Book Lovers Club
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Thanks. I just put a hold on A Reliable Wife at my local library and then reread Minus...post. Oh my, I'll see how it goes with reading about "depression, suicide, drugs, sex" in the heart of winter.
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Mary Oliver, renowned poet, died this past week. I've pulled a few of her books off my shelf to reread. Thank you Mary Oliver, for sharing your heart with me. The below passage was included in a NYT tribute
In Blackwater Woods"
To live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold itagainst your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.0 -
magic....i am, by nature, very stoic. Thank you for sharing Mary Oliver's words.....brings tears to my eyes...
Oliver 's words remind me of the inspiring words of Erich Fromm from The Art of Loving:
"To have faith requires courage, the ability to take a risk, the readiness even to accept pain and disappointment. Whoever insists on safety and security as primary conditions of life cannot have faith; whoever shuts himself off in a system of defense, where distance and possession are his means of security, makes himself a prisoner. To be loved, and to love, need courage, the courage to judge certain values as of ultimate concern – and to take the jump and to stake everything on these values."
Words like Oliver's and Fromm's if valued, offer a road map of how, mere mortals can live rich and fulfilling lives...
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voracious...inspiring for us 'mere mortals'. Thanks. I read quite a bit of Fromm in my youth, so thanks for reminding me of "The Art of Loving" and maybe I will revisit.
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I need to revisit The Art of Loving as well. Thanks for the great quotes!
Here's one for us, Hai Gaon in the 11th century:
"To three Possessions
Thou Shouldst Look,
Aquire a field, a friend, a book."
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I just finished The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. It was a good book, very long, primarily set in Alaska. The only other book I have read by this author is The Nightengale, which I loved. Can't say I loved this book, may have been the parents relationship that I found off-putting.
Next up for me is The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs. I have hear wonderful things about this book, however sad it may be.
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pat01: Agree about The Great Alone, however, I found the mother exasperating, frustrating but true of many abusive families where one adult remains mostly silent and accomodating.
I'll look into The Bright hour.
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Pat01: just looked into The Bright hour and I had it delivered to my Kindle from the library. Looks like my evening is now scheduled
I read When breath becomes air and found that very informative.
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Magiclight I really enjoyed when breath became air. A little weird to say you enjoyed a book about dying! But I just love the perspective it gives me on my own life.
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I had read KristinHannah's Night Road. Did not like it at all. My book club chose Nightingale and I dreaded the thought of reading another of Hannah's books. Was very pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed the book
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Have you read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande? Very interesting book about doctors and end of life practices. Our Souls at Night by Kent Hartford is a beautiful book about finding love at an advanced age. He is an author that draws unbelievable word pictures. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Durr is a WWII book that is one of my all time favs. It would be great for a book discussion group.
I like Kristin Hannah, but did not enjoy her last book all that much. Just finished Jodi Piccoult’s latest and had the same reaction. My rule of thumb in the library was if the author’s name was above the title and larger font, the book was probably not that good. Sold on name recognition alone.
I need to revisit the classics. I have time now that I am retired and can use my diagnosis to take rest breaks
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Jumping in to stress reading Atul Gawande's Being Mortal. It's an amazing book. I raved about it so much when I first read it that my son actually sent me some info about him and referred to him as my new boyfriend.
Just started Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad. Looks like this Pulitzer book will be good.
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MinusTwo, I’d be interested in what your thoughts are on The Underground Railroad when you finish it. That’s another book that my book club read. We had a very interesting conversation about it.
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Somehow I have not read The Handmaid's Tale. I got it on loan from my library in Kindle form and have begun reading it. Do not like it at all but will journey on and finish it. What piqued my interest was the comment about the First Lady's Christmas decorations, that they might be an ironic reference to The Handmaid's Tale.
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Carole - Generally I like Atwood, but I know she's not to everyone's taste. I read Handmaid'sTale more than 20 years ago and have been meaning to snag a copy & re-read. Especially since i don't watch any TV. And since there will be a sequel out in September.
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KathyinDC - I'm half way though the Underground Railroad. I was not raised in the South and know very well from past studies there wasn't a real 'train', but the book had me partially convinced I must be wrong. I stopped to look it up in Wiki (what did we ever do in the middle of the night before there was an internet when our set of Encyclopedias didn't answer our questions) anyway - I found the history of the railroad nomenclature & metaphors most interesting. Immediately made me think of Woody Guthrie's song "This Train Is Bound for Glory". It never occurred to me that was other than a 'gospel' song. Will have to do more research - but first, back to the book.
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Thanks for sharing your recommendations and thoughts ladies! I will be travelling by train to Arizona next week and will need some good books to keep me company:).
I did enjoy The Nightingale as well, but haven't read any other of her books.
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KeepTheFaith - please do report in on your train journey. I've heard the trip is fun.
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Hi, i have not posted on this board before but glad i found it. I love to read. Louise Penny is one of my favorites and i am reading the latest one right now.
A couple of my old time favourites: The Chosen by Chaim Potok A coming-of-age classic about two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s, this "profound and universal" story of what we share across cultures remains deeply pertinent today (The Wall Street Journal).
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver the Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades
I love anything by these authors. I am going to read through a ton of the posts here and have a list for want to read, added to my goodreads list lol plus I too have many on my kindle, love my kindle everywhere I go i can easily bring hundreds of books. Easy to carry and hold, i dont lose my place and i can change to font so i dont have to wear my glasses
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I saw a delightful play last night 84 Charring Cross Road. It is based on a book, but more importantly it centers around the love of books and how said bibliophilia made friends of perfect strangers an ocean apart. I guess there is a 1987 movie also but I have never seen it. I will have to track down both the book and movie and see if they are as enjoyable as the play.
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MLAnne, 84 Charing Cross Road is one of my all time favorites! I remember it as not being all that long. I didn’t know there was a play and a movie, lol! Nan, I love my Kindle as well. I have insomnia, the kind where I wake up at 2 or 3 am and can’t get back to sleep. When it strikes, I just grab my Kindle off my nightstand and read for a bit without bothering my husband. There’s a blog I like called Modern Mrs Darcy. Most days, she posts a list of Kindle deals, usually $3.99 and under. I like “real” books too- next up is Lethal White, the newest in the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling
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I just started Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood. It is a humorous take from daughter's perspective of her dad converting to Catholic priest. Will let you know if I like it!
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Greenhar...Thanks for your post about the Modern Mrs Darcy blog which then led me to a Macmillan podcast where I just listened to a wonderful interview with Louise Penny where she talks about how her childhood fears led her to writing and her now famous Inspector Gamache series.
I'm new to podcasts, but love to listen to books and am rarely driving anywhere without one playing. Now, I can add podcasts to my listening.
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nan....I.Loved.The. Chosen! And....welcome!
Minus....
Soooo...here we are...DH and I just flew cross country and checked into a hotel.
DH....I am NEVER traveling like this again. From now on, I am traveling like Reacher.
VR....What?
DH...from now on, I am ONLY traveling like Reacher.
VR...i know who Reacher is, but what are you talking about?
DH....Jack Reacher only travels with one day of clothes and if he needs more, he just shops for it.
....and, I am going to do Reacher one better, I am going to have all my stuff shipped back home.
VR....mumbling to herself.....whatever....
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VR - I love it!!! Agree about the mumbling - sotto voce. What a hoot.
Yes, I liked the Chosen too. Time to re-read it again. And 84 Charing Cross Road is one of my favorites. Yes, it is short and I recently re-read that one. It went back on the shelves. Along with so many others. How will I ever get rid of enough books to move bookcases & paint walls or re-carpet??
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Thanks to this thread, I read Lee Child's first book starring Jack Reacher. So..I get VR's conversation with DH!! Although I thought he was going to tell VR that he was taking a bus next time..
I just started Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood. So far, a humorous attempt to explain how her dad became an ordained Catholic priest after being a young atheist, Navy veteran, then Lutheran minister with lots of kids to priesthood. Funny..but also thought provoking. Will let you know if I liked it afterwards.
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Glad to hear there's a new Robert Galbraith novel. I especially liked the first one. What a talented writer, Rowling.
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Finally started reading The Radium Girls. So far it's very shocking what those poor girls went through.
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JCS - being mortal is on my list. But I think I will wait for a while, I am reading The Bright Hour by Nina riggs right now. Not crazy about her writing style, but how much can one woman take! Yes, I agree, All the Light we cannot see is one of my favorites too. I love WWII historical fiction, and this one was just superb.
I also put Killing Floor on my list so I can relate to all the Jack reacher comments!
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sandi....DH? A bus? Hahahahahaha! VR could barely get the DH on a plane! That said, VR drags him all over the place! It’s the packing and schlepping that drives him bonkers! Sometimes she wishes more than he does that he WAS more like Reacher!
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