Book Lovers Club
Comments
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Read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Story of a girl who grows up in the foster care system, and the problems she has in forming relationships because of that experience. The twist is her great love for and understanding of flowers. It was a good read.
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Just finished The Good Nurse. 60 Minutes profiled nurse serial killer Charles Cullen last week. I had started reading the book a few days before the segment. Unbelievable story. I was a little disappointed in the book because it doesn't go into the liability that I'm guessing many of the hospitals faced. Could that part of the story be still caught up in litigation and is still unfolding? It's bad enough when someone has to go to the hospital and you worry about medical mistakes....but to worry that there's a serial killer on the loose in the hospital? We're not talking the mercy killing type. I'm talking about the cold blooded murdering type. Riveting book.
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On a better note, I also finished reading The Supremes at Earl's All You Can Eat. Yep! A terrific FICTION BOOK for all of you who are keeping a score card on how many fiction books VR reads. VR's mother also read it and both of us give it 2 thumbs up. A great new author! A laugh on most pages....Elinor Roosevelt shows up in this book too! I can't give the book enough accolades. It's about three women who grew up together and are still friends in a small Southern town. I can't wait for the author's next book!
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VR - fiction? Wonders never cease. I'll look up the book. And also maybe get out my old Supreme's records - long before Dionne Warwick was a single.
Ruth - I have a long distance friend who recommended The Language of Flowers & I'd forgotten. Thanks for the heads up.
I've finished John D. MacDonald's Cape Fear. Really good analysis (fictional) of how fear changes us. Years ago I read all the Travis McGee books & this pre-dates those - 1957.
Also finished Mark Helprin's short story collection The Pacific. On the whole I loved the stories, but since I was in a chemo fog I know I glossed over the Talmudic arguments in some of the stories. I'll have to read it again next year.
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Ya know Minus...When I finished reading The Supremes at Earl's All You Could Eat...I realized the true meaning of why the author used "The Supremes" in his title. I think what he meant in using "The Supremes" both in the title and in the book to describe these women...was that they were close friends and they had grown up during the period when "The Supremes" were popular. All of us know now that the real "The Supremes" lives were not as glittery as they were portrayed to be. Nor could those magnificent smiles cover their inner pain. Both "Supremes" lived their lives when racism was at a pinnicle in our country. Both groups of Supremes did a lot of suffering. And men....many of whom these women hitched their own stars on...whom they thought were taking them on an upward path to stardom....Sure Berry Gordy and the other men helped "The Supremes" achieve fame, but at what price? That's the theme in the book.....But the difference between "The Supremes" and Earl's "Supremes" is that the latter were TRUE friends, ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER. Sadly, I don't think that was true of "The Supremes."
The book packs a wallop. It's all in there...and with Django Unchained beginning an open dialogue on our country's embarrassing history, this book should add to the discussion about racism....
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Love All by Callie Wright - a coming of age novel told from each family member's point of view - but mostly from that of the 15 year old daughter. Beautifully written. Set in 1994 Cooperstown, NY where the author grew up - it is fun reading about places with which you are familiar! also about tennis and with grandparents and parents flashbacks to the 1960s.
.AVOID IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO READ ABOUT INFIDELITY - it is multigenerational here.
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MinusTwo, I second -- or third -- the recommendation of "Language of Flowers."
And thanks for the tip about McCrumb. I grew up near western Virginia. Odd that I haven't read her.
Like you, I go back to read earlier Lee Childs books on Reacher!!
For those of you who liked "Gone Girl" (i know a lot didn't), go back and read the author's ealier novels. Just finished her first one, which was good.0 -
Finished Reynold Price's Roxanna Slade last week. I used to really like Price and read all his books 20 years ago. You have to understand that the Carolina's are still on my bucket list so I've always looked for books set in the area by Price, along with Pat Conroy, Sharyn Mc Crumb, Anne Rivers Siddons, etc. I still find music in Price's prose and there are always some great lines, but I don't know if I'll read another one. Maybe it's chemo brain & I shouldn't make any decisions now. Sort of like I ate my all time favorite pizza last night & it didn't taste good.
Started on Joyce Carol Oates' short story collection Will You Always Love Me that I'll take to 2nd tx tomorrow. I have 8 hours worth of chemo, so thinking of also taking A.S.Byatt's 1990 Booker Prize book Possession, but I remember that as maybe too challenging to concentrate.
I'll check back in a couple of days to see what everyone else is reading.
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I'm from NC, and I do like my Southern authors. Price did start to get old after a while, but I liked ROXANNA SLADE. Tried to get through some of Shelby Foote's Civil War books, but they were a bit long-winded for me. If you make it to the Carolinas, hit Asheville, NC and Charleston, SC. The best of the best.
Tried my hand at Neal Gaimon, but couldn't quite do it...On to RIVER OF DOUBT by Candice Millard.
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Just finished Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure and liked it so much I bought a copy for my mom for Mother's Day. She liked him a lot. Halfway through My Year With Eleanor and liking it more than I thought I would. The premise is the author does something that scares her, every day for a year. After that I'll dive back into Salt Sugar Fat, subtitled How the Food Giants Hooked Us. I read the first 40 pages and was so ticked off I had to read something else for a while. Happy reading!
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Title: Unbroken -- by Laura Hillenbrand
While recovering from my BMX, last Saturday I was stuck at home (flat tire; DH working 12 hr shift), so I went to my library's website and found that a title I've been longing to read was available in "e" format. Wow! Last Thanksgiving I ran into this nice lady, who HIGHLY recommended this book as one "you just CAN'T put down." So, now being bored, I downloaded it and, yes, it kept me up almost all night, on the edge of my chair!
Reading now as a BC survivor, this book gave added "ooph" and inspiration in my battle to "fight the good fight" against BC! The story is of a man who ran a unbelievable 4:08 minute mile at the 1936 Olympics, who was drafted into World War II, whose plane crashed at sea, who survived to be on a raft adrift at sea 46 days, trying to survive and evade sharks, nonetheless who ended up on an island held by the Japenese and interred until end of WW II in a Japanese POW camp. UNBELIEVABLE! Best part is his struggle post-war with emotions and his marriage, and eventual redemption and forgiveness. Wow! This man is now 96 years old, whose story was told in the January 2013 issue of Runner's World Magazine, Louis Zamperini. UNBROKEN? You betcha!
What a great "shot in the arm" - just what my Dr should have ordered! :O0 -
Turquoise, yes, "Unbroken" is one of those books that sticks with you for life. The hardships, the courage--and it's a true story. I have recommended this to every book reader I know.
I just finished "Gulp," Mary Roach's latest. It's not for the squeamish, but it will provide you with tidbits of fact to sprinkle in conversations for years, although best not done during dinner parties. If you're a fan of Roach's, this is one of her best. If you don't know her, she writes about weird science with a wicked sense of humor. Her first, "Stiffs," was about cadavers. In her latest, she traces the alimentary canal, from the mouth to the end of the line, so to speak.
And Anne, as you can see, I live in one of your favorite places...0 -
Wave...I finished reading Gulp two nights ago...Last night I read The Food Police. I'm on a gastro tear....
I'm not going to get too far into it...but our gastro has all 5 members of my family as patients...We quip that he has "The Royal Flush." I was quite familiar with much of what Roach wrote about. For those who don't have much experience with gastroenterologists, they should enjoy the book.
Regarding flatulance, she left out a little known fact...Dr. Levitt's son, Steven Levitt, is one half of the Freakonomics team! I have been following Dr. Levitt's research for many, many years. I knew about Devrom. It works better than anything else as long as there's no beer in the house. Knew about that little known fact too.
For anyone who is wondering what Devrom is...they're either going to have to look it up or read Roach's book!
The Food Police is on spot too. I highly recommend it.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Food-Police-Well-Fed-Manifesto/dp/0307987035
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Turquoise...Before you arrived here on your journey...so many other sisters have stopped by here to RAVE about Unbroken. The moment it was published, most knew it would become a classic. I think the book will continue to be read by generations. There's nothing like reading non-fiction.......
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Voracious: I loved Stiff, although many of my squeamish friends were horrified. I'll look up Gulp. Also I guess i missed the earlier reviews about Unbroken. Thanks to Turquoise & Wave.
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VR--looking forward to GULP! Love her stuff.
WW--love Charleston. You're in a beautiful spot. Had my SGAP surgery at Roper Hospital!
I need to check out my library's ebooks...
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The author of Unbroken is just as sharp as ever. He was on a late night talk show after his book came out, and the host asked him if being held in a Japanese prison camp prepared him for anything else in life, to which he quipped, "Yes, 65 years of marriage."
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Good point, Ruthbru! I read somewhere Louie had made that comment... I'm chuckling at reading your post today, as it just happens to be my & DH's 12-year wedding anniversary today!! :O And, as I told DH yesterday, over (BC & BMX etc) past few weeks, I think HE should be canonized a SAINT!! LOL!!
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Turquoise! Congratulations on celebrating a dozen years of marriage....May you and your beloved enjoy many more dozens of years of matrimony!
When I think about what Zamperini endured, and how successful the book is, it makes me wonder why more stories like his...aren't as popular. I know Hillenbrand is a terrific writer and she tells a terrific story about a remarkable human being....but I wonder why stories of the lives of remarkable people like actor Charles Durning, slip below the radar...I scratch my head wondering why people are interested in the lives of people like Kim Kardashian. When looking over the New York Times best sellers lists, I sometimes scratch my head wondering why some stupid book is so popular....I know that Joe Queenan tackled this stubborn question in his book, One for the Books. I also wonder how writers like Hillenbrand and Erik Larson can pick topics and tell their stories in such exciting ways....
Badger....I'm so happy you enjoyed Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure and are sharing it with your mother! I love recommending books to my 88 year old mother! Yesterday she finished reading, The Good Nurse...about the serial killer....and we spoke about it for the better part of a half hour! Best mother's day gift...Sharing a good book with your mother and then being able to talk about it!
Happy Mother's Day book lovers!
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Happy Anniversary, Turquise!
Voracious, my mother was the one who hooked me on reading. When my brother, sister and I were little, she would sit on the top of the stairs and read us bedtime stories, always stopping in the most exciting places, so that we would beg for 'one more chapter'...and of course, she would 'reluctantly' give in, and read on at our insistence....creating her own little voracious readers!
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THE READING MOTHER
Strickland Gillilan
I had a mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath
I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.
I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Celert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness blent with his final breath.
I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings-
Stories that stir with an upward touch,
Oh, that each mother of boys were such.
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be --
I had a Mother who read to me.0 -
Oh Ruth - what a wonderful poem. Thank you for posting. It's so true. How fortunate we were to have such mothers. And what a great Mother's Day tribute.
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Ruth...what a truly lovely poem... and what a sweet story about your mom!
I learned to read from and for my maternal grandmother. She could barely read English... but together we tried to read and understand the captions below the photos in The New York Daily News... The center page was devoted to pictures. Once I learned to read, I spent hours reading to her. She loved when I dictated sentences to her and then she would read the sentence back to me. She instilled in me my love and devotion for the written word.0 -
Ruth, Thank-you for the beautiful poem. How fortunate are those whose mothers read to them.
Happy Mother's Day everyone!
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Ruth, thank you for posting that beautiful poem. I copied it and sent it to my daughter.
Someone once asked me about the greatest gift my mother ever gave me, and my answer was: a love of reading. Back in the '50s, when she was a housewife and mother, my dad would give her a weekly allowance for groceries, etc. (Sounds medieval now, doesn't it?) She would save a little bit each week until she had enough to buy a book from the bookstore in the nearest "city" 25 miles away.
I grew up loving books. Every summer, I'd win the reading contest at the local library for the most books read. Soon I was reading Edgar Allen Poe and John Steinbeck -- for fun. I majored in English in college.
When my daughter was born, I read to her constantly, and it made me smile when I'd later catch her reading under the blankets with a flashlight at night.
Now she has her own children, and she, like my mom before me, has passed on a love of reading to her sons. My 5-year-old grandson, in kindergarten, reads on a 3rd grade level.
If you love to read, you're never alone, and never bored.
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I didn't have my own kids to read to, but my youngest granddaughter has always loved books. So even though I only see her a couple times a year, we always spend time curled up on her bed reading. She's 10 now, and still loves to be read to. Going to visit her next month, and am trying to figure out what to read to her. Lots of choices, as she reads on a high school level but still is a kid.
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Ah, I've been away from this thread for too long! I love having a place on BCO that just speaks to the regular, healthy self. :-) Of course, I so appreciate how much I've learned on various other threads, but this one makes me feel just plain good.
As always, I love the book recommendations and I downloaded a sample of My Year with Eleanor. Looking forward to checking that out. In the meantime, on my end, I'm currently reading Jodi Picoult's, The Storyteller; Parker Palmer's, Healing the Heart of Democracy; Linda Bacon's, Health at Every Size; Siddhartha Mukherjee's, The Emperor of All Maladies, and I just finished Elizabeth George's, A Great Deliverance (mysteries aren't usually my genre, but this was recommended and I did enjoy her writing style).
VR, our family saw Great Gatsby this weekend. I thought it was a big improvement over the Robert Redford version. My daughter just read (and loved) GG, so we watched both films. She's now reading "Z" and tells me that I *must* read it after she finishes. She also insists that I read, To Kill a Mockingbird (don't know how I got this far in life without reading that one). Do you ever get the feeling that there are just too many good books to read and not enough time???
AnneW, I see you're from Boulder. As fate would have it, I'm heading out that way tomorrow for a conference. I'm planning to stay an extra day or so afterward to explore a bit. Any recommendations?0 -
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Love the pic, VR!
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That picture is exactly the way I feel when I am reading a book that I'm loving while heading to bed to read myself to sleep. Love it!
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