Cleopatra Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Thanks for all the great feedback about My Name is Asher Lev! I did finish in time for book club tonight and we had a great discussion about SO many things--could have gone longer I suspect. In the end, I have to say it was not my favorite book, but I did enjoy it, learned a lot, and really enjoyed seeing and understanding the perspective of an artist. His struggle with his art and faith really intrigued me and I found that quite interesting. In fact, by the end of book club night I think I liked the book more than when I arrived. Processing some of the tough stuff really helped me appreciate the author and his creation so much more. Just wanted to pop on here quick and share that with you since some of your comments really helped me plug through and finish! Glad I did. :001_smile: Thanks for sharing this, Melissa! I'm glad you got through it. I think whenever a book is well-written, it touches us on some level, even if it's not our favourite book or sometimes even if we don't like it. I have just such a relationship with Thomas Hardy ;). I find his books soooooo depressing but when I force myself to read one of his every once in a while, I always have something to say about it. I've had this same experience reading The Picture of Dorian Gray this week. While I can't say I liked it, I can appreciate what Wilde was trying to communicate and I'm still thinking about the book days afterwards ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Thanks for sharing this, Melissa! I'm glad you got through it. I think whenever a book is well-written, it touches us on some level, even if it's not our favourite book or sometimes even if we don't like it. I have just such a relationship with Thomas Hardy ;). I find his books soooooo depressing but when I force myself to read one of his every once in a while, I always have something to say about it. I've had this same experience reading The Picture of Dorian Gray this week. While I can't say I liked it, I can appreciate what Wilde was trying to communicate and I'm still thinking about the book days afterwards ..... I read The Picture of Dorian Gray last month, and I'm still thinking about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 (edited) As much as I love Moby Dick (and I say this with all sincerity--it is a magnificent book!), I will not be joining the group to reread this one. I have decided that I want to read a number of plays in the coming months, Shaw and Moliere in particular, as well as books set in France. Let me explain the latter: I really should be working on my French but cannot find the proper motivation. So it occurred to me that if I immerse myself in French landscapes and personalities, perhaps I'll return to my studies of the language itself. Anyone have any favorites besides Peter Mayle to inspire me? Chekov is good. Tennessee Williams. Tom Stoppard. Thornton Wilder's Our Town. These are a few off the top of my head from my theatre years. For a movie on a play that is done a lot like a play, The Petrified Forest with Humphry Bogart is interesting to watch after you read the play. While I understand why you're not reading Moby Dick, ironically I just read a part of this novel that's written out like a play. If you're feeling adventurous, you could take a dip into the theatre of the absurd that was in vogue back in the 1960s & 1970s (eg Samuel Beckett). Here's a Youtube version of a play I did in a threatre programme I was in when I was in high school. (it's very short) It's by Samuel Beckett http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaifMUo91Ds I think we did it in about 5 minutes whereas this one is 8 minutes. Edited January 14, 2012 by Karin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariasmommy Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I am reading several books this week: Bright Against the Storm by Ari Heinze, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. It doesn't look as if I'll finish any of them this week, but maybe I'll get a couple done next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Thanks for all the great feedback about My Name is Asher Lev! I seriously :001_wub: Potok!! I am reading another Lamott (Imperfect Birds) and another L'Engle (Walking on Water). I've read enough of both (fiction and non) that the themes in their writing and even some of their stories are familiar. Lamott's writing is a running 12 step program of extended family in the Bay Area in a post-modern world. They both have a deep faith that is very inclusive. L'Engle was classically educated and I'm always learning new vocab reading her stuff. Both rock my boat, baby. Still slogging through Love and Respect. Gotta.get.er.done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Wow, I haven't heard the title of the Asher Lev book since I was in high school. Maybe I should revisit it. I do remember liking it, but I'm sure it would be a completely different read as an adult. Oh my goodness, I've already forgotten the name of the book I read the 1st week. That is pathetic. This week I read The House at Tyneford. The setting is the English countryside where an Austrian socialite is sent to work as a domestic servant as her ticket out of Nazi Germany. I wanted something in the way of Downton Abbey and this was the ticket. I better start a list somewhere. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I seriously :001_wub: Potok!!I am reading another Lamott (Imperfect Birds) and another L'Engle (Walking on Water). I've read enough of both (fiction and non) that the themes in their writing and even some of their stories are familiar. Lamott's writing is a running 12 step program of extended family in the Bay Area in a post-modern world. They both have a deep faith that is very inclusive. . Every time I read a Lamott book, I think, "I could be that kind of Christian!" If I could go to her church, I think I might be able to do that. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I better start a list somewhere. Laura Did you know that some of us have started lists in the Social Group, 2012 Reading Challenge? It's nice and handy to have it there! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah C. Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Went to the library today and got a stack of books - very excited to read them!! I haven't finished this many books in a long time. I better start a list somewhere. I had my list (both to-read and read) in my planner - now I have them in the Moleskine book journal. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I am still on book 1 from last week, pg 486 of 588. :blushing: I could have easily finished it and finished a book this week but I have been spending too much time mindlessly perusing the internet. :glare: I am determined to keep up here, so here's to less internet and more reading this next week! :cheers2: 1. The Waste Lands, The Dark Tower III; Stephen King Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Regarding list-keeping, I've got a free account on www.goodreads.com. Very easy to use, and you can easily track books you've read and books you want to read. It has really helped me organize and get what I want at the library without wandering around for something good and trying to remember titles I've long since forgotten! When you all post books you've read, I can add them to my lists on goodreads and avoid scrolling back through pages and pages of posts to find it again. ;) I have a handful of "friends" on goodreads and when they post reviews of books I can quickly add that book to my "to read" list, and it's also easy to peruse book lists of all kinds and add books to your list. By sharing usernames, it would be possible to be friends with people from here, which would make it even easier to add to our "to read" lists as we look at each other's books! I'm new to this reading group so perhaps this news is quite old here, so forgive me if that's the case! I'm just excited about this free and very easy to use resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abeth78 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Here is the post I just put up on my blog The Whimsical Housewife. Thought I would share since some may not want to click over there. A New Year - A New Book (or 52 of them) I have joined a great new challenge this year. My plan is to read a book a week or more. This will be a stretch for me with two little ones running around and a third due to be born Mother's Day weekend. The reading challenge started at the beginning of the year, so we are finishing week 2! I love to read more than any other hobby or past time. I tend to be a reader who repeats books from time to time. For me it is like watching my favorite movies over and over. It is good to branch out to new authors and genres. So here goes! Book 1 of 52 Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish This book was packed full of thought provoking ideas about how siblings relate to each other and the role that parents play in shaping their relationships. I picked up this book as my second child is getting older and I see a rivalry forming between the two of them. It was recommended to me by a good friend. The book really documents a small focus group that is lead over the course of 12 weeks. The things I liked the most about this book were, it was an easy read for a mom who does not sleep enough. I also liked that the book was not preachy, it was full of examples both script and cartoons modeling idea (and not so idea) interactions between all family members. This book had me re-evaluating my own sibling relationships, and talking to my husband about his. I have already put into practice many of the suggestions presented. I highly recommend this book! Book 2 of 52 Somewhere Inside by Laura Ling & Lisa Ling What a compelling story! I found this book to be a page turner, as I learned the details not shared by the U.S. Press while Laura was in captivity. The book tells in detail about how Laura Ling is captured (along with her co-worker Euna, I have her book on my shelf to read soon too) while producing a show highlighting the tragedies of Humanitarian conditions in North Korea and China. It could easily have been a very heavy book to read but the dialogue in the book goes back and forth between the two sisters. It allows for the reader to take a deep breath from the terrible experience Laura lived during her captivity. Lisa tells of working tirelessly to get her sister home. She contacts everyone and anyone who can help her to get her sister home. You can hear the desperation in both women as they live this nightmare. It is a very sad story, with a very happy ending for the sisters and their family. Book 3 of 52 Taking Time For Tea by Diana Rosen Oh how I enjoyed this book. For someone who grew up with a grandmother who stopped for tea twice a day, and developed a love of tea herself, this book itself was like an indulgent cup of comfort. I took time to savor this 75 page book. Each page has new fresh ideas on how to incorporate tea into every celebration. It also has the most beautiful poems, prayers, and ancient quotes that leave your mind in peaceful thought. Diana Rosen has some very creative celebration ideas, and I can see myself adapting them to fit some of my own upcoming celebrations. More than that I learned alot about Tea itself. This book has me wanting to invite friends over to enjoy a cup of tea in one of my grandmother's china cups. Book 4 of 52 The MacKade Brothers: Devin And Shane by Nora Roberts I have long loved Nora Roberts as an Author. I have many of her books on my shelf to pick up on a day that is a "sink into a good romance novel" kind of day. I don't get these moments often. The kids are in bed, and I love to read till the wee hours of the night. Good book as Ms. Roberts is so famous for sharing with her readers. eta: Sorry for the formatting issues here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I finished a book this week, just ... my first of the year (oops!) I read Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books and wish I had liked it better. I thought it was just OK. 2012 Book Reviews 1. Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books - by Tony Reinke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 We're leaving for a little 5 day mini vacation on Wednesday so I have to get my book list down to a manageable two. I'm almost done with Midsummer and almost done with So Much for That. So I can take Devil and AW and my Kindle and be good. Maybe I need to take Midsummer for discussion purposes though? Another trip with more books than clothes... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 This week I read The House at Tyneford. That looks good. Regarding list-keeping, I've got a free account on www.goodreads.com. Very easy to use, and you can easily track books you've read and books you want to read. It has really helped me organize and get what I want at the library without wandering around for something good and trying to remember titles I've long since forgotten! When you all post books you've read, I can add them to my lists on goodreads and avoid scrolling back through pages and pages of posts to find it again. ;) I have a handful of "friends" on goodreads and when they post reviews of books I can quickly add that book to my "to read" list, and it's also easy to peruse book lists of all kinds and add books to your list. By sharing usernames, it would be possible to be friends with people from here, which would make it even easier to add to our "to read" lists as we look at each other's books! I'm new to this reading group so perhaps this news is quite old here, so forgive me if that's the case! I'm just excited about this free and very easy to use resource. Several of us have accounts there. Do you have the same username there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Did you know that some of us have started lists in the Social Group, 2012 Reading Challenge? It's nice and handy to have it there! :001_smile: I hope it goes well. Just for the record, we've had reading challenges on Social Groups before, and they tend to fizzle out faster than this thread for some reaons :). That's why I ended up switching to this thread. We had some great discussions on the social groups, and one had us all reading the same book the same month, but I also see that a few social groups really do last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 That looks good. Several of us have accounts there. Do you have the same username there? I joined Goodreads for something to do with the 2011 challenge, but in the end always find it easier to stick to this because it means I have only one place to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyP Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I finished my second book, The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin. I got it as a free kindle download, and was pleasantly surprised. I looked forward to it throughout the week. Here is a link to my review and this is a link to my goodreads profile which also has the same review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Every time I read a Lamott book, I think, "I could be that kind of Christian!" If I could go to her church, I think I might be able to do that. :001_smile: What kind of Christian novels does she write? Are they like those light romance novels or more literary? I like to read Christian novels sometimes, but ones that are pithy and well written. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Link to week 3 Please continue the conversation in the new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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