Book Lovers Club
Comments
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Last night I finished The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy - 1886. Another author I admire published that this was their favorite Hardy book. I had read Tess and Jude and Return of the Native, and I did see Far from the Madding Crowd with Julie Christie in the 1960s on the big screen. It took me awhile to find a decent copy at the used bookstore - but this copy is a Penguin Classics. Interesting because it has intros, appendices, chapters that were included or deleted after the first publishing, history of the original serialization (go Harpers), glossary, etc.
I thought the story was well written. And it held my interest. The story was 320 pages by itself. It was hard to read the continual "bad luck" that was heaped on some of the characters. Almost like Olympian Gods has determined to punish some of them - again & again & again. The human connections were a very convoluted 'mystery' with ongoing revelations throughout the book. Also hard to see the choices some of the characters made and then repented and then screwed up again. Worth a read, or a re-read.
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I'm about 100 pages into Water Dancer by Ta Neheshi Coates. His writing is eloquent, his descriptions of the Taskers (enslaved), the Quality, (the Slave owners) and the Virginia tobacco plantations opened for me, a new awareness to the concept of sloth. The quality folks strove to embrace sloth, while the taskers were punished for any signs of it. At this time I am listening to the book, but will also buy a copy so I can go back and mark the passages that almost take my breath away. I know that the story, as it is being told by the tasker named Hiram Walker, will have many painful sections as he begins working with the underground railroad.
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I'm about 100 pages into Water Dancer by Ta Neheshi Coates. His writing is eloquent, his descriptions of the Taskers (enslaved), the Quality, (the Slave owners) and the Virginia tobacco plantations opened for me, a new awareness to the concept of sloth. The quality folks strove to embrace sloth, while the taskers were punished for any signs of it. At this time, I am listening to the book, but will also buy a copy so I can go back and mark the passages that almost take my breath away. I know that the story, as it is being told by the tasker named Hiram Walker, will have many painful sections as he begins working with the underground railroad.
An excellent review is in The Atlantic
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Magiclight - thanks for posting about Coates' book. I'll put on my list.
Not doing much but escape reading.
Nevada Barr - I've read some of her Anna Pigeon - National park Ranger series off & on, but not all and not in order. Before the holiday I printed a list of her books in order, used some of my $400 credit at the used book store and picked up 12 past books for $3.21. I decided to read the last one first since I'd been to this park. Boar Island, set in Acacia National Park, Maine. Two stories tracking along - disgruntled, psycho NPS ranger and cyber bullying of the high school daughter of one of Anna's friends. The why of both stories turns out surprising & the action is riveting.
Stayed up Thanksgiving night & last night reading Mississippi Blood, the third book in Greg Iles 'Natchez Burning Trilogy'. I've had this one for awhile, but I get really caught up in his books and knew I needed some uninterrupted time to read the 762 pages. The book did not disappoint. As with the first two, your belief of 'who done it' changes, then again, and yet again. Even in the last few chapters, the revelations are stunning. The court room scenes are extremely well done. I'm not from the South, but I've lived in Houston for 45 years. Yeah - I know - Houston really isn't "the South", but it's close enough that many of the economic & racial problems in the book strike a chord and cause some serious internal pondering.
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Minus, I’m a big Greg Isles fan. I love thick books that are part of a series! It’s like going back and visiting new friends again and again! (His writing reminds me of Pat Conroy’s in that he clearly loves and knows the state he’s writing about.) DH and I had a very quiet Thanksgiving which gave me a lot of time to read - my idea of heaven!
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Anybody read "Because Internet" by Gretchen McCulloch yet? I've always liked the study of the English language. While I'm not a fan of some of the changes, I feel like I should at least be conversant with what's happening. I'd love to hear if any of you found it an easy or hard book to read (especially for someone who doesn't use twitter or facebook) and if it was illuminating.
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Minus...I have not read it nor heard of it, but I just put it on hold at my library. It looks like one of those books that can be read out of order if a section is of interest. I'll post again when I've read it. I too am nota twitter user, but get info from it secondhand.
One of the great things about this thread is the diverse audience of readers and the books chosen to read and review. Luckily, with getting books from the library I can read and return early if not to my liking.
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Feeling like reading easy whodunit books lately. Just finished Everywhere that Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline. A good story about a lawyer having a stalker, from the early 90's when technology certainly is not what it is today. This was book one of a series, looking forward to reading more.
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Pat - glad you found Lisa Scottoline. She's one of my favorites.
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Two books to recommend:
My Book Club just read The Woman In the Mirror, which is a psychological suspense novel, by Alexandra Mallory. It has good character development and lots of plot twists and turns. It is the first in a series of ten books. If you like dark mysteries and a bit of evil, check it out. (I won't read the rest of the series because if there are that many psychopaths running around out there, I'm staying home with my door locked!)
and
The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army by Paul Douglas Lockhart. I got interested in Von Steuben after visiting Valley Forge this fall (after George Washington, he is the reason we had an army that could win the Revolution, and he laid the foundation of our modern military). That might sound dry, but the author makes history come alive and, especially when talking about the Revolutionary War battles,strategies etc. those parts were actually very exciting. In her review of the book, Doris Kearns Goodwin's says "A terrific biography….The dramatic story of how the American army that beat the British was forged has never been better told than in this remarkable book."0 -
On our Thanksgiving road trip to and from Illinois, dh and I listened to a book by Jo Nesbo set in Australia and a book by Walter Mosely. Neither was riveting. I decided to try reading Nesbo and just started Redbreast. I quit reading a Jude Deveraux book that I found boring.
I have read several Greg Iles books. He's a good writer but his books are so intense that I have to take a deep breath and muster some endurance to start reading him. He doesn't back away from violence and personal loss. I believe he's from Natchez, MS, next door to Louisiana.
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Carole - agree about Iles. I've seen him speak & answer questions. He looks so mild mannered but is also intense in person too. It was interesting to hear him tell how he was able to write the loss & violence in the South.
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In the book Water Dancer, I mentioned earlier, Ta Ne-Heshi Coates writes about the fear of slaves being sold "Natchez way" which had one of the most active slave markets in the US. Although, I have not read Iles' books, it sounds like loss and violence are part o Natchez history. Now that I am nearly through Water Dancer (love love love it), and rereading Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad, I'll take a look at his Natchez burning trilogy.
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Magic - fair warning - each of the three books is 800 pages. I read them each when they came out in paperback - so not all in a row. Still, I couldn't put them down and read late into several nights.
I'm looking forward to Water Dancer.
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Minustwo… definitely ones for an e-reader...after 2400 pages my arms would be useless
Hope all is well with your cataract surgery.
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On a friends comment, I picked up a Stephen King Novel to read, 11-22-63. Haven't read him in such a long time, I used to really enjoy him but sort of got tired of his genre. This book definitely has my interest, and I'm only a few chapters in. It's like finding an old friend again to rediscover an author you used to read.
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2nd eye cataract surgery was definitely an A+ experience. And it looks like the 1st eye is trying to catch up and still getting better & better. I drove home today w/no correction. Amazing. I can see the computer w/o correction. I looked up phone numbers in my address book w/no correction. I know I will have some small distance correction but it looks like I can buy 2.0 cheaters for reading "real" books. I was reading last night after getting out of surgery at 4pm. Hooray.
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Great news, Minus!
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Funny - my doc doesn't put you under. She wants your input "look at double lights" etc. I took 1/2 of my own Xanax that I only use for MRIs and PET/CTs instead of their Versed or Ativan in my IV. She clearly understood my goal. Towards the end of the surgery she told the a "fellow" or "resident" that I had stated if I couldn't read they might as well shoot me. Well yes.
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minus! Wow! Wishing you a most happy, healthy and joyful year ahead! And with all of the reading you will be capable of doing...I now anoint you...drum roll please....VoraciousreaderTwo!
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Yay!!! What a wonderful honor!! Thanks.
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I have been reading a good deal of nonfiction recently. Mostly good, but a bit of a slough. As a change of pace, I read The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes. This fiction title is situated in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky. It deals with the packhorse librarians there during the Depression. If you enjoy historical fiction with some love stories thrown in, this title fills the bill. A quick read perfect for sitting inside on a cold rain/snowy day. I will return to my nonfiction with a title about the explosion and aftermath of Chernobyl. Sounds interesting and depressing at the same time!
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I am reading The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, set in Norway, the author's country. It's about a serial killer. The detective, Harry Hole, is a recovering alcoholic. Nesbo is a "new" author for me.
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bill gates...loves ....The Rosie Project! We all have discussed THAT book! PLEEZE! I am glad I am not a good friend of his....0 -
hmmmm.......
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I thought you all would enjoy this:
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Interesting article about Margaret Atwood. Views that I hadn't considered about The Testament.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/...
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For my New Years Eve edification, I'm reading Carolyn Heilbrun's book of essays Hamlet's Mother and Other Women (1990). I just finished the essay about Vera Brittain (written in 1981). I am absolutely astounded that I knew nothing of the woman. Although Brittain was born in 1893, she didn't die until 1970. And I was an English major in the 60s for heaven's sake. The last of her three Testament books was published in 1957. This is surely someone my Mother would have admired - but I'm fairly sure none of Brittain's books were in my Mother's vast library. Why? How? and what?
We were raised that we could do & be anything. Although that wasn't strictly true, and she wasn't happy about reaping the whirlwind when we grew up, we were encouraged beyond measure and allowed to read everything.
Even if Mother had given up some of her early protofeminist ambitions, she would not have thrown away a book. And she should have had at least one of these books. Mother was not a devotee of Freud. She had numerous female authors on the shelves. I don't think she had become an incurable blindsided romantic. It will be an enduring mystery.Anyone know this author?
Testament of Youth, Testament of Friendship, Testament of Experience.
HAPPY NEW YEARS ALL OF YOU READERS
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Carolehalston
I have read all the books written by Jo Nesbo and loved his writing. I hope you will read more of his works.
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minus...i must admit I don’t know either woman. I just looked up Heilbrun and came across this NY Magazine story about her life and suicide....
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_9589/
sad.
that said...Yesterday, my friend and I spoke about Feminism as it related to the film The Return of Martin Guerre. What fascinated us was that the story, which dates back to the Middle Ages is a story about Feminism. After watching the film, my friend who is Indian said, her culture also tells a similar story. Both of us were dumbstruck at how the theme of Feminism has been around through the ages and around and around the world. Funny, we thought, how so many women have been raised with the notion that Feminism is some new, or relatively new concept....VR’s mom and grandmother were Feminists in their generations. They lived long happy, accomplished lives. Sad that Ms, Heilbrun didn’t feel or even think, for such a deep thinker that she was, that she would have wanted to accomplish more from life....
to all my book loving friends....may you all be blessed with ONLY wonderful surprises in the year ahead....and....we should all find just a drop more time to read what it is we want to read...0
