brenzi's Impossible Dream - The Sixth - Changing With the Season

This is the fifth thread for 2010 for me, as unbelievable as that seems (to me anyway).

My first thread can be found here.

My second thread can be found here.

My third thread can be found here.

My fourth thread can be foundhere.

My fifth thread can be found here.

My 10/10 Challenge is here http://www.librarything.com/topic/79324







My Take It or Leave It Challenge for January:

Still Life by Louise Penny
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Take It or Leave It Challenge for February:

The Liars' Club by Mary Karr
Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd
American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Take It or Leave It Challenge for April

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
The Lotus Eaters by Tatiana Soli

Take It or Leave It Challenge for May

Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurierre
The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian
Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gilinder
Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

Take It or Leave It Challenge for June

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
Troubles by J.G. Farrell

Take It Or Leave It Challenge for July

The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Fault Lines by Nancy Huston
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Take It Or Leave It Challenge for August

Burmese Lessons by Karen Connelly
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Long Song by Andrea Levy
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

Take It Or Leave It Challenge for September

Old School by Tobias Wolff
The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

Books Read This Year:

49. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas - Australia - 2 stars
48. The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson - 4.5 stars
47. Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny - Canada - 5 stars
46. Old School - Tobias Wolff - 4 stars
45. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny - Canada - 4.5 stars
44. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan - 4 stars
43. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan - 4.5 stars
42. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - UK - 4.5 stars
41. The Long Song by Andrea Levy - Jamaica - 3.5 stars
40. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny - Canada - 4 stars
39. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - UK, US, Belgium 5 stars
38. Burmese Lessons by Karen Connelly - Burma - 3.5 stars
37. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - UK - 4 stars
36. Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels - Poland/Greece/Canada-4stars
35. Fault Lines by Nancy Huston - Germany - 4 stars
34. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - UK - 4.5 stars
33. Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross - 4 stars
32. The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly - Burma - 4.5 stars
31. Troubles by J.G. Farrell - Ireland - 5 stars
30. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - UK - 4 stars
29. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - UK - 3.5 stars
28. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - Italy - 3.5 stars
27. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman - Italy - 4.5 stars
26. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod - Canada - 5 stars
25. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda - India - 3 stars
24. Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gilinder - 4 stars
23. The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian - 4 stars
22. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier - UK - 4.5 stars
21. Chess Story by Stefan Zweig - at sea - 4 stars
20. The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli - Viet Nam - 4 stars
19. Tinkers by Paul Harding - 4 stars
18. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny - Canada - 4 stars
17. The Plague by Albert Camus - Africa - 4.5 stars
16. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin-Pakistan-4st.
15. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson-Sweden-5 st.
14. The Spare Room by Helen Garner - Australia - 4 stars
13. Dead Cold by Louise Penny - Canada - 4 stars
12. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie - India - 2 stars
11. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Sloot - 4.5 stars
10. American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell - 4.5 stars
9. Even the Dogs by Jon McGregor - UK - .5 stars
8. Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd - UK - 4 stars
7. The Liars' Club by Mary Karr - 4 stars
6. Where the God of Love Hangs Out by Amy Bloom - 4 stars
5. Blame by Michelle Huneven - 3.5 stars
4. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh - India - 4.5 stars
3. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie -Nigeria - 4 stars
2. Still Life by Louise Penny Canada 4 stars
1. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann - 5 stars

Found You! Looking forward to more wonderful reviews and books!

43.



The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan 4.5 Stars

From my review:

“How to explain a place where black dirt fell from the sky, where children died from playing outdoors, where rabbits were clubbed to death by adrenalin-primed nesters still wearing their Sunday-school clothes, where grasshoppers descended on weakened fields and ate everything but doorknobs? How to explain a place where hollow-bellied horses chewed on fence posts, where static electricity made it painful to shake another man’s hand, where the only thing growing that a human or a cow could eat was an unwelcome foreigner, the Russian thistle? How to explain fifty thousand or more houses abandoned throughout the Great Plains, never to hear a child’s laugh or a woman’s song inside their walls? How to explain nine million acres of farm land without a master? America was passing this land by. Its day was done.” (Page 306)

These are the questions posed by Timothy Egan as Franklin Roosevelt arrives in 1938 for his only visit to the almost decade old Dust Bowl.

Read more over here.

Loved your review, am going to buy it, and have missed about 70 messages of really interesting discussion on your old thread (my excuse: I was playing with the kids!). I swear I will catch up next week...

Excellent review Bonnie.

Wow, Bonnie, great review of The Worst Hard Time. I loved it when I read it earlier this year and am so glad you did too. Your review does it justice!

wonderful review!

Thanks everyone. If you haven't read it yet, it's really one you shouldn't miss.

>2 Whisper1: Hi Linda!

>4 cushlareads: Cushla, ah well those kiddies must come first :)

What a great review, Bonnie. I've already got that in my TBR Tower, so I'm very pleased that you liked it so much. I think I'm going to need to move it up a step or 2 in that Tower.

Thanks Caroline. Yes do move it up.

Catching up... starring this so I don't lose you again!

Fine review, as usual! Off to finish your old thread and unstar it so that I can keep up with this one.

Bonnie- Excellent review, my friend! On the list it goes! You've been reading some terrific books, as of late! Hope you enjoy the other Egan book, A Visit From the Goon Squad. I loved it!

Ooh, that sounds like a fantastic book. Review duly thumbed, and book wishlisted.

The Worst Hard Time is on my TBR list. I must get to it. Great review!

Just wanted to say, very interesting discussion of education on your old thread. I like to think of education as a partnership between school & child & parents (at least, that's the way it has seemed for us).

As the parent of a child teen with autism, I struggle with that issue of meeting a student's special needs vs. just making it easy for him/her. I really push for keeping the standard as high as is realistic. We all have some kinds of limits to what we can learn -- how do we find the boundaries and push them a bit?

Good news: my son has expressed an interest in going to the National Book Festival with me. I'll make a real reader out of him yet!

Great review of the book, Bonnie! I am glad you enjoyed it. That book made my memorable reads list last year.

Are you planning on reading Egan's newest, The Big Burn?

Found you and starred you!

Just passing though to make sure I am not missing anything.. :P

>18 mckait: All the action is in the secret room, but you need the password.

Thank you everyone.

>15 tymfos: Yes Terri a partnership is

Arrgh!!!!!!!!!!!!! LT lost my post:(

A password? Lost post? Not good. Not good at all.

Let me try again:

>15 tymfos: Yes Terri a partnership is what it is supposed to be. I'm glad that it has worked out that way for you. I have always thought that we should set the bar high with great expectations. You can always lower it a bit if need be.

I hope your son enjoys his day at the National Book Festival with you. Say hello to Madeline while you're there:)

>17 BookAngel_a: &18 Hi Angela and Kath.

>19 teelgee: The secret word is salubrious. That's the kind of day we've had here today :)

I have heard everyone else complain about losing posts but that's the first time it's happened to me. Hmmm.

Great GIF Kath, so apropos.

>16 alcottacre: Oh hi Stasia, I just heard about that book last week. Sounds interesting but I'll wait until you read it and see what you think :)

Hi Bonnie, what a salubrious new thread you have here....very wholesome and beneficial to all.

The LT gremlins strike at will apparently. I have lost entire reviews until I learned to type them in Word and then copy them over here.

Speaking of reviews....a really good one on a really good book. I still find it hard to believe that an author could make an interesting book out of the Dust Bowl. I, too, am waiting for the word from Stasia on Egan's The Big Burn.

#25/26: The pressure! The pressure!!

Well my sister thought it was a great book, if that helps.

In the Librarything newsletter today they had a link to "Controversial Books. You can just go to your profile, then Statistics/Memes, then Controversial books. It's pretty interesting. My Top 10 are:

1. Even the Dogs: A Novel by Jon McGreg
2. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
3. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
4. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
5. The White Bone: A Novel by Barbara Gowdy
6. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
7. The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell
8. The Road Less Traveled and Beyond: Spiritual Growth in an Age of Anxiety by M. Scott Peck
9. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
10.The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Now don't pay any attention to the punky titles which have been in there since I was a pup but Gilead ?? Really?? There are folks out there who didn't rate that book highly? Wow!

I must be misunderstanding something here: "Gilead" is controversial? To whom? For what reason? My acuity must be dimming as I approach old farthood.

Maybe just the fact it deals with religion?? The Kindly Ones I can understand; I'm perplexed about The Scarlet Letter, unless it's adultery-phobia.

Having now visited the statistic in question, I get it: A book's average rating is x, with a standard deviation of 2.9; another book's rating is y, with a standard deviation of 1.12; both are over the standard standard deviation of 1.

There are some serious statistics geeks in this place.

It took me awhile to get it, but by "controversial" I think they mean the variance in opinions about ratings, not subject matter. IOW - if I rate it 5 and you rate it 1.5, the rating is controversial. They could have picked a better word.

Yep, divergent might have been a better word. I really like it because it's throwing up TBR books in my library that havebeen sitting there for years - 3 Christian Jacq novels.

Bonnie, have you read The Kindly Ones yet? I bought it earlier in the year but haven't had the stomach for it yet.

approach old farthood? hmmm

I saw that in the newsletter, and meant to look into it farther, but I
never did. Thanks for the reminder :) I agree that if terri is correct, and I suspect that she is.. the better word might be as cmt suggests.. divergent.

Agreed divergent would be a better word but still....Gilead. I must be too used to our group. Is there anyone who didn't love that book?

>34 cushlareads: No Cushla I haven't read it yet but it's on my TBR because Deborah recommended it. I think it was her.

I tried the controversial link and I was a bit contused too. Is this "great Oz" drawing books from are own libraries? It seemed that way to me.

Bonnie

What an incredible review of The Worst Hard Time. Thumbs up to you!

Have you read the Newbery winner Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. If not, I highly recommend you do so. It was one of my favorites reads last year.

>38 Whisper1: Hi Linda, Yes I read Out of the Dust last year. It was a stunning book in it's quiet beauty and its horrifying description of that period in our history and its effect on a child. The Worst Hard Time was similar in that it told the story of that period through the lives of those who experienced it.

Peeking out to quickly say I am one who did not love Gilead, then ducking behind counter. I read it before I started on LT, so unfortunately did not make any notes about what I didn't love about it. I just know that I didn't. Sorry.

>36 brenzi:, 40: I actually think it's a "love it or hate it" book. Lots of people really despise its slow-moving style. I wasn't one of them but I won't hurl anything at Janet.

>32 richardderus:: Ah, statistics...*yawn*...whatever... Sorry, my eyes always get glassy when I see too many numbers. Thanks for clearing that up, Richard.

>36 brenzi:: Bonnie, I suggested Gilead as a choice for a church group I'm in after we decided to read and discuss one book a year. Talk about a polarizing book. Even the pastor's wife thought it was "boring."

That is when I developed thicker skin when it comes to books I love. But I'm still perplexed as to why some people were so vocal about their dislike of it. No objects were hurled that evening, but plenty of words were flung by my fellow Christians! ...I sat in the corner nursing my wounds. ;-(

This is absolutely an equal opportunity thread. I guess I wasn't aware that Gilead was so polarizing but I will not hold it against anyone. There are plenty of books that I don't like that other people love. The statistics just surprised me.

Janet, come out of hiding. I will love you and respect your opinion no matter what books you hate/love.

I tried Gilead but found it too slow and put it aside. Obviously, alot of people love it and I probably need to give it another try.

The first time I read - or started to read - Gilead I didn't like it - it was right after it was published and I think I was more into fast moving action novels at the time than I was into reflective novels. I read about 50 pages and quit. Then last year when I was recuperating from surgery, I really got engrossed in it and loved it. Then read Home this year while recuperating from yet another surgery (!) and loved it also. So, different strokes...even at different times of our lives. I KNOW there are books I loved ten or twenty years ago that I would pffft at now.

I won't try Gilead right now.. I am in the mood for a bit more mayhem....
or at least a murder or two...

>46 mckait: Well, there is a balm in Gilead, but it's not all serenity!

#47, ROTFL!

And yes, different books appeal or don't, depending on where we are in our lives, our moods, what else we've been reading recently, etc.

44.



A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan 4 Stars

From my review:

I seem to have read a fairly large number of books recently that are comprised of inter-locking stories. There was “Olive Kitteridge,” and “Other Rooms, Other Wonders,” and also the quirkily original “The Imperfectionists.” Enter Jennifer Egan’s “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” a very clever book that turns those other books on their heads. She not only creates a series of interconnected stories, weaving them back and forth in time, but includes, I believe for the first time, a chapter presented in PowerPoint mode. She’s good enough that none of it seems contrived or gimmicky. It all works beautifully.

Read more here.

Bonnie- I loved your review of Goon Squad! Of course, I recently read and loved it too and you nailed it perfectly! I will be reading more of her work. What did you think of the power-point sequence?

Thanks Mark, if you go on her website you can see the PP with music and in color; very cool.

Bonnie and Mark, since you both loved this book so much I'm going to have to get to it soon!

Loved your review, Bonnie!

You've got me thinking about The Goon Squad now Bonnie. I may need to check it out.

#49: I already have that one in the BlackHole. I just have to get to her novel The Keep first.

Sounds like quite an unusual read....

Great review, Bonnie! I'll have to check this out, too.

#43 - thanks, Bonnie, I am standing up straight again!

I already have *Goon Squad* wish-listed because I enjoyed The Keep so much. I hope I move up on the list at pbs so that I can have it SOON!

Adding Goon Squad to the list! I hope that you are easing into the new school year fairly painlessly.

A quick glance at the list of threads this morning and I read
brenzi's Impossible Dream - Sex Changing With the Season

dear oh dear!

Hahahaha. Whew I had to check and make sure it didn't actually say that Kath, although an interesting concept......

Morning Bonnie- Eyes slightly averted! Would you like to read Jane Eyre together? Maybe in November or December? I also just picked up the audio of Pride and Prejudice and hope to get to it in a couple of weeks.

>60 mckait: So would you want to be a male in the summer and female in the winter?? Wouldn't have to worry so much about swim suits.

63 - male in the summer I've always had the impression that it can be very uncomfortable to be male in very hot weather...

>64 London_StJ: the same is true for buxom females. Trust me.

I keep reminding myself to remember to be reincarnated as a woman. Again.
I am very pleased with the whole being a woman thing... lol
But if anyone feels the need to change.. do, by all means. It's just, doing so seasonally seems a bit much.

>65 teelgee: - I can imagine!

>66 mckait: I am very pleased with the whole being a woman thing... lol
But if anyone feels the need to change.. do, by all means. Agreed

Bonnie, you need to take control of your thread. It's getting wild over here. Bonnie? Hmmmm....must be reading something really good!

I was thinking the same, Donna -- maybe she's having that sex change as we speak.

Alright I turn my back for a minute and look at the shenanigans you kids get into. Now knock it off! (Ah feels good to get back into school mode;-)

>68 Donna828: Hmmmm....must be reading something really good!

Well as a matter of fact I am deep into Three Pines with the Chief Inspector in The Brutal Telling. And oh is it good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#70: Yes, it is! I hope you continue to enjoy it, Bonnie.

It is good. I think Bury Your Dead is even better. It's rare that a series improves with age.

Everyone is talking about Louise Penny - and I'd never heard of her. Time to start a new series.

Judy, yes, yes, yes! ASAP. You won't regret it and there's no turning back once you start! And I never almost never read a series.

#73: Judy, you have never read Louise Penny?! You must remedy this immediately, if not sooner!!

What they said.... read Penny!

They all talked me into it, and I'm so glad they did. Jump on in!

Bonnie and Mark
If you are reading Jane Eyre, may I please join in the discussions?

Thanks for your consideration.

What?? Mark and I are reading Jane Eyre? When did that happen? Oh way back at post 62. I missed it with all the talk about sex change operations. Sure Mark and Linda, why not. That'll be fun. Sort of a mini GR:)

Well I finished Louise Penny's The Brutal Telling and I have to say it's the best one in the series so far. Excellent. Now the quandary: should I go ahead and read Bury Your Dead and be done with the series until she publishes another one, or stretch out my pleasure by reading a couple of other books in between?? Hmmmmmmmmm.

Any ideas, oh readers of series books?? (I'm at work so I don't have to decide until tonight.)

#80: Any ideas, oh readers of series books??

Go ahead and read Bury Your Dead and then in preparation for the next one (when you know it is coming out) re-read the entire series :)

>81 alcottacre: Wow there's an idea that never occurred to me. LOL

#82: I used to do it all the time with J.D. Robb's 'In Death' series, but had to give it up as the series is now at the 30-something book point!

Bonnie- Just pick an approximate date in November or December and we'll start our mini-GR for Jane Eyre.

Wishlisting The Goon Squad. It sounds like a nice diversion from the same ole, same ole.

Here's an hysterical view of non-readers by the (late) intellectual's comedian Bill Hicks. If you don't laugh at this, you're not really a reader:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvs2g5Nj0NI

#83 : Ditto, Stas. But I just read Fantasy in Death and I'm so tempted to start over at the beginning with the series. What I sometimes do is read a few and then stop, then continue with a few more, then stop. I'd love to do the whole series in a single go but her books make it hard for me to want to stop mid-stream (so to speak) and go to work. I need uninterrupted time with her books.

>86 brenzi: Yeeeee-HAAA! I guess I'm a reader! Thanks, Bonnie!

Ditto 81 read and read again.. you won't regret it. ( imo)

83 I used to do it with Diana Gabaldon's series...

Bonnie, I never heard of Bill Hicks.. he was wonderful ! thank you ...

45.



The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny 4.5 Stars

From my review:

Each book in the Three Pines series is better than the last. This edition, the fifth in the series is by far my favorite. The Chief Inspector is in rare form, the prime suspect is one of the series’ regulars, Peter is still trying to undermine Clara, Ruth Zardo continues to crank out lovely poetry while annoying most everyone, her duck Rosa is now clothed with cast-off coats, etc., some newcomers seem to be infringing on Olivier and Gabri’s business, and, oh yes, there’s a murder.

Read more over here.

Hi Bonnie. Just saw your review on my home page and gave it a thumb. I recently finished A Fatal Grace which I didn't like quite as much as Still Life but I'm still in love with the village of Three Pines and looking forward to continuing with the series. I actually bought A Brutal Telling by mistake--I thought it was the 3rd in the series--so now I have to track down The Cruelest Month. Glad to know you liked A Brutal Telling so much.

I am glad you liked it so well...

Me too!

I loved that Ruth started clothing Rosa. The image I have of the 2 of them walking along the sidewalk and to the park is just priceless. I want to live in Three Pines!

Three Pines, Three Pines! Sheesh! I'm just gonna wait until all you Louise Penny lovers sell your copies to one of my favorite used-books stores and I can buy them real cheap.

Hi, Sis! Going back a ways. The Worst Hard Time reads like a novel--so good. Thumbed your review too. Love the title and cover of Egan's book, so will put it on my wish list for that reason alone. I looked at my list of controversial books and most of the titles were children's books. Isn't that funny? I'm such a rebel! ;-)

P.S. If you get in the habit of clicking control-A and control-C when you finish your post, but before you hit "submit," you'll always have a copy to paste in again if LT is acting up or "down for a few minutes." I'm doing it right now...

>96 bonniebooks: P.S. If you get in the habit of clicking control-A and control-C when you finish your post, but before you hit "submit," you'll always have a copy to paste in again if LT is acting up or "down for a few minutes."

Perhaps the most valuable information imparted in a post.....ever. Thanks Bonnie!

Bonnie, refresh me...are you coming on the 11th?

>98 richardderus: No Richard, unfortunately I have a school event on September 11 and won't be able to get out of it:(

I'll be waiting to hear/see the reports though.

Yay!! I just found out I snagged an ER copy of Trespass Rose Tremain's Booker nominated novel that Darryl recently rated very highly. This may be the best ER book I've ever gotten. Well of course I did get Louise Penny's Bury Your Dead last month. I will be reading that next and then sucking it up while I wait another year or more for Book 7:(

Right now I'm reading Old School by Tobias Wolff and loving it. It's for the TIOLI challenge to read someting with an educational theme in honor or the start of school.

I **loved** Old School and you've reminded me to look for more by him. I think I read it a few years ago, pre-LT-talking...

And you've reminded me that I owe reviews on 2 ER books, neither of which is as appealing as your ones!

>100 brenzi:: Wolfe's memoir, This Boy's Life, is one of my "all-time favorites" so I'll have to add Old School to the pile.

And you've reminded me that I owe reviews on 2 ER books, neither of which is as appealing as your ones!

Or you can do what I did, Cushla, and misplace them (really, I've searched everywhere!) so can't review them until found again.

Congratulations on your ER book, Bonnie. I got How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu. I loved (OK, really liked) his other book The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears so I'm looking forward to this one too.

I never heard of Old School but went to look it up and it sounds great. I'll look forward to what you end up thinking. Always love reading your reviews.

I have Old School on a shelf....

I too will be looking forward to the updates from the party...

I got The Wishing Trees by John Shors ..... I liked another book of his i read
Beside a Burning Sea.. so I am looking forward to this too!

I loved This Boy's Life so I'm going to watch for your review of Old School, Bonnie.

OOO! OOO!! OOOO!!! Bonnie, I got Trespass too! I am excited beyond reason. I just discovered Tremain last year, and I think that she's absolutely wonderful. I hope our books come soon - maybe we can chat a little while we're in progress if you like to do that. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for my July ER ARC to arrive. Just my luck that they'll come at the same time, but I will put everything aside to read the Tremain!!!! Off to find out about Old School.

ETA touchstones instead of tags. I'm such a slowcoach.

Also a big fan of This Boy's Life. I have 2 of his short story collections in the stacks.

#102 Ha, Bonnie, maybe I should give them to the kids to hide. Both are short but one is Edith Wharton being a bit too gung ho about WW1 in France, and the other is a not very well written, or maybe over my head, life of Goethe.

This Boy's Life has gone onto my wishlist.

I also have This Boy's Life on my shelf and would like to get to it soon (laughs hysterically as she thinks of all the books in th Read Soon pile.

#109: I have found that it all revolves around your interpretation of the word soon. For me, soon is in the next 6 months :)

Pat and Kath, I hope you enjoy your ER books. I'm pretty sure I'm going to like mine :)

>106 LizzieD: Peggy, Laura had a post on her thread about all of us getting together to do a mini-Group Read since a bunch of us 75ers won Trespass.

>110 alcottacre: Yes Stasia I agree. I'd have to stretch that 6 months out a bit. ;-)

laughs hysterically as she thinks of all the books in the Read Soon pile.

Old School is fab!! somewhere in the vast stacks of books I have a copy of some of his short stories that I must read soon... *following Kath's lead and laughing hysterically*

"Soon" as in this lifetime?

hey I'm rooting for you, Bonnie .... fluffing out some new pompoms to use with a Bonnie cheer I'm writing

Hmmmm, I'm hearing some mocking here.

46.



Old School by Tobias Wolff 4 stars

Another fantastic author I'd never heard of; from my review:

If I were asked to describe this novel in a few words I guess I would say “Quiet, gentle read. Compelling coming of age story. A book about books and writers. “The unnamed narrator (and you could swear this was a memoir but, no, it’s a novel) is in his senior year at a private boarding school on the east coast in 1960. It’s an elite school and he’s a scholarship boy trying desperately to fit in with this upper crust population. It’s also a school that places great importance on writing and writers and three times a year an important writer comes to visit. Based on a submitted piece of writing, one student is selected to actually have a private meeting with the writer. When I say “important” I mean Robert Frost, Robert Penn Warren, Ayn Rand, that sort of important. Very important.

Read more over here.

Another fantastic author I'd never heard of

Isn't that the truth; if not for you, that is! Glad you liked it. Wishlisted and thumbed.

That is a part of Wolfe's real life, Bonnie. I love the stories about his life before he gets to the east coast, though. Both sad and hil-ar-i-ous! Tell me when you start This Boy's Life and I'll read it with you.

eta: Actually, maybe I'm hard-hearted, but This Boy's Life isn't really very sad, because Tobias Wolfe is just so damn smart and funny.

Yet another wonderful review...thumbs up from me..and another book to add to the tbr pile. Old School sounds like something I would like to read.

Well, since I read and loved This Boy's Life I will definitely have to get hold of Old School.

I will have to pull Old School off of the shelf sometime soon..

There is something about the phrase "coming of age" that makes me want to run in the other direction. Or hobble. whatever. I can't explain it.. lol

Kath
Perhaps they should have a category called OA (old adult)...and the theme of these books could be coming of age when body parts breaking down, adjusting to friends and family members passing on to the next life, and coping with taking care of elderly parents while facing health issues of ones own.

That's a little disturbing to me, actually =:-O

>124 Whisper1: Perhaps they should have a category called OA (old adult)...and the theme of these books could be coming of age when body parts breaking down, adjusting to friends and family members passing on to the next life, and coping with taking care of elderly parents while facing health issues of ones own.

Good God, please don't make me read them!! That's getting too close to describing my life. Yikes.

>119 phebj: Thanks Pat.

>120 bonniebooks: I'm looking for his book of short stories called The Night in Question because it has a short story described by more than one person as the best short story I ever read. It's called "Bullet to the Brain."

>121 Whisper1: Thanks Linda.

>122 alcottacre: I think you'll enjoy it Stasia. So glad to be able to add to your pile for once :)

>123 mckait: Oh I'm just the opposite Kath. I'm a sucker for a coming of age story:)

Just checking in to say what a wonderful review you did for Old School Bonnie, and I'm delighted to have found your intriguing threads.

Thank you Gail and welcome to a kind of crazy, no holds barred sort of place as you may have gathered if you read the craziness back awhile;-)

#129: a kind of crazy, no holds barred sort of place

Makes me feel right at home :)

I've already got both Old School and This boy's Life sitting on Mt TBR - and your statement laughs hysterically as she thinks of all the books in the Read Soon pile. sort of sums it up for me as well.

>118 brenzi:: I can't decide if I'm likely to enjoy Old School or not—coming of age stories can go either way with me, as can books of someone looking back over their life.

Hmmm, I guess the only thing to do is get it and see. :-)

The general discussion of Old School has been interesting, especially the part about readers thinking it was a memoir. I read This Boy's Life, which is Wolff's memoir; it reads as smoothly as any novel. Actually, that wasn't so very attractive, as it put a distance between the reader and the events. Nevertheless, it was a book worth reading.

On OA literature: mostly found on humor shelves. Where else? If we can't at least smile as we grow increasingly slower, heavier (mostly), deafer...eh? What? Not enjoying the approach of the golden years? Never mind; just skip this section.

I love the loose, free-flowing sort of exchange here.

One can always consider the fact that the alternative to growing old is even less attractive....

Tad, you took the words out of my almost 60 year old mouth. Considering that nine years ago I had a life threatening illness, I don't mind turning 60 a bit!!!

Well I haven't done any of these little book quizzes that have gone viral through the threads but this one caught my eye. Thank you to Charlotte:

1. The last book you gave five-stars to: Troubles by J.G. Farrell

2. The last book you were unable to finish: Even the Dogs by Jon McGregor (dreadful!)

3. The last book you bought: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

4. The last book that made you cry: The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (I'm not really a cryer but the part where the baby dies of dust pneumonia was heart-breaking.)

5. The last book you borrowed: A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

6. The last book you received as a gift: Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

7. The last book you found disturbing: Chess Story by Stefan Zweig

8. The last book you read that made you laugh: The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman (The story about the Cairo stringer had me ROTFL.)

9. The last book you really felt you got lost in (the good kind of lost): Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier)

Old School just went onto my HUGE wishlist!!

Good list, Bonnie. Rebecca's one of my all time favorites.

Hi Bonnie! Thread #6...can't believe how much I've missed! I've been wanting to buy my own copy of Rebecca for a while but Amazon.ca has been making it impossible. Your review makes me want it even more.

I apologize for losing you for several weeks...... but you have been busy indeed! Wolff is a wonderful understated sort of writer, isn't he.

47.



Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny 5 Stars

Wow! Can I just say wow. Absolutely fabulous. From my review:

It has been a pleasure watching Louise Penny grow as an author over this past year. I started the Three Pines series last January and was happy to find a cozy mystery series that I thought I would stretch out over a couple of years. I knew from other reviewers that the books were better and better as you progressed through the series and I could see that improvement occur as I read each entry. But her latest book, “Bury Your Dead” is an outstanding literary effort, as well as a fantastic mystery and it’s really hard not to note the skill improvement.

Read more here.

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it...

#141: Nope, skipping the review until I get my greedy little hands on the book :)

grrr...... am I going to be the last person to get my hands on the latest Penny book?!!

#141 Wow, five stars, after hearing (if I remember correctly) that you didn't think you'd ever give a Penny book more than 4 stars. Great review. Now I just have to read all the preceding books (I've only read the first two) before I can get to this!

I haven't got my hands on any of them yet.

>145 phebj: I did say that Pat but this book is unlike any of the previous ones; a very, very sophisticated mystery.

I have to sa that I liked the last one better... but I have really liked all of them so far.

>145 phebj:: I remember that comment, too!

>147 brenzi:: Hi Bonnie. Ah, 'sophisticated' sounds good. I just finished A Rule Against Murder and liked it very much, but it's no 5-star book. Two to go!

>148 mckait:: Kath, I agree, this is an enjoyable series. I think mysteries, romances, and (gulp) even sci-fi and (double gulp) graphic novels have gotten much better (and by that I mean more literary) as a whole over the past few years. It's good to have so many choices of genres.

I've always enjoyed graphic novels (in the past known as comic books) but with the newer technology, the artwork is so much better presented that they have attained a level of sophistication that the old Marvel comic books never had. Now you don't have to hide the fact that you read graphic novels ... well, at least now at my age, that is.

I will have to see if my library has any of Louise Penny's novels. It's been a while since I had a solid 5-star read!

I couldn't find my own thread so when I finally did, I thought I should probably post something on it. I have't gotten a lot of reading done this week, Just overloaded with stuff at work that ends up coming home:(

I am halfway through The Devil in the White City and enjoying it very much. Another non-fiction that reads like fiction.

I agree.. and
Thunderstruck
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
are the same..

Love his books..

Ugh! I hate it when work follows me home when I'm not planning to do more than putting my feet up and relaxing at the end of the day. Hope your next week is a better one for you, Bonnie ... without the uninvited guest. :-)

I also loved Isaac's Storm, Kath but haven't read any of Larson's other books. Looking forward to your review of The Devil in the White City, Bonnie.

I'm planning to read The Devil in the White City soon. I loved Isaac's Storm!

I'm with Kath & Terri- I loved Issac's Storm too! Thunderstruck was pretty darn good too! I'm so glad you are enjoying "Devil"!

Well thanks for all the tips. I finished The Devil in the White City and hope to get a review thrown together soon. It was terrific. And I actually have Thunderstruck on my shelf.

Thunderstruck was also wonderful.. they are all three on my re-read shelf.

I'm another fan of Isaac's Storm - I thought it was a great read. I've had The Devil in the White City on my shelf for years and have never read it. Not sure why.

48.



The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson 4.5 stars

From my review:

What a masterpiece! This book is a fabulous look at the history of an important time centered on Chicago’s World Fair in 1893. I learned so much while at the same time being completely enchanted by the story Eric Larson had to tell. Just learning about all the new experiences presented at the fair for the first time was worth the price of admission:

Read more over here.

That's a great review, Bonnie. Thumbed you. I've got Thunderstruck and Devil in the White City in my TBR Tower ... I keep meaning to pick up Thunderstruck first and then some other book leaps out of the shelves and forces itself into my hands. I think I should take it off the shelf and put it on my nightstand instead.

Me, too....thumbed you, that is. I think I got mine in first - not that it matters. I had to scroll down through many reviews to find mine from 2008! I think it's one of the first reviews I wrote, and, predictably, I gave it 4 stars. I've liked all of the books by Eric Larson that I've read.

I own it, and your review (thumbed, naturally) pushes it up quite a way up Mt. Bookpile. Thanks, Bonnie.

Thanks everyone. I hope everyone enjoys history as much as I do. That's what made this a great read for me.

Great review, Bonnie. I've wishlisted (and thumbed) it. Don't know why I haven't read more of Larson's books since I loved Isaac's Storm so much.

Bonnie, I stumbled upon your review of Devil in the White City and I'm so glad I did. I didn't know much about the book (it was given to me) so it's been languishing at the bottom of my TBR stack for quite awhile. I'll definitely move it to the top. Thanks for a great review!

Thanks Pat and Jan (hey, you're back from Australia).

Bonnie- Excellent review! You'll enjoy his other work as well!

Marvelous review, Bonnie! I'm planning to read Devil in the White City within the next month. Now I'm more eager than ever!

By the way, Devil in the White City is on blackdogbooks' Halloween group read list. See the group home page for the thread.

Oh dear, another book to move up to the top of the pile.

What happens when they're all at the top? :)

You got me with that 'book bullet' too! :)

Nice review, Bonnie. My great grandmother went to that fair on her way home from Iowa. I think I need to read it.

I listened to the audio version of The Devil in the White City a few years ago and was just as much impressed with the story as the telling of it. I have since bought Thunderstruck but of course have not had the opportunity to read that one yet.

BTW: great review, Bonnie

Wow, it looks like you've had a couple of outstanding reads! I purposefully skipped your review of Bury Your Dead, because I want to preserve all mystery possible. ;)

do get to Thunderstruck soon.. you won't be sorry ~

Hi Bonnie!

So sorry you were not able to join us at Richard's party. Another great review from you. I read Devil in the White City awhile ago, but your review prompts me to re-read it. #15 thumbs up from me.

>169 msf59: Thanks Mark!

>170 tymfos: I think you'll like it Terri.

>171 drneutron: Thanks Doc. I have a couple of those titles on my shelf that I mught get in including Dracula, that I bought on a whim and The Haunting of Hill House.

>172 Copperskye: Uh, then you have a huge pile of "Read soon" books. Start laughing hysterically now Joanne.

>173 BookAngel_a: Really?? I thought only Stasia did that.

>174 Fourpawz2: You do need to read it Charlotte.

>175 Carmenere: Yeah I imagine it would be terrific on audio.

>176 London_StJ: I envy you Luxx, because you still have Bury Your Dead ahead of you:)

>177 mckait: I will Kath, I will:)

>178 Whisper1: So sorry you were not able to join us at Richard's party.

That makes two of us Linda:(

Bonnie, great review of The Devil in the White City. I have read all of Larson's books and enjoyed them. He is one of my favorite nonfiction writers. I hope you get a chance to read more of his books.

I think I have Haunting of Hill House and Heart Shaped Box.. have to check my shelf..

Great review Bonnie. I have that one in a box in NZ so will get to it in 18 months!

Book bullets come from all directions and all people around these parts, lol! :)

Great review, Bonnie! My thumb is number 21, BTW. I think I have this, somewhere, so I'll have to dig it out and read it soon.

>181 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia, I'll try to do that:)

>182 mckait: Yes Kath, I'd like to get to The Haunting of Hill House.

>183 cushlareads: Thanks Cushla. Well you know, it'll still be there. You've probably got plenty of other books on your TBR pile to read.

>184 BookAngel_a: You're right Angela.

>185 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl :)

Just popping in to be sociable...

:)

I'm well into The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas from the Booker longlist and it was really dragging until recently but now it's into the "can't put down" category. But it has taken quite awhile (a couple hundred pages out of almost 500). This will make it a hard book to review. Will it redeem itself and push itself up or will the early going stick in my mind and push it down?? Usually books like this get redeemed and I end up liking them.

Hi Bonnie! Too far behind to do more than wave and blow a kiss!

#188 Hi, Bonnie. I was in B&N on Friday and almost bought The Slap and then I remembered you were currently reading it and I decided I'd wait to read your review. There are always so many books I want to buy that I like to be as sure as possible. So I laughed when I saw your comment above and patted myself on the back for waiting!

Ooh, can't wait to read your final thoughts on it ...

Add me to the list of those anxiously awaiting your comments on The Slap

I'm curious too. I saw it at Costco a while back and it looked interesting but seemed to get mixed reviews on LT so it stayed at Costco. I may have to reconsider if you like it!

I hadn't heard of The Slap until your mention of it. When I see everyone awaiting your comments it peaked my curiosity, so now, I can't wait to see what you think about it.

I somehow found myself in B&N yesterday and Devil in a White City launched itself off the shelf and into my basket. Well, I couldn't very well refuse it a nice warm home after that feat now, could I? ;-)

Hold your horses kiddies, I hope to have my review written and posted by tomorrow (I hope).

>195 cameling: Launched itself?? Really Caroline? Now how did that happen?

I have absolutely no idea, Bonnie ... it's amazing how determined some of these books are in going to a good home. They must practice the long jump when the store's closed and they must have built up some Olympian muscles in their little legs.

Bonnie.. that has happened to me too.. I can vouch for Caro..

Maybe they should hold a Book Olympics? They'd kill on the long jump!

Mark, you got me laughing! Bonnie, I can't believe it. Somehow your thread got "x-ed." I must have done that while on my iPad--no wonder I couldn't find you this week. Bonnie, your review makes me want to read The Devil in the White City and, I confess, that it was a book that I didn't like at all. To be fair, I had to skim parts of it, because I was reading it for my book group and I know that can totally ruin a book. I can think of other books that I tried to skim parts of (Middlemarch comes to mind) and then when I slowed down, I totally loved them.

49.



The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas 2 stars

I'm no prude; I enjoyed every episode of "The Wire" but this book was way too much for me. From my review:

Before I waste the time of all those who consider themselves sensitive readers, let me delineate some of the reasons this book may not be for you:

1. If you are easily offended by crude language, steer clear of this one. (And by crude language I mean very, very crude and offensive; the eff word was on just about every page and I have to wonder if Australians really use a certain “c” word to describe people of both sexes with regularity.)
2. If the denigration of women is something you can’t stomach, you may do well to choose another literary effort.
3. If the idea of characters who thumb their nose at morality and monogamy isn’t your cup of tea, leave this book on the shelf.
4. This book was just this side of porn. I had to fly through certain descriptions that were just too graphic for my taste.

Read more here.

Nope, not going anywhere near that one! Thanks for the warning...

Hi, Bonnie, great review (and a thumb from me) but that's going to be a library book for me (if that). I can't imagine slugging through 200 pages before it picks up and a whole book of paragraphs like the one you quoted. So glad I didn't buy it the other day.

Wonderful review, Bonnie. Your review politely and succinctly gave me enough information to come to the conclusion that I do Not want to read this book! I detest the certain "C" word and any book that contains it is not for me. It's a pity, it sounds like an interesting premise but was it necessary to be told in such a vulgar manner.? Thumb skyward, bonnie

Wow! Really glad I left that on the Costco shelf...thanks for taking one for the team, Bonnie! Thumbs up from me too.

Quite a review! Thumbs up for sure.

Please be aware that some LTers liked the book. That's just my opinion. Thanks for the thumbs.

Loved reading your review, and it was already on my Definitely Not list. If it was about New Zealand instead of Australia, curiosity would probably make me read it though.

Another thumb and another book crossed off the possible list with relief. I can read bad language and porn with the best (or do I mean worst?) of them, but it has to give something solid in return. Infinite Jest comes to mind.....

Great review, Bonnie. I think I'll skim a few pages at the library or bookstore first to see if I might want to read it. I'm on the fence because there've been a few good reviews of it. Having said that, I don't like an overuse of profanity in books, because it's just tiresome, just as it is in real life.

Another great review. Bonnie. If you didn't like The Slap then I would detest it. Thanks for being such a great book barometer for me! I had already ruled it out from what I had read. I decided I could only read one totally depressing book this month so I reserved Room instead. Of course, there is a waiting list for it at the library so I won't get it read until next month anyway.

Btw, I've started a wonderful book called The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. Sound familiar? Autumn doesn't begin until Thursday so this should count as a summer read, right?

ugh! Bonnie.. it looks like you took one for the team. I will not be reading that one..

>208 cushlareads: Cushla, I can see the curiosity factor.

>209 LizzieD: Infinite Jest, now there's a book that's on my radar but talk about a chunkster.

>210 cameling: Caro, be my guest;-)

>211 Donna828: Of course it's still summer Donna. For you. Not for me. But I was a month late getting to Pride and Prejudice so it's not really important. I hope you like it. Let me know what you the of Sheilagh Fielding, one of the most fascinating characters in literature (IMO).

>212 mckait: Sure I did. Anytime, I guess.

Bonnie- Good review! And thanks for saving me the time to read it! We have very similar taste in books, so I can't imagine I would like it any more than you did. Did I see somewhere, that you are starting Room? I've heard such good things about that one. It's high on my wishlist!

Great review, Bonnie. I don't believe I'll waste my time on the book, too bad. It seems like a premise with such potential.

>214 msf59: No Mark I'd like to read it at some point but I don't have it yet and neither does my library:(

>215 Citizenjoyce: Thanks Joyce.

I've just deleted The Slap from the tbr pile. I felt the same way you did about The Slap when I read Away by Amy Bloom.

And, by the way, since you now have 215 messages, watch out for Richard the thread cop, he will be circling soon.

>217 Whisper1: What?? Since when has the thread threshhold been lowered to 215? Is this some new rule that Richard has imposed on his lowly subjects?

nah, just saying I can hear the sound of the siren in the background.

Oh right, I guess it's always a danger:)

Nope, not touching The Slap, which never appealed to me before, and really does not after your excellent review.

Bonnie
After posting my original comment re. the Slap, I remembered that I had a unique experience at Barnes and Noble a few days ago.

Normally, on Sundays, I go there to relax, drink a cup of coffee and sit in an overstuffed chair to read.

A few days ago, while perusing the books on the sale table, a younger man -- maybe 25-30 years old -- walked past the table while talking to his friend and loudly wove in the word f--------------- into his comments. He repeated this word over and over again in each sentence.

Because there were young children nearby, and because I thought it very inappropriate to have to listen to this garbage in a public space, I smiled at him and calmly asked him if he felt it necessary to speak this way. Whereupon he loudly yelled f----------, f------------------,f------------------ing right!

Then he said, "Hey, I am entitled to f------------ freedom of speech.

Because I didn't want to interact with this idiot, I simply shook my head and continued to look at the books on the sale table.

A few minutes later I was startled by the loud sound of a book splatting in front of me. He said "Here is a f---------------ing book about freedom of speech!"

I calmly said "Hey, you might want to read it as it might improve your vocabulary!"

I'm feeling rather old these days. I don't equate freedom of speech with obnoxious spewing.

Whisper1, now isn't that the time you wish you were a bad witch and could zap him with a cluster headache?

yeah... I am with 223....

Terrible these days..
honestly... some people are just terrible.
It makes me sad. And afraid.

Some sociologist needs to do a study of the f word. Maybe they already have. When I was a college student (now that's really going back a long time) my friends used to call it the school motto because we had never heard it used so often before. The boys on campus used it freely and we just learned to block our ears and go with the flow.

Now these many years later, I had a woman say to me, "you should use the word, it's so freeing." Really? I guess I don't need that kind of freedom.

Well, I'm not naive. I know it's used by many people in many, many situations. And I don't even mind its judicious use in a book. This book was simply over the top. I understand he was trying to show the authentic street vernacular. But these were educated people. I'm around educated people all the time. I don't hear the word. My adult children do not use it, my husband doesn't use it and I read lots of books by authors that don't feel the need to use it.

#225: My adult children do not use it, my husband doesn't use it and I read lots of books by authors that don't feel the need to use it.

It is the same way around my house. My POV on the overuse of swear words by authors, screenwriters, et al is that they just simply cannot think of anything better to say. A pity really.

Bonnie, great review and thanks for warning me off this one.

An easy one to pass by! Nice review, though!

>225 brenzi: The problem with the f word is that it is so unimaginative, even as an 'intensifier', which seems to be why and how people use it. And to get a rise out of people, of course. I'm actually surprised by his vehemence. Poor thing must have been having a bad day!

Judy
His bad day did not have to be dumped on me.

Alas, I do use the f word, but only when I'm alone. It just feels right.

I went to see Rita Mae Brown give a reading, or rather a conversation last night. She's very Southern, which I hadn't known, and she talked a bit about the power of the English language and the subtleties of its use. She said a southerner would never say "F you". It shows a severe paucity of language. She said the southerner's version of "F you" is "Is that so?" If you ever get that said to you you should know you've been insulted. Once, she said, her mother was being patronized by a man from the north about her silly southern customs, and she said, "Well, obviously I need to find someone else on whom to bestow my esteem," and turned away and left. Don't you wish you could think that quickly? I know I never can.

Adding Courageous to Linda's many attributes. That took guts, Linda, I fear I have no guts! I'm wayyyy to passive.

I am shocked and saddened whenever a college educated person uses the f bomb. Come on....surely they have learned enough vocabulary in 16 yrs of schooling than to resort to that word.

> 230 sarcasm, my dear. I quite agree with you. and the intervening comments as well.

So disappointing that a person would react that way to your polite request to tone it down because there were children around, or even just respect for those who don't want to hear it. I really hate it when people use "freedom of speech" to justify rude and obnoxious behavior. And it wasn't really true there anyway; I'm sure the store could have thrown him out for his behavior, especially after he threw a book down in front of you--that sounds pretty aggressive.

I remember when my son--who's smart and very articulate--went through that phase in his early 20's. I don't think he realized how much he used the eff word. Thank goodness, he grew out of that habit, but even then I hope he would have been polite to you in that situation. Your story is scary because I have this rule in my head that one should always be polite to their elders. That rule could get me in trouble, because I would have said something too. Glad the situation didn't escalate.

OK, I forgot I was on Bonnie's thread and wanted to respond to her too. I don't remember who first got me interested in The Slap, but I've been gradually down-grading it as a wish-list book for similar comments. Think know it's gonna be off the list permanently now. Thanks, Sis!

You are very welcome Bonnie. I'm here to serve;-)

#225: "Some sociologist needs to do a study of the f word. Maybe they already have."

There's this one, which is a linguistic exploration; and this one, which explores American obscenity laws.

Not that you're interested in either one. It's just that librarians don't have an "off" switch.

>237 swynn: Yeah after I wrote that I thought, "Of course that's been done."

It's just that librarians don't have an "off" switch. LOL at that.

It's so interesting when people drag out the first amendment when it's convenient or matches their agenda.

Good afternoon, Bonnie!

>231 Citizenjoyce: Citizenjoyce, my mama was a card-carryin' Southern Belle (*always* had her visiting cards in her purse) whose eff-word equivalent was a small pause, a big smile, and "Well! Bless your heart! All better now?"

Major politicos (she worked at the Headliner's Club in Austin, big-time politicos visited often) would wilt, mumble, blush, and go away.

She was crazy, but she was *smart*.

Southern manners seem to be as intricate as a Japanese tea ceremony. I fear I lack the subtle gene so would he completely lost in that country.

Linda, if he'd read that book on freedom of speech, he might have learned that even free speech has its limits -- especially on someone else's property! I think I would have complained to a manager.

I don't mind an occasional f-bomb if someone is startled or hurt or such. I don't mind writers who use it judiciously in settings where, well, people probably would talk that way. But I hate people like the jerk you were talking about who just feel the need to use it every sentence (or more) just for obvious shock value. There was a father who used to bring his little daughter to the local playground sometimes who talked that way in front of the kids, and I just wanted to wash his mouth out with soap.

I recoil when people swear in an angrily aggressive manner, but maybe I have a degree of tolerance for it in everyday language because my sainted grandmother (who really was revered by everyone in the family and her community) could barely get through a sentence without swearing. She always referred to my brother, her favorite grandchild, as her little chicken shit, said with the utmost affection. You can say "darn" in a very hateful fashion, and you can use the f word with humor. The man in the bookstore was just plain hateful. Where's your ray gun when you need it?

#242: Where's your ray gun when you need it?

My fault - Linda loaned it to me to bring back to Texas :)

I want to also add a positive story about my Barnes and Noble experience on Sunday.

Before the rude baffoon interrupted my lovely time at the sale table where books were already $4.98 and a red sticker on the cover meant an additional 50% off, I had a delightful interaction with a woman in the coffee shop.

She and I were browsing through magazines while drinking coffee. She noted that I was reading a magazine about the art of American West and that lead to a conversation about my trip to Yellowstone last summer and then she chatted about art in Italy and her wonderful trip there last year.

She was a charming, intelligent woman and I could have talked to her for hours.

re message 222

was he buying a book?

What a lovely, civilized group of intelligent people I've fallen in with. My experience has it that the height of F---use is in high school where the word rolls around the halls in an endless loop. Last year the principal told the teachers to stop addressing the problem. "That's the way they talk," he said. "You should be used to it." (Am I glad to be out of there?) And Richard has it just exactly right. A Southern lady will say, "Well, bless your heart," and mean among other things, "You're a hopeless case who needs all the blessing you can get." (And I really meant the hearts blessing I left over on Heather's thread for the happy conclusion of the missing new cat.)

Wow, so the high school just threw in the towel, eh? How inspiring. I can see their point because they're probably fighting a losing battle, but still, it says a lot about our society. Why should high school students have to follow any rules??

In our school, there are no rules for the kids. They can do anything they like. We just.. wait.

Of course it is a little different, but imo none of our kids are so low functioning that they can't learn good behavior. Funny.. few of our kids have any words at all.. but of those who do.. swearing is fairly common..

Having said that. I can swear a blue streak when angry.. or when I see a stink bug in my bedroom.

I will be trying to reform and bless everyone's heart instead.

I know that with movies, rap songs and some books, dropping the f-bomb has become almost part of everyday vocabulary for some people. I know some who can't complete a sentence without some form of profanity. One friend I partially excuse because he learned English when he came to this country from Guatemala when he was 21 and unfortunately he found a job among people who were a little rough around the edges, so he learned to speak like them. His English still isn't too fluent and he uses the words not to be offensive but because those are the words he's familiar with as expressions of surprise, humor, shock, anger and affection. What I'm uncomfortable with though, is his continuous use of profanity around children. i don't think it's appropriate.

My experience in the classroom has been that students will live up/down to the expectations we set for them. The same group of kids can be holy terrors in one class and angels in another, the difference is the way that teacher runs his/her class. Kids know what they can get away with and with whom. It's a shame that some schools have given up, it won't make anything better. When I taught adults last year, there were a few I had to call out for inappropriate language and you'd think I was telling them the sky was green! But they got the message that in my classroom, you watch your mouth.

students will live up/down to the expectations we set for them.

amen

Deeply ensconced in Packing for Mars and should finish up later today. I'm enjoying it even though I don't generally read science, don't really like science. I'm thinking it's Mary Roach's engaging writing style.

I already own Packing for Mars. I ran out and bought it in hardcover after reading a couple of other LTers reviews. So glad you're loving it.

Bonnie- I'm on the library list for Packing For Mars and Stiff is on the WL. Hope you are enjoying a nice weekend.

While living in Philadelphia I developed a strange ailment -- cursing in the car in bad traffic. My daughter now gets a quarter for every forbidden word that pops out of my mouth. (when she's there anyway!) I don't curse anywhere else. I'm very ashamed of myself and don't know how it happened, but it's like a very bad habit you just can't shake.

Have I improved now I'm out of the city? Hmmmm. Well. I'm a little better. But sometimes I lose it still. I may need to up the fine to a dollar. My daughter would certainly like that!

NEW THREAD!