Book Lovers Club
Comments
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I thought the biography of Catherine the Great was superb. What a forward-thinking leader! I was amazed at what she did, and what she attempted.
"Room" was exceptional, I thought, because of its creativity. You read so many books with similar plots. This was indeed different.
"Loving Frank" was another eye-opener. I've always admired Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture, but I had no idea about his personal life. What a story. (I toured his home and studio a few weeks ago, and not one word was said about his personal life...)
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I too liked Room.
Wavewhisperer- Loving Frank was recommended to me about two years ago at a party. I wrote it down and could not for the life of me find that piece of paper in the morning. I have racked my brain trying to remember what it was the woman had told me the name was, thanks for mentioning it!! Mystery solved and adding it to my to read list
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I have to put my two cents in about Loving Frank. As you all know by now, I have a rabid love for non-fiction. When Loving Frank became all the rage, many of my friends kept telling me to read the book because they knew I loved architecture and was fascinated by Frank Lloyd Wright's work. I think I got around to reading it about a year after it was published. I disliked the book so much that I now venture into reading fiction less because of it.I thought reading it was one big waste of my time. I have learned more about him from reading non-fiction than I learned from that book.
Ruth.. I have seen interviews of Clint Hill thru the years and more recently saw an interview of him regarding the book. What a painful life he must live.....I can only imagine how he feels considering how many of us remember that awful day and still get emotional at remembering it.0 -
I just finished reading a novel called My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young. It dealt with World War I and the work done on men who suffered severe facial injuries during the battles. It was not the best book ever, but it was interesting.0
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Laurie, As we all know VR is not a fiction reader, although I have seen some posts about fiction that she has liked
I very much enjoyed "Loving Frank" if that's any help to you.
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With Clint Hill, it is almost like he HAD to write this book to finally come to peace with everything. And it is not all sad and depressing. He had a funny sense of humor, and you learn a lot about how the ultra-wealthy live too.
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Wenweb... I know I am terrible when it comes to fiction. Just last week I enjoyed reading this magnificent, brand new coffee table book about Fallingwaters. However, as much as I was enjoying turning the pages I kept thinking of how much I disliked Loving Frank. Then yesterday, after visiting The Museum of The City of New York, and thinking about Fallingwaters, I just had to stroll pass the Guggenheim to enjoy it from the outside.
There's something about Loving Frank AND The Bridges of Madison County that drives me nuts! Believe me when I say I have tried my hardest to understand why readers love those two books... I guess I am a lost soul when it comes to most fiction....0 -
I read Room a while ago and also liked it (if "like" is the word to use regarding this book). After I read it, my librarian friend recommended A Stolen Life by Jaycee Duggard. While Room is fiction and from a child's POV, A Stolen Life is a true story told by a young girl who was abducted, raped and raised 2 children while being held as a sexual prisoner. I only read happy books for the next 2 months after reading both those books.0
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VR LOL!!! For some reason that is unknown to me, I also did not like "The Bridges of Madison County", the book or the movie.0
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Wenweb! TWO LOST SOULS!!!!
. Perhaps we can start our own support group!0 -
voracious reader - I just finished isaac's Storm - when you posted about the rabbi, I hadn't gotten to that section yet. I will google him to find out more. thanks.
Julie E
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OK, VoraciousReader, what was it you didn't like about "Loving Frank?" I can understand if you thought it gave short shrift to his architecture. But, before I read the book, ALL I knew about him was his architecture. I had no idea about his unconventional personal life, and the toll it took on his family, his mistress and her family. To me, it was sort of like the Lindbergh kidnapping; that's not why Lindbergh was famous, but it was a tragic, newsworthy story about the man and his family.
The author fictionalized conversations in the book, but she did considerable research, and the facts, I believe, are accurate.
Just to show you I'm not antagonistic, I, too, strong disliked "Bridges of Madison County," the book and the movie!
Like everything else, tastes in books are individual.
But we ALL love to read!!!!
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WW...I have thought and thought and thought some more why Loving Frank irks me. I guess I have an aversion to the foibles of legendary people. Nor do I find their personal lives that interesting, I guess. I don't read People Magazine, nor do I care about who is sleeping with whom, except when it comes to Bill Clinton. I DID recall before reading Loving Frank that Wright DID have a very complicated life. Doesn't every documentary about every famous person seem to tease something out of their "very complicated lives?" Last night, while reading City of Scoundrels (which I highly recommend):
http://www.amazon.com/City-Scoundrels-Disaster-Modern-Chicago/dp/0307454290
I was watching a show on PBS about Johnny Carson. Found out his mother was a piece of work. Knew HE was a scoundrel BEFORE watching the show. What I found most facinating about Carson was NOT about his relationships with his family members (which was STRAINED), but how he developed his career and how BRILLIANT friends and colleagues described him. I enjoyed the analysis of what contributions he made to television. What I most enjoyed was hearing about how much HE read and gave a voice to authors. Isn't that something that Oprah emulated during her successful career?
I noticed yesterday that Clint Eastwood's (current) wife, got her own show. Do I care? Speaking of complicated lives, he takes the cake. Do I care? Nope. I LOVE his films with the exception of The Bridges of Madison County. If someone wrote a book about his CAREER, then I would be interested. His family...Not so much....As far as I'm concerned, I don't WANT to know about his personal life.....And John Travolta! Don't even go there with me! And speaking of Travolta....
Last week, I watched The Bee Gees DVD, "In Our Own Time." The DVD took my breath away. Tears streaming down my cheeks. Really. Barry Gibb said something to the effect of his days of spending 12 or 14 hours in the studio are over. He loved all of those years that he did spend so much time there, but not any more. He mentioned he had a wife and five children and spending time with them was more important to him now. What do you know. A boring celebrity. Without a doubt, the documentary contained some of the brothers' weaknesses, but the breath of their contribution to music is extraordinary and that to me is more interesting than Robin Gibb's open marriage which WASN'T mentioned in the film.....
I guess WW, I live in a kinder, gentler world. I don't have the need to want to know how complicated people's personal lives are unless I am reading 364 (true crime) books. I know Stanford White's life was VERY complicated and it cost him is life. But rather than choose to THINK about how complicated his personal life was, I prefer to walk around New York and admire the beauty he created. Books devoted to his WORKS, just like Frank Lloyd Wright's works interest me. And I want to say one more thing....I'm not even a great fan of Frank Lloyd Wright. I just appreciate his contribution to architecture. Same thing goes for Gehry. Often I am flummoxed when I look at his works. But I find THAT interesting. I want to UNDERSTAND his brilliance. I don't want to understand why he and his wife live in this two by four shack, nor do I care. And Philip Johnson...his Connecticut home...Hmmmm....His lifestyle? Could care less. But his contribution to Modern Architecture FACINATES me.
I guess its THE architecture is what tittilates my brain. The relationships, not so much.
And finally, I guess what bakes my brain is that perhaps many people who read Loving Frank feel they know him without having read or have any interest in reading anything more about his work. Most people when they hear his name think about Fallingwater or The Guggenheim and have no more interest or appreciation for his work. So I guess the reason why Loving Frank REALLY irks me is that it sells Frank Lloyd Wright short. I remember suggesting books and films about Wright to people after they read the book (which was well BEFORE I read Loving Frank) and they didn't seem to have the time or desire to learn more about him. So as I did EVERYONE a favor and read Loving Frank, they moved on to the next book of fiction thinking they read enough about Wright.
And Jelson....Having read Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm, I admire you for wanting to learn more about Rabbi Henry Cohen. I think THAT'S what a good book is all about. It makes you yearn to want to learn more and more....
And yes WW...what we all have here, thanks to Konakat, may she rest in peace, is a place where we can all share our love of reading....whatever THAT might be.
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The only Biography that I really enjoyed reading was called Life By Keith Richards.But I think it appealed to me because I am always listening to their music.
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VoraciousReader, thanks for your thoughtful explanation. Actually, I agree with you on most points.0
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VoraciousReader - I see where you are coming from, it is consistent with much you have previously expressed. And Kudos for the tip of the hat to Konakat. In addition to enjoying the sharing of recommendations and views on literature here, I often reread her start of this thread and I love to see her last photo pop-up if I log in.
Julie E
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Hey everyone, I "lost" this thread for a bit b/c I forgot to add to my favorites.
I loved all the talk of different children's books. Does anyone remember the Golden Book "Mr Bear Squash You All Flat" One of my earliest memories is of my sister reading that book to me. Near the end of her life she wanted to find this book but we had lost our copy. It was a collector's edition at that time and we thought it cost too much. Now I see on Amazon they have republished it. I think I will use my gift card money from my son for Mother's Day to purchase a copy for me, I have no grandchildren yet.
It is always so interesting how people are so different. Even in our choice of reading material. My DD and I are cleaning out some closets and we came across some books of my fathers, he liked to read books about math and try to do the calculations in the margins. Books for me are so associated with memories or my emotions. Most of the time now I read light fiction to take my mind off of real life.
I read a book recently called "The Talk-Funny Girl" by Roland Merullo. It is set in rural New England, it is fiction, but based on some anecdotal stories. It has stayed with me for months.
After rereading konakat's tag line, I realized the book I am reading now is Eat Cake: A Novel. Almost makes me want to do some baking.
Nancy
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Read The Weird Sisters on an overnight trip to Tulsa to sit with a friend who was in hospice in a nursing home. Since I was an English teacher in another life, I loved all the Shakespeare quotes & references. Easy to follow the story line with all the other things on my mind, and a good diversion the next day flying home after he died.0
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MinusTwo, sorry about your friend. I read that book too, glad it entertained you during that difficult time.
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I finially gave in and read Fifty Shades of Gey- not on my favorite found it disturbing. To get it out of my mind read Water for Elephant. Excelant easy read.
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Is anyone from Baltimore? I really enjoy Laura Lippman's novels.
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Okay, so I was READING, this morning, The New York Times and found out someting about the other architect Frank, as in Frank Gehry. He designed a new building in Hong Kong. Below is the link to the project. For anyone interested, check out "The Film" and "The Design Process." If the link doesn't work....just google "Opus Hong Kong" and the link to their website should pop up.
Once again, I am truly flummoxed by Gehry's design....I think those "struts" which he referred to as "reed poles" which he thinks look like "the wind is blowing" are awful and interrupt the view.
HOWEVER, I find the whole process of how Gehry DESIGNS....facinating. Now, I would love to read a book about the back story of the design process "ruckus" that ensued BEFORE the design was finalized.....Looks like the folks nixed all of his metal sheets which he is so famous for.....Hmmm.....
Your thoughts are invited....
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RE: childrens books..... I LOVED reading POSSUM COME A KNOCKIN to my little girl.. over & over & over, etc.0
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I finished the Seamstress, I liked it, but thought Rene's Promise was better. I'm thankful I started the Weird Sisters, I needed a holocaust break! I'm only about 100 pages in but I like it so far. The Shakespeare quotes aren't bothering me at all.
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Heading out to Wonderful...Robert Woolrick. Just put a reserve on his new book! I recall a number of us read his debut book, A Reliable Wife....
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Was that the book I didn't like and skipped to the end? Just finishing up Ann Patchett's Bel Canto. I'm 14 pages from the end, and still have no idea what's going to happen...
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Wenweb...Yes! I think you didn't enjoy The Reliable Wife....I wasn't crazy about the story either...but I thought he was a good wordsmith......I'm curious about this new book of his......Maybe I'll just skip to the end too!
Speaking of Ann Patchett...Her new book, State of Wonder, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in the Fiction category. In case, anyone missed it, the Pulitzer Prize committee couldn't agree on which book to give the award to....so, this year they chose NOT to give it. What a piece of work those prima donnas on the committee are! If I were a fiction author...whoa! Don't they know that giving a book a Pulitzer medal, drives book sales, not just for the winning book...but for many books!
Anyway, one of my walking companions just finished reading State of Wonder and SHE would give it a Pulitzer Prize! SHE LOVED IT!
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grdnsive, possum comes aknocking sounds like a fun book, it came out after my kids were old enough to read by themselves, tho.
I read State Of Wonder and it is a story that stays with you for a long time. I would recommend it also.
I don't know how any "prize" committee can agree on any one book, story, piece of art, etc.... But since that is their "job" they should be able to come to a consensus and give an award. don't cha think?
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don't cha think? Yes!
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Just finished The Tiger's Wife and have started The Paris Wife.Tiger's Wife was a book club book. Many people started off saying they didn't like it too much but then as the discussion went on and at the end was asked whether they would recommend it almost everyone said yes! Interesting. I did like it and it was very interesting to discuss. The author is pretty amazing as she is only 25, I think.
Has anyone read Rules of Civility? It was recently recommended to me so thought I'd see any of you all have opinions.
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