Book a Week in 2015 - Happy New Year

[Dicentra]

 

Dicentra, re where/how we keep track - I keep a paper journal in which I jot down notes on books that inspire a lot of reflection, or passages that particularly resonate with me... which is so marvelous to go back to and re-read... and then just a straight up list on my blog.  I'm afraid of GoodReads.  I lurked here for five years before garnering the courage to come in; there's no way I'm ready for that.

 

 

 

 

Still on the fence about GoodReads.  I've invested so much time at LibraryThing...

[Dicentra]

 

The Secret World of Og is the only Pierre Berton book I have read.

 

 

 

Maybe I should get this one for my DH. ;)  I think he mostly reads Berton for the history, though - DH is a bit of a history fanatic.  Don't know what he'd do if I handed him a children's fantasy book by his beloved Berton... ;)

[Dicentra]

Livestock Protection Dogs Dawydiak, Orysia

 

 

Does it tell you how to convince them to get into a vehicle?  Or come into the house?  If it does, I may need to get a hold of a copy...

[Dicentra]

I read it years ago and loved it. My book club read it last August and I was excited about rereading it, but ended up disappointed. It was a completely different book for me the second time, and not in a good way. :(

 

The only other Atwood I read was Oryx and Crake, not long after I first read The Handmaid's Tale, and I didn't care for it. I never bothered with the rest of the series. 

 

Have you tried any of her historical fiction, Kathy?  She writes in two genres - sci-fi and historical fiction.  I prefer her historical fiction to her sci-fi - Alias Grace is my favourite. :)

[Dicentra]

 

Oooh, I read the Depression one the other year too - very, very well done.  ...since we share this enthusiasm, what are some of his other favorites? 

 

... I found Berton when we did a travel challenge here and I was struggling to find Canadian authored works to read that appealed to me. 

 

...and, as he's probably already told you, the war never goes well... it should never have happened.  ...and don't get me started on Tecumseh :(     Yes, I take history far too much to heart some days.

 

 

 

The war never does go well, does it?  Whenever he goes for another reread, I have to hear rants about what a ridiculous, pointless was it was, etc., etc.  I agree with him.  It would be an interesting pair of books to read for Americans who would like to see how a Canadian author treats the War of 1812, though.  For anyone who might be interested, here's the first book:

The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813 by Pierre Berton

And here is the second book:

Flames Across the Border: 1813-1814 by Pierre Berton

 

DH says his favourite Berton so far, Eliana, is this one:

Vimy

"On Easter Monday 1917 with a blizzard blowing in their faces, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in France seized and held the best-defended German bastion on the Western Front - the muddy scarp of Vimy Ridge. The British had failed to take the Ridge, and so had the French who had lost 150,000 men in the attempt. Yet these magnificent colonial troops did so in a morning at the cost of only 10,000 casualties.The author recounts this remarkable feat of arms with both pace and style. He has gathered many personal accounts from soldiers who fought at Vimy. He describes the commanders and the men, the organization and the training, and above all notes the thorough preparation for the attack from which the British General Staff could have learnt much. The action is placed within the context both of the Battle of Arras, of which this attack was part, and as a milestone in the development of Canada as a nation."

[Dicentra]

For those looking for other Canadian authors...  Has anyone read anything by Timothy Findley?  Thoughts?

 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16865.Timothy_Findley

[Chrysalis Academy]

Those of you who enjoy science fiction, fantasy, and horror might enjoy this list:

 

MIND MELD: Best Books of 2014

 

and here's a nice piece by author Jo Walton:

 

Gods, Philosophers, and Robots

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Oh,oh.  The first link just alerted me that Christopher Moore has a couple of new books out, both of those are on my must-read list now.  I wonder if my love for this author has any connection to the fact that I had a boyfriend of the same name in grad school?  I don't think so, but I do confess to being a fan of this guy.  Very bizzarre and surreal modern stuff, but I like it.

[Lady Florida.]

Have you tried any of her historical fiction, Kathy?  She writes in two genres - sci-fi and historical fiction.  I prefer her historical fiction to her sci-fi - Alias Grace is my favourite. :)

 

No I haven't, and I think someone told me about that book some time ago but I forgot about it. I just might give it a try someday. I'm not really in a hurry to try reading her again, and I have such a long TBR list, so it won't be anytime soon. But thanks for the reminder.

[aggieamy]

DD and I just started a new read aloud last night.  We had sadly gotten out of the habit the last few months so I'm excited to be back to reading together at night.

 

We're reading The Great Turkey Walk.  So far it's pretty cute!  

 

 

 

~~~~~

 

Friends - I believe this sums up how I feel about you. 

 

“There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature.†

― P.G. Wodehouse

 

 

[Kareni]

  But I came across this entertaining column, about couples disagreeing over books.  

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/books/review/have-you-ever-had-a-relationship-end-because-of-a-book.html?_r=0

 

I enjoyed that!  Thanks.

 

 

Some of these made me laugh:

Look What Happens When You Switch Book Titles

 

:lol:

 

 

And that was entertaining, too!

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[felicity]

My decluttering book (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up)  arrived so I'm putting off Hard Road West to finish it first. It's a translated Japanese book and it's fun to wander into the Japanese practice of anthropomorphizing inanimate objects. It's an easy read but I need some decluttering inspiration stat because we're moving. 

 

I'm realizing Hard Road West is taking me a long time to read because of the flipping back and forth among maps and also Googling images of some of the locations discussed. It's partly turned into a planning tool for a road trip I want to take. 

 

My cousin is reading that decluttering book and the pictures she posts are amazing. She's getting rid of what looks like 80% of what's in her house--including he kids stuff and books. That would be my downfall. I love the quotes from the books that my cousin uses for her captions. It almost makes me want to read and follow it.

 

Almost.

[felicity]

Agreed. This time I'll try looking for a husband who owns a book shop.

 

Granted not a husband, but my dad owns a bookshop and it doesn't help. He rarely, if ever, sends me books.

[Rosie_0801]

Granted not a husband, but my dad owns a bookshop and it doesn't help. He rarely, if ever, sends me books.

 

That is so sad.

 

But then I had a toymaker grandmother and she never made me any toys. :lol:

 

If I had a bookshop owning husband, I could read everything while I was meant to be unpacking it, couldn't I? Kind of the way a kid reads the books they discover under their bed when they are supposed to be cleaning their room?

[mellifera33]

That is so sad.

 

But then I had a toymaker grandmother and she never made me any toys. :lol:

 

If I had a bookshop owning husband, I could read everything while I was meant to be unpacking it, couldn't I? Kind of the way a kid reads the books they discover under their bed when they are supposed to be cleaning their room?

 

When I worked in a bookstore, it was a constant fight against the temptation to read the books as I unpacked them. :)

 

I finished The Power of Habit, and am trying to identify "keystone habits" to work on. I checked out Oliver Sacks' book Hallucinations for kindle, and have read the first few pages. It's been a rough homeschool day, so I haven't had much time for reading.

[felicity]

When I worked in a bookstore, it was a constant fight against the temptation to read the books as I unpacked them. :)

 

I finished The Power of Habit, and am trying to identify "keystone habits" to work on. I checked out Oliver Sacks' book Hallucinations for kindle, and have read the first few pages. It's been a rough homeschool day, so I haven't had much time for reading.

 

They have a used book store so my mom does read everything they get first. She's also been known to buy a book she wants knowing that she can sell it later. 

 

I love Oliver Sacks. I think "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" was the first nonfiction book I read that wasn't for school. That's when I knew I was a real "grown up." (Oh to be 20 again and think I knew anything about being a grown up.)

 

My family is leaving for vacation tomorrow morning at 6. Depending how the trip goes I might have lots of time to read or none at all. We'll see what my kids think about snow--if they like it we'll be outside a lot, if not, inside by a fire, reading. I have "Silas Marner," "Norwegian by Night," and "Quaker Cafe" to choose from.

[Tress]

My cousin is reading that decluttering book and the pictures she posts are amazing. She's getting rid of what looks like 80% of what's in her house--including he kids stuff and books. That would be my downfall. I love the quotes from the books that my cousin uses for her captions. It almost makes me want to read and follow it.

 

Almost.

 

I am not buying this, I am not buying this. I'm waiting until the Dutch translations comes out (in February) and get it from the library. I'm not buying. Really. (Cataloguing that one bookcase was embarrassing enough......so many unread books.  :blush: ) Hmmm, maybe I actually need this declutter book...... Do I want to declutter books? Can books *be* clutter??  :leaving: <wrong group to ask, obviously>

 

 

:lol:

 

 

I'm actually quite good at decluttering, I often just don't realise it. I had put so many books and homeschool related stuff in our bedroom closet, that last month my husband suggested putting it in the attic. Fine. So we brought everything upstairs and I rearranged our closet. Which is now 90% empty  :svengo: . My dd11, very into New Years resolutions, send me an email with a clothes challenge (33/3) where you select 33 items of clothing for a season (3 months) and only wear that. I stood at my closet, thinking 'I don't even own 33 pieces of clothing'  :lol: .

[Tress]

*giggling helplessly*  ...amazing how many financial goals are easily achievable under those circumstances.

 

...even worse than the budgeting books that explain how much I could save by eating out less or getting a Starbucks latte one less time a week...

 

Oh, yeah, those Starbucks lattes! I have been readying about those for yeeeeeears and how much money one can save by not buying those, while we didn't even have a Starbucks in the Netherlands. We have now. And I bought a latte there in October. It felt really weird, like I was suddenly joining the grown-ups in the world, or something  :001_rolleyes: , can't really explain. American culture has so much influence. Anyway, I don't like coffee....so I'm back to saving loads of money....obviously.

[Tress]

Regarding Jo Walton's new book: I beta read the sequel to this last year - they are both wonderful, but the sequel is even more wonderful...

I am eagerly awaiting these releases.  I know Jo worked more on both books and I'm eager to see what she did and to revisit the books.

 

I can't wait! And how wonderful to be able to read the beta versions!  :drool5:

[Tress]

I have been nervously reading Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, with all the talk about how weird and/or traumatic his books are, it seemed quite innocent and straightforward (except for the talking to cats part...which I totally like).

 

But now I get it. Can I just say.......iiiiiiiiieeeeeeeuw  :blink: .

[Stacia]

I have been nervously reading Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, with all the talk about how weird and/or traumatic his books are, it seemed quite innocent and straightforward (except for the talking to cats part...which I totally like).

 

But now I get it. Can I just say.......iiiiiiiiieeeeeeeuw :blink: .

Yeah, there was a page or two in there I skimmed rather than actually reading. I had read a spoiler ahead of time, so I was anticipating that part & knew I wanted to skim it.

[Tress]

Yeah, there was a page or two in there I skimmed rather than actually reading. I had read a spoiler ahead of time, so I was anticipating that part & knew I wanted to skim it.

 

That's the smart thing to do! I'm sitting here thinking, this books must get really good in the last part to even try to redeem putting this kind of stuff in my head. :toetap05:

[Violet Crown]

That is so sad.

 

But then I had a toymaker grandmother and she never made me any toys. :lol:

 

My dad worked at Los Alamos, but did I ever get any samples? :(

[mumto2]

That's the smart thing to do! I'm sitting here thinking, this books must get really good in the last part to even try to redeem putting this kind of stuff in my head. :toetap05:

I am only at 41% and nothing aweful has happened yet. Have to admit I have been wondering if I had read it ( when you can't remember the it, read the spoiler over a year ago, there is nothing to do but wait for "it" ). Now, thanks to Tress I am sure it hasn't happened yet. Back to reading and waiting. So far like the cats......leeches falling from the sky is rather different.

 

BTW. Murakami's Kafka on the Shore is the book being discussed ;)

[mumto2]

Before I forget, since many of you are reading the Strange Library by Murakami, could someone let me know if the contents contain anything shocking in terms of dd reading it. She really wants to read a Murakami but would prefer to skip the ick factor. After Tress reaction pretty sure Kafka isn't dd friendly. ;)

 

I am on hold for this one at overdrive. Trying to decide which set of kindles to download it onto when it becomes available.

[Pam in CT]

My dad worked at Los Alamos, but did I ever get any samples? :(

 

I ran out of likes before 8:00 this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I'm so frustrated re: rationed likes that I'm actually moved to apply a bit of methodological rigor (which is, ahem, rare).  I plan to allow 48 full hours to elapse before I start up with them again, and then COUNT.  So, everybody please consider yourselves liked...)

[Tress]

I am only at 41% and nothing aweful has happened yet. Have to admit I have been wondering if I had read it ( when you can't remember the it, read the spoiler over a year ago, there is nothing to do but wait for "it" ). Now, thanks to Tress I am sure it hasn't happened yet. Back to reading and waiting. So far like the cats......leeches falling from the sky is rather different.

 

BTW. Murakami's Kafka on the Shore is the book being discussed ;)

 

Okay, now I'm confused! Falling leeches???

 

 

 

Quick search inside on Amazon.......you are ahead of me in the book  :lol: .

 

 

 

 

Which just proves that something that is making me go  :ack2:  and  :blink:  and  :willy_nilly:  , isn't registering for others.

 

 

Still love you, mumto2! :D

[Openhearted]

So, I'll admit I was a little nervous about starting History Of The Medieval World because history doesn't tend to hold my attention that well. However, I'm so glad I took the leap because I devoured the first two chapters. I'll hold back and read it at the rate that we are as a group but I'm actually really enjoying this! Yay!

I read the first chapter last night (kindle sample), and was impressed as well. I did not realize there were divisions of Christianity so early on and that the founding of Constantine's empire was so bloody.

I am learning a lot and find it very interesting, but I love history.

It is quite different to read history like this rather than a textbook. I like it.:) So glad you like it too.

 

I also started Don Quixote. I had the translation recommended in the WEM by Penguin Classics and also the Walter Starkie, but I finally decided on a kindle version by Gerald Davis.

I am going to enjoy it, I think. I have already chuckled out loud a couple of times. I don't seem to be as intimidated, but I am not sure if it is Davis's translation or if it is the kindle version and I can't see how thick the book is.:) Or maybe it is the wonderful encouragement of all you lovely people.

 

Amazon has updated my order and History of the Medieval World and The Strange Library should be here tomorrow instead of Friday. Oh and I ordered the Zentangle book too.

[Melinda in VT]

I need help coming up with a picture book that has cake mentioned in it.  We're doing a baby shower for a librarian friend and want to have a picture book beside each of the food items. Below is what we've come up with so far.  Still in need of something to do with cake!  Ideas?

 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – cookies

Green Eggs & Ham – mini spinach quiches or ham sandwiches

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – meatballs

The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Gregory the Terrible Eater – fruit tray

A Fish Out of Water – water bottles

Tales of Peter Rabbit – veggie tray

The Stinky Cheese Man – cheese & crackers

 

Seven Silly Eaters

 

[Melinda in VT]

Those of you who enjoy science fiction, fantasy, and horror might enjoy this list:

 

MIND MELD: Best Books of 2014

 

and here's a nice piece by author Jo Walton:

 

Gods, Philosophers, and Robots

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Thanks for the Jo Walton link. I first learned of her in 2014, when she was a guest author at a convention I went to at the last minute. I've since read Among Others and Tooth and Claw, and I've been wanting to read more.

 

I may try to read all of her books this year. It sounds like a fun challenge.

 

edited because I got one of the titles wrong. <blush>

 

[Mom-ninja.]

Alright, it doesn't have word "cake" in the title, but you NEED In the Night Kitchen for this baby shower.  

 

"Milk in the batter!  Milk in the batter!  We make cake and nothing's the matter!"  Or something like that -- not sure where my copy is at the moment to do the exact quote...

 

Plus this book is a banned book so double reason to buy it. It's a great book.

 

I will say that all the library copies in my library system have been defaced with black sharpie. That REALLY makes me angry. If *you* don't want to see certain things in books then don't read the book or just skip over it! No one has the right to mark in, cross out, color over, black out, or in any other way deface a book that belongs to the library!

 

Ok, rant over. For now. 

 

 

Oh, also, I'm on the wait list for Strange Library (you guys talked me into it) and I'm 6th in line. I might not get to it this month. 

[Openhearted]

Plus this book is a banned book so double reason to buy it. It's a great book.

 

I will say that all the library copies in my library system have been defaced with black sharpie. That REALLY makes me angry. If *you* don't want to see certain things in books then don't read the book or just skip over it! No one has the right to mark in, cross out, color over, black out, or in any other way deface a book that belongs to the library!

 

Ok, rant over. For now.

I agree and am astonished. Why would anyone do this? I was taught and have taught my children that books are so special and never to write in them. (Exception of note taking and highlighting for study).

Wow, but now I have to go buy another book.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Well, on the topic of books meaning different things to us at different seasons, I am officially bailing on my first book of 2014.  Prince Lestat, by Anne Rice.  I just couldn't get into it.  I loved the Vampire Chronicles (the first 3) in my 20s, they seemed to be all about the things I was grappling with at the time - what is human nature, can we really change, are men the source of all evil and violence in the world ( ;) ) but I'm not even sure what this one is about and it's just not holding my interest.  And there are so many good books on my list! I'm just going to move on. 

 

I added Jo Walton, for sure - she looks fascinating!

[Violet Crown]

I agree and am astonished. Why would anyone do this? I was taught and have taught my children that books are so special and never to write in them. (Exception of note taking and highlighting for study).

Wow, but now I have to go buy another book.

That plus I presume the sharpied-out part is the little boy's genitals. What message does that send to little boys reading the book? "Your body is so bad that grownups have to break the rule of no drawing in books."

[Angel]

I need help coming up with a picture book that has cake mentioned in it.  We're doing a baby shower for a librarian friend and want to have a picture book beside each of the food items. Below is what we've come up with so far.  Still in need of something to do with cake!  Ideas?

 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – cookies

Green Eggs & Ham – mini spinach quiches or ham sandwiches

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – meatballs

The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Gregory the Terrible Eater – fruit tray

A Fish Out of Water – water bottles

Tales of Peter Rabbit – veggie tray

The Stinky Cheese Man – cheese & crackers

 

The Duchess Bakes a Cake by Virginia Kahl.  I think it was a Five in a Row book!  It was cute!

[Angel]

I mentioned The Duchess Bakes a Cake before I realized a couple others already had!  This darn multi-quote thing is throwing off my groove!!!  I'm afraid to keep reading in case I forget what I was going to comment on.  Does anyone know if they are actually working on fixing it??!!

 

 

Amy,  my picture book suggestion is  Thunder Cake (can't remember the author... Patricia  something?)  It's for older kids but my brood loved it when they were younger.

 

 

I bet Thunder Cake is Patricia Pollacco!!  My IRL reading friend adores Pollacco!  She did a mini unit on her books in co-op quite a few years back!  Aly really enjoyed them.

[NoseInABook]

Tress, I just had a conversation with a friend of mine that books can never be clutter! She says they can be. Blasphemy! ;) I may need more bookshelves... but they're not clutter. 

 

I have the crankiest baby in the world today. I would like to read now that the big kids have finished school for the day but if I pick up a book, he screams at me. Nooo, fussy baby, nooo! 

[Angel]

I'd like to know about The Strange Library as well!  Mine has shipped!  I know from previous conversations that I wouldn't care for Murakami's other books but admit to wanting to know what his style is.  I hope there is no Ick factor  :laugh:

 

Little boys have pee pee's.   :lol:  I can't imagine blacking it out in a book!   :eek:  Especially a library book.  

[Stacia]

Stacia.

 

:svengo:

 

The NARRATOR.  Is.  A CHAMELEON.

 

I just had to quote this again because it makes me laugh every time I read it. :laugh:

 

mumto2, I think The Strange Library would be fine for your 16yo dd. There's nothing inappropriate. It is creepy. As I said, it reminds me a bit of weird, creepy stories that kids would use around the campfire to spook each other. It might be a good intro to Murakami, though I'm not really sure how representative it really is of his work as it's a bit different too. It does still have some of his trademark items in it.

 

Re: shocking things in Kafka on the Shore -- the part that bothered me is with Johnnie Walker & cats. (Put my words in white just in case. You can highlight them to see them.)

 

I finished Extraordinary Renditions by Andrew Ervin, published by Coffee House Press. Whether it's a novel or three separate, but interrelated, novellas, it is wonderfully done. Ervin paints a palpable Budapest where I can feel the dry, freezing air, smell the cigarettes, hear the crowds, see the graffiti.... He touches on some big themes too (the Holocaust, racism, the disconnectedness of being an expat, corruption, the power of music, imperialism, ...) but with a light enough hand that you can still feel a ray of hope amidst such heavy topics.

 

The triptych of stories intertwines nicely. The first part took my breath away, being a reminder that we, as humans, need to remember history so we are not doomed to repeat it. It's a testament to beauty, too, surviving in spite of horror (in this section, the Holocaust). I learned about a different part of the Holocaust I didn't know about -- the camp at Terezin. The second story/section is quite different from the first & is a raw & gritty account of a black US soldier stationed in Hungary. It overlaps with the first story a bit & I like seeing the shifting perspectives. It's timely in light of our current race issues. And I like the understated way the author is weaving in the insidious nature of intolerance & racial divide or hate. The last section circles around to the beginning again but from yet another viewpoint, reveling in the beauty of music & freeing your spirit.

 

And, in a lovely little touch that totally appeals to the book nerd in me, the colophon starts out with...

In honor of this book's Hungarian setting, the text has been set in Ehrhardt type, which was designed by Miklós (Nicholas) Kis. After taking religious orders, Kis traveled to Amsterdam in the late seventeenth century to learn the arts of printing, type design, punch cutting, and type casting.

... and goes on to give more background about Kis' life (1650-1702). This book made The Millions' list of The 13 Most Underrated Books of 2010 & I would agree with that. Great stuff by a great indie press. Still standing by my rec to Pam, Jane, & Eliana on this one. Plus, Jenn, I'll add you to the list because I think you would revel in the musical feeling of the third section. I'd also recommend it for anyone who enjoys European-style fiction, esp. works centered in Eastern Europe.

 

(P.S. Pam, there are no chameleons in this book. :lol: )

 

I'm so glad that I've made more of an effort to continue expanding my around-the-world reading & to regularly & purposefully select books published by small/indie presses. I feel like my reading life has been greatly enriched by doing so.

 

ETA: And I'm out of "likes" once again! Sheesh.

[Kareni]

I love Oliver Sacks. I think "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" was the first nonfiction book I read that wasn't for school. That's when I knew I was a real "grown up." (Oh to be 20 again and think I knew anything about being a grown up.)

 

So, true!  I also remember being a patient parental figure to friends -- too bad that didn't translate to the real thing....

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I seem to be on a young adult kick.  Last night I stayed up late to finish The Sea of Tranquility: A Novel by Katja Millay which I enjoyed (even though it did strain credulity from time to time).

 

A School Library Journal Best Book of 2013
An ALA/YALSA Alex Award Winner


"I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Two and a half years after an unspeakable tragedy left her a shadow of the girl she once was, Nastya Kashnikov moves to a new town determined to keep her dark past hidden and hold everyone at a distance. But her plans only last so long before she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the one person as isolated as herself: Josh Bennett.

Josh’s story is no secret. Every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space. Everyone except Nastya who won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But as the undeniable pull between them intensifies, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the mira­cle of second chances."

 

 

Here's an author interview with School Library Journal that's informative:

The Debut: SLJ Talks to Katja Millay About ‘The Sea of Tranquility’

 

Regards,

Kareni

[shukriyya]

Who asked about whether Timothy Findley was worth reading? This thread is so packed I can't keep up plus the lack of multi-quoting, as we've all bemoaned, is another factor in keeping track of responses.

 

Anyway I read The Wars in university and I was deeply moved by it. It stayed with me for a long time. And despite the fact that it's a grim book about the realities of the front lines of war I recall it being quite beautiful in parts. Looking at the description for it now it's not a book I would be moved to read so context played a huge part in my enjoyment of it. I've become such a...lightweight in what I'm able to tolerate now. Or maybe it's just this season in my life. I'm so impressed by the breadth of aperture some of you have for taking in materlal. Jane, Stacia and Pam and Eliana might like this book.

 

Not Wanted on the Voyage is another that I think would appeal to some folks here. I found this first review topical in light of our recent Margaret Atwood discussion. Its opening paragraph echoes my own thoughts...

 

"It's one of my greatest frustrations that Canadian Literature has become almost synonymous with the name "Margaret Atwood." Every reading list that I've ever seen about Canadian Lit has been dominated by Atwood: "The Handmaid's Tale", "Alias Grace", "Oryx and Crake", etc. It's not that there's anything wrong with enjoying Atwood, (although I can't name many people that do), it's just that her work offers a very limited scope on what Canadian literature is all about."

 

I haven't read 'The Handmaid's Tale' and don't feel moved to do so now though I did try at one point. The MA I've read is all much earlier---Surfacing, Lady Oracle, Wilderness Tips, The Edible Woman, Cat's Eye. I enjoyed all of them immensely but don't feel moved to revisit them at this point.

 

Stacia, was 'Kafka on the Shore' the one you though I *might* like? I looked at a synopsis...hmm.

[Lady Florida.]

 This thread is so packed I can't keep up plus the lack of multi-quoting, as we've all bemoned, is another factor in keeping track of responses.

 

 

 

I was thinking, "I leave for six months, and come back to a giant of a thread". Then I remembered it's always like this at the beginning of a new year. I really hope all the newbies and those trying again will stay though. More book recommendations from more people can only be a good thing, right? Right? :D

[shukriyya]

I was thinking, "I leave for six months, and come back to a giant of a thread". Then I remembered it's always like this at the beginning of a new year. I really hope all the newbies and those trying again will stay though. More book recommendations from more people can only be a good thing, right? Right? :D

 

Ugh, look how I spelled bemoaned! And now my orthographical slip-up has been immortalized. The editor in me cringes... :blush5:

[LaughingCat]

I thought LibraryThing was for keeping track of the books you have and GoodReads was for books you have read?  

 

I get most of my books I read out of the library so that's not the same thing at all for me (which is not to say I don't still have a zillion books).  I actually do better entering books into GoodReads now that I am keeping a bullet journal (from a thread here).  I tried to enter all my books into a tracking app one time (BookCrawler?) - took me all day to do about 1/3 of the books and then I gave up.

[Lady Florida.]

Ugh, look how I spelled bemoaned! And now my orthographical slip-up has been immortalized. The editor in me cringes... :blush5:

 

LOL! I've done that before. I go back and fix my post, but someone has already quoted me and it's there for all to see. Want me to fix the quote I made?

[LostSurprise]

Too much here for me to take in, let alone comment. 

 

AggieAmy: I've played Concept. That's the one that's kind of like charades but with a board and you break the phrase down into main and secondary concepts? I left a review in the Gaming Social Group but the librarian in me is fascinated with the idea of it. 

 

 

 

I'm finishing up Julia Child and Avis DeVoto's letters and I find I like Avis more. She's fun to read...down to earth and just a little witty. Julia was probably trying too hard at the beginning of the relationship, and then she can be given to impulsiveness and 'letting people have it.' The politics is killing me. I hate carte blanche statements about entire groups, but with McCarthy (both women were adamant Democrats) at his height I'm not very surprised. An interesting look at the 'intellectual set' in the '50s. The circles must have been very small because it feels like everyone knows or knows of everyone else. I think the impact Avis had on Mastering the Art of French Cooking in terms of unofficial editing, discussion, and getting it published was immense. I don't think they would have pulled it off without her publishing connections, and Julia needed a friend and confidant who could understand her obsession.  

 

My current Tanizaki (Naomi) is one of his older ones. I didn't think I'd like it. I assumed it would fall on the Diary of a Mad Old Man end of his repetoire. They even have a quote from Updike calling it 'sexy' (a pox on that man calling anything sexy, his sex-related stuff is awful). Anyway, it is another obsession story, but this one is with a young man (30 or so) who is obsessed with Western culture and forms a "Daddy Long Legs" relationship with a teen girl from the wrong side of the tracks so he can raise her to be the perfect Western-flavored wife. They end up raising each other really, and forming an unhealthy relationship in the process. While I don't adore this as I did his The Makioka Sisters, it's turning out to have enough depth for me to have some compassion on the idiot narrator and feel that reactions of the two characters are the realistic consequences of this kind of relationship and what it says about the people involved (something Lucy Maud Montgomery and Jean Webster never do). 

[MicheleinMN]

Still on the fence about GoodReads.  I've invested so much time at LibraryThing...

 

I use Goodreads to keep track of my reading, but Librarything to keep track of all the books in the house.  :)

[Stacia]

Stacia, was 'Kafka on the Shore' the one you though I *might* like? I looked at a synopsis...hmm.

 

I think so. I'm not sure you'll like Murakami at all. But, I think that if you do want to try him, Kafka on the Shore may be a good one for you, partially because of the Oedipus Rex theme in it.

 

But, I'm not sure he's your cup of tea. If you're looking for a little bit of magical realism/surrealism, I think you'd much more enjoy Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi or the talking chameleon book that Pam thinks is weird. ;) :lol:  If you want to do a Murakami & you're wary of Kafka on the Shore, perhaps Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage may be more your speed...?

 

[Pam in CT]

re: Book of Chameleons

I just had to quote this again because it makes me laugh every time I read it. :laugh:

 

_____

 

 

I finished Extraordinary Renditions by Andrew Ervin, published by Coffee House Press. Whether it's a novel or three separate, but interrelated, novellas, it is wonderfully done. Ervin paints a palpable Budapest where I can feel the dry, freezing air, smell the cigarettes, hear the crowds, see the graffiti.... He touches on some big themes too (the Holocaust, racism, the disconnectness of being an expat, corruption, the power of music, imperialism, ...) but with a light enough hand that you can still feel a ray of hope amidst such heavy topics. And, in a lovely little touch that totally appeals to the book nerd in me, the colophon starts out with...

... and goes on to give more background about Kis' life (1650-1702). This book made The Millions' list of The 13 Most Underrated Books of 2010 & I would agree with that. Great stuff by a great indie press. Still standing by my rec to Pam, Jane, & Eliana on this one. Plus, Jenn, I'll add you to the list because I think you would revel in the musical feeling of the third section. I'd also recommend it for anyone who enjoys European-style fiction, esp. works centered in Eastern Europe.

 

(P.S. Pam, there are no chameleons in this book. :lol: )

 

_____

 

ETA: And I'm out of "likes" once again! Sheesh.

 

OK, I'm done with the chameleon / gecko now, and I agree with you: it is, indeed, lovely.

 

Definitely weird as well... I'm not sure I'd quite label it 'magical realism' since, other than the, er, peculiarities of the narrator, the rest of the action is more or less of this world (I agree with your comparison of Death narrating Book Thief)... but it's a looping, loping meditation on the fluidity of memory and identity and history, and shifting forms of "knowledge"... I don't think it's a spolier to say that its original title in Portuguese was O vendedor de passados, the vendor of pasts, and that the idea that the past is less solid or factual that we think, is central to it...

 

I've put Renditions on my list; thank you...

[Pam in CT]

I think so. I'm not sure you'll like Murakami at all. But, I think that if you do want to try him, Kafka on the Shore may be a good one for you, partially because of the Oedipus Rex theme in it.

 

But, I'm not sure he's your cup of tea. If you're looking for a little bit of magical realism/surrealism, I think you'd much more enjoy Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi or the talking chameleon book that Pam thinks is weird. ;) :lol:  If you want to do a Murakami & you're wary of Kafka on the Shore, perhaps Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage may be more your speed...?

 

 

Just for the record: though Chameleons was weird, I ended up liking it very much.

 

Mr Fox was just TOO weird.  No ground beneath my feet.  No narrative that I could hang on to, or sufficient consistency in the characters that I felt a pull to invest myself in what happened to them.  In fact at this very moment I do not remember what did happen to them, lol...

 

Yet as I recall, shukriyya, you were among the most avid on Team Night Circus?  Which I couldn't stand.