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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2009 10:38:57 GMT
Hi, I'm new here and trying to get a feel for this place, and what's better for that than starting a discussion?
Please tell me what you are reading and how you like it. If you feel like it say what's next on your reading list and what books you have bought or reserved lately at the library that you are excited about reading.
I am currently reading three books: The Faber Book of Diaries, which is organised like a diary with a handful of entries for each day, and this I am reading day by day for one year, and constantly discovering new diarists whose diaries I want to read.
Heaven's Command, by Jan Morris (written while she was still James), the first of a trilogy about the history of the British empire, beginning with queen Victoria. It's an interesting and eclectic look at the big and small events and people that formed the empire, and so far I like it.
London Match, by Len Deighton. It's the last in a trilogy of spy stories written a few years before the fall of the Berlin wall, and I have got to a point where the story seems set to take off.
Next up is The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. I am going to see the movie based on the previous book in the trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo tonight. I want to finish the second book before the second movie premieres next month.
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Post by tillystar on Sept 18, 2009 10:52:37 GMT
This morning I started a book called The Observations by Jane Harris. Its a historical fiction, I am enjoying it and think I wil get pulled in quickly...I absolutely love the voice of the 15 yr old maid who is the narrator.
I think it may become a bit like Sarah Waters who can be a bit samey with her historical fictions about lesbian maids, but all good at the moment.
I just finished Cane River by Lalita Tandemy which I adored.
Its a family history of 5 generations, the first three generations are slaves on a plantation but the last generations in the book are free. I really couldn't put it down, I was so disappointed when it ended I wanted it to go on for ever. Great characters and what I love is that she has taken snippets of her family history that she has and letters and photos and woven a full story around it. Thats like the book I want to write one day!
I recently read The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafron which I was so disappointed by. I had been so looking forward to it after loving his first book Shadow of the Wind, but it looks like he tookthat winning formula and tried to recapute it and just got it all wrong. It was painful to read to the end but I couldn't give in in case it redeemed itself.
Not sure what to read next but think I might re read Rebecca after talking about it the other day.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2009 11:48:59 GMT
We are delighted that you have joined us, Icy! We're interested in just about everything here, as you can see from the various branches, and it's true that talking about the books we're reading is one of the best ways to get to know each other.
I don't spend nearly as much time reading as I used to, but at the moment I am reading A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. It got the author in trouble a few years ago because it was passed off as an autobiography rather than as a novel when it was first published. It tells all about the author's alcohol and drug addiction, but it contains quite a few fictional elements.
Meanwhile I am anxiously awaiting the publication of volume 5 of the graphic novel series Aya de Youpagon, which is a fantastic tale of modern life in Côte d'Ivoire, with the constant struggle between traditional and modern ways. Aya is a good girl with an authoritarian father who is not sure that it is worth it that she continue her studies. But when she observes what her slutty friends are up to, she knows that she needs a different life. I plan to make a separate thread about the wonders of this series soon, but in the meantime, volume 5 won't come out until November!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2009 12:30:39 GMT
Tillystar, I have The Observations on my reading list. I would love know what you thought of it once you have finished.
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Post by imec on Sept 18, 2009 12:41:02 GMT
Hi Icy! Welcome!
I'm just finishing up "This is Your Brain on Music" by Daniel Levitin. It's a fascinating explanation of how our brains process the sounds captured by our ears and interpret some of them as music.
I'm jealous you're enjoying Game, Set and Match for the first time. I've read those twice as well as the following three - Hook, Line and Sinker (twice as well I think) and the final Trilogy - Faith, Hope and Charity. Hope you enjoy it even half as much as I did.
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Post by bjd on Sept 18, 2009 14:12:02 GMT
I'm preparing for a trip to Rome be re-reading some funny detective stories set in Rome, 71 A D by Lindsey Davis.
I'm also reading a book called 1848, about that revolutionary year in Europe by a British historian whose name escapes me for the moment.
I went a little overboard and ordered a bunch of books on Amazon in the past week, so I'm waiting for them to arrive. The first 3 volumes of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles, after reading about them here, and, for a change of pace, a book about the Comintern and how it influenced Western intellectuals/fellow travellers in the 1930s and 40s.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 18, 2009 16:23:45 GMT
Yaay, Icy! What a great discussion -- thanks for starting it. It seems you like to read everything, and definitely not just new stuff. Is the Jan Morris book non-fiction?
I recently read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. Can't wait for the next one to be available in English.
Tilly, I hope you give an update of The Observations once you get further into it -- whether you recommend it or not.
I read Cane River and really admired how the author made the book. I don't think she was a professional writer, either.
At the moment I am engrossed by Someone Knows My Name, by Lawrence Hill about an eleven year old girl stolen out of Africa in 1757 and taken to South Carolina. It's extremely well written with tons of historical detail seamlessly woven into the story. Note: be careful if you google this book. I did, and a review at which I merely glanced hit me with a giant spoiler. Grrr
Before Someone Knows My Name, I read When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson. She's somewhat uneven as a writer, but this book was good entertainment. I also recently read books by two favorite authors -- Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster and T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton -- and was disappointed by both of them. As a matter of fact, I realized once I started the Auster book that I'd read it before, that's how unmemorable it was. And Sue Grafton seems to have churned out her book. It's got a good premise, but giant plot holes and lots of padding.
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Post by bjd on Sept 18, 2009 17:15:58 GMT
The Jan (James) Morris book is a history of the British Empire and its collapse. I read it a few years ago and really liked it, but then I like everything he, and later she, wrote.
I'm hesitating about reading the second Stieg Larsson book. I read a review recently that mentioned how violent it is. Is that the case, Bixa? Although I like Henning Mankell and have read several other Scandinavian detective books, I find they tend to be awfully grim -- lots of alcoholism, abuse of all kinds.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 18, 2009 17:49:20 GMT
It is violent, Bjd, but I was able to handle it. I hasten to say that I have a very low tolerance for violence -- I hide my face in parts of movies, and will skip over any part of a book that contains torture, for instance.
I feel that Larsson, as a journalist, was trying to make a point about abuses in the social system in Sweden, and by extension, casually accepted stereotypes in general. His respect for women comes through very strongly in his books and I find Lisbeth Salander to be one of the most fascinating characters ever to appear in a novel. Thus, I think the violence depicted is necessary and that he's kept it to a manageable level for the reader.
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Post by cristina on Sept 18, 2009 20:45:15 GMT
I have just finished a charming little book, 84 Charring Cross Road by Helen Hanff. Next up is Special Topics in Calamity Physics, by Marisha Pessl.
I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but was not especially fond of the translation. This is the first time that I was even aware of how important a good translator is. However I did enjoy the story.
Tilly, you are the second person I've heard to be disappointed by The Angel's Game. Like you, I loved Shadow of the Wind and was really looking forward to this novel.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2009 18:32:07 GMT
Let me know what you think of Calamity Physics ,Cristine. Read it about a year ago. I will reserve my review of although, will say it was mostly positive,unique in some technical ways.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2009 19:02:41 GMT
I am reading "Snakehead", a true account of Sister Ping,a Chinese middle aged grandmother who came to dominate the underground world of New York's Chinatown in the 1980's. Out of a little noodle house on Hester Street emerged a $40 million(USD) business of smuggling people into NY. Her empire came to light when in 1993 the Golden Venture,a ship loaded with 300 undocumented workers ran aground off a Queens beach. (I distinctly remember the incident).
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Post by traveler63 on Sept 20, 2009 12:09:12 GMT
I usually take a book with me when I am on vacation, but this time didn't. The apartment has several books, so right now I am reading Simple Genius, by Baldacchi. So, far so good, as hubby likes his writing but this is the first time I have read his works.
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Post by cristina on Sept 21, 2009 16:27:45 GMT
Let me know what you think of Calamity Physics ,Cristine. Read it about a year ago. I will reserve my review of although, will say it was mostly positive,unique in some technical ways. casimira, I've only just begun reading it (currently in the midst of "Wuthering Heights") and I will agree that its unique. At this point, I think the style reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut. So far, I'm enjoying it, although the many, many referenced articles and texts are getting a bit on my nerves.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2009 19:21:51 GMT
Let me know what you think of Calamity Physics ,Cristine. Read it about a year ago. I will reserve my review of although, will say it was mostly positive,unique in some technical ways. casimira, I've only just begun reading it (currently in the midst of "Wuthering Heights") and I will agree that its unique. At this point, I think the style reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut. So far, I'm enjoying it, although the many, many referenced articles and texts are getting a bit on my nerves. It will continue to,at a certain point it got to be too much, but I persevered and got through it.
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Post by cristina on Sept 22, 2009 3:44:01 GMT
It will continue to,at a certain point it got to be too much, but I persevered and got through it. As I move through it, its become better. Early in the novel, it seemed excessive. At this point, it seems manageable. If I can get through the first chapter, then I will finish the book. I don't usually walk out of a book part-way unless...well, I don't remember walking out on a book. Even if I hated it. At this point, though, I am engaged.
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Post by tillystar on Sept 24, 2009 8:56:36 GMT
Well. I recommend, but with reservations. The voice of the narrator, Bessy the lovely maid, carries this book I think. She has a really original voice, very brave, funny, bawdy and just plain likeable. The first few pages I thought the style would be too much for a whole book but you soon fall in and really enjoy it.
I couldn't stop reading it and was racing through to discover what happens and whats behind it all and I think perhaps I was waiting for a great twist that never happened. The story is interesting but I thought just lacked something.
I want more Bessy though.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2009 10:31:48 GMT
Thanks tilly for your take on Harris's "Observations, has been on my list. Am so glad you enjoyed "Cane River", I got it for my mother while on holiday and she is immersed in it. Rarely can I find something that she can or will engage in with such ferocity (of course she may have been doing it for my benefit and tossed it out as soon as I left ).
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 24, 2009 16:40:39 GMT
I finished Someone Knows My Name and highly recommend it. It's quite a long book -- 470 pages -- but even so, years at a time are skipped and you feel the book has been pared to its essence very successfully. One huge achievement is that one reads the book as much for the history in it as for the plot and the writing, and feels convinced that the protagonist must have been a real person. Hill kindly provides an afterword on the subject of history. Another exceptional thing is that the book could be used for its bibliography alone. Instead of a dry list of sources, you are given a tour through those sources and why the author found them valuable. I realize I'm burbling on a bit about this book, but it was a pleasure to have such good writing, such a good story, and to learn so much in one novel. For those who liked Cane River, you would adore Someone Knows My Name, as Hill is much the better writer. Of course I can't pass up this opportunity to urge everyone to read The Known World by Edward P. Jones, as well. It is truly a great, great novel. I've started The Road to Wellville by T. Coraghessan Boyle. <-- another article with spoilers! I don't know if I'll stick with it or not, as I feel it has far too much "window dressing" for my taste. I'll give it one more day, then give it the ax if it doesn't grab me.
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Post by bjd on Sept 24, 2009 18:46:24 GMT
After a recent thread about reading, I ordered the first 3 books of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. I started the first one but am having a hard time getting into it. 16th century Scotland. Fortunately, it's written in plain English for the most part, so I don't have to struggle to read anything written to sound Scottish. Nothing I hate more than books written in dialect.
I'm not really a fan of historical fiction bit I will persevere since I actually bought the books.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2009 8:36:26 GMT
I finally finished Heaven's Command, which is an interesting, well written and absorbing but very slow read. Morris picked people and events from the history of the British empire and uses them to illustrate the development of Britain from reluctant colonist to proud imperialist. I think I will take a month or so before I begin the second part of the trilogy, Pax Brittanica.
I plan to finish Match and then move on to The Girl who played with Fire.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2009 10:35:18 GMT
I have a question for all you readers: Are you interested in making "What are you reading'" a regular feature of this forum? If you are interested, I will undertake to post a new thread at the beginning of each month (so as not to create a mega-thread). Or maybe we should create a mega-thread? Might be fun.
Cast your votes, please.
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Post by tillystar on Sept 25, 2009 10:38:59 GMT
Good plan!
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Post by spindrift on Sept 25, 2009 15:52:37 GMT
What Tilly said.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 25, 2009 16:00:57 GMT
You can already see that I will definitely participate in a "what are you reading" thread!
Icy, take a look at the Library board as it is now to see what you think about separate threads vs. one continuous thread. As far as I can tell, separate threads fall to the bottom and get ignored later.
Perhaps a combination of the two would be useful. For instance, if you decide that The Faber Book of Diaries impresses you to the extent that you want to write a full review, you might do that on a separate thread, then link to that thread within the "what are you reading" discussion. Then the people who read the same book and wished to discuss it in depth could move to the thread dedicated to that particular book.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2009 22:11:43 GMT
I'm game icy. I started Jim Harrison's novel Farmer today. I like him so much that I only read a book of his every six months as I know I'll devour them all and be left feeling bereft.
I cannot find used or library copies of the Dorothy Dunnett ,Nicolo Rising series. Looked while in NYC and environs. Nadda.
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Post by bjd on Sept 26, 2009 12:38:30 GMT
Casimira -- try Amazon. It costs a fortune to have books sent from the States here, but you can often find books cheap and mailing within the States isn't bad. I bought a hardcover Alan Furst book this summer for 16 cents and had it mailed to a US address -- a woman working with my sister picked it up for me in Michigan. It sounds complicated, I realize, but she goes there every week to get stuff through customs.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2009 13:35:13 GMT
Thanks bjd,will do. I had a hassle getting a book from Amazon via the UK so I know what you're talking about. Also,I order seeds from the UK sometimes ,and it's also a hassle ,but worth it.
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Post by traveler63 on Sept 26, 2009 18:20:32 GMT
I think a thread would be wonderful. I finished Simple Genius and am now reading Ann Patchett's The Magicians Assistant. She wrote Bel Canto and The Patron Saint of Liars. I have just started it and it is very interesting. I will let you all know what I think when I am finished.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 26, 2009 19:46:01 GMT
The Magician's Assistant is my hands-down favorite of all the Ann Pratchett books. I'm definitely a fan of her work.
Icy, I am pretty confused as to how a monthly thread would work. Can you explain, please?
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