Book Lovers Club
Comments
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another book today. This one is a tiny ge. It can get lost on a coffee table. Virginia Woolf’s How Should One Read a book with an intro by Sheila Heti.
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I have Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" on my shelves but not this. I will put it on my list immediately.
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https://www.laurenceking.com/us/blog/2020/11/27/how-should-one-read-a-book/
reading Woolf’s essay, I would have to say that what appealed to me most was her description of “shape.” Although she is mostly referring to literature, she does mention biography....that said, I totally agree with her meaningfulness of a book. Her essay instills the great importance of not only trying to understand what the writer is saying, but also making you, the reader, having to work at finding an appreciation of what it is you are reading. For me there is no passiveness while reading. It is hard work. Very hard work. Alway worth it0 -
VR, I thought you'd get a kick out of this. Especially after the talk about Egypt!
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I LOVED the lecture. I started dreaming about the Alexandria library BEFORE I fell asleep.
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Just finished Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen. LOLOL! It's set in Palm Beach FL and features Burmese pythons and the POTUS.
Here's the summary from Goodreads if you want more info: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50644565-squeeze-me
Now into Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. I'm a weather geek so finding it an interesting read.
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A couple 'history' books to recommend, they aren't for everyone, you would have to have an interest in and knowledge of the people and events of World War II, and also want to dig into the behind-the-scenes details.
The Daughters of Yalta by Catherine Grace Katz tells the story of Kathleen Harriman, the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman. Sarah Churchill, the daughter of Winston Churchill who depended on her astute political mind and Franklin Roosevelt's only daughter, Anna. These three accompanied their famous fathers to Yalta, where the end of WW II and the post-war world details were hammered out (the last conference of England, the United States and Great Britain before the death of FDR). For all three of these young women, their fathers were the most important men in their lives, and it explored their relationships with their fathers, each other and the historical event as well.
Travelers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd tells of the rise of the Nazi based on first-hand accounts of politicians, musicians, diplomats, schoolchildren, communists, scholars, athletes, poets, fascists, artists, tourists, and celebrities who visited Germany in the years between WW I and WW II. Fascinating....and disturbing at the same time.
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ruth....i am still amazed by how Boyd brought all of the people into the narrative of the story of how the Third Reich came into being. So tragic in hindsight....most had no idea what they were witnessing....and yet there were some who were gravely concerned. I still think about that young girl whose parents sent her to Germany thinking that she would have the same wonderful experience that they had had a generation before. Yet the girl’s experience was markedly different and foreboding....IMHO, that book was powerful. Gut wrenching. And yes, fascinating and disturbing
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You know you're a book lover when you see a newspaper ad for a bank that says, "More Bailey, Less Potter" and think of books (A Dog's Purpose and Harry Potter) not movies (It's a Wonderful Life).
Finished Isaac's Storm, another good read by Erik Larson. Ready to start the new Ken Follett The Evening and the Morning, the prequel to one of my all-time favorite books, Pillars of the Earth.
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Badger - I did like Isaac's Storm. I'll be interested to hear how you like the prequel of Follett.
Just finished Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (2018). It's written in the first person by a lady in a coma. And did she have a sister? Or not? Or a best friend? Or not? And is her husband controlling? Or not? The ending is a real surprise. I finished the book almost 12 hours ago and I still can't figure out what the ending is saying in terms of the characters.
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i wonder what Larson is going to write about next.....if anyone sees ANYTHING about his next book.......please post it here! Thanks
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Ditto for me on anything Larson!
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I've been lurking but popping in to say "me too" for Larsen 👍
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Oh such lovely, lovely presents. A gift card from my nephew to Murder by the Book - my favorite local Indie book store. And a gift card from my niece (his sister) for Amazon which will mostly go towards books too. I've got to cull my perpetual rotating lists.
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Hello! I have been reading so much during these past months. Most have been good, but not great. Just finished Monogamy by Sue Miller. An interesting book about looking at a long marriage after the husband dies. Good characters, but a lot of introspection and no action. I agree that Larson is a fantastic writer about events and people we do not often dwell on. I do not read many British mystery writer, but love Barbara Vine and Minette Walters. The plots are well developed and not that much murder and mayhem.
On to the next book!0 -
The Evening and the Morning is so good, I'm already halfway through (it's a biggie - 914 pages).
Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.
In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49239093-the-evening-and-the-morning
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Got a book on Elvis yesterday. Guess my hubby listened.
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Pandemic reading has been going through the Gamache series by Canadian author Louise Penny. I really like her and her depictions of intrique and mayhem among the Quebecous.
Elvis - a fascinating life. Biography is so enjoyable!
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Reader - Penny is one of my favorites. I saw her speak in person a couple of year ago. Just amazing.
I read an old Robert Parker novel last week, dropped off by a friend - Widow's Walk. I'm sure I'd read it years ago, but I still had a good time with Spencer, Susan and Hawk.
Now trying to catch up on the December issues of Atlantic & Harpers & Smithsonian & National Parks & Arizona Highways, etc. before the January issues are delivered.
I working on a difficult decision - whether to cancel my digital subscription to the Washington Post next year. There are things I'd definitely miss (opinions, cartoons, editorials), but I don't plan to stop reading the news every day in my local paper (now a Hearst publication) and I just can't seem to get to two papers a day. Interesting - before there was TV in the 50's and at my house into the 60's - which was of course before there was 24/7 news - my parents had both a morning & evening paper delivered. One was the San Francisco paper in the morning which my Mother read with breakfast. Dad had to pick up his own copy to read on the train commuting to work. The other was a more local SF Peninsula paper which they read after dinner.
Edited to say - hmmm - does that sound like I'm nostalgic for a slower paced life?
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Minus, I have digital subscriptions to WAPO and NYT. I got both so I could decide which one I would prefer. The NYT raised its monthly cost so I called to cancel. Ended up keeping it at a much reduced cost. I think I have decided I like the Post better. But the NYT commenters are much more serious and thoughtful than the Post commenters.
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Carole - I found the same thing - with apologies to VR. I kept WAPO last year because I called to cancel & argue about the subscription cost so they left it the same.
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VR hasn’t read a newspaper in years. Yep. That’s right. Done. Finished. How to stay current? Yeah...i go to the websites of newspapers and skim what appears to be the news and then I move on. I do follow the news...but not from traditional sources. Ever since the Iraqi war, I have grown suspicious of news reporting. Interestingly, Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus got the news right that there were no weapons of mass destruction. However, his articles were not on page one. His articles were buried in the newspaper. I recall the NY Times reporter Judith Miller screaming on page one about the weapons. i remember Colin Powell talking up a storm about the weapons at the UN. To say I was bewildered is an understatement. Then there was the Jayson Blair debacle at the NY Times and then there is now the returning of the Peabody award at the NY Times because a reporter believed a fabulist? Oh and the sky is falling Krugman? Glad he didn’t frighten me with his doomsday economic predictions when Trump was elected...and The Washington Post? All I have to say is one word, Bezos. Do not get me started.....
on a much lighter note....Carl Hiaason’s Assume the Worst ..The Graduation Speech You Will Never Hear. Great advise.
julia Child People who Love to Eat are Always the Best People and Other Wisdom. Wonderful quotes. My favorite....Every woman should own a blowtorch.
Failure Why Science is So Successful by Columbia University Stuart Firestein. Back in the day I recommended his other book, Ignorance. If you don’t have time to read these two small gems, look up Dr. Firestein’s Ted talks. He is an amazing thinker!
and finally...Bullshit 500 mind-blowing Lies We Still Believe by Katie Adams.
happy reading and happy New Yearto all my book loving friends!0 -
My DIL's mother just sent me a .pdf copy of Hiaason's Squeeze Me.
GREAT quote - "every woman should own a blowtorch". I don't have one of those but I do have a skill saw and a drill.
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Funny the discussion about Washington Post. I've subscribed to the Wall Street Journal for most of my adult life and just yesterday decided I needed a local paper again. I have paper and digital for each as I prefer paper but like to have back up. I'm not sure I'll handle two a day very well either but I love reading multiple opinions and sources, looking for balance.
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We subscribe to two newspapers: the weekly local and the daily out of Madison. I know the editor of the local and gifted him a copy of The Portable Curmudgeon because he mentioned in an editorial he is one. Got a nice (anonymous) thank-you in a subsequent column. It's important to support local news.
Finished several books over the holiday week: a few more Reachers in the series by Lee Child, the new Ken Follett The Evening and the Morning (SO good), and the new Dean Koontz Elsewhere. I have read everything Koontz has written and loved his Jane Hawk series but this book was just OK. The plot involves a device that can transport people to parallel versions of Earth, some wonderful and some horrific. A madman wants it bad and will do anything to get it. I saw the end coming from a mile away and it wrapped up in too neat a bow.
I've read everything I checked out at the library and they don't do curbside pick-ups on Monday so will work on the Sunday NY Times crossword puzzle.
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I just finished Anxious People by Fredrik Bachman. I loved it. I am not sure if I liked The Book of Ove or this better, but I highly recommend it.
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I just finished my wife said you may want to marry me by Jason Rosenthal and absolutely loved it. I might be the last person in the world to have heard this story, but if you haven't read this book I highly recommend it. Rosenthal brought his wife to life in such an amazing way; when I finished the book I really wished I could have known her. Have your tissues ready!
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Recently read a book I highly recommend. Dancing with the Octopus is a memoir of a woman growing up in Omaha in the 1980’s. When she is 14, she is kidnapped and held for ransom. The author also explains how her mother was mentally ill and how that effected her growing up. A well written look at crime, recidivism and how mental illness can impact people.
Currently about to finish Conditional Citizen by Lailani Lahami. A look at immigration from the eyes of a Muslim immigrant. She is very good at discussing what makes people ‘conditional’ and how we need to work against that. Did you know that the CPB can police 100 miles inside our borders? There are several checkpoints along the southern border where people have to stop and produce papers showing they are citizens within the US.Also, why is there no push for fencing between Canada and the US? Over half of the people that overstay their visas come through the northern border. Interesting to learn these things.
Safe and fun reading to all!
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Stocked up on library books for the long weekend: a couple more Reachers, Firing Point (Jack Ryan Universe #29) written by Mike Maden, and a spooky story rec by my librarian friend: Mexican Gothic written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
In the queue for The Law of Innocence, Deadly Cross, and Shadow of the Dragon (Jack Ryan Universe #30) written by Marc Cameron.
Happy New Year, everyone!
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