Carmenere - Part 2

Not sure how I reached 200 posts but thought it best to start a new thread. Old thread is here - http://www.librarything.com/topic/53139



Yes, I am an extremely slow reader. Everyword on every page. So although this group is so kind I believe I'll be joining the 50 book challenge in '10.

passing by to leave a deserved yellow star!

Thanks Eliza, it is so nice having you along for the ride.

Hello!

I have you starred again. Chiming in on The Time Traveler's Wife, I enjoyed your review. I really liked this book! I read it when it was first published and it still haunts me.

Welcome back Linda, you are a true joy!

Got you starred again, too.

No idea why that double posted, so just ignore the message below that does not say anything anyway :)

>6 alcottacre: A thread just isn't a thread 'til Stasia stars ya! Have a great day.

lol

Lol........or posts twice to truly announce her presence. Just in case we didn't notice Her Majesty the first time.

yes, very subtle maneuver, wasn't it? :)

#11

Indeed. We didn't notice at all did we?

Not satisfied with the results of my first nerd test, the result being slightly dorky/non-nerd, I chose to take a re-do. I am satisfied with this result and I'm sticking to it. :)
Uber Cool History/Lit Geek

Hey, I am a Nerd Queen - I took the quiz, too!

Oh my! Stasia. I just don't know what to say!

Argh! This pirate speak is a bit amusing. Looks as if LT hasn't left a stone unturned.

My first Margaret Atwood and I still have The Blind Assassin to read.

9-21-09
The Handmaids Tale - Margaret Atwood.
2.5 stars

Margaret Atwoods novel takes place some time in the future. Religious sects are fueding and women are subjugated to lives with little "freedom to" but with many "freedom(s) from". Offred is the narrator of this floaty stream of consciousness recollection of her time as handmaid to an influential "Commander" in the ruling fanatical governance . Her only purpose, as is every handmaids, is to procreate. Not out of love but duty.
I found Atwood's writing to be regimented, isolated, lonely and quiet, so similar to Offred's life. For this I give the novel credit. I found little else to enjoy reading in this book. At times I felt I could not trust the narrator's "recollection" and found the majority of the characters to be unlikeable. For me, the flashforward at the end left a bitter taste. Sort of like a synopsis of what you may not have been able to figure out yourself. I had. Overall I found this to be a very unsatisfactory read despite all of the praise I had heard reading it.

I agree with you on your assessment of The Handmaids Tale. I read it a long time ago and wasn't all that impressed.

you should try Alias Grace, which I've read recently and enjoyed a great deal. It was my first Atwood so I don't know if I should be trusted on this, but I've heard many people say that all her novels are very different from one another. Where Handmaid's Tale is dystopian sci-fi, Alias Grace is a historical novel, with a fascinating real story behind it (it is based on real events) and a great sense of Canada in the 19th century. I think if you enjoyed the writing you should give her another chance - maybe something completely different than sci-fi?

Alias Grace is now on the list. Thanks!

Alias Grace is indeed VERY different to The Handmaid's Tale and is very very good.

>19 girlunderglass: & 21 If it is VERY different then I will indeed add Alias Grace to my wish list. I wouldn't want to write off Atwood simply because I did not care for The Handmaid's Tale. Thanks for the suggestion.

You may also want to try The Penelopiad which is a reworking the Odyssey story of Penelope and Odysseus--and that whole story of the weaving and reweaving for the suitors. I happen to be a huge fan of The Handmaid's Tale, but it certainly is not for everyone. Atwood, happily, is one of those authors who can shift styles and still make the stories work.

>23 Prop2gether: OK I will try The Penelopiad and have added it to my wishlist. I need a break from Atwood for a bit though in order to completely obliterate Handmaid's Tale from my memory. The Blind Assassin sits and waits for me beside my comfy couch but I'm pretending it's not there and I've gagged it so any bookwhispering can not be heard.

There seems to be many readers of THT who are huge fans. Perhaps I may have missed something along the way.

9-24-09
#32
In the Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde
3 stars

This novel called out to me from the new arrivals shelf at the library. I love the southwest especially when the Grand Canyon is involved.

Twelve rafters and three tour guides make up the characters in this novel. I bit to many for my liking, it was difficult to remember who was who, their relationships and their back story. But the main character in this novel is of course the Canyon itself. It changes people as much and as often as the white water changes its depth and appearance. It is a fairly quick read as I chose to forego most of the personal information and chose to concentrate on the rafting action on the river.

Lynda, have you read Grand Ambition by Lisa Michaels? You might like it since you enjoy Grand Canyon stories.

No, I haven't Stasia. Thanks for the heads up, I will see what my library has on her.

Let me know what you think of it once you have a chance to read it.

I may be old(er), gray and shriveled by then but as long as LT and you are here, I'll let you know. :)

Well, I do not think LT is going anywhere . . .

#33
10-2-09
The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett
4 stars

Imagine the Queen of England stashing a book behind the pillows in her coach once she's arrived to open a new session of Parliament or consider the Queen staying in bed all day with the sniffles to read a book. Can't? Well, it indeed happens in this delightful and amusing novella by Alan Bennett. Queen Elizabeth discovers the joys of reading after she takes notice of her Parnassus on Wheels in the guise of the City of Westminster's travelling library on its weekly stop to the palace. Like many of us who have discovered a love for reading she quickly becomes addicted and often finds a remote corner of her abode to read unnoticed. Her staff becomes increasingly annoyed by this new behavior and begins to sabatage her books and Norman, a fellow reader and staff employee.
This uncommon reader makes some memorable quotes regarding her new obsession and we, the reader, can take note of the authors and titles she has read in this fictionalized account. There is an unexpected twist at the end that is quite clever. Highly recommended

This has been on my tbr pile for awhile...Your comments prompt me to move it up closer to the top.

Thanks for the great review!

Great review of an excellent book - and you're right about the end. It was my favorite part.

Thank you Linda and Angela for stopping by and for your kind words regarding my review.
Linda, I certainly hope you move The Uncommon Reader closer to the top of your tbr. It's a quick read, one I'm sure you can finish in about an hour.

I enjoyed it so much last year, I read it again this year! I think it is a wonderful little book. Glad to see you enjoyed it too, Lynda.

31: this one has been recommended so much that I can not ignore it any longer. Onto the Bookmooch wishlist it goes.

>37 Carmenere: I think you'll enjoy it Eliza.

I'm currently reading The clothes they stood up in by Bennett. It's such a small book I should have had it done by now but other things (LT included) keep pulling me away from my books. The nerve! I'm also reading The Postmistress an ARC from Barnes and Noble. I think this historical fiction would be something Whisper (Linda) might enjoy. Review forthcoming for both.......eventually.

10-6-09
#34
The Clothes they stood up in Alan Bennett
3 stars

Mr. and Mrs. Ransome live a very quiet life. Apparently they have no friends, no family to speak of and each day is like the last. Mr. Ransome tunes Mrs. Ransome out by slipping on his headphones and listens to Mozart while Mrs. Ransome looks on. All changes one evening while they are attending the opera, mozart of course. They return to find their apartment completely stripped of absolutely everything. It is when the "stuff" is gone do they, especially Mrs. Ransome learn to live a little and break free from the shell they have formed.
Written by the author of The Uncommon Reader this book is small in stature but huge on relationship complacency. Some of Bennett's British humor may have been lost on me. Recommended it you are interested in reading more of Bennett.

Even though I vowed to read books on my shelves, I'm breaking the vow and heading to the library today to get The Uncommon Reader. It has been on the tbr pile for awhile, so I can justify a trip to the library...sigh....

Ok Pennsylvanias front and center. Do you have any recommendations for a B&B in north Central PA around Wellsboro, the grand canyon of Pennsylvania territory? We're planning a fall drive in a week or two. Any book store recs in the area would be great too, of course. Thanks in advance.

I've been to Wellsboro for a day trip. I have a friend who lives in State College and I met him there for a lovely fall walk about.

I don't know of a B&B, but I can recommend the wonderful diner located on Main Street, on a corner, across from a hardware store..

Wellsboro is such a beautiful town and located in a wonderful area but I live close enough to make day trips there. I have never spent the night.

Check out these pictures. Number 12 is the library. http://www.wellsboropa.com/pages/community/gallery/wellsboro.php

What an amazingly beautiful town. I am green with envy. O.K., will swap lives with anyone in Wellsboro who hungers to live next to the Atlantic in a nice rundown, economically depressed, culturally deprived, former textile mill town. Any takers?

#43: I beyond officially green with envy! My heart is crying - why do I live in Texas?

>45 alcottacre: Believe me when I say, Texas is much more exciting than Ohio can ever dream of being....except for the Indian mounds....those are very interesting.

Love all the input regarding Wellsboro. It looks like a place we would like to spend a couple of days. So we are going to save that excursion when we have a little more time, perhaps when our little guy has a four day weekend. Until then, I've made those pictures a favorite on my computer, and a nice screen saver. Sooooo, it looks like we'll be headed to Salamanca, NY. Much shorter drive AND a casino.
Thanks tons!

Hope you have a wonderful trip, Lynda!

10-15-09
#35 The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
4.5 stars

"It gets you thinking about all the parts in a story we never see...the parts around the edges." Sarah Blakes new novel The Postmistress is sure to get many a reader thinking about the parts around the edges of this engrossing story.
Ms. Blake expertly captures a period in time back when mail was sorted by hand and radio waves carried the news of the day. It is 1940 pre-war in Franklin, Massachussets but the Blitz is on in London, England and Frankie Bard is there to professionally deliver the latest news to those at home. She wants to inform people in the U.S as to what atrocities are happening in London and across Europe. The reaction to those on the receiving end of her radio signal in Franklin react with either indifference or as a call to action.
Iris, the Postmaster of Franklin on the other hand, delivers the mail. She is the source the residents of this town go to and depend upon to have their personal information passed on to the intended receiver with efficiency and aplomb
Both are very skilled at their job, most of the time......
Ms. Blakes characters are well formed, believable and stong. She has an uncanny knack for creating atmosphere in two locals which are an ocean apart.
I, at first. found the transition between scenes at times abrupt but I took it to indicate how lives suddenly change, how random and horrible things happen at the drop of a dime. As the story progressed I found the transitions to be less obtrusive.
Overall, I highly recommend this novel to those who like historical fiction or to anyone who enjoys a well written and thought provoking story. Sarah Blake delivers!

Thanks to Barnes and Nobel First Look Book Club for the opportunity to be one of the first to read this wonderful book.

#48: I will be on the lookout for that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Lynda.

Found you and starred you.

>50 alcottacre: I hope you enjoy it as much as I, Stasia.

>51 brenzi: I'm happy you stopped by brenzi and included me among your starred ones.

10-22-09
#36 Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone J. K. Rowlings
4 stars

This is a reread of HP #1. This time I am enjoying it along with my son, Will, who has FINALLY found a book of fiction which holds his interest.
No, review. What could I possibly say about Harry that hasn't already been said, except that I enjoyed it the first time and it's even better the second go round. Hopefully my son will move on to #2.

10-26-09
#37 Button, Button uncanny stories by Richard Matheson
3 stars

Thanks to Linda (Whisper) I had the opportunity to read the short story "Button, Button" included in this book of short stories brought together by Richard Matheson before the movie was released November 6th starring Cameron Diaz.
I found it to be a quick read but a surprise ending haunts me still. I am intriqued how a story of 12 pages can be made into a 2 hour movie, so I look forward to see what Hollywood did with it.
There are other great shorts here as well as some that make you go "huh?" None the less, it is a book I very much recommend to read beside a bonfire on a chilly evening in October, for my family, discussing the stories was as enjoyable as eating the roasted marshmellows.

Hi. I'm glad you liked the book! I thought the same thing as you did, ie, how are they going to make an entire movie of this story...

The Postmistress sounds really good. I have been reading quite a few books about WW2 and this sounds like something I may like.

Hi Trish, I have not read very many books regarding WW2 before The Postmistress but would love to continue on. Can you recommend any?

Joy is having two library booksales in the next two weeks!

#59

Joy is having two library booksales in the next two weeks!

and being able to purchase said books without recrimination or guilt ;)

Hey Carm. The most recent that I can remember and recommend would be:
A Woman in Berlin by Anonymous.(Non fiction)

My Enemy's Cradle by Sara Young.(Fiction). I am still reading this one but so far I am really enjoying it.

Those Who Save Usby Jenna Blum. I just recently read this and I really enjoyed it.

The Boy In The Stripped Pyjamas by John Boyne. (Fiction)Haunting is probably one of the best ways to describe this.

I can't think if any more right now but when I do,I will swing by and tell you. Also I hear that Stasia(Alcot) is really into WW 2 right now. So you might want to ask her for some suggestions.

>60 lunacat: You are absolutely correct lunacat. In fact I would never place booksale and guilt in the same sentence. Except for just now, of course!

>61 TrishNYC: Thanks for the recs Trish and as you suggested I will check with Stasia too.

Lynda, I sent you a couple of PMs with recommendations.

Thanks so much Stasia. I forgot I have Suite Francaise on my bookshelf, the others I will hunt down.

Glad I could be of help! If I think of any others, I will pass them along as well.

11-4-09
#38 Sense and Sensiblity Jane Austen
4 stars

In typical Austen style, Sense and Sensibility begins with numerous characters being thrown out at the reader and many names and connections need to be digested and remembered. Somehow in all of the near confusion characters named Elinor, Marianne, Colonel Brandon, Edward Ferrar, Willoughby and Mrs. Ferrar stand out.
Class distinctions and hypocrisy of the 19th centery are addressed and brought to the forefront.
The story seemed to drag a bit in the middle but overall a very satisfying read and I give it my hearfelt "approbation".

Wonderful shopping to be had at one of my local libraries, 18 books for $4.00! That's about 22 cents a book. Some of them from my wish list of recommendations received on LT. Let the snow begin!

Congratulations on the haul, Lynda!

ditto what Stasia said

Thanks ladies! I really want to go back for bag day on Saturday but I have another booksale planned for next week so I'm locking all the doors and warned the family to keep a close eye on me.

Tying you to the couch might be required as well . . .

How long is your hair? Could you be Rupelzel like and let your hair down to escape from the castle, slip out into the woods, find the path to the book sale and then quietly slip back in under the cover of darkness? Would this work?

You two have me lol! I made it 24 hours under the watchful eyes of family and got thru unscathed. Really want to savor my anticpation of next weeks sale.

Who is cleaning up after you? I know savoring leads to salivating leads to slobbering . . . and by next week, your floor is going to be very slippery!

Slid over to another library booksale yesterday and did not fair as well as the week before. 10 books = $6. Snagged a few classics I wanted in my library and some for my LOST collection.

I felt the same when I went to my local library book sale last week. I only spent $2.93 and came away with just a few books worth buying. The selection was very poor.

11-12-2009
#39 Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq
Dr. Chris Coppola
4 stars - highly recommend!

Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq will have me viewing every bomb blast reported from Iraq in a different light.
You see, thanks to Uncle Sam, Chris Coppola was able to graduate from John Hopkins University medical school to become a pediatric surgeon. In exchange for this priviledge Dr. Coppola was obligated to spend 6 years of his professional life as an Air Force Reserve. Much of his time was spent at Wilford Hall, Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas but was interrupted twice for tours of duty at an Air Force Base in Balad, Iraq.
I love books such as this one because I walk away learning trivial things like what a so called "combat shower" is and the ABC's of basic trauma but also a much clearer understanding of what our troups are actually going through in Iraq.
Surprisingly, Dr. Coppola and other medical personnel from the U.S are not restricted to work on just injured U.S. troops. In reality, Dr. Coppola's first night brings him an injured 2 year old boy caught in crossfire with a bullet to the head and an Iraqi police officer shot in the abdomen. Sadly, Dr. Coppola sees that it is all too common for children to be brought in with various war injuries as they are used as combatants and human shields. As word spreads of a pediatric surgeon on base, many Iraqis bring their sick children to Dr. Coppola who attempts to help them in between his regular duties. Troops give of their own blood to keep Iraqis and insurgents alive. When back at home between tours of duty, Dr. Coppola and other military doctors champion towards the need and importance of having a pediatrician on staff in Iraq as medical care there is substandard to handle the injuries and medical problems to children.
Coppola's second tour seems like a blur and the final chapter seems rather rushed as the entries seem to be just journal entries rather than the lenghier more cohesive chapters that come before. The reader can't help but like this guy. A down to earth individual who loves his wife, sons, is country and humankind in general.
The book is inspiring and basically apolitical with the exception of "Hank's" opinions which may or may not be similar to Coppola's. It is a book that tells it like it is and I have even more admiration for our troops abroad than I thought possible. How moving to be reading this memoir the week of Veteran's Day when we thank our service personnel both past and present for a job well done despite the unselfish sacrifices they must make to their professional and personal lives.

11-13-2009
#40
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Stephen King
4.5 stars

A great read. A suspenseful thriller without the really frightening stuff so common in King's novels. Trisha a nine year old girl becomes lost in the woods of Maine's Appalachian Trail. It is a story of her struggle to survive with only the food she can forage and her love of Bosox ace reliever, Tom Gordon.

Hello Lynda;
You have been very busy as of late and have been reading a lot. I got 3 or 4 recx from you. Lucky me!~! And congrats on your hauls from the library sales! I love those but seems as if there is always something that comes up at the time to keep me away. Argggggggggg!~!
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon sounds good to me. I am normally not a big fan of Stephen King, but this one doesn't sound so morbid. I hate the ones where he uses children or animals as the conduit for all the evil in the book. I may just have to try this one.
hugs,
belva

#77: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation!

Belva and Stasia, I am overjoyed to finally reciprocate and recommend some good reads to you for a change. Have a great week :)

11-18-2009
Thanks to Belva #41 is The Enchanted April
by Elizabeth von Arnim
4 stars

I absolutely loved this book as an introduction to Arnim's work.
Rose and Lotty are two English women and strangers at that, both dissatisfied with their marriages who decide, on a whim, to rent a medieval castle in Italy in April. Leaving rainy London and chilly husbands behind they invite two other women to come along to share expenses. Springtime in Italy eventually melts the hearts of these ladies and love blooms anew like the wisteria and lilies growing in the sleepy town of San Salvatore. Written with vivid imagery the reader can almost smell the flowers and feel the breeze. It is like a painting by Monet draws one in to the scene and tempts you to stay awhile.

Beeg (Brenda) recently recommended The Enchanted April. I hope to read this book soon.

I really like your comparison of the book to a Monet painting!

#82: Glad you liked that one. I read it not too long ago and have now decided that I must travel to Italy!

11-19-2009
Thanks to Belva,again and Mark I've finished my reread of People of the Book, #42 in group reads.
4 stars

Not really a review just random thoughts:

When I first read this novel a few years ago I would have given it 5 stars, but rereads and I don't seem to get along. The main character, Hanna, appears to be more flippant and annoying than I remembered but she loves, conserves and respects books so she can't be all that bad. The historical portions of the book are absolutely lovely and those characters are quite memorable. The present day action towards the end is a bit hokey too.

11-29-09
#43 Elizabeth and Her German Garden Elizabeth von Arnim
4 stars

My new favorite author solidifies her place with me in this novel. Apparently it is more of a memoir documenting a year in her life at her country home somewhere near the Baltic Sea in Germany. With quotes such as these she has become my kindred spirit..."It can not be right to be the slave of one's household god's, and I protest that if my furniture ever annoyed me by wanting to be dusted when I wanted to be doing something else, and there was no one to do it for me, I would cast it all into the nearest bonfire..." and "all too careful making of dinners and dusting of furniture takes a terrible amount of precious time..."
von Arnim relates amusing stories where she has tremendously bad luck finding and keeping a gardener who follows her direction, her journey back to her childhood home and holiday visits by two women who really do overstay their welcome.
Her "babies" and husband, known to the reader as "The Man of Wrath", make this another four star book for me.

#86: That one is already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.

12-7-09
#44 Northanger Abbey Jane Austen
3.5 stars

At seventeen, Catherine Morland reads books. She especially enjoys gothic novels like Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho which contain castles with secret passages, mysterious rooms and evil inhabitants. Miss Morland takes these romantic thoughts with her to Bath where she spends several weeks with her neighbors, the Allens. It is there that she meets Isabella and the braggart; foul mouthed, deceptive John Thorpe and both love Catherine immensely, or do they really? Catherine also befriends Henry and his sister Eleanor Tilney. Catherine loves Henry from the first sight of him. She is ecstatic to be invited to their home, Northanger Abbey. Henry fuels her romantic thoughts on the trip to the Abbey in what seems like a mockery of her love of novels.

I so looked forward to reading my beautiful edition of Northanger Abbey but I was just as let down by the Abbey as Catherine. We both expected something that never transpired. There was little romance and hardly any cat and mouse games which I have become accustomed to in an Austen novel. As usual, her trademark injustices of class distinctions are present . The exception to a romantic liaison is John Thorpe who simply loves John Thorpe. I have never met a character which I detest more than this man. His gaul and audacity make me cringe.
I never knew for certain Henry's feelings for Catherine as I found the story to lack passion and intensity with a conclusion that is hurried and is simply a review of events by the narrator. A tidy way to wrap things up. It is as if Austen was ready to finish this story and move on to the next. Disappointed that the object of the title did not present itself until Chapter 20! With all do respect, this novel was Austen's first but published post-humously by her brother.

I recommend it to lovers of Austen though not enthusiastically.

no one seems to like Northanger Abbey quite as much as Austen's other novels... it's just one of those things. I would assume it's probably due to its genre - a satire of gothic novels rather than her usual comedy of manners/romance.

Testing my 2010 summary system (Thanks Joyce)

#45 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,
J. K. Rowling
1999
341p
Rating 5/5

Comments: A great continuation of Book 1 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. J. K. Rowling finds a new way for He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named to torment Harry and his friends at Hogwarts. Enter Ginny Weasley, she has a crush on Harry and writes her personal thoughts in a very mysterious diary.

Why I read it now: I reread Book 2 in the series with my son who has finally found a series of books that he actually looks forward to reading. Thanks Ms. Rowling wherever you are.

Recommended: For everyone and by now probably almost everyone has read it so I recommend a reread if you're looking for some entertaining YA adventure.

Wow! I just discovered "recent messages" on the right side bar. I hope this is a new feature and I am not just that peripherally challenged : 0

huh? recent messages? where? (looks like I'm peripherally challenged)

Hey Eliza, When you click on the groups tab and choose a group to visit, like 75 book challenge, there are blocks with different sites such as RSS feeds. I clicked on the small blue box next to RSS recent messages and they pop up. If you wanted to respond to any of them you would need to click on that persons thread to take you there.

way back on 57> ww2 books - have you read Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? That's a lovely book about that time in history, to help you ease into reading more about it.
86> Elizabeth sounds like fun. Caught my eye since my family's from 'near the Baltic'. Added to my wish list!

Thanks for stopping by Milda. I have heard so many good things about Guernsey and it already appears my wish list.
Hope you enjoy Elizabeth Von Armin as much as I, so happy I was introduced to her this year.

In answer to your SOS. Found and bumped for you.

Thanks calm! Now I'll be able to post (later today), what I believe will be the last book I'll finish toward my '09 challenge.

#46 A Passage to India E. M. Forster
1924
362p
Rating 4/5

Comments: Very interesting novel in which east meets west (albeit not very successfully) in British India at the turn of the century. Cultures, religions and personalities clash, characters, such as, Dr. Aziz, Cyril Fielding and Adela try to be people they are not and the reader anticipates what will happen to them after a fateful excursion to Marabar Caves. I usually check out a location I'm reading about on Google Earth and was a bit surprised to find that Forster's Maramar Caves are actually the Barabar Caves and I am puzzled as to why he changed the name. If anyone knows why.........

Why I read it now: E. M. Forster is the LT author of the month and I just happened to have this one languishing on my book shelf.

Recommended: highly, for readers who enjoy historical novels, cultural diversity and humanitarian issues.

To cap off this read and my '09 challenge year we dined at a local Indian restaurant with pleanty of naan, curry and tea. See ya in 2010!