I have just finished Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes. An emotional roller coaster of a fictional love story with a difference. At times it made me laugh out load and at others sob. It tackles a very dificult subject (assisted dying) with great sensitivity. ( PS If you have a look online ignore the front cover of the book )
And I am just about to start re-reading "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell but this time on Kindle. The film is due for release later this year, I cannot imagine how it will even begin to deliver what is such a complex and unique group of interwoven tales. I just hope I enjoy reading it this time as much as I did the first.
Oh,so this is a reread of Cloud Atlas for you Lugg! I've been wanting to read it,and, now hearing of someone doing a reread will definitely prompt me into action. No better recommendation or lauding of a read than a reread. Thanks!
Francine Prose's novel Blue Angel. For whatever reason I've not read any of her other novels before .I recall a short story she wrote in The New Yorker. Time will tell whether I enjoy her or not. I just began it this weekend.
Oh, Casimira, do try some of her other books! She's a favorite of mine, but Blue Angel isn't. It's not bad, just not up to some of the others, in my opinion.
Really glad to see other Thursday Next fans here! I don't care for Fford's nursery series too much and am craving a new T.Next fix.
Oh, Casimira, do try some of her other books! She's a favorite of mine, but Blue Angel isn't. It's not bad, just not up to some of the others, in my opinion.
Really glad to see other Thursday Next fans here! I don't care for Fford's nursery series too much and am craving a new T.Next fix.
I don't know how I missed her Bixa. And yes, while Blue Angel, after having finished it,I now realize, I wouldn't have enjoyed quite as much had it not been for how much I was hooked on this woman's writing style. I will surely seek out her other work. I devoured that book,subject matter and protaginist etc. a wee disturbing and dark aside.
Bjd, don't know if I tried Wolf Hall or not. I'm not a fan of Hilary Mantel, finding her way too artistically arch for my taste.
Casimira, the first F.Prose I read was Bigfoot Dreams, & I was hooked. You may very well have read her essays in the past, without consciously registering her name. Here's just one, to give an idea: http://harpers.org/archive/1998/06/0059591
Bixa -- I am reading Wolf Hall because of a positive review by Christopher Hitchens in a collection of his essays. It's not enthralling, but it's okay.
Someone left an Advanced Reader Copy of this book, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, at the Sanibel house. I like it a lot, though I have some trouble following who's who and what's what, as it jumps all over in time and place and person.
From Publishers Weekly [spoiler=Spoiler]The last words of this haunting novel resonate like a pealing bell. "He fell in love. It was his life." This is the unofficial obituary of octogenarian Leo Gursky, a character whose mordant wit, gallows humor and searching heart create an unforgettable portrait. Born in Poland and a WWII refugee in New York, Leo has become invisible to the world. When he leaves his tiny apartment, he deliberately draws attention to himself to be sure he exists. What's really missing in his life is the woman he has always loved, the son who doesn't know that Leo is his father, and his lost novel, called The History of Love, which, unbeknownst to Leo, was published years ago in Chile under a different man's name. Another family in New York has also been truncated by loss. Teenager Alma Singer, who was named after the heroine of The History of Love, is trying to ease the loneliness of her widowed mother, Charlotte. When a stranger asks Charlotte to translate The History of Love from Spanish for an exorbitant sum, the mysteries deepen. Krauss (Man Walks into a Room) ties these and other plot strands together with surprising twists and turns, chronicling the survival of the human spirit against all odds. Writing with tenderness about eccentric characters, she uses earthy humor to mask pain and to question the universe. Her distinctive voice is both plangent and wry, and her imagination encompasses many worlds.[/spoiler]
Has anyone else read it? Or her other books, Man Walks into a Room and Great House?
I'm reading the autobiography called "From this moment on", by Shaina Twain. She is an excellent writer, writes from the heart and I'm completely captivated.
Her story is quite amazing. From an extremely poor and traumatic childhood, this gutsy girl/woman rises to super-stardom. Her strength is inspiring and her gentle heart and strong character shines through her words. Admirable, is the best word to describe her story.
For me, Man Walks Into a Room is a book to be re-read and savored for the questions about self and consciousness that it raises, the realness of the characters, and the subtle but perfect insights. And all of that is presented in clear, unfussy prose with a great plot! Thanks, bixa, I knew I could count on you!
Perfume, scent... I'm reading The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry, by Chandler Burr. A good read, my most recent. The history and a fascinating journey of the moment… an American perfume and a French perfume. Well written, with great detail of what is involved in the creation of a perfume. The two approaches, American and French, are totally different. Most important, your sense of smell will never be the same.
If this appeals to you, there are two other great books that I have read before,
The Secret of Chanel No. 5, by Tilar Mazzeo. My second book about perfume… superb! Fascinating, not only for a unique glimpse of Coco Chanel, but a wonderful introduction to the art of perfume. Beautifully written, by the same author of The Widow Clicquot (founder of champagne house). http://www.amazon.ca/Secret-Chanel-No-In....38414185&sr=8-1
Perfume, the story of a murderer, by Patrick Suskind. About 15 years ago, I first read this ‘page turner’, a work of fiction about a murderer in France in the 18th century who was a genius of ‘perfume’. Again, extremely well written and for me, brought ‘scent ‘ to the forefront of my consciousness. http://www.amazon.ca/Perfume-Story-Murde....8414387& sr=1-1
Oh these sound great Jazz, especially the Suskind page turner. I have made note of them and will check with my library and see if I can procure. Thank you. I had forgot about the Madame Cliquot bio as well and will try to get too.
I read the Suskind book years ago, when it first came out. After it was made into a movie, I was a little dismayed to see the book reissued rather sensationally. True that it's very much a page-turner, but hardly a pot-boiler. Glad to be reminded of it, as I'm thinking I'd like to read it again.
The Secret of Chanel No. 5 sounds fabulous.
Now, Jazz ~~ I don't know if I can forgive you for turning me on to that perfume site, where I could get lost for hours! I'm amazed by the depth of the author's knowledge & was blown away by the brilliant assignments of perfumes to the Mad Men ladies.
I recently finished Empress Orchid by Anchee Min, which turned out to be a pleasure, but not a guilty one. I say that because it had several trappings of the romance novel -- the title, one of those annoying cut-outs on the (paperback) cover, "bestseller!" trumpeted on the front -- but the plot was too good to pass up. It's quite well written, not romance-y at all, & beautifully conveys the secrets of the Forbidden City through the purported words of China's last empress.
Right now I am reading Sense of Direction by Gideon Lewis-Kraus. http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Direction-Pilgrimage-Restless-Hopeful/dp/1594487251 This young man can write. He also has an excellent sense of humor, though there are indeed some poignant moments. The book seems to be pretty much the title: He is looking for a way forward. A secular guy, he takes on three pilgrimages, the Camino de Santiago de Compestela, a circuit of 88 temples in Japan, and visits the tomb of an ancient Hasidic mystic in Ukraine. I was in northwest Spain (a beautiful region) last Christmas and the Camino has always intrigued me.
I had already requested Wolf Hall from the library, based on mentions in reviews of the sequel -- when I read C. Hitchens' praise. So I thought, oh good.
Just finished skimming through to the end, skipping pages at a time. Eventually she really got on my nerves, not least because the last third of this hefty volume leads up to the execution of a character you've been led to dislike from the beginning. Partly because I found it all is too erudite, self confident, and -- good word bixa -- arch for my taste.
Right now, I am reading Helen Garner's The Spare Room. I think she has been my favourite (but unfortunately non prolific) Australian writer ever since I read Monkey Grip more than 30 years ago. Her style is so easy and yet so sensitive.
Now, Jazz ~~ I don't know if I can forgive you for turning me on to that perfume site, where I could get lost for hours! I'm amazed by the depth of the author's knowledge & was blown away by the brilliant assignments of perfumes to the Mad Men ladies.
This comment caused me to visit the link on Jazz's post and spend an hour or more in perfume reverie. I may just dig out my old bottles and start wearing it again. Thanks, Jazz and Bixa, too.
Ack! I read that & wound up going back to the site for more sensual (but intelligent!) wallowing.
Reporting on my books from #858 ~~ The Clockwork Man delivered all the way through. One triumph of the book is to pull the reader into not examining the central conceit too closely. The other is that it manages to be both a meditation on the nature of consciousness within an interesting plot featuring touches of humor & subtle but effective period indicators.
It pains me to report that Robert Crais finally wrote a book that not only disappointed me, but rather bored me as well.
So far, Bill Bryson's At Home is really delivering. It's classic Bryson, -- fascinating facts he's learning while researching his main subject presented in his wry & funny style. So far he's told me that the tiny churchyard in his isolated part of Norfolk probably contains @20,000 of the dearly departed, about what the many clergymen uninterested in the ecclesiastical life in the 1850s got up to, and how a great storm in the winter of 1850 uncovered a stone age village.
We haven't gotten to anything about at home yet, but who cares?
I've read more than one rave review of Wolf Hall to now prompt me to seek it out today at the library.
I just finished Oliver Sack's The Island of the Colorblind borrowed from 'The Little Library.' A really fascinating read, and study, of the cluster of atoll islands of Micronesia, including the island of Guam. A whole other world unto themselves. Also packed with history and culture and a great overview of the flora and fauna of these islands. (If you're into ferns and cycads this is a book for you!). I seem to recall one or two persons on here having some difficulty with Sack's writing. I have never had a problem with him,and, this book in particular seems to overcome what I perceive people are referring to.
I've run out of hand-selected reading material and am stuck with my MIL's collection of old mystery novels, a genre I've never taken the time to appreciate. Read an Earl Stanley Gardner Perry Mason mystery, The Case of the Lame Canary, and am almost finished with Agatha Christie's Postern of Fate, which is much better as a slice-of-life portrayal of English country life than as a mystery.
A few days ago I went to my stash of unread books and was delighted to find I had a copy of Tim Moore's "French Revolutions- Cycling The Tour De France". Light reading and very amusing! AND very appropriate as the 2012 Tour is only days away.
I hope you like Wolf Hall, casimira. There are many brilliant touches. Literature taste is so personal.
I've read shorter articles by Sacks and enjoyed them. Will look out for that.
Just finished Richard Russo's Straight Man, and I laughed all the way through it. I hadn't read anything by him before, and this was a book club selection which generally turn out to be either didactic/improving or too far on the chick lit side. Imagine my surprise when I loved it.
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-- the title, one of those annoying cut-outs on the (paperback) cover, "bestseller!" trumpeted on the front -- but the plot was too good to pass up. It's quite well written, not romance-y at all, & beautifully conveys the secrets of the Forbidden City through the purported words of China's last empress.
