Book a Week 2015 - W15: Haiku for you

[mumto2]

I have to admit that I am not feeling an urgent need to read the copy of Perelandra sitting beside me on my nightstand. I loved my visits to Narnia. I didn't mind the world Lewis created in Out of a Silent Planet but was not drawn into it either. I really need to start reading it but not tonight...currently it is lights off for everyone so the dc's can get adjusted time zone wise, need to be up and alert at 6 am this weekend. Glad I have a kindle.

 

Jennifer, your vacation sounds lovely. I love San Francisco but haven't been in years.

 

I just finished my last book in Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. Enjoyed it but something was off with the order.....I wish it hadn't started with an attempt to end the wedding which was also almost the ending. I really didn't enjoy knowing where the story was heading. I also wish I had started some notes on the minor characters used in all her books when I started reading this author. The same ones keep popping up and I am struggling to remember them.

[Stacia]

Jenn, your trip sounds lovely.

 

And, I agree with you about the world-building. The great books are the ones where the world fits seamlessly into the story. I guess that's my gripe with Out of the Silent Planet (as well as Tolkien's books too) -- the world-building is clunky, imo. There's a lot of space devoted to just describing the world, rather than creating a story where the world is integral w/in it. The intense focus on these long descriptive passages pulls you out of the actual plot in order to convey the details of the world around the characters. 

 

I think Terry Pratchett does a great job with world-building. You get a feel for/picture of Discworld through the story, not because he launches into a long digression describing the scenery. (I have Pratchett on the brain because ds is insisting that I read Going Postal as my next book, esp. as I haven't read a Moist von Lipwig one yet.)

[Chrysalis Academy]

The thing I really liked about OotSP was how Ransom navigated the transition from other to human.  The description of the changes in his own perceptions as he spent time on Mars, with the other creatures that he first perceived as beasts but then came to see as human.  I think that was really profound. We've been reading Sapiens by Harari, reading the speculation on what happend when Homo sapiens came in contact with other Homo species - did they kill them? Did they hunt them? Did they bond with them? And he has this really interesting thought experiment where he asks you to consider what the world would be like if there were multiple species of Homo alive today.  I think in the context of colonialism and the way that dominant cultures have treated native cultures whereever they have met up, this was a really interesting exploration.  The religious aspect in this book was much less dominant, I thought.  So, a take-down of colonial attitudes: nicely done.

 

The problem in Perelandra, and so far too in That Hideous Strength (which I'm not far into) is that he's trying to take on "scientism" but unlike with colonialism, his examples of scientists are straw men.  I mean, Weston is an insane megalomaniac  - and then he's possessed by the devil.  Not exactly a representative attitude among scientists in general or as a class, KWIM?  So unlike the first book, these don't make the point that I think they are intended to make.  And then with the very heavy religious story dominating everything in Perelandra, it just didn't work for me at all.  Besides being a tedious read!

 

That Hideous Strength is at least interesting, so far.  Enough that I'm going to keep reading.

[Kareni]

  One final plug for a brand new book which I haven't yet read but will probably pick up today, How Dante Can Save Your Life by Rod Dreher.  It is a very personal book about how studying Dante brought him out of a deep personal crisis, and how passionate he has become in championing the work to any and everyone. The book got its genesis last year in a series of blog posts he did when he hosted a Lenten reading of the Purgatorio, which inspired me to tackle Dante. Even though Dreher is a very devout Eastern Orthodox Christian, his intention is that his book is for anybody, religious or secular.  

 

My husband has been a big fan of Rod Dreher since reading his book

Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save  America (or at least the Republican Party)

 

It seems the book's title has been shortened/modified in a newer rendition (I can't imagine why) to

Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots

 

Some time ago, I had requested my library purchase How Dante Can Save Your Life: The Life-Changing Wisdom of History's Greatest Poem, and they did. Now my husband is awaiting its arrival. 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I finished my book group book a short time ago ~ Debra Dean's The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel .

 

It took my a while to get oriented in the book; however, it proved to be a quick read.  It dealt with some heavy topics (for example, war time deprivation and Alzheimer's), but it was not a tear jerker.  I'm happy to have read it and would recommend it.

 

 

"Bit by bit, the ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. An elderly Russian woman now living in America, she cannot hold on to fresh memories—the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild—yet her distant past is miraculously preserved in her mind's eye.

 

Vivid images of her youth in war-torn Leningrad arise unbidden, carrying her back to the terrible fall of 1941, when she was a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum and the German army's approach signaled the beginning of what would be a long, torturous siege on the city. As the people braved starvation, bitter cold, and a relentless German onslaught, Marina joined other staff members in removing the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping, leaving the frames hanging empty on the walls to symbolize the artworks' eventual return. As the Luftwaffe's bombs pounded the proud, stricken city, Marina built a personal Hermitage in her mind—a refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . . ."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

The thing I really liked about OotSP was how Ransom navigated the transition from other to human.  The description of the changes in his own perceptions as he spent time on Mars, with the other creatures that he first perceived as beasts but then came to see as human.  I think that was really profound. We've been reading Sapiens by Harari, reading the speculation on what happend when Homo sapiens came in contact with other Homo species - did they kill them? Did they hunt them? Did they bond with them? And he has this really interesting thought experiment where he asks you to consider what the world would be like if there were multiple species of Homo alive today.  I think in the context of colonialism and the way that dominant cultures have treated native cultures whereever they have met up, this was a really interesting exploration.  The religious aspect in this book was much less dominant, I thought.  So, a take-down of colonial attitudes: nicely done.

 

The problem in Perelandra, and so far too in That Hideous Strength (which I'm not far into) is that he's trying to take on "scientism" but unlike with colonialism, his examples of scientists are straw men.  I mean, Weston is an insane megalomaniac  - and then he's possessed by the devil.  Not exactly a representative attitude among scientists in general or as a class, KWIM?  So unlike the first book, these don't make the point that I think they are intended to make.  And then with the very heavy religious story dominating everything in Perelandra, it just didn't work for me at all.  Besides being a tedious read!

 

That Hideous Strength is at least interesting, so far.  Enough that I'm going to keep reading.

 

You make good points about OotSP, esp. the questioning of colonial attitudes. But, his portrayal is so heavy-handed, so pedantic that it really is not appealing to me. His good points & questions raised get somewhat lost amid his style & tone. (Perhaps his style & tone appealed more to his contemporary readers at the time it was originally written?) Plus, it's almost like he's undermining his own points with the ending (part of it alluding to Ransom beginning to think it was all imagined & able to be explained away by psychoanalysis, even though that's not how he ultimately ended the story). That kind of wordiness & waffling further weaken & downplay his arguments, imo.

 

[Violet Crown]

I'm with Stacia and other non-fans of Lewis. Not a fan of Tolkien or G. K. Chesterton either, which apparently constitutes some sort of quasi-heresy in certain circles. Finished my latest Dobie, and planning to make some more serious progress on De Sales. And starting an old Penguin I picked up in the desert, The Aunt's Story by Patrick White, which I think is my first foray into Australian lit. Rosie, any thoughts on White?

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie, any thoughts on White?

 

Who?     :blushing:  :blushing:

 

 

I didn't read much in the way of Australian lit in school. Any Australian lit? We read Australian books, but they were rubbishy teen fiction. The literature the powers that be saw fit to assign was either English or American. I haven't come across White in my travels yet. Partly because most of what I read is kid fiction to dd and partly because they taught us in school that Australian history was the most boring in the world.

[Stacia]

And starting an old Penguin I picked up in the desert, The Aunt's Story by Patrick White, which I think is my first foray into Australian lit. Rosie, any thoughts on White?

Who?  :laugh:  :blushing:  :blushing:

 

It's really PHRYNE White. Phryne. ;)

 

(Still such a strange name, imo. Lol.)

[Stacia]

I'm with Stacia and other non-fans of Lewis. Not a fan of Tolkien or G. K. Chesterton either, which apparently constitutes some sort of quasi-heresy in certain circles.

 

A kindred spirit! :hurray:

 

You really make me want to read Dobie (though I'll probably skip the rattlesnake-centered tales. I do actually love the quote you shared about the guy sparing the life of the rattler & that's the type of attitude I have toward wildlife. However, if I ever found out after the fact that I had shared quarters with a rattlesnake all night, I'd probably lose my marbles & have the severe heebie jeebies for a long, long time. :tongue_smilie: )

[Violet Crown]

I didn't read much in the way of Australian lit in school. Any Australian lit? We read Australian books, but they were rubbishy teen fiction. The literature the powers that be saw fit to assign was either English or American. I haven't come across White in my travels yet. Partly because most of what I read is kid fiction to dd and partly because they taught us in school that Australian history was the most boring in the world.

But ... but Ned Kelly!

[Robin M]

Just finished Out of the Silent Planet.

 

I really disliked the first third of this book, but the remainder was ok. Overall, I would say that I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi (not just this particular book, but any sci-fi). I feel that C.S. Lewis is too wordy in parts, too pedantic in others. At times, it has an almost Tolkien-ish style (probably the epic world-building & the style of detailed descriptions of a different 'world', as well as linguistic info). I later read this on Wikipedia,

So, perhaps Lewis & Tolkien influenced each other & that is why I see quite a few stylistic similarities between their books. (I think Tolkien's works are ok, but I'm not a huge fan like many are. I guess that also sums up my feelings on Lewis.)

 

I can appreciate Lewis' imagination in creating some of the world & was pleasantly surprised by the 'niceness' of parts of the story (not the first third). His writing style is too wordy for me & parts of the story are too plainly predictable. Lewis comes across as pompous & must hold his general reader as a lesser intellect than himself -- an attitude that does not endear him to me. If he lost the pomposity & had a better editor in the first place, I think I might like his work better. ;)

 

Overall? Meh. I don't plan to read the sequels.

 

If you're looking for a classic sci-fi book, I'd suggest reaching for H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. 

Well said, Stacia and my sentiments exactly.  I had difficulty getting into it, but then it got better and I finished it.  I gave it more of a surface read than digging down for all the symbolism and subtext.  Wasn't particularly in the mood, but definitely appreciated his world building.  I don't plan on continuing with the series.

 

 

 

Well, I was wrong about Matt Bronleewe and House of Wolves. I remember liking his first book, Illuminated, but not this one so much. Had shades of James Patterson with dumbing down and too many things that keep throwing me out of the story so gave it up.  Guess my reading intelligence has changed since 2007.  :lol:

 

Think I'll curl up with Dean Koontz thriller, Ice Bound. 

 

The arctic night is endless. The fear is numbing. Screams freeze in the throat. Death arrives in shades of white. And cold-blooded murder seems right at home.

 

Conducting a strange and urgent experiment on the Arctic icefield, a team of scientists has planted sixty powerful explosive charges that will detonate at midnight. Before they can withdraw to the safety of their base camp, a shattering tidal wave breaks loose the ice on which they are working. Now they are hopelessly marooned on an iceberg during a violent winter storm. The bombs beneath them are buried irretrievably deep . . . and ticking. And they discover that one of them is an assassin with a mission of his own.

 

 

[Rosie_0801]

But ... but Ned Kelly!

 

What about him? 

[*Inna*]

My depression is getting the better of me at this point in time, so books are my escape.

 

I'm sorry. :grouphug:

 

I'm reading Acedia and Me by Kathleen Norris. It's very interesting but, half way through, the book is beginning to depress me.

[Violet Crown]

What about him?

Not-boring Australian history!

[Stacia]

I have started Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, finally published this year after years of legal wrangling.

 

An unprecedented international publishing event: the first and only diary written by a still-imprisoned Guantánamo detainee.

Since 2002, Mohamedou Slahi has been imprisoned at the detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. In all these years, the United States has never charged him with a crime. A federal judge ordered his release in March 2010, but the U.S. government fought that decision, and there is no sign that the United States plans to let him go.

Three years into his captivity Slahi began a diary, recounting his life before he disappeared into U.S. custody, "his endless world tour" of imprisonment and interrogation, and his daily life as a Guantánamo prisoner. His diary is not merely a vivid record of a miscarriage of justice, but a deeply personal memoir---terrifying, darkly humorous, and surprisingly gracious. Published now for the first time, GUANTÃNAMO DIARY is a document of immense historical importance and a riveting and profoundly revealing read.

"A longtime captive has written the most profound and disturbing account yet of what it's like to be collateral damage in the war against terror."—Mark Danner, NYTBR, & Editors' Choice

"Slahi is a fluent, engaging and at times eloquent writer, even in his fourth language, English....Slahi's book offers a first-person account of the experience of torture. For that reason alone, the book is necessary reading to those seeking to understand the dangers that Guantánamo's continued existence poses to Americans in the world."
—Deborah Pearlstein, Washington Post

"A riveting new book has emerged from one of the most contentious places in the world, and the U.S. government doesn't want you to read it....You don't have to be convinced of Slahi's innocence to be appalled by the incidents he describes."—Kevin Canfield, San Francisco Chronicle

"Guantánamo Diary will leave you shell-shocked."
—Vanity Fair

"Slahi emerges from the pages of his diary...as a curious and generous personality, observant, witty and devout, but by no means fanatical....Guantánamo Diary forces us to consider why the United States has set aside the cherished idea that a timely trial is the best way to determine who deserves to be in prison."—Scott Shane, New York Times

"An historical watershed and a literary triumph....The diary is as close as most of us will ever get to understanding the living hell this man--who has never been charged with a crime, and whom a judge ordered released in 2010--continues to suffer."—Elias Isquith, Salon

"Everyone should read Guantánamo Diary....Just by virtue of having been written inside Guantánamo, Slahi's book would be a triumph of humanity over chaos. But Guantánamo Diary turns out to be especially human. Slahi doesn't just humanize himself; he also humanizes his guards and interrogators. That's not to say that he excuses them. Just the opposite: he presents them as complex individuals who know kindness from cruelty and right from wrong."
—Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker

"The tragedy of Slahi's memoir is not just his grave abuse at the hands of U.S. officials. It is that....Slahi's account of life--if it can be called that--at Guantánamo is not the exception. It is the rule, and it continues today."
—Alka Pradhan, Reuters

"Guantánamo Diary stands as perhaps the most human depiction of an entire post-9/11 system."
—Omar El Akkad, Globe and Mail

"Literary history was made today with the publication of the first-ever book by a still-imprisoned Guantánamo detainee....As astonishing as the scope of the abuse is Slahi's enduring warmth, even for his torturers and jailers."—Noa Yachot, Huffington Post

"A vision of hell, beyond Orwell, beyond Kafka: perpetual torture prescribed by the mad doctors of Washington."—John le Carré

"This is an incredible document, and a hell of a story."—Steve Kroft, correspondent for 60 Minutes

"Anyone who reads Guantanamo Diary---and every American with a shred of conscience should do so, now---will be ashamed and appalled. Mohamedou Ould Slahi's demand for simple justice should be our call to action. Because what's at stake in this case is not just the fate of one man who managed, against all odds, to tell his story, but the future of our democracy."—Glenn Greenwald, No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State

"Here, finally, is the disturbing and stirring story the United States government tried for years to conceal. Mohamedou Ould Slahi's ordeal shocks the conscience, to be sure. But on display in these pages is something much deeper as well: an enduring faith in our common humanity, and in the power of truth to leap prison walls and bridge divides. With devastating clarity and considerable wit, Guantánamo Diary reminds us why we call certain things human rights."—Anthony Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union

"Once considered such a high-value detainee that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld designated him for 'special interrogation techniques'....Slahi had been subjected to sleep deprivation, exposed to extremes of heat and cold, moved around the base blindfolded, and at one point taken into the bay on a boat and threatened with death....Slahi faces no criminal charges."—Carol Rosenberg, Miami Herald

 

 

[Rosie_0801]

Not-boring Australian history!

 

Y'think?

 

Well, for you, and Stacia since I can see her liking your post:

[Rosie_0801]

And:

 

[TeacherZee]

Jenn, your trip sounds lovely.

 

And, I agree with you about the world-building. The great books are the ones where the world fits seamlessly into the story. I guess that's my gripe with Out of the Silent Planet (as well as Tolkien's books too) -- the world-building is clunky, imo. There's a lot of space devoted to just describing the world, rather than creating a story where the world is integral w/in it. The intense focus on these long descriptive passages pulls you out of the actual plot in order to convey the details of the world around the characters. 

 

I think Terry Pratchett does a great job with world-building. You get a feel for/picture of Discworld through the story, not because he launches into a long digression describing the scenery. (I have Pratchett on the brain because ds is insisting that I read Going Postal as my next book, esp. as I haven't read a Moist von Lipwig one yet.)

 

I definitely agree with you on Pratchett and the world building. It is done in such subtle but effective ways.

 

I'm with Stacia and other non-fans of Lewis. Not a fan of Tolkien or G. K. Chesterton either, which apparently constitutes some sort of quasi-heresy in certain circles. Finished my latest Dobie, and planning to make some more serious progress on De Sales. And starting an old Penguin I picked up in the desert, The Aunt's Story by Patrick White, which I think is my first foray into Australian lit. Rosie, any thoughts on White?

 

I like some of the Narnia books but not all (I really lose interest sometime during The Voyage of the Dawn Threader). I know that my next statement will gain me enemies or at least cause people to question my sanity but, I prefer the LotR movies to the books. I've never read G. K. Chesterton. So I guess we have a club. The lady in the tuck shop gave me three extra dark chocolate mint candies today, I'm willing to share.

[Rosie_0801]

I just finished reading 'Willows in Winter' to dd. We're looking forward to beginning 'Toad Triumphant' tomorrow!

[mumto2]

I just finished reading 'Willows in Winter' to dd. We're looking forward to beginning 'Toad Triumphant' tomorrow!

We never made it beyond Wind in the Willows....... Are the sequels as enjoyable in your opinion? Dd and I like the first quite a bit but Ds did not, because I needed to buy the sequels we went on to others.

[mumto2]

Double post.

 

I feel like I should say something! :lol: I am trying to read Gail Carriger's Prudence. Not sure what I think of it.

[Stacia]

I definitely agree with you on Pratchett and the world building. It is done in such subtle but effective ways.

 

I like some of the Narnia books but not all (I really lose interest sometime during The Voyage of the Dawn Threader). I know that my next statement will gain me enemies or at least cause people to question my sanity but, I prefer the LotR movies to the books. I've never read G. K. Chesterton. So I guess we have a club. The lady in the tuck shop gave me three extra dark chocolate mint candies today, I'm willing to share.

 

I'm in. Love dark chocolate mint! I'll bring some coffee to share. I have not read most of the Narnia books; the couple I have read (plus OotSP) do not entice me to try more of his work. I tried Chesterton once, but did not get far, just a few pages. I have meant to try again someday because it's possible I would like his work. Agreeing with you on the LotR movies -- more entertaining than the books (by a long shot, imo). Plus, there's Viggo, so what's not to like?

 

Speaking of Pratchett, I have also started Going Postal. Already loving it. Since I was paying more attention to his world-building as I started it, I confirm that I stand by my statement. There is already a vivid picture in my mind of the place & people. His conveying of the details is seamlessly stitched into the story -- he shows rather than tells (unlike Lewis).

 

Guantanamo Diary is also riveting.

[Stacia]

Neat photos, Rosie!

 

Speaking of Ned Kelly... Has anyone ever read Peter Carey's book about the Ned Kelly gang? It has been on my tbr list for a long time. I loved Carey's writing in Parrot & Olivier in America and thought the Kelly book sounded interesting.

[Rosie_0801]

We never made it beyond Wind in the Willows....... Are the sequels as enjoyable in your opinion? Dd and I like the first quite a bit but Ds did not, because I needed to buy the sequels we went on to others.

 

I'm surprised how much we have been enjoying them. I can't comment on the third one yet, but I found the second rather a page turner.

[Nan in Mass]

I love haiku!

But I am dismayed to find on checking in on Wed. morning that there are 124 posts. How will I get through them all? I guess that,s what I get for hanging out on the college thread for a week instead of here. Like many others, though, we were waiting for application results and that board was where my thoughts were. One of my extras was wait listed but then accepted to her program. It has been a long hard journey getting to this point and we feel she is well suited to the career she has chosen. Everyone is very happy and excited for her. Now if only she can manage the academics. She has to get through chemistry. That makes four older clan college students we are holding in the light. Good thing there is lots of light. : ) And one who took to college like a duck to water. Fortunate duckie. : )

 

You,ve probably already discussed this upthread, but trying to write taught me that working within stringent parameters forces me to keep working past where I would normally stop to a much better place. It was probably one of the most important things about art I have ever learned.

 

Nan

[Chrysalis Academy]

Well, I don't know why I can't seem to just cut my losses and back slowly away from Lewis, but I'm persisting with That Hideous Strength and it's taken some . . . interesting? twists.  I don't know if anybody is still reading this, so I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but I grew up in a cult, and I know what cult leaders look like, and Ransom? Dude? You're there.  Complete with very odd advice to couples.  (The eroticism of obedience?  Wait, did I just stumble into 50 Shades of Grey?)    :huh:  ;)  :D

[Nan in Mass]

Well, I don't know why I can't seem to just cut my losses and back slowly away from Lewis, but I'm persisting with That Hideous Strength and it's taken some . . . interesting? twists. I don't know if anybody is still reading this, so I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but I grew up in a cult, and I know what cult leaders look like, and Ransom? Dude? You're there. Complete with very odd advice to couples. (The eroticism of obedience? Wait, did I just stumble into 50 Shades of Grey?) :huh: ;) :D

Yikes! Sounds like Heinlein. Men seem to be weird that way.

 

Nan

[mumto2]

Rose, Curiosity might just get me through all three now! :lol:

[Chrysalis Academy]

Rose, Curiosity might just get me through all three now! :lol:

 

I know, right? I contemplated throwing it across the room, but I kind of just can't put it down now.   :lol:

[Nan in Mass]

Here is my haiku. Not very good, but I am trying to be a painter, not a poet. I,ve been spraying pepper on my mother,s crocuses every night to try to keep the bunny from eating them. She lives on a street.

 

Crocuses breaking

The gritty edge of snowdrifts

Cling to winter too

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

Loesje -

 

I loved your haiku. Or it's translation, anyway. It has that shift at the ending that I associate with haiku, and that everyday trueness.

 

Nan

 

ETA - not nab but naN lol

[Nan in Mass]

My haiku attempt inspired by hiking amongst the giant redwoods in northern California the last few days:

 

Amidst shadows cast

By tall silent sentinels

Insignificance

Ooooo

[JennW in SoCal]

Speaking of Pratchett, I have also started Going Postal. Already loving it. Since I was paying more attention to his world-building as I started it, I confirm that I stand by my statement. There is already a vivid picture in my mind of the place & people. His conveying of the details is seamlessly stitched into the story -- he shows rather than tells (unlike Lewis).

 

Going Postal is one of my favorite Pratchett books, the one I most often recommend as a first foray into the Discworld.  

 

Neat photos, Rosie!

 

Speaking of Ned Kelly... Has anyone ever read Peter Carey's book about the Ned Kelly gang? It has been on my tbr list for a long time. I loved Carey's writing in Parrot & Olivier in America and thought the Kelly book sounded interesting.

 

I happened to have grabbed this off the used book cart at the library a week or so ago!  Won't be starting it til I clear the decks of all the non-fiction books I've got going.  

[Stacia]

Well, Rose, when you get the BaW all-clear, I do hope you'll give some spoilers about the rest of Lewis' trilogy! Though your preview is enticing, I'm still glad I'm not reading it. :lol:

 

I have loved everyone's haikus. Really, so beautiful, so evocative. And, again, such vivid pictures from so few words. Too bad Lewis didn't dabble in haikus -- maybe that would have taught him the beauty of written restraint.

 

Jenn, I know you've always mentioned loving the Moist von Lipwig books (because that is what my ds says too). Figured between him & you being big fans, not to mention that it's Terry Pratchett, there's really no way to go wrong with this one!

[Mom22ns]

Once again, I haven't posted in weeks. In fact, when I went back to find my last post it was in week 11.  :leaving:

 

I may have missed a few books in my list, but I did my best to get my list caught up. Currently I am reading The Shadowmask. I threw my back out Monday when I was trying to steam clean the carpets and went to lift the steam cleaner down a stair and I have been stuck in bed the last two days. I finished a book and started a new on Monday, finished that and started a new one yesterday and I expect I'll finish that one today, which will then be followed by The Sentinels. My back is improving though (I'm in the recliner instead of bed now) and I'm going to have to start accomplishing more than reading again soon. 

 

So far this year I've read: 

The Stowaway

Sea of Swords

Romeo and Juliet

The Wishsong of Shannara

The Spine of the World

Dragon Champion

The Silent Blade

Passage to Dawn

Siege of Darkness

Starless Night

The Memory of Earth

The Return of the King

The Two Towers

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Legend of Drizzt (collection of short stories)

The Legacy

Earthbound 

The Halfling's Gem 

The Kings & Queens of Roam 

Streams of Silver 

Son 

Messenger 

The Familiars 

The Crystal Shard 

Songmaster

[Onceuponatime]

I'm currently reading Mr. Campion's Farewell by Mike Ripley. It is created from the notes of Margery Allingham's (Campion's creator) departed husband. I'm finding the writing very affected. When the word eponymous popped up, I thought, "I wonder if he'll use ubiquitous, too." Sure enough, it was on the next page. It made me giggle. 😄 However, since I'm a sucker for a cozy mystery in an English village, I guess I'll keep reading.

[Stacia]

Ouch, Debbie! Hope you're back on your feet soon. Take care. :grouphug:  (My dh has back issues where he throws it out & it definitely looks painful & no fun.)

[idnib]

Just checking in to say I'm really enjoying The Most Dangerous Book.

 

 

     If [a published book] is not forgotten - if it does not change the way people see the world - reviewers and critics will [still] be able to quote from its pages freely. Radio hosts will be able to mention the title on air. Students will be able to check the book out of the library. Professors will be able to assign the book and deliver lectures on it without fear without the fear of being demoted or dismissed. If you purchase the book, you will not be afraid to travel with it. No one will be arrested for printing it. No one will be monitored for distributing it. No one will go to prison for selling it. Wherever you live, the government probably protects this book against piracy. Your government has never issue a warrant for this book. Your government has never confiscated this book. Your government has never burned this book.

 

     When you open James Joyce's Ulysses, none of these things are true.

 

And later:

 

 

One of the ironies of Ulysses is that while it was banned to protect the delicate sensibilities of female readers, the book owes its existence to several women. It was inspired, in part, by one woman, funded by another, serialized by two more and published by yet another.

 

Check out the seal for the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. Yes, the seal actually has book burning depicted on it. The book has a photo of the founder of the society, Anthony Comstock. He has a big knife scar on his left cheek, given to him by a pornographer. 

 

 

[Loesje22000]

I finished Thulcandra last night ( part 3 of Lewis' Space Triology)

It is still my favorite :blush:

I also like the books of Peretti ( in the Netherlands known as theological thrillers) and Thulcandra reminds me to his books.

 

But I can absolutely see why others won't like them.

 

I'm not sure I dare to try Dante.

I might be biased but I've never met someone 'normal' who has read Dante.

 

I am also not sure why this book is so important.

( I'm questioning other great books too recently , so maybe I'm just in a recalcitrant fase)

[Loesje22000]

I finished Thulcandra last night ( part 3 of Lewis' Space Triology)

It is still my favorite :blush:

I also like the books of Peretti ( in the Netherlands known as theological thrillers) and Thulcandra reminds me to his books.

 

But I can absolutely see why others won't like them.

 

I'm not sure I dare to try Dante.

I might be biased but I've never met someone 'normal' who has read Dante.

 

I am also not sure why this book is so important.

( I'm questioning other great books too, recently, so maybe I'm just in a recalcitrant fase)

[Stacia]

I'm not sure I dare to try Dante.

I migt be biased but I've never met someone 'normal' who has read Dante.

 

:lol:

 

(I read The Inferno in high school. Don't know if I'm normal or not. :tongue_smilie: :biggrinjester: )

 

[redsquirrel]

I know, right? I contemplated throwing it across the room, but I kind of just can't put it down now.   :lol:

 

Yes, his pomposity combined with his 'issues' with women are why I am  not a CS Lewis fan. I found myself in the same situation with that book many years ago and that was the last I bothered with him.

 

And Heinlein makes me want to hurl, book or stomach contents, take your pick.

 

 

 

I finished The Orphan Master's Sonn by Adam Johnson, last night. Amazing book. I tried it last year and just couldn't get through the first section. I didn't understand where it was going and it all seemed so weird and random. This time, I realized I needed to trust the author and just stayed with his story. I think my reaction was more a reaction to the craziness of the story, not the writing.  In the end it turned into a very, very human story, very tender, set in a place that has no room for real humans or tenderness.  There were so many passages that made me gasp and one sentence that actually made me cry, just like that, in a sentence. As I read the last 50 or so pages of the book my heart was actually pounding. I can't remember the last book that had that effect on me, or if one ever has.

 

His first novel, Parasites Like Us, looks very interesting as well. I might have to check it out.

 

I am moving on to The Round House by Erdrich today.  I've been meaning to read it every since I read the interview with Philip Roth when he announced his retirement. He mentioned having just read it and found it wonderful, declared Erdrich a "powerhouse", so I pretty much have to read it, lol. I haven't read an Erdich book in a long time and I am not sure why. 

 

I am also thinking I should go back and reread or read some Roth.  He's done writing now, he says he's said what he wants to say. It took 70 books, lol. I am the first to celebrate when the Nobel is awarded to a woman author, but they really need to give him one. They are cutting it very close.

[LaughingCat]

I definitely agree with you on Pratchett and the world building. It is done in such subtle but effective ways.

 

 

I like some of the Narnia books but not all (I really lose interest sometime during The Voyage of the Dawn Threader). I know that my next statement will gain me enemies or at least cause people to question my sanity but, I prefer the LotR movies to the books. I've never read G. K. Chesterton. So I guess we have a club. The lady in the tuck shop gave me three extra dark chocolate mint candies today, I'm willing to share.

 

I think the reason I like Narnia and LOTR so much is because I am more about the story than the world building.  Give me a story that pulls me in and I can forgive (and skim) a multitude of faults (including the windbag-edness of LOTR and the sermonizing of Narnia).   Lewis' space trilogy though, only the first one came even close to a good story.  Both 2 & 3 were more about sermonizing than story imo.

 

Re: LOTR movies vs. book -- I might even agree with you except they mutilated one of my favorite minor characters in the movies -- and for what? to add another action scene?  Poor poor Faramir.  

[Junie]

New here.

 

Most of my reading is actually pre-reading books for my dc -- checking for appropriateness.  They are 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, and 4 -- a wide range of maturity, ability, and interest.

 

This week I am reading The Once and Future King (at least trying to make it through part one) and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

[Halcyon]

I have started Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, finally published this year after years of legal wrangling.

 

 

ive been wanting to read that. onto the list it goes.

 

we are listening to Ender's Game on audible and it is really well done. Just a heads up for anyone interested in listening to it.

[Halcyon]

 

 

I am moving on to The Round House by Erdrich today.  I've been meaning to read it every since I read the interview with Philip Roth when he announced his retirement. He mentioned having just read it and found it wonderful, declared Erdrich a "powerhouse", so I pretty much have to read it, lol. I haven't read an Erdich book in a long time and I am not sure why. 

\

 

That's been on my wish list for a while there....For some reason I always conflate her with Barbara Kingsolver--I absolutely loved her book Flight Behavior.

[Stacia]

Love your whole post, redsquirrel. What Roth do you recommend? He's someone I've always planned to read but just haven't (yet). I've never read Erdrich either, but I have wanted to & think a couple of hers look appealing to me (both The Round House and The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse).

 

Hi, Junie, & welcome!

[Junie]

 

Hi, Junie, & welcome!

 

Thank you! :)

[redsquirrel]

That's been on my wish list for a while there....For some reason I always conflate her with Barbara Kingsolver--I absolutely loved her book Flight Behavior.

 

I do the same thing! They both came into my consciousness at roughly the same time. I find Kingsolver's work easier to enter, but not always.

I am regretting that I haven't read all of Erdrich's work because I think that her fictional world is all related. I am not having any problems reading The Round House at all, but I am assuming there are relations and connections I don't yet know. I don't think it will take anything away from the book, but it is making me want to go back and read everything else, lol.

The Round House is not going to be an easy read. 10 pages in and there has been an assault.

 

 

 

Love your whole post, redsquirrel. What Roth do you recommend? He's someone I've always planned to read but just haven't (yet). I've never read Erdrich either, but I have wanted to & think a couple of hers look appealing to me (both The Round House and The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse).

 

Hi, Junie, & welcome!

Oh, lord, there are so, so many other people better to make recommendations about Roth than I am. I say, start with either "Goodbye Columbus and Five Short Stories",  or Portnoy's Complaint. Goodby Columbus was his first novel and BOOM won the national book award. I always pay attention when an author does that. Btw, Phil Klay just did that last year with his collection of short stories, Redeployment. If that one doesn't appeal then consider Goodbye Columbus. That was his third? fourth? book and the one that made him famous. It's the one "everyone" has read, lol. I am wondering how dated those are now, if they have aged well.

 

But check them out on Wikipedia or Amazon and see what appeals.