What You Are Reading the Week of 21 March 2009

Yesterday I started Children of the New World by Assia Djebar, a novel written in 1962 about the Algerian War which was recently translated into English. I'll start Shyness and Dignity by the Norwegian author Dag Solstad later today or tomorrow. I'm also reading Borges: A Life by Edwin Williamson for the Reading Globally group's monthly theme (Argentina).

Edited to correct touchstones.

Yay! I'm second! (I have been stalking the "My Groups" thing on the Talk page) :-D

I've got a variety of books going at the moment:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -I'm not quite a fourth of the way through yet.

Custard and Company by Ogden Nash. Fun poems to read out loud from one of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein's influences.

From the Corner of His Eye - slowly progressing as this book comes out for appointments and other wait-times.

Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. -Meh.

and Neil Zawacki's How to Be a Villian

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The kids are out for spring break this week and gone to daddy's, so maybe I can make up for a slow week last week ;-)

Edited to alert you to the fact I was STALKING the group so I could be second Stalker!

I'm just starting Antonia White's The Lost Traveller, the second book in her Frost in May Quartet, and I've also got the final book, Beyond the Glass. I'm still waiting for the third book, The Sugar House, from Amazon and hoping it gets here before I finish The Lost Traveller.

I've also got White's The Complete Claudine translations and I'm waiting for a Gallimard edition of the early Colette. I think I'll read Claudine a l'ecole in Gallimard and use White's translation as a crib.

LOL @ #2 koolaidmom / stalker

I will read A Certain Slant of Light today....

I've managed to make my way through Let the Wind Speak by Juan Carlos Onetti, which was interesting but a mite confusing. I'm about to start Heaven of Drums by Ana Gloria Moya for the Reading Globally group read and my bedtime I-have-no-brain book is No Bed for Bacon, which is proving to be suitably silly!

I'm reading the third book on the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher - Grave Peril. I seem to be in a light read frame of mind.

I've just started reading Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx.

I am reading Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges, and I am listening to Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell.

For yet another week running I'm still reading My Autobiography by Charlie Chaplin (picking up pace, but I'm still not even halfway through) and 'Moan about Men' by Juliana Foster. It's only a little humour hardback that was meant to be light relief to old Charlie, but I might have to just finish it to make myself feel better about this slow reading patch!

I'm reading a book I read about in 1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die. The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg. It was written in the early 1800's so took a bit to get used to the style. It's an interesting exploration of the implications of predestination as well as the psychology of the tormented. The other book I'm reading is The Poetry Home Repair Manual which I've just started but I love it's practical straightforward exploration of the challenges of the poet, as well as his humor.

Snash - I loved The Poetry Home Repair Manual, too. It is really engaging and inspiring - in a practical way. It made me want to read more about/of Ted Kooser.
Are you a poet?

Finished The Thirteenth Tale yesterday and started on People of the Book, a very interesting read! Brooks is amazing.

JolieLouise I'm supposed to answer that question with a "yes", but I haven't quite gotten used to the idea yet. I've been taking a writing workshop once a week for several years and much of what I write seem to turn out as poems. I'm more comfortable with saying, I'm working in that direction.

I'm reading two ARCs: First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria and Real Food for Mother and Baby and listening to an audiobook from the library: A Rose for the Crown.

>teelgee - I hope you like People of the Book I read it a couple months ago and really enjoyed it.

What did you think of The Thirteenth tale? I felt like I finished a completely different book than I started, if that makes any sense.

I am currently reading Kafka on the Shore by Murakami, I read his books every once and a while when I'm in the right mood for it. I like this one a lot!

I'm finishing up Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean in the hopes of having the review up on Tuesday when the book is released.

I just started with A disorder peculiar to the country by Ken Kalfus about a married couple in a divorce of which either of them things that the other one didn't survive the 9/11 attack. Although it's a heavy topic, it's a light and enjoyable read so far.

I finished The Terror by Dan Simmons, it was fairly massive.

Later today, I will start a book that I won from the Members Giveaway feature, Stewards of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl. I look forward to reading and reviewing it. :)

starfish: I enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale - I needed something non-profound after some of the books I'd been reading, and it was that -- a good tale, well told, a bit of mystery and intrigue. Not one that will stay with me for long.

Still working on A Prayer for Owen Meany which I need to hurry up on because my book for my bookclub, Them by Nathan McCall is calling my name.

I finished The Pirate's Daughter this morning and have now started Gods Behaving Badly. I also have The Stuff of Thought on the go for non-fiction but last week was a bit manic so I didn't get much reading done - hoping for more time on it this week! I also need to start Lord of Light for my book club this weekend.

I finally finished Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon
It was a read for a RL book group. Thank heavens its over, what a slog. The writing wasn't bad, there were interesting patches and slow patches but it just didn't really interest me. Not sure why.

Haven't decided what to read next, and I may be coming down with the galloping crud going around. A co-worker was sick and I may have it too. It isn't full blown, but I feel awful and am not sure if I am going to cough or puke.

I decided what to read next: Devil's Feathers, by David Chacko (7 weeks since I added it, Early Review book, and still no touchstone).

It is book 2 in the Onur Levent mystery series. It is set in modern day Istanbul, Turkey. Levent is a police officer in Istanbul.

I just finished His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis, slow going and dry. Now onto something much lighter like Romeo Romeo by Robin Kaye.

I've started The Host by Stephenie Meyer which is very interesting so far. Very Invasion of the Body Snatcherish. Also continuing on with Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English which, to my surprise, is more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

i just finished Betrayed by P. C. Cast and i am about to read Chosen the third book in the House of Night series

I just finished A Manuscript of Ashes by Antonio Munoz Molina. I really enjoyed this one, covering 1930 - 1970 Spain with a focus on the time period of the late 1930's during the Spanish Civil War, when events occurred that would lead to the 1960's search of a country house for a lost manuscript. It is beautifully written but might not be for readers that find long drawn out descriptions of scenery and ambiance annoying.

Next is The Illusion of Return, which is part of the Contemporary Art of the Novella series.

Ape

I loved The Terror when I read it a while back. Now you must read Drood by the same author.

Still reading my ER book Far North (no touchstone) by Marcel Theroux. It's pretty good though.

Morfam: Maybe I'll get lucky and win Drood in a contest, lots of blogs have been offering it up. That's how I got The Terror in the first place. :P

Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke good story and great recipes.

Finishing up Shakespeare, the world as stage by Bryson, and enjoying it very much. Brought home a slew of books from the library today, so not sure what will be next. I got A Wallflower Christmas, On Writing, a memoir of the craft, The Stress of Her Regard, Mark of the Lion, Veil of Lies, and Snobbery with Violence, all recommended by LTers. Of course, there are the other books I've got sitting on my nightstand waiting to be read or finished, including Sarum and The Italian Lover.

Oh, well, better to have too many to choose from than not enough.

Definitely my philosophy, Storeetllr. Don't know that I'd say "too many" though. I'd say "enough."

Heh. You're right, teelgee. I stand corrected. :)

Ahhh . . . I understand, Snash.
I should have asked, "So, do you write poetry?"
:)

Will finish Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson tonight. Then it is on to John Reed's popular account of the Russian Revolution, Ten Days That Shook the World.

Started with Shopaholic ties the knot by Sophie Kinsella and Famous Five go adventuring again by Enid Blyton.

I read A Certain Slant of Light yesterday...wonderful!
I recommend it....

I'm reading Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and his Brothers in the Civil War by Robert Roper. I also just started listening to Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.

I am reading (A Team Of Rivals, the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln) by ((Doris Kearns Goodwin)). Finding it difficult to find the rythm of the book.

I'm going to finish up Angels & Demon's by Dan Brown early in the week and then start on a Michael Connelly book though not sure which one yet.

Thanks to LouisBranning's enthusiastic recommendation in an earlier thread, I've read the remarkable Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada, a story, based on a real incident, of an ordinary working-class couple in Nazi Germany who resist in an unexpected way, with a broad array of other characters, vile, cowardly, romantic, and noble and honorable, who react to and are affected by the Nazi dictatorship and horrors.

I started on Possession but couldn't get into it, and read Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett instead which I loved, but then I finished it, and so now I'm wondering if I should go back to Possession again and see if I'm more in the mood for it now, or if I should pick something else to read ... after all, i only have about 6 large TBR piles to pick from.

Finished Stalin's Generals this week. A collection of biographical essays on various Soviet Generals of World War II. While it's a handy reference to have around, the quality of the essays vary so dramatically, that the book is very uneven. In particular, the Russian contributors are pretty uniformly bad. They are lacking in historical professionalism and are filled with either fulsome praise or rabid invective. The biography of Voroshilov seems as though it should have come with a small vial of spittle for you to fling at his photo as you read the text.

I had previously set aside The Day Wall Street Exploded to read Stalin's Generals. I've returned to that now.

Finishing the novella collection King of Cats by LT's own Blake Fraina.

Just started Goat by Brad Land. It was an ARC I had lying around my house for a while. Seems interesting, though...

I am about 1/3 of the way through The Gathering by Anne Enright. It's going pretty quickly, which is good, because I'm reading it for book club later this week. I'm not wild about it, though. Another member of my book club warned me that she (the author and/or the main character) seems to be obsessed with sex and decay, which pretty much sums it up. I picked up The Elegance of the Hedgehog from the library, so that will be next -- I'll bring it on our spring break trip.

#43 cameling, I had a hard time getting through Possession, too. I enjoyed it, but it took me a long time to read it. Well worth it, though.

I finished Devil's Feathers by David Chacko. About Istanbul police inspector Onur Levent . I enjoyed it very much. It was fast and lightweight, but I still loved it. The character of Levent is great, and Chcako does Turkey really, really well. This time it was set in the vacation area of Bodrum on the Aegean coast. I hope he writes more in the series.

I am now reading a SF/Mystery called Wyrmhole by Jay Caselberg. It is the first book in the Jack Stein psychic investigator series. It is set in the future in an organic city called the Locality, very class divided by money, and with a grasping corporation controlling everything. On a small planet a group of miners have mysteriously disappeared and the company hires Jack to find them, or maybe not ....

After having finished (at long last), Katherine Mansfield's stories, I'm starting Alan Hollinghurst's The Swimming-Pool Library. His Line of Beauty was excellent so I can't wait to read this new book by him (the first he published).

I sank so completely into The Swimming-Pool Library - it was beautifully written and quite compelling. I've not read The Line of Beauty yet but it's on my TBR mountain waiting...

I can't say enough about Alan Hollinghurst's writing. I so agree with Ellie's description of sinking into the The Swimming-Pool Library that I won't complain about the badness of the pun she iniflicted on the assembled.

Side note...does anyone who frequents this thread know how authors are touchstoned? I am a little weary of seeing some authors without them who should, in my never-very-humble opinion, have them.

Echoing Richard's point, it seems like the more famous the author is, the less likely that the touchstone will work! For example:

Fyodor Dostoevsky
Charles Dickens
Leo Tolstoy
Jean-Paul Sartre
Simone de Beauvoir
James Baldwin (Ha! That one worked)
Miguel de Cervantes
Marcel Proust
Carson McCullers
Flannery O'Connor

On the other hand:

Preeta Samarasan (first time author, born in Malaysia)
Dag Solstad (Norwegian author, not well known in the US)
Edward Docx (I have his novel Self Help, which hasn't been published in the US yet)
Ross Raisin (Yorkshire author who published his first novel last year)

A correction: Self Help, the title given to the book when it was released in the UK, was published in the US, but the title was changed to Pravda. I ordered it from the UK, since I couldn't find it here under the original title. I hate when US publishers do this!

Haha, thanks Richard - I hadn't even noticed my unfortunate choice of words!

I've got three books going for the Reading Globally Argentina theme:

La Guerra Gaucha is a collection of short stories based on the fighting during the War of Independence that took place along the northern border.

La continuacion y otras paginas is an anthology of short stories and poetry by Silivina Ocampo, contemporary of Borges.

Toda Mafalda is a collection of all the Mafalda strips by Quino. The title character is a young girl growing up in Buenos Aires in the late '60s-early '70s.

I'm also listening to Suite Francaise on audiobook.

I am still reading The Blind Assassin and Red Convertible and have also added a non-fiction book called Voluntary Madness about a woman who checks herself into three different mental health facilities to see the difference in care at each. I also need to get started on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for my RL book club.

The Group by McCarthy, U and I by Baker, Truth & Beauty by Patchett, Send Me Roses by Turner (Early Reviewer snag), White Tiger (audio), and too many more to mention.

# 43 Cameling, keep trying with Possession; it's one of my all-time favorite books. Not an easy read, I'll agree, but truly a wonderful book. An especially wonderful book for former English majors and would-be graduate students in English, like me! (I became a lawyer instead, and I've regretted it ever since.)

I'm reading at least four books at once, as is my wont: The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry; Black Ships by Jo Graham; Tales of Pain and Wonder by Caitlin R. Kiernan; and Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente. Lately I can't seem to get away from SF and fantasy -- even the most recent book reviewed on my blog (www.readingtheleaves.com) (a library book, so I can't review it on LibraryThing), though technically a mainstream book, had fantastical overtones -- Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen.

Of what I'm reading right now, The Manual of Detection has the quirkiest plot and Palimpsest has the richest language -- beautiful, lovely, silken language that you want to read the same way you'd eat fudge, slowly, relishing every word, rolling it around on your tongue, letting it bathe your brain cells. Just gorgeous writing.

>56 bookaholicgirl: bookaholicgirl - I've just bought Voluntary Madness, looking forward to seeing how profound her findings were.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson, which so far is delightful.

**elliepotten - I can't wait to hear what you think. I have it on hold at my library and can't wait to read it!

I am currently starting on Helping me help myself by Beth Lisick. I am hoping it is as amusing as it looks. :)

I just finished Breaking Dawn and am so glad to be done with the series. :) Still looking forward to seeing the movie though.

I finished Musn't Grumble: In Search of England and the English by Joe Bennett, which I enjoyed because it's funny and well-written but it's also enough to make someone bypass a visit to the U.K. Bennett is a glass-half-empty kind of guy.
I'm still reading Blind Assassin but I like to have two going at once. Haven't decided on what I'll pick up next.

#58 TerryWeyna - I just read a review of The Manual of Detection (touchstone doesn't appear to be working) where the reviewer made a parallel between Jedidiah Berry' novel and Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently character, so quirky does not surprise me in the least! I am looking a copy for myself now.

I have bounced through two quick novellas, The Illusion of Return and Esther's Inheritance and I am now halfway through Personal Days by Ed Park. I wasn't totally keen on the characters at first but 100 pages in they actually start to grow on you.

Yesterday I finished Clan Novel: Setite by Kathleen Ryan and started The Dark Descent edited by David G. Hartwell. I'm only about three or so stories into the latter, but I'm loving it so far!

I just finished Songs for the Missing. I'm also reading The Road to Rescue but also will start something else a little lighter.

I'm currently working on The Lost City of Z and Run for Your Life. Definitely enjoying the former more than the latter.

Well, I am halfway through Cry, the Beloved Country and Biblical Literacy. I read a section of the latter and then read the former.

And I just added book 1600 to my library - remember that's years and years of reading not just lately (see my profile)!

I hope to get to Death Star this week.

I'm still working on Wicked for my book club that meets Wednesday night. After I finish that, I'll pick my Member Giveaway book Who Really Goes To Hell back up.

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly and loving it!

I just started Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjahlian. I'm giving him another chance since I didn't care for Midwives all that much. Anyway, I'm liking Skeletons at the Feast the opening which reminds me a bit of the opening of Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. In both books a family of refugees are fleeing from an enemy nation trying to
occupy their own European nation.

Somehow, I just jumped from the Viet Nam War in Loon: A Marine Story by Jack McLean to World War II in Skeletons at the Feast. If I could only stay away from war! It seems to be everywhere!! :(

#60 jnwelch: I just read Miss Pettigrew a couple weeks ago and LOVED it! it was such a fun book! I literally cackled with laughter several times. Guinivere is such a hoot ;-)

#65 schmapp: I read Songs for the Missing when it came out as part of the Barnes & Noble First Look club. It was good... not great, but it has stuck with me since reading it.

#68 mcelhra: I read Wicked last year and absolutely despised the book. I do, however, love-love-love the musical version of it ;-) "Popular" is my favorite song from it.

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I just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and my review is In the Shadow of Mt. TBR.

I'll start reading Brisingr by Christopher Paolini tomorrow... er, later today, according to my clock.

I'm currently reading Absolute Friends by John Le Carre; I started it a couple of weeks ago but made absolutely no progress last week. I'm hoping to finish it this week though.

Midwives was my least liked of Bohjahlian's books..I have read every one.
I gave Wicked away unread, I just couldn't get into it.
I am reading The Terror and suspect I will be for a few days...it is good~ but~

Still The slippery slope by Lemony Snicket, but I'll finish it soon, maybe tonight. The series is great, not like what I thought at first.
And a new book this week Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Have to pick up the Slippery Slope one of these days - I'm trying to finish that series that I interrupted years ago - got to #8 and stopped for some reason

I got an Early Review book last week but haven't had time for it yet Stupid American History. I had read Stupid History and that was neat, so I was glad to get this new one, too. My husband is reading it right now. I'll get to it soon.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery ... not enjoying this one all that much and am anxious to finish it and move on to something else. I hear the ending is "unusual" which is why I keep plugging away. Globally, this book gets amazing reviews, so I don't get it yet. Next will be Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder ~ I need to read about someone actively making the world a better place instead of people sitting and whining for 300+ pages!

Finished Cry, the Beloved Country. I don't think I would have read this had it not been recommended so highly this past week. I would have missed a treasure and was glad that I not only decided to read it sometime, but actually went ahead and borrowed it form the library that day. Don't miss this one if you haven't already read it. Oprah was onto something here.

I am reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Last Days of Dogtown, and November 22, 1963.

--> 73

Midwives was my least liked of Bohjahlian's books..I have read every one.

I'm willing to give an author a second chance if I don't like one book. Usually after two books I don't like, though, I'll not pick up that author's books again. Sue Monk Kidd was one of those authors for me (two books I didn't care for).

So far this week I've got going The Wonderful Wizard of Oz via ebook on Project Gutenberg. This is my first ebook attempt.
And Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature which is a YA book about a girl who grew up in a very conservative Christian household but is finding that after being ostracized by members of her church for an incident involving a gay student her views of other things she has been taught at church have changed as well.
Finally, I'm still listening to To Kill a Mockingbird read by Sissy Spacek in the car.

#78, jedziedz, Adam Braver's November 22, 1963 is really an exceptional novel, hope you like it as much as I did.

I'm steadily working on Team of Rivals -- though I do not want to think about how long it would be taking me to get through if it were a less engaging book.

That said, even with the 120 pages of end notes (in practically microscopic print, no less) I'm still clearly nearer the back cover than the front.

I began reading my first M.C. Beaton yesterday as this author has so many fans in the crime and mystery group. I am enjoying it, though I know I've started in the middle of the series with Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death. Oooh, Mrs. Raisin is an opportunist, isn't she?

CarolynSchroeder, I hope you enjoy Mountains Beyond Mountains as much as I did. Tracy Kidder is one of my favorite authors, and the story of what Dr. Paul Farmer and his organization Partners in Health have done is remarkable and uplifting.

I also liked the one you were struggling with, Elegance of a Hedgehog. It started coming together for me in the second half of the book, so hopefully by now your experience with it has improved.

I just started Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center, an Early Reviewer book

I hope to finish The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie today or tomorrow. It started off pretty slow, but somewhere around page 160 I realized that I had at some point fallen in love with it. Laurie's love of language is obvious and often hilarious. I'll then start The War for the Oaks by Emma Bull for my high school book club and Love in a Dry Season by Shelby Foote for my adult book club.

Just finished The Book Thief last night, and have since worked my way almost totally through Everyone Is Beautiful! I've just been a reading maniac lately. Next up will be The Friday Night Knitting Club, the Borders Book Club pick for April. I'm leading the discussion at work, so guess I better get on top of that!

#87 writemeg: How did you like The Book Thief?

jnwelch ~ You were so right, the last 1/3 or so of The Elegance of the Hedgehog was not only good, it was better than good ~ beautiful and moving. It felt like reviewing two books in one. But thank you for telling me to stick with it.

I'm glad you liked Mountains Beyond Mountains ... I too love Tracy Kidder and the subjects he writes about. So I thought it was time to pick something up by him already in my library (I have a few).

Squeaky, I loved The Secret Life of Bees, but not Mermaid's Chair

meg.. did you like Bookthief?

Just finished Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.

Started Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.
The startchy, pretentious woman in the used book store down the street, the woman who sits slicing pears paper thin with an old fashioned fruit knife, told me she didn't like it and that she doesn't like mysteries. That was enough of a positive recommendation for me. Long book, but already gothic and fun.

Actually bookstore lady could be a good gothic, mad-woman-in-the-attic type of character. She didn't like it because she lived it.

I finished Wyrmhole by Jay Caselberg. SF book first in the Jack Stein, Psychic Investigator series. It was good.

The author has created an organic city, based on gated communities. Everything is self-contained, like the cities in Chung Kuo , but smaller and mobile. The city moves across the landscape. It is separated into New, Mid, Old. Old is the part that is the oldest, with everything breaking down, and about to be re-absorbed and recycled.

The book is a mystery about miners who have disappeared but there is a bunch of mysticism and higher-level math and geometry - though it doesn't overwhelm.

I am now reading The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason. Very cool, imaginary historical fiction. Purports to be the lost parts of Homer's Odyssey. A series of short stories, all so far have a twist/zinger, and the writing is enchanting.

I have been on a short story bender of late. Somehow amidst all the March Madness action this past weekend I managed to finish Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned: Stories by Wells Tower. Oh man but were those stories uniformly excellent---I so look forward to reading anything new by WT in the future! The wrtiting was top-notch and what a memorably desperate cast of characters he assembled. Fantastic.

After that I started White Rat: Stories by Gayl Jones. So far at least, with about two-thrids read, as ususal IMO, GJ's writing is challenging, the emotions she conjures can be brutal and real artistic brilliance emerges from it all.

After I finish that tonight I plan to start Love and Obstacles: Stories by Aleksandar Hemon. I expect good things from it since I have loved everything else I have ever read by him. I am so relieved that he hasn't just forsaken the short form entirely for novels---I have esp. respected that he continues to have stories published in journals/mags when one could have easly expected The Question of Bruno: Stories to very well be his last story collection for some time after the critical reception of his novels. I love it when authors who are quite adept at both the long and short forms find a way to alternate between them with some measure of regularity.

I'm still reading Dragonfly in Amber, which is better than Outlander, IMO. I'm feeling very rollercoasterish (or sine wave-ish) WRT Jamie in this book, though. First he'll be awesomely amazing, then he'll say or do something stupid or borderline abusive, then he'll be amazing, then he'll say or do something borderline abusive etc etc. I can definitely understand where the Outlander addicts are coming from.

Also, I just started reading The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago and it is excellent so far.

>91 boulder_a_t: boulder_a_t - Excellent! Made me giggle...

Started The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles.As old as this book is makes me wonder why I am just now reading it. Off to a good start !

CarolynSchroeder - I'm glad you stuck with the Elegance of the Hedgehog, it's one of my favorite books, despite the ending. I would have wished for a happier ending, but at the same time, I liked that Ms Barbery didn't feel she had to give it typical happy ever after ending. I thought that in some way, the way the book ended was actually very appropriate.

mckait - i loved Secret Life of Bees and didn't enjoy the Mermaid Chair too.

Since I've received encouragement from some LTers, I shall persevere with Possession and keep my fingers crossed that I will come to the point where I start enjoying it. I don't dislike it ... it's just not drawing me in as yet.

I'm also reading Waltzing the Cat by Pam Houston at the same time.

I watched David Copperfield on Masterpiece Theatre last night and I'm yearning to read the book again.

>97 cameling: cameling...when you find that point in Possession, please tell me where it is so I can go back and finish the damned dull thing.

I am reading Stalking Ivory by Suzanne Arruda and enjoying it. It's the second book in the series. And just because I haven't read a horror thriller in a long time, I am also reading The Abandoned by Douglas Clegg.

I see I'm not the only one who's been struggling with The Elegance of the Hedgehog. There I was stuck on a plane with nothing else to fall back on. I'm around pg 140 now and it is beginning to pick up. I would have given up on it had I had the opportunity. From what I keep hearing, it should be easier going from here on out!

cameling~ When I am reading one of those books, I almost always persever. I don't know why, because I can always think of as many reasons not to as I can to go on. Sometimes, it is worth it and there will be a gem hidden within the farb. Other times, I find I can think if many other things I could have done with those hours. It is just hard for me to give up...Waltzing the Cat by Pam Houston sounds good~

I just finished Good People by Marcus Sakey. It's a good solid thriller and thanks again to an LT friend.
I'm starting The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein. I haven't heard much about this book but it comes highly recommended from a work pal.

started Death Star, it's another in the Star War series going back to when Darth Vader was around but just before Star Wars: A New Hope

I am also nearing completion of Biblical Literacy

that's quite a combination I have going!

Glad to hear that in the end you enjoyed The Elegance of the Hedgehog, CarolynSchroeder. Like cameling, I wasn't looking for the ending it has, but it was appropriate and moving. Renee and Paloma and Mr. Ozu - all so memorable. It definitely takes a while for all the threads to start pulling together.

Of Tracy Kidder's books, I particularly liked House, Among Schoolchildren and Soul of a New Machine.

#97 cameling - I'm afraid I never got into Possession, though I loved the movie. I think part of it was that I am so not into Victorian poetry. I just skipped over all those parts in the book. The story itself was good but kind of dull, I just did not see what everyone was raving about over it. To each his/her own.

I'm reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

I just finished a wonderful (IMO) book called The Book of Dahlia by Elisa Albert. It is simultaneously the funniest book about an inoperable brain tumour, and the most heartbreaking look at fractured families. Loved it.

Next up, The Prairie Bridesmaid by Daria Salamon, which I am picking up mostly because it's a local author, but I've heard good things.

I'm still plugging away at The Blind Assassin. It seemed like it took it a looong time to get going somewhere, but now I hate to put it down. The writing has been sumptuous all along. Trouble is, I'm on vacation with my two young kids, which doesn't leave much time for reading...

#108 Sounds like a slow starter. I have the book, but I have no idea whether I've read it or not. If I have then clearly I wasn't inspired!

Just started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Not sure I'm in the mood for that kind of book at the moment, but if I put it down will never pick it up again. I've only read about 4 pages though.

In an attempt to read more classics, I picked up Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov without really knowing what it was about, the summary just barely hinted at the content with broad phrases like Forbidden love

So apparently this novel is the car crash of the literary world, one of those things you know you should but you just can stop staring.

Oh and I have Nation by Terry Pratchett waiting in the wings.

Finished Close Range: Wyoming Stories last night, and have started reading Rhett Butler's People.

Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd.

Book 4 in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Summer Knight.

#49-51 >

I am just past halfway through The Line of Beauty right now. The writing is really terrific. The first 75 pages or so were particularly a tour de force, I thought. In particular Hollinghurst has a subtle but extremely effective touch in showing how a gay man, living on sort of the border between "acceptable" and "hidden" in 1980s English society, would be made to feel so frequently an "other," even if unintentionally, by those around him. But while I am still coming quite regularly upon exquisite patches of prose, I'm starting to feel like things are getting a bit repetitious. I'm ready for a little more story and a little less mordantly funny, even if extraordinary, observations about English upper crust society. Partly, that's because the problems/foibles of rich people have always had limited fascination for me, in general. I am still enjoying the book, overall, very much, however.

I finished Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (review In the Shadow of Mt. TBR) today and really enjoyed it. It was a short play... or, rather, short compared to some of Shakespeare's... but presents a very interesting question, "Is there any real value in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake? or does it only gain value when you put that knowledge to use to help humanity?" It's a cool play, and fairly easy to read (again, compared to Shakespeare it's easy to read)

I'm almost a third of the way through Brisingr, but it seems to be slow-going. I don't know if it's just me, or if it's the book that's hard to get into. That was one of the reasons I finished up Faustus instead.

I just finished Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, which was a lot of fun. Now I'm about halfway through Mosquito by Roma Tearne, which is a beautiful piece of prose.

ETA: Can't get the Anansi Boys touchstone to work.

#60 jnwelch; #71 thekoolaidmom,
I recently watched the delightful film adaptation of
"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day". Have either of you seen the movie?

Continuing reading Henry James' "Portrait of a Lady", finished Chapters 28-36, plus I the short story "Redemption" by John Gardner, both for discussion classes tomorrow.

I've also been doing research reading about Chinese Porcelain & Jade plus reviewing sections about Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven in "A Guide to Orchestral Music" by Ethan Mordden for a music appreciation class.

#117 Catgwinn: no, I haven't watched the movie yet. It was from watching trailers for the movie that I found out about the book, actually. I wanted to read it first, then watch it. It's at the top of my Netflix Queue now, though ;-)

I just finished The History of Love and The Reader. I started A Prayer for Owen Meany. I'm hoping it will pick up soon.

Catgwinn - i saw the movie Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and found it as delightful as the book.

mckait - i'm persevering, i'm persevering ... and i'm feeling persecuted in the process. I'm really hoping this gets getter but for now, it's hard going.
thank goodness for Waltzing with the Cat which I'm loving and almost finished.

jhedlund - happy vacation! and keep going with The Blind Assassin - i found it a little slow to start off with, but it quickly picked up pace for me and I really enjoyed the book.

I am currently re-reading "Jane Eyre". I have read it before for pleasure, but right now am reading it for my Major British Writers class. I love this book and have been waiting all semester to be able to discuss it with the class.

I loved the movie Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and my kids did too.

#119 seusche:

You won't regret hanging in there with A Prayer for Owen Meany. It definitely grows on you. And try not to be put off by Owen's voice in all caps. The book was written before (or early days in) the Internet convention of using all caps for SHOUTING. I imagined my own interpretation of Owen's voice that served me well. This is my favorite of Irving's books and I love the way he ties up all the loose ends (as I've noted before).

I'll second hanging in there for A Prayer for Owen Meany ... it develops beautifully and one of the best fiction endings in recent memory. I read it recently ~ in January.

cameling: I loved Possession, but I got into it straight away. I lent it to my mum raving about how great it was & she couldn't finish it. She said there wasn't enough happening for her.

I'm nearly finished Tim by Colleen McCullough. I'm finding it surprisingly easy to read, and not quite as disturbing as I thought. It's about a 45 year old lady who forms a friendship with, and then marries, a 25 year old man with a mental disability. It's for a RL book group: there will be lots to discuss I think.

Still going with Acquired Tastes, which is a really interesting look at food in Australia and how it has changed. So far it's focusing on home cooks rather than restaurants, and what people eat at home.

Also still reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I've read it ages ago, so I know what's going to happen. I'm reading it slowly to savour it, and I am really enjoying it. The writing is just so beautiful.

#125 There is a movie of Tim. It stars a young Mel Gibson as Tim. It was very well done.

#124 There is also a movie of Prayer for Owen Meany only it is titled Simon Birch.

I am reading In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien.

I am not crazy about the third person writing.

Reading Tortilla Curtain for book club and really enjoying it so far. This is my first TC Boyle book.

#119 I third sticking with A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I'm actually rereading right now. I loved it at 17 and I'm finding it even better the second time around at 23 (now that I've had a few more life experiences...).

#127 Have you seen Simon Birch? I heard it was awful and was made despite the wishes of Irving. That's why it's called Simon Birch, since Irving wouldn't allow the title to be used. I've never seen it, but it peaks my curiosity.

Reading Traveling with Djinns by Jamal Mahjoub. I'm in the midst of a reading slump, or maybe I've just been distracted by college basketball. Anyway, I've been taking my time.

Finished Personal Days. While it was entertaining for a while, I just got fed up with it some 30 pages from the end.
Time to recharge my braincells with a trip back into mystery genre with Where Serpents Sleep by C.S. Harris.

Reading Volume II of 2666 and The Given Day by Dennis Lehane.

Yesterday I read Once Upon a Marigold which was a light read that I would've liked better as a kid. I also read Fruits Basket Volume 22 which I absolutely loved and had to read over again. And I finished Behind the Scenes at the Museum this morning before work.

Now I'm reading Naruto until I can decide what to start next.

112: Leuntje,

I'd be interested to know what you think of Hawksmoor. Can't say I liked it when I read it some years ago. I did think Peter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas More was one of the most unique and best biographies I've read.

I picked up a Jack Ketchum book yesterday and read the first half in one sitting. It's been a while since I read a book that made me sit with it that long in one shot.

Off Season by Jack Ketchum

I am a great Ogden Nash fan. Custard, the Dragon is one of my favorite of his poems.

I sometimes think that Custard is my totem animal. I do a fair bit of crying for a nice, safe cage. I also roar down on crises when called for, especially if no one else seems to be doing anything.

Enjoy!

Today, March 24, 2009, I am reading George R. R. Martin's Busted Flush, from the library and I am working my way through The Brain that changes Itself by Norman Doige, also from my very fine library.

Waiting in the wings, actually, by my bed, is (blush) Ghouls Just haunt to Have Fun by Victoria Laurie.

The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst was a fun read. While I wasn't as enthralled by it as I was by The Line of Beauty (which was a crazy, disturbing and wonderful experience), it was hard to put down nonetheless. It's both a physical and intellectual experience to read a Hollinghurst novel and this one is no exception. I must say he's becoming one of my favourite authors, I love what he's doing.

I am now starting Washington Square by Henry James (my first by him).

Finally got my Early Review book back from the guys. They both thought it amusing and a fast read. I'll add it to my "books I am currently reading" pile and have three going at once and see what gets done first. I am betting on this third one - Stupid American History, which is too new to have a Touchstone.

>138 Sibylle.Night: Sibylle, Washington Square is an excellent place to start James's novels...what a timeless story, and his trademark in fiction...character building...is in peak form! If you like this one, may I suggest reading The Golden Bowl next? Another timeless story, and such richly real characters that I expected to be able to find their descendents in the phone book.

James is most famous for his "short" stories (by 19th-century standards, I guess), I am reliably informed, and The Aspern Papers is a delightful entry-point there. My comrade-in-arms, the Divine Miss, is a Jamesian of long standing, and re-reads the stories every few years.

Just started reading Jim the Boy by Tony Earley, and I am listening to Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell.

#128-MomMom- TC Boyle is such a good writer- I read The Road to Wellville and Riven Rock and they are fantastic books

#141 hemlokgang, I've always been a huge fan of Tony Earley's Jim the Boy, and the 2008 sequel The Blue Star is every bit as good, highly recommended.

today I started to read the Road to Nab End by William Woodruff, its been on my list of books to read for ages. I have just finished Black Diamonds by Catahrine Bailey

I reviewed King of Cats (aargh touchstone will NOT work!!) by LT author Blake Fraina at last. The short version is, I like the book and loathe the characters. My "75 Books Challenge" thread has the review in message 201 for anyone inclined to read it.

I just got done reading Identical by Ellen Hopkins. and im about to start reading 13 reasons why.

believe it or not i started reading jade goodys autobiography 2 weeks ago.
while reading it she was suffering all this pain we all are aware of, i find it sad reading her upbringing to the stage she reached in her life then the inevebntable thing happened.
this book i will cherish as i found jade to be a lovely person even tho she caused alot of hype

#140
Thanks so much for your comment, Richard. I'm enjoying it very much so far, it is very good characterization indeed. I've been recommended The Golden Bowl several times, but I've already bought Portrait of a Lady. I also want to read The Bostonians, because the story sounds terrific (feminist movement in Boston in the 1870s).

#s 141, 143, I also love Jim the Boy.

Last night I finished The Gathering by Anne Enright. I came to appreciate the book more after I was about halfway through. Now I'm reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

Just finished The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House I couldn't put it down the true story and mystery of the horrible murder kept me reading long into the night. (While I really should have been sleeping.) One of those: All spare moments and minutes, at the toilet, while cooking dinner, watching tv and reading at the same time...and while you should be sleeping etc. kind of reads. And now I'm working on Skvadron 338 i Kamp, Bagdad slår tilbake. And, if anyone want any suggestions on what to read: Please check out G.E.N.I. Genetically Enhanced Natural Intelligence Story locations like: Hjerkinn, Værnes, Dombås, Lillehammer, Hawaii- Kalekona Moku, Washington DC... Read more about it at: http://lskamsar1976.spaces.live.com/

>117 Catgwinn: Catgwinn - I haven't read Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day yet - it's on my TBR pile - but when the movie first came out and I'd never heard of the book I was dying to see it thanks to the lovely Lee Pace being the leading man. I couldn't see it at the time but I bought it when it was released a fortnight ago and had a girlie afternoon with my mum and sister and lots of chocolate! I'm hoping the book will be just as scrummy for a weekend's quiet reading (also with chocolate)...

I am still reading The Terror. I am halfway through, and I have concluded that I am not liking it all that much. I may or may not finish it.

Today I received an arc of a book I really want to read.. so we shall see...
I guess I can save The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters for the weekend..

Today I started reading The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett which I'm finding fabulously funny.

Also started a new audiobook - Black Swan Green by David Mitchell which is ace, as Jason would say.

I finished The Blind Assassin around 1am and then I started Eclipse.

"Portrait of A Lady" is my first venture into Henry James and I am enjoying it. I'm reading it a few chapters each week for an 8-week discussion class on "Portrait..." and Henry James. I'll be looking for additional Henry James novels once I finish this one.

I snuck in Scat by Carl Hiaasen (a young reader's book) and it was really cute. I love Hiaasen for a nice diversion from the serious stuff I usually read. This one was good, but not as good as Hoot (also for young readers).

AMQS ~ Let us know what you thought of The Elegance of the Hedgehog ... I just finished it this week too (and posted my review as well).

#157, Carolyn, I will. I am not too far into it yet, but I like it so far. Today is a snow day -- first one in a long, long time, so I may be able to get some reading done. I really enjoyed your review.

Hi everyone:

My name is Matthew and im new to this group. Right now im reading a book called "One Tuesday Morning". Its fiction/non-fiction. Its fiction in that the characters in the book are fake and its non-fiction because it affects the characters during the the events of 9/11. So if u get a chance check the book out. its really great and i think u will love it.

I echo the accolades above for Jim the Boy and The Blue Star by Tony Early. I just finished Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson and thought it was delightful. Currently I'm reading August Heat by Andrea Camilleri and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, both very good in very different ways.

>159 Mtcornett: Matthew, welcome! I hope we'll hear a lot from you as you read.

Touchstones help others find the books you mention in your posts...a single square bracket at the start and end of a title makes a touchstone: One Tuesday Morning. I assume you mean the book by Karen Kingsbury, and the touchstone for authors is just TWO square brackets fore and aft.

Still reading The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco..loving every sentence.....and started Mapp and Lucia by E F Benson....both of these for Group Reads on SHELFARI...

i shall join this group as soon as i've posted :D

Currently reading Jane Eyre - i thought it was about time i read some classics and I'm really glad I picked this to read because I'm really enjoying so far.
After i've finished that I've got Crime and Punishment waiting in the wings since these are both library books that have to be back next week.

I really liked The Island of the Day Before.....glad you are enjoying it, jdthloue.

Started Morningtide by Scott McGough earlier today. It's been too long since I read the first book so I'm a little fuzzy on the details.

I finished North and South which I really liked. Now for a bit of a mystery break with Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.

Thanks hemlokgang ....this book is a lush word-feast...funny to boot...full of ideas that work and miserable failures...war, peace,love...birds of all feathers!!! WOW!

Awww, Jane Eyre! It's wonderful, but I first read our old copy when I was only tiny - about six, perhaps - and now every time I catch the scent of those musty old pages I get a chill of Grace-Poole-induced childhood terror down my spine. Very evocative.

I was really hoping to finish Charlie Chaplin's My Autobiography tomorrow (which has slowly entwined itself through my days so that I will miss it very much - it's turned out to be wonderful!) and start People of the Book but somebody's gone and reserved it and now I have to take it back in the morning. I'll have to be patient and wait for it to come back because I don't want to pay 80p to reserve it!

Welcome Matthew. Hope you love Library Thing as much as we all do.

I've just started Atwood's "Handmaid Tale" for a literature class I'm taking.

I just finished We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter S. Beagle. A wonderful little collection of short stories. I have to admit my very favorite was the first one, "Uncle Chaim and Aunt Rifke and the Angel".

Next up is Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher.

Just finishing up The Sword of Pleasure by Peter Green. (No, it is NOT that kind of book, thank you very much! It's historical fiction, the subtitle is Being the Memoirs of the Most Illustrous Lucius Cornelius Sulla.) ;b

Finished The Blind Assassin and started Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. Hooked from the first page, as usual with her books. Just what I need right now.

#171 - Seitherin - the title of Carrie Fisher's memoir makes me grin every time I see it.

Three books at the same time is keeping me busy - and then things in my life keep encroaching on my reading time.

#170 - tell me how you like The handmaid's tale it's on my TBR pile

I'm in the middle of Electroboy by Andy Behrman. It's the author's memoirs of living with mania. Phew! I'm exhausted just reading about his lifestyle. Back to the book...

Okay, finally finished Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian after 13 days. Not that it was a hard read, just that I have a new granddaughter and I have my priorities! I only gave Skeletons two and a half stars. Bohjalian disappointed me this time with his poor character and plot development. I felt he could have done much, much more with both.

Anyhow, now I'm on to The Ten-Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer. Why is her Touchstone in red??

Maybe I won't read Skeletons at the Feast (post # 70) after all. I think I'll just chuck it and try for something better. It seems like a good story in theory, but the beginning is a little stilted, or is that just my imagination? Anyway, I found something more interesting (post # 177) to read in the meantime, and I don't think I want to go back to Skeletons...

Well, I am typically stingy with my stars. I just read all 14 reviews of the book and most people gave it 4 or 5 stars--so maybe it's just me!

#170: Oh, you're so lucky! I finished it several weeks ago and it made me long for a lit class just so I could discuss it with someone. Alas, I accosted all of my reading friends, but none had read it and so I was left to mull over my thoughts by myself (this was before I stumbled upon Library Thing). Love it or hate it, it will certainly make one think.

#88, #90 -- thekoolaidmom, mckait --

Sorry it took me so long to check back in! :) I absolutely LOVED The Book Thief -- couldn't stop reading it, cried and felt my chest tightening, finished it and felt like I'd just gone on an epic journey. I can't recommend it highly enough! I blogged about it here, just in case you'd like to check it out!

Now I'm caught up in the middle of John Green's Looking For Alaska... and I have that terrible feeling in my stomach again. That nervous anticipation of something catastrophic about to happen. Oh, the fears and joys of reading!

Oh, John Green's book, Looking for Alaska! I got it from my LT Secret Santa in 2007. It was good. ...and John Green is even an LT author.

I finished Team of Rivals last night. It's a good book, and the size is kind of neccessary to cover the scope in any detail.

Today, after nearly two months (yes, two months) in the Civil War, I'm moving bacwards a bit more to read David Hackett Fischer's Paul Revere's Ride.

>179 SqueakyChu:, 180...Skeletons at the Feast seems to me to be a precious, overwritten grad student submission to the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Sentences like, "You searched for the Jews in the woods, and then you shot them" which occurs on p51 of my ARC made me Pearl-Rule the book. I have a finite number of eyeblinks in this life and I will waste no more of them on ridiculous, second-person, "look at my writing isn't it wonderful?" nonsense.

Not that I have an opinion, mind! And I thank the donor of the said ARC heartily for the kindness of the gift. It's simply not a good fit for me.

--> 185

Okay. That will be two down for Chris Bohjalian. I guess he's just not the writer for me. I read the entirety of Midwives which left me cold as well. Thanks for sharing your opinion, richardderus.

#185: What does "Pearl-Rule" mean?

Thanks for your opinion. I really thought that the subject matter in Skeletons at the Feast deserved better writing, but I'm on to something else now. There's always another book or three to read and I'm sticking with light subject matter while I'm spending so many of my leisure hours enthralled with (did I mention?) my new granddaughter.

--> 187

Thanks for your opinion. I really thought that the subject matter in Skeletons at the Feast deserved better writing,

I think that is exactly what might have turned me off initially to this book. It seemed as if the subject matter had already been trivialized based on the first two chapters (which is where I stopped reading it to pick up another book).

>187 jbleil: jbleil..."Pearl Rule" refers to uberlibrarian Nancy Pearl, who popularized the Rule of Fifty. It is a means of gauging just what a fair shake is when dealing with books. A person under 50 years old should, to be fair to the book and author, read 50 pages before...errr, how to say this tactfully...setting aside a book that has proven unsatisfactory in some way.

Past the fiftieth birthday, one subtracts the difference in age from the number of pages to be read as a fair test. For example, a sixty-one-year-old reads a fair test of 39 pages (61-50=11, 50-11=39) before...ehmmm...passing to other books.

Grandchild? What is this concept "grandchild?" I am not speaking the English too well, please to forgive. (Actually, I have three of my own, congratulations and remember that gloating over the new parents' pain is best kept to one's self.)

ETA: Forgot to mention that Pearl has two wonderful books out: Book Lust and More Book Lust. They are wonderful reads in themselves, but be forewarned...the TBR pile will grow exponentially with each reading!

--> 189

Hehe! I only made it to page 45, but I'm a bit older than that so I have less time to waste. I like Nancy Pearl's rule. I did adhere to it without even knowing the exact figures. Thank you for that, richardderus.

By the way, I had the good fortune to meet Nancy Pearl and chat with her at one of the National Book festivals.

I have Book Lust at home, but I'm afraid to even open it as my TBR pile has grown exponentially with the book just being in my house! :)

#189

Pearl Rule--I like this rule. I need never feel guilty again for dropping a book.

Finished Stupid American History. or everything you thought about American history and are probably wrong about!

>190 SqueakyChu: You Met Nancy Pearl in the flesh?? I am revoltingly jealous! Brilliantly emerald hued! Hate-filled! Now, as penance for being so fortunate, you must finish Skeletons at the Feast! ;-0

>191 jbleil: jbleil, I know what you mean...it's a big burden off, isn't it?

>192 koalamom: k-mom, have you posted a review?

--> 193

LOL! No, thanks. No "Skeletons" in my future.

Yes, I did meet her. The funny thing was that I almost didn't know who she was at the time. I'd been at the National Book festival listening to other authors. It was near the end of the day, and I'd lost my friend so I sat in the back of a tent to listen to a woman speaking. The "person" was, in fact, Nancy Pearl. I only heard the last ten minutes of her talk but found it very interesting. I barely knew who she was at that time. Later in the day, as I was walking around the festival giving away Bookcrossing books, I recognized her with family or friends just enjoying the festival so I stopped to talk to her. She was quite down-to-earth and friendly. For the fun of it, I had her give me a off-the-cuff book recommendation (it was The Mandarins). I then went to get a copy of Book Lust. When I run out of ideas of what to read, I'll look into her book. :)

>194 SqueakyChu: When I run out of ideas of what to read, I'll look into her book ROFL...you'd have to lose Internet access, or LibraryThing would have to cease operations for that dark day to dawn. Sad to think of that poor little book, there on a shelf, waiting all teary-paged to be picked up and loved like all the other books on your shelves...*sniff*

I finished Tim a few days ago. It was ok. Not one of Colleen McCullough's better books. It was written in 1975, so some of the descriptions of Tim seem very un-PC. I'm not sure if that is the author's voice, or not. Some of the story seemed quite improbable, and almost like a Mills & Boon.

Now I can focus on Mockingbird.

EDITED: to fix typos.

I have finished, and reviewed, Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World by Dan Koeppel. Short version is, read it because it's about something very, very, very important...the food security of millions of people...and the very real chance that your grocery store won't have bananas in the next decade pales in importance compared to that.

My review is in my "75 Books Challenge" thread in message 203 for anyone interested.

ETA: Thanks, Jude...though that doesn't make up for the fact that SqueakyChu MET HER!!!!

The "Banana" book looks interesting. I'll have to look for it.

I've already read a book by Dan Koeppel! It was To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession which turned out to be, to me anyway, a fascinating book. My husband and I used to be birders (though just for fun and only including birds in our backyard). I thought the book about Dan's dad was amazing and sad at the same time. It's really worth reading.

My recently read "one-food" book was Maple Sugarin' in Vermont which had been a LT ER book that had been won by a friend of mine, but I was the one who reviewed it. Unfortunately, though it had good information and pictures, it was about as interesting as reading an encyclopedia article. My friend couldn't finish it. :(

>199 SqueakyChu: birds so do not do it for me...I myself will pass on that one.

Isn't it sad that so many single-topic books end up dusty dreary dry? I'm reading one like that now, Full Meridian of Glory...an interesting subject, but so far not sparkling enough to make anyone not already interested in the history of science pick the book up. Hiss boo. And a big boo hiss on the touchstone for not working.

birds so do not do it for me...

:)

I'm a failed birder (they fly away too fast), but the family aspects make it sound interesting to me.

193 - yes and I was really glad when I was chosen to get this book. I had already read (and still own) Gregory's Stupid History and was anxious to get this as well.

And I made a trip to the library and picked up Coalseam which was recommended to me by laytonwoman3rd and since I volunteer at the Lackawanna Historical Society, I felt I should take a gander at the poetry of the region.

>177 SqueakyChu: SqueakyChu - Electroboy sounds pretty good - I'm bipolar so it'll be interesting to see which elements of his story ring true, as ever with memoirs like these.

I finally finished Charlie Chaplin's My Autobiography - my review is on my 50-Book thread, message 55:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/53768

After I had to take People of the Book back to the library and thus lost the novel I was going to start today, I'm going to stick with the library books and go for Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman instead.

P.S. Can someone please tell me how to do that thing so that I can write, say, my link is here, and people can just click on 'here' instead of pasting the full address?

#174 - JolieLouise - Know what you mean about Fisher's memoir. I can't wait to read more than the first page which is all I've had the time for so far.

I recently finished The Night Following by Morag Joss and really enjoyed it-her books tend to be really heartbreaking but so so beautiful.

After that I read The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie-a book by my favorite author I hadn't yet read-and then Hello Darkness by Sandra Brown (she's great for romantic mystery suspense thrillers). Now I'm currently reading Living Dead in Dallas by Charlane Harris-don't love the series as much as I've loved other vampire series, but still enjoying it.

--> 204

Electroboy is really an interesting book. So far, I'm only seeing the manic phase of this disorder and am wondering why the author is just glossing over his depression. The other odd and frightening thing about this book is that I'm seeing behavior patterns that are not unlike those of a member within my own family. It's scary.

--> 204

elliepotten, do this:

(A HREF="http://www.librarything.com/topic/53768")My Thread(/A)

Only use the pointed brackets (those on top of the comma and period keys) instead of parentheses.

Yes that is the book im talking bout. thanks for the tip. I will keep that in mind for future posts.

Hi. Yes i do love Library thing. My cousin told me about this website so i decided to check it out and here i am. i've gotten a friend from school hooked on this website too.

#170, 176, 181 - I love The Handmaid's Tale and it is probably the only book I feel the need to periodically reread.

For what it's worth, I also enjoyed Skeletons at the Feast. I agree that the writing is a bit stilted and I'm really not a Bohjalian fan, but I enjoyed the story.

>207 SqueakyChu: SqueakyChu, that is worrisome. I hope you're taking it seriously and planning some kind of response.

I read The Sociopath Next Door and was scared witless to recognize my former son-in-law. Thank GOODNESS my daughter got rid of him. Since she has children with him, I guess she's not free, but at least they aren't in the same house anymore.

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I'm monitoring the situation (not quite as bad as that described in the book), but I'm unsure how I can best intervene. The book is totally freaking me out, though.

Started Lamb: the gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore, tonight. Will probably be done with it by Sunday night, if not sooner... but my goodness, I'd heard it was funny, I wasn't nearly prepared for it. Was giggling at the 2nd page, chuckling at 15, and at 75 I'm close to snorting and my abs hurt (do I get to skip core class now?). I have an appointment tonight or I'd make tea and stay under the covers giggling.

Light, silly, edgy, and truly unique... really, who thinks up the concept of "What was it like for Christ as a kid?"

Can't wait to get further in!

Squeaky - Nancy Pearl was the head librarian at the library I grew up! The Sssshing Librarian action figure is based on her (check out http://www.mcphee.com/laf/ --- there's a link to her website there. ). Her second book is More Book Lust, I think she still does a show on NPR too.

I had put down Solstice Wood because I Seemed to hit a wall with it, but I picked it up again and I'm almost done.

I watched "Born Into This", a documentary on Bukowski, ever since I've been on a kick and picked up a few from the library. Yesterday I finished Slouching Towards Nirvana and today I'm on The People Look Like Flowers At Last. I normally can't get into poetry but his really clicks with me- I can even look over the rampant misogyny! ;) I finished My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler about an hour ago, it was very funny and a nice light read. I think I'm going to pick up Auntie Mame next.

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Yeah. I've seen the action figure. It's a hoot.

I finished Haunted Ground by Erin Hart which was fine but it didn't inspire me to pick up another of her books.
I have started Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs because a co-worker told me the author's mother tries to be like Anne Sexton. I thought that would be interesting. I am fully engaged.

Just finished Cape Disappointment by Earl Emerson, a writer I was not familiar with. I usually don't read a lot of mystery, tough detective, or conspiracy theory novels (hey, I just wrote a review!), but I quite enjoyed this one.

Next up, as we are prone to say, is Angels of Destruction by Keith Donahue. Haven't been able to figure out who or what prompted me to want to read it, but it looks promising, so will give it a try.

whoops. looks like my Touchstones did not work on the Angels book.

Boy, do I sound as if I know what I'm talking about....

I am about to start The Joy Luck club by Amy Tan.

It's a new week, so here's a new thread!

I'm reading The Recovery of Ecstasy by Sandy Krolick, PhD.
A philosophical deep read that I find fascinating. I'll be posting a review in a couple of days. Bookworm's Dinner
www.bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com

on a lighter note:

The Barfighter, by Ivan G. Goldman too early in the book to say much, other than I like it so far.

Wisteria...

@ 134: I didn't like Hawksmoor. The pseudo old English was terrible and I didn't quite understand it.

#134 and 223 Oh! So glad I'm not alone in my inability to enjoy Hawksmoor. I also read his Fall of Troy, which was enjoyable but not memorable. I think I'll try his non-fiction next and see if that lives up to its rep.