Robin M Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Happy Sunday, dear hearts! Today is the start of week 46 in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are just joining in and to all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is below in my signature. 52 Books Blog - Literary birthdays: Time to celebrate a few more author birthdays and load up your wishlists for 2014!!! Highlighting literary birthdays this week including Winston Churchill (Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 - political/historical nonfiction), Neil Gaiman (science fiction/fantasy novels, comics and films), Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish novelist, Jose Saramago (Nobel Prize in literature in 1998 - Portuguese novelist), and Chinua Achebe (Nigerian novelist). Books news: Audible.com is offering The Grey Man by Mark Greaney for free. Check out Flavorwire's list of 10 great philosophical fiction tales - I've read 4 out of the 10 - War and Peace, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Heart of Darkness, and Nausea. From I09 - 10 stories where technology is indistinguishable from magic including A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court, Dune, Rendevouz with Rama and Star wars. Lynn Coady won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for Fiction for her short story collection Hellgoing. What are you reading this week? Link to week 45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 Finished James Rollins SandStorm, the first book in the Sigma Force novels. Have been skipping around in the thriller series for some odd reason, reading them entirely out of order. Good no matter what order you read them in. Thank you Stacia - Couldn't think of a better place to veg out. Reading Jennifer Estep's latest in the Gin Blanco Elemental Assassin series - Heart of Venom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocolate Rose Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Friday night I finished Shift (Wool trilogy) and just started Dust. There were a couple of months between reading Wool and reading Shift, and because of the way the books are written, I really wish I had read Shift right after Wool. It still worked out fine and I totally enjoyed Shift. I have Allegiant waiting in the wings to read next and that will complete another trilogy. Because of these weekly threads, I have a bazillion books piled on and around my night stand just waiting to be cracked open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Because of these weekly threads, I have a bazillion books piled on and around my night stand just waiting to be cracked open. Me too. I'm between books and can't decide wether to start one from my stack or wait till tomorrow when I pick up half a dozen more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Another reread for me. Yesterday I finished Courtney Milan's The Duchess War (The Brothers Sinister) (Volume 1) in anticipation of reading the author's newest book in the Brothers Sinister series. These are historical romances. "Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly—so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don’t get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention. But that is precisely what she gets. Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he’s up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he’s determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match…" Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 What makes a book a challenge to read? Is it the writing style, the vocabulary, the grammatical structures, the run on sentences? Or is it the content that feels like a punch to the gut? My current reading is challenging--mostly because of subject matter. Stone Upon Stone is set in rural Poland--before, during and after WWII. The first person narrator (who speaks in stream of consciousness run on sentences) was in the resistance. His body is broken--but not his spirit. I continue to work my way through this chunkster. Upon Eliana's recommendation, I am also reading A Train In Winter. From occupied Poland to occupied Paris and the unsung heroines of the Resistance. It is necessary for me to return to Europe during this time period periodically. Never easy, but necessary. I haven't posted this year's list for a while. Rating system: 5 = Love; 4 = Pretty awesome; 3 = Decently good; 2 = Ok; Not bothering with 1's...Chunksters (500+ pages) in purple.Personal challenges: Old Friends, Dusty Books, Sustainability, Dorothy Dunnett, the Continental Challenge ) Gillespie and I (Jane Harris) 3.5 stars2) The Feast Nearby (Robin Mather) 3 stars--Sustainability (1)3) The View from Castle Rock (Alice Munro) 4 stars--Dusty Book (1), Canadian author in the Continental Challenge4) The Good Food Revolution (Will Allen with Charles Wilson) 2.5 stars--Sustainability (2)5) Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay (Chris Benfey) 4 stars6) Tom Jones (Henry Fielding) 5 stars--Old Friend (1), Dusty Book (2)**This remains one of my favorite novels of all time!**7) Uneasy Money (P.G. Wodehouse, audio book) 3 stars8) Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)--4 stars9) A High Wind in Jamaica (Richard Hughes)--3.5 stars10) Too Many Cooks (Rex Stout, audio book) 3.5 stars11) Excellent Women (Barbara Pym) 4.5 stars--Old Friend (2)12) An Awakening Heart (Barbara Dowd Wright) 3 stars--Dusty Book (3)13) The Swerve (Stephen Greenblatt) 3.5 stars14) Das Kapital: A Novel of Love and Money Markets (Viken Berberian) 4 stars15) Aleph (Paulo Coelho) 1.5 stars Brazilian author in the Continental Challenge16) Niccolo Rising (Dorothy Dunnett) 5 stars--Dorothy Dunnett personal challenge (1); Old Friend (3)17) The Devil on Lammas Night (Susan Howatch) 3.5 stars--Dusty Book (4)18) Nature Wars (Jim Sterba) 5 stars19) Blood of the Wicked (Leighton Gage) Continental Challenge (Brazil) 3.5 stars20) A Ghost in the Machine (Catherine Graham) 3.5 stars --Dusty Book (5)21) All Natural (Nathanael Johnson) 5 stars-- Sustainability (3)22) Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert) 4 stars23) The Bucolic Plague (Josh Kilmer-Purcell) 2.5 stars24) Cop to Corpse (Peter Lovesey) 3 stars25) Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie) 4 stars 26) Vendenta (Michael Dibdin) 3.5 stars27) Elelgance of the Hedgehog (Muriel Barbery) 4 stars28) Population: 485 (Michael Perry) 4.5 stars29) Stagestruck (Peter Lovesey) 4 stars30) Gourmet Rhapsody (Muriel Barbery) 3 stars31) Cabal (Michael Dibdin) 3.5 stars32) Cooked (Michael Pollan) 4.5 stars33) Oishinko: Ramen & Gyoza (Kariya/Hanasaki) Food manga! 4 stars34) Paris France (Gertrude Stein) 4.5 stars--Old Friends (3)35) Oishinko: Fish, Sushi, and Sushimi (Kariya/Hanasaki) More food manga! 4 stars36) Beware This Boy (Maureen Jennings) 3 stars37) The Spring of the Ram (Dorothy Dunnett) 5 stars --Dorothy Dunnett (2)38) Richard III (Shakespeare) 5 stars 39) A Taste for Death(PD James) 4 stars 40) Henry IV Part I (Shakespeare) 5 stars 41) Race of Scorpions (Dorothy Dunnett) 4 stars--Dorothy Dunnett Challenge (3) 42) Old Filth (Jane Gardam) 5 stars 43) Cradle to Cradle (Braungart and McDonough) 4 stars--Sustainability (4) 44) The Man in the Wooden Hat (Jane Gardam) 5 stars 45) The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (Edgar Allen Poe) 3.5 stars 46) Old Friends (Jane Gardam) 5 stars 47) Pym (Mat Johnson) 3.5 stars 48) A Good Death (Elizabeth Ironside) 3 stars 49) The Curtain (Milan Kundera) 5 stars 50) Baker Street Translation (Michael Robertson) 2.5 stars 51) Waiting for Dark (Peter Robinson) 3.5 stars 52) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson) 4 stars 53) Shooting at Loons (Margaret Maron) 2.5 stars 54) Hidden Kitchens (Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson) 4 stars 55) Letters to a Young Scientist (E.O. Wilson) 4 stars 56) The Spellman Files (Lisa Lotz) 2.5 stars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Since I was able to put aside The Scottish Prisoner, ahem, I was able to complete Dead Lawyers Tale No Tales, by Randy Singer. This is not one of his best, but it was still enjoyable if you like courtroom dramas/mystery thrillers. Here is my review from Goodreads: This one had me guessing till the end, and even surprised me. There seemed to be so many different story lines going at once, I had no idea how they were going to be able to come together. It wasn't really a matter of knowing the who in the "who done it", but more the HOW, and that was a good mystery till the end. A small side-note surprise at the end was nice as well, and I never saw it coming. All in all a fun read. My next book will be The Last Plea Bargain, also by Randy Singer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Me too. I'm between books and can't decide wether to start one from my stack or wait till tomorrow when I pick up half a dozen more. I know. Before starting to read this thread I had a stack but nothing like this. Also I really want to read pretty much everything in that stack. I used to happily return my unreads to the library every month or two. I read a new Maggie Shayne on my kindle yesterday. She has written some great romatic suspense books over the years. Favorite author for me. This one called "Sleep with the Lights On" is honestly creepier imo then most of the spooky reads I read. I liked it but I want to warn that part of the creepiness involves organ donation. I don't want to do a spoiler but this book probably is not well suited for anyone who has been personally involved in those programs. I think it might have upset me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Like Jane in NC, I'm also reading A Train in Winter because I saw it mentioned here (now I know to credit Eliana! I can never remember who mentioned the books I put on my hold list). I've read a lot of WWII books this year and this one is really tying together a lot of pieces in my brain. I'm understanding what happened in France a lot better, and really wishing something terrible happened to the collaborationists, but I don't think much did happen to them. I'm about half way through that one. Meanwhile, The Cuckoo's Calling came available from my hold list, and that one I only have for 14 days so I will probably be focusing on it for the time being. Almost done with Marrin's Stalin--another one I'm learning a lot from. And interesting to read it alongside the WWII books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 What makes a book a challenge to read? Is it the writing style, the vocabulary, the grammatical structures, the run on sentences? Or is it the content that feels like a punch to the gut? I find that I can easily read anything written in a narrative voice with a linear story line, even non-fiction or with challenging vocabulary. However, I don't like to read gut-punch books at all. By gut-punch, I mean those that are full of cruelty, brutality, and oppression. The most challenging for me are books that have a random structure or no story to hold on to. I struggle through some classics that divert from the story to do chapter long detailed descriptions of things like architecture or governmental procedures. I also find it difficult to read books that make it hard for me to connect with the voice of the author in some way. I've decided to read Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature by Thor Heyerdahl. I found it in a thrift store 2 weeks ago. The story is already engaging me, so I'm happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I read The Probable Future - 3 Stars - a very nice read. I'm giving it 3 Stars since it dragged on for me a bit towards the end. MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad. My daughter took this photo of her stack of books. Love it and thought to share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Finished: #69 - Holy is the Day: Living in the Gift of the Present, by Carolyn Weber. Commented on it last week when I was almost finished. Will definitely be one of my top five this year, and possibly number one. Currently reading: #70 - Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I read Tangled after seeing on the Goodreads list for 2013. I was disappointed. Last night I read Seven Years by Dannika Dark, which is a new author for me, not a bad start to another paranormal series. I might have to try out The Mageri Series by the same author. Anyone familiar with it? I started Gone Girl: A Novel since I have it on library loan, but I just couldn't get into right now, maybe later this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I have been slogging through some seriously heady literature lately. My goal for this year has been to read some of the best lit. of the 20th Century and I coming to see why it's not something I usually lean toward. So this week I cheated a bit and chose a Non-20th Century book, Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. I tore right through it, it was a real page turner. Not high a flalutin' boo by any means, but it was very attention grabbing. I kept the "Children in Peril" theme going by reading Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. This one is on all the Top Sci Fi Novel lists so I wasn't cheating! The strange thing is, while Katniss was in imminent, brutal danger, I was less disturbed by Catching Fire than I was by Ender's story. What they did to those kids was really upsetting to me. One of my boys is 5 and Ender started the book out at 6. I realize he's supposed to be this blistering genius, but he is still a little boy and what they did to him really ticked me off. My Dh has been pushing Starship Troopers on me all year so I think I'll stick with the war and despair theme (I'm preparing for an IL Thanksgiving so I'm already in the mindset.) 1 - All The King's Men – Robert Penn Warren 27 - Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden 2 - A Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert Heinlein 28 - Selected Short Stories - William Faulkner3 - A Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood 29 - 100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez4 - Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger 30 - Dune - Frank Herbert5 - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury 31 - Alchemist - Paulo Coelho6 - The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck 32 - One Day in the Life o Ivan Desinovich - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn7 – Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie 33 - Beloved - Toni Morrison8 – The Illustrated Man – Ray Bradbury 34 - Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh9 – The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald 35 - Dimanche - Irene Nemirovsky10 – The Hiding Place – Corrie Ten Boom 36 - Babbitt - Sinclair Lewis 11 – The Square Foot Garden – Mel Bartholomew 37 - Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger 12 - Catch-22- Joseph Heller 38 - A Death in Venice - Thomas Mann13 - Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad 39 - Sister Carrie - Theodore Drieser14 - Partners in Crime - Agatha Christie 40 - The Trial - Franz Kafka15 - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 41 - The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner16 -O, Pioneers!- Willa Cather 42 - Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera17 - Miss Marple - The Complete Short Story Collection - Agatha Christie 43 - Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie18 - Ringworld - Larry Niven 44 - Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins19 - Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- James Joyce 45 - Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card20 - Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut21 - To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee22 - Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin23 - The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow24 - The War of the Worlds- H.G Wells25 - The Girl with the Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier 26 - The Golden Ball and Other Stories - Agatha Christie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 52 Books Blog - Literary birthdays: Time to celebrate a few more author birthdays and load up your wishlists for 2014!!! Highlighting literary birthdays this week including Winston Churchill (Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 - political/historical nonfiction), Neil Gaiman (science fiction/fantasy novels, comics and films), Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish novelist, Jose Saramago (Nobel Prize in literature in 1998 - Portuguese novelist), and Chinua Achebe (Nigerian novelist). Very cool. Wow. Talk about some great authors.... Hope you are feeling better, Robin! :grouphug: Because of these weekly threads, I have a bazillion books piled on and around my night stand just waiting to be cracked open. :laugh: :iagree: What makes a book a challenge to read? Is it the writing style, the vocabulary, the grammatical structures, the run on sentences? Or is it the content that feels like a punch to the gut? My current reading is challenging--mostly because of subject matter. Stone Upon Stone is set in rural Poland--before, during and after WWII. The first person narrator (who speaks in stream of consciousness run on sentences) was in the resistance. His body is broken--but not his spirit. I continue to work my way through this chunkster. Upon Eliana's recommendation, I am also reading A Train In Winter. From occupied Poland to occupied Paris and the unsung heroines of the Resistance. It is necessary for me to return to Europe during this time period periodically. Never easy, but necessary. Loving hearing about your challenging reading, Jane. Great questions to ponder too.... I've decided to read Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature by Thor Heyerdahl. I found it in a thrift store 2 weeks ago. The story is already engaging me, so I'm happy. :thumbup1: Read that a couple of years ago & loved it. Looking forward to your final thoughts on it. My daughter took this photo of her stack of books. Love it and thought to share. Love it! (And love the purple wall too!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Well, I busted my rear last night & today so I could finish my current two books, lol. (My pace certainly pales in relation to Eliana's pace! :lol: ) First, I finished Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra. I greatly enjoyed Irving's musings on life in & around the Alhambra. I'm so jealous that he actually got to *stay* there in 1829! Even though I visited the Alhambra more than 160 years after Irving did, many of his descriptions & impressions seem spot-on from when I visited it many years ago.This book is a mix of his thoughts & observations, as well as various recountings of fables & tales he was told during his time there. Many of the folktales center around the time when Granada was under Arabic rule &/or tales of Boabdil (Muhammed XII of Granada) & his people existing in a frozen/enchanted state in the mountains under the Alhambra. I enjoyed Irving's non-fiction writings better than his recountings of the various fables (there was a certain amount of repetition among some of the tales). Recommended for those who enjoy travel-related lit & especially if you have an interest in Spain &/or the Alhambra. Secondly, today I read Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt (link to the free .pdf) by G.R. Reader. Here's what I wrote about it on Goodreads... Censorship is a hot-button topic for me. So, with this book, we're talking about the whole Goodreads/Amazon/reader dust-up & what's at stake here: freedom of speech/expression. Admittedly, Goodreads/Amazon is not the government &, therefore, some may dismiss these issues as 'not so important'; others will sit by in silence, watching what's going on but not getting involved, without voicing thoughts or opinions, thinking that the issue doesn't really affect his/her life....Realistically speaking, those of us in the US live in a capitalist society, where the bottom dollar often drives choices & decisions (from corporate lobbyists working to sway our laws to citizens being told it is our patriotic duty to shop/contribute to the economy to basic needs issues such as an individual staying in a bad job to make ends meet). Corporations have big sway in our daily lives & I think the topic of freedom of speech/expression is entirely relevant & critical, not only in reference to individuals vs. governments, but also to individuals vs. corporations.This is something that affects you, whether you exercise your rights or not. It is very easy to have rights erode, to be chipped away, but so much harder to restore lost freedoms.The novel is an everyman account for the internet/social network era. This book is not perfect. Some of the book is a bit unclear about which posts have been deleted & so on. The book has some internet-speak/acronyms in it (which may annoy lovers of 'traditional' lit). Yet, this hastily assembled book pulls together the information about an affront to your basic rights. Goodreads readers, I'm talking to you. It's not a perfect book; I urge you to read it anyway. Read it & draw your own conclusions. Because, ultimately, this book is about you. It is for you. “Every man—in the development of his own personality—has the right to form his own beliefs and opinions. Hence, suppression of belief, opinion and expression is an affront to the dignity of man, a negation of man’s essential nature.†-- Toward a General Theory of the First Amendment, Thomas Emerson “If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.†-- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis (1856–1941), Whitney v. California, 274 U. S. 357 (1927). “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.†-- UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights On Goodreads, I gave the Off-Topic book 5 stars because it's just so painfully relevant to what is going on there. Outside of GR, I will say I think this book is really a 3 star type of read (& it's really less of a book than a put-together compendium of posts from various affected folks, plus some additional history/background thrown-in), but the issues are critically important ones (hence my much higher rating). I think this, along w/ some other stories of internet suppression & censorship, might make an interesting case study/research topic for teens. Not sure what I will start reading at this point. (Hard to believe my last three books have all been non-fiction. :svengo: ) --------------------------My Goodreads Page My PaperbackSwap Page My rating system:5 = Love; 4 = Pretty awesome; 3 = Decently good; 2 = Ok; 1 = Don't bother (I shouldn't have any 1s on my list as I would ditch them before finishing)...2013 Books Read:Link to Books # 1 – 40 that I’ve read in 2013. 41. If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino (5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Italy). 42. They Call Me Naughty Lola: Personal Ads from the London Review of Books, edited by David Rose (2.5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (England). 43. The Late Mattia Pascal by Luigi Pirandello (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Italy). 44. Stoker’s Manuscript by Royce Prouty (4 stars). 45. Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Spain). 46. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (4 stars). 47. Second Person Singular by Sayed Kashua (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Asia (Israel). 48. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy (3.5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe/Asia (Russia). 49. The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six by Jonathon Keats (3 stars). 50. Borges and the Eternal Orangutans by Luis Fernando Verissimo (5 stars). Challenge: Continental – South America (Brazil & Argentina). 51. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Antarctica. 52. Pym by Mat Johnson (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Antarctica. 53. Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway (5 stars). 54. The Complete Works of Marvin K. Mooney by Christopher Higgs (5 stars). 55. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (3 stars). 56. The Shaman’s Coat: A Native History of Siberia by Anna Reid (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Asia (Siberia). 57. In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires by Raymond T. McNally & Radu Florescu (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Romania). 58. Remainder by Tom McCarthy (4 stars). Challenge: Dusty. 59. At the Mountains of Madness (radio/audio version) by H.P. Lovecraft (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Antarctica. 60. The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner (5 stars). 61. Night of My Blood by Kofi Awoonor (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Africa (Ghana). 62. A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny (3 stars). 63. Le Sphinx de Glaces by Jules Verne (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Antarctica. 64. The Finno-Ugrian Vampire by Noémi Szécsi (3.5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Hungary). 65. The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen (3 stars). 66. The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers (4 stars). 67. The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen (3 stars). 68. Sweet Dreams by Michael Frayn (4 stars). 69. The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico by Antonio Tabucchi (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Italy; Portugal). 70. Mosquito: An Omnilingual Nosferatu Pictomunication Novel by Dan James (3 stars). 71. Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson (4 stars). 72. Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Spain). 73. Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt by G.R. Reader (3 stars for content/5 stars for ideas). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I kept the "Children in Peril" theme going by reading Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. This one is on all the Top Sci Fi Novel lists so I wasn't cheating! The strange thing is, while Katniss was in imminent, brutal danger, I was less disturbed by Catching Fire than I was by Ender's story. What they did to those kids was really upsetting to me. One of my boys is 5 and Ender started the book out at 6. I realize he's supposed to be this blistering genius, but he is still a little boy and what they did to him really ticked me off. My Dh has been pushing Starship Troopers on me all year so I think I'll stick with the war and despair theme (I'm preparing for an IL Thanksgiving so I'm already in the mindset.) I, too, was upset by Ender's Game, upset for Ender himself and outraged by the reveal at the end. We just saw the movie, which was solidly o.k. (as my college boy put it) but just ok. It totally lacked that emotional punch -- they didn't manage to make you feel for Ender, to feel the horror at how he was used. I'll be curious what you think of Starship Troopers. My college boy is a Heinlein fan, loves that book, but he told me I wouldn't like it based on my reaction to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. One of our all time best conversations about books was when we listened to that one on a long car trip a few years back. I got really annoyed with Heinlein's heavy handed politics, so he said I'd better skip Starship Troopers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Embers by Sandor Marai: Another stunning book, of a completely different flavor. This tightly crafted gem is very quiet, interior, retrospective, but as gripping as the more thriller-like sci-fi book above.... Thank you Stacia. This is a brilliant, luminous book. ... I've heard Sjon mentioned so many times here, so I finally picked one up from the library: The Whispering Muse. It was a fascinating little story - odd, and disturbing, with a thread of Greek myth woven through it... but not one that reached my heart. So glad you enjoyed Embers, Eliana! You are so right in that this is a tightly-controlled, quiet yet gripping tale. This may be one I want to revisit down the road. Good to hear your comments on The Whispering Muse. So, can you let me know what was disturbing/in what way w/out revealing any spoilers??? Just curious because I want to read it (want to read any Sjon, really), but want/need to brace myself if I'm heading into disturbing territory.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I am happy to report that my ratio of number of new books purchased (both electronic and paper) to books actually read remains a solid 3:1. I need to make a lovely stack, such as the one Negin's daughter did, so I can at least enjoy the artistry of them all as they collect dust. The one book I did finish this week was the newest Peter Lovesey "Peter Diamond" mystery, The Tooth Tattoo. The mystery centered around a string quartet with the big reveal happening while the quartet was performing Beethoven's Grosse Fugue for a recording. A very fun mystery with the descriptions of the music and how quartets function spot-on. Definitely will read more in the series, going back, as Jane recommends, to the beginning. I am also listening to Desolation Island, the 5th in the Aubrey Maturin series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I, too, was upset by Ender's Game, upset for Ender himself and outraged by the reveal at the end. We just saw the movie, which was solidly o.k. (as my college boy put it) but just ok. It totally lacked that emotional punch -- they didn't manage to make you feel for Ender, to feel the horror at how he was used. I'll be curious what you think of Starship Troopers. My college boy is a Heinlein fan, loves that book, but he told me I wouldn't like it based on my reaction to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. One of our all time best conversations about books was when we listened to that one on a long car trip a few years back. I got really annoyed with Heinlein's heavy handed politics, so he said I'd better skip Starship Troopers! One of the first books I read this year was Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein. It wasn't what I expected, but I enjoyed it. I have been forced to watch the Starship movie with Dh but he swears up and down that the book is way better. He's so excited for me to read it! I'll let you know how I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hi everyone! I have not read a ton this year, although I've read through a few books in the last few weeks and hope to be picking up pace. I started Game of Thrones, as it has been on my list for quite awhile. I quickly realized that I had started it a year or so and abandoned it. I am trying to read it again, but I'm just finding it boring! Have any of you read it? Did you enjoy it or should I ditch it? It seems like quite an investment if it's not any good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hi everyone! I have not read a ton this year, although I've read through a few books in the last few weeks and hope to be picking up pace. I started Game of Thrones, as it has been on my list for quite awhile. I quickly realized that I had started it a year or so and abandoned it. I am trying to read it again, but I'm just finding it boring! Have any of you read it? Did you enjoy it or should I ditch it? It seems like quite an investment if it's not any good. Hi Monica, Personally I enjoyed it, but then I like those types of stories with multi viewpoints. Of course, I had a couple false starts with it. So it may just take you a while, same as it did me. For shorter books, I give it 50 pages, for longer books 100. If you are finding it boring, then and now, I would ditch it and go for something that holds your interest. Usually I go back to a book two or three times at most when my mood is different and if still can't get into it, shelve it for good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 What makes a book a challenge to read? Is it the writing style, the vocabulary, the grammatical structures, the run on sentences? Or is it the content that feels like a punch to the gut? For me, it's a combination of things. First - the writing style. Some of the classical books or older books are harder because of the language of the period or because the writer choose to do stream of consciousnesses. Either way, it makes you slow down and have to think more, so the style also depends on mood at the time. If in the mood for brain candy, then it's going to be really challenging. Also brain candy can be challenging if the writing is so elementary or the character is just so stupid, that you are left shaking your head or wanting to throw the book across the room. Which leads to is it 1st or 3 pov and how does the character communicate. I used to hate 1st person point of view, because very few authors do it well. I've since discovered some that do an admirable job. Secondly - content is also a consideration. The writing may be great but if you can't stomach the subject matter or it's a real tear jerker and goes beyond entertaining. Then it becomes a challenge to disengage from your emotions and not experience the story. Depends entirely on how visual or emotional a person you are or if you yourself have been through the same experiences. I tend to stay away from emotional books with emotional dying scenes, since I've been there and done that with relatives and it just hits you in the gut. I remember wanting to read one story quite badly because I had invested in the series and the majority of the story was gut wrenching and the dying scene left me sobbing. I like to escape and be entertained or educated when I read. Not left a blubbering pile on the floor. I'll add a third - when the author has an agenda and even though the story is good, the agenda part shines through and you don't know if you want to continue contributing to this person's pocket book. It's challenging sometimes to separate the author, the writer, from the story. Personally helps if I know nothing about the author, otherwise it ruins the experience for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I'll add a third - when the author has an agenda and even though the story is good, the agenda part shines through and you don't know if you want to continue contributing to this person's pocket book. It's challenging sometimes to separate the author, the writer, from the story. Personally helps if I know nothing about the author, otherwise it ruins the experience for me. This is an interesting comment, especially in light of the Goodreads issues. One of the topics that has been a problem is that the company now wants people not to talk about the authors (unless its in a good light &/or directly relates to the book). So, say there is a convicted pedophile who wrote a children's book... some find this relevant info to post/share on GR because that reader refuses to spend his/her money supporting that person. (This is based off a true scenario over there.) GR deletes comments in that vein or even if it is deemed that you have shelved books in a way that is against an author. (So, perhaps you have created a shelf titled 'no-no books for me' or something like that. If 'they', the powers that be, decide your shelf system is somehow making a statement on the authors, they will delete your entire shelf. But, really, how can they know your intent? Maybe you don't want to read books that talk about rape or other topics that are personal triggers for you & you flag ones that you know you don't want to read by filing it on a shelf to make sure you can avoid them. Is is up to the powers that be to divine your intent?) Many times I do not know about the author. But, sometimes, I do find it relevant, esp. if my purchase of a book (admittedly rare for me) will be supporting someone with whom I do not agree nor support on critical issues. Sorry to go off-topic, but I find these areas interesting to mull over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I just finished a new contemporary romance Wild Child by Molly O'Keefe. I enjoyed it, but perhaps not as much as some of the author's other books. "Monica Appleby is a woman with a reputation. Once she was America’s teenage “Wild Child,†with her own reality TV show. Now she’s a successful author coming home to Bishop, Arkansas, to pen the juicy follow-up to her tell-all autobiography. Problem is, the hottest man in town wants her gone. Mayor Jackson Davies is trying to convince a cookie giant to move its headquarters to his crumbling community, and Monica’s presence is just too . . . unwholesome for business. But the desire in his eyes sends a very different message: Stay, at least for a while. Jackson needs this cookie deal to go through. His town is dying and this may be its last shot. Monica is a distraction proving too sweet, too inviting—and completely beyond his control. With every kiss he can taste her loneliness, her regrets, and her longing. Soon their uncontrollable attraction is causing all kinds of drama. But when two lost hearts take a surprise detour onto the bumpy road of unexpected love, it can only lead someplace wonderful." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Yet another non-fiction for me! ;) The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel. At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised. In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Momuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture. Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis. It seems especially fitting that I'm starting this book because 1) of it being Veterans Day today and 2) of the cache of art recently found in Germany -- art that had been stolen/looted during WWII & had been assumed to have been destroyed (NYTimes story here about the recent find). I don't think the movie will be coming out around Christmas as originally planned; I've seen some mentions that it has been delayed & will be released sometime in 2014. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Passenger to Teheran by Vita Sackville-West: This edition is enhanced by an informative introduction and some photos from the trip, but the text would be delightful and entrancing without any additions. This looks really interesting. You may know (and sorry to repeat myself) that I'm from there. Haven't been there in more than 30 years, however, nor do I plan to. Love it! (And love the purple wall too!) Stacia, she had it recently painted. We both love purple. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Started Reading: Allegiant by Veronica Roth Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential by Richard Guare The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I've Learned about Teaching by Rick Wormeli Still Reading: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu Finished: 47. The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin 46. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 45. Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony Amore (American Author, DD class 700) 44. The Gospel's Power and Message by Paul Washer (American author, DD class 200) 43. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Persuasive Writing by Gerald Graff (American author, DD class 400) 42. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (American author, DD class 800) 41. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley (Canadian author, DD class 800) 40. Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 200) 39. When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper (American author, DD class 200) 38. Inferno by Dan Brown (American author, DD class 800) 37. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (American author, DD class 800) 36. The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200) 35. Sandstorm by James Rollins (American author, DD class 800) 34. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexican Author, DD class 800) 33. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost (Dutch Author, DD class 900) 32. Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 31. The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer (American author, DD class 800) 30. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) 29.The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) 28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800) 27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800) 24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300) 23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800) 20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200) 19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 17. God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200) 16.The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800) 15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900) 14. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800) 13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900) 12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500) 11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600) 10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200) 9. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300) 8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100) 7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600) 3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800) 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800) 1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Finished James Rollins SandStorm, the first book in the Sigma Force novels. Have been skipping around in the thriller series for some odd reason, reading them entirely out of order. Good no matter what order you read them in. Just put a hold on this. Looks great! :) I like anything that mentions Atlantis, even one in the desert. Not sure if BBC is showing it in the US yet but there is a new series called Atlantis made by the Merlin producers. A bit of a mythology mash up but the dc's love it. Since a few of you have kids the same age I thought I would let you know to look for it. I actually watch while knitting which means it isn't too bad. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Well, I have decided that Internet access is Important. And not having it is Bad. We have had spotty access for the last week or so and I am online now only thanks to a portable hot spot my FIL has loaned me. My lifelines are cut and I'm floating without anchor. Grrrr. After this post I will call the internet provider again and pray for a truly English speaking person who can actually help me. Eliana, your quote is important to me because it describes perfectly my theory of history and literature. I have maintained for a very long time that one cannot know modern times without knowing the history that brought these times about. And one cannot know history, truly, without knowing what brought that history about. And literature is an important part of understanding history and the people that lived in it and formed it. The stories we tell tell on us, as it were. So I launched a project, that I will never finish, of reading history and literature chronologically. I first read an overview of the time - SWB's History of the ____ World books. Then I delve into the period. So far I've made it into Ancient Times, and no further. I read HOAW, Herodotus (you all will recall how much I despised him) and am now in The Iliad. I have a hard time making time for this project, but I do enjoy it (Herodotus notwithstanding). I am redoubling my efforts now and hoping to make more progress. By example, I will use Turkey. I live here in Turkey and am surrounded by the issues that you all occasionally see in your newscasts. You might recall some protests about some trees in Taksim Square? To understand the true issues that were being raised, you have to understand the current government, how it relates (or doesn't) to the precepts set down by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding of the Turkish Republic, and the relationship of the Turkish Republic to the West, the Ottoman Empire, and by extension, the Holy Roman Empire and Constantinople. I kid you not. So I need to read about the Holy Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the rise of Ataturk, who he was, what was in his "Great Speech" that everyone here knows, why Izmir burned (my city here and important to all this), and only then might I understand what's going on now. Because this is so important and relevant to me, I did a bit of a jump and have been reading a history of the Ottoman Empire that is extremely interesting. Once I'm done with that, I will go onto a biography of Ataturk (written by an English friend and contemporary), then his Great Speech (Nutuk). Maybe then I'll start understanding my adopted land. Yes, I know. I'm insane. But that doesn't mean I'm not right. ;) In other, lighter, news, I finished People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks and A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Looking for the second book in the witch series at my virtual library. Interesting, kind of weird, but fun. Good for nights of insomnia. I LOVED People of the Book and will look for more of Brooks' works as well. That's all from my little corner of the madhouse.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinchick Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I read two this week: 49. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley - Continuing on with Flavia. Love her! 50. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (Audio) - I kept having the sense that I'd read this one before. Maybe I did? I always like the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books for their simplicity and insight to human nature. Lots of little chuckle moments but not so intense that I hate having to put it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hi everyone! I have not read a ton this year, although I've read through a few books in the last few weeks and hope to be picking up pace. I started Game of Thrones, as it has been on my list for quite awhile. I quickly realized that I had started it a year or so and abandoned it. I am trying to read it again, but I'm just finding it boring! Have any of you read it? Did you enjoy it or should I ditch it? It seems like quite an investment if it's not any good. I really enjoyed Game of Throne and the rest of the series. I like books with complicated, interwoven character lines and the pacing kept me up really late pulling a "just one more chapter then I'll go to sleep" number. I prefer the Fantasy genre so that probably helped. Things start to happen pretty fast, so maybe give it a few chapters, at least until they get to King's Landing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovetoread Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Gone Girl was hard for me to get into also. Many times I almost gave up, and then I would get sucked in again. It dragged in more than one place for me. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I just finished a new contemporary romance Wild Child by Molly O'Keefe. I enjoyed it, but perhaps not as much as some of the author's other books. Regards, Kareni Thanks for the review. I'm waiting for this to come in from the library. Yet another non-fiction for me! ;) The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel. Just requested this--thanks! I enjoy a good piece of narrative nonfiction :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I think I'll have to add Embers and A Train in Winter to my "want to read" list, which is getting long. :) I'm half way through Kafka on the Shore. It's more bizarre than Wind up Bird Chronicle or 1Q84, but still, I'm enjoying it. When I'm done this I was thinking of trying a good murder mystery with some romance involved, but I'm clueless where to start. It's not my normal type of book to read. I'm thinking something like the books on Castle. :D Would that be Grisham? Patterson? I'll need something easy and fun after Murakami. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Giraffe -- I admire your self education attempts in order to understand your new homeland. I am constantly trying to figure out the background of seemingly random things in my new land. I love it when I find a book that explains something I have wondered about. I imagine my "why" questions would multiply hugely if living in Turkey! I did not love the second book in the Discovery of Witches series. The first was great but the second a bit blah.imo Looking forward to your review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I will eventually read the other Murakami's because I really enjoyed 1Q84. Probably this should be one of my 2014 challenges. One thing that has me puzzled is Kafka on the Shore appears on several AP lists for lit. The reviews I read make it appear to be an unusual choice. Definately need to read that one! If you want good suspense mixed with a bit of romance go with Grisham. I recently read The Racketeer and enjoyed it. The Pelican Brief is an all time favorite! I think I'll have to add Embers and A Train in Winter to my "want to read" list, which is getting long. :) I'm half way through Kafka on the Shore. It's more bizarre than Wind up Bird Chronicle or 1Q84, but still, I'm enjoying it. When I'm done this I was thinking of trying a good murder mystery with some romance involved, but I'm clueless where to start. It's not my normal type of book to read. I'm thinking something like the books on Castle. :D Would that be Grisham? Patterson? I'll need something easy and fun after Murakami. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Gone Girl was hard for me to get into also. Many times I almost gave up, and then I would get sucked in again. It dragged in more than one place for me. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the book. Gone Girl was not a favorite of mine either. I read a great deal of mystery/suspense type novels and it felt a bit gimmicky to me. Sort of how to make a best seller..... I totally agree it dragged until it was time for the next big reveal, many of which were predictable. Definately won't be on my favorites for 2013! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 This is an interesting comment, especially in light of the Goodreads issues. One of the topics that has been a problem is that the company now wants people not to talk about the authors (unless its in a good light &/or directly relates to the book). So, say there is a convicted pedophile who wrote a children's book... some find this relevant info to post/share on GR because that reader refuses to spend his/her money supporting that person. (This is based off a true scenario over there.) GR deletes comments in that vein or even if it is deemed that you have shelved books in a way that is against an author. (So, perhaps you have created a shelf titled 'no-no books for me' or something like that. If 'they', the powers that be, decide your shelf system is somehow making a statement on the authors, they will delete your entire shelf. But, really, how can they know your intent? Maybe you don't want to read books that talk about rape or other topics that are personal triggers for you & you flag ones that you know you don't want to read by filing it on a shelf to make sure you can avoid them. Is is up to the powers that be to divine your intent?) Many times I do not know about the author. But, sometimes, I do find it relevant, esp. if my purchase of a book (admittedly rare for me) will be supporting someone with whom I do not agree nor support on critical issues. Sorry to go off-topic, but I find these areas interesting to mull over. I hadn't heard this about Goodreads and had to google to understand the controversy. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I will eventually read the other Murakami's because I really enjoyed 1Q84. Probably this should be one of my 2014 challenges. One thing that has me puzzled is Kafka on the Shore appears on several AP lists for lit. The reviews I read make it appear to be an unusual choice. Definately need to read that one! If you want good suspense mixed with a bit of romance go with Grisham. I recently read The Racketeer and enjoyed it. The Pelican Brief is an all time favorite! I can understand why it's on the AP lists. I don't want to give anything away, but the book itself it an interesting intersection of old and new Japanese culture and history. And it's impressive how much he fits into that book. It's 466 pgs, but every word is carefully chosen. It's packed. I may need to go back and reread 1Q84. I enjoyed it, but I think I may understand it better once I finish this book. But rereading takes so much time.....and there are so many books I want to read.....:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Kafka on the Shore seems an intriguing choice for AP lists. I love Kafka on the Shore more than 1Q84 (love both, though). Kafka is more offbeat & surreal, whereas 1Q84 seems closer to traditional or mainstream (if Murakami can ever be accused of that). Still, for a star rating, I actually rated 1Q84 higher because of the technical skill & artistry of the story. Kafka has the more intriguing characters & plot, imo, & is more fun to read. Hmmmm. Definitely need to read more Murakami soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 From last week's discussions: ... They are both very silly books! ...in the best sense of the word. :) They aren't my favorite silly books from that period, but they are well worth reading, imho. ... Reading that link, I see that the narrator's gender is not specified in the Hungarian. That is fascinating. I'm wondering if the problem I had with the book was, least partially, the translation? It felt too much on a single note, so after a while, the humor, the engaging voice, the intriguing pieces stopped working as well for me. ... Dearly though I love Middlemarch, it isn't for everyone! That quote makes me want to reconsider Cloud Atlas... I've put Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress on hold... Yes. I found that part so moving. And it made me think about the different kinds of stories I am am drawn to at different times in my life. Good silly is just what I may be looking for as the season gets busier & busier. I always wonder how translations are -- they can certainly make or break a book, a feeling, & so on. What an incredible job to have. HehHeh. Glad to know Middlemarch won't be required reading for me. :tongue_smilie: Did you consider Cloud Atlas at one time & then decide not to read it? I do highly recommend it. Really loved it. I'm not sure it would be your favorite, Eliana, but on the other hand, I think there are many things you could really appreciate & love about Mitchell's incredible novel. Here's another random quote that I love from Cloud Atlas... "Other nights, Ayrs likes me to read him poetry, especially his beloved Keats. He whispers the verses as I recite, as if his voice is leaning on mine." Ishiguro has a novel, the names escapes me right now, that drove me batty... there were many discontinuities and much I guess it could be called magical realism (a style I don't connect well with) and a detached feeling to the narration. I have loved the other Ishiguro I've read, but this one was a struggle. ... I've placed holds on more of Marai's books... Embers is definitely a book I want to own and revisit. Well, some of the disturbing things are in the recounting of bits from the myths about Jason and the quest for the Golden Fleece (or the other ones woven in - Song of the Volsungs, frex, it is a little bit of a mashup... only more elegant and carefully thought out.). I'm very squeamish, but it wasn't outside my comfort zones. I don't think it needs bracing... it was more understated disturbance... I think you would appreciate this more than I did. I appreciated it intellectually, but not viscerally. ...but then I imagine this suffered by comparison with Embers, which reached me on so many different levels. If you think of the Ishiguro novel, please do tell. I'm quite curious. (Love Ishiguro myself.) Haven't tried others of Marai's books but I do want to.... Ah, thanks for the clarification on The Whispering Muse. Giraffe -- I admire your self education attempts in order to understand your new homeland. :iagree: I hadn't heard this about Goodreads and had to google to understand the controversy. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. :) You're welcome. I like my little soapbox. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllSmiles Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 This week on finish book number 64, Frankenstein. I really enjoyed this book. It was nothing like I expected, but what a great example of classic. The themes of the novel are as highly applicable to today as they were when the book was written. In terms of scientific advancement there is always that question of not can I do it, but should I do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I read The Epic of Gilgamesh, which I thought was okay, but too repetitive. And I read Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, which was fun, easy to read and interesting. This was written by a woman who learned 16 languages, many of which she didn't start learning until she was in her 30s or 40s, and became an interpreter. It's a mix of memoir and an explanation of her language-learning methods and ideas. A pdf version of the book is free here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I decided that I just didn't care enough about the library books on my Kindle, so I went ahead and turned the wi-fi back on. Now I have all the new stuff downloaded. And I'm not in the mood to read. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 And I read Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, which was fun, easy to read and interesting. This was written by a woman who learned 16 languages, many of which she didn't start learning until she was in her 30s or 40s, and became an interpreter. It's a mix of memoir and an explanation of her language-learning methods and ideas. A pdf version of the book is free here. Thanks for the link. Polyglot looks so interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 This week on finish book number 64, Frankenstein. I really enjoyed this book. It was nothing like I expected, but what a great example of classic. The themes of the novel are as highly applicable to today as they were when the book was written. In terms of scientific advancement there is always that question of not can I do it, but should I do it. :thumbup1: Totally agree. And I read Polyglot: How I Learn Languages, which was fun, easy to read and interesting. This was written by a woman who learned 16 languages, many of which she didn't start learning until she was in her 30s or 40s, and became an interpreter. It's a mix of memoir and an explanation of her language-learning methods and ideas. A pdf version of the book is free here. Sounds neat. Btw, I can't get the link to work correctly.... :confused: I decided that I just didn't care enough about the library books on my Kindle, so I went ahead and turned the wi-fi back on. Now I have all the new stuff downloaded. And I'm not in the mood to read. :( Hope you find your reading groove soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Maybe an audiobook? :lol: (Why, yes, Virgina, there is a gif monster. ;) ) nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Me too. I'm between books and can't decide wether to start one from my stack or wait till tomorrow when I pick up half a dozen more. Happy Birthday! I'm going to have fun and start a birthday thread for you. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Happy Birthday Onceuponatime!!!! I hope you have a lovely day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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