What are you reading the week of May 18, 2019?

I'm almost done reading the the delightfully snarky Grendel by John Gardner. It's a retelling of the early English epic, Beowulf, from the monster's point of view. You'll never look at heroic epics in quite the same way again. Grendel's exasperation with and contempt for the pomposity, hypocrisy and vanity of the tropes of heroic legends make short shrift of human society in general. You can almost empathize with him when he resorts to killing and eating Hrothgar's thanes as the most merciful solution to the delusional behavior of man. Besides, thinning the herd periodically reduces the chance that the humans will outstrip their food source and die of starvation come winter.

I can't wait until life settles down again and I can devote time to reading. Having said that, I'm still reading Shogun, Empire of Grass, and The Death of the Necromancer.

Calypso
By David Sedaris
4.5/5 stars
Sedaris (one of my favorite authors) writes about his life and his family in a no holds barred look using his oddball sense of dark humor to ease the pain of difficult times and to celebrate good times.

I've just passed the halfway point of the dark but absorbing Amongst Women by Irish author John McGahern.

I'm reading My Guy Barbaro: A Jockey's Journey Through Love, Triumph, and Heartbreak with America's Favorite Horse by Edgar Prado. Looking forward to The Preakness today. My pick is Improbable.

I've been blue this week so I've been reading thrillers to get my mind off of reality. To a large degree, it's been helpful.

The Next To Die by Sophie Hannah was enjoyable. A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay was not. It was badly written and quite predictable. I stayed up late last night to finish Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward, which was great. Terrific writing, twists and turns all over the place, unsettling, dark - I will gladly read more of her books.

I'm probably going to read another thriller next. I don't know which one, but I've got a couple loaded onto my reader from the library, and if they're not what I'm looking for I can borrow more without even leaving the sofa. I love e-books and my local library.

Hi. I'm currently reading "Farty Marty" by Justin Johnson.

https://www.amazon.com/Farty-Marty-Justin-Johnson-ebook/dp/B00UEKMX1K/ref=sr_1_2...

It's a very funny story about a farting female cow called Marty.

I think you'll like it.

I'm reading a book for a book club...must be finished by next Monday. It is Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews. It sure makes some Bible characters very real, adding to the known story in a way that makes sense. But I find the story of Abigail, who is Daniel's wife, a little far-fetched. Will be interesting to see what the others in the Book Club think.

I've just finished the excellent crime novel A Place of Execution. It's the first time I've read anything by Val McDermid, but it will certainly not be the last.

I've got a couple of options ahead of me: An American Marriage looks interesting, or perhaps Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury). I've also borrowed from the library Long Day's Journey into Night - I'm trying to read more plays, and this is a classic that I've missed out on.

>9 ahef1963: If you need a nudge, An American Marriage is excellent!

Currently reading The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon and The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, two rather large fantasy tomes (I don't usually read two of the same genre together... so far there's no confusion though) and Mere Humanity by Donald T. Williams. All three should probably keep me busy all week.

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

(continues the Perez family's saga in Florida after Castro's takeover)

I finished Amongst Women by Irish novelist John McGahern. The book is tersely written, with a particularly effective portrayal of the claustrophobia of rural family life. As such, it's not always comfortable to read, as the tension in the household transmits to the reader all too well. I did have my reservations, though. My more in-depth review can be found on the book's work page and on my own 50-Book Challenge thread.

I finished Picture by Lillian Ross, fascinating look at the making of a motion picture in the early 1950s.
Now I'm reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell.

>14 mollygrace: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is one of my favorite rereads.

>13 rocketjk: I have ordered Amongst Women following your earlier posting I am very fond of Irish writers and this gentleman is new to me, I do not mind if it is a bit darkish.

>14 mollygrace: >15 aussieh: I loved it, too.

I finished Michael Connelly’s The Wrong Side Of Goodbye and now have a new favorite Bosch book. My current read is Elly Griffiths’ new Ruth Galloway book, The Stone Circle.

>15 aussieh: " . . . I do not mind if it is a bit darkish."

Then you will probably like Amongst Women very much. It's certainly well written. I'll look forward to seeing your reaction.

>14 mollygrace: I loved The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox too!

Enjoying this eBook ~

Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales by Marta McDowell

(her bio/her gardens in 4 seasons/tours of her various homes and gardens/a listing of all the plants/includes photos and many of BP's exquisite drawings)

I read through another round of by "between books":

* “Four Accounts of Men Against the Sea” from A Treasury of Great Reporting: "Literature Under Pressure" from the Sixteenth Century to Our Own Time edited by Louis L. Snyder

* “Token of Esteem” by Harlan Ware from New Stories for Men edited by Charles Grayson

* “Death” from Theodore Dreiser Presents the Living Thoughts of Thoreau by Henry David Thoreau (Finished! See below.)

* “Newspapering” from Joe Falls: 50 Years of Sports Writing (And I Still Can't Tell the Difference Between a Slider and a Curve) by Joe Falls

* “Women are Going off the Wagon” from Magazine Digest - August 1949 edited by Murray Simmons

* "As a Beloved Brother" - Part Three, Chapter 8, from the novel The Apostle by Sholem Asch

* “An Evening on the House” by H. L. Mencken from Esquire Magazine - 40th Anniversary Celebration edited by Don Erickson

As noted above, I've finished Theodore Dreiser Presents the Living Thoughts of Thoreau by Henry David Thoreau. This is a collection of excerpts from four different Thoreau books, selected by Theodore Dreiser and arranged by topic category ("Problem of Morals," "Society," "The Good Life," etc.). These bite-sized categories are a very nice way to gain an initial introduction to a writer, and particularly, I think, to a philosopher. Unfortunately, I did not care for Thoreau's writing much at all. I found his style dense, his self absorption irritating, and his ideas mostly obvious. Maybe Thoreau is one of those writers you need to read at a younger age, and certainly he is a writer/thinker of his time. I've written a bit more on my 50-Book Challenge thread.

I'm now about a quarter of the way through Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa and enjoying it quite a bit.

I am currently listening to The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, and I am reading A Dance To The Music of Time: Second Movement, Summer by Anthony Powell.

>15 aussieh:>16>18 I bought The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox because of the enthusiastic comments about it posted here, perhaps by one or more of you. Thanks again, LT friends.

All of Maggie O'Farrell readers I can recommend Instructions For A Heatwave it is another of my favorites.

>24 aussieh: I loved that one, too! :)

I finished Don't Knock the Hustle: Young Creatives, Tech Ingenuity, and the Making of a New Innovation Economy. Starting with the positives. I appreciated learning about some of the creative efforts being made to include a broader spectrum of people in design and idea think tanks along with their useful creations. My problems with the book were primarily in the first half which was very repetitious and touted technology as the answer to everything. One aspect of the innovation economy that the author does not address is its impact upon the consumer. Often products are well designed but have poor quality control. Many of these products are applications or application controlled. When the consumer has a problem or there's been a system update they're very apt to discover the makers are no longer there. They've trotted off to pursue another idea. We've had this happen with two sound/mute, hearing enhancing ear buds of significant cost.

I finished A Study in Charlotte last night, which I enjoyed. Pretty much loving anything remotely Sherlock Holmesish lately. I go through phases... This morning I picked up The Savior by J.R. Ward which I have out from the library and read a few pages and then started No Limits which is a short story on my Kindle which is a tag along to another Holmesish inspired trilogy by Ellie Marney.

Not sure which I'll continue with when I get home this evening. I feel I should tuck into my library book, but really got into the short story (which would be a faster read anyway).

Working on Normal People bySally Rooney, The Familiars by Stacey Halls and an ARC copy of How To Make God Laugh by the wonderful Bianca Marais

The Bird's Nest
Shirley Jackson
3.5/5 stars
A young single woman who lives with her aunt comes home from work one day very ill from headaches. Her aunt knows something is wrong and takes her to a doctor who discovers that she has developed into split personalities and attempts to help her get rid of them. Very dark-just like a Jackson novel should be!

Finished listening to The Great Believers, an iconic piece of fiction!

Next up for listening is A Mind of Her Own by Paula McClain.

Wren Hunt and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The new thread is up over here.