Book Lovers Club
Comments
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Laurie - You will love the Red Tent. It is an amazing book! I just loved it.
I have just finished "When I go to Sleep". That was excellent right up to the very last page!
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Did not like the True Story of Hansel and Gretel, too grim for me.
That is one of the great things about my Book Club, I am forced out of my comfort zone every month! There are 9 ladies, and we really have different tastes. We have been meeting monthly for over 12 years; so I have read many, many books that I never would have read on my own. It grows you, I think, to 'think outside of your box'.
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yes, it was. I generally do not read books on that topic because of it and prefer lighter fiction instead. Charles Todd writes some nice mysteries regarding WWI which feel like an old black white movie on PBS.
I enjoyed this author too Susan Vreeland.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1878448900/$%7B0%7D
Charles Frazier too who wrote "Thirteen Moons" and "Cold Mountain". I need to read new book "Nightwoods".
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I just checked out RIn Tin Tin: the life and the legend by Susan Orlean for this weekend's reading. I have heard good things about it and I love the dog centered books I have read lately, such as The Art of Racing in the Rain and One Good Dog.
Jane
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The Red Tent is one of my favorites!! I ifound the Story of Beautiful Girl a litle weak on realism.
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I just reserved the Red Tent. Thanks ladies.
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Did anyone post the NY Times Notable Book LIst?
I picked up "Blue Nights" by Joan Didion yesterday at the library, and am almost through it. I find her language beautiful, and even if she's elusive about the details I want to know, I'm finding it fascinating.
I also appreciated "The Year of Magical Thinking"
Kira
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Kira: I downloaded Didion's Blue Nights but haven't started yet. I agree - The Year of Magical Thinking was great. If you like her, try Where I Was From. Maybe I found it particularly interesting since I was raised in CA, but a nice combination of "history and reportage, memoir & literary criticism". She "reassesses parts of her life, her work, her history and ours". Jan
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Jan, after I finished Blue Nights, I did a google search about Quintana as Joan Didion never directly addresses what the medical problems were: I found essays from her uncle, Dominique Dunne and other sources, and it helped me understand what happened.
I found the book very powerful and painful and more a musing on the author's frailty and the ties that bind us to children. In my opinion, it's written like poetry--very spare.
But I just had to know the facts to put it in context.
Thanks for the recommendation of Where I was From: I'm not from California, but my entire family lives in Northern California, and I grew up visiting southern California every winter, so I'm looking forward to it.
Kira
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So, I read today in The NY Times that The Bridges of Madison County is now being adapted into a musical for Broadway.... Yikes!!!
Speaking of Blue Nights, I read all of the advance praise about the book and had a reserve on it for months. When I got the book from the library, having finished reading The Boy in the Moon, I just didn't have the emotional fortitude to read Didion's book. So, I gave it to one of my friends to read instead. Having previously read excerpts, we had a very interesting discussion about the book. Most memorable was her thoughts about mortality. What resonated with me was how when we have children we think more about their mortality than our own. I always felt that, but never saw a description before like hers. I do "worry" every day about my children that it leaves me little time to "worry" about myself. A blessing or a curse.... I don't know.
Many annual lists are giving great deserving accolades to Didion's book. I applaud the NY Times for choosing to recognize Ian Brown's The Boy in the Moon. Nonetheless, both are extraordinary books and deserve recognition.0 -
Kira... Dominick Dunne was the uncle. Dominique was Dominick's daughter who tragically lost her young life as well.
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Sorry, I messed that up--Didion discusses the deaths of Dominique and Natasha Richardson in far more detail than she discusses Quintana's.
I appreciated her exploration of frailty and the ties we have to our children.
There was one funny section where she goes to PT, and sees these men who seem to be thriving with PT, and ultimately realizes they're New York Yankees....
Kira
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Speakikng of mortality - I haven't started Blue Nights yet because I'm reading C.S. Lewis' A Grief Observed, his thoughts after his wife died. I've liked all of his books & this is most illuminating. Not sure how I got on the subject of death, since the other book I'm reading is Lisa Scottoline's My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space. Funny. Reminds me a little of Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck but more interaction w/her Mother & her daughter. Also I'm jumping back & forth with Annie Freeman's ...Funeral that was recommended here. Tears & laughs. That's what comes of getting a Kindle. Looking forward to Katherine Graham's Personal History. Has anyone read it?
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I am having a hard time with the emperor of all maladies. I really was interested and liked the prologue, but am now going through what doctors did and knew about cancer a long time back. This isn't keeping my interest at all and is almost tortuous for meto read. I feel like I am reading a text book. Trying to decide whether to stick with ita bit longer or give up. I tink once it gets to modern times I will be interested again.
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Calvin Trillin is out with a new book of previous written essays. I loved it. However, speaking of mortality, here is his tour de force book written about his deceased wife Alice:
http://www.amazon.com/About-Alice-Calvin-Trillin/dp/1400066158
On a much lighter note, another essayist who I loved reading was Erma Bombeck. Was she not the best or what??? I soooo miss her! She kept me grounded when I was losing my mind while raising my children.
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Kay, I read Emperor of Maladies and wondered how all the medical jargon would feel to someone who didn't work in the field. It does get better--what horrified me was the total lack of real knowledge until the genome was unlocked.
I work with a radiation oncologist who is also a bibliophile--he collects rare books and has a nationally known library--and he'd never heard of it. He was just interested in the radiation component.
One of my medical students who is running an oncology elective for other students advised me to read it, and I was fascinated, but it sure does read like a text. It does get better.
The lack of knowledge is stunning. Just stunning: chemotherapy was derived from analine dyes used in Germany. They didn't know how they worked, just that they seemed to work--and some are still in use.
MinusTwo: I've read Lisa Scottoline's mysteries, had no idea she wrote other genres.
Kira
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Thanks for the suggestions on this thread. Reading "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" at the mo. as recommended by people on here. Quite enjoying it - a nice, light read, but quirky too, as I like my books. Keep 'em coming!
Sarah x
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sarah Do you read John Irving? He's pretty quirky.0
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Hi wenweb!
Yes, I've read "Widow for a Year", I think it was called, which I enjoyed. Also, "A Prayer for Owen Meany", which I finished, but struggled with at times - some v. memorable parts in it, though! I haven't read any others of his - any recommendations?
Sarah x
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sarah I find that Irving is getting quirkier and quirkier. I have not enjoyed his more recent books, and have not even read the most recent one. There are others that I have greatly enjoyed " A Widow for One Year" was one of them (which BTW was made into a movie for TV here in the US. It had a different title and wasn't that good). "The World According to Garp", also a movie, but naturally the book was better. I also enjoyed "Until I Find You", and "The Cider House Rules" (also made into a movie, but on the big screen). If I think of other quirkey authors, I'll let you know!!
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Thanks, wenweb!
Sarah x
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To all of you who encouraged me to read "The Book Thief"... I am successfully engaged in it. Many thanks!! To Sara, you are welcome!!
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I love Erma Bombeck.. what a crack up she was. My husband has the library almost built and has been unloading books. still, i am reduced to reading my old Italian cookbook.. it's actually quite good.
and thanks for the Book Thief suggestion again.
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Wenweb: I'm glad you gave The Book Thief another go and enjoyed it! I loved it and can't wait to read his other book.
Sarah: Let me know what you think of the ending of Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. I picked it up last year thinking the premise was so original and full of possibility, but wound up just confused and disappointed. The part with the brother at the end completely lost me. I'm curious to hear what someone who enjoyed the book thinks of the ending!
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Yay Wenweb!!!
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mcsushi I too found "The Particular Sadness of the Lemon Cake" confusing. The brother all during, but especially at the end. It started off much better than it ended, IMHO making it a library read, which I didn't do
Laurie
I should have known better... 0 -
Re - Lemoncake - not finished it yet, will report back!
Sarah x
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I started reading the Red Tent a few nights ago. But I have been not feeling great and have two sick kids, so I start reading and zzzzzzzz. Oops! I think I finally got into it tonight, I didn't fall asleep, maybe I am on the mend, lol!
It is interesting, I went to Catholic school as a girl and have read the Bible, a long time ago, the names all ring a bell with different stories and the womens views are interesting. I'll keep you ladies posted as well.
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"Red Tent" One of my favorites.
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I like Oprah just fine, but her book selections (many to empower women) have left me cold. I don't know why.. it's something i would totally support.. it's just that the books often have a core of hopelessness in spite of the hope.. (I like the Red Tent just fine, but it is definitely not one of my faves).
I am reading my music books. I found my box of biographies, analyses, etc. .. kind of fun bedtime reading... not riveting and not as good as Oprah's books.
sigh. I need a page turner. (I am in line at the library the Book Thief).
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