartbroken by the pain and suffering these women endured.
Angela Brazil does a fine job of narrating the audio book. However, it took me a couple of discs to get used to her delivery. She seems to pause …. after every … few words. Eventually I got used to her pace, but I did read at least a third of the book in text format, because that was so much faster.
7BookConcierge
>3 seitherin:
So sorry for your loss. May your memories comfort you. Don't stress about reading.
So sorry for your loss. May your memories comfort you. Don't stress about reading.
8JulieLill
>3 seitherin: So sorry about your mother!
9BookConcierge
One of Us Is Wrong – Donald Westlake (writing as Samuel Holt)
3***
Samuel Holt is an actor and former small-town police officer. His role as private investigator Jack Packard in the hugely popular TV series has made him fairly wealthy, and although it’s no longer being produced, the show is still paying residuals while it’s in syndication. Trouble is, he can’t seem to get another acting job that isn’t for a private detective role. So, he takes his accountant’s advice to go investigate a potential investment opportunity. But on the way to the property, four “swarthy men in two Imapalas tried to murder me.” And we’re off …
Westlake/Holt’s crime capers are not great literature but they are loads of fun to read. Fast-paced, likeable characters, some funny dialogue, a great sidekick (I need a “Robinson” in my life!), leggy ladies, handsome leading man, car chases, guns, and crazy coincidences.
In the early- to mid-1980s Donald Westlake began to wonder “Could I do it again today?” He had great success as a writer of crime fiction, particularly with his comic crime capers starring John Dortmunder. So, he entered into a contract with his publisher to use a protected penname – Samuel Holt. No one but he, the publisher and his agent would know the author’s real identity. On the release date, Westlake was surprised to see a display of the Samuel Holt books in the window of his local bookstore, along with a sign proclaiming that Holt was, in fact, Westlake. The publisher had let their sales force in on the secret; and encouraged them to spread the word. There goes that experiment.
Fortunately, we still have the four Holt books that Westlake had contracted for.
3***
Samuel Holt is an actor and former small-town police officer. His role as private investigator Jack Packard in the hugely popular TV series has made him fairly wealthy, and although it’s no longer being produced, the show is still paying residuals while it’s in syndication. Trouble is, he can’t seem to get another acting job that isn’t for a private detective role. So, he takes his accountant’s advice to go investigate a potential investment opportunity. But on the way to the property, four “swarthy men in two Imapalas tried to murder me.” And we’re off …
Westlake/Holt’s crime capers are not great literature but they are loads of fun to read. Fast-paced, likeable characters, some funny dialogue, a great sidekick (I need a “Robinson” in my life!), leggy ladies, handsome leading man, car chases, guns, and crazy coincidences.
In the early- to mid-1980s Donald Westlake began to wonder “Could I do it again today?” He had great success as a writer of crime fiction, particularly with his comic crime capers starring John Dortmunder. So, he entered into a contract with his publisher to use a protected penname – Samuel Holt. No one but he, the publisher and his agent would know the author’s real identity. On the release date, Westlake was surprised to see a display of the Samuel Holt books in the window of his local bookstore, along with a sign proclaiming that Holt was, in fact, Westlake. The publisher had let their sales force in on the secret; and encouraged them to spread the word. There goes that experiment.
Fortunately, we still have the four Holt books that Westlake had contracted for.
10BookConcierge
The Nest – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
Digital audio performed by Mia Barron.
3.5***
Four middle-aged siblings have to confront expectations, disappointments, half-truths, obfuscations and down right lies. The impetus for their meeting is that oldest brother Leo has used “the Nest” – a trust fund left by their long-deceased father for them to share equally – for rehab and to pay damages to a teen-aged waitress he injured in an accident while high on cocaine. But the other three have counted on that money, want that money, NEED that money -
– to save a failing business or pay off a mortgage on a too-large house, or cover tuition at a private college.
This is a wonderful debut novel, a character-driven tale that explores sibling relations, family dynamics, and a host of other issues that require open communication … something the Plumb siblings have never learned to do. I got drawn into their dynamic fairly quickly, but I think Sweeney was a bit too ambitious. There are so many issues she touches on – from homosexuality to undocumented immigrants to pressure put on children by their parents to get into a top university to grief and mourning – and Sweeney uses different characters in addition to the four Plumb siblings to explore these issues. The result is that I felt lost at times.
This was further complicated by the fact that I was listening to the audio. Don’t misunderstand … Mia Barron does a fine job. She has a great pace, clear diction and enough skill as a voice artist to make each character unique. But when point of view suddenly shifts it’s difficult to reconcile what’s happening without the text in front of you.
I’ll be interested to see what Sweeney does in her next novel.
Digital audio performed by Mia Barron.
3.5***
Four middle-aged siblings have to confront expectations, disappointments, half-truths, obfuscations and down right lies. The impetus for their meeting is that oldest brother Leo has used “the Nest” – a trust fund left by their long-deceased father for them to share equally – for rehab and to pay damages to a teen-aged waitress he injured in an accident while high on cocaine. But the other three have counted on that money, want that money, NEED that money -
– to save a failing business or pay off a mortgage on a too-large house, or cover tuition at a private college.
This is a wonderful debut novel, a character-driven tale that explores sibling relations, family dynamics, and a host of other issues that require open communication … something the Plumb siblings have never learned to do. I got drawn into their dynamic fairly quickly, but I think Sweeney was a bit too ambitious. There are so many issues she touches on – from homosexuality to undocumented immigrants to pressure put on children by their parents to get into a top university to grief and mourning – and Sweeney uses different characters in addition to the four Plumb siblings to explore these issues. The result is that I felt lost at times.
This was further complicated by the fact that I was listening to the audio. Don’t misunderstand … Mia Barron does a fine job. She has a great pace, clear diction and enough skill as a voice artist to make each character unique. But when point of view suddenly shifts it’s difficult to reconcile what’s happening without the text in front of you.
I’ll be interested to see what Sweeney does in her next novel.
11ahef1963
>3 seitherin: I am very sorry to hear of the loss of your mother. Sending best wishes and hugs.
12ahef1963
I re-read and greatly enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire. Now I'm re-reading The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and finding it slow going and rather dull.
The other book I'm reading is making me feel claustrophobic - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. There is great writing and some really funny bits, but on the whole I'm not all that interested.
I have no idea whether my dissatisfaction with the books I'm reading is down to the books or me. Hopefully I'll find something more readable tomorrow.
The other book I'm reading is making me feel claustrophobic - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. There is great writing and some really funny bits, but on the whole I'm not all that interested.
I have no idea whether my dissatisfaction with the books I'm reading is down to the books or me. Hopefully I'll find something more readable tomorrow.
13Copperskye
>3 seitherin: I’m so sorry for your loss. You’ll always miss her, but eventually it won’t hurt as much as it does now.
14hemlokgang
>3 seitherin: seitherin: My condolences! Losing a parent leaves a permanent hole in one's universe. Best wishes as you adjust to the loss.
Just finished the pretty bad Wintering by Peter Geye.
Next up is Future Home of The Living God by Louise Erdrich.
Just finished the pretty bad Wintering by Peter Geye.
Next up is Future Home of The Living God by Louise Erdrich.
15mollygrace
>3 seitherin: My deepest sympathy for your loss.
I finished Peter Carey's A Long Way from Home. It's a wonderful book -- I appreciated learning so much about Australia as I followed the story of the characters involved in a car race around the continent.
Next up: White Houses by Amy Bloom
I finished Peter Carey's A Long Way from Home. It's a wonderful book -- I appreciated learning so much about Australia as I followed the story of the characters involved in a car race around the continent.
Next up: White Houses by Amy Bloom
16cdyankeefan
>seitherin. So sorry for your loss. Gentle hugs
17the_red_shoes
I'm so sorry. My own mom died just over two years ago and it's still a tough loss.
18PaperbackPirate
>3 seitherin: Sending my condolences!
19PaperbackPirate
On Saturday I read Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou. There were some very surprising things that I did not know about her life in this memoir installment!
I abandoned my reading plan and started Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey in my excitement over the return of The Expanse tomorrow.
It's so good seeing everyone again! I missed you all during our LT blackout.
I abandoned my reading plan and started Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey in my excitement over the return of The Expanse tomorrow.
It's so good seeing everyone again! I missed you all during our LT blackout.
20seitherin
To all you wonderful folk who sent hugs and condolences, thank you so very much. Almost everything is planned for or already in place for my mom's memorial service, so I can finally sit and breathe. I suspect it will still be a few days before I get back in the swing of reading, but books are patient and they always wait for you.
21mrbandings
Its been many years since I used LT because of the popularity of Goodreads and because of the late podcast, Books on the nightstand which sadly is not podcasting but the Goodreads group is still running. So I will start again . I am listening to I AM TIRED OF Shadows by Alan Bradley. More later,
22Travis1259
seitherin, sorry for your loss.
23Copperskye
I finished two good books - The Closers by Michael Connelly and Have Dog, Will Travel by Stephen Kuusisto. I especially recommend the later for any dog lovers.
I’m reading a lot of different mystery/detective series so, what the heck, I started another one with River of Darkness.
I’m reading a lot of different mystery/detective series so, what the heck, I started another one with River of Darkness.
24snash
I finished A Virtuous Woman; a story of two people who got together because they each needed help and then developed a deep love. The story's told from each of their points of view as and after she died. An excellent little gem.
25princessgarnet
Henry VIII: King and Court by Alison Weir
This is an older title that I hadn't read.
Sovereign Ladies by Maureen Waller
A collective historical biography about England's 6 Queens Regnant.
This is an older title that I hadn't read.
Sovereign Ladies by Maureen Waller
A collective historical biography about England's 6 Queens Regnant.
26JulieLill
The Punishment She Deserves: A Lynley Novel
by Elizabeth George
4.5/5 stars
Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Havers are back on an unusual case. Set in a college town, Ian Druitt, a local deacon has been found in the police station, dead. He seems to have killed himself after being brought in after being accused of being a pedophile. But of course there is more to the case than it being a simple suicide!
George is one of my favorite writers and she just has a way of twisting and turning a mystery to the final conclusion. My only complaint is now I will have to wait for the next one to come out.
by Elizabeth George
4.5/5 stars
Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Havers are back on an unusual case. Set in a college town, Ian Druitt, a local deacon has been found in the police station, dead. He seems to have killed himself after being brought in after being accused of being a pedophile. But of course there is more to the case than it being a simple suicide!
George is one of my favorite writers and she just has a way of twisting and turning a mystery to the final conclusion. My only complaint is now I will have to wait for the next one to come out.
27ahef1963
I'm reading the excellent Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. Gosh, the statistics about eviction and homelessness are grim. It's a fascinating and gripping book, though, despite the dark subject matter.
When I've read enough about eviction for the day - I am not capable of reading it in large doses without feeling genuinely depressed - I'm reading the utterly delightful memoirs of British TV personality Graham Norton, whom I adore: The Life and Loves of a He Devil.
When I've read enough about eviction for the day - I am not capable of reading it in large doses without feeling genuinely depressed - I'm reading the utterly delightful memoirs of British TV personality Graham Norton, whom I adore: The Life and Loves of a He Devil.
28framboise
Just started and cannot put down the nonfiction Happiness is a Choice You Make by John Leland, based on a year-long series the author wrote for the NY Times about lessons learned from spending a year with the "oldest old" (85+ yrs old). Very well-written and insightful to get a glimpse into the perspectives, memories, regrets (or lack thereof) of the six individuals profiled.
>27 ahef1963: Thanks for the heads-up about Graham Norton's book. I love him and always watch his show. Even tried to get tix when I was recently in London, but unfortunately it was a compilation episode!
>27 ahef1963: Thanks for the heads-up about Graham Norton's book. I love him and always watch his show. Even tried to get tix when I was recently in London, but unfortunately it was a compilation episode!
29Catreona
seitherin, I'm so sorry! Love and hugs.
I've been continuing to read Madeleine L'Engle, this week the Austin Family novels: Meet the Austins, The Moon by Night and The Young Unicorns, the last of which I realized from a throwaway remark about halfway through takes place the autumn after The Arm of the Starfish as well as The Moon by Night, which take place during the same summer. Up next, A Ring of Endless Light.
I've been continuing to read Madeleine L'Engle, this week the Austin Family novels: Meet the Austins, The Moon by Night and The Young Unicorns, the last of which I realized from a throwaway remark about halfway through takes place the autumn after The Arm of the Starfish as well as The Moon by Night, which take place during the same summer. Up next, A Ring of Endless Light.
30BookConcierge
Murder At the Bad Girl’s Bar and Grill – N.M.Kelby
3***
From the book jacket: Take a slasher-movie actress, a Scottish circus clown, an FBI school dropout, a blind heiress, a junk-food-loving millionaire developer, and a Buddha-quoting bluesman, add a couple of murders in a normally sedate retirement community in south Florida … It all goes down as easy as a Key lime pie martini, the signature drink of the Bad Girl’s Bar & Grill.
My reactions
Reminds me of Carl Hiassen, but not quite so well written. Still it’s a fun, ridiculous romp of a tale that kept me entertained and engaged despite its total outlandishness. Frankly, none of these characters made sense to me, and the plot was completely unbelievable. But I did laugh out loud a few times and it was a fast read.
If you’re looking for a cozy mystery… well this is more gristly than that. If you want a hard-boiled crime novel … well this is too quirky for that. It doesn’t fit the bill for a suspense thriller either, because there is little suspense. The biggest mystery, as far as I’m concerned, is how Kelby came up with this crazy story.
Like Hiaasen, Kelby does impart a message about husbanding the natural environment and about the greed of developers.
3***
From the book jacket: Take a slasher-movie actress, a Scottish circus clown, an FBI school dropout, a blind heiress, a junk-food-loving millionaire developer, and a Buddha-quoting bluesman, add a couple of murders in a normally sedate retirement community in south Florida … It all goes down as easy as a Key lime pie martini, the signature drink of the Bad Girl’s Bar & Grill.
My reactions
Reminds me of Carl Hiassen, but not quite so well written. Still it’s a fun, ridiculous romp of a tale that kept me entertained and engaged despite its total outlandishness. Frankly, none of these characters made sense to me, and the plot was completely unbelievable. But I did laugh out loud a few times and it was a fast read.
If you’re looking for a cozy mystery… well this is more gristly than that. If you want a hard-boiled crime novel … well this is too quirky for that. It doesn’t fit the bill for a suspense thriller either, because there is little suspense. The biggest mystery, as far as I’m concerned, is how Kelby came up with this crazy story.
Like Hiaasen, Kelby does impart a message about husbanding the natural environment and about the greed of developers.
31BookConcierge
Trains and Lovers– Alexander McCall Smith
Audio book read by Robert Ian MacKenzie
3***
I love Alexander McCall Smith. I love the way he puts together an ensemble of characters and slowly reveals their everyday lives and the little (and big) dramas hidden in plain sight.
In this novel – not part of any series – four strangers meet on a train bound for London from Edinburgh. As they get acquainted their stories come out. David, a middle-aged American businessman, sees two men saying good-bye at the station, and is reminded of the young man he met in his own youth. A young Scot, Andrew, reveals how he captured the attention of a co-worker when he noticed a problem with a painting that’s been credited to an early-seventeenth century artist. Kay relates how her parents met, married and ran a train station in the Australian Outback. Hugh missed his stop one day on the train, and met a woman he let into his life.
Each story offers some insight into the many ways that love finds us, enriches us, or disappoints us. For some of these characters the love is in the past, for others it shows promise of continuing into the future.
The audio book is masterfully performed by Robert Ian MacKenzie. He has clear diction, a good pace and is a skilled voice artist, able to differentiate the many characters.
Audio book read by Robert Ian MacKenzie
3***
I love Alexander McCall Smith. I love the way he puts together an ensemble of characters and slowly reveals their everyday lives and the little (and big) dramas hidden in plain sight.
In this novel – not part of any series – four strangers meet on a train bound for London from Edinburgh. As they get acquainted their stories come out. David, a middle-aged American businessman, sees two men saying good-bye at the station, and is reminded of the young man he met in his own youth. A young Scot, Andrew, reveals how he captured the attention of a co-worker when he noticed a problem with a painting that’s been credited to an early-seventeenth century artist. Kay relates how her parents met, married and ran a train station in the Australian Outback. Hugh missed his stop one day on the train, and met a woman he let into his life.
Each story offers some insight into the many ways that love finds us, enriches us, or disappoints us. For some of these characters the love is in the past, for others it shows promise of continuing into the future.
The audio book is masterfully performed by Robert Ian MacKenzie. He has clear diction, a good pace and is a skilled voice artist, able to differentiate the many characters.
32mollygrace
>29 Catreona: I was reminiscing about the Austin family books as I read through your list of them, hoping you would get to the one I treasure most, A Ring of Endless Light. I keep promising to read it again soon, but I have quite a few books that fall into that category . . . someday, someday . . .
I hope you enjoy A Ring of Endless Light.
I hope you enjoy A Ring of Endless Light.
